Cotton Reboot! takes us back to a time where shoot ’em-ups were all the craze. In 1991 Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams saw the light of day. The Cotton series spawned 6 sequels up until 2003 after which the series was put dormant. Until now with an updated version of the first game fully utilizing the abilities of modern technology.
Cotton the witch
The cotton series is based around a witch called Cotton. As it turns out, Cotton is obsessed with a type of candy called “Willow”. When the fairy Silk approaches Cotton and promises her Willow if she manages to save a planet full of monsters, Cotton can’t be contained any longer. She hops on her broomstick and starts blasting away at every moving thing in sight. Once she sets her eyes on the prized Willow, Silk announces there is even more Willow to collect. With the promise of a giant rainbow-infused willow when all willow is combined, Cotton resists the urge to go on a sugar rush in favor of an even bigger sugar rush.
Cute’em up
Cotton Reboot! has to be categorized under the Cute’em up genre. In a time when shoot’em ups all took place in military settings or in alien-infested space the cute’em up was a welcomed change. Parodius, Twinbee, and Fantasy Zone all proved to be big hits because of the change of aesthetics. Despite the cute look these games all featured the relentless gameplay from a normal shoot ’em-up making them no less hard than the games they were based on. The addition of cute characters, silly-looking enemies, and over-the-top explosions and special moves added humor in the mix for an ideal mix of fun but still intense gameplay. The original took this idea further by going to 11.
Cotton Reboot! managed to turn it up another notch by making use of today’s possibilities. The extra computer power allowed to make a 30-year-old side-scrolling shooter look better than ever. The use of colors makes everything pop from the screen. Explosions almost radiate heat from the screen. The special moves look extremely sharp as opposed to their original versions. This reboot feels like this game finally got the looks the original team envisioned.
Overdose of fun
While reviewing this game I played with a constant smile on my face. The experience is truly intense with a bazillion things flying at you. The over-the-top aspect of the game feels overwhelming but at the same time excited me immensely to keep trying. Cotton Reboot! feels very inviting because of the combination of gameplay and the extreme visuals. Originally being an arcade game, Cotton Reboot! is designed to make you fail a lot (more fails result in more money put into the machine). Luckily Cotton Reboot! uses unlimited continues making it doable to get through the game in about 40 minutes. At the end of the game, you get a score based on your performance. With online rankings, this has the potential to be replayed a lot in order to have more bragging rights.
Sharp X68000
The original game was ported to different home consoles back in the day. However, the first ported version was for the Sharp X68000 home computer. This version is also included in Cotton Reboot. After completing the updated version I found it interesting to see the differences with the port. The amount of simultaneous things on screen is the first thing noticeable. The computer power back in the day wasn’t as great as now and it really shows when comparing these versions. The meat and potatoes of this version is obviously the updated game but having the opportunity to play the game in its intended (ported) way is a nice addition.
Conclusion
Cotton Reboot! is a hardcore cute ’em-up bringing back memories. Fans of the original will be pleased with the update the game got. These reboots often feature some more extras in the form of artwork, history on the original game, … but sadly these are nowhere to be found on this version which is a small letdown.
