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Note: Mame Cheat is used on this Playthrough.

Mushihime-Sama was produced by Cave in 2004. The game centers around Reco, princess of her home village, Hoshifuri. The world is inhabited by large anthropod beasts called Koju, who emit a strange magical energy called Levi-Sense, which is poisonous to humans. The story follows Reco flying into the forest on the golden beetle Kiniro, seeking out the God of the Koju in order to save her village from the Levi-Sense Miasma. The title "Mushihime-Sama" translates to "Bug Princess".

The game's theme is styled around insects, bugs, and nature. All the enemies in the game are depictions of various kinds of arthropods and insects, from the variety of beetles, to butterflies, moths, mantids, crickets, and many other creatures. These large insect creatures are named the Koju (literally “Ko” for “carapace” and “Ju” for “beast”). The stage locations showcase a variety of settings in nature, from the forests, deserts, volcano, lakes, and caves of the world.

Reco's dress also resembles the wings of an insect, and she rides atop the Golden Rhinoceros Beetle, Kiniro. The theme of insects and nature are notably distinct, especially when compared to other arcade shmups of the time, which focused heavily on sci-fi and mechanical themes, such as the DoDonPachi series. Kiniro being the player's "ship" for the game deviates greatly from the much more common planes and spaceships controlled in other arcade games in the genre.