Space Channel 5 Ulala’s Cosmic Attack

Space Channel 5: Ulala’s Cosmic Attack on the GBA is an attempt to recreate the original Dreamcast game of the same title, which was released towards the later part of the system’s prematurely ended retail lifespan.  (Dreamcast, RIP.) Why, you ask, would Sega produce a GBA adaptation of a game that doesn’t seem particularly suited for the handheld’s comparatively inferior hardware?  The answer is they didn’t, this game is THQ’s doing.  The reason THQ handled the development of this Sega branded property is because Sega and THQ recently forged an agreement entitling THQ exclusive rights to create Game Boy Advance games based on Sega titles like Virtua Tennis, Jet Grind Radio, Sonic The Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, Phantasy Star and (obviously) Space Channel 5.  THQ did a respectable job in porting Space Channel 5 over to the GBA considering what they had to work with, but the fact of the matter is that the game’s music-oriented dynamics just don’t translate very well to the system.

The goal of Space Channel 5 is to copy the dance moves of your opponents by pushing corresponding buttons on the GBA at precisely the right time.  Pushing a direction on the D-pad makes the game’s titular female protagonist, Ulala, perform a dance move, hitting the B and A buttons make her shoot.  A typical dance segment will consist of copying in rhythm something like “up, down, up, down, shoot, shoot, shoot”, gameplay is very basic and strategy is rarely a factor.  But sometimes you’ll have to copy awkward pauses in the opponent’s dance move demonstration, at which point the rhythm of the music you're listening to and using in order to gauge input timing is of little use.  This isn’t so much an issue during the first half of the game, the dance moves are logical and easy to replicate initially.  But once you hit level four the computer throws logical timing out the window, all but ensuring that you give up in frustration. 

While the simplistic Simon Says-style gameplay mechanics remain constant throughout the duration of the game, the actual on-screen enemies that initiate the dance patterns vary.  The most common opponent you’ll encounter are little multicolored aliens named Morolians, these guys serve to fill the gaps between more memorable opponents such as rival reporters and boss characters, all of which are memorable only because they are visually unique in contrast to the hordes of similar-looking aliens. But to the game’s credit, there are some pretty interesting characters that keep the action fresh from a audio/visual standpoint such as the Cyborg female reporter whose synthesized robotic voice is quite menacing, or the so-called King of Pop himself Michael Jackson, who comes equipped with digitized voice clips and trademark dance routines.

If it wasn’t for the overly-strict timing requirements imposed on the player, Space Channel 5 on the GBA would be a fairly accurate portrait of the original Dreamcast game.  Naturally, certain technological elements found in the 128-bit game had to be removed for the handheld version – the 3D polygonal character renderings have been replaced with digitized 2D sprites, speech samples have been largely replaced with text, and fluidity of animation has been substantially reduced – but the core essence of the original game remains intact.  Unfortunately, the Dreamcast game wasn’t extraordinarily fun to begin with, and the core essence of “not that fun” is still “not that fun.” 

There are also some clearly noticeable technical limitations in the GBA version of Space Channel 5 in regards to music, which is unfortunate since being that this is a rhythm-based game music is a pretty important element.  The songs are a lot alike in the two versions structurally and tonally speaking, but the handheld port lacks the rich treble and bass of CD-quality music.  And it doesn’t help matters that the GBA SP’s single tinny-sounding speaker is hardly adequate for use in relatively noisy environments, either.  But taken on its own merits, sans Dreamcast comparisons, Space Channel 5: Ulala’s Cosmic Attack is a fairly decent little diversion when you’re just looking to kill a few minutes.

Of all the Sega-owned/THQ-published games that are currently making their rounds in store shelves across the country, Space Channel 5: Ulala’s Cosmic Attack is not among the more notable titles.  Those looking for some fun Sega-themed action on their Game Boy Advance would do well to check out other games such as Sonic Advance 2, Super Monkey Ball Jr., or Virtua Tennis – all of which are top quality ports of their respective console games.  But if you were really into the Dreamcast version of Space Channel 5 and are simply looking to rekindle long-lost nostalgia then it couldn’t hurt to give this game a rental or two. 

Gameplay: 6.8
Remembering the order of dance moves that you must copy is simple enough, it’s the rhythm-based timing that will complicate matters.

Graphics: 7.2
The digitized sprites closely resemble the original game’s graphics, but the jerky animation is a real turn off.

Sound: 7
The handful of included voice samples help to keep the game somewhat enjoyable to listen to and the music isn’t half bad compared to other GBA games, but the text-based dialogue is a poor replacement for the original game’s entertaining voice-acting.

Difficulty: Hard
Heavily unbalanced.  The first few stages are a cakewalk but the fourth stage is torturously difficult.

Concept: 6.3
It was a unique and well-executed game on the Dreamcast but due to the GBA’s limited technical capabilities most of its appeal is highly diminished.

Overall: 6.9

The needlessly difficult gameplay requirements imposed on the Game Boy Advance port of Space Channel 5, coupled with its somewhat underwhelming presentation make this a game for hardcore fans only.