Prismatic Solid is an indie Shoot 'Em Up game for the Xbox 360 by heloli. It was developed by Hayashi Yoichi (under the handle of "YO1 KOMORI"), a former Squaresoft programmer who also worked on Bushido Blade in 1997 and a little-known tube shooter titled iS - internal section (not to be confused with IS: Infinite Stratos) for the original PlayStation back in 1999. Prismatic Solid shares similar aesthetics to iS - internal section as it features copious amounts of Sinister Geometry. The music for the game is also composed by Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso, the composers of Bushido Blade and the Ridge Racer series.
In this game, you take control of a green crystalline ship sporting a red, blue, and yellow option that offers your ship six different weapon formations. The gameplay itself is in the old-school style of shoot 'em ups where you must play through the game from start to finish, shoot down anything that isn't you, and collect several power-ups and earn a few extends along the way. Enemies have a tendency to fire extremely dense bullet patterns, but thankfully your ship's options and their tendrils that sprouts from collecting power-ups can shield your ship from harm, adverting some of the game's Fake Difficulty while remaining challenging throughout. You can also earn Stars along the way for performing certain feats, such as fully powering-up your ship or clearing a stage without getting hit.
The was game released under the Indie section of the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on June 3rd, 2010 for the very affordable price of $1. The game's original soundtrack later released during Comiket 78 on the same year. A re-release on the PlayStation 4 is now available.
Prismatic Solid features trope examples of:
- Abnormal Ammo: One of the enemies of Stage 4 spews those atomic atoms-esque enemies at you.
- Achievement System: The game features a set of challenges in the form of Stars that ranges from defeating a certain boss in specific way to no damage running a level.
- Attack Drone: The three options that float around your ship can sprout tendrils to extend their ability to shield your ship oncoming fire and hurt enemies if they come into contact with them.
- Brutal Bonus Level: The secret sixth stage is a huge spike in difficult with many hard to navigate obstacles and a Boss Rush at the end.
- Bullet Hell: Certain bullet patterns are just too dense to even dodge, but thankfully the options and their tendrils shielding your ship prevents this game from being impossibly hard... that is unless you're on a higher loop with little-to-no protection.
- Cognizant Limbs: A few of the bosses like the Octopuss from Stage 2 have them. There's even a Star reward for not destroying the Octopuss' arms.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Take a good look at the Homing formation.*
- The star-like prism power-ups are also color-coded to match with the ship's options.
- Dual Boss: Stages 1 and 4 have you fighting against two bosses at once during the second loop, and this gets worse with each progressing loop.
- Energy Weapon: The boss of Stage 4 sometimes loves to spam lasers.
- Every 10,000 Points: Extends are earned after reaching a certain point criteria, and it changes with each loop of the game.
- Fake Difficulty: At anytime your options can't protect you, especially on higher loops.
- Harder Than Hard: Each loop of the game becomes progressively harder than the last.
- Homing Projectile: The Homing formation. Stage 4's boss also uses these.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The key feature of your options once they've been powered-up.
- Shields Are Useless: In the case of facing a barrage of bullet with pitifully-leveled options, they won't be much of use to you.
- Meaningful Name: The title of Prismatic Solid itself refers to the fact that the artistic aesthetics of the entire game is based around geometric figures.
- Mercy Invincibility: If you take damage, your ship glows red and becomes invincible while it reconstitutes itself.
- More Dakka: Some of the enemies can spew a CRAP ton of bullets to the point only your option's tendrils can save you.
- New Game Plus: After beating the Polyhedron (or the Extra Stage boss), you see your ship flying through some area with square pillars while the game tallys your power-up bonuses and remaining lives to add to your score, then you start back on Stage 1 again with your options already powered-up from the previous loop. The game will also become harder.
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Nintendo Hard: The game becomes brutally hard by the time you get to the third loop and beyond. - No Plot? No Problem!: Not one speak of. Just cruise your crystal ship around and shoot stuff up for points.
- One-Hit-Point Wonder: You. A single bullet or wrong turn could cost you a life.
- Scoring Points: Typically you gain points for shooting stuff up, and extra points for picking up power-up items for a maxed out option. After beating the game, you are given bonus points depending on final stage and remain levels available.
- Scenery Porn: This game really shows what the XNA engine is capable of, ranging from its dazzling particle effects to its simple yet stylish aesthetics, and the game shows no sign of slowdown at all.
- Scenery Gorn: The water in Stage 2 during "even" numbered loops is turned red and looks suspiciously like blood.
- Secret Level: Stage 6 can only be accessed by finding the hidden green star item in Stage 5. It's around the large turnstile near the end of the stage.
- Sinister Geometry: This whole game is all about killer geometric figures.
- Smart Bomb: And in three different flavors. The X button fires an X-like rays of lasers sweeping across the screen, the Y button clears the screen with a triangular blast, and the B button unleashes a circular blast to rid the screen of bullets.
- Suspicious Video-Game Generosity: Just before the final boss fight with the Polyhedron in Stage 5, there are TONS of power-ups waiting to collected inside the boxes they are in.
- Spread Shot: The Split and Shower formations.
- Video-Game Lives: The usual three lives per credit gig applies here.
