https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/682838384035708928/thebunkajin-galerians-1999-playstation-1
Galerians is a survival horror game that was released in 2000 for the PlayStation (PS1). In look and feel, it is similar to Resident Evil. However, there are different game play mechanics that make it somewhat unique. First, instead of having guns, you have psychic powers. This mechanism makes it more difficult to fight multiple enemies but these powers can also be used for purposes other than just fighting (solving puzzles, manipulating objects, etc.) To make things a little more difficult, these powers are enabled by drugs of which there are a limited number of vials in the game so conservation is important. This encourages you to avoid fighting where it is possible to do so.
Controls are a little different as well though they are somewhat similar to the controls in Alone in the Dark. Pressing up moves your character forward and pressing down moves your character slowly backwards. This movement is independent of the camera angle and direction. There are also three bars shown on the screen that give you information. Two are pretty typical…a health meter that shows your health and a drug meter that shows how much psychic enhancing drug you still have. The third meter is a little more interesting. It is the AP (Absorption Points) meter. This meter increases when taking damage or using your abilities. If it gets maxed out that you experience “shorting” (basically a form of uncontrollable rage) in which you release a continuous stream of psychic power that can take out some enemies in a single blow. However, letting this happen too often will result in death.
The story is that the protagonist, Rion, wakens in the hospital after as a result of hearing a psychic cry for help from a girl. Apparently he has been a prisoner there and some experiment has given him is psychic powers…and of course he has amnesia. You escape from the hospital and learn various information including what happened to your parents, more about these experiments, and more.
Reviews for this game were mostly positive. There were a lot of survival horror games coming onto the market at the time and this one was above average and most importantly, unique enough to make it interesting. Some of the story elements are pretty cliche but overall it has enough unique aspects to keep you going.
If you like survival horror games, then this is one that is worth checking out. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any re-releases for this one. I believe it was also only available on the PlayStation. If you do want to give it a try, you’ll have to find an original copy (which shouldn’t be terribly hard to do) or make do with emulation.
