Burning Rangers

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Firefighting in a futuristic society somewhere in the galaxy is not so common. The primary goal in each level is to rescue as many civilians as possible and extinguish fires along the way! Each level has an end-level boss to kill. The game puts an emphasis on speed by punishing you if go too slow and rewarding you with bonus points depending on how quickly the level is completed. If you take too long, the area becomes more and more dangerous and the surrounding area will be engulfed in flames and explosions within a few seconds. Each level consists of a series of multi-platform rooms and corridors, divided into interlocking lifts and doors. In order to power your shield and rescue the survivors, your ranger must collect crystals scattered around the level or extinguish fires. Just like in Sonic the Hedgehog games, a single collision will cause you to drop all of the crystals you had collected, so you must regain them quickly before they disappear. There are various other hazards during your quest. There can be explosions near you or walls collapsing. Fortunately, before an explosion, there will be an audio cue like a high pitched whistle to alert you of an incoming danger but this is not always helpful. Each ranger can hold up to two projectiles: a quick Pulse that can extinguish small flames and turns them into crystals and a Laser Blast (triggered by holding the shoot button) which can take out larger flames and take down enemies and bosses, but won't generate any crystals. The controls are sometimes frustrating, especially when trying to jump (or fly) to higher grounds. But rather than that, I definitely found the game really enjoyable!

GRAPHICS / SOUND
Burning Rangers is is a real showcase for the Saturn's graphics and sound capabilities, with great lighting and audio effects. Everything runs smooth in a full 3D environment, whilst the textures are great. An important aspect here is the game's audio. Although there is no music for the most part, the sound is very well done. There are several sound effects with a nice futuristic touch. Not to mention the CD quality speech during gameplay, through which you get help from the control center with information.