Released in 1995

Available in

Genre: Shooting

Developed by the same team who made the Ecco the Dolphin games for the Genesis, Kolibri is a shoot 'em up where you get to play as an unlikely hero: a hummingbird. Find power-ups and explore some huge levels as you hunt down the dark crystal, which is infecting the entire planet.

Unlike other shooters, many of the game's levels do not have auto-scrolling, and several are puzzle based, such as having to shoot certain objects to destroy barriers so you can progress. Whilst this gameplay style makes it different to the average shooter, the difficulty level does not, and Kolibri is relentlessly tough. The bird can only take a few hits before dying, and you only have four lives (although you do, at least, have infinite continues). Many enemies and hazards are capable of killing you in one hit, and even in the opening level there is a frog that will eat you instantly if you get too close to it.

Kolibri himself is a little strange to control, as if you move him around and then release the direction on the d-pad, he'll still jitter forwards for a second or so. This can get frustrating as you can end up ramming into enemies projectiles by accident.

The game is also completely lacking any kind of scoring system, so people who like playing shooters for high scores have got no reason to buy this. It doesn't really push the 32X either -whilst the backgrounds are colorful and detailed, the sprites are nothing special and the game suffers from slow-down in certain areas. It's certainly a unique take on the shoot 'em up genre but be prepared for a very difficult challenge.

The game's story is about two crystals, one of which powers the Earth, and then another one, known as the dark crystal, which crash lands into the planet and begins to spread infection and evil everywhere. The original crystal grants Kolibri powers so the bird can go and stop this threat. When the game starts, you'll need to find a certain flower and hover in front of it for a few seconds. The world will then darken, and after Kolibri receives his powers, the true game will begin.

By finding crystals which are scattered around each level, Kolibri can access different weapons including twin shots and lasers. His enemies are mostly insect based, but other hazards come in the form of frogs and poisonous water droplets. Other powers include the ability to dash (press the C button) and being able to break certain walls, although you'll have to find a power-up to be able to do this. Power-ups are used by pressing the A button.

Other helpful items are a shield, and certain crystals will act as checkpoints when activated, so if you die you don't always have to go back to the start of a level. If you find the game difficult, you could always try having a friend help out in the two player mode -which lets two players play through the game co-operatively.

Debug menu
Pause the game and hold down A, then press left, right and release A. Then hold B and press down, right, and release B. Then finally hold C and press down, up, release C. A menu should appear which lets you choose whichever level you want (or even skip straight to the ending), give you a weapon select and let you listen to music and sound effects. Other options include one that makes you invincible (turn the "unlimited l." option on) and one that lets you slow the game down.

The game's American manual ends with details on how to make a Hummingbird feeder along with several facts about the birds -did you know hummingbirds beat their wings 78 times per second on average?