Coryoon Review: Tiny Flying, Gigantic Fights

Coryoon: Child of Dragon

Platform: PC-Engine

The “shooter,” as known in the 1980s, was defined by bullets and dodging impossible odds. Galaga, Gradius, Raiden…a lone, nameless pilot had to somehow penetrate droves of alien or terrestrial foes. But as the decade blended into the ‘90s—as gamers wished to better “know” their digital avatars—the so-called cute ‘em up rose into being. Suddenly, in place of the non-descript ship, witches and bunny girls and big-headed androids were careening across home and arcade screens.

And Coryoon very much adheres to this trend of the precious and eccentric, featuring a wee baby dragon firing past hoards of other adorable foes. After an evil magician-type turns the tyke’s beloved princess into a winsome little girl, the pipsqueak flies off to break the poor girl’s curse—which means fighting everything from penguins to spinning snowmen. It’s eight stages of kawaii mayhem; even the mid and end-level bosses bear a cute cheekiness, from flying unicorns to monstrous crabs before, at last, the dragon faces his ultimate nemesis—a gray doppelganger of himself. Is this a statement on how darkness infects even in the most innocent, cloying of hearts? No, actually, probably not.

The game is not unlike Air Zonk, the developer’s other big-headed, farcical blast ‘a’ thon that sends its protagonist through lands of color and outrageous forces. Similarly, Coryoon’s levels are simple in orientation but dazzle in eye candy, with lush backgrounds built on layers of mesmerizing parallax and stacked in enemies that, although ultimately fodder, pack more personality than the average leading hero. If not a revolutionary experience in terms of gameplay, the title is at least breathtaking to behold—assuming players can keep track of all the moving parts.

Indeed, the game is busy, with the player’s shots popping multitudes of enemies into point-granting fruit that then spill across that already-crammed canvas. It’s perhaps the game’s one true flaw; often, there’s just too much motion and commotion to track all the projectiles, powerups, fruit, and baddies crowding the screen. It’s either a beautiful collage or an overwrought mess, a sightly maelstrom matched by some moving tunes.

Despite the chaos, the game generally plays fair, offering three difficulty settings to help players of any skill (or patience level) proceed through the stages. The little dragon, so long as he has a powerup, can also take an additional hit before plunging off-screen—and since powerups are everywhere, good players will shift between taking damage and grabbing the next upgrade before ever meeting actual defeat. Those weapon options are fun, too, with flamethrower fire breath, a water-esque pressure beam, and an electric spread all offering a diverse range of attacks that can each be upgraded into immense swaths of consequence.

Trapped and buried on a doomed console, and beholden to what’s since become a niche genre, Coryoon’s present obscurity is hardly surprising. And granted, it’s not revolutionary or particularly remarkable…just likable. Sugary. A mouthful of cotton candy that quickly melts into memory. It’d be hard to recommend the game over the TG16’s other headlining shooty cuties—Magical Chase and Air Zonk, especially—but there’s no denying Coryoon’s incorrigible charm and earnest sensibilities. The developers imbued its hero with plenty of charm, and the Princess with a certain loveliness that resonates beyond time and genre.

Coryoon might not be the best shooter, but it’s one of the most endearing. And for a game essentially about blasting cute critters in oblivion, that is a remarkable achievement.--D

Publisher: NEC

Developer: Naxat Soft

Release: 1991

Genre: Shooter

Coryoon offers some nifty extra modes, including a finely illustrated sound test and a score attack mode, the latter practically a game unto itself.

Levels are varied in setting but otherwise lack differentiating features. In short, outside the changing enemy types, the stages play largely the same.

Coryoon sports plenty of subtle flourishes and details, including a dynamic title screen that shifts through the game's stages if left unattended.

Boss fights offer the game's greatest surprises of variety, offering mad unicorns, giant lobsters, golden golems...and these guys.

Although the graphics are nice, the narrative cutscenes are exquisite. What dragon wouldn't be obsessed with a princess like that?