In the Hunt

The Good
I always liked underwater-themed games, having played the likes of the Ecco the Dolphin series, Scubaventure, and In Search of Dr. Riptide. Here, we have another underwater game, this time from Irem. You control a submarine called the Granvia, which must deal with the Dark Anarchy Society (D.A.S.) who has plans to launch a super-weapon over post-apocalyptic earth. The Granvia is equipped with missiles that travel forward toward enemies, but these missiles can also be aimed upwards above the water. Eventually, the Granvia is able to get better weapons such as two types of torpedoes and a cracker gun.

Gameplay is similar to the R-Type series, in which each weapon is stored in capsules that you need to collect, and at the end of each stage is a boss you have to fight. Out of these, the final one reminds me of the last boss in Air Assault, where you have to take it out piece by piece. Only this time, the boss here takes quite a pounding to kill. Unlike R-Type, however, the player can move at their own free will, stopping occasionally to admire the scenery.

Graphics are just stunning. If you have played Metal Slug and noticed that the game has the same quality graphics, that is because some of the artists had left to form Nazca Corporation. What I like about playing through each stage is admiring the shipwrecks in the background. I also liked how each one is set during a certain weather event; for example, it is sunny one minute, cloudy the next. The soundtrack is also excellent, with each stage getting its own individual piece. The boss battles share the same tune.

There are about four endings, and this could make up for the lack of a “Special Game”. What you do during the game will determine which of these endings you view. They are not much, but at least you will view a different scene while the end credits are running. My favorite of these endings happen when a two-player match ends in failure.

The Bad
Nothing is bad about the arcade version.

The Bottom Line
In the Hunt is an underwater shooter from Irem in which the player has complete control over the submarine, including stopping to admire the scenery. Game mechanics are similar to R-Type, but each stage is set during a certain weather event. The graphics are gorgeous and the sound is excellent. If you like games set underwater, then In the Hunt is for you.