Critical Force

Main logo for Critical Force

Critical Force is a 3D light gun rail shooter developed and published by ACS. Released in 1997 for Arcades (ACS TGX Modeller System) and the PlayStation as an exclusive title.

Gameplay

The main objective of Critical Force is to shoot as many on-screen enemies as the player can using a gun controller that is hardwired directly to the cabinet. The game uses light-based gun controllers, which utilizes a built-in optical sensor built into the gun, to receive its input from the light emitted by on-screen targets.

From time to time, various enemies appear on-screen which attack the player in various ways, which the players then must shoot in order to move on to the next screen or else they damage. Most enemies are distinguished by their face-covering clothing and accessories such as sunglasses or ski masks, though boss characters usually have their faces bare.

When an enemy is about to fire, a flashing thin red and white ring, known as the "attack ring", appears around their hands that quickly shrinks in size, thus the player must shoot the enemy before the ring disappears unless they get shot. By default, standard enemies will take three seconds after appearing on-screen before firing at the player. The game uses a dynamic difficulty system: the more enemies the player shoots, the faster the attack ring shrinks, and the less time players are given to shoot the next enemy before they attack back.

There are also “elite” enemies that give way less leeway and fire more quickly upon appearing on-screen. Enemies using melee weapons do not cast an attack ring around them but are usually easier to spot because of their telegraphed motions and being closer to the screen than other enemies. Enemies using throwing weapons and/or explosive artillery have visible ammunition that the players must shoot to avert damage. This same rule also applies to most of the bosses in the game.

Sometimes, in the middle of the ongoing shootout, civilians can be seen appearing and leaving the premises, distinguished from the enemies by their bare faces. Shooting at civilians would lead to a score penalty and the player losing a life. Thus, the players must avoid shooting these civilians in order to obtain a "no civilians" bonus at the end of the level.

Players start off using handguns, each holding a capacity of six bullets. When all six bullets are spent, the words “Reload” will flash on-screen, and the player will be unable to shoot enemies. To reload their gun, players simply have to shoot the gun outside the screen to reload.

Critical Force's main unique gameplay feature is the "Magnum Shot". By holding down the trigger for an extended period of time, a small meter will appear on the player's side, which quickly fills up as the player holds down the trigger. Upon releasing the trigger while the meter is full, the player will fire out a powerful shot that deals double the damage of a regular bullet. Firing a Magnum Shot costs 1 bullet.

Each player starts off with three lives by default, as denoted by a set of three Red Crosses located on the corner of the screen. Upon taking damage from either being shot by an enemy or shooting a civilian by accident, the player loses a life. The player can replenish their lives by either shooting boxes scattered around the area to reveal medikits, or obtaining various bonuses at the end of each level.

The PlayStation home port of the game is compatible with both Namco’s GunCon and Konami’s Justifier/Hyper Blaster light gun peripherals, as well as the PlayStation Mouse.

Weapons

Along the way, players can pick up special weapons that increase their firepower in various ways. These special weapons can be used for three reloads or until the player is shot, after which, the player would then revert back to the standard issue handgun. The Magnum Shot cannot be performed when any of these special weapons are equipped.

The player can pick up these special weapons by either shooting boxes scattered around the area to reveal hidden special weapons inside them, or by killing “Elite” enemies, who would then drop these special weapons upon death.

• Shotgun

Bullets: 6

• Machinegun

Bullets: 30

• Grenade

Bullets: 3

Story

In Washington D.C., USA. a terrorist group known simply as “the Libertad” has completely overrun the White House, kidnapping the President of the United States and planting a bomb deep inside the palace, set to blow up within 24 hours. If the bomb explodes, the White House will be destroyed and the entire country falls into the hands of the Libertad and its leader, the mysterious General X.

In response, the government-led secret agency Shoot on Sight (S.O.S.) decides to send two of their agents, Gino Alfonso and John Greyson, on a mission to defuse the bomb in the White House, rescue the president, and stop the terrorist threat before it’s too late.

Characters

S.O.S. Agents

Shoot on Sight (often abbreviated to S.O.S.) is a top-secret government agency consisting of some of the world’s greatest and most elite special agents, known for their marksmanship skills. Their goal is to take out large-scale crime organizations and possible global threats.

• Gino Alfonso

The player 1 character. An agent of Italian descent serving for the S.O.S., Gino is known for his dashing looks and marksmanship skills.

• John Greyson

The player 2 character. A brand-new recruit of the S.O.S., John has proven that he is more than capable of taking care of sticky situations.

The Libertad

The Libertad is a terrorist organization who seeks to overthrow the US government and claim it as their own. The Libertad previously took part in various terrorist attacks and assassinations in order to achieve their goals.

• Dutch Roller

The boss of Mission 1. A musclebound, shirtless mercenary carrying a rocket launcher.

• Handsome Jay

The boss of Mission 2. A good-looking but deranged assassin that fights with knives.

• Arsenal

The boss of Mission 3. A man who operates a large tank armed with all sorts of heavy artilery.

• General X

The boss of Mission 4. The leader of the Libertad clad and the culprit of the crisis.

Others

• The President

The president of the United States of America, who has been kidnapped by the Libertad. His full name is never mentioned in-game.

Missions

• Mission 1: The Panic Streets

With chaos spreading throughout the streets of Washington D.C., the S.O.S. agents must get rid of the terrorist threat that causes it all.

Boss: Dutch Roller

• Mission 2: The Liberty Mall

The Libertad has completely taken over the nearby Liberty Mall, and thus, now it’s up to the S.O.S. agents to take these terrorists out.

Boss: Handsome Jay

• Mission 3: The Train Station

The S.O.S. agents must find a way to travel through the White House in the fastest way possible, but the agents aren’t alone in this trip.

Boss: Arsenal

• Mission 4: The White House

Now inside the White House, the S.O.S. agents must fight their way to the basement, defuse the bomb and then rescue the President.

Boss: General X

Sequel

A sequel to the game, Critical Force 2, was released in 1999 for the Arcades (TGX2 Modeller System) and PlayStation 2.

Trivia

• Several references to other ACS games can be seen all over the game. For example, a movie poster for Legendary Blades can be seen briefly in the Liberty Mall stage.
• The gun controllers in the arcade version feature a blowback feature that emulates a real-life handgun’s recoil, similar to the ones used in Namco’s Time Crisis series.
• The PlayStation version features a second campaign called “Another Mission”, which features a new set of stages and a brand new storyline to go with it. However, the story for the Another Mission campaign is not canon to the main storyline.