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SEWER SHARK (SCD)
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Publisher: Sony Imagesoft.
Developer: Digital Pictures. Released: June 1993 (Europe). Genre: Interactive Movie; Gallery Shooter. Other versions: 3DO. Posted 26th February 2023. By Tom Clare © 2023 |
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It’s easy to forget, as we become ever more invested in the idea of golden eras, the nostalgia of retro and the comfort blanket that is the passage of time, that we never loved games for what they gave us to look back on, but what they gave us to look forward to. What easier punchbag is there than interactive movies and the Mega-CD? After all, time proved (really quite quickly) that movie games were not where the industry was headed as consoles readied themselves to embrace 3D. Still, though it’s easy to point out from our 1080p screens that Sewer Shark’s grainy footage looks primitive decades down the line, the game hinted at an exciting and immersive future, one where gamers might dare to dream of jumping into, and indeed influencing the course of, an action film.
Whilst the period of FMV games is looked back on with a degree of derision after the event, Sewer Shark deserves to be recognised for the success it was. The Mega-CD wasn’t a big hit in terms of hardware sales, but Sewer Shark certainly was: propelled by hardware bundles, it shifted an impressive 750,000 units. Like Night Trap, it had been recorded several years earlier for the ill-fated Control-Vision system, which had planned to make interactive VHS in the late eighties. Costing $3m to film, SS’s fancy effects coupled with a blockbuster vibe, made it a hit amongst gamers.
Whilst the period of FMV games is looked back on with a degree of derision after the event, Sewer Shark deserves to be recognised for the success it was. The Mega-CD wasn’t a big hit in terms of hardware sales, but Sewer Shark certainly was: propelled by hardware bundles, it shifted an impressive 750,000 units. Like Night Trap, it had been recorded several years earlier for the ill-fated Control-Vision system, which had planned to make interactive VHS in the late eighties. Costing $3m to film, SS’s fancy effects coupled with a blockbuster vibe, made it a hit amongst gamers.
Shoot the tubes: deadly vermin are just one of the many occupational hazards of tackling Solar City's sewers
The player’s task is to dispense with the denizens that lurk within Solar City’s complex and dangerous sewer system, in the form of fast-paced gallery shooting. Your performance is met with feedback and little story nuggets from your co-pilot Ghost, whilst the abstractly villainous Commissioner Stenchler crops up with some bizarre beachside vignettes that, even with the power of retrospect, make very little sense.
Pleasantly, the gameplay is quite demanding. Not so much the blasting itself, which requires little more than quick reactions and good hand-eye coordination, as the player takes down sprites overlayed on cinematic footage. It’s the glut of other information that must be retained in tandem that makes for the real challenge. Periodically, the player is given compass/clock directions as to a sequence of junctions that need to be followed within the tunnels. Taking the correct routes is not only crucial to your survival but it requires a clarity of mind to remember which turns have been taken, whilst fighting off foes. It doesn’t allow you to become too comfortable either, with directions being randomised each time you play.
Pleasantly, the gameplay is quite demanding. Not so much the blasting itself, which requires little more than quick reactions and good hand-eye coordination, as the player takes down sprites overlayed on cinematic footage. It’s the glut of other information that must be retained in tandem that makes for the real challenge. Periodically, the player is given compass/clock directions as to a sequence of junctions that need to be followed within the tunnels. Taking the correct routes is not only crucial to your survival but it requires a clarity of mind to remember which turns have been taken, whilst fighting off foes. It doesn’t allow you to become too comfortable either, with directions being randomised each time you play.
FOCAL POINT: NARRATIVE DISCONNECT
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It says something about the lack of prominence of stories in video game during the early nineties that a narrative as purely bonkers as Sewer Shark’s could have passed without significant critical comment. The sewer half is quite cool, mixing Aliens, Short Circuit and bounty hunting amidst dingy tunnels (you can tell it was a product of the eighties). Blasting through deadly surroundings, you’re all the while receiving confidence-building whoops from your co-pilot Ghost, a hard-boiled marine-type, and navigational prompts from the robot Catfish. The other half of the coin features what can only be described as non-sequiturs, as Stenchler praises/mocks the player in a sequence of scenes that see him eating increasingly ridiculous, super-sized portions of food (including whilst on a jet ski), before culminating in an inexplicable beachside ritual where he seemingly threatens to kill one of the sewer rats. There’s a lot to unpack, but perhaps the ending, which sees him trussed up in a rubber ring and rolled good-naturedly into the sea, is fitting of a game whose storytelling is absurd yet strangely compelling.
Juggling the shooting and the directions is the first big hurdle, a satisfying challenge that begins to feel manageable after a few goes. It’s far from plain sailing, however, as there are several ways to come unstuck in the sewers. Keeping bureaucrat Stenchler happy is paramount because if you go too cautious on the blasting or simply fail to wrack up enough points, he will have you bumped off. Spraying shots everywhere isn’t a viable alternative, as this sees your energy deplete faster. Run out, and you guessed it, it’s curtains. One of the most painful Game Over scenes sees Ghost promptly disowning the player should you fail to fire on his count when showing off his new gun. It’s a kick in the teeth if you’re not paying attention, but a fun little touch, looking back.
The enemies keep things interesting: ratigators and bats make for the initial cannon fodder, where accuracy and premeditation will help the player notch up points early on. Glowing scorpions are soon added to the mix and these can cause trouble, draining your ship’s energy reserves. Moles are without doubt the biggest pest the game has to throw at you, as failure to shoot any of them results in a head-on collision and a prompt Game Over. There’s no limit to how many retries you can have, but you’ll have to start from the beginning of a level if one of these slips through. It’s especially vexing if they get you, unsighted, coming around a bend. Finally, there are the glowing zerks, described in the game’s manual as “brain-eating fireflies”, a late ambush of these is all that stands between the player and the idyllic beaches of Solar City. Each one can leech a huge amount of energy, however, so a good performance to this point will certainly aid the player.
The enemies keep things interesting: ratigators and bats make for the initial cannon fodder, where accuracy and premeditation will help the player notch up points early on. Glowing scorpions are soon added to the mix and these can cause trouble, draining your ship’s energy reserves. Moles are without doubt the biggest pest the game has to throw at you, as failure to shoot any of them results in a head-on collision and a prompt Game Over. There’s no limit to how many retries you can have, but you’ll have to start from the beginning of a level if one of these slips through. It’s especially vexing if they get you, unsighted, coming around a bend. Finally, there are the glowing zerks, described in the game’s manual as “brain-eating fireflies”, a late ambush of these is all that stands between the player and the idyllic beaches of Solar City. Each one can leech a huge amount of energy, however, so a good performance to this point will certainly aid the player.
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Sprites and effects are used to overlay the video footage and it works seamlessly
FMV games were never known for possessing the greatest visual fidelity, but Sewer Shark’s murky tunnels and moody, grimy cut-scenes are a good fit. The special effects and the look of the sewers is fantastic at times. There’s admirable detail to the cockpit HUD, which displays the player’s new call signs (four in all, one for each level), starting with ‘Dogmeat’ and concluding with ‘Beachbum’. The rollercoaster-like motion of tunnels is smooth and immersive, whilst activating the turns is achieved with an impressive seamlessness.
The music and effects are pretty good, too. Better than a majority of the voicing, at least. The tinny, off-beat BGM twangs are reminiscent of Road Rash and the lawless-cool the 16-bit was busy trying to evoke at the time. No options, settings or extra modes limit its replay value somewhat, but in delivering a measured challenge with a host of features to keep abreast of, Sewer Shark is enjoyable enough to return to, even if it would most likely have been to show your friends how cool the video was on your Mega-CD was (or how dodgy the acting was).
The music and effects are pretty good, too. Better than a majority of the voicing, at least. The tinny, off-beat BGM twangs are reminiscent of Road Rash and the lawless-cool the 16-bit was busy trying to evoke at the time. No options, settings or extra modes limit its replay value somewhat, but in delivering a measured challenge with a host of features to keep abreast of, Sewer Shark is enjoyable enough to return to, even if it would most likely have been to show your friends how cool the video was on your Mega-CD was (or how dodgy the acting was).
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A throwback to when it was key to read the manual before playing: Sewer Shark may appear little more than a parade piece for its hardware, but by challenging the player to juggle blasting, memorising direction signals and various other scoring parameters, it makes for a shooter that’s satisfying to play. The story is dated to the point of unwitting surrealist comedy, but in representing a tantalising glimpse of a cinematic gaming future, it gave many of us what we craved at the time.
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VERDICT
"Sewer Shark may appear little more than a parade piece for its hardware, but it's a shooter that’s satisfying to play... in representing a tantalising glimpse of a cinematic gaming future, it gave many of us what we craved at the time." OVERALL: 7/10 |