Collection essentials #169: Battle Clash (SNES)

Last time I talked about the Super Scope, and now here’s the first game I’m talking about that utilizes it! 

Battle Clash is a little different than your usual light gun games. Many of them have a sort of “shooting gallery” feel, which is fine, but I applaud games like this that do something a little more creative. The gameplay style here is one-on-one battles against giant mechs, so it kind of feels like a series of “boss encounters.” Each enemy mech has its own unique attack patterns and weak points that one must quickly learn and adapt to in order to succeed. The Super Scope doesn’t have a lot of buttons, but Battle Clash still lets you cycle through multiple weapons, and rapid-firing has a different effect than waiting a bit for your next shot, so this helps keep the gameplay from feeling simplistic. The game also features a story as well as quality graphics and music.

I don’t have a whole lot else to say about Battle Clash, it’s just a solid game that utilizes the super-cool Super Scope well. It’s not the BEST Super Scope game, and we’ll get to the improved sequel eventually, but it’s still a little-known gem from Nintendo that deserves essential status.