Batsugun / バツグン / Exceptional / Extraordinary
0Batsugun / バツグン / Exceptional / Extraordinary
Batsugun is a science fiction-themed vertically scrolling bullet hell game where players assume the role of one of the six Skull Hornets pilots taking control of their respective fighter jets through five increasingly difficult levels in a last-ditch effort to overthrow a global takeover led by the army of king Renoselva A. Gladebaran VII as the main objective. The title initially appears to be very standard; Players control their craft over a constantly scrolling background and the scenery never stops moving until a boss is reached. Players also have only two weapons at their disposal: the main gun that travels a max distance of the screen's height and three bombs capable of obliterating any enemy caught within its blast radius.
A unique gameplay feature is the weapon system; As enemies are destroyed, players gain experience points that are separate from the score and for every experience points gained, the main gun is leveled up and becomes much stronger. This is analogous to exp and levelling up in role-playing games. The weapon can only level up twice and after achieving its maximum level, experience points will grant players an extra bomb stock instead. In addition, player can also grab "P" icons to increase the power of the current level gun. A maximum of five "P" icons can be collected per experience level and getting more after this gives extra points instead, while collecting "B" icons increases the number of bomb stock to a maximum of seven. Another gameplay feature, reminiscent of Aero Fighters, is the ability to choose between three fighter ship variations: Sky Mirage (type A), Dragon's Whisper (type B) and Judgement Flasher (type C). Type A ships have a simple array of rapid-fire energy-beams that spread evenly. Type B ships shoot a straight beam of lightning for as long as the fire button is held, while tapping the button causes sparks to appear and travel along the beam. Lastly, Type C ships are adaptable; holding the fire button shoot energy waves straight, while tapping the button fires a spread of projectiles. Each ship type becomes more powerful by leveling up.
There are multiple scoring methods for reaching high-scores to obtain extra lives in the game apart from destroying enemies, which are awarded at one-million points. Points can be gained from collecting V-shaped gold medals and once the level is finished, points are awarded for every type of medal collected. Firing or bombing on determined locations is also crucial to reach high-scores, as certain setpieces in some stages hosts bonus secrets within their scenery, as well as destroying enemies on certain spots. The game employs a respawn system where a downed single player will start off immediately at the location they died at. Getting hit by enemy fire will result in losing a life, as well as a penalty of decreasing the ship's firepower to its original state, in addition of all medals collected and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the player inserts more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing. Unlike previous shoot 'em ups titles from Toaplan, there are no additional loops after completing the last stage.
Plot
The plot summary of Batsugun is explained through supplementary materials. On a distant planet similar to Earth, a global takeover codenamed Epsilon Plan led by king Renoselva A. Gladebaran VII is set into motion, with the Imperial Army successfully staging multiple coup d'états upon countries of the planet in less than two weeks. All that stands between the military forces of Renoselva and world domination are the Skull Hornets: a squadron of fighter pilots led by prince Olisis R. Gladebaran VIII, son of Renoselva. The Skull Hornets utilize the most powerful submersible jets the planet's scientists have ever devised.
Characters
Jeeno: Pilot of the Type A (P1) ship. A teenage soldier with cybernetic implants by Dr. Gabriel and a tragic past.
Schneider: Pilot of the Type A (P2) ship. A war veteran who was previously cryogenized and the main protagonist of Flying Shark.
Beltiana: Pilot of the Type B (P1) ship. A young adult girl who seeks to avenge the death of her brother.
Alteeno: Pilot of the Type B (P2) ship. The tomboyish mechanic of the Skull Hornets squadron and a child prodigy.
Iceman: Pilot of the Type C (P1) ship. A hired mercenary with a turbulent past.
Olisis: Pilot of the Type C (P2) ship. Founder and director of the Skull Hornets squadron, he is the exiled prince of his home planet and fights to dethrone his father Renoselva.
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Developer(s) Toaplan
Publisher(s)
JP: Toaplan
EU: Taito
KOR: Unite Trading
Producer(s) Yuko Tataka
Designer(s) Junya Inoue
Takeshi Kawamoto
Programmer(s) Satoshi Kōyama
Seiji Iwakura
Tsuneki Ikeda
Composer(s) Yoshitatsu Sakai
Platform(s) Arcade, Saturn
Release
WW: December 1993
Genre(s) Bullet hell
Mode(s)
Single-playerCo-op
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