Operation Logic Bomb is definitely a unique and fun little title in the vast ocean of SNES goodness. I don’t think anyone will ever rank it among the best of the very best, but every system needs unsung heroes like this one. Games in which you can easily lose yourself in over the course of a solid weekend or two. I too enjoy the strafing and unlimited ammo. IIRC, it does get pretty hard but is definitely the kind of methodical blaster that I could see myself revisiting every once in a long while.

Take care!

Part of the reason for that is the complete dearth of dialogue as it’s the kind of game that relies purely on visual in order to clue you in on what is going on (mainly the tapes you find along the way as well as the brief demoes of the new equipment you acquire); I like when there’s that odd video game title that advances the story in such a universal approach that nary a word of dialogue is used convey what is going on but does so in a way that you get the basic gist without confusion–like ASCII’s Ardy Lightfoot (an endearing example of a purely visual storytelling approach on the Nintendo 16-bit console) and… erm, Westwood Associates’ Young Merlin (a contender for brilliant premise completely undermined and marred by gameplay woes and utter brevity and (to me) a dissatisfying conclusion–those railcar sequences, man, I can’t!–which is a shame because that game had so, so, SOOOO much GOING for it, and I knew what I was getting into prior to playing that one and still came out disappointed; that said, I’d rather play *that* than revisit Sonic! Software Planning’s Shining Wisdom at any point, for me personally among the nadir in my Saturn collection and a game I did not like, but that’s neither here nor there)

The visual aesthetic is solid throughout with equally solid animation for HIRO, or Agent Logan as he was called in the Western release, I liked the designs of the interior of the initial laboratory and for when stepping foot into the outdoors as you traverse on a cliff-like setting with the occasional view of the world below it (for the brief time that you’re there, at any rate). The use of Mode 7 as the first boss approaches it slowly and menacingly scales into the scene is so effective, and the penultimate zone on the way to meet the final boss is where Ikari no Yōsai visually peaks with the refreshing abundance of colors splashed all over with an atmospheric transparent layer encompassing the field. Some of the enemy designs are interesting, like the robotic mini-boss with the crablike pincers, and the music by Yasuyuki Suzuki does a very good job at immersing you into the action encased inside a hard sci-fi setting (right down to the quietly intimidating theme played during the tapes)

And finally, I found the gameplay to be solid and enjoyable for the most part, I like how you can strafe by holding the shoulder button plus the infinite ammo supply regardless of the weapon you choose to use is much appreciated. I like toggling between the spread shot, ricochet laser, and flamethrower depending on what is more convenient in terms of dealing with the hordes of enemies that are encountered along the way (not least of which you must be quick on your feet to evade their firepower and/or try to steer clear from them, especially since continues are limited and health refills are not always available when you need it). In terms of navigating, there is a bit of a methodical approach admittedly but I feel that it works fine in the case of this game (and I do like how you can check your current location after having scanned the area for the map of the present level). It is satisfying to search and destroy the containers thereby making portions of the floor easily accessible without having to take the long route than when you first got to them

I’ve only played this game a few times since I got it back in 2020 (including tonight, just in the past hour or so to refresh my memory), and the farthest I’ve ever gone is the final boss (and lost to with a game over). Still, it is an atmospherically fascinating game that is fun to play for the most part (simple though the gameplay may be, I like the choice to toggle between weapons and the ability to strafe), and while I can’t say where it ranks in the Ikari no Yōsai series as I’ve not played the Game Boy venues so I’m in no place to compare the titles as of writing this, but I do genuinely think it is good on its own merits. Not my favorite Jaleco game, but enjoyably compelling to play regardless (and as purely visual dialogue-free Nintendo 16-bit video game storytelling goes is superior in every way to Young Merlin… though that’s a huge understatement)

Hope your day is a great one, Steve!
To each their own