I remember GameFan's December 2000 From The Graveyard write-up of this game. It proclaimed that a handful of Saturn imports were already consistently striking the magical 80+ barrier, and that if you owned PD -- you can consider yourself the most hardcore of hardcore
Well, by now, most Saturn users are well aware of this little gem. Some of the mystical Saturn imports I feel are overrated. But certainly not this one!
It only has 5 stages and can be beaten in under half an hour, but what fun you'll have. Prikura Daisakusen gives you 3 character choices: The two cover girls (it can get dirtier) and a giant bipedal dog-like creature
A = shoot
B = pound
C = special
Y (or double tap in desired direction) = roll
One girl emits stars from her magical wand. The other shoots icy-like projectiles. Enemies are all of the robotical variety that flash when hit. Killed, an animal is left for you to collect. You can pound the bad guys with the B button as well, and is different depending on the character. This reveals jewels instead of animals in the wake of destroyed baddies. Also, with the pound button, you can unleash a sweet chain reaction! Think domino affect. See how high a combo you can land! It's impressive seeing one enemy explode after being pounded and taking out his friends nearby!
Each character has a helper that can evolved up to four times (at the end of each stage it evolves accordingly)
Also, in some stages there's an icon that turns you into a steroid-pumped version who is invincible and by simply touching any enemy, causes them to be instantly destroyed. Nice
It is an isometric shooter. You might be wondering how the shooting is. Well, once you hold A... you can move the D-Pad and still remain locked in that position. So don't fret about shooting and not being able to lock in one direction. There are multiple directions to shoot at. It controls very well
Stage 3's end boss JUDGMENT is one of the most intense moments in the game
Work your way across castle lairs, creepy underground caverns, icy winterlands and much more as you attempt to fight the final boss.... a vile menace is known simply as the oddly titled FLASH-THE-ALL
It is a sight for sore eyes, believe me! And it's classic Atlus strangeness. The face of the final boss reminds me of one of Atlus' fighters... a Saturn brawler called GROOVE ON FIGHT
I liked the dog the least. He's too big a target and doesn't have the mobility of the girls. The girls are fun to use. Special move is same for all the characters. A bunch of fireballs cascade downward from the heavens, damaging everything on screen followed by one single extra large fireball. Classic Streets of Rage feel
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Overall Prikura Daisakusen is an ace game. It can be had for under $50 too, so it's not too bad on the wallet. Don't be fooled by some auctions that end at $60. It can easily be had for $45 or so with a little patience. Hell I got mine for $30 (Keep in mind, these figures were based on the last time I checked: Summer of 2005. It may have gone up or down since)
By the way, there were two versions released for the Saturn:
Double Jewel Case with calender
Single Jewel Case without calender
From the classic flash flash flash of the enemies and bosses, to the cool old school feel, Prikura's a winner. And check out those cool J-Pop tunes!
