Hit the button and a super powerful attack is unleashed, in some cases lasting for the duration of those charge bars as they drain down. Leave the fire button unpressed and your weapon constantly charges itself, for a maximum of three colored bars. One of the coolest aspects of Bari-Arm is the reverse R-Type charge shot. Later on this plays a key role since you need to navigate some enormous maze-like levels at high speed. The levels, though horizontal, are also vertically tall, again akin to Thunder Force, or even Axelay‘s water stage, with the ability to scroll it by moving at the screen’s edge. You can toggle between four ship speeds on the fly, much like Thunder Force. Mechanically it borrows from a large roster of other hori shoot-em-ups, especially R-Type and Thunder Force III.
There are also Silver Orbs which instantly transform you into a mecha, regardless of weapon strength. Although this increases your hit box, thereby making it harder to maneuver, it does allow you to take damage without dying – get hit and you just revert back to a ship. On the third collection your ship transforms into a giant mecha. There are four color-coded weapons, each of which can be powered up three times by collecting little POW items. The game is a fairly typical seven stage horizontal shooter, though is pulled off with such class and attention to detail that it rises above many of its peers.
One of the best was Keio Flying Squadron, and another was the curiously titled Android Assault: The Revenge of Bari-Arm, or just plain Bari-Arm in Japan, developed by Human Entertainment. In addition to Snatcher and several Working Designs RPGs, the Sega CD played host to a few really great 2D shoot-em-ups. It didn’t have a long shelf-life, was overpriced and the number of games released wasn’t massive, but it had more power under its hood than the PC Engine’s CD-ROM add-on, and it also received enough system-exclusives to now make it absolutely worth investigating as a retro system. The Sega CD is an unfairly maligned system.
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