Shmups Wiki -- The Digital Library of Shooting Games - User contributions [en]

Blue Revolver

2026-06-30T17:15:36Z

Birb: /* Zero Flourish Table */

[[File:Blue Revolver Logo.png|200px|center]]
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #6dc2ca
|innerbordercolor = #597cce
|title = BLUE REVOLVER
|background = #deeed6
|image = Blue Revolver Cover.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Box art
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [http://stellarcirclegames.com/ Stellar Circle]
|music = Qygen Hagane Exemia
|program = [[User:Danbo|danbo]]
|art = woof Comic-Z
|releasedate = '''BLUE REVOLVER'''October 2016'''BR DOUBLE ACTION'''November 14 2024
}}

[[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Stellar Circle in 2016 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It plays like a [[CAVE]]/[[Raizing]] hybrid, with strong emphasis on fast patterns and resource management. It is wholly designed to be a forgiving, beginner-friendly game that can serve as a "stepping stone" into the genre.

A large-scale rebalance of the game, '''BLUE REVOLVER: Double Action''', was released on November 14 2024.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
[[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] is a three-button game (with an optional autofire button), with 2 playable pilots featuring 3 shot types and 4 special weapons each, for a total of 24 unique combinations.

=== Controls ===
* '''Z (Tap) / C (Hold):''' Fires the device's primary weapon in unfocused mode.
* '''Z (Hold):''' Fires the device's primary weapon in focused mode.
* '''X:''' Fires the device's special weapon.
* '''V:''' Fires the device's bomb.
* '''P:''' Pauses the game.

=== Characters/Weapons ===
There are three playable characters: '''Mae''', '''Val''' and '''Dee'''. Each character has their own shot type and four special weapons.

* Mae has the '''Power''' shot type, which boasts a slightly higher DPS but is fairly narrow and demands positioning. Mae's special weapons tend to be '''rapid-fire''', which gives flexibility when it comes to ammo consumption.
* Val has the '''Follow''' shot type, which moves with the player's movement, and freezes on focus. Val's special weapons tend to have great '''spread''', controlling a lot of the screen with less shots.
* Dee has the '''Wide''' shot type, which is a wide cone of shots that becomes a wide-but-straight volley of fire on focus. If all shots hit the same target, unfocused is higher DPS. Dee's special weapons tend to have '''high damage potential''' in specific situations.

==== Special Weapons ====
All special weapons run off the same internal ammo gauge system. Players have 100 ammo, which is replenished via ammo pickups.

In DOUBLE ACTION, special weapons have an associated perk which is applied at all times.

''See [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}/Damage Comparison]] for a comparison of damage values and efficiency between most special weapons.''
<tabber>
Plasma Lancer=[[File:Blue Revolver Plasma Lancer.png|240px|right]]
A fast-firing lancer weapon with limited enemy piercing capability. While easy and flexible to use, it does lack raw power.

Uses '''1.5 ammo per shot''', firing up to '''13.34 shots per second'''.

* One of the game's less consistent weapons - each shot has a random velocity, and damage potential is tied to the projectile's velocity.
* Overpenetration can be a concern against small targets at short range.
* Generally efficient against stage enemies, but not suitable for speedkilling bosses.

'''PERK: Bombs produce more ammo'''

Whenever a bomb produces an ammo item, there is a '''30%''' chance to produce one additional ammo item.
{{clear}}
|-|
Hyper Laser (Mae)=[[File:Blue Revolver Hyper Laser Mae.png|240px|right]]
A slow-charging, wide and powerful laser. Eats through ammo quickly.

Firing produces a small "anticipation bullet" anchored to the player for '''0.63s''', after which the laser fires. This anticipation period consumes no ammo.

Firing uses '''6 ammo per second''' at first, which becomes '''18 ammo per second''' 0.91s after firing.

* Due to the odd ammo consumption mechanics, Mae's Hyper Laser can be surprisingly efficient and viable for scoring if fired in short bursts.
* The laser gains no additional damage or properties from the increased ammo consumption.
* The anticipation bullet has a very small hitbox but can deal damage (about half the damage of the actual laser) and counts as a special projectile.

'''PERK: Higher focused damage'''

Player shot does '''4.6%''' more damage in focused mode.

{{clear}}
|-|
Vortex Barrier=[[File:Blue Revolver Vortex Barrier.png|240px|right]]
A defensive weapon that produces multiple bullet-blocking orbiting projectiles around the player. On release, the projectiles are launched upwards with considerable power and pierce enemies.

Produces '''13 projectiles''' over time at '''3 ammo per projectile'''. Holding a full barrier costs '''4.6 ammo per second'''. Releasing costs no ammo.

* The projectiles deal damage while functioning as a barrier, though the damage is fairly weak until they are launched.
* Due to the piercing nature of the projectiles, they are most effective against big targets.
* Projectiles are always produced to the top-left of the player.
* Designed for players struggling against bosses.
* A few projectiles can be produced and released for an offensive capability. Roughly on par with the Plasma Lancer in terms of damage, though much less flexible.

'''PERK: Start with an extra life'''

Start the game with one extra life.
{{clear}}
|-|
Cluster Missile (Mae)=[[File:Blue Revolver Cluster Missile Mae.png|240px|right]]
A "mini cluster missile", fast-firing but with smaller spread and uptime.

Firing uses '''4 ammo per shot''', at a fire rate of '''4 missiles per second'''.

* Launches behind the player before accelerating up the screen - the player can use this to their advantage by deploying the missile while above enemies, in effect "bombing" them.

'''PERK: Better flourish extension'''

Generally, the chain meter is is extended a little by destroying enemies even during flourish mode -- but as more enemies are destroyed for that chain, this effect falls off. This perk disables this "falloff", making the extension a constant +0.1s.
{{clear}}
|-|
Arc Caster=[[File:Blue Revolver Arc Caster.png|240px|right]]
A fast-firing, target-seeking arc weapon. Very easy to use, though lacks raw power and is imprecise.

Firing consumes '''5 ammo''' and produces '''3 bolts''' per shot, at just under '''3 shots per second'''. In DOUBLE ACTION, The bolts are chained together. Producing at least '''1 bolt''' or up to '''5 bolts''' depending on number of enemies.

* Only the visible "bolts" at the end of the arcs deal damage. The chains deal no damage.
* The weapon scans a 80*170px rectangle in front of the player and targets the first three enemies it sees. Note that these may not be the closest entities to the player.
* If only one or two enemies are found, more bolts are projected randomly in front of the player.
* The caster can target the multiple hitboxes of large, complex enemies - but can also target things like Boss 4's arms, which don't take damage.

'''PERK: More bomb drops'''

Bomb carriers drop an extra bomb.
{{clear}}
|-|
Hyper Laser (Val)=[[File:Blue Revolver Hyper Laser Val.png|240px|right]]
A single-shot beam with long recovery time. Excellent for sweeping the playfield, but players may find it hard to control ammo consumption.

Uses '''10''' ammo per shot.

* Has an "anticipation projectile" much like Mae's variant.
* Takes about '''12 frames''' to fire.
* The projectile lasts on-screen for '''55''' frames.
* Produces splash damage particles at the point of impact, making it more consistent against groups. A lot of the laser's damage potential comes from these splash particles.

'''PERK: Higher unfocused damage'''

Player shot does '''5%''' more damage in unfocused mode.
{{clear}}
|-|
Stasis Field =[[File:Blue Revolver Stasis Field.png|240px|right]]
An unconventional defensive weapon; a circular field projected directly in front of the player. Sucks kinetic energy from bullets, slowing them down - the stored energy is launched around the player on release, cancelling enemy bullets caught in the field. In DOUBLE ACTION, the stored energy shoots towards specific directions.

Uses '''7.2 ammo per second''' to maintain the field - uses '''10 ammo to discharge'''.

* The stored energy discharge is spread in a 360-degree spiral pattern, making it very hard to effectively use. In DOUBLE ACTION, it discharges towards the opposite of the players movement and the direction can be changed mid-release.
* It takes a very long time to fully charge the field from only a few bullets - clusters and patterns of bullets must be leveraged to use the weapon effectively.
* The field does a very meager amount of contact damage to enemies.
* For whatever reason, the bonus isn't penalized upon using the weapon during a boss pattern(DOUBLE ACTION).

'''PERK: Easier extends'''

10% lower extend milestones. This also applies to bomb extends in parallel mode.
{{clear}}
|-|
Cluster Missile (Val) =[[File:Blue Revolver Cluster Missile Val.png|240px|right]]
A slow-firing finesse weapon which produces a lasting explosion on impact. Tremendous scoring potential, but punishing on miss.

Firing uses '''10 ammo per shot''', at a fire rate of '''1 missile per second'''.

* In Val's variant, the particles travel further and control more of the screen, but deal less damage.
* Limited to 2 missiles on screen.

'''PERK: Longer flourish time'''

Flourish window is 0.5s longer.
{{clear}}
|-|
Fractal Salvo =[[File:Blue Revolver Fractal Salvo.jpg|240px|right]]
A wide spread of 6 small missiles.

Uses '''12 ammo per shot'''.

* The spread covers almost the whole playfield when shot from the bottom.
* The missiles explode on contact dealing splash damage.
* Shotgunning does more damage but the difference is incredibly small due to damage limit.

'''PERK: Re-fill ammo every stage'''

refills ammo completely after a stage clear.
{{clear}}
|-|
Pierce Lancer =[[File:Blue Revolver Pierce Lancer.jpg|240px|right]]
A burst-fire piercing lancer.

Uses '''12 ammo per shot'''.

* Shoots 6 lancers for every burst.
* Like the name implies. The lancers pierce.
* Deals an unreasonable amount of damage. Making it the best weapon for a trivial survival clear.

'''PERK: Somewhat higher shot damage'''

Player shot does '''2.5%''' more damage overall.
{{clear}}
|-|
Gun Buckler =[[File:Blue Revolver Gun Buckler.jpg|240px|right]]
A deployable shield that absorbs bullets, then shoots back.

Uses '''20 ammo per shot'''.

* Quantity, speed and damage of the shoot-back increases with the amount of bullets absorbed.
* Shield energy fills up when dealing contact damage, which deals per frame damage.
* Shield deployment cannot be canceled. Meaning that you can only use it '''once per flourish'''.

'''PERK: Longer Counterbomb window'''

Counterbomb window increased by '''0.05s'''. Default counterbomb is 3 frames for reference. Buckler counterbomb is '''6 frames'''.
{{clear}}
|-|
Cluster Missile (Dee) =[[File:Blue Revolver Cluster Missile Dee.jpg|240px|right]]
A slow-firing finesse weapon which produces a lasting explosion on impact.

Firing uses '''10 ammo per shot''', at a fire rate of '''1 missile per second'''.

* Almost identical to Val's variant.
* In Dee's variant, the missiles don't explode on contact. Rather it travels a set distance then starts the cluster.
* Contact damage prior to the explosion pierces and deals per frame damage.
* Limited to 2 missiles on screen.

'''PERK: Longer flourish time'''

Flourish window is 0.5s longer.
{{clear}}
</tabber>
[[File:Blue Revolver Bomb.gif|thumb|left|The ammo-generating effect of the bomb in action.]]

==== Bombs ====
Bombs are uniform among both characters - a short-range projectile is projected in front of the player, dealing decent damage to anything in its vicinity. Bombs also convert all enemy bullets on screen into ammo pickup items, grant '''6 seconds''' of invulnerability and reset any applicable chain timer. They also count as special weapons for the purposes of scoring (see Flourish section).

[[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] has a 3-frame counterbomb window. When the player is hit, an internal "about to die" timer is set for 3 frames. If the player uses a bomb during this period, their death will be cancelled. (This includes the frame the player was hit on.)

Bombs cancel all enemy bullets on-screen for '''30 frames''' after firing. During this time period, '''every second bullet''' that is cancelled via the bomb is replaced with an Ammo Pickup.
{{clear}}
=== Items ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Blue Revolver Ammo Pickup Item.gif|center]] || '''Ammo Pickup''' items are dropped by ground enemies and resupply ships. Bombs also convert bullets into Ammo Pickup items. Each item replenishes '''2''' ammo, or gives '''2,000''' score if the ammo meter is full. Resupply ships drop '''30''' ammo items, for '''60%''' ammo in total.
|-
| [[File:Blue Revolver Bomb Item.gif|center]] || '''Bomb''' items restore one bomb or grant '''50,000''' score if the player has the maximum amount of bombs.
|-
| [[File:Blue Revolver 1UP Item.gif|center]] || '''1-UP''' items grant an extra life. Spawns when the giant carrier on Stage 3 is destroyed.
|-
| [[File:Blue Revolver Score Item 200.png|center]]
[[File:Blue Revolver Score Item 2000.gif|center]]
[[File:Blue Revolver Score Item 20000 Animation.gif|center]]
|| '''Score Items''' are generated by special weapon usage or by clearing boss phases. Score items are always worth either '''200''', '''2,000''' or '''20,000''' points each.
|}

=== Rank/Difficulty ===
[[File:Blue Revolver Rank Comparison RL1.png|160px|thumb|right|An early boss phase at Rank Level 1. No problemo.]]
[[File:Blue Revolver Rank Comparison RL5.png|160px|thumb|right|The same boss phase at Rank Level 5. HOLY SHIT!]]
[[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] uses a rank system for two of the three difficulty modes. Rank is divided into five "Rank Levels" (RL) based on an internal variable. The Rank Level only affects enemy and boss bullet patterns - enemy health and other such things are not affected at all. ''Rank is not intended to be something the player must manage, rather it simply eases up on the player after a death for a short while.''

* '''Normal''' mode is the game's novice mode and locks Rank to the first 2 Rank Levels. Normal mode also features '''Autobomb''' - however, it is unusually punishing, consuming '''all bombs in stock''' when triggered.
* '''Hyper''' mode is for shmup warriors and allows rank to go through all 5 Rank Levels.
* '''Parallel''' mode is for brave players. Rank is locked at lvl.5 at all times. Extends are in shorter supply, but bombs are plentiful.

Each difficulty setting also has its own extend system.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Normal'''
| 5,000,000
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | EVERY 10,000,000
|-
| '''Hyper'''
| 5,000,000
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | EVERY 15,000,000
|-
| '''Parallel'''
| 40,000,000
| 80,000,000
| 120,000,000
|}

'''Parallel''' has two further changes to the resource balance :

* On hit, 4 bombs are resupplied instead of the usual 2, and 100 (full stock) ammo is restored instead of the usual 50.
* Every 10,000,000 points, a bomb is directly resupplied. If the player has a full stock of bombs at this time, nothing happens, and this bomb extend is effectively wasted.

Rank typically increases with scoring and additionally has a per-frame increase depending on the current stage. Firing the special weapon also increases rank, though only to a small degree. Bombing is entirely rank-neutral. Rank decreases on player death - for Rank Levels 1-3, the player's rank variable is halved on death, and for Rank Levels 4-5, rank is reset to Rank Level 3 on death.

==== Hyper Mode "Rank Drain" ====
There is an additional rank mechanic applicable only to '''Hyper''' mode. At Rank Level 5, the rank variable is immediately set to a high value and drains passively over time. Scoring actions, per-frame rank increase and special weapon rank increase do not apply at this point. The passive drain is per-frame and is increased as the player loses lives. Once the rank is drained back down to the Rank Level 5 breakpoint, rank is reset to Rank Level 4. Therefore, high-performing Hyper mode players will see a constant see-saw between Rank Levels 4 and 5.

RL5 drain sets the internal rank variable of 200,000, and the breakpoint to go back to RL4 is 140,000. Per-frame rank drain is 10 under normal circumstances, 16 if the player has 1 or 2 lives remaining, and 32 if the player has no lives remaining. Therefore, it will take 100 seconds to go back to Rank Level 4 under normal circumstances, 62.5 seconds at 1 or 2 lives remaining, and 31.25 seconds at zero lives remaining.
{{clear}}

=== Scoring ===
----
There are two primary scoring mechanics in [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] - ''Flourish'', and ''Break''.

==== Flourish ====
Each enemy in [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] has a point value that is granted on destruction. This point value varies depending on the enemy and generally becomes higher at the later stages.

Additionally, destroying enemies fills a chain meter. The chain meter takes roughly '''3 seconds''' to drain if nothing is happening, and maxes out at '''8 hits'''. Building a chain on its own does not provide any scoring benefit - rather, the player must destroy enemies with the Special Weapon in order to get value out of their chain. Enemies generate point items on destruction with a special weapon according to the following multiplier table:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Hit !! Point Value Multiplier
|-
| 8 || 64x
|-
| 6-7 || 32x
|-
| 4-5 || 16x
|-
| 1-3 || 8x
|}

However, firing the Special Weapon engages '''Flourish Mode''' - which locks the chain value and forces the timer to drain from a hidden maximum value. It takes '''4 seconds''' to finish Flourish Mode generally, but it can be extended a little if many enemies are destroyed.

Therefore, the basic scoring strategy is to build up an 8-hit chain on weak, poor enemies, then use Special Weapons to cash in by powerful, lucrative enemies, and keep repeating that process while being as efficient with ammo as possible.

Bombs, uniquely, reset the chain timer to maximum both inside and outside of Flourish Mode.

===== "Zero Flourish" =====
One interesting quirk in the scoring system is that Flourish Mode cannot be activated when a chain is not active. Six of the special weapons are notably able to exploit this - Val's Hyper Laser, Val's Stasis Field, Dee's Fractal Salvo and all three variants of the Cluster Missile. Some other weapons can exploit it to a small degree, but these weapons have long uptimes and/or large potential areas of effect, making them ideal. Because they only trigger Flourish Mode on firing and not while they're destroying enemies, the player can activate the special weapon at a zero or 1-hit chain and use it to both increase the chain and generate score items. Zero Flourish becomes an increasingly more lucrative trick in the later stages, where the popcorn enemies the player would typically simply use to build a chain have increased point value - but it does require some self-control.
===== Zero Flourish Table =====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Weapon !! Rating !! Comment
|-
| Plasma Lancer || 7/10 || Prefers vertically aligned enemies. Can sometimes fail the ZF and enter flourish with low hits if the player is too close or unlucky.
|-
| Hyper Laser(Mae) || 2/10 || Useless, can abuse invulnerable enemies at the top of the screen to delay enemy destruction.
|-
| Vortex Barrier || 5/10 || Prefers vertically aligned enemies. Expensive ammo-wise for how much hits it gives.
|-
| Cluster Missile(Mae) || 10/10 || Can rarely fail the ZF but it can get a lot out of a few missiles.
|-
| Arc Caster || 1/10 || Cannot ZF at all. Gets 5 hits + enters flourish mode.
|-
| Hyper Laser(Val) || 10/10 || One of the best ZF's in the game given good player movement.
|-
| Stasis Field || 9/10 || Rank dependent. Can either be a decent ZF or a ZF that surpasses the best of the best.
|-
| Cluster Missile(Val) || 9/10 || Very active missiles but difficult to operate in addition to lack of damage.
|-
| Fractal Salvo || 8.5/10 || Excellent coverage. Player should position themselves at the bottom and near the middle to avoid failing the ZF.
|-
| Pierce Lancer || 8/10 || limited to bursts, Expensive ammo-wise but never fails ZF. Plus it deals a ton of damage and pierces.
|-
| Gun Buckler || 8/10 || Decent ZF and damage is proportional to bullets absorb/enemies contact damage. The ZF costs 20 ammo though.
|-
| Cluster Missile(Dee) || 9.5/10 || Same points as Val Cluster Missile. But Dee's missiles detonate without enemy contact.
|}
''*The ratings describe the general efficiency of the weapon's ability to ZF. In some situations the rating can vary though.''

===== "Insta-Flourish" =====
For the weapons that have a tough time getting Zero Flourish. There is a stage 5 specific trick in which you can hoard all the blue zakos in one single spot by suiciding at the top of the screen. Then use a special weapon to instantly flourish them all. This will guarantee the player an 8 hit chain in addition to entering flourish mode. This is practically useless for all weapons Except Val's Arc Caster, and Mae's Hyper Laser(Refer to the table above).

==== Break Bonuses ====
Break bonuses are static point bonuses awarded for fulfilling specific conditions. Typically, these conditions are during midbosses and bosses (destroy both wings of the Stage 1 midboss in quick succession, for example) - but there are a few in-stage break bonuses like destroying over 80% of an enemy rush.

A Break Guide can be found both in-game and on the [https://tinydanbo.github.io/bluerevolver-site/breakguide/ official game website].

==== Pattern Bonuses ====
Each named bullet pattern has an associated bonus value. This generally scales with the game's progression, going from 100,000 points for the ST1 midboss pattern, to 500,000 a piece for the ST5 boss patterns. This bonus is awarded on clearing the given pattern.

In DOUBLE ACTION, there is a new "Perfect" multiplier system which is applied to this bonus based on misses, bombs and special usage.

* Clearing a pattern without special, missing or bombing awards a '''2.0x''' PERFECT bonus.
* Clearing a pattern without special and '''1''' miss or bomb awards a '''1.5x''' GREAT bonus.
* Clearing a pattern using special, or '''>= 2''' misses+bombs awards no multiplier.

In the case of the final pattern, "REVOLVER", special usage does not affect the bonus multiplier.

'''Note:''' The balance of this bonus is such that a relevant break bonus is always worth more than the potential bonus increase. If you can get the break and clear the pattern perfectly, that's great, but in an either/or, burning resources to get a break is more lucrative.

==== Other Scoring Mechanics ====
Boss phases cancel all bullets on screen when they are cleared, and this follows the same logic as enemy destruction with a special weapon - ie, point items are generated in their place. The base value of each bullet is fairly low (100 points on the last boss, therefore 800 points per bullet cancelled), but in the few cases where a chain can be built up and a lot of bullets cancelled, they will receive the 64x value multiplier.

== XP-Mode ==
XP-Mode is an arrange mode introduced in DOUBLE ACTION. While the stages and enemies are unchanged, the scoring, resource and rank systems are much different, and the player must hit score milestones to upgrade their shot type. Only Dee is playable in XP-Mode, with a selection of 5 oddball special weapons.

=== Weapons ===
<tabber>
Cascade Blast=
A short-range spread of explosive grenades.

* Enemy bullets that collide with these explosions are converted into more explosions.
* Enemies that are destroyed by the explosions are similarly converted.
* This conversion stops '''1.5s''' after the initial firing.
* The only XP-Mode weapon that has defensive utility, due to its ability to clear the screen.

Uses the full stock of ammo, but multiplies incoming ammo by '''2x'''.
|-|
Volt Cable=
A sticky projectile attached to the player via an uninsulated electric cable.

* The damage dealt by the sticky projectile ramps up over time and can be a surprising boss-killer.
* The fact that the cable does damage creates most of the scoring utility, and creates new ways to control the playfield.
* The projectile is capable of attaching to the top of the screen.
* On destruction of an attached enemy, the projectile will generally continue flying upwards -- but it can get stuck on some dead ground-based enemies.

Uses 50 ammo, meaning two cables can be active at once. An active cable will prevent firing, however, so ammo generation can be difficult.
|-|
Kinetic Orb=
A bouncing, chaotic orb that deals very strong damage, while bouncing against enemies, the screen edges, the player, and other orbs.

* The bottom of the screen will "drain" the orb, destroying it.
* The damage of an orb increases every time it hits an enemy.
* Insane damage potential if an orb can be fired in "just" the right spot, perhaps behind a large enemy.

Uses 33 ammo, meaning three orbs can be active at once.
|-|
Zap Drone=
A slow-moving drone that periodically zaps the area around it for high damage.

* Direct collision with an enemy will destroy the drone, dealing a very small amount of damage. Optimal usage is to "miss".

Uses 50 ammo.
|-|
Percept Bit=
Two lasers that sweep the playfield, locking onto enemies. After the laser sweep, a volley of gun-bits attack all locked enemies.

* Multiple locks on one target will increase the amount of damage directed at that target.
* The gun-bits will attempt to fire at locked enemies that have flown off-screen, making timing crucial.
* Correct positioning of the player in relation to the locks will allow the extra shots to better control the playfield.

Uses 100 ammo.
</tabber>

=== Scoring ===
In XP-Mode, all enemies drop score items at a 8x value. However, destruction with a special weapon creates a 64x value -- there is no chain or flourish system. Therefore, optimal scoring is to destroy as many enemies as possible with the special weapons, placing emphasis on optimal usage of the weapons and good ammo generation.

== Strategy ==
{{center|''See [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''}}
----

=== General Tips ===
* Self-destructing here and there is highly encouraged by the game systems. On death, rank is decreased outside of Parallel mode, 2 extra bombs are granted without resetting the existing stock, and 50 special ammo is replenished.
* In stages 3 and 5, there are almost no ground targets, meaning the player must rely on self-destructs and bombs to generate most of their ammo. Players would be wise to ensure they have enough bombs to keep up during, for example, the Stage 3 zako rush break without wasting resources.
* The Stage 5 Boss and the True Last Boss will counterbomb the player outside of Normal mode. Their invulnerability period lasts half a second longer than that of the player and their counterbomb prevents ammo from being generated.
* Almost all special weapons fire straight upwards by design, requiring the player to at least pass through the most dangerous areas of the playfield. The most notable exception is the Arc Caster, which can often be used from across the screen.

== True Last Boss ==
The TLB appears only at the end of Parallel Mode. The TLB consists of two ships (Epsilon and Yasumi together as SR-X "Zealot"), who can also counter-bomb. Both ships of the TLB share together an attack set (and as well the HP gauge of each attack set), and each one of their attack sets can last for 31 seconds. Beating one of the attacks sets quickly will result in getting a Break bonus from them.

== Story ==
[[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] takes place in an Earth-like world where magic has a code-like structure. Using scripting and various forms of technology, reality can be manipulated to the user's will - however, irresponsible use of this power creates hazardous "junk data". Stringent safety laws are enforced by groups of Technicians, and one such group is called "Blue Revolver".

Recently, a massive data anomaly has been sighted in the mountains - the work of a relatively gifted but flawed magic user called Mae. Blue Revolver set out to investigate this anomaly and hopefully curtail it.

== Version Differences ==
* '''v1.01:''' Score Info option, readability options (background darkening, alternate bullet colour schemes), bugfixes.
* '''v1.02:''' Fixed the stage 2 boss instagibbing the player during Boss Rush mode.
* '''v1.05:''' Achievements.
* '''v1.1:''' Replay functionality added, Steam leaderboards, Break Guide, Experimental Weapon, shot type / weapon rebalancing.
* '''v1.11:''' Fixed replay desync issues.
* '''v1.12:''' Added the DOUBLE ACTION soundtrack by Exemia and Hagane as an in-game option,

== Trivia ==
* [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] was originally going to be a clone of [[Muchi Muchi Pork]]. Then it was going to be a clone of [[Ketsui]]. In the end, it ended up being a mix of both - though perhaps a clone of [[Cyvern: The Dragon Weapons]], too.
* Despite the variety in bullet visuals, all bullets in [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] share the same hitbox size of 2 pixels by 2 pixels. This is incidentally the same size as the player's hitbox.
* All shot types have a different default player speed, however their focused speed is always the same for the sake of consistency.
* While probably impossible to actually achieve, if the player can score 100 septillion points, they will be granted an extend every frame the game is running due to inelegant programming.
* [[{{FULLPAGENAME}}|BLUE REVOLVER]] has no boss timeout mechanic outside of midbosses and the True Last Boss. One or two boss phases are milkable to a degree, but the rewards are very low and it is very hard to avoid damage being done to the boss.
* "DSP" is among the various phrases censored by the game's highscore system.
* The Stage 3 boss and several attack craft flying out of the midboss on destruction is a shameless reference to [[Battle Garegga]].

== References ==
* Technical information supplied via source code inspection by [[User:Danbo|danbo]].

[[Category:Independent/Doujin shooting games]]
[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[Category:True Last Boss]]
[[Category:Bomb_mechanic]]

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-06-26T09:36:42Z

Birb: /* Abyss */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 105,044,150
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2778382560 Twitch]
| Highest score on Middle
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Highest score on Deep
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 129,895,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cpPYOD4uETA Youtube]
| Highest score on Abyss
|-
| birb
| 117,038,970
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2800724624 Twitch]
| Score display bug
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-06-26T09:36:30Z

Birb: /* Deep */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 105,044,150
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2778382560 Twitch]
| Highest score on Middle
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Highest score on Deep
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 129,895,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cpPYOD4uETA Youtube]
| Highest score on Abyss
|-
| birb
| 117,038,970
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2800724624 Twitch]
|
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-06-26T09:36:13Z

Birb: /* Middle */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 105,044,150
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2778382560 Twitch]
| Highest score on Middle
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 129,895,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cpPYOD4uETA Youtube]
| Highest score on Abyss
|-
| birb
| 117,038,970
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2800724624 Twitch]
|
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-06-26T09:35:53Z

Birb: /* Abyss */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 105,044,150
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2778382560 Twitch]
| Middle World Record.
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 129,895,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cpPYOD4uETA Youtube]
| Highest score on Abyss
|-
| birb
| 117,038,970
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2800724624 Twitch]
|
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-06-26T09:31:35Z

Birb: /* Middle */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 105,044,150
| ALL
| [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2778382560 Twitch]
| Middle World Record.
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 107,094,030
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cELkL66bjio Youtube]
| Abyss World Record.
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark

2026-06-15T11:48:09Z

Birb: /* Bugs */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count. Fully replenishes your ammo.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. Fully replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Bosses have slightly more HP and defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
* Minor visual bugs/missing sprites: This can happen randomly in some runs. The game was created on an engine meant for Windows 95/98 and most players run it with dgvoodoo. So graphical glitches are bound to happen.
* Zombie Shell Glitch: It is unknown how it occurs. But the boss before area B-4 can stay alive as the shell sprite and bounce around while shooting more dense bullets. It's invincible but once it bounces downwards off screen then the game continues.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-06-15T11:45:44Z

Birb: /* Items */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count. Fully replenishes your ammo.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. Fully replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Bosses have slightly more HP and defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
* Minor visual bugs/missing sprites: This can happen randomly in some runs. The game was created on an engine meant for Windows 95/98 and most players run it with dgvoodoo. So graphical glitches are bound to happen.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-06-15T11:45:21Z

Birb: /* Items */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count. Replenishes your ammo.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. Replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Bosses have slightly more HP and defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
* Minor visual bugs/missing sprites: This can happen randomly in some runs. The game was created on an engine meant for Windows 95/98 and most players run it with dgvoodoo. So graphical glitches are bound to happen.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-06-05T17:53:45Z

Birb: /* Difficulties */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Bosses have slightly more HP and defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
* Minor visual bugs/missing sprites: This can happen randomly in some runs. The game was created on an engine meant for Windows 95/98 and most players run it with dgvoodoo. So graphical glitches are bound to happen.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Blue Revolver/Video Index

2026-03-31T12:40:05Z

Birb: /* Mae */

[[File:Blue-rev thm.jpg|thumb|right]]
__TOC__
{{clear}}

== Original ==
=== Normal ===
==== Mae ====
===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| hayateblaze
| 46,613,610
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMiX6wnxUsg&t=1446s Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| JulianSeph 842 Gamez
| 51,748,490
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVz8q-FeRJo&t=505s Youtube]
| Recorded from replay
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| hkmix
| 39,272,040
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqDNs9m8lD8 Youtube]
|
|}

===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| clippa
| 69,505,300
| 1.12
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/1WSNFVccacw Youtube]
|
|-
| Raccoons Hideout
| 55,327,760
| ?
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/rSRnOaenqSI Youtube]
|
|-
| Team Shmup'Em-All
| 48,282,020
| 1.00
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/2-vgAXQJOsY Youtube]
| 1-Sissy Series
|-
| Andy 464
| 47,533,420
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nmI9qJ6BjY Youtube]
|
|-
| Saipon
| 34,657,790
| 1.00
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/wLcpPUL6TF4 Youtube]
|
|}

=== Hyper ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| LordBBH
| 60,685,310
| 1.00
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cVBZk709N0g Youtube]
|
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Wcko87
| 41,226,360
| 1.11
| Narrow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/i56hoQJncuE Youtube]
|-
| LordHypnos
| 55,988,140
| 1.11
| Narrow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/TroFnEd08Us Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Stephen Xu
| 62,622,310
| 1.00
| Power
| Stage 5
| [https://youtu.be/yj578w-PN9o Youtube]
|
|}

===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Legless
| 134,619,760
| 1.12
| Follow
| All
| [https://youtu.be/eBtSHyTAWtc Youtube]
| Current Hyper WR
|-
| Legless
| 121,865,310
| 1.11
| Follow
| All
| [https://youtu.be/iddscKj-p2Y Youtube]
|-
| Jam
| 45,114,290
| ?
| Wide
| All
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPZr0mF9IU Youtube]
|
|}

=== Parallel ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 161,122,530
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/qz1aCISKf84 Youtube]
| All breaks
|-
| Marus MPO
| 154,068,180
| 1.02
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/VvubHZRJ-V8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Marus MPO
| 112,661,930
| 1.00
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MlySPNoJqR4?t=12 Youtube]
| Restart after selecting wrong device
|}

==== Val ====
===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Kiwi
| 191,061,890
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/WasF6vTz-dE Youtube]
|
|-
| Kiwi
| 184,875,620
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/nzoAMxYL5YI Youtube]
| Live at Stunfest 2019! with Dev Commentary!
|-
| Kiwi
| 172,558,930
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/mFDnZsH0Y4w Youtube]
|
|-
| Kiwi
| 158,460,210
| 1.11
| Follow
| TLB
| [https://youtu.be/uPQvza8WRwk Youtube]
| Live at Stunfest 2019!
|-
| AlvaLynsis
| 126,789,920
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/kAiajz-hHBI Youtube]
|
|-
| Zaarock
| 117,829,290
| 1.11
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7RUJarcm_bU Youtube]
|
|}

===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 175,487,880
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cnOa8H2zZ-Q Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 173,787,340
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/rWJCXzBnsn8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 170,577,460
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/N1mfW-hKUNo Youtube]
| Replay commentary with occasional pausing by Legless
|-
| おとうふさん
| 164,024,070
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/dAMO4lA6CNM Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 142,996,670
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/gt9oVtkqrg8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Zaarock
| 137,929,840
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/r4bYqm_saG8?t=5 Youtube]
| English Commentary
|-
| FlashStep
| 128,453,870
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YpXfDzFTa98 Youtube]
|
|-
| BreedPineapple
| 127,608,810
| 1.11
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aptRijvE0t0 Youtube]
|
|-
| Turska
| 96,563,870
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YB3p0gUPb48 Youtube]
|
|}

===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Jaimers
| 151,897,870
| 1.00
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8oYt7XXHoio Youtube]
|
|-
| K_sh
| 90,645,840
| 1.12
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe8ANUCexPo Youtube]
|

|}

== Double Action ==
=== Normal ===
==== Mae ====
===== Plasma Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 227,386,300
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ATp2f8T8zhQ Youtube]
|
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 240,341,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/67uTz7ePoA8 Youtube]
| Current Normal WR with captions.
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| VanArtic
| 226,558,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/eLQ2Lr2Y01c Youtube]
|
|}

=== Hyper ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 214,437,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/glrCR-Hnt_w Youtube]
|
|-
| northcoast
| 127,846,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnMdSF5Eu7w Youtube]
| English Commentary
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 241,895,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cfa9bHo9lTo Youtube]
| Current Hyper World Record
|-
| birb
| 234,321,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Bn9UMKtHnWc Youtube]
|
|}

===== Plasma Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 219,007,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/VAjVEH0jFkE Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Van Artic
| 219,063,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/pZby0YWVq6c Youtube]
| 2nd place on Hyper Leaderboard
|-
| Van Artic
| 209,964,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/tU9boIlP-mY Youtube]
|}
===== Stasis Field =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 218,581,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/AJjKwwgd9xY Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 210,114,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/_a2s97pLC6M Youtube]
| Special Demonstrations #20
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 222,956,100
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ZrGOZutvrPQ Youtube]
|
|-
| sandman
| 206,492,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/mhvl3Fb7TaQ Youtube]
|}

===== Arc Caster =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| northcoast
| 134,458,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Ezjv3evL_Ro?t=193 Youtube]
|}

==== Dee ====
===== Fractal Salvo =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 224,426,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/4ZFKvfJ-MoE Youtube]
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 213,076,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/DnA5wcEhfKg Youtube]
| Run done live
|}

=== Parallel ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 250,046,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JJkK-SgkL_w Youtube]
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 279,752,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Ly-A3fiPPjY Youtube]
| Current Parallel WR. Run done live.
|-
| birb
| 266,664,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/6pwPpYwm4XM Youtube]
|}

==== Val ====
===== Stasis Field =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Juancito Folkius
| 195,981,500
| 1.51
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/61GL2nTx1ao Youtube]
|
|-
| JayLab
| 168,575,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/qz3YoC86Iaw Youtube]
|}

==== Dee ====
===== Fractal Salvo =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Jaimers
| 278,740,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YGTzpGVKAbI Youtube]
|
|}

===== Pierce Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Ars9
| 206,131,000
| 1.51a
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/P3Kqqcl6U80 Youtube]
|
|-
| Cannaboy
| 200,134,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7jYOT8Etb9c Youtube]
|}

=== XP-Mode ===
==== Volt Cable ====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Incognito
| 345,605,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ymaJSu2GLdE Youtube]
| Highest XP mode score without using the infinite pattern exploit in stage 2 boss(current WR replay lasts more than 7 hours).
|}
[[Category:Video Index]]

Blue Revolver/Video Index

2026-03-31T12:37:02Z

Birb: /* Hyper Laser */

[[File:Blue-rev thm.jpg|thumb|right]]
__TOC__
{{clear}}

== Original ==
=== Normal ===
==== Mae ====
===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| hayateblaze
| 46,613,610
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMiX6wnxUsg&t=1446s Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| JulianSeph 842 Gamez
| 51,748,490
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVz8q-FeRJo&t=505s Youtube]
| Recorded from replay
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| hkmix
| 39,272,040
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqDNs9m8lD8 Youtube]
|
|}

===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| clippa
| 69,505,300
| 1.12
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/1WSNFVccacw Youtube]
|
|-
| Raccoons Hideout
| 55,327,760
| ?
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/rSRnOaenqSI Youtube]
|
|-
| Team Shmup'Em-All
| 48,282,020
| 1.00
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/2-vgAXQJOsY Youtube]
| 1-Sissy Series
|-
| Andy 464
| 47,533,420
| ?
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nmI9qJ6BjY Youtube]
|
|-
| Saipon
| 34,657,790
| 1.00
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/wLcpPUL6TF4 Youtube]
|
|}

=== Hyper ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| LordBBH
| 60,685,310
| 1.00
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cVBZk709N0g Youtube]
|
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Wcko87
| 41,226,360
| 1.11
| Narrow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/i56hoQJncuE Youtube]
|-
| LordHypnos
| 55,988,140
| 1.11
| Narrow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/TroFnEd08Us Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Stephen Xu
| 62,622,310
| 1.00
| Power
| Stage 5
| [https://youtu.be/yj578w-PN9o Youtube]
|
|}

===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Legless
| 134,619,760
| 1.12
| Follow
| All
| [https://youtu.be/eBtSHyTAWtc Youtube]
| Current Hyper WR
|-
| Legless
| 121,865,310
| 1.11
| Follow
| All
| [https://youtu.be/iddscKj-p2Y Youtube]
|-
| Jam
| 45,114,290
| ?
| Wide
| All
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPZr0mF9IU Youtube]
|
|}

=== Parallel ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 161,122,530
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/qz1aCISKf84 Youtube]
| All breaks
|-
| Marus MPO
| 154,068,180
| 1.02
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/VvubHZRJ-V8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Marus MPO
| 112,661,930
| 1.00
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MlySPNoJqR4?t=12 Youtube]
| Restart after selecting wrong device
|}

==== Val ====
===== Cluster Missile =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Kiwi
| 191,061,890
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/WasF6vTz-dE Youtube]
|
|-
| Kiwi
| 184,875,620
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/nzoAMxYL5YI Youtube]
| Live at Stunfest 2019! with Dev Commentary!
|-
| Kiwi
| 172,558,930
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/mFDnZsH0Y4w Youtube]
|
|-
| Kiwi
| 158,460,210
| 1.11
| Follow
| TLB
| [https://youtu.be/uPQvza8WRwk Youtube]
| Live at Stunfest 2019!
|-
| AlvaLynsis
| 126,789,920
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/kAiajz-hHBI Youtube]
|
|-
| Zaarock
| 117,829,290
| 1.11
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7RUJarcm_bU Youtube]
|
|}

===== Hyper Laser =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 175,487,880
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cnOa8H2zZ-Q Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 173,787,340
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/rWJCXzBnsn8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 170,577,460
| 1.12
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/N1mfW-hKUNo Youtube]
| Replay commentary with occasional pausing by Legless
|-
| おとうふさん
| 164,024,070
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/dAMO4lA6CNM Youtube]
|
|-
| Legless
| 142,996,670
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/gt9oVtkqrg8 Youtube]
|
|-
| Zaarock
| 137,929,840
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/r4bYqm_saG8?t=5 Youtube]
| English Commentary
|-
| FlashStep
| 128,453,870
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YpXfDzFTa98 Youtube]
|
|-
| BreedPineapple
| 127,608,810
| 1.11
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aptRijvE0t0 Youtube]
|
|-
| Turska
| 96,563,870
| 1.11
| Follow
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YB3p0gUPb48 Youtube]
|
|}

===== Arc Caster =====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Shot
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Jaimers
| 151,897,870
| 1.00
| Power
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8oYt7XXHoio Youtube]
|
|-
| K_sh
| 90,645,840
| 1.12
| Wide
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe8ANUCexPo Youtube]
|

|}

== Double Action ==
=== Normal ===
==== Mae ====
===== Plasma Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 227,386,300
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ATp2f8T8zhQ Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| VanArtic
| 226,558,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/eLQ2Lr2Y01c Youtube]
|
|}

=== Hyper ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 214,437,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/glrCR-Hnt_w Youtube]
|
|-
| northcoast
| 127,846,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnMdSF5Eu7w Youtube]
| English Commentary
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 241,895,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cfa9bHo9lTo Youtube]
| Current Hyper World Record
|-
| birb
| 234,321,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Bn9UMKtHnWc Youtube]
|
|}

===== Plasma Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 219,007,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/VAjVEH0jFkE Youtube]
|
|}

==== Val ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Van Artic
| 219,063,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/pZby0YWVq6c Youtube]
| 2nd place on Hyper Leaderboard
|-
| Van Artic
| 209,964,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/tU9boIlP-mY Youtube]
|}
===== Stasis Field =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 218,581,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/AJjKwwgd9xY Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 210,114,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/_a2s97pLC6M Youtube]
| Special Demonstrations #20
|}

===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 222,956,100
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ZrGOZutvrPQ Youtube]
|
|-
| sandman
| 206,492,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/mhvl3Fb7TaQ Youtube]
|}

===== Arc Caster =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| northcoast
| 134,458,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Ezjv3evL_Ro?t=193 Youtube]
|}

==== Dee ====
===== Fractal Salvo =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 224,426,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/4ZFKvfJ-MoE Youtube]
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 213,076,000
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/DnA5wcEhfKg Youtube]
| Run done live
|}

=== Parallel ===
==== Mae ====
===== Hyper Laser =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Marus MPO
| 250,046,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JJkK-SgkL_w Youtube]
|}
===== Cluster Missile =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 279,752,700
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Ly-A3fiPPjY Youtube]
| Current Parallel WR. Run done live.
|-
| birb
| 266,664,500
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/6pwPpYwm4XM Youtube]
|}

==== Val ====
===== Stasis Field =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Juancito Folkius
| 195,981,500
| 1.51
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/61GL2nTx1ao Youtube]
|
|-
| JayLab
| 168,575,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/qz3YoC86Iaw Youtube]
|}

==== Dee ====
===== Fractal Salvo =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Jaimers
| 278,740,800
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YGTzpGVKAbI Youtube]
|
|}

===== Pierce Lancer =====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Ars9
| 206,131,000
| 1.51a
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/P3Kqqcl6U80 Youtube]
|
|-
| Cannaboy
| 200,134,400
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7jYOT8Etb9c Youtube]
|}

=== XP-Mode ===
==== Volt Cable ====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;width: 100%"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Version
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Incognito
| 345,605,900
| 1.52
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/ymaJSu2GLdE Youtube]
| Highest XP mode score without using the infinite pattern exploit in stage 2 boss(current WR replay lasts more than 7 hours).
|}
[[Category:Video Index]]

Vacant Ark

2026-03-23T09:31:40Z

Birb: /* Bugs */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
* Minor visual bugs/missing sprites: This can happen randomly in some runs. The game was created on an engine meant for Windows 95/98 and most players run it with dgvoodoo. So graphical glitches are bound to happen.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-23T09:24:52Z

Birb: /* Difficulties */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, aimed revenge bullets. Larger enemies shoot a fan of revenge bullets. Some bosses are more aggressive.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, defeating almost all enemies does not spawn fish gems. Instead they shoot aimed and random revenge bullets. This makes the difficulty much more chaotic and Force weapon to be essential. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-23T09:20:01Z

Birb: /* Secret Extend */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three shields indicated by the Auto-Shield sound effect before you can defeat her(she dies the same way the player game overs). The pattern she will use can be identified by the position of her option(similar to the position of the players' option). But the pattern order is fixed anyways.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T22:16:01Z

Birb: /* General Tips */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
* Understand how to manipulate enemy/boss patterns. Goes without saying, in a general context this is a tip that works well in any shmup. But in Vacant Ark. Lining or hoarding up bullets is a good thing as it can help you recover without switching weapons. e.g. misdirecting the bullets so that they overlap later then using cannon to deal damage to boss but also cancel the overlapping bullets into gems.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T22:12:41Z

Birb: /* Scoring Strategy */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for safety and a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 1,000 to 5,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Avoid surplus lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T22:10:32Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. Bosses can be dismantled. And these boss parts can increase the counter value too. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Surplus Lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T22:09:31Z

Birb: /* Extend/2X Ratio */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem then drift towards the player. '''This is how the Life Gem cycle would go: Life > Ratio > Life > Ratio > Disappear'''. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Surplus Lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T21:03:14Z

Birb: /* Scoring Strategy */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
* '''Surplus Lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T21:03:01Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.
'''Surplus Lives''': The bonus that is rewarded when collecting surplus lives is not worth it at all and should be avoided, unless the counter value is maxed out.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-22T21:00:36Z

Birb: /* Extend/2X Ratio */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life Gem will appear in the middle of the screen. Every 3 seconds it will cycle between a 2X Ratio and a Life gem. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-20T17:43:40Z

Birb: /* Extend/2X Ratio */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text that displays when the life item is collected. 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-03-20T17:43:16Z

Birb: /* Extend/2X Ratio */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. If full lives is reached. An additional life item will give the player 10,000 points, indicated by the voice clip that says "BONUS" with the "10,000" text on screen 
[[File:BONUS.png|128px|thumb|center|BONUS]]
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

File:BONUS.png

2026-03-20T17:40:42Z

Birb:

Vacant Ark

2026-03-07T12:00:24Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by a flat amount. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-24T11:44:48Z

Birb: /* Abyss */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
| Middle World Record.
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 107,094,030
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/cELkL66bjio Youtube]
| Abyss World Record.
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
|
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-22T16:52:57Z

Birb:

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
| Middle World Record.
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| 土用のうなぎ
| 55,928,630
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28458609 Nicovideo]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| しもうた
| 96,319,040
| ALL
| [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230379 Nico 1] [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm3230901 2]
| Abyss World Record.
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark

2026-02-22T08:41:07Z

Birb: /* Trivia */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a wave of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in. All zones start with no music but the closest resemblance is Zone A.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.

== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-22T08:39:04Z

Birb: /* General Tips */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(3 to 4 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.

== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-22T08:37:30Z

Birb: /* Scoring Strategy */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A right before the 2nd extend drop.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-22T08:36:24Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Using the Force weapon to erase bullets also has the same effect as grazing the options(despite that, it is still worth it to use force in the right situations especially in Abyss where the game gives you a lot of counter value to account for the loss). Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. The amount of value rewarded when collecting gem items is relative to how high the gem counter is. ''Note: There are some oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter. In Abyss, with the right optimizations and some RNG. You can reach max counter value during the section after the 2nd boss in Zone A.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.
* '''Recovery:''' Triggering the auto-shield is not the end of the world as 3,000 counter value is a mere few large enemies. The most dire situation in Vacant Ark is to lose a life when your counter is close to max value. In most situations you might as well reset. But If you are close to getting an extend drop. Then a 2X Ratio will put you right back on track. High HP enemies such as the shell enemy, the large eel-like enemies with multiple parts in Zone A, the tunnel creepers during Zone B or the shrimp men at zone C are great recovery points. Learning how to deal with those enemies is important to scoring.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-22T08:17:44Z

Birb: /* Weapons */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets while traveling but have a thin hitbox. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a melee range Force field that erases bullets. Destroying enemies with Force turns them into a large explosion while bullets erased turn into small explosion. Those explosions have the same effect as Force, causing a chain reaction of explosions. In vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}

== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-21T20:13:42Z

Birb:

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 97,825,370
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/JBgzJwQUjd8 Youtube]
| Middle World Record.
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 104,176,610
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/Nc-tAalJlRU Youtube]
| Deep World Record
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 87,799,390
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/jhYCpLuQniI Youtube]
| Abyss World Record.
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T22:29:15Z

Birb: /* Bugs */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will sometimes display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.

== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T22:28:15Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25,600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it while focusing on speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The calculation is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

=== Scoring Strategy ===
* '''Max out gem counter:''' This is very important as gems become lucrative throughout the whole run given the player never loses a life. Avoid collecting gems manually early on for optimization. Only 2 Double Ratio's are needed to reach +25,600 counter.
* '''Max out lives:''' Once you finish maxing out the gem counter, make sure to go for lives for a better clear bonus.
* '''Speedkilling:''' It's very easy to get overwhelmed by enemy waves. Learning which enemy to go for and which weapon to use is important. Speedkilling bosses is as important too to minimize counter depletion. Especially since a high Gem Counter can reward a large clear bonus.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T22:16:06Z

Birb: /* Extend/2X Ratio */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. After a few seconds it will change to a 2X ratio item and drift towards the player. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a guaranteed Life/2X Ratio. The red mermaid has three phases indicated by the position of her options which imitate the players weapon options mentioned previously.

== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it wilst speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems. Some bosses that come to mind are Zone B-3 boss and Zone C final boss first phase.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The formula is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T22:08:57Z

Birb: /* Items */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value. It also replenishes your ammo.
|}

== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. Wait a couple of seconds and it will change to a 2X ratio item. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a Life/2X Ratio. The player has to use a mix of Cannon and Force weapons to defeat her before she runs away.
== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it wilst speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems. Some bosses that come to mind are Zone B-3 boss and Zone C final boss first phase.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The formula is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T09:40:27Z

Birb: /* Scoring */

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value.
|}
== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. Wait a couple of seconds and it will change to a 2X ratio item. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a Life/2X Ratio. The player has to use a mix of Cannon and Force weapons to defeat her before she runs away.
== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Gem Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it wilst speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems. Some bosses that come to mind are Zone B-3 boss and Zone C final boss first phase.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The formula is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-18T09:40:12Z

Birb: Simplified the scoring section of the page to bullet points.

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value.
|}
== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. Wait a couple of seconds and it will change to a 2X ratio item. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a Life/2X Ratio. The player has to use a mix of Cannon and Force weapons to defeat her before she runs away.
== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Fish Stone Counter.]]

* '''Gem Counter:''' The crux of Vacant Ark's score system. The counter increases when defeating enemies and bosses. The amount it increases scales with enemy size/HP and difficulty. e.g. Middle gives +500 for defeating bosses. But Abyss gives +1000. The counter's max value is +25600. The counter depletes passively and from other actions. Such as grinding the options on bullets, obstacles, or enemies. Collecting gems manually decreases the counter by 40 per item. Triggering Auto-Shield will decrease the counter by 3,000. Subsequent triggers within a short time will decrease the counter by 2,000 then by 1,000. Losing a life will decrease the counter by 50% of the current value.
* '''Gem items:''' Gems are essential for ammo replenishment and scoring. When collecting the Gems the score rewarded is gem counter * 10. ''Note: There are some other oddities with how gems are calculated. Which will be confirmed after much more in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics.''
* '''Bullet cancels:''' During some boss fights. All bullets on screen turn into gems. Though, it is difficult to time it wilst speedkilling the boss to minimize counter depletion.
* '''2X Ratio Gem:''' Obtaining this item will double your current counter value. With this item, it is possible to max out the counter as soon as Zone A-2.
* '''Boss milks:''' Rare in such a game as Vacant Ark. But possible. Using Force the player can damage the boss while at the same time turning a large cluster of bullets into Gems. Some bosses that come to mind are Zone B-3 boss and Zone C final boss first phase.
* '''Clear Bonus:''' The game calculates a clear bonus after finishing a run and displays it during the ending. The formula is ''(lives * 1,000,000) + (Counter * 1,000)''. Theoretically, the lives bonus can be as high as 6,000,000. It's impossible for the counter to be at max value when a clear occurs. So a lucrative bonus of 25,600,000 is not possible.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-18T08:52:14Z

Birb: adjusted some scores with clear bonus in mind for runs where a certain bug occured that doesn't display the clear bonus + score.

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 87,589,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Middle World Record. Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 67,790,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
| Abyss World Record
|-
| birb
| 79,157,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| うえおみあ
| 77,138,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
| Score display bug.
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark

2026-02-17T23:33:51Z

Birb:

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value.
|}
== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. Wait a couple of seconds and it will change to a 2X ratio item. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a Life/2X Ratio. The player has to use a mix of Cannon and Force weapons to defeat her before she runs away.
== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Fish Stone Counter.]]

Scoring in Vacant Ark is straight forward. It involves the Fish Gems and '''Gem Counter'''. Located under the ammo chamber on the top left. This counter increases when killing enemies/bosses and doubles in amount when collecting a '''2X Ratio Gem'''. What this counter entails is that the Fish Gem(base value at 10pts) is multiplied by the current counter value. The counter's max value is at +25600 and depletes slowly but freezes when a boss is defeated. The player should find the most efficient ways to defeat bosses as fast as possible to maintain a high counter value. In some situations the player can milk fish stones by using the Force weapon to erase a large cluster of bullets. In most milking situations, damage will be dealt via the chain explosions. Also worth mentioning is that most bosses have a bullet cancel after they're defeated. After the explosion animation a lot of Gems appear on screen for collection. After a run, the clear bonus is 1,000,000 per life + (Counter × 1,000). Keeping the counter and live count high gives a huge bonus after the clear. Theoretically from max lives the player could get 6,000,000 points. The counter is very inconsistent in how it depletes. But if it is kept above +15,000 for example. It will reward 15,000,000 from that alone. 

Other factors that can affect the counter is the option. While it does help in erasing bullets and produces tick points. Whenever the options come in contact with an obstacle, wall, enemy, or a bullet. The counter starts decreasing faster. It is highly encouraged to not use options for anything other than erasing a few bullets if the player wants to score. Triggering '''Auto-Sheild''' takes away a flat 3,000 from the counter. Subsequent Auto-Shields within a short time will cut the counter by 2,000, then 1,000. Losing a life takes away 50% of the counter.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is applied. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-17T23:11:16Z

Birb: added a bugs section and estimation of clear bonus under scoring section

[[File:Valogo.GIF|frameless|center]]

'''Vacant Ark'''(ヴェイカント・アーク in Japanese) is a horizontal doujin shooter developed by '''[[Buster]]''' in 2005 for Windows 95/98/ME/XP using [https://vgmdb.net/product/14207 Shooting Tkool 95]. The game takes inspiration from past shooters such as [[Ikaruga]], [[Radiant Silvergun]], [[Darius]] and [[R-Type]] series with its atmospheric deep sea setting and option/weapon system. The game spans over 3 hadal zones. In addition, there are 4 difficulties. Practice, Easy, Normal, and Hard(dubbed Shallow, Middle, Deep, and Abyss respectively). The gameplay is somewhat novel. Boasting an interesting ammo system, demanding awareness and precise execution from the player.

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}
== Controls ==
Just like many Windows games. Vacant Ark utilizes the keyboard for controls. 

* '''Arrow Keys:''' navigates the menu and moves the character.
* '''Shift/Enter/Space:''' Confirm button in the menu.
* '''Z:''' Shoots weapon currently equipped. No autofire.
* '''X:''' Cycles to the next weapon(Cannon > Riot > Force). There is a small delay before the player can cycle again. So learning the timing is important.

=== Other controls ===
* '''Q:''' Quits back to the title screen or resets score and skips to the next zone(not much is understood about this function, but killing an enemy and collecting a gem seems to consistently do the latter).
* '''F1: ''' Pauses the game. Game can be paused at any time.

== Gameplay ==
The player controls a Cyborg mermaid with 3 cycleable weapons and 6 ammo chambers. Each weapon use consumes 1 ammo. When the player doesn't shoot. An option spawns on a position depending on what weapon is currently equipped. If the player is out of ammo. Then a close range low-damaging weapon is shot instead. The player always starts with 3 lives and full ammo. Lives can be increased up to 6. If all lives are lost, then the game will end and the player will be brought back to the main menu. There are 4 different difficulties each with their differences. And the run consists of Zone A, B and C each with 4 subzones with the exception of Zone C, which consists of 1 enemy wave, 1 boss, and the final boss with 4 phases. 

=== Player hitbox ===
[[File:Hit.gif |128px]] 

The player hitbox is placed on the chest of the mermaid indicated by the white orb. Exact size is unconfirmed.
=== Auto-Shield ===

Getting hit by a bullet or an obstacle protects the player from losing a life but empties the ammunition. Getting hit with empty ammunition will take away one life.
== Weapons ==
It's important to note that every weapon fires in front of the player sprite and that the option position has nothing to do with where it fires. Rather, the options act as a shield that erases bullets and deals tick damage to enemies.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Weapon
! Option
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:Hpcan.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Cannon
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Front'''
| Shoots a fast single-targeting projectile. Deals a considerable amount of damage and has a fast fire-rate. The projectile can sometimes erase bullets on the way. Useful for bosses and high HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hprio.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Riot
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Orbit/Rolling'''
| Shoots a barrage of bubbles. Deals relatively low damage but can be used as a shotgun and it can be aimed by moving vertically. Slow fire-rate and has semi-piercing property. Useful for dealing with zakos and other low HP enemies.
|-
| [[File:Hpfor.GIF|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Force
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Back'''
| Enchants a close range Force-field that erases bullets and turns them into small explosions. Those small explosions can turn other bullets into more explosions thus causing a chain reaction. In a vacuum the weapon deals moderate damage with a moderate fire-rate. In the right situations becomes more destructive than the Cannon.
|}
== Items ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Icon
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| [[File:FishStone.png|32px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Fish Gem'''
| Acts as a score item and replenishes ammo. They are obtained by defeating an enemy, erasing bullets or after defeating a boss. Auto-collection of all gems on screen is done by cycling weapons.
|-
| [[File:Life2xratio.GIF|128px|center]]
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Life/2X Ratio'''
|
* '''Life: '''A large red gem that increases your live count.
* '''2X Ratio: '''A large blue gem that doubles your '''Gem Counter''' value.
|}
== Extend/2X Ratio ==
After killing enough enemies. A tune will play and a Life item will appear in the middle of the screen. Wait a couple of seconds and it will change to a 2X ratio item. How close the player is to getting this item is indicated by a thin red bar under the live count on the top right which only increases by defeating enemies. 
=== Secret Extend ===
[[File:Redmermaid.png|128px|thumb|center|The red mermaid during Zone C]]

Upon defeating the red mermaid during Zone C. The player will be rewarded with a Life/2X Ratio. The player has to use a mix of Cannon and Force weapons to defeat her before she runs away.
== Difficulties ==
[[File:VaModeselect.png|thumb|center|Difficulty select]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Name
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Shallow'''
| A trail mode of sorts, spawns a Gem every couple of seconds. The run ends after the first zone. The Q key can still access different zones.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Middle'''
| Easy mode, no revenge bullets. Overall slightly easier patterns and less aggressive enemies.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Deep'''
| Normal mode, minimal revenge bullets.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | '''Abyss'''
| Hard mode, Lots of revenge bullets. Most enemies shoot back bullets instead of rewarding Gems. Some enemies/bosses are more aggressive. 
|}

Because of revenge bullets in higher difficulties. The Riot weapon becomes a liability because it can put the player in danger. Thus, Force becomes essential especially on Abyss.

== Scoring ==
[[File:ammocounter.png|128px|thumb|center|Ammo and Fish Stone Counter.]]

Scoring in Vacant Ark is straight forward. It involves the Fish Gems and '''Gem Counter'''. Located under the ammo chamber on the top left. This counter increases when killing enemies/bosses and doubles in amount when collecting a '''2X Ratio Gem'''. What this counter entails is that the Fish Gem(base value at 10pts) is multiplied by the current counter value. The counter's max value is at +25600 and depletes slowly but freezes when a boss is defeated. The player should find the most efficient ways to defeat bosses as fast as possible to maintain a high counter value. In some situations the player can milk fish stones by using the Force weapon to erase a large cluster of bullets. In most milking situations, damage will be dealt via the chain explosions. Also worth mentioning is that most bosses have a bullet cancel after they're defeated. After the explosion animation a lot of Gems appear on screen for collection. After a run, the clear bonus is estimated to be 2,500,000 for every life at the top right. Summing up to about 15,000,000 points obtained if the player clears the game with max lives. 

Other factors that can affect the counter is the option. While it does help in erasing bullets and produces tick points. Whenever the options come in contact with an obstacle, wall, enemy, or a bullet. The counter starts decreasing faster. It is highly encouraged to not use options for anything other than erasing a few bullets if the player wants to score. Triggering '''Auto-Sheild''' takes away a flat 3,000 from the counter. Subsequent Auto-Shields within a short time will cut the counter by 2,000, then 1,000. Losing a life takes away 50% of the counter.

== Bugs ==
* End score display: After a run, the displayed score at the top of the screen in the main menu will display the score before the clear bonus is given. The actual clear bonus is displayed during the ending. If the player uses the Q button during a session. The score displayed during the ending will show '00'.
== General Tips ==
* Use the '''Shallow''' difficulty as a means to get used to the game's systems.
* In most situations you don't want to use up all of your ammo. Keep 2 to 3 shots for a potential Force use to replenish your ammo.
* Taking down enemies is important for survival, as it inches you closer towards your next extend drop.
* Never use '''Riot''' in '''Abyss''' difficulty.
* Learn how to ''Cannon Force''. It's a combo in which you use cannon(2 to 3 shots) Switch to Force and use it on a cluster of bullets, rinse and repeat. Incredibly helpful during some bosses in Zone B with high health bullets.
== Trivia ==
* Zone A starts with no music and a few waves of zakos. The music starts later when the boss appears. Which might be a nod to [[G-Darius]] Zone α. The difference is Zone α's music eventually fades in.
* The Track for Zone B-1 and B-2 is called ''zunchacha~''. A homage to [[Taito]]'s house band Zuntata.
* [[Buster]] also made another game called [[Iwanaga]]. Taking inspiration from [[Treasure]]'s Sin and Punishment series.
== References ==

# The developer's [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/game.html website] contains 3 games free to download including [[Vacant Ark]].
# Vacant Ark's online [http://kerubin.web.fc2.com/va_manu/vamanual.html Manual].
# Primary info provided by [[Birb]].
# Files and images provided from the game's files.

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-17T20:55:35Z

Birb: /* Abyss */

== Shallow ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|}
== Middle ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 77,833,200
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/YrCawAPolXo Youtube]
| Middle World Record
|-
| birb
| 60,121,230
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/01TDORSdHPU Youtube]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 52,593,120
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/oDE_VJwsLQs Youtube]
|
|-
| IcarusFW
| 44,136,270
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/0gMS1q0CaDk Youtube]
|}

== Deep ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 55,567,360
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/RClZ6BQKfJs Youtube]
|
|-
| birb
| 30,854,440
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/hQ0V_oxkUT4 Youtube]
|
|}

== Abyss ==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Player
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:10%;" | Stage
! style="width:10%;" | Video
! style="width:40%;" | Comment
|-
| birb
| 85,891,920
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/MAa63ZQGNKE Youtube]
| Abyss World Record
|-
| birb
| 75,172,570
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/8E-4-xYWUZY Youtube]
|
|-
| うえおみあ
| 70,370,600
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/7SayOq_rTDA Youtube]
|
|-
| Anonimo Unknown
| 60,205,620
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/LHQ1PEYBs40 Youtube]
|
|-
| tome_narubi
| 35,261,240
| ALL
| [https://youtu.be/aafeZy1qmFk Youtube]
|
|}

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-17T20:53:37Z

Birb: /* Middle */

Vacant Ark

2026-02-14T10:00:46Z

Birb:

Vacant Ark

2026-02-14T03:51:06Z

Birb: added tips section, some keyword changes and grammer corrections.

Vacant Ark

2026-02-13T19:27:40Z

Birb: /* References */

Vacant Ark

2026-02-13T19:26:35Z

Birb:

Vacant Ark/Video Index

2026-02-13T19:13:55Z

Birb: /* Abyss */