Einhänder 1997

Is it still worth playing?

Square's 1997 scrolling shooter for the PlayStation, released in Japan in November 1997 and in North America in May 1998. The name is German for a one handed sword, here the single manipulator arm of your spacecraft. The story, set in a war between the Earth and the Moon, is based on the Greek myth of Selene and Endymion. Before a run you choose a difficulty and one of three fighter models, then fly through side scrolling levels in 2.5D. That arm is the heart of it. Besides the default machine gun, it collects gunpods dropped by destroyed enemies, from cannons to guided missile launchers, each with its own power, ammunition and range, discarded when empty. At the end of most stages is a boss with parts you can destroy. Weapons taken from defeated enemies still make each wave a choice of what to carry today.