Cannon Dancer – Osman is landing on PlayStation 4 almost 39 years after its arcade debut. Learn more about it in our Cannon Dancer – Osman review!
Cannon Dancer – Osman is landing on PlayStation 4 almost 39 years after its arcade debut. ININ Games has worked with two members of the original dev team to bring the game to a new generation. The game was originally released way back in 1996 in this thing known as an arcade machine. It was designed as an unofficial sequel to Strider, a Capcom arcade game from 1989.
Original director Kouichi Yotsui worked on Strider and then worked on designing Cannon Dancer alongside artist Takashi Kogure. This is why the game has a feel that certainly screams Strider – the arcade game in particular. Both worked alongside ININ Games to bring Cannon Dancer to consoles, and it’s thanks to that effort that we get to enjoy Cannon Dancer – Osman on PlayStation 4.
If you didn’t get a chance to play Osman back in the day, you’ll be taking on the role of Kirin, a martial arts mercenary who has been hired by Federal attorney general Jack Lyson. His task? To free a city that has fallen into the hands of a terrorist cult known as Slaver. The game takes place in a cyberpunk Arabian setting, with Kirin taking care of things without using any weapons to attack.
Along with being able to play Osman (the version the West got) or Cannon Dancer (the version that Japan got), you can also take advantage of some quality-of-life features that will make your life easier. You can use save states, activate a rewind feature to fix your mistakes, customize the controller, add graphic filters and shaders, use a double jump, have your character auto-grab to ledges, activate invincibility while jumping or sliding, activate an auto attack feature, or take advantage of extra credits.
You’ll control Kirin with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, jumping with the X button and attacking with the Square button. Press down on the left analog stick or the D-Pad, and the X button will allow you to slide. If you press the X button while sliding into an enemy, Kirin will grab them and throw them with great might. Pressing the X button while jumping will allow him to perform a suplex that will deal considerable damage.
If you make a mistake, you can quickly rewind by pressing the L2 button. Your fatal attack will be mapped to the Triangle button. As the name suggests, this is a powerful attack that will deal considerable damage to enemies and bosses. By destroying capsules, you’ll be able to collect power-ups. These will add energy shadows to your character, which will move along with him and mimic his path and attacks. Oh, and to get started, you’ll have to insert a coin by pressing in the left analog stick. You know, because this is an arcade game!
Each of the two versions of the game can be played in one of two modes: Standard Mode or Challenge Mode. For Standard Mode, you’ll be able to use rewinds, save states, cheats, and enhancements. The bad news is that trophies are disabled for this mode. The other one is Challenge Mode. This one will give you the full arcade experience, and it will even allow you to choose two enhancements. And yes, this is the one you need to play in if you want to get a new Platinum trophy for your collection.
Cannon Dancer – Osman has a full trophy list, and it’s not going to be an easy trophy run! The list includes 2 Bronze trophies, 19 Silver trophies, and 5 Gold trophies. You’ll get a handful of trophies for completing each of the areas in the game and for beating the final boss. After that, you’ll have to work on throwing at least one enemy, and then you’ll have to suplex a variety of enemies – and bosses! – to be able to get most of the trophies on the list. The remaining trophies will pop when you perform a suplex that takes 3 seconds or longer, finish off a boss with a throw, finish off a boss with a suplex, and defeat the last boss with a final attack. If you need some extra help, you can check out this Cannon Dancer – Osman Trophy Guide.
Cannon Dancer – Osman brings us the definitive version of a 2D arcade action classic ready for a new generation. We get to play both the Japanese Cannon Dancer as well as the Western Osman with a series of quality-of-life improvements that will make it possible for gamers of all skill levels to enjoy this experience. Cannon Dancer – Osman is out on PlayStation 4 at a $29.99 asking price. There’s also a PlayStation 5 version of the game available as a separate purchase.
Disclaimer
This Cannon Dancer – Osman review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by ININ Games.
