Silhouette Mirage

About Silhouette Mirage

Silhouette Mirage (1997) is Treasure's 2D action game in which the heroine Shyna switches between two opposing attributes simply by turning left or right, throwing enemies around to hit them with the right one.

Silhouette Mirage in Depth

Everything revolves around two opposing attributes, Silhouette and Mirage. Silhouette enemies can only be destroyed with Mirage attacks and vice versa, and Shyna changes automatically depending on which way she faces: red and using Mirage when facing right, blue and using Silhouette when facing left. Both she and her enemies have health, reduced by attacks of the opposite attribute, and spirit, reduced by attacks of the same attribute, which governs how much damage a weapon deals. Getting enemies onto the correct side is therefore central, so Shyna can grapple, throw and slide into them, moves that do no damage themselves, and some bosses switch attribute mid-fight.

Shyna can also triple jump, crawl and dash, running up walls and along ceilings to dodge or reach hidden areas, and a reflector bounces enemy shots back. Extra weapons called parasites, such as Surosa single shots, Cavitas homing blasts and the powerful Grattoni laser, are bought with coins at the Hare Wares vendor; killing enemies yields a few coins, but mugging them with the Cash Bash yields more. There are seven levels, and alongside saving, the game uses arcade-style continues, with a single life and up to nine continues, its developers intending it to be played through in one sitting. Edge called it a "frantic, polished battle" but felt it could degenerate into button bashing.

Making Silhouette Mirage

Treasure, the maker of Gunstar Heroes and Mischief Makers, developed it as it shifted focus to the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation; producer Kōichi Kimura said the company aimed to make "fun games" and choose the best system for each. Director Masaki Ukyo said the original concept was an action game built on two attributes, with other ideas added later. ESP published it on the Saturn in Japan in 1997, where it was well received; Next Generation said it showed Treasure still innovating in an outdated genre, despite "too much" and unbalanced power-ups. The PlayStation version divided critics: Mega Fun found it slow, while IGN praised its "revolutionary new play mechanics and an insane amount of depth". Reactions to Working Designs' changes were split.