Aliens have invaded Earth and constructed a barrier around humanity. Civilization's fate ends up with Ivan, a manic ex-Communist. This bonehead may be unconventional, but his starring role leads to some of the best FMV sequences we have witnessed on 32-Bit. 3-D graphics are melded together with live actors, generating an engaging introductory video. Such clips also dovetail the various segments of this game. After waiting a tremendous amount of time for the action to commence, you will fast discover the familiar sight and sounds of a mech shooter. Though it bills itself as a wacky game unlike any other, Krazy Ivan does not live up to its namesake - at least on the gameplay front. Each level follows the same general formula with minimal changes.

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Once realizing each stage involves identical shoot-first tasks without any variation, you may also notice a lack of terrain differentiation as well. The appearance of Krazy Ivan's planet is no different from one place to another, with no landmarks or environmental shifts to speak of. The overall challenge, here, is likewise completely lacking. However, the graphical presentation is a much different story. Monstrous aliens are composed of textured polygons that nicely pop from the shaded backdrops, giving them much more personality than sprite-based counterparts on similar shooters on the market. All animations are smooth-scrolling and realistic, too. These elements, combined with explosive sound effects and an atmospheric score, add to an excellent presentation.

Printed in Issue #35, March 1996