Psycho Dream
Psycho Dream has a great deal in common with Majyuuou. It's a japan-only SNES title, a
simplistic action side-scroller, it pits transforming heroes against freakish demons in a
futuristic/modern setting to rescue a japanese schoolgirl, and I don't know a damn thing
about its storyline. As swell a game as Majyuuou is, however, Psycho Dream is a bit more
fun, the good guys are MUCH cooler, and most importantly, it has a slightly wider variety of
ultra-weird enemies! The game is just swarming with embryonic mutants, crawling fungi,
slimy parasites and loads of other things that bring joy into my life.

Unfortunately, Psycho Dream's music - ALL of it - is just plain painful. It's best described as
romantic elevator music attempting to fit into a horror film's chase sequence and failing
miserably.

Just put on some Oingo Boingo or something if you ever play this thing.
Tiny worms that blow in the air of one stage, hidden amongst blowing flower petals.
Giant bees that fire their stingers
Giant bees that fire their stingers
One screen is covered in these silken pupa, which hatch into more bees.
Big, mean birds with some sort of tumorous alien growth.
Big, mean birds with some sort of tumorous alien growth.
Big, mean birds with some sort of tumorous alien growth.
Big, mean birds with some sort of tumorous alien growth.
The birds can curl up into invincible bouncing balls
Little red slimes are the game's most common enemy
Little red slimes are the game's most common enemy
Little red slimes are the game's most common enemy
Little red slimes are the game's most common enemy
Hopping, baby bird/blob hybrids. They aren't animated, and are rarely encountered.
Spiny pods that fall from the sky and cling to walls in the first stage
Rolling blobs hatch from the spiny pods when you walk under them.
Immobile, one-eyed egg pods. They do absolutely nothing, but I love them.
Immobile, one-eyed egg pods. They do absolutely nothing, but I love them.
Immobile, one-eyed egg pods. They do absolutely nothing, but I love them.
This is what you see, very briefly, when you shoot one of the egg things!
Immobile, beam-shooting eyeballs. I love eyeball enemies.
Immobile, beam-shooting eyeballs. I love eyeball enemies.
Immobile, beam-shooting eyeballs. I love eyeball enemies.
(It's blinking)
MUTANT FETUSES!!! First they float through the air, invulnerable to damage......
...Then they hatch and run in place for a while....
...Then they hatch and run in place for a while....
...Then they hatch and run in place for a while....
...Then they hatch and run in place for a while....
...And then they spontaneously crumble and fling their heads at you. BAHAHAHA.
Adorable prehistoric-looking fish people. They just stand in place, hop up and spit.
Adorable prehistoric-looking fish people. They just stand in place, hop up and spit.
Adorable prehistoric-looking fish people. They just stand in place, hop up and spit.
Adorable prehistoric-looking fish people. They just stand in place, hop up and spit.
Adorable prehistoric-looking fish people. They just stand in place, hop up and spit.
These floating....things....are the only enemies in the final stage.
These floating....things....are the only enemies in the final stage.
They attack with either a yellow beam or by dropping globs of themselves. Ewww.
Aww, he's all tired and limp.
Strange flying worms in the subway level. They just float straight forward, wriggling.
Cool insect/fish/embryo things encountered in a stage where you can't stop running.
Cool insect/fish/embryo things encountered in a stage where you can't stop running.
Cool insect/fish/embryo things encountered in a stage where you can't stop running.
One-eyed, plantlike flying things that attack you in the waterfall substage.
One-eyed, plantlike flying things that attack you in the waterfall substage.
One-eyed, plantlike flying things that attack you in the waterfall substage.
I love these, too. Immobile moths(?) on stems, they grow in clusters in the running stage.
I love these, too. Immobile moths(?) on stems, they grow in clusters in the running stage.
I love these, too. Immobile moths(?) on stems, they grow in clusters in the running stage.
Teeny little mutant mouse. Not very dangerous, and very rarely encountered.
Great-looking pink mutants that float lazily throughout the running level, blowing deadly bubbles!
Great-looking pink mutants that float lazily throughout the running level, blowing deadly bubbles!
These plants spring up from the ground and shoot at you.
These plants spring up from the ground and shoot at you.
These plants spring up from the ground and shoot at you.
These hanging sacs drop yellow eggs that burst into flame.
These hanging sacs drop yellow eggs that burst into flame.
The only mechanical enemies. These little floating robots don't do much at all.
Spiny pods that grow along the floors and ceilings of the sewer.
Speedy, hopping worms that usually come in groups
Speedy, hopping worms that usually come in groups
- The Heroes -
What's not to love about a game where you can play as either a red-hooded
renaissance swordsman or a bondage mistress? If you don't think that's enough
variety, something is wrong with you.
...I...HAVE....
...THE POWWERRR!
By the power of Grayskull...
The swordsman is "Ryo Shizima", who manages to look like a nancy-boy and a badass at the
same time. He can upgrade from a sword to scythelike blades on his elbows and knees, which
can upgrade to a larger size. If he then picks up a red crystal, he becomes a fully armored (or is
it fully mechanized?) musketeer with both blades and spreading energy shots that ricochet off
walls until they kill something.
"Maria Tobari" is the freaky dominatrix. She can upgrade her whip to a set of metal claws, then
transform into a giant fairy that fires homing orbs in every direction at once. With wings, she
can also drift slowly to the ground after a jump.
The Enemies (info on
mouseover)
BOSSES
The game's bosses are certainly off to a good start with this undulating, tumorous
phantom at the end of the first stage. Nearly invisible, (see screenshot at top) It
attacks with its two main tentacles and a generic energy attack while additional
tentacles crash through the background.
Okay, I know what you're thinking, and...I'm afraid I don't really have an excuse for
this. It shoots out its neck to ram you with its head and can fire tiny flames from the
tip.

...It's a BAT, okay!?!? Jeez!
In the third stage, you finally come upon the girl you're supposed to rescue (all I
know is that her name is Sayaka. I have no idea what's so important about her) all
walled up in an icky purple pod. Touching the pod damages you, but attacking it
brings forth the level boss; a giant luna moth who's pretty rainbow feelers launch a
devastating electrical bolt attack. When the moth is down, the girl is freed, but she
floats away....
Stage four features a park of blooming trees, a waterfall, and flower petals
constantly blowing in the wind. Spring is in the air, and so is a cicada the size of
a rhinoceros. You have to attack the immobile shell until the adult breaks free. It
mostly fights by flying a short distance and charging, but can also extend a pair
of feelers into the ground to generate a wave of flames.
The fifth stage is one of those levels where your character is running at top
speed and cannot slow down or stop. As any biologist will tell you, this sort of
behavior is highly offensive to Cnidarians such as corals, anemones and
jellyfish, but luckily there's nothing they could do about it unless they were
able to fly and spit big clouds of toxic bubbles.
Like I said, the final boss is fairly boring. He takes up two screens, but only his arms
are initially mobile. Once they're both destroyed, he sprouts two rather
unimpressive tentacles and sends his head sluggishly floating after you to be easily
destroyed at your liesure. When finally dead, the screen darkens and Sayaka is
released once and for all. She rushes to embrace you (regardless of which
character you're playing) and the scene fades to credits just before she gets there.
Pretty much what I expected...these games never have real endings.
A parade can be seen far off in the
background during the final boss fight, but
these are the only floats. Tokyo land is
renowned the world over for its snails, you
know.