2021 has seen Cotton, a long-running series of Shmups, explode onto the scene. With Cotton Reboot!, Cotton 2, Boomerang, and even Panorama Cotton, there has been no end to the charming tirade of Cottony goodness. Cotton 100% is the latest entry to be ported over to modern hardware, but how does it hold up?
100% Average, 100% Of The Time
If there was a single word that could adequately describe Cotton 100% in its entirety, it would be average. Every aspect of the game falls into that category, and that’s fine. Average isn’t bad – there are just better games out there. Heck, there are way better Cotton games that, honestly, practically invalidate Cotton 100%.
You play as the eponymous Cotton as she trundles on through an untranslated story about sweets – probably. You go from level to level shooting baddies until they die, and with any luck, you will spank the last boss into oblivion and experience the untranslated ending cinematic in around 20 minutes. It’s fast, it’s illegible, and it can be turned off in the options menu (which we advise you do).
Those 20 minutes, which for the record is the perfect length for a Shmup, has Cotton riding her broom and blasting enemies with her standard shot, whilst harnessing the elements to unleash devastating magical attacks. Her standard shot increases in power based on how many gems you collect and how many enemies you kill, rewarding effective play with more power. Dying reduces your level, so you want to avoid that if at all possible.
Standard Cotton Gameplay
Cotton can fire all of her magic in two ways, done by pressing or holding the magic button. This can cause a streak of lightning to erupt from Cotton’s dainty hand, or a protective barrier to envelope her ginger locks. This aspect adds a little bit of strategy to the game, and landing the perfect spell at the right time feels great. Spells are gathered by picking up colored gems – a series standard.
One of the strangest aspects of Cotton, in general, is how enemies attack you. By this I mean they don’t. Damage in Cotton 100% almost always comes from enemies colliding with you, not from bullets or projectiles. This makes Cotton 100% incredibly accessible since it’s so far removed from modern Bullet Hell Shooters, practically anyone can pick up and play. As you ramp up the difficulty, bullets do start to appear, but even then, they are far from screen-filling mazes.
Looks Alright, Sounds Underwhelming
Visually Cotton 100% looks pretty old, but it has a charm that shines through. It uses characterful sprites and a vivid color palette to provide an experience that is just nice to look at. Everything is big and chunky, and the level designs are nicely varied. The soundtrack, however, is a huge letdown. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same conversation as the legendary Cotton tracks of yore. These are, for the most part, just janky remixes of royalty-free music by the sounds of it, and it feels really cheap.
As far as ports go, Ratalaika has done an alright job. The game runs, it’s stable, the input lag within acceptable boundaries, and it has save states and a rewind feature. There’s also an unlockable challenge mode and cheats, but the lack of an online leaderboard is a shame, which drastically reduces the game’s replay value. The game hasn’t been translated either, which just feels lazy.
Verdict
Cotton 100% is alright. It’s a fun romp, but when put up against most modern shooters, and practically every other Cotton game released this year, it just feels a bit lacking. The existence of Cotton Reboot really invalidates this game’s whole shtick, and the fairly basic gameplay has since been expanded upon in games like Cotton 2. It’s not bad, it’s just there – it exists.
WAIT FOR SALE ON COTTON 100%
If you would like to see more Shooters, you may be interested in our review of Cotton Reboot.
Many thanks go to ININ Games for a PlayStation 4 review code for this title.
Forged in the rainy wilds of northern England, I carved a path of mediocrity through generations and genres. My play style is often described as: “optimistically awful”.
