Space Ace (SNES)

This article is about the 1994 game. For other meanings, see Space Ace.

Space Ace
Developers	Oxford Digital Enterprises Sullivan Bluth Studios
Publishers	Absolute Entertainment (US) Empire Software (PAL) Imagineer (JP)
Platforms	Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Famicom
Series	Space Ace
Release date	US: 1994
Genre(s)	Action Platformer

Space Ace is a 1994 video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the original laserdisc game of the same name, developed by Oxford Digital Enterprises in conjunction with Sullivan Bluth Studios and published by Absolute Entertainment (NA), Imagineer (Japan), and Empire Software (PAL). As with the 16-bit home console version of Dragon's Lair, it was retooled into a platforming action game, to fit within the system's limitations. Still, animated cutscenes and death nodes were able to be faithfully replicated on a lower resolution and on a smaller screen-within-the-screen. Space Ace for the SNES is known as one of the most difficult games on the system.

Story

The game closely follows plot of arcade game; Dexter must rescue Kimberly and thwart Borf's plan to enslave Earth with the Infanto Ray, all the while struggling to overcome the ray's effects upon him and regain his manhood. Once Ace reunites with Kimberly, the duo close in on Borf’s lair. In the game's final stage, Ace must trick Borf into shooting a mirror multiple times before the Infanto Ray's effects transform the villain into a baby, ending the game. If the best ending is achieved, Ace and Kimberly share a kiss as the credits roll.

Stages & Enemies

Platforming

• "Mountain Side": Borf, Droids
• "Barren Wasteland": Groots, Carniculas, Shag
• "Space Station Alpha": Video Guards
• "Space Station Beta": Security Droids
• "Industrial Ruin": Slime Monster, Auto Broom
• "Energy Power Plant": Robot Guards, Patrol Pups
• "Dark Dex": Hexter
• "Showdown": Grumlets, Borf

Vehicle-Based

• "Space Maze": Green Asteroids
• "Power Tube": LeGrin
• "Fighter Chase Escape": Buzzers
• "Rocket Skate Maze"
• "Motorcycle Chase": Babaloons, Pink Critters
• "Underwater Cavern": Eels, Squids

Gameplay

The game features a total of 25 levels (some types are repeated such as "Space Maze" and "Rocket Skate Maze", all of which are based upon sequences from the original arcade game. Most types take the form of linear action stages where Dexter is controlled directly and must avoid and jump over obstacles and enemies. Other stages take the form of arcade shooters or maze-navigation, featuring ridable vehicles that take advantage of the console's "Mode 7" graphics. The scene maneuvering the Star Pac spaceship in the original has been turned into the "Space Maze" matrix, a large top-down scrolling area that the ship must traverse in order to find various vortexes and different points on a cosmic labyrinth, as each leads to one of the different action stages. Seven levels are found this way; upon completion and exiting, a space shooter level will trigger and a second connecting are will be entered: the "Rocket Skate Maze", which leads to the final four levels.

Dexter's energizing ability has also been retained from the original arcade release, which provides two options for completion of stages. At key strategic moments, Dexter has the option to collect power-up disks to energize into his "Ace" form, after which he may fire his blaster with the aid of an aiming crosshair (which can be upgraded with collectible power-up disks). During these energized segments, Ace must battle a large boss creature, which can kill the the hero in a single hit but uses predictable attack patterns.

Ace reunites with Kimberly at the end of the "Motorcycle Chase" stage, and the heroine follows the hero into the "Rocket Skate Maze" and the "Underwater Cavern" shadowing his movements (sometimes with a slight delay). Ace must survive the stages while ensuring that no harm befalls Kimberly, or else a Death Node animation will trigger, and the player will lose a life.

Reception

Upon release, Space Ace was met with mixed reception.

Nintendo Power provided a brief review that praised the "great graphics that could be straight out of a cartoon or comic book" while acknowledging the "unforgiving controls" that would force most players to spend lots of time replaying the same areas." The magazine’s Power Meter rated the game 3.6/5 on graphics, 2.3/5 on play control, 2.6/5 on challenge, and 2.8/5 on theme and fun.

GamePro panned the SNES version, giving it an overall score of 2.5 out of 5, and recommended that fans of the arcade game hold out for the Sega CD version instead. GamePro critic "Lawrence of Arcadia" judged the cart to be a poor adaptation of the source material, criticizing both presentation and gameplay and suggesting that players save their money and wait for the release of the Sega CD port, noting "The awkward controls (you fall off ledges for no reason at all) and pixelated graphics (the cut scenes, which are meant to be humorous, are just hideous) combine for one of the most unplayable video games in recent memory." Overall, the review found the gameplay and controls confusing and frustrating, calling it "one of the most unplayable video games in recent memory." Game Players staff criticized the game for how the enemies and obstacles behave in the same way every time, as well as how short the levels are.

VideoGames praised the visuals while lamenting that numerous segments felt unfairly difficult, concluding "it's not a great game, but it is as close as the SNES can get to the original laserdisc game." Staff for European gaming magazine Total! likewise praised the audio and visuals but heavily criticized it for having trial-and-error gameplay, suggesting the game was a "waste of space" aside from its attractive visuals and "wasn't designed with players in mind." Writing a scathing review for FLUX, Jeff Yang, who confessed a dislike for the original arcade game for being a "mediocre attempt to cash in on the inexplicably successful Dragon's Lair," noted "in seeking to duplicate the "look and feel” of the [arcade] game while translating it from a reflex test into a scrolling action game, Absolute has only succeeded in making a game that is just as un-fun as the original." Yang further hypothesized that the franchise's appeal was simply a lame power fantasy for nerdy adolescents, suggesting such players should get their thrills from Sunsoft's The Pirates of Dark Water side-scroller brawler instead. The French magazine Consoles+ found the gameplay repetitive but appreciated the gameplay for being varied.

Electronic Games writer Ross Chamberlain enjoyed gameplay of the overhead portion, but bemoaned the rest, calling it "an exercise in game play frustration." Chamberlain's review was accompanied by a gameplay tip recommended by Stephan Ross, a gameplay developer representing publisher Absolute Entertainment: "When you jump, it's important to keep holding the button down and keep the direction key aimed at where you want Dexter to go until you land. There are some small jumps but most are long and need that extra help. . . . There is always some place to go. Sometimes you need to just find a safe spot to stand in, and then move. Corners are sometimes the key to a jump. . . . Try it from a corner instead of an edge. And remember that all eight directions are used in jumps--not just right or left and up and down. Good luck!"

Computer and Video Games praised the game for boasting large animated sprites and its utilization of the console's color palette better than any other game on the platform. Despite critiques of the game's collision detection, the review was generally positive in assessing the gameplay. Reviewer Paul Rand praised the variety of gameplay, commenting that despite having a learning curve, the game became more impressive as it progressed. Fellow reviewer Deniz Ahmet echoed the sentiment by writing "You'll need plenty of patience . . . but once you work out the safe spots you can get through with little hassle. The game is about learning attack patterns, though there's enough levels and variety in game styles to give it lastability. . . . It's the sort of visually lavish game others try to be but can't achieve."

The game’s reputation has become infamous in retrospective reviews, often being included in lists of the worst games among the console’s extensive library.

External Links

• Box Scan 48-Bit 1200dpi (USA) at InternetArchive
• SNES Instruction Booklet (USA) at InternetArchive
• Sprite Rips at Spriters Resource

Gallery

Trivia

• Several blind leaps are required to enter hidden bonus stages throughout the game which are required to collect all the power-up discs, the only clue being a momentary distortion of the screen when Dexter steps over particular areas of the stage.
• The in-game sprite of the Star Pac features the ship's name written in reverse on one side, possibly in attempt to match the mirrored gameplay sequences of the arcade game in which the text can appear reversed.