
As a Sega Saturn fan, I was always a-cute-ly aware of the Cotton franchise, as both entries on the system were lauded as being some of the best shooters available; yet, my general aversion to the genre stopped me from ever getting them- Thanks to ININ Games, however, that all changed as they brought over each entry one at a time; the original may have been a remake, but the others were ports of the original classics.
The only game they was missing was the one game I wanted to play the most: Rainbow Cotton. Released exclusively in Japan for the Sega Dreamcast, it took the Space Harrier style rail shooting action of Panorama Cotton and brought it into true 3D. It turns out the delay was down to it getting a full on remaster. Considering how good Cotton Reboot was, this could end up being my favourite yet!
Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.
NINTENDO WITCH
If you’ve ever played any previous game in the franchise, you’ll probably have a general gist of how the plot plays even before the beautifully animated cutscene starts playing out. The Queen and her fairies are stressed out as some evil entity is threatening the Willow, and the fairy Silk tricks her Witch friend Cotton into helping out with the promise of some delicious Willow candy as a reward. It’s all very procedural at this point, and the game makes no bones about it – but the way they tell the story is done in quite an adorable way. After all, seeing Cotton fall for a rudimentary trap as the fairies try to lure her out is just undeniably a good joke, and it’s worth watching the cutscenes just for these moments.
From the moment you enter the enchanting world of Rainbow Cotton, you’re greeted by some breathtaking Dreamcast-era visuals. Of course, the remastered version looks far sharper than the original, with lots more intricate details as you explore the different areas. Whether its lush forest-scapes, sunken undersea cities, or claustrophobic caverns, they’re all quite wonderous in design. You can even play the ‘retro’ original should you wish to compare and contrast in order to see how much effort has gone into making this one look far sharper and more visually appealing.
The downside to these big colourful sprites is that Cotton herself is especially massive, and takes up far more room than you would hope for in the screen. It’s interesting as I never really appreciated how well designed the likes of the Arwing and the dragon in Panzer Dragoon were until I played Rainbow Cotton. Even though they’re not exactly small, they’re made in such a way that they hardly ever block what is in front of you and allow you to see exactly what you’re shooting – a problem that really drags down Rainbow Cotton, as her massive figure often makes it impossible to see whether you’re shooting at a specific target. Something made even worse by the lack of feedback given when firing your magical spells. Their weedy sounds lack any real kind of ‘thud’ making it hard to tell that you’re making any kind of real impact.
Which is a shame really as there is a solid foundation behind the game that could have really been made to shine in the remake. Aside from the stunning environments and cutesey enemies, Cotton still retains some of her trademark abilities. Collecting coloured gems can grant her with super magical spells that can help her clear out hordes of enemies or deal heft damage to bosses, and saving fairies from their strange little prisons can also help level up your firepower. It still feels like a limited moveset as the infrequency of the crystals forces you to save them for major encounters, leaving you with only your basic attack and a newly added lock-on function that didn’t seem to work – the game would automatically lock on to things sometimes but shots still seemed to fire as normal. With no way to view the controls or explanation as to how stuff works, a lot of it can lead to trial and error.
Probably the most enjoyable part of the overall experience lays in the game’s boss encounters, which offer some greatly designed monstrosities with some interesting patterns to avoid. There are some that can be a tad too spongey and feel more like an endurance test, but I found these parts to be the most consistently enjoyable element.
VERDICT
Rainbow Cotton is a truly stunning rails shooter, and this updated version looks better than ever. Unfortunately it’s still hampered by a lot of the same issues that plagued the original, and they make it hard to enjoy. It’s certainly a step up from Panorama Cotton, and even includes a ‘little brother’ two player mode to help play with a friend, but really the main reason to buy it is simply to complete your Cotton collection.
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