by Liberation Maiden has all the makings of a title by Goichi Suda (a.k.a. Suda51), the eccentric creator behind console games like Lollipop Chainsaw and Killer7. In this iOS shooter, you play as a Japanese schoolgirl named Shoko and blast robotic terrorists aboard your flying mech suit; on top of that all, she’s also the president of New Japan, set 100 years in the future. Its bizarre premise brings with it shooter action that’s beautiful to look at and fun to play, but ultimately leaves you hungry for more.
The universal app is a faithful port of last year’s Nintendo 3DS title and features the exact same content, albeit with the addition of full touchscreen controls and online leaderboard support. You’ll move Shoko around using a virtual joystick and tap enemies to shoot them down. Getting hit or using your weapons lessens your defenses, which recharge over time, so there is some strategy in knowing when to attack and when to retreat.
Liberation Maiden’s story is told through missions that require you to free five different regions in Japan from enemy control. You’ll fly around and shoot down any enemy you see, revealing more foes that guard the way to each region’s boss weapon. The stages are frenetic displays of lasers, explosions, and colorful bursts of energy, but they’re all mostly the same and only differ in location. You’re never introduced to anything new, and even the boss battles, which are a sight to behold at first, soon feel like you’re just fighting a powered-up version of the same enemy.
However, before the repetitive sense of the game fully sinks in, you’ll see the credits roll and realize that it’s over; Liberation Maiden isn’t very long and can be easily finished in little more than an hour. Of course, you can always challenge yourself with its score attack mode or three difficulty settings, but you’ll just end up wanting more new content after you’re done.
The bottom line. For what it’s worth, Liberation Maiden is the far better value and experience than its 3DS counterpart. Play this version of the uncommon shooter if you haven’t already, but don’t expect it to last you long.
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