Duration: 46:32

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Henshin-A-Go-Go, maybe? Maybe not? Henshin-A-No-No? Hmmm...

"FX Unit Yuki" is an indie action game jam-packed with satire and references to classic games of the 80s and 90s with special attention being made to the beloved TurboGrafx-16 / PC-Engine (CD) platform. Originally based around a web comic by artist and fledgling game developer, Sarumaru, titled "Henshin Engine" in 2015-2016, it wouldn't become an actual game until 2018. A successful Kickstarter campaign was held for "Henshin Engine - The Game" in 2016 which later evolved into "FX Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine" with the help of "The Old Rover" as the programmer, "Black Tiger" as the tile artist, and "Garbled Waves" as the primary composer (aka Simon Johansson). Collectively, they currently make up "SaruPro" with "PixelHeart" publishing this (Switch) version. Reading around, there's a bit of controversy surrounding some of the Kickstarter rewards and of the main dev himself, but the game itself has the general reputation of a well-intentioned but slightly slapdash game. An enhanced PC/Steam port, "FX Unit Yuki: T.H.E. RECODE" was in the works but seems to be in limbo. A sequel, "FX Unit Yuki MiniMix - The Unit Wars" is in development for the Game Boy.

There's no difference in the plot between the different iterations of the game (PC Engine Super CD-ROM², Genesis / MD, Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch); Yuki Shirakawa is an "average gamer gal" and aspiring game tester who attends Yellow Bee Academy and lands her dream gig as an apprentice for JEC (NEC). While working one day, Yuki stumbles across a special prototype console and is mysteriously drawn to it, but her close contact with the machine has unintended consequences as she is transformed into a console-wearing super heroine who can travel between the human world and the world of video games (allowing her to "debug" on a whole other level)! But JEC's biggest rival, SG corporation, has similar technology allegedly stolen from someone on the inside of JEC which allowed them to create their own avatar, Geni, who goes into the same games with the intent of sabotaging JEC. Now Yuki has to put her gamer gal skills and apprentice play testing skills to the test as she hops from different games for fun and to stop SG and Geni from botching their games.

As a child of the 90s, I can appreciate what FX Unit attempts to do and the premise is not so unlike "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" / "Gridman the Hyper Agent" / "VR Troopers" / "Cyber Cross" / "Cross Wiber" / etcetera but with a more whimsical style and anime-esque flavor. That being said, Yuki and her limited assortment of abilities doesn't really do much to impress when combined with the mostly VERY simple level designs. The game is spread across eight main stages and Yuki double jumps, slides and dispatches most of her enemies with slashes and a charged attack (and even some of this is only achieved after find an associated HuCard-shaped upgrade)... these abilities are not as functional as they sound (her slide for example shows her getting caught by attacks she should probably otherwise avoid, indicating hitbox or collision issues) and she has a crouching punch that I have yet to find a use for. I'll give a few brownie points for the game's two scrolling shooter segments (Inspired by Cotton 100% and Lords / Winds of Thunder) which, while a little rigged and a bit perfunctory in feeling, do bring the action and change things up. There are also a few nice secrets and multiple endings that help elevate the package a little bit more and are nice nods to the secrets found in games of yesteryear.

On the visual side of things, FX Unit has a few decent set pieces and a handful of slick animations but otherwise remains firmly in the "acceptable" camp, due mostly to the overall level designs. While the game has the benefit of saying it has higher-res artwork stills than your average PC Engine (Super) CD-ROM² games, these scenes do not bear the hallmarks of good-to-great animation and voice acting that games on the medium are typically known for. Of course, it's not something I expected nor do I fault it for it, but it is something to consider (one homebrew for the system, "Mysterious Song", does have cutscenes and voices). Each stage is modeled after different games such as Adventure Island / Wonder Boy, Castlevania, Shockman, Bonk, and more, but it's worth mentioning that "Satin 50%" is a modified rendition of the first level from an (currently unreleased) game from Old Rover, "Lucretia: Demon Princess / 鬼姫の呪い". The soundtrack is the clear highlight of the game and evokes a powerful but eclectic vibe of the Super CD-ROM² days. The sound effects are punchy, the instrumentation is good and while the soundtrack isn't very large, it's not lacking in variety.

The Switch version is fairly cheap and is worth a soft recommendation, but good luck getting some of the physical versions. This is a video showing some things in action. Enjoy.