Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Success |
Publisher(s) |
|
Producer(s) | Takato Yoshinari |
Programmer(s) | Masaru Hatsuyama Toshiyuki Kuwabara |
Artist(s) | Hideki Tamura Shinobu Itō T. Kashima |
Composer(s) | Kenichi Hirata |
Series | Cotton |
Platform(s) | Arcade, TurboGrafx-CD, X68000, PlayStation, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Arcade system | Sega System 16 |
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams [lower-alpha 1] is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Success and originally released in Japanese arcades in 1991. The first installment in the Cotton series, players assume the role of the young witch Cotton who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, sets out on her broomstick on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. Its gameplay mainly consists of shooting mixed with role-playing game elements using a main two-button configuration. It ran on the Sega System 16 hardware.
First launched in arcades, it was later ported to multiple platforms, each one featuring several changes or additions compared with the original version. Cotton proved to be popular among players in Japanese arcades, earning several awards from Gamest magazine, however the console ports have been met with mixed reception from critics. It is regarded as a key title in the "cute 'em up" sub-genre.
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams is a scrolling shooter game reminiscent of Parodius where players assume the role of a young witch named Cotton who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, travels various increasingly difficult levels through a fantasy dream-like world on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. [1] [2]
Players must blast various monsters and avoid being shot while collecting crystal power-ups to enhance Cotton's firepower and unleash powerful magic spells on enemies, in addition of bombs capable of obliterating enemies. [3] [4] [5] The game incorporates some role playing game elements, as players are able to level up their attack up to 13 levels. [5] [6] The player has lives represented by an arrow and three lives, though only one hit is allowed per life and the game is over once all lives are lost, unless more credits are inserted into the arcade machine to continue playing.
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams was first published by Sega in the arcades for the Sega System 16 arcade board on April 1991, and was showcased to attendees at the 1991 AOU Show after launch. [7] [8] [9] It was produced by Success founder Takato Yoshinari. [10] [11] Masaru Hatsuyama and Toshiyuki Kuwabara acted as co-programmers. [10] [12] Hideki Tamura, known for being an anime animator, served as character designer. [12] [11] [13] Tamura was also responsible for the pixel art as co-graphic designer along with artist Shinobu Itō, prior to her role on the unreleased party game QP for Neo Geo, and T. Kashima. [10] [12] [14] The music was composed by Kenichi Hirata, while Cotton was voiced by radio actress Takae Yoriguchi. [10] [11] [12] Tamura remarked that he quit the anime industry prior to working on the project, being his first job in a video game development position, and as such, was memorable to him in how it taught him how game development worked. [11] Tamura recalled that the game went under the working title Kurumi-zaka Diary: Katsugeki-Hen [lower-alpha 2] early in development, but forced the team to change the name to Cotton and change the story to one that made little sense later on. [11] It made use of hand-drawn animations, which was uncommon for an arcade game at the time. [13]
Cotton was ported to the TurboGrafx-16, first being published in Japan by Hudson Soft on 12 February 1993 and later in North America by Turbo Technologies Inc. in April 1993. [4] [15] This version runs on the Super CD-ROM² expansion featuring a lower screen resolution, a modified color palette, and CD-quality audio. [5] [16] The Japanese version also includes voice acting, with Cotton being voiced by Tarako. [17] The game later received a conversion to the Sharp X68000 home computer with many changes and enhancements over the arcade version, published only in Japan by Electronic Arts Victor on 24 September 1993. [5] [15] The title was then ported in near arcade-perfect form to the PlayStation in Japan under the name Cotton Original on 28 April 1999 and later reissued on 30 March 2000 under the "SuperLite 1500" budget series. [18] Cotton Original was later re-released through PlayStation Network on 28 June 2007. [19] It was also ported to the Neo Geo Pocket Color, first being published in Japan by Success on 23 March 2000, and later in Europe by SNK the same year. [20] Due to hardware limitations, the Neo Geo Pocket Color release features less detailed graphics and inferior sound quality compared to previous versions. [21] This version has since become an expensive collector's item. [22] In 2007, the game was released for mobile phones in Japan, with 50 Cotton-themed teacups being given away in a lottery and a competition to commemorate the release. [23] A Mega-CD port was planned but never released. [24]
In 2019, a new version based on the X68000 port titled Cotton Reboot! was announced by Japanese retailer BEEP and scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. [25] Developed by Rocket-Engine, [26] this version is presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio, adds an extra arrange mode for newcomers and features a faithful recreation of the X68000 version. The arranged mode also features new voice work based on a cast selected by auditioning, with Minami Miyaki now playing the role of Cotton. [27] The PlayStation 4 and Switch versions were made available on February 25, 2021, as both physical and downloadable releases, while the Windows version was released on November 11, 2021, via Steam. [28] [29] Additionally, BEEP re-released the original X68000 port. [30] In 2020, ININ Games announced that Cotton Reboot! would be released in western regions both physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on July 20, 2021. [31] [32] In December 2020, the original arcade version was re-released as part of the Sega Astro City mini console. [33] An update for Cotton Reboot! was announced in April 2021, featuring Appli ke Pumpkin and her hat companion Needle from Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams as free playable characters, as well as improving screen visibility and bug fixes. [34] Both Appli and Neddle are voiced by Hyo-sei and Yoshinori Ishikawa respectively. [34]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Consoles + | (TG-CD) 88% [35] |
Computer and Video Games | (TG-CD) 90/100 [36] |
Famitsu | (TG-CD) 29/40 [37] (PS) 21/40 [18] |
GameFan | (TG-CD) 319/400 [38] |
GameSpot | (NGPC) 7.1/10 [21] |
Joypad | (PS) 3/10 [39] |
Mega Fun | (TG-CD) 71% [40] |
Video Games (DE) | (TG-CD) 65% [41] (NGPC) [42] |
DuoWorld | (TG-CD) 7/10 [16] |
Gamers' Republic | (PS) D− [43] |
Gamest | (AC) 39/70 [44] |
Oh!X | (X68K) [45] |
PlayStation Magazine (JP) | (PS) 10/20 [46] |
Pockett Videogames | (NGPC) [47] |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Gamest Mook (1998) | Grand Prize 5th, Best Shooting Award 4th, Best Performance Award 4th, Best VGM Award 4th, Annual Hit Game 33rd, Best Character '91 2nd (AC) [48] |
Cotton garnered positive reception from seven reviewers of Gamest during its 1991 AOU Show appearance. [44] In Japan, Game Machine listed the game on their 1 June 1991 issue as being the ninth most-popular arcade game during the previous two weeks. [49] In the July 1991 issue of Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine, the game was ranked on the number sixteenth spot in popularity. [50] Gamest also gave it several awards for the 5th Gamest Grand Prize. Cotton won 4th place in the Best Shooting Award, 4th place in the Best Direction Award, 4th place in the Best VGM Award, and the character of Cotton won 2nd place in Character Awards for best character. [48]
The TurboGrafx-CD port received positive reception from critics. [40] Public reception was also positive: readers of PC Engine Fan voted to give Cotton a 22.82 out of 30 score, ranking at the number 101 spot in a poll, indicating a popular following. [6] French magazine Consoles + praised its arcade-accurate graphics, animations, hard rock soundtrack, playability and replay value but criticized the presentation. [35] GameFan regarded the port to be one of the better shooter games for the TurboGrafx-CD, commenting positively in regards to its originality, fast action, audiovisual presentation and challenging stages. [38] DuoWorld criticized the TurboGrafx-CD's English translation of cutscenes for being incoherent and Cotton's fairy companion to be less useful than the drones in R-Type and Blazing Lazers. They drew comparisons to Magical Chase in terms of its poor graphics, enemy variety, and sound design. However, they praised the presentation and gameplay. [16] Computer and Video Games commended the visuals, sound and gameplay. [36] In 2008, IGN placed both Cotton and Magical Chase as number 4 on the top ten list of TurboGrafx titles not released on the Virtual Console, stating that both games were different but shared the same general idea. [51]
Japanese magazine Oh!X gave the original X68000 port a positive review. [45] [52] The port also proved popular among the X68000 userbase in Japan, which would eventually led it in being nominated for a "Game of the Year" award from Oh!X but lost against other titles. [53] [54] Cotton Original on PlayStation was met with mixed reception from reviewers. [39] [46] Famitsu was critical of the game, saying that after eight years it was showing its age. [18] Gamers' Republic called the PlayStation port "antiquated", as well as "lifeless" and "insufferably monotonous". They recommended playing games like Radiant Silvergun or R-Type Delta to understand the gap in quality between those games and Cotton. [43] GameFan however, praised the PlayStation version, saying that it is still worth checking out despite the slowdown issue. [55] The Neo Geo Pocket Color conversion was also met with mixed reception. [42] Pockett Videogames commended its use of the handheld's color palette, animations and music but criticized certain aspects such as the sound effects. [47] In 2023, Time Extension identified Cotton as one of the best games for the NGPC. [56]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (NS) 81/100 [57] (PS4) 70/100 [58] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | (PS4) 7/10 [26] |
Famitsu | (NS/PS4) 30/40 [59] [60] |
Hardcore Gamer | (NS) 4/5 [61] |
Nintendo Life | (NS) 8/10 [62] |
Push Square | (PS4) 8/10 [63] |
TouchArcade | (NS) 4/5 [64] |
Pure Nintendo Magazine | (NS) 8/10 [65] |
Siliconera | (NS) 8/10 [66] |
Cotton Reboot! received "generally favorable reviews" on Nintendo Switch and "mixed or average reviews" on PlayStation 4, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [57] [58] Famitsu reported that the Switch version of Reboot! sold over 2,894 copies in its first week on the market. [67]
Famitsu's four reviewers praised the game's arranged version for being easy to play, "Jewel Fever" mechanic, flashy visuals, addition of a timed score attack mode and faithful recreation of the X68000 conversion. [59] [60] Nintendo Life 's Tom Massey also commended the addition of arranged mode, stating that it plays like a new game, inclusion of the X68000 version and online leaderboards but criticized the amount of visual distraction when playing arranged mode and technical issues when playing the X68000 port. [62] Hardcore Gamer's Jeremy Peeples called it a fantastic reimagining of the original game, giving positive remarks to the remade presentation, immersive environments, ability to switch between the original and arranged soundtracks, and forgiving game design but criticized issues with blind spots. [61] Destructoid 's Chris Moyse noted that the core gameplay and scoring mechanic were complex and deep respectively. Moyse gave positive commentary when it came to the colorful and flashy visuals. However, he also criticized this aspect due to being distracting and noted the lack of additional content in the package. [26]
TouchArcade 's Shaun Musgrave commented that the amount of objects filling the screen could turn the playfield busy at certain times. Nevertheless, Musgrave noted that it was enjoyable following the plot and replay value due to the multiple game modes, difficulty levels and unlockable character. [64] Push Square 's Jamie O'Neill praised the game for its two-dimensional graphics, arranged soundtrack, elaborate mechanics and scoring system, inclusion of the X68000 port and accessibility but criticized it for being single-player only, as well as the lack of save states and English voiceovers. [63] Siliconera 's Joel Couture commended Reboot! for its impressive HD visual style, remixed soundtrack, mechanically complex gameplay and addition of the X68000 version, claiming each modes brings different playstyles that makes them feel like separate games. [66] Pure Nintendo Magazine 's Kirk Hiner stated that "If you’ve never heard of Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams, that’s no reason to ignore Cotton Reboot! You need not be a retro gamer to appreciate this shoot ’em up’s excellent arcade/action gameplay, you just need to be a fan of cute, upbeat fun." [65]
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams spawned several sequels and follow-ups. [68] [69] Retro Gamer regarded Cotton to be one of the key games in the "cute 'em up" sub-genre alongside Parodius, Fantasy Zone , TwinBee and Harmful Park . [1] In a 2018 interview with 4Gamer.net , designer Yoshiyasu Matsushita stated that Cotton was an influence during development of Twinkle Star Sprites . [70]
R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the R-Type series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful alien race bent on wiping out all of mankind. The R-9 can acquire a glowing orbicular device called a "Force", protecting it from enemy fire and providing additional firepower. The arcade version was distributed by Nintendo in North America; it is the last arcade title Nintendo distributed.
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though the console has an 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) coupled with a 16-bit graphics processor. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. In Europe the Japanese model was unofficially imported and distributed in the United Kingdom and France from 1988. In Japan, the system was launched as a competitor to the Famicom, but the delayed United States release meant that it ended up competing with the Sega Genesis and later the Super NES.
Chase H.Q. is a vehicular combat racing game, originally released as an arcade video game by Taito in 1988. It is sometimes seen as a spiritual successor to Taito's earlier Full Throttle. The player assumes the role of a police officer named Tony Gibson, member of the "Chase Special Investigation Department". Along with his partner, Raymond Broady, he must stop fleeing criminals in high-speed pursuits in a black Porsche 928.
Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is a competitive fighting game produced by Capcom and originally released as an arcade game in 1993. It is the fourth game in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting. It refines and balances the existing character roster from the previous versions, and introduces four new characters. It is the first game on Capcom's CP System II hardware, with more sophisticated graphics and audio over the original CP System hardware used in previous versions of Street Fighter II.
Military Madness is a 1989 turn-based strategy video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft in Japan and NEC in North America for the TurboGrafx-16. It is the first entry in the Nectaris series. Set in the year 2089, players take command of the Allied-Union forces in a desperate offense against the Axis-Xenon Empire army on the Moon before they launch the S.A.M. weapon to obliterate Earth. Its gameplay consists of moving units into positions to confront enemies in turn-based encounters determined by multiple factors, capturing factories to produce resources and repair units in order to occupy the enemy prison camp or destroy all enemy forces.
Galaga '88 is a 1987 fixed shooter arcade video game by Namco. It is the third sequel to Galaxian. It features significantly improved graphics over the previous games in the series, including detailed backgrounds, larger enemies and greater ship details. The game runs on Namco System 1 hardware.
Dragon Spirit is a 1987 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco. In North America, it was distributed by Atari Games. Controlling the dragon Amur, the player must complete each of the game's nine areas to rescue the princess Alicia from the demon Zawell. Similar to Namco's own Xevious, Amur has a projectile weapon for destroying air-based enemies and a bomb for destroying ground enemies. It ran on the Namco System 1 arcade board.
Genpei Tōma Den is a side-scrolling hack and slash produced by Namco that was released as a coin-operated video game in 1986 in Japan. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware. Over a decade later, the game was released in America and Europe in the video game compilation Namco Museum Vol. 4 under the title of The Genji and the Heike Clans for the PlayStation.
Magical Chase is a 1991 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by Quest and published by Palsoft and Turbo Technologies Inc. for the TurboGrafx-16. The game stars a young witch apprentice named Ripple, who broke a promise to her teacher by accidentally releasing six demons from a forbidden book, joined by her star companions Topsy and Turvy on a quest to catch and seal the demons back into the book.
Cotton is a series of shoot 'em up video games developed by Success. The series debuted with Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams in 1991 and has spanned a history of releases in arcades and on consoles. The Cotton games helped establish the cute 'em up subgenre. Instead of warships and battlefields typical of most shoot 'em ups, Cotton games put players in control of a witch riding on a broom and tasks them with fighting through magical haunted kingdoms. Seven games were released between 1991 and 2003. Following an 18-year gap, the series was reintroduced with Cotton Reboot! and Cotton Fantasy: Superlative Night Dreams in 2021.
1941: Counter Attack is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game by Capcom, released in February 1990. It is the prequel to 1942, and the third game in the 19XX series. It was ported to the SuperGrafx in 1991 and to GameTap. It was released on Capcom Classics Collection Remixed for the PlayStation Portable and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was followed by 19XX: The War Against Destiny in 1996.
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, also known as Ys: The Vanished Omens or The Ancient Land of Ys, is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the first installment in the Ys series. Initially developed for the PC-8800 series by Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the game was soon ported to the Sharp X1, PC-98, FM-7, and MSX2 Japanese computer systems.
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting is a competitive fighting game released by Capcom for arcades in 1992. It is the third arcade version of Street Fighter II, part of the Street Fighter franchise, following Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, and was initially released as an enhancement kit for that game. Released less than a year after the previous installment, Turbo introduced a faster playing speed and new special moves for certain characters, as well as further refinement to the character balance.
Detana!! TwinBee, released in Europe and North America as Bells & Whistles, is a 1991 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Konami. It is the fifth entry in the TwinBee series and the second to be released for arcades following the original TwinBee. Set several years after the events of TwinBee, players assume the role of Light and Pastel taking control of TwinBee and WinBee to defeat invading forces of the evil alien Iva and save planet Meru after receiving an SOS message sent by Princess Melora.
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes is a 1989 role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the sixth game in the Dragon Slayer series and the first in The Legend of Heroes franchise.
Bomberman, also known as Dyna Blaster in Europe, is an action-maze video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine in Japan on 7 December 1990 and later in North America for the TurboGrafx-16 by NEC in 1991. Belonging to the Bomberman franchise, it is a re-imagining of the first game in the series starring White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him. The game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. Conversions for other platforms were in development but never released. The title garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.
Cyber Core is a 1990 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed by Alfa System and published in Japan by Information Global Service (IGS) and in North America by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16. Set in the year 2269 where Earth has been overrun by an alien race known as Hyper Insects, the player controls a Chimera bio-fighter craft, piloted by the enforcer Rad Ralph in order to fend off the invaders and reclaim the planet. Similar to Dragon Spirit, Ralph has a projectile weapon for destroying air-based enemies and a bomb for destroying ground-based enemies.
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, released as Street Fighter II Dash in Japan, is a fighting game released by Capcom in 1992. It was launched for arcades and converted to several video game consoles. It is the first of several updated versions of Street Fighter II, and part of the Street Fighter series. The main changes are the addition of the four grand masters as playable characters and mirror matches. The fighting techniques of the eight main characters from the original game were further balanced for competitive play.
Cotton 100% is a 1994 scrolling shooter video game developed by Success and originally published by Datam Polystar for the Super Famicom. The second installment in the Cotton franchise, it is a follow-up to Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams. In the game, players assume the role of the titular young witch who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, sets out on her broomstick on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. Its gameplay is similar to the first game, mainly consisting of shooting mixed with role-playing game-esque elements using a main four-button configuration.
Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams is a 1997 scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Success and published by Tecmo. The fourth installment in the Cotton franchise, it is the arcade sequel to Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams. In the game, players assume the role of either the titular young witch or her rival Appli who, alongside their companions Silk and Needle, sets out on a quest to defeat several monsters and retrieve the missing "Bluewater Willow" candy to Pumpkin Kingdom. Its gameplay is similar to the first game, consisting of shooting mixed with fighting and role-playing game-esque elements using a main three-button configuration. It ran on the ST-V hardware.