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Released in 1996 for the Sony Playstation, Einhänder was the only game from the scrolling shooter genre to come out of the labs of Squaresoft. The player chooses from five different fighters (three are standard, two are secret), each requiring a different fighting style.
The in-game music is its own style of techno (not fitting into any particular category), composed by Kenichiro Fukui.
The game takes place across seven levels. Between levels, a box appears displaying the player's score and the high score for the level.
Basic gameplay
Each of the standard ships is equipped with a default machine gun and a free-moving arm, which can pick up detachable weapons, dropped by enemies, called gunpods. The arm is extended when the gunpod should be fired, but the ship is not equipped with a gunpod. Gunpods may be positioned above and below the fighter. The fighter can also maneuver at four different speeds. The speed of the fighter is adjustable by the player.
The game may be played on an easy, medium, or hard difficulty.
The different ships
Standard ships - Astraea FGA Mk. I - This fighter is capable of holding two gunpods at a time, and they can be fired independently. When only one gunpod is equipped on this aircraft, the default machine gun replaces the missing gunpod. Any gunpods above the fighter are fired directly horizontally, or vertically for the Hedgehog, and are locked in position.
- Endymion FRS Mk. II - This fighter can store up to three gunpods, however it may only use one of these at a time. It fires the default machine gun separately from the equipped gunpod.
- Endymion FRS Mk. III - This fighter has a double power default machine gun, but it can only carry one gunpod at any time. To make up for this weakness, this ship receives more ammo from gunpods than the other ships, and the shots do more damage. The gunpod is fired simultaneously with the machine gun.
Secret ships - Unknown Fighter Type I - Also known as "Die Schabe", German for cockroach, this ship is not from the same line of fighters as the standard issue ships. Rather, it is a small police car. It does not have an extendible arm like the other fighters, but picking up gunpods powers up its machine gun, and can alter the firing pattern. The more gunpods the ship collects, the faster and more powerful the gun becomes. This ship is unlocked by collecting fifteen or more special bonuses in one session of the game.
- Unknown Fighter Type II - Codenamed Selene, this is the ultimate fighter. It has the same specifications as the Astraea, but this ship receives 9999 ammo for collecting a gunpod. This incredibly powerful ship can only be obtained by completing the game on the hard difficulty without using any continues.
Gunpods NOTE: After picking up a gunpod and running out of continues or quitting the game, the player may begin a new game pre-equipped with that gunpod. The locations of the secret weapons will not be revealed.
Standard gunpods - Vulcan - The most common gunpod, the vulcan is an auxiliary machine gun with a higher fire rate and less power than the default gun.
- Cannon - The second most common gunpod, the cannon has a low fire rate, but boasts massive firepower.
- Spreader - This gunpod fires five high-speed projectiles that fan out in a spread shot and deal lots of damage. It can fire behind the fighter if it is moved above the craft.
- Grenade - Firing highly explosive and damaging grenades, this can be fired backwards when placed below the fighter. Upon impact, the grenades explode multiple times.
- Wasp - Above the fighter, this missile launcher fires semi-powerful homing missles that even lock onto enemies in the background. When placed below the fighter, this weapon launches high-power concussion missiles.
- Riot - This is a giant taser that fires at an angle and delivers an armor-piercing blast of electricity. It uses ammo by charging up.
- Hedgehog - This grenade launcher fires grenades vertically. After impact or time lapse, the grenades leave lasting explosions that continuously deal damage.
- Blade - Like the name suggests, this is a blade similar to a lightsaber. It uses ammo continually while it is activated. It deals more damage and grows when it is switched from the top to the bottom of the fighter or vice-versa, or when the figter is moved upwards and to the right.
Secret weapons - Python - These are plastic explosives on a wire. Moving the fighter while firing a round will alter the flight path of the bombs.
- Mosquito - These guided missles move in the same direction as the fighter.
- Juno - This heavy machine gun with immense fire power and discharge rate dwarfs the vulcan in all aspects.
- Flash - This laser passes through walls and enemies with ease. One shot is about five times as powerful as the cannon.
Special bonuses There are three special bonuses in every level. Each is worth a different amount of points, but getting them may require some work. Getting special bonuses is crucial to unlocking the first secret fighter. The locations of the 21 special bonuses will not be disclosed here.
Boss fights Einhander provided some of the most brutal bosses ever seen. Some of the early bosses, such as die Garnelle (Shrimp) speak for themselves. Others, such as der Schwarzgeist (Black Ghost) will go down in history. The most amazing aspect of the boss fights in this game is the amount of detail put into the physics and mechanics of each monster creation.
External links Square Evolution (http://www.square-evolution.com/games/einhander/wars.php)
The Unofficial Einhander and ARC Page (http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Corridor/9444/)
Blazing Lazers (http://blazinglazers.gamersgraveyard.com/einhander/index.htm)
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