Under Defeat | Developer: G.rev, City Connection, Take×0ff | Publisher: City Connection | Played on: PC | Year: 2025
Under Defeat celebrates its 20th anniversary with a solid port arcade fans are sure to enjoy.
Two female pilots pose in front of helicopters in the Under Defeat box art

Under Defeat

Back in the early two-thousands, Japanese developer G.revolution was “keeping the dream alive” by releasing games for the ill-fated Dreamcast console long after Sega stopped manufacturing it. The second entry in their little series of shoot ’em ups was Under Defeat —  a somewhat minimalist arcade shooter featuring explosive action, pivoting helicopters, and a “Weird War” art style that’s still more grounded than the intergalactic setting of your typical “shmup“.

This new port for PC and console comes from retro specialists City Connection where their release is advertised as a “definitive edition” for modern platforms. Shoot ’em up enthusiasts will likely be divided on that moniker because while this port is certainly comprehensive and performant, any newly added content misses the mark entirely.

On the positive end, Under Defeat has never looked better in terms of pure resolution. The frame rate is rock-solid in this version, with some old sound balancing issues and erratic firing patterns fixed as well. The game still looks good, although you have to remember this was originally released in 2005, so we’re still very much in the sixth-generation here, visually speaking. Under Defeat can be played with a keyboard on PC (despite a warning on boot suggesting otherwise), but the game has always played smoothly with a joypad, especially so in this version thanks to its responsive controls unblemished by any input lag or slowdown whatsoever.

Under Defeat remains a fun shooter whereby each player’s helicopter pivots at 45 degree angles when firing. Players only collect minimal power-ups as they bounce between one of three different ‘option’ units allowing them to periodically unload vulcan blasts, cannon shots, and powerful rockets. Recognising which option is best for each engagement over the course of five breezy levels teeming with enemy tanks and hostile flying fortresses, is the key to mastery. A well-balanced difficulty curve makes this plight extremely enjoyable, assuming you’re not trying a one-credit challenge, where the unfortunate lack of extra lives earned via scoring makes things painfully difficult!

This updated port retains all content from the 2012 HD release including dual stick controls, the unbalanced “DLC” choppers, and the “New Order” mode which remixed everything from the appearance of enemy bullets and movement patterns, to a newly arranged soundtrack and widescreen presentation. Brand new to this port are several minor additions including poorly formatted subtitles for the few instances of German voice work, and a readout of scoring bonuses to assist with ranked play.

A helicopter shoots at a flying war machine in Under Defeat
A helicopter watches a bridge being destroyed by missiles in Under Defeat
A helicopter shoots at a battleship in Under Defeat
A helicopter shoots at tanks in Under Defeat

However, the most notable new addition arrives in the form of “New Order+” — a variant of the aforementioned widescreen mode where a player’s helicopter can now turn at 90 degree angles when firing. This feels like an awkward solution to perceived foibles with the widescreen adaptation, and it’s not great from a game design perspective either because option units are harder to line up and some bosses can now be attacked from angles that were never intended in the original 4:3 arcade release.

What’s even weirder is the new pressure gauge — a weirdly unexplained and ugly red progress bar which periodically spawns identical waves of enemy choppers when it maxes out. The publisher has advertised this feature as a new “risk-reward” mechanic, but all it does it make the game artificially longer and harder to no real benefit. I don’t know what they were thinking with this mode and I’m not willing to waste any more time playing it to discover why. I should also mention how New Order+ is backed by a new “Boosted” soundtrack featuring heavy techno beats which don’t suit the game at all, thus completing the sense of this mode being a total failure on every level.

I think the original arcade format alongside whichever soundtrack and control scheme the player prefers is the best way to play, and this port can achieve exactly that. But however you choose to play it, Under Defeat is an intuitive and fast-paced shooting game where every hour of explosive game time provides extra credits (all the way up to free play), whether it’s alone or in the frantically entertaining 2-player mode. Even though its new content fails to impress, this new port of an old classic remains an excellent shooter perfect for rookies and returning veterans alike.

Under Defeat on Steam »