One of the nice twists to this shooter is that when you destroy enemies they explode in a poof and fruit (worth points) pops up in their place. This adds a unique tension between graphical complexity and Coryoon's longevity. The more enemies you mow down, the more flying fruit clutters the screen, providing cover for the next swarm of enemies.

In this shooter, storks drop power-ups instead of babies. Shoot the birds and they will reveal an orb. The orb chances between orange, red, and purple, each bestowing a different primary weapon. I particularly like the lightning bolt because it fires in four different direction.

Like many shooters, Coryoon features a special attack. By holding down the fire button, the dragon's cheeks puff up, and when you let go, Coryoon releases a large gout of flame that cuts through multiple enemies like a laser. Watch out for the power-up that srinks Coryoon, though, because the little dragon is too wimpy to spout these flames.

Something that sets Coryoon apart from its brethren is the bosses. They are wonderfully creative and challenging. You won't find your typical massive and boring enemies with redundant attack patterns here. Take the first level boss for example. You fact more than a boss—you have to cope with two of them. In addition to swooping across the screen, they both have multiple attacks.

Did I mention that each stage has a sub-boss? Stage 2 has a crustacean theme. First you have to deal with a crab that thrusts at you with its twin pinchers, and then for the final boss you encounter a large lobster.

Graphics: 9.5
Hands down, these are some of the best graphics for any shooter on the TurboGrafx-16. Every level features vivid colors, and each individual creature (and fruit) is clearly rendered. As you move through the first stage, you'll notice that there are seven different background planes scrolling—an impressive feat.

Sound: 8.5
The music to the game is quite good, possessing a joyful and facetious quality that befits our dragon protagonist. The sound effects are very good as well, covering all the typical boom and power-up sounds expected as well as some surprising ones such as the digitized "happy" when Coryoon grabs certain power-ups.

Gameplay: 8.5
This little dragon can weave and bob, dodging enemy fire with the best of them. Overall, the controls are very tight and rarely does the little guy jump out of line. While the weapons and powerups don't make Coryoon stand out compared to other shooters, the constant stream of fruit produced by enemies is definitely unique.

Overall: 9.0
Coryoon is the the cutest shooter and one of the most graphically impressive in the TurboGrafx-16's game library. It's also a landmark in innovation, thanks to the tension between collecting as much fruit as possible and dodging enemy fire. So what we have here is one of the best shooters for a console that excels like no other in this genre. Hell, it's one of the best TG-16 games ever.

Video Review

Chris Bucci strikes again: