Two games by the same developer, on the same CPS-2 arcade system, released within a year or two of each other. Giga Wing and Mars Matrix. Two games with a similar “reflect” mechanic, in a vertizontal orientation – a generally cursed orientation that actually makes tons of sense with the reflect mechanics in mind. One of these I admire greatly, and the other is the one I actually enjoy playing.

Mars Matrix’s design commits to putting four different functions on one fire button, and somehow manages to avoid feeling awkward to play as a result. Why did they do this? Any CPS-2 cabinet going around was surely guaranteed to have at least two working buttons. It’s beyond me – maybe the reason the controls aren’t awkward is because everything’s on the same fire button¹.

It’s also a bit of a masterclass in what point items should look and sound like – they’re all gold, all shiny, all over the place, and the biggest value ones are 24x24 pulsating golden Rubik’s cubes that take up like a quarter of the screen space. And to cap it off, I’m a real sucker for the rough-as-ready, 90s-as-fuck presentation and music.

But, and I hate to say it, Giga Wing is the game I actually like to play.

It’s rather easy to bury yourself with a mistake in both games. These enemies and their patterns (though far less so the bosses) were not intended to be faced without the reflect force – but just one mistimed reflect and this is exactly where you find yourself. This counts all the more in Mars Matrix, which has a variable cooldown for your reflect based on how you use it, topping out at a truly painful ten seconds. Where to go from there? You can make a vague attempt at micrododging in a game with a somewhat large and irregular hitbox, and then you can die.

But in Giga Wing, that’s where you have your secret weapon – the second button – it exists! Bombs. Screen-clear, invulnerability for a few moments. 3 per life and a few top-ups along the way. Now, I can cover for a misplay here and there, which is certainly good because that’s not really the role of the reflect force.

While Giga Wing is certainly easier², and certainly less elegant than Mars Matrix, I don’t play STGs to be buried by how much of a fool I am. This is the same reason I have no interest in another undoubtedly elegant STG about switching polarities. I play them to go up against impossible-looking challenges and somehow survive, with every rotten scam in the book.