UFO3

Way back in the Campanella 2 review, I brought up the “NES 2nd game black sheep” syndrome. I think in this universe, it’s actually the third game that fits that, because I can totally see alternate universe nerds playing this game and going “yes it’s good, but it’s such a departure from the rest of the series that it’s a bit of a black sheep”. Campanella 3 is the only game in the series that does not use the original game’s engine or gameplay style. While the other games were about navigating treacherous areas carefully, there’s no walls to avoid here, it’s empty space. While the other games had you use a slash attack to hit enemies, the Campanella has a gun here. It’s a VERY different beast.

UFO3

Campanella 3 can best be compared to onrails shooters of the late 80s, games that are trying to push the limits of 2D and go for a 3D look. Games like Space Harrier. And I love those games, but I may love Campanella 3 even more than them. This game plays so well. You’ve got a small playfield, which you can better position yourself in thanks to the orange borders that pop up as you get near. It LOOKS like a bit open space, but it’s eally a 6x4 grid, and as long as you shoot in that grid, you hit the enemy that’s in that spot in the foreground. You also have a side blaster, for when enemies get too close and enter the foreground. Fly around and blast the enemies. That’s it. It’s simple, but it’s fun as hell, especialyl as new enemies and patterns emerge. The game is the same every time, and quite a challenge, but very learnable. At the end of every wave of enemies, you are graded by the percentage you shot down. If you get a 100 you get a cute cat, probably the office cat, Lancelot. I tried getting a picture, but couldn’t get it in time ): You’ll have to get a 100% yourself.

UFO3

There aren’t many stages, just five of them, I think. It’s not a long and complex game, but what’s here will keep you very entertained. This is my personal favorite Campanella game. I know. The other two are very good and fun, but this fits my interests and tastes just a tiiiiny bit more. But it’s so hard to compare them. This could have EASILY been its own thing.

Perhaps the msot jarring thing about Campanella 3 is the ending, though. They just… left it at that? I assume they were going to continue the story with some twist in Campanella 4, but holy moly.

Also important to note, this game is ITS OWN UFO 50. Games within games, it’s the way of the future. Using the 2nd controller, you can play little mini games on the mini screen there. It’s a little unneccesary, and they’re very simple micro games, but it’s wild that they decided to include it. You can thank Thorson Petter for that, who at this point in UFO Soft, after having worked there for 7 years, as getting a little neurotic and overworked. He was the Artist, and this is a very Artist thing, but uh, didn’t you maybe go overboard by building FIFTY mini games for this one game, Petter?

9/10