''Project: Horned Owl'' is a

light gun shooter Light-gun shooter, also called light-gun game or simply gun game, is a Shooter game, shooter video game video game genres, genre in which the primary design element is to simulate a shooting gallery (carnival game), shooting gallery by having ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Alfa System Alfa System is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1988. In their early years Alfa System developed for NEC consoles with Hudson Soft and other publishers. They later worked closely with Sony Computer Entert ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

.
Sony’s Japan Studio assisted on development while

Movic is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate (retailer), Animate group. Anime involved in *''Oh My Goddess!, Ah ...

provided anime cinematics for the game. The game was released in Japan in 1995, and in North America in 1996. It features character designs by manga artist

Masamune Shirow , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga ''Ghost in the Shell'', which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an ani ...

. The game was a stylistic predecessor to ''

Elemental Gearbolt is a light gun shooter video game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in December 1997 and North America in August 1998 by Working Designs. ''Elemental Gearbolt' ...

'', also developed by Alfa System.

Gameplay and premise

''Project: Horned Owl'' is an arcade-style rail shooter, with the action taking place in a first-person perspective. The events of the game take place in the somewhat futuristic Metro City, where the player controls one of two Horned Owl Armored Mechanized Unit police officers, Hiro Utsumi or Nash Stolar, as they attempt to take down a terrorist organization known as Metalica. It has the option of utilizing the PlayStation mouse or the Konami light gun. There is a two player co-op as well as single-player mode, both taking place across five city-based levels, where the player controls a giant

mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive ...

and fights off a variety of mechanized enemies. At the conclusion of each stage there is generally an anime cutscene.

Development and release

Reception

According to ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'', ''Project: Horned Owl'' sold approximately 35,733 copies during its lifetime in Japan. The game received mixed reviews from critics. ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' highlighted the futuristic and detailed 3D environments, interactive backgrounds, lengthy missions, and the overwhelming Japanese-style feel, but stated that "the game is pretty average – nothing wrong with it, just not that much to get excited about". Aaron Curtiss for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' commented that "even though PlayStation went almost a year without a decent shooter, it finally got one it deserves in ''Project Horned Owl''". Bill Hutchens for ''

The News Tribune ''The News Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Tacoma, Washington. It is the second-largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington with a weekday circulation of 30,945 in 2020. With origins dating back to 1883, the newspaper w ...

'' found that while the game can be played using the standard controller, it was "much more fun when played with a light gun".

Notes

References

External links

* {{Masamune Shirow 1995 video games Alfa System games Cooperative video games Japan Studio games Light gun games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Rail shooters Video games about police officers Video games about terrorism Video games developed in Japan