HOLY SH*T.

That was my first response to playing (the unfortunately named) After Burner Climax. A port of the arcade game of the same name, Climax drops you into a whirlwind of hectic, near-unnavigable chaos from the word go. Enemies fly at you from all directions, loosing missiles and machine gun fire upon your poor little aircraft. You may survive the first few levels, but if you are like me, your credits (it wouldn’t be an arcade game without them) will expire before even the first third of the levels are complete.

The genius of Climax, though, is that the game is designed for you to fail. At least for the first few attempts. As you complete milestones within the game, ranging from reaching the Game Over screen once to firing over 5,000 missiles, EX Options will be unlocked. These EX Options allow the player to go in and tweak the game a bit, creating an easier (or harder, if you choose) experience. For instance, after my very first game over, I was notified that I had unlocked a new EX Option. Frustrated though I was with my quick defeat, I went ahead and checked out what was unlocked. Humorously, for losing once, the option to increase the credits from 3 to 5 was unlocked. Switching to 5 credits allowed me to make it even further in the Arcade Mode which, in turn, unlocked even more variables for me to apply. With those, I was able to not only complete the Arcade Mode but also discover that I actually liked Climax. A lot.

Fluid and clean, the game looks quite good as you fly through it at blistering speeds, barrel-rolling through plumes of black smoke where enemies once flew. You will no doubt feel the “bad-ass” sensor go off in your brain as the aircraft weaves through the air, unloading six missiles towards a string of foes before entering Climax Mode, which, in typical bullet-time fashion, slows enemies down for a few moments while you take your aim and dispatch them. All of this takes place in the span of about 10 seconds. To that point, the game can sometimes get a bit too hectic (particularly when flying through indoor environments), but for the most part, it feels right.

Noting that, each level will tend to take about a minute to complete, and the ending cinematic can be seen a mere 10 minutes after starting the Arcade Mode. Of course, it’s not the length of the campaign that matters, it’s the replayability. Though branching paths and optional mission objectives add a little more girth (couldn’t stop myself) to the campaign, the draw is going to be unlocking all the EX Options, and posting to the leaderboards in Score Attack Mode.

Score Attack removes all those fancy EX Options you may have acquired in the Arcade Mode and in their place offers unlimited lives. The whole purpose of this mode is to get the highest score you can by the end of the last level. Obviously, this is quite difficult with being forced to use the default options and ship load-out, but for anyone who used to roam the local arcade, vying to have their 3 initials in that number one spot on their favorite arcade cabinet, this is the mode for you. Its reward is pure bragging rights.

After Burner Climax makes no effort to hide its arcade roots, and apart from the drive to unlock all those Ex Options, the main goal is, above all else, to place the highest score possible. It succeeds as an arcade game on a home console, but little else. If you seek lengthy campaigns, intricate stories, or infectious multiplayer modes from your games, Climax is not for you. No, Climax is for those who look to master their game of choice, memorizing enemy pattern and layout through countless runs of each level in an effort to be, simply, the best; initials forever emblazoned on the top of the high score list.

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Things We Liked: Beautiful and fast moving. Interesting use of EX Options. Great excuse to quote Top Gun.

Things We Disliked: An arcade game through and through; not much to do outside of doing better than your previous run.

Target Audience: Ex-arcade junkies. Anyone willing to devote themselves in order to be the best.

(After Burner Climax – Developer/Publisher: Sega. Available on PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade – Xbox 360 version reviewed. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. New to CFD!’s reviews? Read our explanation here.)