Thanks to PhantomZ2 for helping with edits.
The last game I cleared in my ongoing effort to beat my backlog was FlingSmash, a pitiful side-scroller for the Wii that utilized its controller’s imperfect motion capabilities to unsuccessful ends. Although the Wii Remote and its motion controls were flawed, there was one genre they were fairly well-equipped for: rail shooters. Nintendo’s console rejuvenated the dormant genre and was a fine platform to own for fans of it. Well-established brands, namely Capcom’s Resident Evil and EA’s Dead Space, defaulted to releasing “experimental” (if entertaining) rail shooting side games for the underpowered machine while genre hallmarks like SEGA’s House of the Dead and Nintendo’s Sin & Punishment scored acclaimed sequels.
The Wii also ushered in new IPs for the genre just as it helped continue older ones. Intelligent Systems, one of Nintendo’s most accomplished affiliates, even helmed one of them under the guidance of Metroid Prime visionary Kensuke Tanabe. It’s a small-scale WiiWare romp called Eco Shooter: Plant 530, and I would be remiss if I didn’t admit I was excited for it upon its announcement in 2009. WiiWare was a platform burdened with issues, from the limited exposure its library received (particularly for titles hailing from new, unproven properties) to Nintendo’s draconian memory limitations. Intelligent Systems’ output then was largely defined by their strategy RPGs Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, but they did have experience with light gun games, having developed Super Scope 6 and Battle Clash (all titles I was unfamiliar with). They also produced some of my all-time favorite games, those being the Panel de Pon series and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and my fond memories of them were proof creating quality software was well within Intelligent System’s capacity. I ultimately passed on Eco Shooter when it launched (reception to it was middling at best) and only purchased it upon the disheartening announcement of the Wii Shop Channel’s looming closure, deciding to finally fulfill my curiosity. I almost wish I hadn’t.
Additionally, Eco Shooter was made with the Wii Zapper peripheral in mind. As with other Zapper-themed games, it’s easier to play without it. (Image: Nintendo)
In terms of its premise, I genuinely appreciate Eco Shooter. You play as an environmentalist named Mack, an employee of the barren Plant 530 recycling facility. He’s somehow Earth’s only hope against the invading Cannoids, a hostile alien race of off-brand soda cans whose aspirations of intergalactic conquest brought them to – where else? – Plant 530. Mack’s happy to prove he’s a formidable one-man army, equipping himself with an aircraft and “his trusty recycle cannon.” It’s a gun that strikes down his aluminum adversaries by recycling them, and the aliens (and other objects littering the plant) emit energy upon being destroyed that Mack can vacuum up. It’s a cute, pro-environmental message, and that’s all I could want out of Eco Shooter’s backdrop. And as someone who drank copious amounts of soda during the Wii’s lifetime, the concept of evil soda cans resonates with me, almost as if the Cannoids are an anthropomorphization of my bad habit coming back to haunt me.
Mechanically, Eco Shooter works; Mack moves forward automatically while shooting’s done by pressing or holding the B button, the latter enabling rapid fire. Vacuuming is achieved by pressing the Z button on the Nunchuck controller attachment, but it can only be held for so long before it needs to cool down. When struck by one of Mack’s bullets, a Cannoid will jump up, and striking it again while airborne will initiate a combo. Missing a Cannoid will break the combo, discouraging players from mindlessly holding the B button. Mack’s energy meter, which accounts both for his health and ammo, is finite but can be replenished by harvesting energy. Conversely, taking hits depletes Mack’s energy meter, and it’s game over if you run out.
Eco Shooter’s first impressions are serviceable, but things go sour as you venture further into the first level. For one thing, the Cannoid army is a wash; there are only a few varieties of them, there’s little variety in their attack and movement patterns, and they visually blend into the bland backgrounds more than they should. The mini-bosses and bosses, who respectively mark the halfway and end points in each stage, are more engaging to fight than their underlings, but their novelty wears thin; they’re more time-consuming than they should be and both bosses are reused across the game. Adding to the aggravation, the Cannoids’ attacks aren’t telegraphed well, sometimes barely giving enough reaction time to respond to them.
Briefly swinging to another positive, I like our hero’s design. Mack’s optimism when fighting evil soda cans throughout his ugly construction site unassisted is to be admired. (Image: Nintendo)
In terms of pacing, Eco Shooter’s three zones take roughly ten to fifteen minutes to clear but are jarringly uneven experiences to play through; occasionally you’ll linger around with ample time to shoot things and gather energy, whereas other times you’re whisked away with far too little time to do either. Consequently, the automated camera is periodically uncooperative. By default the game’s tutorial feature is turned on, which makes the stages easier to play through, and in-game leaderboards exist to encourage replayability (they only keep track of local scores, but online leaderboards wouldn’t have functioned by this point anyway given the discontinuation of the Wii’s online services).
The game’s price tag was 1,000 Wii Points – equivalent to ten dollars – and it offers those who spent that an hour or two of gameplay at maximum. That’s not to say being short is an inherent flaw (I once argued Sonic Team’s stronger titles are generally shorter but value replayability, in fact), but there’s little desire to replay a stage here once you clear it the first time. There’s little reason to even play past the first level, which itself demonstrates everything Eco Shooter has to offer. Intelligent Systems understandably had to cut corners to fit the game within WiiWare’s strict 40 MB limits, but (perhaps ironically, given Eco’s theme) their incessant recycling of content and poor pacing makes for a boring, repetitive excursion. And nothing highlighted that more than the unlockable Challenge mode, a gauntlet that pits you against all three stages subsequently.
Eco Shooter: Plant 530 is a mediocre game and I cannot recommend it. Not that it matters, since the Wii Shop Channel’s termination has denied access to it. Even something like FlingSmash, despite being worse, was dealt a better hand; copies of it are readily available and it scored a token acknowledgment in the Super Smash Bros. series. Eco Shooter failed to achieve either and likely never will, dooming it to a limbo few Nintendo titles enter. However, for that reason alone I’m glad I ultimately bought Eco Shooter. It will almost certainly never be re-released, making Intelligent System’s budget rail shooter an interesting curio within Nintendo’s catalog. It’s a shame anyone who doesn’t already own it will never be able to sample it, but I’m happy to have it in my collection.
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