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Slap Fight

2024-01-23T21:16:37Z

NullNotBub:

[[File:Slap Fight Logo.png|center|800px]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Slap Fight
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Slap Fight Title Screen.png
|imagecaption = Title screen
|developer = Toaplan
|
|releasedate = 1986

|previousgame = [[Tiger-Heli]]
|nextgame = [[Hishouzame]]
}}

'''Slap Fight''', also known as '''Alcon''', is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up developed by [[Toaplan]] and released in 1986. It is notable for its upgrade system similar to [[Gradius]].

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

'''Slap Fight''' is a typical game with 8-way movement, a shot button, and a secondary button to activate upgrades. Like most Toaplan titles, it features a checkpoint system, as well as the loss of all power ups after a death.

=== Controls ===
----

* '''A:''' Shoots the equipped weapon
* '''A (Hold):''' With Laser equipped, the ray will travel further. With other weapons, will fire automatically at a very slow rate.
* '''B:''' Activates the upgrade highlighted in the bar

=== Upgrade Bar ===
----
[[File:Slap Fight Upgrade.png|center|800px]]

The game features an upgrade bar similar to [[Gradius]]. By collecting stars, the player advances the upgrade bar, and can press the second button to activate the corresponding upgrade. <br/>
If the player collects a Star while the last upgrade is highlighted, the selection rolls back to the first upgrade again.<br/>
If the player dies while one upgrade is highlighted, or pressed '''Up+Right+A+B''' upon respawning, they start their next life with the '''Speed''' already highlighted. Otherwise, the player resumes with no upgrade.

The '''Shot''', '''Bomb''', '''Laser''' and '''Homing Missiles''' are mutually exclusive, and activating one will deactivate the one that was active before.

Activating any shot type or the '''Wing''' power-up will move the ship close to the middle of the screen and award the player around 2 seconds of full invincibility. <br/>
However, probably due to a glitch, activating another power-up while the invincibility timer is still running won't reload it. This means that, for an example assuming the timer is 2 seconds, if you activate an upgrade, then 1.5 seconds later upgrade again, you will only have 0.5 seconds of invincibility left instead of another 2 seconds.

* '''Speed''': Increases the ship's speed. Up to 5 Speed Ups can be stacked. There is no way to lower the ship's speed to a lower level without dying, aside from the small decrease when activating the first Wing upgrade.
* '''Shot''': Activates the starting shot again. Limited range, but can deal decent damage to every type of enemy.
* '''Side''': Activates a secondary weapon fired from each side of the ship. Can be stacked with any other weapon.
* '''Wing''': Can be stacked up to three times, increasing the firepower each time (and, for H. Missiles, the missiles' speed). The first upgrade will make the ship wider and a little slower, while the second and third upgrade will made two options appear each time, one on each side of the ship. Options can be destroyed by enemies, and the upgrade can be activated again after this happens. Whenever one option is destroyed, the one on the other side of the ship is also destroyed.
* '''Bomb''': Fairly powerful weapon, but with range similar to Shot, and terrible reload time.
* '''Laser''': Long-range weapon. The player has to keep the button pressed for the shot to hit long distances, otherwise the ray will disappear. It is inefficient against the rail and diamond enemies.
* '''H. Mis''': Will fire one homing missile for each enemy present on screen, with a few exceptions for some midbosses. If no targets are on screen, the ship will fire many missiles in all directions. Cannot be fired again until all missiles hit their targets or left the screen, but the '''Side''' secondary weapon will keep shooting normally. It is almost useless against the rotating turrets in the second half of the game.
* '''Shield''': Limited duration shield that can withstand a few hits. Getting hit will decrease the shield's timer.

=== Secrets ===
----

==== General secrets ====
----

* If the player died with no upgrade pending, it is possible to start the next life as if they collected one star by keeping '''Up+Right+A+B''' pressed. It is also possible to perform this trick at the start of a credit.

* After starting a game, if the player dies without having scored any point, they will respawn with complete Wings and the homing missiles, as well as 1,000 points earned. However, no speed up will have been granted, nor the Side shot.

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Slap Fight Warp 1.png|160px]] [[File:Slap Fight Warp 2.png|160px]] </div>

* If the player reaches a certain point in the game without destroying anything, dying will award the player hundreds of thousands of points and will make them respawn much later in the game, and once again with complete Wings and the homing missiles. The longer the player survives, the more points are earned, and the further they will respawn. The earliest occurrence of this trick is if the player can reach the area in the left screenshot above (roughly). In this case, they will be awarded 150,000 points and respawn after the section with the crystal tubes, skipping the first third of the game. Surviving a little longer will award more points.<br/>
* The maximum possible amount of points that are possible to get with this trick appears to be 240,000, and the point to reach is roughly the one depicted in the right screenshot. Any survival beyond this is superfluous. In fact, even if the player can somehow reach beyond the "warp" checkpoint without scoring any point (which is next to impossible in an actual run with no cheats or tools), they will be warped back even if they would otherwise be eligible to a later checkpoint.

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Slap Fight 1up 1.png|160px]] [[File:Slap Fight 1up 2.png|160px]]</div>

* There are two hidden 1-up locations, in the form of a '''?''' item revealed by firing at it with '''Shot'''. However, shooting again before collecting the item will destroy the extend and award the player 3,000 points instead. The extends are always in the same general location, but their exact location differs with each run. The first 1-up is located at the end of the part with the enemies in the tubes. The exact location of the second 1-up in the desert seems very inconsistent, and the item sometimes doesn't seem to be present. <small>More research about this item has to be conducted.</small>

* If the player reaches specific spots while having the Shot equipped, and a certain number of stars collected, a helper ship will come and help them. The helper can only shoot if the Shot is equipped. <small>More research about the exact spawn conditions has to be conducted.</small>

==== Scoring secrets ====
----

* When starting the game while pressing '''Down+Left+B''', the player will be awarded an extra 10,000 points as soon as they earn their first points. A sound can be heard at the start of the game if the command was successful. Note that this secret is also stackable with the points obtained from dying without killing anything, and the 10,000 points will be awarded upon respawn, in addition to the points from the other trick.

<div style='text-align: center;'> [[File:Slap Fight SI Location 1.png|160px]] [[File:Slap Fight SI Location 2.png|160px]]</div>
[[File:Slap Fight SI.png|110px|center]]

* If the player has the '''Shot''' weapon equipped at specific spots, an enemy from Space Invaders will appear on screen. The player can earn points by shooting at it repeatedly. With a good autofire frequency, and by staying close to it all the time, it is possible to earn around 80k points from each, making them a very good source of score. Having options can greatly help connecting as many shots as possible.

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Slap Fight Roof.png|160px]] [[File:Slap Fight Plant.png|160px]]</div>

* Using the '''Bomb''' in some specific spots (mainly in the area after the second midboss) reveals some plants, earning 1,000 points for each. Some roofs can also be destroyed by bombs, earning the player a whopping 170 points. Because these bonuses are low and the bomb is bad, the player may want to neglect those.

<div style='text-align: center;'> [[File:Slap Fight Flower Before.png|80px]] [[File:Slap Fight Flower After.png|80px]] </div>

* The player can bloom flowers by repeatedly firing their '''Laser''' at them. It is possible to earn around 15,000 points per flower. Keeping the button pressed rather than using fast autofire is more efficient. The optimal rythm for points appears to be around 15 frames ON and 2 frames OFF, while being as close to the flower as possible.

[[File:Slap Fight Missiles bonus.png|center|110px]]

* In many areas of the game, some metallic things are revealed by shooting '''Homing Missiles''', and give 1,000 points when doing so. Destroying them also awards 150 additional points.

* The faster the final boss is killed, the more points are earned. With high autofire frequency and the helper ship, it is possible to earn up to 240,000 points.

=== Loops ===
----

The game loops infinitely, with enemy aggression and bullet speed increasing with each loop. However, enemy bullet speed will be reset to a low speed when ''loop % 8'' is equal to 1 (loop 9, 17, 25...), resuming a new cycle of bullet speed increase.

As the game loops infinitely, scoring mainly comes from clearing several loops, but there are many scoring secrets to take into account in order to reduce the number of loops needed to reach certain score thresholds. A loop with optimized scoring can earn roughly twice as many points as a loop with no scoring effort. As such, it is possible to reach the counterstop (9,999,990 pts) after around 16 loops by scoring, which could take around 30 loops otherwise.

==Ports==
===Sega Genesis/Mega Drive===
The only console port of the game was released exclusively in Japan in 1993 and developed by MNM Software. It is an incredibly faithful version of the game which features and an enhanced soundtrack and a new, enhanced game titled ''Slap Fight MD'' with it's own soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro.

===PC===
A Windows, Mac, and Linux version of the game is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022980/Slap_Fight/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games. It is only a direct port of the original arcade version, featuring various additional features such as savestates, rewind, and other gadgets.
[[Category:Vertical orientation]]

Hellfire

2024-01-23T20:49:14Z

NullNotBub: /* Ports */

[[File:Hellfire Logo.png|center]]
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #000029
|title = Hellfire
|background = #ABDFFA
|image = Hellfire Title.png
|width = 320px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[Toaplan]]
|
|publisher = [[Taito]]
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge, Tatsuya Uemura<ref>https://www.mobygames.com/game/13724/hellfire/credits/genesis/?autoplatform=true</ref>
|
|program = Tatsuya Uemura, H. Matsumura
|
|art = Shintarō Nakaoka, Kouetsu Iwabuchi, Yuko Tataka
|
|releasedate = 1989

|nextgame = [[Daisenpuu]] ''(Twin Hawk)''
}}
'''''Hellfire''''' is a horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up developed by [[Toaplan]] and published by [[Taito]] in 1989. It is notable for being one of the only two horizontal shooters ever developed by the company, and unlike most of Toaplan's other shooters, doesn't use bombs. Despite the game's struggled development, it was still well-received by critics, enough so that it received localization and home console ports.

__TOC__

==Gameplay Overview==
''Hellfire'' is only 6 stages long, but features various different types of stages, with enemies coming from all directions. To counter this, the ship has the unique ability to change it's firing direction with the press of a button. The power-up variety is limited, only featuring pickups that either power-up the main shot, increase speed, or just give a point bonus. The end of each stage has a boss, which requires the player to utilize their shot direction in order to destroy their weak spot. Death results in the loss of all power-ups and being sent back to the nearest checkpoint.

===Controls===
[[File:Joystick (Two Buttons).png|frameless|none|upright]][[File:Hellfire Shotypes.gif|thumb|right|<center>All four shot directions in order.</center>]]
*'''A:''' Fire shot
*'''B:''' Cycle shot direction.
Starting from the first, pressing button B cycles the shot direction in the following order: '''<font color="#CE0073">Forward</font>''', '''<font color="#D5D60F">Backward</font>''', '''<font color="#00D652">Vertical</font>''', '''<font color="#0059D5">Diagonal</font>'''. Pressing button A while holding down B will also change shot direction, which can cause problems if using an autofire mechanism (e.g. an autofire circuit on an arcade cabinet, or the Rapid Fire feature in the Toaplan Arcade Garage version); '''be careful when changing shot direction with autofire!'''

When firing bullets, up to 4 shots or pairs of shots can be on screen at a time, with lasers, it is reduced to 2.

===Items===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:Hellfire Power.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Power-Up'''
| Increases shot power. The second pickup upgrades the weapon to a laser. Maxes out at 6 pickups, afterwards, all power-ups are replaced with bonuses.
|-
! [[File:Hellfire Speed.gif|frameless|none|left]]'''Speed-Up'''
| Speeds up the ship, with maximum speed being reached after 3 pickups. After which all speed-ups are replaced with bonuses.
|-
! [[File:Hellfire Bonus.gif|frameless|none|left]]'''Bonus'''
| Awards 2000 points.
|}

===Loops===
''Hellfire'' loops indefinitely. After completing the final stage, the game restarts back to the first stage with increased difficulty.

==Revisional Differences==
When the game was localized, a new, 2-player version was created. This new version makes several changes to the gameplay:
*The ship's color no longer represents the direction they're shooting, only what player they are.
*The shot limit is altered. When firing vertically or diagonally with lasers, only 1 pair is allowed on screen.
*'''Checkpoints are replaced with respawns.''' This in turn makes the game much harder than normal, making it possible to chain-death in specific sections.

==Ports==
''Hellfire'' saw ports on fourth-generation consoles after the arcade release, with both making their own unique changes.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZpSt64SYXs</ref>
===Sega Genesis/Mega Drive===
Released in 1990, this version is based on the original singleplayer version of the game. It introduces a one-hit shield, a helper ship that rams into enemies, and a special weapon that fires a large shot. Regular shooting functions differently, in that they travel faster and allow more shots on screen when upgraded. Bonus pickups are worth more the more are collected, up to 10,000 points. The difficulty is similar to the arcade original, but is slightly toned down. Certain sections of Stage 6 were cut from the game, and replaced with a unique high-speed section.

The Japanese version features a hidden Test menu that allows the player to jump into any stage and checkpoint, while the American version has a hidden "YEA, RIGHT" difficulty.

===PC Engine CD===
Came out after the Genesis/Mega Drive version a year later in 1991, it is based on the 2-player version. Being a PC Engine CD title, it includes cutscenes and an arranged soundtrack by T's Music. Gameplay-wise, the port acts more faithfully to the Arcade original, only including a shield power-up that lasts 2 hits. The difficulty is far easier compared to the Arcade, with all bosses having little HP and overall low enemy count in most sections.

===PC===
A Windows, Mac, and Linux version of the game is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2237190/Hellfire/?curator_clanid=43154254 Steam] by Bitwave games, which is a direct port of the original arcade version, featuring various additional features such as savestates, rewind, and other gadgets. Both the singleplayer and two-player revisions are available.

===''Zero Fire''===
A compilation package for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 released by [[M2]] on July 20, 2023 in Japan. It serves as volume 3 of the ''Toaplan Arcade Garage'' series, itself a subset of the ''M2 ShotTriggers'' lineup. This package includes, in addition to ''[[Zero Wing]]'', ''Horror Story'' (''Demon's World''), and various ports thereof, these versions of ''Hellfire'':
* Arcade 2P version -- '''Default version.''' The following versions use this version as a base:
** Super Easy mode -- Introduces drastically reduced rank and more frequent extends. Fulfilling certain conditions will active a hidden "expert" mode.
** Custom mode -- Allows various parameters of the game to be adjusted to the player's liking.
** Arcade Challenge -- Practice mode with automatic rewinds.
* Arcade 1P version
* Genesis / Mega Drive version -- JP and US variants
* PC Engine CD-ROM^2 version

The arcade versions come with both the digital and physical editions of this software. The consumer versions are available on the physical editions (requiring a code redeem for the PS4 version) and as DLC for the digital version.

All games in the collection include savestates (30 slots per game), remappable controls with autofire options (10, 12, 15, 20, and 30 Hz available), and screen options. The arcade 2P version and its variants additionally have online leaderboards, M2 Gadgets, and settings to modify Change button behavior (but will change leaderboard eligibility for Arcade mode).

Every purchase of this title also comes with a complimentary download code for ''Teki-Paki'', a puzzle game by Toaplan.

==== Change button behaviors ====
Exclusive to the 2P versions of ''Hellfire'' in this edition of the game, there are multiple configurations for how the Change button works.

'''Types A and B qualify for ARCADE and ARCADE ALLMIX rankings, while the rest only qualify for ARCADE ALLMIX ranking.'''

Although alternate behavior types can be used in Arcade 2P, Super Easy, Custom, and Arcade Challenge modes, if you wish to change type you will need to load up the Arcade 2P version first and change from there. These settings are not available in the 1P or console editions.

{| class="wikitable"
! Type !! Name !! Descrption
|-
| A || ARCADE || Default behavior, as described above.
|-
| B || SAFETY || As in type A, but the Change button is disabled while using the Shot (30 Hz Synchro) button.
''This only applies to the Shot Synchro button. If using a regular Shot button with the standard rapid-fire options (10/12/15/20/30 Hz) applied, the Change button will still behave as in type A. Additionally, holding down Change and then pressing Shot Synchro button will still change your weapon once.''
|-
| C || ENHANCED || As in type A, however the Change button will change weapon only once when pressing it down (i.e. holding both Change and a rapid-fire Shot button will not rapid-cycle your weapons), similar to the console versions.
|-
| D || Gladiator's Victory || Hold down Change and then perform a directional input to change weapon: Right for Forward shot, Left for Backward shot, Up or Down for Vertical shot, any diagonal direction for Diagonal Shot. Note that while holding down Change, your ship will remain stationary and unaffected by directional input.
|-
| E || Supreme Ares || Weapon will change in accordance with directional input: Right for Forward shot, Left for Backward shot, Up or Down for Vertical shot, any diagonal direction for Diagonal Shot. Returning to neutral directional input will change back to Forward. Hold the Change button to lock your current weapon, keeping the same weapon regardless of any further directional input until you release the Change button.
|-
| F || Galvanic Gamma Array 3rd || As in type E, but the inputs for Forward and Backard shots are reversed: Left for Forward and Right for Backard. This can be thought of as a reverse variant of type E.
|-
| G || Imagined Future || As in type F, but returning to neutral directional input will retain the weapon you last switched to.
|-
| H || Tidal Force Vector || As in type G, but holding down the Shot (30 Hz Synchro) button will also lock your current weapon.
|}

== References ==

[[Category:Horizontal orientation]]

Tiger-Heli

2024-01-23T20:34:27Z

NullNotBub: /* Ports */

[[File:TigerHeli Logo.png|center]]
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Tiger-Heli
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = TigerHeli Title.png
|width = 280px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 240px
|developer = [[Toaplan]]
|publisher = JP:[[Taito]], NA: Romstar
|music = Tatsuya Uemura
|releasedate = July 1985
|nextgame = ''[[Slap Fight]]''
}}
''[[Tiger-Heli]]'' ''(タイガー・ヘリ)'' Is a vertically scrolling shoot-em-up developed by [[Toaplan]] and released in July of 1985. It is notable for being their very first shooting game, and was popular enough that it paved the way for the company to create even more and greater games, turning them one of the most well-known shoot-em-up developers of all time.

Despite the game's simplistic nature, it is very difficult, and often requires proper routing in order to get far into the game.

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==
[[File:TigerHeli DipSwitch.png|thumb|right|<center>Default DIP Switch settings.</center>]]
''Tiger-Heli'' is only four stages long, which each stage containing a large amount of tanks and turrets which the player must shoot down. Alongside them are various ground targets which can be shot for extra points (eg: rooftops, fences, jets). The player helicopter can fire up to 3 shots on screen, which have limited range up to half the screen's length. The helicopter is also equipped with two bombs on it's sides which can be used a create a large explosion, destroying all enemies and bullets in it's range. Additionally, certain ground targets can provide extra bonuses, such as extra bombs, firepower, and lives. There are no continues in ''Tiger-Heli''.

By default, score extends are at 50,000 points, then every 120,000 points.

All enemies that shoot behave exactly the same, which is to turn their barrels directly at the player and shoot immediately when the barrel lines up close enough. All enemy shots fire directly at the player. [[Help:Glossary#Sealing|Bullet sealing]] is also not a thing, and you can get shot down at point-blank range. On stage 2 onward, larger boss-type enemies will start appearing, which quickly shoot groups of two bullets: one aimed and one at an offset angle.
===Controls===
The titular ''Tiger-Heli'' helicopter can move in 8 directions at a rather sluggish pace. The speed can be altered through a DIP switch setting.
[[File:Joystick (Two Buttons).png|frameless|none|upright]]
* '''A''' Fire a shot
* '''B''' Launch bomb
===Hitbox===
The player hitbox is fairly large, which covers most the of the helicopter. The bombs attached to the helicopter have their own hitbox, and when hit, will explode on their own.

Little-Helis that have been picked up can also be shot down.
===Power-Ups===
The player always starts with two bombs.

All power-ups are acquired through destroying flashing ground targets. Aside from the diamonds, The target will cycle between three different colors which corresponds to a specific power-up. Destroying the ground target will drop a power-up from the top of the screen that is dependent of what color the target was. Little-Helis provide extra firepower to the helicopter, with the first Little-Heli picked up being on the left, and the second on the right. Only two bombs and Little-Helis can be active.

Each stage ends with a point bonus of 5000 per Bomb and Little-Heli, as well as a full Bomb restock.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:TigerHeli Diamond.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Diamond'''
| Periodically appears and disappears at fixed locations. Shoot down 10 of these to earn an extend.
|-
! [[File:TigerHeli White.gif|frameless|none|left]][[File:TigerHeli WhiteHeli.gif|frameless|none|right]]'''White Little-Heli'''
| Summons a white Little-Heli to pick up, which shoots straight forward.
|-
! [[File:TigerHeli Red.gif|frameless|none|left]][[File:TigerHeli RedHeli.gif|frameless|none|right]]'''Red Little-Heli'''
| Summons a red Little-Heli to pick up, which shoots sideways.
|-
! [[File:TigerHeli Grey.gif|frameless|none|left]][[File:TigerHeli Bomb.gif|frameless|none|right]]'''Bomb'''
| Summons a Bomb pickup.
|}

===Score bonuses===

There are a few areas where the player can improve their score by performing specific actions.

====10,000 points roof====

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:TH Roof.png]]</div>

If the player shoots enough times at a specific roof in the first stage, the game will offer a 10,000 points bonus and its sprite will change. While autofire greatly helps, it is perfectly possible to obtain it with manual mashing.

<div style='text-align: center;'> [[File:10k pts roof.png|40px]]</div>

Additionally, the player can earn 10 tick points each time their shots hit the roof.

====10,000 points cars====

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:TH car.png]]</div>

At several points in the game, a hidden car can potentially appear. If the player shoots it, they will earn 10,000 points.
In order to trigger the appearance of the car, the player has to reach designated hidden areas while their total of shots fired since the beginning of the stage is a multiple of 16.

While it can be very hard to keep track of this number while playing, it is possible to get the first bonus car easily, by only firing once at each enemy or destructible part of the scenery, and stopping right after, as the number of necessary shots is exactly 16.

<div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:M2 Secret bonus car.png]] [[File:Shot counter.png]]</div>

If gadgets are enabled, the M2 port displays the hidden areas for the cars' appearance, as well as the number of shots fired, making the bonus much easier to get.

===Rank===

''Disclaimer: The following information on rank is best seen as purely technical knowledge. There is absolutely no way to implement any form of rank control into your gameplay.''

Tiger-Heli uses a simplistic rank formula, which is only affected by the area reached, each area corresponding to a checkpoint. Each stage comprises 8 areas. Note that
* At the end of the first loop (and only the first loop), the rank will have an abrupt increase equivalent to the traversal of 8 areas, despite the area count remaining unchanged.
* At the end of subsequent loops, the area count increases by 8 abruptly, likely to make up for the disappearance of the first stage. There is therefore a rank increase corresponding to this change in the area count.

Dying, bombing, picking up or losing a Little-heli has no effect on rank.<br/>
Rank maxes out in the middle of the third loop.<br/>
Rank primarily affects the frequency of enemy attacks as well as the frequency at which enemies will rotate their cannons.

Rank has a maximum value of 87 and follows the simplistic formula ''area + cleared_loop1'', where ''cleared_loop1'' equals 8 if the player beat the first loop, and 0 otherwise. <br/>
"Bullet interval" follows the formula ''75 - (rank - 1)/2'', with the result expressing the number of frames between two attacks from an enemy.

===Loops===
''Tiger-Heli'' loops indefinitely. After completing the first loop, all loops afterwards will start on Stage 2.

Rank slowly increases as the player makes their way through each area, maxing out near the end of Stage 3 in the third loop (with "Stage 3" being the second playable stage in the loops). This makes the fourth loop the first loop where every stage has its difficulty maxed out, and can be considered, as well as all subsequent loops, the hardest possible loop.

==Ports==
Infamously, ''Tiger-Heli'' was ported to the NES a year later, which was developed by Micronics. This version is known for it's bugs and very choppy frame rate. Despite this, it is somewhat playable.

An accurate port was brought to the original PlayStation in the ''Toaplan Shooting Battle 1'' compilation in 1996 by Banpresto. This compilation also includes ''[[Kyuukyoku Tiger]]''.

Today, M2's ''Toaplan Arcade Garage'' series on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 also includes ''Tiger-Heli'', which includes gadgets that provide extra game-information.

A PC port by Bitwave Games is set to release on February 1, 2024, featuring all the extra features from their previous Toaplan ports.

==References==

#Rank information deduced from the gadgets on the M2 port

[[Category:Vertical orientation]]

Batsugun

2024-01-23T20:32:49Z

NullNotBub: Found out the game is getting ported to PC in about a week.

[[File:Batsugun.png|250px|center]]
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = blue
|title = Batsugun
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Batsugun_title_screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan
|music = Yoshitatsu Sakai
|program = Satoshi Koyama Seiji Iwakura Tsuneki Ikeda
|art = Junya Inoue Takeshi Kawamoto
|releasedate = 1993
|previousgame = [[V-V]]
}}

[[Batsugun]] (バツグン) is a [[Toaplan]] vertically scrolling shmup. It is regarded as an important step in the future development of bullet hell games. It primarily feels like a classic Toaplan shmup in the beginning but it eventually turns into a more bullet hell affair later on. It also features a RPG-like level up system where your shot increases in power as you shoot down enemies and gain experience points.

It was developed and released by Toaplan in Japan in 1993 and would be their last shoot 'em up they developed before declaring bankruptcy. The game was published by [[Taito]] in Europe and Unite Trading in Korea.

'''''Batsugun Special Version''''' was shown at the Amusement Machine Operators' Union (AOU) show in 1994 but was never released due to Toaplan's financial situation. The Special Version did eventually find its way onto the secondary market. It is prototypical of later [[CAVE]] games and arrange modes. It features multiple loops which increase in difficulty with faster and a high number of bullets, ship [[hitbox]]es are smaller, bombs are better at clearing the screen (having the same effect as both players bombing simultaneously in the original version<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asq-PP1GpIM</ref>), and the scoring is different.

A home console version was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996. It was developed Toaplan partner Gazelle and published by Banpresto. <ref>https://www.gamengai.com/#/cmnt-info?id=2332&p=4</ref> The version features both the original version of ''Batsugun'' and ''Batsugun Special Version'' as well as an arranged soundtrack.

A PC port by Bitwave Games is set to release on Feburary 1st, 2024.

<gallery class="left">
Batsugun_title_screen.png|Batsugun
Batsugun special version title screen.gif|Batsugun SP ver.
</gallery>

{{VideoIndex}}
__TOC__
{{clear}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Batsugun is a vertically scrolling shmup with 8 way directional movement, a shot button and a bomb button. It is similar in gameplay to other Toaplan shmups like ''[[Same! Same! Same!]]'' and ''[[Tatsujin]]'' but adds elements to them. There are 3 ship types to choose from, each with a different type of standard shot.

=== Controls ===
* '''Directional:''' 8 way directional movement
* '''A:''' Shot Button
* '''A (Press):''' Fire a bullet stream for ship A, fire a lightning stream with ship B, fire a wide shot for ship C
* '''A (Hold):''' Fire a bullet stream and then nothing for ship A, fire a continual lighting stream with ship B, and fire a narrow shot for ship C
* '''B:''' Bomb Button. Launches screen clearing bomb.

=== Characters / Ships / Styles ===
This game features 3 ship types (A,B,C) with different types of fire. Each ship is piloted by a 1P character and a different character for 2P.
<tabber>
'''Type A''' = [[File:Batsugun type A shot.png|230px|thumb|right|Type-A]]

* Piloted by Jeeno for 1P and Schneider for 2P.
* Fires a spread shot. The fire button must be tapped for continuous fire.

<gallery mode=packed style="text-align:left">
Batsugun type A ships.png
Batsugun Jeeno.png
Batsugun Schneider.png
</gallery>
{{clear}}
|-|
'''Type B''' = [[File:Batsugun type B.png|130px|thumb|right|Type-B]]

* Piloted by Beltiana for 1P and Alteeno for 2P.
* Fires a lightning stream. Holding the fire button emits a continual stream.

<gallery mode=packed style="text-align:left">
Batsugun_type_B_ships.png
Batsugun Beltiana.png
Batsugun Alteeno.png
</gallery>
{{clear}}
|-|
'''Type C''' = [[File:Batsugun type C wide.png|130px|thumb|right|Type-C wide]][[File:Batsugun type C narrow.png|130px|thumb|right|Type-C narrow]]

*Piloted by Iceman for 1P and Olisis for 2P.
*Tapping the fire button shoots a wide shot. Holding the fire button fires a narrow shot.

<gallery mode=packed style="text-align:left">
Batsugun type C ships.png
Batsugun Iceman.png
Batsugun Olisis.png
</gallery>
{{clear}}
</tabber>

=== Leveling Up: ===
[[File:Batsugun level meter.png|thumb|left|Level meter]]
All ships can level up by gaining experience points by shooting down enemies, bosses, or parts of the stage environment. Additionally, ships can gain experience by dying and upon continuing, ships maintain their experience level even if the ship type is changed. Once enough experience points are acquired and the bottom meter is filled, the ship level goes up by 1 and its fire power is greatly increased. Ships can be leveled up twice to reach a maximum level of 3.

=== Items ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
|[[File:Batsugun power up.png|100px]]||'''Power Up:''' Slight increase to current ship's level firepower.
|-
|[[File:Batsugun bomb.png|100px]]||'''Bomb:''' Increases bomb stock by 1.
|-
|[[File:Batsugun small V.png|100px]]||'''Small "V:"''' Increases score by 500 points.
|-
|[[File:Batsugun large V.png|100px]]||'''Large "V:"''' Increases score by 1000 points.
|-
|[[File:Batsugun peach pig.PNG|100px]]||'''Peach Points Pig:''' These are revealed upon destroy particular enemies or parts of the background. Hovering near them gets them in an "excited" state and nets the player 110 points for every 1/60th of second in this "excited" state. They are more common in Batsugun Special Version than the original.
|-
|[[File:Batsugun purple pig.PNG|100px]]||'''Purple EXP Pig:''' These are revealed upon destroy particular enemies or parts of the background. Hovering near them gets them in an "excited" state and nets the player 1.1 experience points for every 1/60th of second in this "excited" state. They do not appear in the original Batsugun, only in Batsugun Special Version.
|}

=== Loops ===
----
Batsugun Special Version has 4 loops. Each time a loop is completed the player is given an extend.

Loop 1 contains stages 1-5. <br>
Loop 2 contains stages 2-5. It introduces suicide bullets from defeated enemies. <br>
Loop 3 contains stages 3-5. Suicide bullets become larger. <br>
Loop 4 contains stages 4-5. Suicide bullets are much larger when spawned, and then reduce to the size in loop 3. <br>

Batsugun original does not loop.

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring methods include blowing up enemies and backgrounds and collecting "V" medals. More advanced scoring methods include chaining Power Up pickups, hovering over peach pigs, and bombing particular enemies. This game also can be exploited and milked in several ways to really tally up a score.

'''Small V medals:''' Small "V" medals are worth 500 points upon pick up. All the ones collected are worth 3000 points at the end of the stage. All medals gained before a death are lost in the end stage tally.<br>
'''Large V medals:''' Large "V" medals are worth 1000 points upon pick up. All the ones collected are worth 5000 points at the end of the stage. All medals gained before a death are lost in the end stage tally.<br>
'''Power ups:''' Collecting power ups increases shot power for each up to 4 pick ups. The fifth power up collected before death is worth 1000 points. Subsequent power ups acquired add 1000 points to the previous pick up point total up to a maximum of 10,000 points. So the 8th pickup is worth 4000 points and the 14th, 15th, etc. power up is worth 10,000 points.<br>
'''Peach colored pigs:''' 110 points for every 1/60th of second you hover near them.<br>
'''Bombing enemies:''' Particular enemies can be bombed for a 59,630 score bonus in Batsugun Special Version but not in the original. An icon appears when this happens.

[[File:Bomb score bonus.png|thumb|left|Bomb score bonus]]
{{clear}}
== Story ==
On a distant planet in the universe, not unlike Earth, Renoselva A. Gladebara created the Epsilon Project. This project's purpose was to transport all humans into space since the planet had become overpopulated and over-polluted. The government rejected this plan and enraged Gladebara. Gladebara then initiated a deadly coup d'etat and swiftly defeated much of the government's military resistance. Tens of millions of people died in this conflict and the coup's take over was eminent.

However, a secret undersea base was not damaged in the conflict. The government quickly assembled the elite fighter pilots of the remaining fleets. The were called the Skull Hornets and were the planet's last hope to stop Gladebara and restore peace.<ref>http://www.toaplan.org/</ref> <ref>http://shootingstar.game.coocan.jp/batsugun.html</ref> <ref>https://segaretro.org/File:BatsugunSaturnJPManual.pdf</ref>

== Trivia ==
* Junya Inoue was involved with the graphic design of Batsugun before joining Cave later on.
* A manga entitled ''Truth Story Batsugun'' was released in 2017 and covers the first 3 stages of the game story. It also includes a CD of the original and arranged soundtrack as well as an interview with the developers of the game.
* 59630 stands for GOKUROSAN which can be translated as "Good Job"<ref>https://twitter.com/dent4face/status/1059496050099150849</ref>
== Reference ==

[[Category:Vertical orientation]]

G-Darius

2023-10-22T00:52:26Z

NullNotBub:

[[File:GDarius_Logo.png|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #238DEC
|innerbordercolor = #238DEC
|title = G-Darius
|background = #8FE2FF
|image = GDarius_Title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[Taito]]
|music =
|program =
|art =
|design =
|releasedate = '''Arcade''' <br> '''JP''': June 1997 <br> '''NA''': 1997
|previousgame = [[Darius Gaiden]] (Release)
|nextgame = [[Dariusburst]] (Release) <br> [[Darius]] (Chronology)
}}

==G-Darius==
'''G-Darius''' is a 2-player horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed and released by Taito in 1997. Similar to it's predecessor, the game uses a single-screen display. Zuntata would also return to compose the music for G-Darius.
As typical for the Darius series, G-Darius features Fish-based enemies and bosses, branching pathways - with 15 stages - and multiple endings.
G-Darius has been ported to Playstation and later to modern consoles as G-Darius HD, featuring a higher resolution and a higher-poly Silver Hawk model during game-play.
Chronologically, the game takes place before the first Darius game, and is the first game in the timeline.
G-Darius would eventually be followed up by the Dariusburst series of games on PSP and Arcades.

==Gameplay Overview==
G-Darius plays somewhat similar to Darius Gaiden except for several differences. The game is also focused on power-ups: A main shot that fires in front, bombs that fire above and below the ship, and armor that can take multiple hits. New to the series that replaces Black-Hole Bombs are Capture Balls, which allow the Silver Hawk to capture almost any enemy on screen and use them against enemy forces. Enemies are more aggressive, and will fill the screen with bullets if not dealt with. Death will result in all power-ups being reduced to the base level of the current weapon.
There are also other pickups, such as Score pickups, Screen-clearing pickups, and extra lives. Like Gaiden, items found in the stage are fixed, and their quantities vary depending on the route taken.

===Controls===
*'''A(Press):''' Fires the main shot and bombs. Each press of the A button will fire a volley of 3 shots.
*'''A (Hold):''' Charges a captured enemy into an Alpha Beam. Releasing the button when fully charged will fire the Alpha Beam.
*'''B:''' Fires a single Capture Ball if the player has any. Pressing the button again with a captured enemy will cause it to explode into a large bomb.
*'''C:''' Rapidly fires the main shot & bomb. (Ver. 2 Only)
Note: most arcade cabinets and ports of the game include an additional 30hz turbo fire button for the main shot.

===Weapons===
[[File:GDarius_NoPower.jpg|256px|thumb|right|The Silver Hawk at the start of the game.]]
[[File:GDarius_FullPower.jpg|256px|thumb|right|The Silver Hawk maxed out on power-ups.]]
Just like previous entries in the Darius series, the Silver Hawk has a basic SHOT and BOMB attacks. These are upgraded by picking up enough '''red''' and '''green''' pickups respectively. It takes '''7''' red pickups to advance to the next weapon and '''4''' green pickups to upgrade the bombs. Red and Green pickups can be found by destroying colored enemies.
*'''Missile''' is the starting shot type. It has the most damage but cannot pierce enemies or the terrain. Collecting additional red pickups will add an extra Missile to the shot, up to three.
*'''Laser''' is a weaker shot type obtained after upgrading the Missile, and has the ability to pierce through enemies. Additional red pickups will cause the Laser to elongate.
*'''Wave''' is the final shot type and the weakest out of the three, but is able to pierce through enemies and terrain. Red pickups will widen the shot.
(The Laser and Wave shot type cannot pierce through bosses.)<br/>
<br/>Bombs fire diagonally from the ship, and are used to destroy ground-based enemies. Each green pickup will make the projectile larger until upgrading to the next Bomb type.
*'''Bomb''' is the starting Bomb type. It fires a single missile downwards from the front of the ship.
*'''Twin''' fires another bomb in front of the ship upwards
*'''Multi''' Bombs fire two additional bombs behind the ship.

===Armor===
Alongside Shots and Bombs is also Armor, which protects the Silver Hawk from multiple hits before being destroyed. Armor can be obtained by collecting '''blue''' pickups, obtained from blue-colored enemies. It takes '''6''' Arm pickups to upgrade. When an Armor pickup is collected when the player has no Armor, the player will always receive 3 hits, if they do, it will "repair" a certain number of units depending on the tier. On it's last hit, the Armor will shrink.
*'''Arm''' is the starting Armor tier. It can hold up to a maximum of 3 hits and repairs up to one lost unit.
*'''Super Arm''' is the second tier, which can hold up to 4 hits, and repair 2 units.
*'''Hyper Arm''' is the most powerful tier, where it holds up to 5 hits, and repairs 3 hits. Hyper Arm will also protect the ship from terrain.
Armor pickups are rather rare to come by during a play-through, so it's advised to use captured enemies to shield incoming damage instead.

===Capture Balls===
Capture Balls allow the ship to capture nearly any enemy in the game and use it on their side. Captured enemies will fire back toward other enemies with their firing pattern and behavior being dependent on what enemy was captured, with some acting as a shield instead of firing back. Captured enemies are not permanent, and will be destroyed if they take too much damage. Before this happens, the enemy can be turned into a powerful bomb that nearly covers the entire screen, or into an Alpha Beam which fires a huge, wide laser for a short period of time. The player starts with 3 capture balls by default and can be increased buy collecting purple power-ups found by destroyed '''purple''' colored enemies. Enemies that are are gold or have gold plating are immune to the Alpha Beam.

===Captains===
Around halfway through the stage, a Captain (Mid-Boss) may be encountered - a larger enemy with much more health and has gold-plating on their face. In order to capture a Captain, the armor must first be destroyed by firing enough shots onto it or by using a bomb from a captured enemy. Once the gold-plating is destroyed, firing a capture ball will capture the Captain. Aside from having more health than a common enemy, Captains have wilder attack patterns and can do a special move when a command input is performed with the joystick followed by a press of the shot button.

===Beam Dueling===
While the Alpha Beam is a very powerful tool for dealing with formations of enemies and large score multipliers, their best use is to counter Beta Beams fired from bosses. After a Boss has attacked the player enough, they will proceed to fire a Beta Beam towards the player. If the player has a captured enemy at the time, they can fire their Alpha Beam to counter the Beta Beam and engage a Beam Duel. This turns into a tug-of-war battle where the player must rapidly press the Shot button to overpower the Beta Beam and increase the size of the Alpha Beam, resulting in massive damage to the boss or their demise. Later Bosses will have more then one Beta Beam, and if all countered, can create even bigger counters and even higher score multipliers.

==Rank==
[[File:GDarius_TechRank.jpg|243px|thumb|right|Technical Rank Sheet shown in G-Darius HD.]]
There are two different types of rank in G-Darius: Gameplay Rank and Technical Rank.
===Gameplay Rank===
Like most shoot-em-up games, G-Darius has a ranking system that determines the difficulty of the game.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8W4ub-wRtE&t=690s</ref> Except for a few instances, Gameplay Rank never decreases and goes up at a rather linear pace as the game progresses until '''capping at 255'''.<br/>
<br/>The Rank at the start of the game is determined by the set difficulty.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Difficulty
! Starting Rank
|-
| Super Easy
| '''0'''
|-
| Very Easy
| '''16'''
|-
| Easy
| '''32'''
|-
| Normal
| '''48'''
|-
| Hard
| '''64'''
|-
| Very Hard
| '''80'''
|-
| Super Hard
|''' 96'''
|-
| Mania
| '''112'''
|}
Rank is increased by the following:
*Collecting a Shot or Bomb pickup: '''+2'''
**If the Shot pickup upgrades weapon to Laser: '''+4 instead.'''
**If the current Shot type is Laser or Wave, every 2nd red pickup will add '''+3 instead.'''
*Entering a Zone: '''+5'''
*Starting a Boss fight: '''+6'''
*2nd Player joining the game: '''+32'''
*If the player has a captured enemy, the Rank will '''increase by 16''' until the captured enemy is spent.
*Collecting an Arm pickup: '''+1'''
**If the player has no Arm power upon collecting an Arm pickup: '''+2 more.'''
*If Arm level is reset to base power (caused by a death): '''-2'''
The number of hits remaining on the player's Arm also affects Rank:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Arm Power Remaining
! Rank Modifier
|-
| 0
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +0
|-
| 1
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +1
|-
| 2
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +1
|-
| 3
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +2
|-
| 4
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +4
|-
| 5
| style="font-weight:bold;" | +8
|}
During Co-Op games, the player who has survived longer will determine the Rank.<br/>
<br/>Gameplay Rank affects the following:
*Enemy Health
*Enemy firing speed and projectile speed
*Boss Health
*Boss pattern aggression

===Technical Rank===
Technical Rank is a grading given to the player at the end of the game, ranging from 0-105. Technical Rank is determined by the following:
*'''Enemies Shot Down''': Total enemies shot down, separated by single or groups, up to 20 points each. ''Simply shoot down every enemy you see. The more the better. 90% or more enemies destroyed grants 20 points.''
*'''VS Boss Shot Hit''': How many shots hit during a Boss fight, 1 point per 10% ''Avoid shooting when the boss cannot be hit to keep the points up.''
*'''Cap. Survive''': The number of captured enemies that were used as Bombs or Alpha Beams compared to the total amount of enemies captured, up the 10 points. ''Don't let the enemy you're capturing get destroyed.''
*'''Pow-Up Got''': How many power-ups were picked up. It's unknown how the points are calculated for this category.
*'''Reached''': How far the player got in the game. Adds 3 points per Zone cleared. 15 points max by clearing the game.
*'''VS Boss Final Blow''': The best final blow inflicted to a boss throughout the playthrough. Letting a boss self-destruct is worth the least while a Fourfold Counter is worth the most up to 10 points max. ''Defeating Queen Fossil or Fire Fossil with a Fourfold Counter is enough to net the highest possible points.''
*'''Miss''': Starts off at 10 points, but is reduced by 1 per life lost. ''Don't die.''
*'''Continue''': 1 point is lost per continue used. ''Also don't die.''

==Scoring==
Scoring is multiplied by the following actions:
*Destroying the last enemy in a formation with a captured enemy: '''2X'''
*Destroying the last enemy in a formation with a Capture Ball Bomb: '''3X'''
*Destroying the last enemy in a formation formation with an Alpha Beam: '''4X'''
*Alpha Beam Single Counter: '''6X'''
*Alpha Beam Double Counter: '''8X'''
*Alpha Beam Triple Counter: '''10X'''
*Alpha Beam Fourfold Counter: '''12X'''
Upon finishing the game, extra bonuses are given:
*Remaining Lives: '''1,000,000 per extra life'''
*Captured Captains: '''300,000 per captured Captain'''
*Finishing off a Boss with an Alpha Beam (No Counter): '''200,000'''
*Finishing off a Boss with a Single Counter Alpha Beam: '''400,000'''
*Finishing off a Boss with a Double Counter Alpha Beam: '''600,000'''
*Finishing off a Boss with a Triple Counter Alpha Beam: '''800,000'''
*Finishing off a Boss with a Fourfold Counter Alpha Beam: '''1,000,000'''

==Zones==
As usual, G-Darius allows for players to select the zones they want to fight through, although it is scaled down to 15 zones rather than 26, and the zones are now denoted with letters of the Greek alphabet. G-Darius also adds Areas, which are denoted with letters of the English alphabet, and allow the player to select a different stage to fight through for the second half of the zone, as well as a different attack pattern for the stage boss battle. In Zones Gamma and Eta, this instead determines the parts of the stage boss that will be explored, as the bosses in Gamma and Eta are gargantuan battleship raids rather than traditional bosses.

Below is a list of stages and their respective zones, as well as the zone's name, areas and boss.

===Stage 1===
*'''Zone Alpha:''' Green Globe. Home to areas A and B. Boss is Eclipse Eye.

===Stage 2===
*'''Zone Beta:''' Giant Plant. Home to areas C and D. Boss is Tripod Sardine.
*'''Zone Gamma:''' Gigantic Ship. Home to areas E and F. Boss is Queen Fossil.

===Stage 3===
*'''Zone Delta:''' Granulated Star. Home to areas G and H. Boss is Dual Horn.
*'''Zone Epsilon:''' Galaxy Island. Home to areas I and J. Boss is Dimension Diver.
*'''Zone Zeta:''' Gravity Zero. Home to areas K and L. Boss is Absolute Defender.

===Stage 4===
*'''Zone Eta:''' Glowing Cave. Home to areas M and N. Boss is Fire Fossil.
*'''Zone Theta:''' Gallery. Home to areas O and P. Boss is Death Wings.
*'''Zone Iota:''' Glacier. Home to areas Q and R. Boss is Eight Feet Umbrella.
*'''Zone Kappa:''' Garden of Sky. Home to areas S and T. Boss is Eternal Triangle.

===Stage 5===
*'''Zone Lambda:''' Great Cliff. Home to areas U and V. Final boss is Lightning Coronatus.
*'''Zone Mu:''' Great Fortress I. Home to areas W and X. Final boss is Heavy Arms Shell.
*'''Zone Nu:''' Genesis. Home to areas Y and Z. Final boss is The Embryon.
*'''Zone Xi:''' Great Fortress II. Home to areas W' and X'. Final boss is Accordion Hazard.
*'''Zone Omicron:''' Grave of Culture. Home to areas U' and V'. Final boss is G.T.

==Story==
The game takes place thousands of years before the original Darius. Humankind has come to be not on Earth, but on the planet Amnelia, named after a man who had ended a massive war hundreds of years prior to the events of G-Darius.
The 21st Amnelian king Brezzar was a great scientist as well as a great leader. He discovered a mysterious energy source known as Kaju, and began to integrate it into society. However, it was a finite resource and responsible for the life of the plants on Amnelia. As a result, Amnelia eventually ran out of Kaju, and some ended up emigrating to its satellite Blazar.

50 years later, war has broken out between Amnelia and Blazar over occupation of Martha, another one of the planet's satellites. Amnelian scientists invented a weapon known as "All Nothing" or A.N., which seemed to harness "the power of the Devil". The weapon was used on the planet Blazar, resulting in the total destruction of Blazar, and the awakening of the Thiima. Three years after the destruction of Blazar, the mysterious alien race only known as the Thiima would attack Amnelia, sensing it as a threat not only to them but to all life in the galaxy. Early on, the Amnelians created the first model of the legendary Silver Hawk fighter, combining A.N. power with Amnelian and Thiiman technology to create an all-around deadly force. Pilots Sameluck Raida and Lutia Feen were selected to pilot the Silver Hawks and fight the Thiiman invaders.

In G-Darius, there are 5 different final zones, each with their own final boss and ending.

*Ending 1 (Zone Lambda): Lightning Coronatus is destroyed and unleashes a massive explosion. Sameluck is able to escape, but Lutia's ship is badly damaged, forcing her to bail out and abandon her craft. Sameluck then abandons his ship to be with her, and their stories end as Sameluck's lone Silver Hawk floats around in the void of space.
*Ending 2 (Zone Mu): Heavy Arms Shell is destroyed and unleashes a massive explosion. Both narrowly escape, but Sameluck pushes Lutia away to ensure her escape, killing Sameluck in the process. Lutia eventually crashes on the surface of Darius, where a strange man comes to her and offers her his hand. She accepts, and the credits roll.
*Ending 3 (Zone Nu): Sameluck and Lutia reach the Thiiman homeworld and break in, only to discover it is an entirely different universe to their own. At the heart of the mysterious world, they find the Embryon, a unit presumably used purely as a commander for the Thiima and a way for them to produce more and more combat units. Sameluck and Lutia defeat the Embryon in battle, causing him to explode like a battleship would - however, the Embryon's destruction results in the collapse of the foreign world, and the two pilots share one last kiss as they fade into nonexistence.
*Ending 4 (Zone Xi): Accordion Hazard is destroyed and unleashes a massive explosion. It almost results in the death of Sameluck and Lutia, but instead they are absorbed by a strange light that causes them to merge and become a literal silver hawk. The two escape unharmed.
*Ending 5 (Zone Omicron): G.T is defeated, but not completely destroyed. Sameluck and Lutia have won the battle, but are unable to return to Amnelia (likely due to a lack of fuel), so they instead land on the nearby planet of Darius. Meanwhile, a large craft belonging to the Belsar finds and salvages the remains of G.T, possibly leading to the creation of Great Thing and the rest of the Belsar army later down the line.

==Ver. 2==
G-Darius Ver. 2 is a updated version of G-Darius released in 1999, which includes several changes in order to make the game more difficult.<ref>https://darius.fandom.com/wiki/G-Darius#Ver.2</ref>
*Significantly increased difficulty. Enemies and Bosses are much more aggressive from the start.
*Tweaked Arm system. Armor no longer protects the Silver Hawk from an enemy collision unless they have upgraded Armor.
*Added a beginner mode similar to that of [[Gradius III]]. Lasts up to 3 Zones and death reduces all power-ups by 1 unit instead of being reset to base power.
*Increased amount of Captains per Zone. All Captains fire the spiraling laser attack from First Captain. Captured Captains have significantly less health.
*The player is no longer invulnerable when using a Capture Ball's bomb.
*Boss battles now have a timer, which lasts 3 minutes normally and 7 minutes for final bosses. Defeating the boss will award 10,000 points per second remaining.
*There are high score tables for every Zone.
*Continuing provides a pickup for Missile, Bomb, Arm, and Capture Ball instead of the former three in a combined power-up.

==Ports==
<gallery>
GDarius_PSXCover.jpg|US Playstation Cover
GDarius_PCCover.png|Japanese PC Cover
GDariusHD_SteamCover.jpg|G-Darius HD Cover on Steam
GdariusExhibitionscreen.jpg|a screenshot of the widescreen "Exhibition Mode" in the Steam release
GDARIUS-EXHLogo.png|Logo for Steam exclusive mode
</gallery>
G-Darius was ported to the original Playstation in 1998, which features a beginner mode, options to fight only the bosses, and FMV cutscenes. It was also ported to Windows in 2001.

Taito Legends 2 on the Playstation 2 includes G-Darius. It is a nearly perfect arcade port, but includes loading times, and very little slowdown.

The game would be re-released again in 2021 as G-Darius HD for Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4/5, as a stand-alone release and as part of the Darius Cozmic Revelation package. The remaster was developed by M2 and includes an option to play G-Darius at a higher resolution with a higher-poly Silver Hawk model, as well as a Capture Gallery, achievements, online leaderboards, and replays. An update in 2022 would add G-Darius Version 2, G-Darius "for consumer" (PS1 port), and added gadgets including capture and boss health bars. G-Darius HD was also released on Steam, which has an exclusive "Exhibition Mode" and sub-woofer support.

==References==

[[Category:Horizontal orientation]]

Hellfire

2023-06-21T03:35:14Z

NullNotBub: New Toaplan Drop.

File:Hellfire Shotypes.gif

2023-06-21T01:42:10Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire weapon type demonstration. Taken via MAME

== Summary ==
Hellfire weapon type demonstration. Taken via MAME
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:Hellfire Speed.gif

2023-06-21T01:41:34Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire speed pickup. Taken via MAME

== Summary ==
Hellfire speed pickup. Taken via MAME
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:Hellfire Bonus.gif

2023-06-21T01:41:10Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire bonus points. Taken via MAME

== Summary ==
Hellfire bonus points. Taken via MAME
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:Hellfire Power.gif

2023-06-21T01:40:46Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire powerup pickup. Taken via MAME.

== Summary ==
Hellfire powerup pickup. Taken via MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:Hellfire Title.png

2023-06-21T01:39:28Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire title screen taken via MAME.

== Summary ==
Hellfire title screen taken via MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:Hellfire Logo.png

2023-06-21T01:39:01Z

NullNotBub: Hellfire game logo taken directly from MAME.

== Summary ==
Hellfire game logo taken directly from MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

Xexex

2023-06-08T02:28:09Z

NullNotBub: Minor fixes

[[File:XEXEX_Logo.png|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = black
| title = Xexex
| background = #f8f8f8
| image = XEXEX_Title.png
| width = 256px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 200px
| developer = [[Konami]]
| music = Motoaki Furukawa </br> Hidenori Maezawa </br> Satoko Miyawaki </br> Akiko Hashimoto
| program = Toshiaki Takatori </br> Tatsuo Fujii </br> Tetsuya Wada
| art = M. Machiguchi </br> Kuniaki Kakuwa </br> Chiyoko Hanano
| releasedate = 1991
| nextgame = [[Pop’n TwinBee]]
}}

''[[Xexex]]'' ''(ゼクセクス)'' is a horizontal scrolling shoot em' up developed and published by ''[[Konami]]'' in 1991. It is an original project that brings over mechanics from other shooting games such as the ''[[Gradius]]'' series and ''[[Irem|Irem's]]'' ''[[R-Type]]'' and ''[[X Multiply]]''.</br>

Despite the positive reception towards the game, the sudden boom in popularity of fighting games caused Xexex to sell poorly. The game would be localized to other regions, with the US version being renamed to '''''Orius'''''. Despite adding 2 player co-op, the gameplay is altered drastically. And due to the advanced graphics used in the game, ports were never seen until the far future.

__TOC__

{{clear}}

==Gameplay Overview==
''Xexex'' takes place across 7 different stages, with each one having a different and unique appearance. Using the Flintlock, the player will need to shoot down everything that they come across and use their Flint for either offensive or defensive use, whilst changing their shot type by collecting labeled pickups. At the end of each level is a boss fight, with each boss having a weak spot which must be destroyed to proceed to the next stage. In between stages are cutscenes that show Princess Irene pleading her help and/or Klaus taunting the player.

Random power-ups can be found by shooting secret locations in the level. There is a slim chance a 1UP can appear in these spots. This is the only way to earn extends.
===Controls===
</br>
[[File:XEXEX_Controls.png|frameless|none|upright]]</br>
Xexex is a two-button game. Piloting the Flintlock TMF01, the ship can move in 8 directions, fire a wide variety of shot types, and manipulate a biological weapon called the Flint

*'''A:''' Fires main shot.

*'''A (Hold):''' Charges up the Flint.

*'''A (Release):''' Unleashes a powerful, long-range tentacle attack.

*'''B:''' Drops the Flint directly in front of the ship. Pressing the button while the Flint is deployed will call it back to your ship.

*'''B, while charged:''' Shoots the Flint forward a great distance.

===Hitbox===
The Flintlock's hitbox is quite large, covering most of the ship, it's front arms, and the engine in the back. It's best advised to use your Flint to block incoming enemy shots. The back tips of the ship will emit sparks if they touch a surface.

===Weapons===
====The Flint====
The Flint, just like the Force Pod from ''R-Type'', is invincible, blocks bullets, and has tentacles. The ship always starts with it and only attaches to the front of the ship. The Flint itself starts off with one tentacle, but more can be added by collecting the appropriate power-up, up a maximum of three.

While the Flint is attached to the ship, It acts as a shield with a relatively small size. When deployed, the Flint's tentacles will sprout out and block bullets, home into enemies, and deal damage to whatever they touch. The ship will be able to rapidly shoot by holding the A button in this state.

If the Flint's core touches the center of any organic part of an enemy or boss, it will latch onto it and deal continuous damage until the enemy is destroyed or the enemy goes offscreen or moves fast enough.

=====Controlling the Flint=====
The Flint itself can be used in a variety of ways. With the Flint attached to the ship, holding down the A button will charge it up, up to a maximum of two times. While charged, the following actions can be performed:

*Releasing the A button will unleash a tentacle attack. This attack has a very long range and does great damage towards enemies, but is weak towards bosses. The more tentacles the Flint has, the wider the attack gets. Releasing A when charged up a second time will make the attack go across the entire screen. Do note that the tentacles can be stopped by terrain.

*Pressing B while charged will launch the Flint forward at a very high velocity, piercing through any small enemies in the way. A level 2 charge will launch the Flint further; across the entire screen. If the Flint hits any terrain or a large enemy while being launched, it will produce an explosion that does extra damage.

Pressing B without charging will drop the Flint a small distance ahead of the ship. This is useful if you need to avoid enemy fire from behind.

====Main Shot====
The Flintlock starts off with a basic Photon Beam shot. This shot does a decent amount of damage but the projectile is tiny. Other weapons and items can be acquired by destroying rapidly flashing enemies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Laser'''
| Fires a burst of three lasers. The top and bottom lasers divert and home onto the nearest enemy, up to 90 degrees.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX ShadowLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Shadow Laser'''
| Functions identically to the laser weapon in ''Gradius'', except leaving behind a trail.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Round Laser'''
| Shoots a shotgun-like blast of five shots, which encircle into each other after some distance.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SpiralLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spiral Laser'''
| A persisting laser that gets wider the further the shot gets. Functions like a combination of the normal Laser and Ripple Laser from the ''Gradius'' series.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Search Laser'''
| A heat seeking laser that actively hunts down enemies.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Ground Laser'''
| Shoots a long laser that travels along the ground alongside a regular shot.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''1UP'''
| Grants an extra ship. Can be found randomly by revealing secret locations.
|}

Upon death, All power-ups are lost and the player is brought back to the last checkpoint.

===Loops===
Xexex has a much more dificult second loop after completing the first. Some stages have changes in order to make the stage more difficult:

*In general, enemies are much more aggressive. They shoot faster and their bullets are faster.
*Stage 1 has a different color palette. The stage boss has more health.{{unconfirmed}}
*Stage 4's tunnels are narrower when the paths split, making it harder to maneuver.
*Stage 5 uses a different color palette. More erupting volcanoes are added halfway through the stage. There is a huge increase in large flying enemies.
*Stage 6 has an extra battleship during the high-speed section.
*Stage 7's Zub-like enemies appear much more often. The final boss' ring attack homes onto the player.
There is no additional loops after. The game ends after completing the second loop.

==Revisional Differences==
This page goes over the original Japanese (Version JAA) release of the game. When the game is brought overseas, drastic changes were made to the game with three different revisions:
*Asian version (Version AAA)
*European Version (Version EAA)
*US Version (Version UAA), Renamed to '''''Orius'''''.
Due to the drastic changes made to the revisions, the original Japanese version is the preferred way to play this title.
===Gameplay===
All three revised versions of the game function the same. The gameplay itself received several changes:
*Each stage has a proper name, instead of "CHARGE THE ENEMY" being displayed when the stage starts.
*There is now 2-player co-op, with a new, second Flintlock that has a different appearance.
*The Flintlock has a slightly smaller hitbox.{{unconfirmed}}
*Checkpoints are removed. Players now respawn upon continuing.
*There are no lives in the game. Replacing it is an energy meter that when runs out, requires the player to continue.
*'''All laser power-ups are removed, and are replaced with much simpler weapons.'''
*'''Enemies are more abundant and take more hits to destroy, even appearing in different stages.'''
*'''Bosses have much more health and their patterns are changed. Stage 6 for example has a second copy of the boss.'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Laser'''
| Replaces the Photon Beam with a 2-way spread shot. Additional pickups add an addition shot to the spread, up to a 5-way spread.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Missile'''
| Allows the Flintlock to fire homing missiles over and under itself. Additional pickups add more missiles and increase their travel speed.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three. During 2-player games, up to four tentacles can be active at once.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Energy'''
| Restores a small amount of energy to the Flintlock.
|}

===Controls===
Several changes were made to how firing and the Flint functions.
*Charging the Flint is slower than normal, which instantly charges to level 2 once charged.
*'''There is no rapid-fire when the Flint is detached from the ship.'''
*'''Pressing B without charging will always shoot out the Flint as if it was charged to level 1.'''

Tiger-Heli

2023-05-23T04:51:02Z

NullNotBub: /* Power-Ups */

Tiger-Heli

2023-05-23T03:51:48Z

NullNotBub: New article drop.

File:TigerHeli Logo.png

2023-05-23T01:31:12Z

NullNotBub: Tiger-Heli Game logo. Couldn't find a good one online so I took a screenshot from MAME

== Summary ==
Tiger-Heli Game logo. Couldn't find a good one online so I took a screenshot from MAME
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli DipSwitch.png

2023-05-23T01:11:29Z

NullNotBub: Dip-Switch menu from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly from MAME.

== Summary ==
Dip-Switch menu from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly from MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli Diamond.gif

2023-05-23T01:10:42Z

NullNotBub: Diamond target from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Diamond target from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli WhiteHeli.gif

2023-05-23T01:10:13Z

NullNotBub: White Little-Heli pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
White Little-Heli pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli RedHeli.gif

2023-05-23T01:08:22Z

NullNotBub: Red Little-Heli pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Red Little-Heli pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli Bomb.gif

2023-05-23T01:07:57Z

NullNotBub: Bomb pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Bomb pickup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli Grey.gif

2023-05-23T01:07:13Z

NullNotBub: Bomb powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Bomb powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli Red.gif

2023-05-23T01:06:39Z

NullNotBub: Red Little-Heli powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Red Little-Heli powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli White.gif

2023-05-23T01:05:54Z

NullNotBub: White Little-Heli powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
White Little-Heli powerup from Tiger-Heli. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:TigerHeli Title.png

2023-05-23T01:04:51Z

NullNotBub: Tiger-Heli Title Screen. Taken directly through MAME.

== Summary ==
Tiger-Heli Title Screen. Taken directly through MAME.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

Tatsujin

2023-04-04T06:39:46Z

NullNotBub: /* Version Differences */

[[File:Tatsujin title.png|center|500px]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Tatsujin
|background = #ABDFFA
|image = Tatsujin start screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan Co. LTD.
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge
|
|program = Masahiro Yuge
|
|art = Naoki Ogiwara, Yumiko Shimizu
|
|releasedate = October 1988

|nextgame = [[Tatsujin Ou]]
}}

__TOC__

== Tatsujin 達人 ==
'''''Tatsujin''''' (known in English territories as ''Truxton'') is a vertical shooting game developed by Toaplan in 1988. It is the first of a two-game series, with ''[[Tatsujin Ou]]'' following it. ''Tatsujin'' is well-known for its high difficulty, checkpoint memorization, and excellent soundtrack. The game was also ported to the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in 1989, the PC-Engine in 1992, a port for iOS and Android was released (in Japan only) in 2019, and a PC port via [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022880/Truxton/ Steam]

== Gameplay Overview ==
=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the player's equipped Weapon.
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, dealing damage to enemies and canceling bullets within its explosion radius.

=== Weapons ===
----
* Red: The standard three-way shot type for the player's ship. It does not have any sort of auto-fire. When upgraded, it becomes even wider and shoots many more shots at once, making it very powerful for screen control and point-blanking.
* Green: A rapid-fire straight shot that deals high damage and can be held for auto-fire. Green does not have a shot limit, allowing it to deal high damage even at further ranges. Higher upgrades increase the amount of projectiles fired.
* Blue: A blue lightning attack that sticks to enemies and continues to deal damage to them as long as the Fire button is held. Higher upgrades create more lightning shots

=== Items ===
----
''Tatsujin'' has several different collectible items to power up, change weapon type, and gain extra ships. Unlike items in many other games, the items in ''Tatsujin'' are stationary, and only move down the screen as the stage scrolls.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Collect 5 of these icons to power up weapon level. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin super power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Instantly powers up weapon to the next level. Appears in place of small powerups when enough are collected. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Speed-Up'''</div></small> || Speeds up ship's movement one level. Receive 5000 pts if at max speed level.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Bomb'''</div></small> || Adds one bomb to bomb stock. Receive 5000 pts if at max bomb stock of 10.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Red)'''</div></small> || Changes to red weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with red weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Blue)'''</div></small> || Changes to blue weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with blue weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Green)'''</div></small> || Changes to green weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with green weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 1up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''1UP (Extend)'''</div></small> || Gain 1 extra ship. Must use a specific weapon to shoot a specific ground target. Stage 1: green, Stage 2: red, Stage 5: blue
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''2UP'''</div></small> || Gain 2 extra ships. Must acquire many items before dying as it is very high on the item table. Likely to spawn at Stage 3 if no ships have been lost.

|}

The item dropped by each successive item carrier cycles according to the table below. A death will reset the cycle to the beginning. This determines the type of item ''contained'' by carriers rather than the item that appears when the container is destroyed. In other words, whether or not an item is actually released has no impact on the progression of the cycle.
<br/><br/>
{|
|+ '''Item Drop Cycle'''
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''1''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''2''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''3''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 4''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 5''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 6''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]</div>
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 7''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 8''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 9''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| '''10''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''11''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''12''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''13''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''14''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''15''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''16''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''17''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''18''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''19''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''20''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''21''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''22''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''23''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''24''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''25''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''26''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''27''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''28''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''29''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''30''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''31''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''32''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''33''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''34''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''35''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''36''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''37''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''38''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''39''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''40''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''41''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''42''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''43''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''44''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''45''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''46''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''47''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''48''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''49''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''50''' [[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|32px]]
| '''51''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''52''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''53''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''54''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''55''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''56''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''57''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''58''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''59''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''60''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
</div>
|}
<br/>

===Hit Box===
----
The ship's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers nearly the entire ship, excluding the tips of the cockpit and wings. The hit box can be made thinner by moving the ship horizontally.

[[File:TATSUJIN_HITBOXES.gif]]

=== Rank ===
----
Rank increases as the player progresses through more areas of the game. At higher rank, enemies fire more often, and the overall bullet speed increases.

''rank = base + area/2'' <br/>

The maximum value is 24. After the first loop the rank no longer changes when a new area is reached and remains fixed at the maximum value of 24.

The base rank value is determined by the region and the difficulty setting:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | Difficulty !! colspan="2" | Region
|-
! JP !! INT
|-
! Easy
| 0 || 0
|-
! Normal
| 4 || 1
|-
! Hard
| 8 || 2
|-
! Very Hard
| 12 || 3
|}

''bullet speed = 24 + rank/2 + difficulty/2 + power*2 + loop*2''</br>
The maximum value of bullet speed is 80 and it continually increases each time the game is looped.
The maximum speed will be reached by loop 22.

=== Loops ===
----
Like many early Toaplan games, ''Tatsujin'' loops infinitely, with each loop starting after defeating the boss of stage 5.

=== Scoring ===
----
Destroy All, Don't Die (DADD Scoring).

Every enemy is worth a flat amount of points, with point gain increasing with every loop. Collecting excess items rewards the player with an extra 5000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Tatsujin/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
The evil Gidans attacked the transport ship Belery. The forces of planet Borogo must retrieve Belery's cargo of secret weapons. However, the Gidans are in between them and the weapons. Fearless ace pilot, Tom the Bomb, volunteers for the mission. Tom's commanding officer tells him to fly the Super Fighter. It is equipped with such power weapons that no one dared using them before. So the lone fighter sets off to far reaches of space to rescue the cargo and defeat the Gidans. <ref>https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Sega_Genesis//Manual/formated/Truxton_-_Tatsujin_-_1989_-_Sega.pdf</ref>

The game takes place in space and passes over 8 asteroids in the following order: Blue, Yellow, Red, Orchid, Purple, Poison, Galaxy Pool, and Magman.

There are 5 Gidan bosses called Monster Powers and they appear at the end of each stage.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Boss Name
|-
| Stage 1 || J-Tank
|-
| Stage 2 || Badron
|-
| Stage 3 || Dosvam
|-
| Stage 4 || Gurus
|-
| Stage 5 || Dogurava
|}

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==
===PC Port===
A PC port of the arcade version is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022880/Truxton/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Includes all versions of the game.
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Widescreen Mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
<br/>
----

== Trivia ==
* Cool facts and random tidbits go here!
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video_Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

Tatsujin

2023-04-04T06:39:21Z

NullNotBub: /* Tatsujin 達人 */

[[File:Tatsujin title.png|center|500px]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Tatsujin
|background = #ABDFFA
|image = Tatsujin start screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan Co. LTD.
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge
|
|program = Masahiro Yuge
|
|art = Naoki Ogiwara, Yumiko Shimizu
|
|releasedate = October 1988

|nextgame = [[Tatsujin Ou]]
}}

__TOC__

== Tatsujin 達人 ==
'''''Tatsujin''''' (known in English territories as ''Truxton'') is a vertical shooting game developed by Toaplan in 1988. It is the first of a two-game series, with ''[[Tatsujin Ou]]'' following it. ''Tatsujin'' is well-known for its high difficulty, checkpoint memorization, and excellent soundtrack. The game was also ported to the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in 1989, the PC-Engine in 1992, a port for iOS and Android was released (in Japan only) in 2019, and a PC port via [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022880/Truxton/ Steam]

== Gameplay Overview ==
=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the player's equipped Weapon.
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, dealing damage to enemies and canceling bullets within its explosion radius.

=== Weapons ===
----
* Red: The standard three-way shot type for the player's ship. It does not have any sort of auto-fire. When upgraded, it becomes even wider and shoots many more shots at once, making it very powerful for screen control and point-blanking.
* Green: A rapid-fire straight shot that deals high damage and can be held for auto-fire. Green does not have a shot limit, allowing it to deal high damage even at further ranges. Higher upgrades increase the amount of projectiles fired.
* Blue: A blue lightning attack that sticks to enemies and continues to deal damage to them as long as the Fire button is held. Higher upgrades create more lightning shots

=== Items ===
----
''Tatsujin'' has several different collectible items to power up, change weapon type, and gain extra ships. Unlike items in many other games, the items in ''Tatsujin'' are stationary, and only move down the screen as the stage scrolls.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Collect 5 of these icons to power up weapon level. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin super power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Instantly powers up weapon to the next level. Appears in place of small powerups when enough are collected. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Speed-Up'''</div></small> || Speeds up ship's movement one level. Receive 5000 pts if at max speed level.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Bomb'''</div></small> || Adds one bomb to bomb stock. Receive 5000 pts if at max bomb stock of 10.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Red)'''</div></small> || Changes to red weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with red weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Blue)'''</div></small> || Changes to blue weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with blue weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Green)'''</div></small> || Changes to green weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with green weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 1up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''1UP (Extend)'''</div></small> || Gain 1 extra ship. Must use a specific weapon to shoot a specific ground target. Stage 1: green, Stage 2: red, Stage 5: blue
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''2UP'''</div></small> || Gain 2 extra ships. Must acquire many items before dying as it is very high on the item table. Likely to spawn at Stage 3 if no ships have been lost.

|}

The item dropped by each successive item carrier cycles according to the table below. A death will reset the cycle to the beginning. This determines the type of item ''contained'' by carriers rather than the item that appears when the container is destroyed. In other words, whether or not an item is actually released has no impact on the progression of the cycle.
<br/><br/>
{|
|+ '''Item Drop Cycle'''
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''1''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''2''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''3''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 4''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 5''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 6''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]</div>
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 7''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 8''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 9''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| '''10''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''11''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''12''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''13''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''14''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''15''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''16''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''17''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''18''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''19''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''20''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''21''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''22''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''23''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''24''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''25''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''26''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''27''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''28''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''29''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''30''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''31''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''32''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''33''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''34''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''35''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''36''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''37''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''38''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''39''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''40''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''41''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''42''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''43''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''44''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''45''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''46''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''47''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''48''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''49''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''50''' [[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|32px]]
| '''51''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''52''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''53''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''54''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''55''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''56''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''57''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''58''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''59''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''60''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
</div>
|}
<br/>

===Hit Box===
----
The ship's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers nearly the entire ship, excluding the tips of the cockpit and wings. The hit box can be made thinner by moving the ship horizontally.

[[File:TATSUJIN_HITBOXES.gif]]

=== Rank ===
----
Rank increases as the player progresses through more areas of the game. At higher rank, enemies fire more often, and the overall bullet speed increases.

''rank = base + area/2'' <br/>

The maximum value is 24. After the first loop the rank no longer changes when a new area is reached and remains fixed at the maximum value of 24.

The base rank value is determined by the region and the difficulty setting:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | Difficulty !! colspan="2" | Region
|-
! JP !! INT
|-
! Easy
| 0 || 0
|-
! Normal
| 4 || 1
|-
! Hard
| 8 || 2
|-
! Very Hard
| 12 || 3
|}

''bullet speed = 24 + rank/2 + difficulty/2 + power*2 + loop*2''</br>
The maximum value of bullet speed is 80 and it continually increases each time the game is looped.
The maximum speed will be reached by loop 22.

=== Loops ===
----
Like many early Toaplan games, ''Tatsujin'' loops infinitely, with each loop starting after defeating the boss of stage 5.

=== Scoring ===
----
Destroy All, Don't Die (DADD Scoring).

Every enemy is worth a flat amount of points, with point gain increasing with every loop. Collecting excess items rewards the player with an extra 5000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Tatsujin/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
The evil Gidans attacked the transport ship Belery. The forces of planet Borogo must retrieve Belery's cargo of secret weapons. However, the Gidans are in between them and the weapons. Fearless ace pilot, Tom the Bomb, volunteers for the mission. Tom's commanding officer tells him to fly the Super Fighter. It is equipped with such power weapons that no one dared using them before. So the lone fighter sets off to far reaches of space to rescue the cargo and defeat the Gidans. <ref>https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Sega_Genesis//Manual/formated/Truxton_-_Tatsujin_-_1989_-_Sega.pdf</ref>

The game takes place in space and passes over 8 asteroids in the following order: Blue, Yellow, Red, Orchid, Purple, Poison, Galaxy Pool, and Magman.

There are 5 Gidan bosses called Monster Powers and they appear at the end of each stage.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Boss Name
|-
| Stage 1 || J-Tank
|-
| Stage 2 || Badron
|-
| Stage 3 || Dosvam
|-
| Stage 4 || Gurus
|-
| Stage 5 || Dogurava
|}

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==
===PC Port===
A PC port of the arcade version is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022910/Twin_Cobra/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Includes all versions of the game.
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Widescreen Mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
<br/>
----

== Trivia ==
* Cool facts and random tidbits go here!
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video_Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

Tatsujin

2023-04-04T06:37:21Z

NullNotBub: /* Version Differences */ Added info about the Bitwave Games port.

[[File:Tatsujin title.png|center|500px]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Tatsujin
|background = #ABDFFA
|image = Tatsujin start screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan Co. LTD.
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge
|
|program = Masahiro Yuge
|
|art = Naoki Ogiwara, Yumiko Shimizu
|
|releasedate = October 1988

|nextgame = [[Tatsujin Ou]]
}}

__TOC__

== Tatsujin 達人 ==
'''''Tatsujin''''' (known in English territories as ''Truxton'') is a vertical shooting game developed by Toaplan in 1988. It is the first of a two-game series, with ''[[Tatsujin Ou]]'' following it. ''Tatsujin'' is well-known for its high difficulty, checkpoint memorization, and excellent soundtrack. The game was also ported to the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in 1989, the PC-Engine in 1992, and a port for iOS and Android was released (in Japan only) in 2019.

== Gameplay Overview ==
=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the player's equipped Weapon.
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, dealing damage to enemies and canceling bullets within its explosion radius.

=== Weapons ===
----
* Red: The standard three-way shot type for the player's ship. It does not have any sort of auto-fire. When upgraded, it becomes even wider and shoots many more shots at once, making it very powerful for screen control and point-blanking.
* Green: A rapid-fire straight shot that deals high damage and can be held for auto-fire. Green does not have a shot limit, allowing it to deal high damage even at further ranges. Higher upgrades increase the amount of projectiles fired.
* Blue: A blue lightning attack that sticks to enemies and continues to deal damage to them as long as the Fire button is held. Higher upgrades create more lightning shots

=== Items ===
----
''Tatsujin'' has several different collectible items to power up, change weapon type, and gain extra ships. Unlike items in many other games, the items in ''Tatsujin'' are stationary, and only move down the screen as the stage scrolls.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Collect 5 of these icons to power up weapon level. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin super power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Instantly powers up weapon to the next level. Appears in place of small powerups when enough are collected. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Speed-Up'''</div></small> || Speeds up ship's movement one level. Receive 5000 pts if at max speed level.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Bomb'''</div></small> || Adds one bomb to bomb stock. Receive 5000 pts if at max bomb stock of 10.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Red)'''</div></small> || Changes to red weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with red weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Blue)'''</div></small> || Changes to blue weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with blue weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Green)'''</div></small> || Changes to green weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with green weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 1up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''1UP (Extend)'''</div></small> || Gain 1 extra ship. Must use a specific weapon to shoot a specific ground target. Stage 1: green, Stage 2: red, Stage 5: blue
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''2UP'''</div></small> || Gain 2 extra ships. Must acquire many items before dying as it is very high on the item table. Likely to spawn at Stage 3 if no ships have been lost.

|}

The item dropped by each successive item carrier cycles according to the table below. A death will reset the cycle to the beginning. This determines the type of item ''contained'' by carriers rather than the item that appears when the container is destroyed. In other words, whether or not an item is actually released has no impact on the progression of the cycle.
<br/><br/>
{|
|+ '''Item Drop Cycle'''
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''1''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''2''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''3''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 4''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 5''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 6''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]</div>
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 7''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 8''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 9''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| '''10''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''11''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''12''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''13''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''14''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''15''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''16''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''17''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''18''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''19''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''20''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''21''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''22''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''23''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''24''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''25''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''26''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''27''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''28''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''29''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''30''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''31''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''32''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''33''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''34''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''35''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''36''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''37''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''38''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''39''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''40''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''41''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''42''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''43''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''44''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''45''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''46''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''47''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''48''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''49''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''50''' [[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|32px]]
| '''51''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''52''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''53''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''54''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''55''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''56''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''57''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''58''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''59''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''60''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
</div>
|}
<br/>

===Hit Box===
----
The ship's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers nearly the entire ship, excluding the tips of the cockpit and wings. The hit box can be made thinner by moving the ship horizontally.

[[File:TATSUJIN_HITBOXES.gif]]

=== Rank ===
----
Rank increases as the player progresses through more areas of the game. At higher rank, enemies fire more often, and the overall bullet speed increases.

''rank = base + area/2'' <br/>

The maximum value is 24. After the first loop the rank no longer changes when a new area is reached and remains fixed at the maximum value of 24.

The base rank value is determined by the region and the difficulty setting:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | Difficulty !! colspan="2" | Region
|-
! JP !! INT
|-
! Easy
| 0 || 0
|-
! Normal
| 4 || 1
|-
! Hard
| 8 || 2
|-
! Very Hard
| 12 || 3
|}

''bullet speed = 24 + rank/2 + difficulty/2 + power*2 + loop*2''</br>
The maximum value of bullet speed is 80 and it continually increases each time the game is looped.
The maximum speed will be reached by loop 22.

=== Loops ===
----
Like many early Toaplan games, ''Tatsujin'' loops infinitely, with each loop starting after defeating the boss of stage 5.

=== Scoring ===
----
Destroy All, Don't Die (DADD Scoring).

Every enemy is worth a flat amount of points, with point gain increasing with every loop. Collecting excess items rewards the player with an extra 5000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Tatsujin/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
The evil Gidans attacked the transport ship Belery. The forces of planet Borogo must retrieve Belery's cargo of secret weapons. However, the Gidans are in between them and the weapons. Fearless ace pilot, Tom the Bomb, volunteers for the mission. Tom's commanding officer tells him to fly the Super Fighter. It is equipped with such power weapons that no one dared using them before. So the lone fighter sets off to far reaches of space to rescue the cargo and defeat the Gidans. <ref>https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Sega_Genesis//Manual/formated/Truxton_-_Tatsujin_-_1989_-_Sega.pdf</ref>

The game takes place in space and passes over 8 asteroids in the following order: Blue, Yellow, Red, Orchid, Purple, Poison, Galaxy Pool, and Magman.

There are 5 Gidan bosses called Monster Powers and they appear at the end of each stage.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Boss Name
|-
| Stage 1 || J-Tank
|-
| Stage 2 || Badron
|-
| Stage 3 || Dosvam
|-
| Stage 4 || Gurus
|-
| Stage 5 || Dogurava
|}

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==
===PC Port===
A PC port of the arcade version is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022910/Twin_Cobra/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Includes all versions of the game.
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Widescreen Mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
<br/>
----

== Trivia ==
* Cool facts and random tidbits go here!
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video_Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

Kyuukyoku Tiger

2023-04-04T06:35:53Z

NullNotBub: /* Version Differences */ Added info about the Bitwave Games port.

[[File:Kyuukyoku_Tiger.png|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Kyuukyoku Tiger
|background = #f8f8f8
|image =KTiger_title_screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[Toaplan]]
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge, Tatsuya Uemura
|
|art = Kōetsu Iwabuchi
|
|releasedate = 1987
|previousgame = [[Hishouzame]]
|nextgame = [[Tatsujin]]
}}

__TOC__

== Kyuukyoku Tiger / Twin Cobra ==
Shooting game from [[Toaplan]]. 1987. Published by [[Taito]]. The sequel to ''[[Tiger-Heli]]''. Known outside of Japan as ''Twin Cobra''.

== Gameplay Overview ==
''Kyuukyoku Tiger'' is a highly rudimentary game with a barebones control format and marathon-like game loop. There are ten stages in the game, with the latter five games serving as re-arranged versions of the first five stages. The game loops infinitely, with each loop increasing bullet speed and enemy aggression.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires your Weapon. There is no auto-fire functionality in the game.
* '''B:''' Fires a Bomb. Bombs have a brief delay before they become active, and the player is '''not''' invincible at any point during the bomb.

=== Weapons ===
----
There are four weapons to choose from in ''Kyuukyoku Tiger'', each one identified by the '''color''' of the weapon pickup. Every weapon has several power levels that offers increased firepower and slightly varies the weapon functionality.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger-Red.png|50px]]<br>'''Vulcan''' (Red)</div> || Fires a straight shot. Concurrent upgrades increase the number of bullets shot at once, and very marginally increases the horizontal range of the weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger-Blue.png|50px]]<br>'''Spread''' (Blue)</div> || Fires a series of blue bullets that increase in size and amount with upgrades. When upgraded twice, the weapon gains a 3-way spread fire, which then upgrades to a 5-way.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger-Green.png|50px]]<br>'''Laser''' (Green)</div> || A variation on the straight shot that features increased power and refire rate, but a narrower bullet range.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger-Yellow.png|50px]]<br>'''Four-Way''' (Yellow)</div> || Fires a multi-directional shot. When upgraded to level 3, it begins firing from the left and right of the helicopter, as well as from behind.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger_Star.png|50px]]<br>'''P-Star'''</div> || Awards 100pts. Tallied at the end of the stage for bonus points.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger-Red.png|50px]] [[File:KTiger-Blue.png|50px]] [[File:KTiger-Green.png|50px]] [[File:KTiger-Yellow.png|50px]]<br>'''Weapon Pickup'''</div>|| Switches the weapon the player is using based on the color. Awards 2000pts on collection if the color is the same as the shot already used, 100pts otherwise.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger_Power_Up.png|50px]]<br>'''Power Up'''</div> || Increases the player's weapon power level by 1. Once the player is fully powered up, the item is replaced by the Weapon Pickup.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger_Bomb.png|50px]]<br>'''Bomb'''</div> || Awards a bomb to the player. The player can hold up to 7 bombs, and the item will be replaced by the Weapon Pickup if the player already has a full bomb stock.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:KTiger_1up.png|50px]]<br>'''1UP'''</div> || Awards an extend to the player.
|-
|}

=== Loops ===
----
''Kyuukyoku Tiger'', like many early Toaplan shmups, features an '''infinite loop''', allowing the skilled player to play the game forever as long as they're able to keep up with the scaling increase in enemy bullet speed and general ferocity.

=== Scoring ===
----
Scoring in ''Kyuukyoku Tiger'' is extremely basic, with each enemy and item offering a flat amount of points. Like most Toaplan games, Kyuukyoku Tiger loops infinitely, and scoring is essentially done by clearing several loops. There are, however, a few details that can improve the player's score on a given loop. However, most of the scoring will come from dying as little as possible.

=====End-Stage Bonus=====

The player is awarded '''3000pts''' for every P-Star they collected in the stage. If the player dies in a stage, any Stars collected on that life are lost.

=====Weapon pickup=====

If the item is collected while its color is the same as the shot the player was already using, they are awarded 2000 points. Otherwise, they only get 100 points.

=====Infinite pattern=====

The final boss doesn't time out, while enemy tanks will appear infinitely. By using the yellow shot type (four-way) and staying in a safespot while shooting, it is possible to destroy the tanks as they spawn without damaging the boss, making the score slowly increase. Players aiming to record their high scores on public leaderboards are discouraged from using this sort of exploit to earn points.

=====Not bombing=====

If the player has a full bomb stock (7), any item drop that would have been a bomb will be replaced by a weapon pickup, and therefore with the opportunity to get 2000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Kyuukyoku Tiger/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>

----

=== Weapon choice ===

The '''blue''' weapon is universally considered the best weapon at high power. It has great coverage when the player has collected a few power-ups, and can deal extremely high damage when pointblanking a boss. Considering the fact that enemies in this game tend to spawn in corners of the screen, the blue weapon's spread makes it perfect to deal with such threats.

The '''red''' weapon is acceptable at low power. With only 2 or 3 power ups, it is the most convenient solution for pointblanking bosses, as the player doesn't have to stay too close. However, outside of this niche use case, the player should aim to switch to the '''blue''' weapon as soon as possible.

The '''green''' weapon can deal high damage to a boss, but has terrible coverage and will struggle for stage portions. It has to be used with extreme caution.

The '''yellow''' weapon is considered the worst in the game. The way it shoots means that pointblanking is impossible, and this weapon will struggle to damage any middle-sized enemy or boss.

=== Autofire ===

Autofire is greatly recommended for this game, and modern ports come with appropriate options.

The player can make great use of a '''30hz''' (1 frame ON, 1 frame OFF) button in order to deal with bosses, and will have to stay close to them in order to take advantage of the high firing rate.

However, '''30hz''' is not optimal for stages, because the game's shot limit prevents the player from having more than 4 volleys on screen at a time. If using '''30hz''' all the time, all the volleys will be grouped together, but will leave big gaps before the next 4 volleys are fired, exposing the player. To mitigate this, the player can either start by tapping manually in order to spread their volleys, then start using 30hz, or simply use another autofire frequency (close to '''8''' or '''10hz'''), which will leave smaller gaps between volleys and should deal with all the smaller threats.

=== Bomb usage ===

In typical early Toaplan fashion, bombs should be considered a secondary weapon that the player may want to use in order to deal with the most dangerous parts of the game, namely bosses. Since the player cannot hold more than 7 bombs anyway, and because the point penalty for using a bomb is extremely low (the player would only lose the opportunity to score 2000 points), it is recommended to use bombs for the parts a player would struggle with.

It should be noted that many bosses can be killed quickly by using a bomb for safety, then moving up close and shooting them down with 30hz autofire. Considering how difficult bosses in this game can be, the player may want to allocate bombs specifically for some bosses.

=== Stage 7 Boss ===

This boss is a massive wall for newcomers, and is arguably the hardest in the whole game. There are two common ways of dealing with it.

The first one requires the player to bomb and pointblank one of the two halves of the boss, destroying it as soon as possible. Then, the player has to move in circles around the boss, dodging the aimed bullets. From there, the player can simply keep dodging until the boss time outs, which happens fairly quickly, or move below to destroy the other part. This approach is unreliable in higher loops, as the boss' movement is seemingly random, and bullets much faster.

The second one is a pacifist approach, which is actually consistent and will see the boss moving in the exact same way every time. The player should absolutely '''not''' shoot in order to not destroy the junction between the two tanks. Then, it is simply a matter of moving left and right, tapping slowly, and finding opportunities to move to the other side.

== Development History ==
During the development of ''[[Slap Fight]]'', the developers at Toaplan had already developed the "shot + bomb" structure of Hishouzame and Kyuukyoku Tiger, intending to focus mostly on "the simple thrill of shooting and dodging".

Kyuukyoku Tiger was received well both in and outside of Japan, quoted as being Toaplan's "biggest hit".

----

== Version Differences ==
The international release of Kyuukyoku Tiger is known as '''''Twin Cobra''''', and it features a few key differences that separate it from the original game, and make for an overall easier experience. Aside from the extend setting, all international Twin Cobra versions are assumed to be functionally the same.
* Kyuukyoku Tiger features a [[checkpoint]] system, where ''Twin Cobra'' simply respawns you instantly on death. This change can allow you to fly past troublesome sections, but can also heavily affect routing and death recovery, as you can end up going a very long time woefully underpowered.
* In ''Twin Cobra'', if the player dies against a boss, the boss will see its HP greatly lowered. Generally, only a few shots will be needed to finish it.
* The overall '''flying speed''' of the heli in ''Twin Cobra'' is faster than in ''Kyuukyoku Tiger''.
* ''Twin Cobra'' reduces the number of shots you can fire at once to three, whereas ''Kyuukyoku Tiger'' allows four.
* ''Twin Cobra'' allows two players to play simultaneously, while ''Kyuukyoku Tiger'' is limited to one player.
* The extend thresholds in default dip switches are different from version to version. In ''Kyuukyoku Tiger'', the first extend is awarded at 70k points, then every 200k points (270k, 470k...). In World ''Twin Cobra'', the first extend is awarded at 50k points, then every 150k points (200k, 350k...). In US ''Twin Cobra'', only 1 extend at 100k points is awarded. It should be noted that while the default dip switches in MAME are set at 50k/150k for both US and World, the manual for US arcade operators states that one extend at 100k points is considered the default setting.

===PC Port===
A PC port of the arcade version is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022910/Twin_Cobra/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Includes both versions of the game.
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Widescreen Mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
<br/>
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Kyuukyuku Tiger/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>

----

== References ==
<small>
# "Toaplan Developer Interview -- Gamest, September 1990, translated into EN by Shmupulations | http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-gamest/
</small>

Zero Wing

2023-04-04T06:33:06Z

NullNotBub: /* Version Differences */ Added info about the Bitwave Games port.

[[File:Zerowing logo.gif|center]]
== Introduction ==
[[File:Zerowing-start screen.png|thumb|left|240px|Title screen of the 2-player arcade version.]]
'''Zero Wing''' is a horizontally scrolling [[shoot-em up]] that was developed by [[Toaplan]] and released to the arcades in 1989 by [[Taito]] in Japan. The player controls the ZIG-01 ship through a total of eight different stages. Zero Wing is one of few and the last horizontal shmup that [[Toaplan]] developed. It is a slight departure from a typical Toaplan shooter as the spaceship does not have bombs but rather is equipped with a tractor beam that can grab some enemies. Mostly arcade faithful ports were made for the PC Engine CD-ROM in Japan and the Sega Mega Drive in Japan and Europe that added more story elements.

While Zero Wing is a decent and worthwhile game, most people know of it by the meme "All Your Base Are Belong To Us". The English translation of the European Mega Drive version with the added story elements was done very poorly and the opening story sequence became one of the most popular internet memes of all time.<ref>https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-memes-of-all-time</ref>

== Gameplay Overview ==
Zero Wing has 8 way directional controls with 2 buttons for shot and tractor beam. Small enemies can be captured by the tractor beam. Captured enemies can be held and used as front shields or launched forward at other enemies. The tractor beam can also be used to collect items. On default settings, the player starts with 2 extra lives in stock with [[Help:Glossary#Extend|Extends]] awarded after the first 200,000 points and every subsequent 500,000 points earned.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press):''' Shoots a single shot
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires continuous shots of blue laser and homing missiles
* '''B (Press):''' Fires captured enemy forward
* '''B (Hold):''' Activates tractor beam

The built-in continuous fire is very slow and will not be sufficient in many cases, so an external autofire setup is recommended. While Zero Wing has a shot limit, it is not evenly divided - the main ship is given priority with respect to the shot limit and once it has consumed all the available player projectiles, very few to none will be fired by the options. The lower option has minimum priority and will often fire nothing at all if using a high autofire frequency. For this reason, there will be many situations where it is better to tap rapidly the A button manually, to allow for an even distribution of projectiles between the main ship and the two options.

=== Weapons ===
----
[[File:Zw weapon.png|320px|thumb|right|How the three weapons behave at each power level. The final column shows the effect of the secret [[#Special Power Up | special powerup]]]]
Each weapon can be powered up to maximum of level 3.

'''<span style="color:red">Valcan Unit</span>''' ''(sic)'': Fires red bullets. Does not auto-fire by holding down the shot button.

'''<span style="color:blue">Laser Unit</span>:''' Fires blue laser beams. Auto-fires by holding down the shot button. Can shoot through enemies but not walls.

'''<span style="color:green">Homing Unit</span>:''' Auto-fires by holding down the shot button. Fires homing missiles that lock on to the nearest target

=== Items ===
----

[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||40px]]
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||40px]]
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||40px]] '''Weapon''': can be collected to either switch between weapons or to power up the ship by one level.

[[File:Zero wing bomb icon small.png||40px]] '''Super Bomb:'''
In order to be used, it has to be launched with the tractor beam button. It can be used as a front shield as well, and will go off after it takes three hits or collides with an enemy or obstacle.

[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||40px]] '''Speed Up:'''
Increases the ship's speed by one level, up to four times.

[[File:Zero_Wing_Special_Item.png||40px]] '''Special:'''
Only appears under certain conditions. Increases the ship's power once more, beyond the normal level 3 cap. While in this state the option pods are greatly increased in size, enabling them to block bullets and enemies more effectively.

==== Item Cycle ====

Items always appear in repeating sets of four, the second set ending with a bomb instead of a speed item, creating a simple 16-item cycle. Upon death, the cycle returns to the start. Unlike some other Toaplan games, the cycle only advances when an item itself appears, not when its carrier appears.

{| class="wikitable"
! 1
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 2
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 3
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 4
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 5
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 6
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 7
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 8
|
[[File:Zero wing bomb icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 9
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 10
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 11
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 12
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 13
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 14
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 15
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 16
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|}

The number of item-carrying enemies varies between stages, and within the stages the exact number of carriers that appear may vary depending on the speed with which certain large enemies are eliminated.
Starting at the second [[Help:Glossary#Loop|loop]], the first stage contains two fewer item carriers. This is because the player enters the stage at a slightly later point in comparison with the first loop.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
! Stage
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8
|-
! Carriers
| 14 (12) || 15 || 10 || 2 || 15 || 12 || 26 || 11
|}
==== Special Power Up ====

In order for the special power up item to appear, the following conditions must be met when destroying an item carrier:

* The player must have reached the standard maximum power.
* The player must have reached maximum speed.
* The player must not already have the special power up.

And either of the two sets of conditions below must also be true:

A
* The item released is the 40th item from the start of the game or since the last death.
* The player is either carrying or currently using a bomb (otherwise a bomb will be dropped by the carrier instead).

B
* The item released would have been a power up of the weapon the player is currently using.
* The number of frames the player has survived for is a multiple of 32.

==== Extend Items ====

Collecting extra items beyond maximum power or speed usually provides a 5000 point bonus instead. Occasionally, instead of a point bonus, the item will grant a 1-up, awarding an extra life to the player, or even a 10-up awarding 10 extra lives. The latter will be awarded if the number of frames the player has survived upon collection of the item is divisible by 64, while the former is awarded if it is not divisible by 64 but is divisible by 16. Therefore, each bonus item collected has a 1/64 chance of awarding the 10-up, and 1/16 - 1/64 = 3/64 chance of awarding the 1-up. This may only happen once per game, and receiving one of these will prevent the player from receiving the other without starting a new game. Naturally this makes receiving a 1-up item undesirable as it means the 10-up is lost for that game. It is therefore expected that one will see the 10-up in around a quarter of the games that receive either, with the 1-up appearing in the remaining three quarters.

=== Hit Box ===
----
The [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] of the ship in Zero Wing is narrower than the sprite but about 75% as long as the sprite minus the blue thruster flame.

[[File:Zero wing hit box.png|100px]]

=== Options ===
----
The two [[Help:Glossary#Option|options]] of the ship always fly with one above and one below. They are indestructible and can absorb enemy fire. This can be used to protect the player ship from enemy fire, although diagonally aimed shots may be able to sneak past the options and hit the player. Each power level gained will cause the options to increase in size.

When navigating confined spaces or passing by a large enemy, the options will draw in closer to the player. This can be caused deliberately by using clever positioning in order to increase the concentration of fire within a certain vertical range.

[[File:Zero wing ship with options.png|60px]]

=== Rank ===
----
[[Help:Glossary#Rank|Rank]], along with the [[#Weapons | weapon]] the player is currently using, determines the speed of bullets and the frequency of enemy attacks. The red weapon contributes the least to the game's difficulty while the green weapon contributes the most. The player's power level also makes a minor contribution to the difficulty, but as both the power level and weapon are numerically limited to very low values the vast majority of the effect comes directly from the rank level itself.

Rank starts at a base level determined by the difficulty DIP switch setting (starting at 0 for the easiest setting and adding 2 for each higher setting) and increments after each stage. Unlike most Toaplan games, both the rank and the bullet speed have no upper limit and will increase indefinitely.

==== HP scaling ====
Enemy HP is affected by the weapon the player is using when the enemy appears. The corresponding multiplier for each weapon is applied to be the base value HP:

{| class="wikitable"
! Weapon
! Multiplier
|-
! style="width: 30pt;" | Red
| 1.5
|-
!Blue
| 3 or 5 *
|-
!Green
| 5
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> For some enemy types, such as grounded turrets, several types of zako enemies and the various parts of the stage 5 boss, the blue weapon multiplier is x3. For others, the multiplier is x5 like the green weapon.

The presence of HP scaling opens up a potential strategy of delaying a planned weapon change until after a particular enemy appears in order to influence the amount of HP it receives to the player's advantage. This will usually consist of taking the red weapon before a particularly dangerous enemy appears so that it receives the minimum amount of HP possible, then immediately switching back to the more powerful green weapon to destroy it as quickly as possible.

==== Attack timing ====
There is some randomness to how soon after appearing enemies will first attack. Regardless of the current rank or stage, every enemy that appears will take either 16, 32, 48 or 64 frames before first attacking, the actual value being derived by combining the current frame counter with an enemy spawn counter. This makes some of the bosses that consist of multiple parts more challenging, as this randomness will cause the attacks of the various parts to synchronise in an unpredictable way. After a death, both counters are reset to zero, making it possible to predict enemy behaviour for a while based on where the death occurred. As bosses will last a variable number of frames based on the player's actions, this predictability is usually lost at the start of the next stage (unless the player makes a deliberate effort to preserve it by waiting for the boss' time limit to expire).

After the random intitial delay, the rank level will then determine the time between subsequent attacks. Although the bullet speed will continue to increase forever (even to the point where the collision detection begins to fail), the maximum attack frequency that the game allows is once every 64 frames. This limit will be reached some time into the fourth loop.

Very rarely, attacks may disregard rank and the standard timing methods entirely and trigger only when the frame counter that continually increases from the start of the player's current life reaches certain cyclical values. Some midboss attacks may behave in this way, such as those of the first stage's midboss.

=== Loops ===
----
Both 1P and 2P arcade versions [[Help:Glossary#Loop|loop infinitely]] as do the Mega Drive versions. The PC Engine CD version does not loop. In addition to the gameplay differences brought on by looping, there is a small easter egg to be found in the ending story - the year of the battle increases by 8 (one year per stage), with each successive loop that is cleared.

The difficulty continues to increase indefinitely through looping. With each stage cleared, the [[#Rank | rank]], and therefore the speed of bullets, increases unchecked. Although the game has no end in theory, the lack of any upper limit to restrain the bullet speed will eventually cause the difficulty to rise to a near-impossible level.

==== Penalty Bullets ====
[[File:Penalty.png|thumb|right|240px|A stage 2 enemy demonstrates the varying number of penalty bullets in each loop, from loop 1 (top-left), to loop 4 and beyond (bottom-right).]]
In addition to the increasing rank, many enemies, including those that did not fire at all in the first loop, will begin firing additional bullets in the second, with the number of bullets increasing each loop until reaching a maximum in the fourth:

{| class="wikitable"
! style="width: 30pt;" | Loop
! style="width: 10pt;" | Bullets
|-
! 1
| 0
|-
! 2
| 1
|-
! 3
| 3
|-
! 4+
| 5
|}

While most enemy types encountered do not have these penalty bullets, the ones that do tend to appear in large groups. This causes the game difficulty to rise dramatically at the start of the third and fourth loops as the number of penalty bullets increases. The player is fortunately given some respite as these enemy types are largely concentrated in the early stages, with both stages 6 and 7 being devoid of them entirely.

=== Scoring ===
----
After reaching maximum power, each additional power up of the same weapon equipped provides 5000 points, as does collecting a speed up item while at maximum speed. Dying can cause an immediate loss of up to 35000 points as the items that would have provided these points must go towards restoring the player's power and speed instead. Holding onto a bomb item without using or losing it will cause the next bomb drop to be replaced with a speed item, which will also provide an extra 5000 points if the player has reached the maximum speed. Being at maximum speed will also allow the [[#Items | special power up]] item to appear, which provides 50000 points when collected. A 5000 point loss is incurred when receiving the [[#Extend Items | 10-UP or 1-UP from collecting an item]], but the benefits of receiving the 10-UP far outweigh this cost.

In most cases, capturing and launching an enemy with the tractor beam does not provide any score until the enemy is destroyed by colliding with some other object. In this case, it is worth the same number of points as when destroying it directly.

Some midbosses and bosses also award [[Help:Glossary#Tick Points|tick points]], repeatedly giving 10 points each time the enemy is damaged. Since the equipped weapon influences enemy HP, it also influences the number of points that can be obtained in this way.

In the fourth stage there are five instances of Toaplan's mascot, Pipiru, hidden behind scenery throughout the stage. Capturing Pipiru with the tractor beam awards 10,000 points, while destroying it only provides 100 points.

Destroying some of the [[Help:Glossary#Mid-Boss|mid-boss]] enemies quickly will provide some additional enemy waves that would not have appeared otherwise, which can be destroyed for some extra points.

=== Secrets ===
----
* Holding up on the controls at the end of stage 4 will result in a message of thanks from Toaplan's mascot, Pipiru.
* There is a warp zone in stage 5, by taking the path above the final upper section of rail. This warp brings the player straight to the final stage but only exists in the first loop of the game. Using this warp awards a bonus of 70,000 points, although this is much less than the amount that can be obtained simply by playing through the stages in full.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

=== Pipiru Locations ===

[[File:zw_pipiru.png|360px|thumb|right|The location of the five Pipiru characters that are hidden throughout the fourth stage.]]

The locations of the five hidden Pipiru characters in Stage 4 (which grant 10,000 points when picked up with the tractor beam):

1) Immediately at the top of the screen at the start of the stage, hidden behind the foreground.</br>
2) In the water immediately before the first section of the large red battleship.</br>
3) At the top of the screen, hidden behind the foreground, at the beginning of the section of the battleship featuring the long rope.</br>
4) At the top of the screen, hidden behind the foreground, at the midpoint of the section of the battleship featuring the long rope.</br>
5) In the water below the boss.</br>

=== Tricks ===

==== 10-UP Manipulation in Stage 1 ====

This trick allows the player always to receive the [[#Extend Items | 10-UP]] item near the end of the first stage. Though this trick is quite difficult to perform, it can become very consistent with sufficient practice. The trick takes advantage of the frame-counter initialisation at the start of the player's very first life, and the automatically scrolling nature of the game progression. The immediate benefit of performing this trick is to remove the possibility of receiving the inferior 1-UP in its place, which as noted above will happen in about 75% of all games that do not make use of any deliberate manipulation. The process of performing the manipulation can be outlined in a few steps:

1) The correct item locations must be maintained throughout the entire stage. In practice, this means that no deaths are permitted, and all item carriers within the stage must be destroyed.

2) The player must '''only''' use the red weapon throughout the stage. Though the green weapon is superior, its use during the stage is precluded by the fact that the 10-UP may only be granted once the player has reached maximum power, requiring the player to pick up at least 4 items of the same weapon type, and this cannot be achieved with green items in a single stage. Use of the red weapon will make some large enemies in the stage more difficult to handle and effective strategies for dealing with these enemies must be practiced.

3) More optionally, but very highly recommended is for the player to avoid collecting speed up items until after the 10-UP is received. This is for the simple fact that the manipulation requires some careful positioning of the player's ship and gaining speed only serves to make this more difficult than necessary. There are two speed up items in the stage and the player may choose to collect all, one or none of them depending on their confidence in finding the required position at these speeds.

4) Just before reaching the third red item, which should grant maximum power, a bomb item will appear. This bomb is also crucial in performing the trick and must be kept. It will explode after taking three hits or immediately upon colliding with an enemy or terrain. Holding onto the bomb will also prevent the tractor beam from being used so strategies for dealing with enemies without the tractor beam will need to be relied upon for the remainder of the stage.

5) The trick involves the bomb making contact with a specific enemy. This contact causes two hits of damage to the bomb so it's recommended to allow the bomb to be hit once or twice (but no more) by enemy fire before this point so that it explodes upon contact. It isn't necessary for the bomb to explode to perform the trick but this explosion makes performing the trick somewhat safer. This is another optional part of the trick left to the discretion of the player.

6) Once the player is at full power and has the bomb, the midboss of the stage must be destroyed quickly, and without using the bomb. This requires the use of an autofire button set to 30HZ, as it is necessary to destroy the boss just after its first dive to the bottom of the screen, but before its subsequent rise beyond the mid-point of the screen. The reason for this is that there is an item carrier which shortly follows, and this carrier will not appear at all if the midboss is still on the screen. This carrier must be destroyed to preserve the correct locations of subsequent items, so this cannot be allowed. Upon destruction the midboss slowly sinks and falls off the bottom of the screen - the higher it is upon destruction, the longer this animation will take and the greater the chance that the item carrier will be missed.

7) The large red ships that appear after the waves of green enemies are difficult to handle with the red weapon and the inability to use the tractor beam or the bomb. The best strategy seems to be to stay at close range and block the enemies' 3-way shots at the point of origin using the lower option.</br>
[[File:Zw red ships.png|80px]]

8) The final stage of the trick is the most difficult and is extremely time-sensitive. After dealing with the two large, red enemies, there will be two smaller enemies appearing from the openings in the terrain. The first will appear from the left opening, the second from the right. These must both be destroyed as quickly as possible using the three-way shot of the lower option at close range. Immediately after the second is destroyed there is about two or three seconds to find the correct horizontal position. This is a two-pixel window and both valid positions are shown in the GIFs below. The correct positioning can be determined by examining the location of the dark pixels within the player's bullet spreads while firing at 30HZ.

[[File:10up px1.gif|300px]]
[[File:10up px2.gif|300px]]

9) Once either of the valid horizontal positions has been found, the player must travel to a low vertical position to destroy a purple turret using the lower option. During this time, another enemy will have emerged from the right-most opening and will now fire an aimed three-way spread. This spread should be dodged by moving directly up from the vertical position required to destroy the turret, into the vertical position that will soon be occupied by the next item carrier that is about to appear.

[[File:10UP spread dodge.png|640px]]

10) After finding the correct horizontal position, destroying the turret, dodging the enemy's spread, and finding the correct vertical position for collision with the item carrier and subsequent collision with the item it releases, the success of the trick is all but assured. The final step is to stop shooting and allow the item carrier to collide with the bomb the player has been carrying. As noted above, the bomb will explode if it has taken any hits previously, but will destroy the carrier without exploding if it has not taken any hits, and this doesn't affect the trick other than having to destroy the 3-way enemy with the shot as it escapes to the right instead of it being destroyed in the explosion. If the player has positioned the ship correctly, the bomb collision will destroy the carrier upon the intended frame, and the player should collect the red item it drops by remaining perfectly still and allowing it to drift into the player as it is carried by the stage's automatic scrolling. If all was done correctly, this will result in collecting the item on frame 13120 of the current life. As this is divisible by 64, this will award the player the 10-UP.

==== Double Special Item ====

As noted above, the [[#Special Power Up | Special item ]] can be made to appear by fulfilling one of two different sets of conditions. Normally, the special item will only appear once at most per life as it only ever appears when the player is at the standard maximum power. Despite this, there are rare cases where it's possible for the item to appear twice, by fulfilling both sets of conditions simultaneously, in an area where two item carriers appear in quick succession. This could be achieved by having the green weapon and having the special item randomly take the place of the green 39th item via condition B as outlined above, and then immediately receiving it again via condition A at item 40. Alternatively, this can be done in reverse order by having the red weapon and fulfilling condition A with item 40, then fulfilling condition B with the red 41st item. Both cases require manipulation of the item sequence so that these item numbers occur with two item carriers that appear together. This manipulation can be done either by dying deliberately at a specific point or by allowing a specific number of item carriers to leave without destroying them. As condition B only ever occurs with a 1/32 probability, this is still a very rare event even if all other conditions to produce it are set up correctly (although a long and precise manipulation pattern could possibly be crafted to remove this random element, in a similar way to the 10-UP manipulation outlined above). The only real benefit of successfully performing it is that the 50,000 point bonus received upon collecting the special item can be received twice.

== Story ==
'''Arcade versions:''' They do not have an opening story. The ending of the 1st loop in the arcade versions describe that all bases of CATS were destroyed. However, things are not peaceful as CATS is still alive and ZIG-01 must fight CATS again.

'''Mega Drive version:''' This is the infamous opening story where in 2101 A.D. a space war erupted. The Captain has been informed that explosives have been planted in his ship and he receives an incoming transmission. It's CATS! He informs the Captain that he has cooperated with the Federation Government Forces and taken over all the bases. CATS threatens to blow up the Captain's ship and end the lives of the crew. The Captain immediately commands all ZIG fighters to launch and restore hope for the future.<ref>https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zero_Wing</ref>

While the previous is a more accurate translation of the story, the original English translation tells it like no one other could:

[[File:Zero wing story 1.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 2.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 3b.png|270px]] [[File:Zero wing story 4.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 5.png|280px]] [[File:Zero wing story 6.png|265px]]

----

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==

=== Arcade Versions ===

There are two version of the arcade game, a 1P and 2P version. Both play similarly but the 1P version has a higher penalty for dying and is considered the more difficult version. Both versions have a red flash that appears every time an enemy is destroyed. This is an intentional part of the game and not a video error. The flashing effect was removed in the home versions of the game.

* '''1P arcade version:''' This more difficult version has checkpoints, returning the player to one of several points in a stage upon losing a life. The player is returned to the default red weapon, at minimum power and minimum speed and with no options.

* '''2P arcade version:''' This version does not have checkpoints - the player's next life begins in the same place the last one ended. Like the 1P version, all speed and power is lost upon death, but the player keeps the pod options and weapon they were using.

==== Changes made in the 2P version ====

===== General =====

* The number of shots each player can fire at once is lower.
* The player begins the game with the pod options activated, instead of having to power up once to activate them.
* The player's minimum speed is increased by 4 and the player's maximum speed is decreased by 4, meaning that the maximum speed is reached after just three speed items instead of four.
* The secret [[#Secrets | warp zone]] in stage 5 has been removed.
* The final stage's [[#Final Boss Softlock | softlock bug]] has been eliminated by automatically launching the captured projectile before despawning it upon destruction of the penultimate stage's boss.
* The hidden [[#Extend Items | extend items]] are no longer purely time-based - the total number of enemies that have appeared so far is also introduced as a factor.

===== Items =====
* The [[#Item Cycle | item cycle]] begins at the second item in the cycle. This is presumably to prevent the player from powering up too quickly, due to always starting the player with the two pod options.
* Bomb drops occur twice as frequently as they do in the 1P version.
* Dying does not reset the item drop cycle to the start.
* The [[#Special Power Up | special power up item]] has been completely removed from the game.

===== Difficulty =====
* [[#Rank | Rank]] is summed with the first and second players' power levels (even if only one person is playing) to determine bullet speed and attack frequency, instead of power level and the equipped weapon.
* HP is scaled differently - for a single player the HP is multiplied by 1, 2 or 3 for the red, blue and green weapons respectively. With two players the HP is calculated as base * 1P weapon + base * 2P weapon / 4
* The enemy waves at the beginning of stage 5 do not fire any bullets in the first loop of the game, even while using the green weapon.
* The stage 5 boss's side parts are indestructible, meaning that the player must deal with their attacks throughout. The side parts fire in pairs instead of all four parts firing independently - the top left and bottom right parts fire simultaneously, alternating with the top right and bottom left parts.

===== Tractor Beam =====
* The capturing range of the Tractor beam has been reduced.
* Colliding a captured object with another object will only damage the captured object, not both objects involved in the collision.
* Captured objects that are destroyed in a collision do not award any points, even when launched.

===== Score =====
* The 10,000 point bonus is no longer awarded for capturing any of the five hidden [[#Scoring | Pipiru]] characters in stage 4, only the 100 points given for destroying them with the shot.
* Points are no longer awarded for damaging certain boss and midboss enemies. Points are only awarded for destruction of these enemies.
* Points are no longer awarded whenever the indestructible enemies in stage 6 eat through walls.
* Item carriers are now worth 0 points instead of 300 points.
* When destroying the main part of an enemy composed of multiple parts, the points of any remaining secondary parts are no longer awarded, only the points of the main part itself.
* The stage 5 midboss gives 15,000 points, where it previously did not give any points due to a bug.
* The main part of the stage 5 boss awards 10,000 points where it previously was not worth any points.

===PC Port===
A PC port of the arcade version is available on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2011900/Zero_Wing/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
<br/>
----

===Home Console Versions===

==== Mega Drive Port ====
This version is a fairly faithful port of the 1P arcade version, albeit with a slight graphical downgrade due to the Mega Drive color palette. It has the same checkpoints and power down rules as the 1P arcade version. It provides more story and cut scenes to the beginning of the game. The Japanese release contains 35 different endings that can be seen at the end of each loop completed. The latter 32 endings all have a picture of CATS with dialog underneath that makes reference to something in 1960's and 1970's Japanese pop culture.<ref>https://legendsoflocalization.com/zero-wing-had-32-weird-secret-endings-in-japan/</ref>

Unlike the arcade version, the full height of the playable area is not all on screen at once, instead scrolling with the player as they move vertically. This seems to have introduced a small amount of so-called [[Help:Glossary#Bullet wobble|bullet wobble]], in which the enemy bullets appear to move with the screen as it scrolls.

The difficulty has been reduced drastically from the arcade version, which is especially noticeable in the durability of enemies and in the speed of their bullets. There are now three difficulty levels to choose from - the higher the difficulty selected, the greater the starting amount of rank, which now increases every two stages instead of every stage and has a maximum limit of 16. Even the hardest difficulty level in the Mega Drive port is much easier than the arcade version.

At the start of each loop the player is returned to minimum power and speed, as if they had died. The player is also given the default red weapon and the item cycle is returned to the start. This is in contrast to the arcade version, in which the player retains the weapon, power, speed and position in the item cycle that they had at the end of the previous loop.

Score [[Help:Glossary#Extend|extends]] are given much more frequently in the Mega Drive port. The first is awarded at 70,000 points, instead of 200,000, and additional extends are awarded every 100,000 points instead of 500,000. This unfortunately created an infinite pattern at the final boss as the boss alone can award over 200,000 points, enough to earn two extends for every life spent to re-fight the boss. This turns the final checkpoint of the final stage into an infinite source of both score and extra lives.

The multi-directional [[#Penalty Bullets | penalty bullets]] fired by enemies after the first loop have been toned down. In the third loop, penalty atttacks contain two bullets instead of three, and contain three bullets instead of five in the fourth loop. Instead of reaching a permanent maximum density in the fourth loop, the number of bullets fired follows a four-loop cycle, returning to zero in the fifth loop.

The [[ #Special Power Up | Special ]] item no longer requires the player to reach maximum speed to appear, only standard maximum power. It also only ever appears randomly rather than after a specific number of items under certain conditions. The random [[#Extend Items | 10-up and 1-up bonuses]] are also no longer limited to one occurence per game as in the arcade version and may occur multiple times per game.

There is a test mode with the ability to level select, change power level, become invincible, and view the endings. Press: C, Up, B, Down, A, Left, Right, B, C, C, Right, Left, Right, A, Down, Start.

==== PC Engine CD Port ====

----

== Bugs ==

=== Stage 7 boss Softlock ===
Destroying the main part of the stage 7 boss before damaging the arm enough to trigger the second phase, and before the first phase time limit expires, will softlock the game, leaving the player unable to advance to the next stage.

=== Final Boss Softlock ===
Though also triggered by the stage 7 boss, this bug prevents the final eighth stage from ending after the boss escapes, leaving the player only the option to crash into the ground to restart from the final checkpoint. This softlock is ultimately caused by destroying the stage seven boss while holding one of its orb projectiles with the tractor beam. When the boss is destroyed these orbs instantly despawn including the one the player has captured. However the tractor beam is not appropriately updated as empty; it's still possible to launch this now nonexistent object and a pointer to what was once the location in memory of the captured enemy is maintained. The final stage is allowed to end only after there are no enemies remaining. Attempting to use the tractor beam before this point will 'launch' the nonexistent orb, turning on the relevant bit at the former location of the orb, flagging the object as being in a launched state. However since the object being launched no longer exists, the bit will never be turned off as this requires the object to either leave the screen or crash into something else. At the end of the final stage the presence of this bit will be counted as an enemy that still exists and the conditions to end the stage will never be met.
This bug was fortunately corrected in the [[#Version Differences | 2-Player version]] of the game, as the captured orb will be automatically launched upon destruction of the stage seven boss.

=== Missing Penalty Bullets? ===

The homing [[Help:Glossary#Popcorn|zako]] enemies which appear in stages 1, 3 and 6, and the larger dragon-like enemies which appear in stage 7, may have been intended to fire the same loop-based [[#Penalty Bullets | penalty bullets]] that are fired by many other enemies in the game. However, for these enemies specifically, the timers controlling their attacks are reset after performing their standard single-bullet attacks which occur in all loops of the game. As it is the same timer which is tested for the penalty attack immediately after being tested for the normal attack, the conditions for firing the penalty attack are never able to be fulfilled.

----

== "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" Meme and Trivia ==
* One of the earliest and most popular versions of the "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" meme was a dance track video hosted by New Grounds.<ref>https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/11940</ref> The music in this video was composed by Jeffrey Ray Roberts and called "Invasion of the Gabber Robots". It was a remix of Zero Wing game music with robotic voice samples of "All your base are belong to us". In February 2001, Bad_CRC created the infamous video using various images from a Something Awful AYB photoshop thread and Roberts' music.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us</ref>

* The meme was so popular in 2001 that it made it to local news broadcasts.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnDkgdIn_A</ref>

* The meme endures and was referenced in January of 2019 by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. <ref>https://mashable.com/article/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-all-your-base-tweet-meme/</ref>
----

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Primary info provided by [[User:Coreo|Coreo]]
</small>

OutZone

2023-04-04T06:11:49Z

NullNotBub: /* Ports */ Various patches fixed most of the sound issues.

[[File:Outzonelogo.jpg|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = OutZone
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Outzoneflyer.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan
|
|music = Tatsuya Uemura
|
|program = Naoki Ogiwara
|
|art = Person C
|
|releasedate = Late 1990
|previousgame = [[Same! Same! Same!]]
|nextgame = [[Vimana]]
}}

__TOC__

== OutZone ==

OutZone (アウトゾーン) is a vertical freely scrolling shmup developed by Toaplan in 1990. It was published by Tecmo in Japan, Romstar in North America, and Toaplan in Europe.

It was the 10th shmup developed by Toaplan.

OutZone never received any home console ports. M2's ShotTriggers division announced in April 2020 that they were developing a new port of OutZone for modern consoles. A PC port on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022920/Out_Zone/ Steam] was released in February 2023.

== Gameplay Overview ==
OutZone is a vertical freely scrolling shmup with 8-way movement, a shot button and a bomb button.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press, both main weapons):''' Fires a shot.
* '''A (Press, Super Ball):''' Launches a ball forward.
* '''A (Hold, 8 way main weapon and Super Burner):''' Auto fires at a fast rate.
* '''A (Hold, fixed main weapon):''' Auto fires but the shots do not repeat very fast.
* '''B:''' Launches a bomb. The bombs in this game generate fire that affects the entire area of the screen. The bombs are screen clearing and repeatedly damage enemy until the fire disappears. The bombed area also cancels all bullets. However, the player is not invincible when bombing and may still die if ramming into an enemy.

=== Weapons ===
----
You have access to two normal weapons and two special weapons. You can switch between the normal weapons by picking up the C items. The two main weapons can be upgraded by picking up two "P" items.
* The 8-directional laser fires in whatever direction you're moving, and creates a sweep of bullets as you change direction.
* The 3-way wide shot always shoots forward.
The two special weapons are used when collecting their corresponding SP item, randomly dropped by enemies.
* The Super Burner is similar to the 8-directional laser but with shorter range and increased power
* The Super Ball will rotate around you when you keep the button pressed, and will be launched forward when you release the button

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
|[[File:Outzonebombitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Bomb:''' Adds 1 to your bomb stock.
|-
|-
| [[File:Outzoneenergybox.PNG|100px]][[File:Outzoneeenergyitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Energy item:''' Partially fills up your energy bar. In two-player games, two energy items will appear in each container, and can only be collected by the player of the matching color.
|-
|-
|[[File:Outzonecitembox.PNG|100px]] [[File:Outzonecitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Change:''' Changes your main weapon to free range if you have fixed, or fixed if you have free range. If you have a special weapon (Super Burner or Super Ball) when picking it up, you go back to the main weapon you had just before.
|-
|-
|[[File:Powerup.PNG|100px]]||'''Power-Up:''' Dropped by red enemies, increases the power of your main weapon by 1 level. Two are required for full power.
|-
|[[File:Outzonesuperburner.PNG|100px]]||'''Yellow - Super Burner:''' Replaces your main shot with the Super Burner weapon, which can shoot a column of flames in 8 directions and based on your character's position.
|-
|[[File:Outzonesuperball.PNG|100px]]||'''Pink - Super Ball:''' Replaces your main shot with the Super Ball weapon, which has a constantly rotating ball that contact damages any enemies it touches and can be launched forwards with a button press.
|-
|[[File:Outzoneshelid.PNG|100px]]||'''Pale Pink - Shield:''' Gives the player a Shield that allows them to take one bullet without dying. The player will still die if they ram into an enemy or against some attacks such as lasers.
|-
|[[File:Outzonespeedup.PNG|100px]]||'''Blue - Speed up:''' Increases the player's speed.
|-
|[[File:Outzoneenergyextend.PNG|100px]]||'''Green - Energy Extend:''' Increases the player's energy bar, allowing them to survive for a longer period of time without energy pickups. Also completely fills up your energy bar.
|-
|[[File:Outzone1up.png|100px]]||'''Red - 1UP:''' Gives the player a 1up. Very rare item and only present in the first loop.
|}

===Hit Box===
----
The player's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers the chest and legs, making the head and gun of the character unaffected.

[[File:OUTZONE_HITBOX.png]]

When dying by a bullet or enemy collision, a large explosion will occur where the player died that covers the entire sprite. This is meaningless when playing solo.
=== Rank ===
----
Rank is tied to survival and maxes out in loop 3.

=== Loops ===
----
The game will loop indefinitely.

=== Scoring ===
----
Points are awarded by shooting enemies, destroying item boxes, and blowing up destructible environments like wall columns.

Power Ups and Bombs: Collecting power ups and bombs yields 100 pts each. After you have collected 10 bombs, additional bomb pickups yield 5,000 points each.

End Stage Bonus: 5000 points are awarded for each bomb left over at the end of the stage.

Zero Wing Bonus: These give up to 50k each and can appear 9 times in a loop (1 in stages 2-4, 2 in stages 5-7). So they can give up to 450k points in a loop. They appear in certain spots if you've picked up eight C items at that point. The counter resets back to one if you pick up a ninth C item.

Pipiru Bonus: Appears in Stage 1 and gives 5k points if you destroy it immediately, up to 40k if you manage to bring Pipiru to the Stage 1 boss.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[OutZone/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
In an advanced space era, humanity encountered, traded and formed alliances with many alien races to ensure security. Humanity had been subject to past invasions from hostile outside forces but the alliances Earth forged granted victories in the past. However in the year 2095, Earth had been subjected a to new invasion launched by the alien military force of planet Owagira, with overwhelmingly powerful and sophisticated weaponry than anything Earth's alliance could counter. With the threat of annihilation looming over, Earth's United Nations receive a message from an alien elder within their alliances about the existence of an ultra-elite mercenary unit named "Out Zone" at a remote region of the Milky Way galaxy. Known as "Space Entrepreneurs" and renowned for their fighting skills by other alien alliances, Out Zone takes sides with no one and are willing to fight any wars for the proper price. Under desperation and as a last-ditch effort to counterattack Owagira's military force, the UN requests Out Zone's service, guaranting Earth's entire budget as payment. With negotiations complete, two very powerful cyborg mercenaries belonging to Out Zone volunteer for the mission to fight for Earth. Having ties to Earth and realizing that their homeworld is in great peril, the two warriors rise up to save it from doom and destroy the Owagira Forces.
----

== Development History ==
Uemura recounted its development process and history in a 2017 interview, stating that it was difficult for him as he could not apply his experience from vertical-scrolling shooters with flying ships, as players controlled the game on-foot and could not design its progress.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> He stated that the project was fundamentally different due to the lack of forced scrolling, which did not required skills from vertical shoot 'em ups and players could move or stop freely.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref><ref name="shmuplations uemura">http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-uemura1/</ref> Uemura stated that the intro was written during creation of the demonstration sequence, as the game's world was already established.<ref name="shmuplations toaplan">http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-chronicle/</ref> The team integrated puzzle elements not found in ship-based shooters, which took time to plan out and Uemura stated that the schedule for sound production was constantly being reduced, barely implementing the music during development.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> When composing the music for the last stage, Uemura wanted to convey the sense of a "decisive battle".<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> Uemura has since regarded the project as "the most difficult product he worked on".<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref>
----

== Version Differences ==
* JP version contains additional text during the attract mode and after you beat the stage 7 boss.
----

==Ports==
There is currently only one port of the game on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022920/Out_Zone/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
----

== Trivia ==
The game contains several references to previous Toaplan works, such as
* Pipiru, Toaplan's mascot, appears in Stage 1 if you shoot a specific area
* Planes from [[Hishouzame]] help you if you shoot some bushes in Stage 2 in a specific order. Their behavior is similar to the helper planes in [[Daisenpuu]].
* The [[Zero Wing]] ship can give you a point bonus if you reach specific areas fulfilling a certain condition (see [[(OutZone)/Strategy#Advanced_Strategy|the Advanced Strategy page.]])
* The ship from [[Tatsujin]] will help you if you have exactly 7 bombs upon destroy the door at the beginning of Stage 4. It follows you, automatically fires its signature 3-way shot at a slow rate and blocks bullets. The ship is destroyed after taking 20 hits and it's shot goes through some walls. The ship leaves when reaching the Stage 4 boss if it hasn't been destroyed at this point.
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

https://shmups.wiki/library/OutZone/Video_Index

== References & Contributors ==

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[category:Puzzle_mechanic]]

OutZone

2023-02-17T23:55:11Z

NullNotBub: Added info about the recent port in 2023, hitbox information, and some grammar fixes.

[[File:Outzonelogo.jpg|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = OutZone
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Outzoneflyer.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan
|
|music = Tatsuya Uemura
|
|program = Naoki Ogiwara
|
|art = Person C
|
|releasedate = Late 1990
|previousgame = [[Same! Same! Same!]]
|nextgame = [[Vimana]]
}}

__TOC__

== OutZone ==

OutZone (アウトゾーン) is a vertical freely scrolling shmup developed by Toaplan in 1990. It was published by Tecmo in Japan, Romstar in North America, and Toaplan in Europe.

It was the 10th shmup developed by Toaplan.

OutZone never received any home console ports. M2's ShotTriggers division announced in April 2020 that they were developing a new port of OutZone for modern consoles. A PC port on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022920/Out_Zone/ Steam] was released in February 2023.

== Gameplay Overview ==
OutZone is a vertical freely scrolling shmup with 8-way movement, a shot button and a bomb button.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press, both main weapons):''' Fires a shot.
* '''A (Press, Super Ball):''' Launches a ball forward.
* '''A (Hold, 8 way main weapon and Super Burner):''' Auto fires at a fast rate.
* '''A (Hold, fixed main weapon):''' Auto fires but the shots do not repeat very fast.
* '''B:''' Launches a bomb. The bombs in this game generate fire that affects the entire area of the screen. The bombs are screen clearing and repeatedly damage enemy until the fire disappears. The bombed area also cancels all bullets. However, the player is not invincible when bombing and may still die if ramming into an enemy.

=== Weapons ===
----
You have access to two normal weapons and two special weapons. You can switch between the normal weapons by picking up the C items. The two main weapons can be upgraded by picking up two "P" items.
* The 8-directional laser fires in whatever direction you're moving, and creates a sweep of bullets as you change direction.
* The 3-way wide shot always shoots forward.
The two special weapons are used when collecting their corresponding SP item, randomly dropped by enemies.
* The Super Burner is similar to the 8-directional laser but with shorter range and increased power
* The Super Ball will rotate around you when you keep the button pressed, and will be launched forward when you release the button

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
|[[File:Outzonebombitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Bomb:''' Adds 1 to your bomb stock.
|-
|-
| [[File:Outzoneenergybox.PNG|100px]][[File:Outzoneeenergyitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Energy item:''' Partially fills up your energy bar. In two-player games, two energy items will appear in each container, and can only be collected by the player of the matching color.
|-
|-
|[[File:Outzonecitembox.PNG|100px]] [[File:Outzonecitem.PNG|100px]]||'''Change:''' Changes your main weapon to free range if you have fixed, or fixed if you have free range. If you have a special weapon (Super Burner or Super Ball) when picking it up, you go back to the main weapon you had just before.
|-
|-
|[[File:Powerup.PNG|100px]]||'''Power-Up:''' Dropped by red enemies, increases the power of your main weapon by 1 level. Two are required for full power.
|-
|[[File:Outzonesuperburner.PNG|100px]]||'''Yellow - Super Burner:''' Replaces your main shot with the Super Burner weapon, which can shoot a column of flames in 8 directions and based on your character's position.
|-
|[[File:Outzonesuperball.PNG|100px]]||'''Pink - Super Ball:''' Replaces your main shot with the Super Ball weapon, which has a constantly rotating ball that contact damages any enemies it touches and can be launched forwards with a button press.
|-
|[[File:Outzoneshelid.PNG|100px]]||'''Pale Pink - Shield:''' Gives the player a Shield that allows them to take one bullet without dying. The player will still die if they ram into an enemy or against some attacks such as lasers.
|-
|[[File:Outzonespeedup.PNG|100px]]||'''Blue - Speed up:''' Increases the player's speed.
|-
|[[File:Outzoneenergyextend.PNG|100px]]||'''Green - Energy Extend:''' Increases the player's energy bar, allowing them to survive for a longer period of time without energy pickups. Also completely fills up your energy bar.
|-
|[[File:Outzone1up.png|100px]]||'''Red - 1UP:''' Gives the player a 1up. Very rare item and only present in the first loop.
|}

===Hit Box===
----
The player's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers the chest and legs, making the head and gun of the character unaffected.

[[File:OUTZONE_HITBOX.png]]

When dying by a bullet or enemy collision, a large explosion will occur where the player died that covers the entire sprite. This is meaningless when playing solo.
=== Rank ===
----
Rank is tied to survival and maxes out in loop 3.

=== Loops ===
----
The game will loop indefinitely.

=== Scoring ===
----
Points are awarded by shooting enemies, destroying item boxes, and blowing up destructible environments like wall columns.

Power Ups and Bombs: Collecting power ups and bombs yields 100 pts each. After you have collected 10 bombs, additional bomb pickups yield 5,000 points each.

End Stage Bonus: 5000 points are awarded for each bomb left over at the end of the stage.

Zero Wing Bonus: These give up to 50k each and can appear 9 times in a loop (1 in stages 2-4, 2 in stages 5-7). So they can give up to 450k points in a loop. They appear in certain spots if you've picked up eight C items at that point. The counter resets back to one if you pick up a ninth C item.

Pipiru Bonus: Appears in Stage 1 and gives 5k points if you destroy it immediately, up to 40k if you manage to bring Pipiru to the Stage 1 boss.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[OutZone/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
In an advanced space era, humanity encountered, traded and formed alliances with many alien races to ensure security. Humanity had been subject to past invasions from hostile outside forces but the alliances Earth forged granted victories in the past. However in the year 2095, Earth had been subjected a to new invasion launched by the alien military force of planet Owagira, with overwhelmingly powerful and sophisticated weaponry than anything Earth's alliance could counter. With the threat of annihilation looming over, Earth's United Nations receive a message from an alien elder within their alliances about the existence of an ultra-elite mercenary unit named "Out Zone" at a remote region of the Milky Way galaxy. Known as "Space Entrepreneurs" and renowned for their fighting skills by other alien alliances, Out Zone takes sides with no one and are willing to fight any wars for the proper price. Under desperation and as a last-ditch effort to counterattack Owagira's military force, the UN requests Out Zone's service, guaranting Earth's entire budget as payment. With negotiations complete, two very powerful cyborg mercenaries belonging to Out Zone volunteer for the mission to fight for Earth. Having ties to Earth and realizing that their homeworld is in great peril, the two warriors rise up to save it from doom and destroy the Owagira Forces.
----

== Development History ==
Uemura recounted its development process and history in a 2017 interview, stating that it was difficult for him as he could not apply his experience from vertical-scrolling shooters with flying ships, as players controlled the game on-foot and could not design its progress.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> He stated that the project was fundamentally different due to the lack of forced scrolling, which did not required skills from vertical shoot 'em ups and players could move or stop freely.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref><ref name="shmuplations uemura">http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-uemura1/</ref> Uemura stated that the intro was written during creation of the demonstration sequence, as the game's world was already established.<ref name="shmuplations toaplan">http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-chronicle/</ref> The team integrated puzzle elements not found in ship-based shooters, which took time to plan out and Uemura stated that the schedule for sound production was constantly being reduced, barely implementing the music during development.<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> When composing the music for the last stage, Uemura wanted to convey the sense of a "decisive battle".<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref> Uemura has since regarded the project as "the most difficult product he worked on".<ref name="pixelatedaudio">https://web.archive.org/web/20191023230947/https://pixelatedaudio.com/out-zone/</ref>
----

== Version Differences ==
* JP version contains additional text during the attract mode and after you beat the stage 7 boss.
----

==Ports==
There is currently only one port of the game on [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2022920/Out_Zone/ Steam], released by Bitwave Games on February 14, 2023. Aside from autofire, This version provides an assist feature and other quality of life improvements in order to make the game significantly easier:
*Auto-dodging
*Instant slowdown button
*Health: Allows the player to take a select number of hits before dying.
*Hitbox size modification
*Hitbox display
*Rewinds
*Savestates, up to 10
*Practice mode
*Online leaderboards, only accessible when not using assists.
Notably, there are slight text changes and the game suffers from poor audio emulation and music is played in the wrong stages.
----

== Trivia ==
The game contains several references to previous Toaplan works, such as
* Pipiru, Toaplan's mascot, appears in Stage 1 if you shoot a specific area
* Planes from [[Hishouzame]] help you if you shoot some bushes in Stage 2 in a specific order. Their behavior is reminiscent of Daisenpuu.
* The [[Zero Wing]] ship can give you a point bonus if you reach specific areas fulfilling a certain condition (see [[(OutZone)/Strategy#Advanced_Strategy|the Advanced Strategy page.]])
* The ship from [[Tatsujin]] will help you if you have exactly 7 bombs upon destroy the door at the beginning of Stage 4. It follows you, automatically fires its signature 3-way shot at a slow rate and blocks bullets. The ship is destroyed after taking 20 hits and it's shot goes through some walls. The ship leaves when reaching the Stage 4 boss if it hasn't been destroyed at this point.
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

https://shmups.wiki/library/OutZone/Video_Index

== References & Contributors ==

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[category:Puzzle_mechanic]]

File:OUTZONE HITBOX.png

2023-02-17T23:19:17Z

NullNotBub: Player hitbox in OutZone. Screenshot from the 2023 port by Bitwave Games.

== Summary ==
Player hitbox in OutZone. Screenshot from the 2023 port by Bitwave Games.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

Zero Wing

2023-02-16T09:04:27Z

NullNotBub: /* Hit Box */

[[File:Zerowing logo.gif|center]]
== Introduction ==
[[File:Zerowing-start screen.png|thumb|left|240px|Title screen of the 2-player arcade version.]]
'''Zero Wing''' is a horizontally scrolling [[shoot-em up]] that was developed by [[Toaplan]] and released to the arcades in 1989 by [[Taito]] in Japan. The player controls the ZIG-01 ship through a total of eight different stages. Zero Wing is one of few and the last horizontal shmup that [[Toaplan]] developed. It is a slight departure from a typical Toaplan shooter as the spaceship does not have bombs but rather is equipped with a tractor beam that can grab some enemies. Mostly arcade faithful ports were made for the PC Engine CD-ROM in Japan and the Sega Mega Drive in Japan and Europe that added more story elements.

While Zero Wing is a decent and worthwhile game, most people know of it by the meme "All Your Base Are Belong To Us". The English translation of the European Mega Drive version with the added story elements was done very poorly and the opening story sequence became one of the most popular internet memes of all time.<ref>https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-memes-of-all-time</ref>

== Gameplay Overview ==
Zero Wing has 8 way directional controls with 2 buttons for shot and tractor beam. Small enemies can be captured by the tractor beam. Captured enemies can be held and used as front shields or launched forward at other enemies. The tractor beam can also be used to collect items. On default settings, the player starts with 2 extra lives in stock with [[Help:Glossary#Extend|Extends]] awarded after the first 200,000 points and every subsequent 500,000 points earned.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press):''' Shoots a single shot
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires continuous shots of blue laser and homing missiles
* '''B (Press):''' Fires captured enemy forward
* '''B (Hold):''' Activates tractor beam

The built-in continuous fire is very slow and will not be sufficient in many cases, so an external autofire setup is recommended. While Zero Wing has a shot limit, it is not evenly divided - the main ship is given priority with respect to the shot limit and once it has consumed all the available player projectiles, very few to none will be fired by the options. The lower option has minimum priority and will often fire nothing at all if using a high autofire frequency. For this reason, there will be many situations where it is better to tap rapidly the A button manually, to allow for an even distribution of projectiles between the main ship and the two options.

=== Weapons ===
----
[[File:Zw weapon.png|320px|thumb|right|How the three weapons behave at each power level. The final column shows the effect of the secret [[#Special Power Up | special powerup]]]]
Each weapon can be powered up to maximum of level 3.

'''<span style="color:red">Valcan Unit</span>''' ''(sic)'': Fires red bullets. Does not auto-fire by holding down the shot button.

'''<span style="color:blue">Laser Unit</span>:''' Fires blue laser beams. Auto-fires by holding down the shot button. Can shoot through enemies but not walls.

'''<span style="color:green">Homing Unit</span>:''' Auto-fires by holding down the shot button. Fires homing missiles that lock on to the nearest target

=== Items ===
----

[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||40px]]
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||40px]]
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||40px]] '''Weapon''': can be collected to either switch between weapons or to power up the ship by one level.

[[File:Zero wing bomb icon small.png||40px]] '''Super Bomb:'''
In order to be used, it has to be launched with the tractor beam button. It can be used as a front shield as well, and will go off after it takes three hits or collides with an enemy or obstacle.

[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||40px]] '''Speed Up:'''
Increases the ship's speed by one level, up to four times.

[[File:Zero_Wing_Special_Item.png||40px]] '''Special:'''
Only appears under certain conditions. Increases the ship's power once more, beyond the normal level 3 cap. While in this state the option pods are greatly increased in size, enabling them to block bullets and enemies more effectively.

==== Item Cycle ====

Items always appear in repeating sets of four, the second set ending with a bomb instead of a speed item, creating a simple 16-item cycle. Upon death, the cycle returns to the start. Unlike some other Toaplan games, the cycle only advances when an item itself appears, not when its carrier appears.

{| class="wikitable"
! 1
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 2
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 3
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 4
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 5
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 6
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 7
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 8
|
[[File:Zero wing bomb icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 9
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 10
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 11
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 12
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|-
! 13
|
[[File:Zero wing red weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 14
|
[[File:Zero wing blue weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 15
|
[[File:Zero wing green weapon icon small.png||30px]]
! 16
|
[[File:Zero wing speed up icon small.png||30px]]
|}

The number of item-carrying enemies varies between stages, and within the stages the exact number of carriers that appear may vary depending on the speed with which certain large enemies are eliminated.
Starting at the second [[Help:Glossary#Loop|loop]], the first stage contains two fewer item carriers. This is because the player enters the stage at a slightly later point in comparison with the first loop.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
! Stage
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8
|-
! Carriers
| 14 (12) || 15 || 10 || 2 || 15 || 12 || 26 || 11
|}
==== Special Power Up ====

In order for the special power up item to appear, the following conditions must be met when destroying an item carrier:

* The player must have reached the standard maximum power.
* The player must have reached maximum speed.
* The player must not already have the special power up.

And either of the two sets of conditions below must also be true:

A
* The item released is the 40th item from the start of the game or since the last death.
* The player is either carrying or currently using a bomb (otherwise a bomb will be dropped by the carrier instead).

B
* The item released would have been a power up of the weapon the player is currently using.
* The number of frames the player has survived for is a multiple of 32.

==== Extend Items ====

Collecting extra items beyond maximum power or speed usually provides a 5000 point bonus instead. Occasionally, instead of a point bonus, the item will grant a 1-up, awarding an extra life to the player, or even a 10-up awarding 10 extra lives. The latter will be awarded if the number of frames the player has survived upon collection of the item is divisible by 64, while the former is awarded if it is not divisible by 64 but is divisible by 16. Therefore, each bonus item collected has a 1/64 chance of awarding the 10-up, and 1/16 - 1/64 = 3/64 chance of awarding the 1-up. This may only happen once per game, and receiving one of these will prevent the player from receiving the other without starting a new game. Naturally this makes receiving a 1-up item undesirable as it means the 10-up is lost for that game. It is therefore expected that one will see the 10-up in around a quarter of the games that receive either, with the 1-up appearing in the remaining three quarters.

=== Hit Box ===
----
The [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] of the ship in Zero Wing is narrower than the sprite but about 75% as long as the sprite minus the blue thruster flame.

[[File:Zero wing hit box.png|100px]]

=== Options ===
----
The two [[Help:Glossary#Option|options]] of the ship always fly with one above and one below. They are indestructible and can absorb enemy fire. This can be used to protect the player ship from enemy fire, although diagonally aimed shots may be able to sneak past the options and hit the player. Each power level gained will cause the options to increase in size.

When navigating confined spaces or passing by a large enemy, the options will draw in closer to the player. This can be caused deliberately by using clever positioning in order to increase the concentration of fire within a certain vertical range.

[[File:Zero wing ship with options.png|60px]]

=== Rank ===
----
[[Help:Glossary#Rank|Rank]], along with the [[#Weapons | weapon]] the player is currently using, determines the speed of bullets and the frequency of enemy attacks. The red weapon contributes the least to the game's difficulty while the green weapon contributes the most. The player's power level also makes a minor contribution to the difficulty, but as both the power level and weapon are numerically limited to very low values the vast majority of the effect comes directly from the rank level itself.

Rank starts at a base level determined by the difficulty DIP switch setting (starting at 0 for the easiest setting and adding 2 for each higher setting) and increments after each stage. Unlike most Toaplan games, both the rank and the bullet speed have no upper limit and will increase indefinitely.

==== HP scaling ====
Enemy HP is affected by the weapon the player is using when the enemy appears. The corresponding multiplier for each weapon is applied to be the base value HP:

{| class="wikitable"
! Weapon
! Multiplier
|-
! style="width: 30pt;" | Red
| 1.5
|-
!Blue
| 3 or 5 *
|-
!Green
| 5
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> For some enemy types, such as grounded turrets, several types of zako enemies and the various parts of the stage 5 boss, the blue weapon multiplier is x3. For others, the multiplier is x5 like the green weapon.

The presence of HP scaling opens up a potential strategy of delaying a planned weapon change until after a particular enemy appears in order to influence the amount of HP it receives to the player's advantage. This will usually consist of taking the red weapon before a particularly dangerous enemy appears so that it receives the minimum amount of HP possible, then immediately switching back to the more powerful green weapon to destroy it as quickly as possible.

==== Attack timing ====
There is some randomness to how soon after appearing enemies will first attack. Regardless of the current rank or stage, every enemy that appears will take either 16, 32, 48 or 64 frames before first attacking, the actual value being derived by combining the current frame counter with an enemy spawn counter. This makes some of the bosses that consist of multiple parts more challenging, as this randomness will cause the attacks of the various parts to synchronise in an unpredictable way. After a death, both counters are reset to zero, making it possible to predict enemy behaviour for a while based on where the death occurred. As bosses will last a variable number of frames based on the player's actions, this predictability is usually lost at the start of the next stage (unless the player makes a deliberate effort to preserve it by waiting for the boss' time limit to expire).

After the random intitial delay, the rank level will then determine the time between subsequent attacks. Although the bullet speed will continue to increase forever (even to the point where the collision detection begins to fail), the maximum attack frequency that the game allows is once every 64 frames. This limit will be reached some time into the fourth loop.

Very rarely, attacks may disregard rank and the standard timing methods entirely and trigger only when the frame counter that continually increases from the start of the player's current life reaches certain cyclical values. Some midboss attacks may behave in this way, such as those of the first stage's midboss.

=== Loops ===
----
Both 1P and 2P arcade versions [[Help:Glossary#Loop|loop infinitely]] as do the Mega Drive versions. The PC Engine CD version does not loop. In addition to the gameplay differences brought on by looping, there is a small easter egg to be found in the ending story - the year of the battle increases by 8 (one year per stage), with each successive loop that is cleared.

The difficulty continues to increase indefinitely through looping. With each stage cleared, the [[#Rank | rank]], and therefore the speed of bullets, increases unchecked. Although the game has no end in theory, the lack of any upper limit to restrain the bullet speed will eventually cause the difficulty to rise to a near-impossible level.

==== Penalty Bullets ====
[[File:Penalty.png|thumb|right|240px|A stage 2 enemy demonstrates the varying number of penalty bullets in each loop, from loop 1 (top-left), to loop 4 and beyond (bottom-right).]]
In addition to the increasing rank, many enemies, including those that did not fire at all in the first loop, will begin firing additional bullets in the second, with the number of bullets increasing each loop until reaching a maximum in the fourth:

{| class="wikitable"
! style="width: 30pt;" | Loop
! style="width: 10pt;" | Bullets
|-
! 1
| 0
|-
! 2
| 1
|-
! 3
| 3
|-
! 4+
| 5
|}

While most enemy types encountered do not have these penalty bullets, the ones that do tend to appear in large groups. This causes the game difficulty to rise dramatically at the start of the third and fourth loops as the number of penalty bullets increases. The player is fortunately given some respite as these enemy types are largely concentrated in the early stages, with both stages 6 and 7 being devoid of them entirely.

=== Scoring ===
----
After reaching maximum power, each additional power up of the same weapon equipped provides 5000 points, as does collecting a speed up item while at maximum speed. Dying can cause an immediate loss of up to 35000 points as the items that would have provided these points must go towards restoring the player's power and speed instead. Holding onto a bomb item without using or losing it will cause the next bomb drop to be replaced with a speed item, which will also provide an extra 5000 points if the player has reached the maximum speed. Being at maximum speed will also allow the [[#Items | special power up]] item to appear, which provides 50000 points when collected. A 5000 point loss is incurred when receiving the [[#Extend Items | 10-UP or 1-UP from collecting an item]], but the benefits of receiving the 10-UP far outweigh this cost.

In most cases, capturing and launching an enemy with the tractor beam does not provide any score until the enemy is destroyed by colliding with some other object. In this case, it is worth the same number of points as when destroying it directly.

Some midbosses and bosses also award [[Help:Glossary#Tick Points|tick points]], repeatedly giving 10 points each time the enemy is damaged. Since the equipped weapon influences enemy HP, it also influences the number of points that can be obtained in this way.

In the fourth stage there are five instances of Toaplan's mascot, Pipiru, hidden behind scenery throughout the stage. Capturing Pipiru with the tractor beam awards 10,000 points, while destroying it only provides 100 points.

Destroying some of the [[Help:Glossary#Mid-Boss|mid-boss]] enemies quickly will provide some additional enemy waves that would not have appeared otherwise, which can be destroyed for some extra points.

=== Secrets ===
----
* Holding up on the controls at the end of stage 4 will result in a message of thanks from Toaplan's mascot, Pipiru.
* There is a warp zone in stage 5, by taking the path above the final upper section of rail. This warp brings the player straight to the final stage but only exists in the first loop of the game. Using this warp awards a bonus of 70,000 points, although this is much less than the amount that can be obtained simply by playing through the stages in full.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

=== Pipiru Locations ===

[[File:zw_pipiru.png|360px|thumb|right|The location of the five Pipiru characters that are hidden throughout the fourth stage.]]

The locations of the five hidden Pipiru characters in Stage 4 (which grant 10,000 points when picked up with the tractor beam):

1) Immediately at the top of the screen at the start of the stage, hidden behind the foreground.</br>
2) In the water immediately before the first section of the large red battleship.</br>
3) At the top of the screen, hidden behind the foreground, at the beginning of the section of the battleship featuring the long rope.</br>
4) At the top of the screen, hidden behind the foreground, at the midpoint of the section of the battleship featuring the long rope.</br>
5) In the water below the boss.</br>

=== Tricks ===

==== 10-UP Manipulation in Stage 1 ====

This trick allows the player always to receive the [[#Extend Items | 10-UP]] item near the end of the first stage. Though this trick is quite difficult to perform, it can become very consistent with sufficient practice. The trick takes advantage of the frame-counter initialisation at the start of the player's very first life, and the automatically scrolling nature of the game progression. The immediate benefit of performing this trick is to remove the possibility of receiving the inferior 1-UP in its place, which as noted above will happen in about 75% of all games that do not make use of any deliberate manipulation. The process of performing the manipulation can be outlined in a few steps:

1) The correct item locations must be maintained throughout the entire stage. In practice, this means that no deaths are permitted, and all item carriers within the stage must be destroyed.

2) The player must '''only''' use the red weapon throughout the stage. Though the green weapon is superior, its use during the stage is precluded by the fact that the 10-UP may only be granted once the player has reached maximum power, requiring the player to pick up at least 4 items of the same weapon type, and this cannot be achieved with green items in a single stage. Use of the red weapon will make some large enemies in the stage more difficult to handle and effective strategies for dealing with these enemies must be practiced.

3) More optionally, but very highly recommended is for the player to avoid collecting speed up items until after the 10-UP is received. This is for the simple fact that the manipulation requires some careful positioning of the player's ship and gaining speed only serves to make this more difficult than necessary. There are two speed up items in the stage and the player may choose to collect all, one or none of them depending on their confidence in finding the required position at these speeds.

4) Just before reaching the third red item, which should grant maximum power, a bomb item will appear. This bomb is also crucial in performing the trick and must be kept. It will explode after taking three hits or immediately upon colliding with an enemy or terrain. Holding onto the bomb will also prevent the tractor beam from being used so strategies for dealing with enemies without the tractor beam will need to be relied upon for the remainder of the stage.

5) The trick involves the bomb making contact with a specific enemy. This contact causes two hits of damage to the bomb so it's recommended to allow the bomb to be hit once or twice (but no more) by enemy fire before this point so that it explodes upon contact. It isn't necessary for the bomb to explode to perform the trick but this explosion makes performing the trick somewhat safer. This is another optional part of the trick left to the discretion of the player.

6) Once the player is at full power and has the bomb, the midboss of the stage must be destroyed quickly, and without using the bomb. This requires the use of an autofire button set to 30HZ, as it is necessary to destroy the boss just after its first dive to the bottom of the screen, but before its subsequent rise beyond the mid-point of the screen. The reason for this is that there is an item carrier which shortly follows, and this carrier will not appear at all if the midboss is still on the screen. This carrier must be destroyed to preserve the correct locations of subsequent items, so this cannot be allowed. Upon destruction the midboss slowly sinks and falls off the bottom of the screen - the higher it is upon destruction, the longer this animation will take and the greater the chance that the item carrier will be missed.

7) The large red ships that appear after the waves of green enemies are difficult to handle with the red weapon and the inability to use the tractor beam or the bomb. The best strategy seems to be to stay at close range and block the enemies' 3-way shots at the point of origin using the lower option.</br>
[[File:Zw red ships.png|80px]]

8) The final stage of the trick is the most difficult and is extremely time-sensitive. After dealing with the two large, red enemies, there will be two smaller enemies appearing from the openings in the terrain. The first will appear from the left opening, the second from the right. These must both be destroyed as quickly as possible using the three-way shot of the lower option at close range. Immediately after the second is destroyed there is about two or three seconds to find the correct horizontal position. This is a two-pixel window and both valid positions are shown in the GIFs below. The correct positioning can be determined by examining the location of the dark pixels within the player's bullet spreads while firing at 30HZ.

[[File:10up px1.gif|300px]]
[[File:10up px2.gif|300px]]

9) Once either of the valid horizontal positions has been found, the player must travel to a low vertical position to destroy a purple turret using the lower option. During this time, another enemy will have emerged from the right-most opening and will now fire an aimed three-way spread. This spread should be dodged by moving directly up from the vertical position required to destroy the turret, into the vertical position that will soon be occupied by the next item carrier that is about to appear.

[[File:10UP spread dodge.png|640px]]

10) After finding the correct horizontal position, destroying the turret, dodging the enemy's spread, and finding the correct vertical position for collision with the item carrier and subsequent collision with the item it releases, the success of the trick is all but assured. The final step is to stop shooting and allow the item carrier to collide with the bomb the player has been carrying. As noted above, the bomb will explode if it has taken any hits previously, but will destroy the carrier without exploding if it has not taken any hits, and this doesn't affect the trick other than having to destroy the 3-way enemy with the shot as it escapes to the right instead of it being destroyed in the explosion. If the player has positioned the ship correctly, the bomb collision will destroy the carrier upon the intended frame, and the player should collect the red item it drops by remaining perfectly still and allowing it to drift into the player as it is carried by the stage's automatic scrolling. If all was done correctly, this will result in collecting the item on frame 13120 of the current life. As this is divisible by 64, this will award the player the 10-UP.

==== Double Special Item ====

As noted above, the [[#Special Power Up | Special item ]] can be made to appear by fulfilling one of two different sets of conditions. Normally, the special item will only appear once at most per life as it only ever appears when the player is at the standard maximum power. Despite this, there are rare cases where it's possible for the item to appear twice, by fulfilling both sets of conditions simultaneously, in an area where two item carriers appear in quick succession. This could be achieved by having the green weapon and having the special item randomly take the place of the green 39th item via condition B as outlined above, and then immediately receiving it again via condition A at item 40. Alternatively, this can be done in reverse order by having the red weapon and fulfilling condition A with item 40, then fulfilling condition B with the red 41st item. Both cases require manipulation of the item sequence so that these item numbers occur with two item carriers that appear together. This manipulation can be done either by dying deliberately at a specific point or by allowing a specific number of item carriers to leave without destroying them. As condition B only ever occurs with a 1/32 probability, this is still a very rare event even if all other conditions to produce it are set up correctly (although a long and precise manipulation pattern could possibly be crafted to remove this random element, in a similar way to the 10-UP manipulation outlined above). The only real benefit of successfully performing it is that the 50,000 point bonus received upon collecting the special item can be received twice.

== Story ==
'''Arcade versions:''' They do not have an opening story. The ending of the 1st loop in the arcade versions describe that all bases of CATS were destroyed. However, things are not peaceful as CATS is still alive and ZIG-01 must fight CATS again.

'''Mega Drive version:''' This is the infamous opening story where in 2101 A.D. a space war erupted. The Captain has been informed that explosives have been planted in his ship and he receives an incoming transmission. It's CATS! He informs the Captain that he has cooperated with the Federation Government Forces and taken over all the bases. CATS threatens to blow up the Captain's ship and end the lives of the crew. The Captain immediately commands all ZIG fighters to launch and restore hope for the future.<ref>https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Zero_Wing</ref>

While the previous is a more accurate translation of the story, the original English translation tells it like no one other could:

[[File:Zero wing story 1.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 2.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 3b.png|270px]] [[File:Zero wing story 4.png|260px]] [[File:Zero wing story 5.png|280px]] [[File:Zero wing story 6.png|265px]]

----

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==

=== Arcade Versions ===

There are two version of the arcade game, a 1P and 2P version. Both play similarly but the 1P version has a higher penalty for dying and is considered the more difficult version. Both versions have a red flash that appears every time an enemy is destroyed. This is an intentional part of the game and not a video error. The flashing effect was removed in the home versions of the game.

* '''1P arcade version:''' This more difficult version has checkpoints, returning the player to one of several points in a stage upon losing a life. The player is returned to the default red weapon, at minimum power and minimum speed and with no options.

* '''2P arcade version:''' This version does not have checkpoints - the player's next life begins in the same place the last one ended. Like the 1P version, all speed and power is lost upon death, but the player keeps the pod options and weapon they were using.

==== Changes made in the 2P version ====

===== General =====

* The number of shots each player can fire at once is lower.
* The player begins the game with the pod options activated, instead of having to power up once to activate them.
* The player's minimum speed is increased by 4 and the player's maximum speed is decreased by 4, meaning that the maximum speed is reached after just three speed items instead of four.
* The secret [[#Secrets | warp zone]] in stage 5 has been removed.
* The final stage's [[#Final Boss Softlock | softlock bug]] has been eliminated by automatically launching the captured projectile before despawning it upon destruction of the penultimate stage's boss.
* The hidden [[#Extend Items | extend items]] are no longer purely time-based - the total number of enemies that have appeared so far is also introduced as a factor.

===== Items =====
* The [[#Item Cycle | item cycle]] begins at the second item in the cycle. This is presumably to prevent the player from powering up too quickly, due to always starting the player with the two pod options.
* Bomb drops occur twice as frequently as they do in the 1P version.
* Dying does not reset the item drop cycle to the start.
* The [[#Special Power Up | special power up item]] has been completely removed from the game.

===== Difficulty =====
* [[#Rank | Rank]] is summed with the first and second players' power levels (even if only one person is playing) to determine bullet speed and attack frequency, instead of power level and the equipped weapon.
* HP is scaled differently - for a single player the HP is multiplied by 1, 2 or 3 for the red, blue and green weapons respectively. With two players the HP is calculated as base * 1P weapon + base * 2P weapon / 4
* The enemy waves at the beginning of stage 5 do not fire any bullets in the first loop of the game, even while using the green weapon.
* The stage 5 boss's side parts are indestructible, meaning that the player must deal with their attacks throughout. The side parts fire in pairs instead of all four parts firing independently - the top left and bottom right parts fire simultaneously, alternating with the top right and bottom left parts.

===== Tractor Beam =====
* The capturing range of the Tractor beam has been reduced.
* Colliding a captured object with another object will only damage the captured object, not both objects involved in the collision.
* Captured objects that are destroyed in a collision do not award any points, even when launched.

===== Score =====
* The 10,000 point bonus is no longer awarded for capturing any of the five hidden [[#Scoring | Pipiru]] characters in stage 4, only the 100 points given for destroying them with the shot.
* Points are no longer awarded for damaging certain boss and midboss enemies. Points are only awarded for destruction of these enemies.
* Points are no longer awarded whenever the indestructible enemies in stage 6 eat through walls.
* Item carriers are now worth 0 points instead of 300 points.
* When destroying the main part of an enemy composed of multiple parts, the points of any remaining secondary parts are no longer awarded, only the points of the main part itself.
* The stage 5 midboss gives 15,000 points, where it previously did not give any points due to a bug.
* The main part of the stage 5 boss awards 10,000 points where it previously was not worth any points.

===Home Console Versions===

==== Mega Drive Port ====
This version is a fairly faithful port of the 1P arcade version, albeit with a slight graphical downgrade due to the Mega Drive color palette. It has the same checkpoints and power down rules as the 1P arcade version. It provides more story and cut scenes to the beginning of the game. The Japanese release contains 35 different endings that can be seen at the end of each loop completed. The latter 32 endings all have a picture of CATS with dialog underneath that makes reference to something in 1960's and 1970's Japanese pop culture.<ref>https://legendsoflocalization.com/zero-wing-had-32-weird-secret-endings-in-japan/</ref>

Unlike the arcade version, the full height of the playable area is not all on screen at once, instead scrolling with the player as they move vertically. This seems to have introduced a small amount of so-called [[Help:Glossary#Bullet wobble|bullet wobble]], in which the enemy bullets appear to move with the screen as it scrolls.

The difficulty has been reduced drastically from the arcade version, which is especially noticeable in the durability of enemies and in the speed of their bullets. There are now three difficulty levels to choose from - the higher the difficulty selected, the greater the starting amount of rank, which now increases every two stages instead of every stage and has a maximum limit of 16. Even the hardest difficulty level in the Mega Drive port is much easier than the arcade version.

At the start of each loop the player is returned to minimum power and speed, as if they had died. The player is also given the default red weapon and the item cycle is returned to the start. This is in contrast to the arcade version, in which the player retains the weapon, power, speed and position in the item cycle that they had at the end of the previous loop.

Score [[Help:Glossary#Extend|extends]] are given much more frequently in the Mega Drive port. The first is awarded at 70,000 points, instead of 200,000, and additional extends are awarded every 100,000 points instead of 500,000. This unfortunately created an infinite pattern at the final boss as the boss alone can award over 200,000 points, enough to earn two extends for every life spent to re-fight the boss. This turns the final checkpoint of the final stage into an infinite source of both score and extra lives.

The multi-directional [[#Penalty Bullets | penalty bullets]] fired by enemies after the first loop have been toned down. In the third loop, penalty atttacks contain two bullets instead of three, and contain three bullets instead of five in the fourth loop. Instead of reaching a permanent maximum density in the fourth loop, the number of bullets fired follows a four-loop cycle, returning to zero in the fifth loop.

The [[ #Special Power Up | Special ]] item no longer requires the player to reach maximum speed to appear, only standard maximum power. It also only ever appears randomly rather than after a specific number of items under certain conditions. The random [[#Extend Items | 10-up and 1-up bonuses]] are also no longer limited to one occurence per game as in the arcade version and may occur multiple times per game.

There is a test mode with the ability to level select, change power level, become invincible, and view the endings. Press: C, Up, B, Down, A, Left, Right, B, C, C, Right, Left, Right, A, Down, Start.

==== PC Engine CD Port ====

----
== Bugs ==

=== Stage 7 boss Softlock ===
Destroying the main part of the stage 7 boss before damaging the arm enough to trigger the second phase, and before the first phase time limit expires, will softlock the game, leaving the player unable to advance to the next stage.

=== Final Boss Softlock ===
Though also triggered by the stage 7 boss, this bug prevents the final eighth stage from ending after the boss escapes, leaving the player only the option to crash into the ground to restart from the final checkpoint. This softlock is ultimately caused by destroying the stage seven boss while holding one of its orb projectiles with the tractor beam. When the boss is destroyed these orbs instantly despawn including the one the player has captured. However the tractor beam is not appropriately updated as empty; it's still possible to launch this now nonexistent object and a pointer to what was once the location in memory of the captured enemy is maintained. The final stage is allowed to end only after there are no enemies remaining. Attempting to use the tractor beam before this point will 'launch' the nonexistent orb, turning on the relevant bit at the former location of the orb, flagging the object as being in a launched state. However since the object being launched no longer exists, the bit will never be turned off as this requires the object to either leave the screen or crash into something else. At the end of the final stage the presence of this bit will be counted as an enemy that still exists and the conditions to end the stage will never be met.
This bug was fortunately corrected in the [[#Version Differences | 2-Player version]] of the game, as the captured orb will be automatically launched upon destruction of the stage seven boss.

=== Missing Penalty Bullets? ===

The homing [[Help:Glossary#Popcorn|zako]] enemies which appear in stages 1, 3 and 6, and the larger dragon-like enemies which appear in stage 7, may have been intended to fire the same loop-based [[#Penalty Bullets | penalty bullets]] that are fired by many other enemies in the game. However, for these enemies specifically, the timers controlling their attacks are reset after performing their standard single-bullet attacks which occur in all loops of the game. As it is the same timer which is tested for the penalty attack immediately after being tested for the normal attack, the conditions for firing the penalty attack are never able to be fulfilled.

----

== "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" Meme and Trivia ==
* One of the earliest and most popular versions of the "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" meme was a dance track video hosted by New Grounds.<ref>https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/11940</ref> The music in this video was composed by Jeffrey Ray Roberts and called "Invasion of the Gabber Robots". It was a remix of Zero Wing game music with robotic voice samples of "All your base are belong to us". In February 2001, Bad_CRC created the infamous video using various images from a Something Awful AYB photoshop thread and Roberts' music.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us</ref>

* The meme was so popular in 2001 that it made it to local news broadcasts.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQnDkgdIn_A</ref>

* The meme endures and was referenced in January of 2019 by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. <ref>https://mashable.com/article/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-all-your-base-tweet-meme/</ref>
----

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Primary info provided by [[User:Coreo|Coreo]]
</small>

File:Zero wing hit box.png

2023-02-16T08:46:47Z

NullNotBub: NullNotBub uploaded a new version of File:Zero wing hit box.png

Tatsujin

2023-02-16T08:33:23Z

NullNotBub: The Bitwave Games port of the game in 2023 has a hit display feature.

[[File:Tatsujin title.png|center|500px]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Tatsujin
|background = #ABDFFA
|image = Tatsujin start screen.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Toaplan Co. LTD.
|
|music = Masahiro Yuge
|
|program = Masahiro Yuge
|
|art = Naoki Ogiwara, Yumiko Shimizu
|
|releasedate = October 1988

|nextgame = [[Tatsujin Ou]]
}}

__TOC__

== Tatsujin 達人 ==
'''''Tatsujin''''' (known in English territories as ''Truxton'') is a vertical shooting game developed by Toaplan in 1988. It is the first of a two-game series, with ''[[Tatsujin Ou]]'' following it. ''Tatsujin'' is well-known for its high difficulty, checkpoint memorization, and excellent soundtrack. The game was also ported to the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in 1989, the PC-Engine in 1992, and a port for iOS and Android was released (in Japan only) in 2019.

== Gameplay Overview ==
=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the player's equipped Weapon.
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, dealing damage to enemies and canceling bullets within its explosion radius.

=== Weapons ===
----
* Red: The standard three-way shot type for the player's ship. It does not have any sort of auto-fire. When upgraded, it becomes even wider and shoots many more shots at once, making it very powerful for screen control and point-blanking.
* Green: A rapid-fire straight shot that deals high damage and can be held for auto-fire. Green does not have a shot limit, allowing it to deal high damage even at further ranges. Higher upgrades increase the amount of projectiles fired.
* Blue: A blue lightning attack that sticks to enemies and continues to deal damage to them as long as the Fire button is held. Higher upgrades create more lightning shots

=== Items ===
----
''Tatsujin'' has several different collectible items to power up, change weapon type, and gain extra ships. Unlike items in many other games, the items in ''Tatsujin'' are stationary, and only move down the screen as the stage scrolls.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item  !! Description 
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Collect 5 of these icons to power up weapon level. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin super power up item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Power-Up'''</div></small> || Instantly powers up weapon to the next level. Appears in place of small powerups when enough are collected. Receive 5000 pts if already at max weapon power.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Speed-Up'''</div></small> || Speeds up ship's movement one level. Receive 5000 pts if at max speed level.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Bomb'''</div></small> || Adds one bomb to bomb stock. Receive 5000 pts if at max bomb stock of 10.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Red)'''</div></small> || Changes to red weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with red weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Blue)'''</div></small> || Changes to blue weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with blue weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|64px]]<small><br>'''Weapon Change (Green)'''</div></small> || Changes to green weapon type. Receive 5000 pts if already equipped with green weapon.
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 1up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''1UP (Extend)'''</div></small> || Gain 1 extra ship. Must use a specific weapon to shoot a specific ground target. Stage 1: green, Stage 2: red, Stage 5: blue
|-
| <div style='text-align: center;'>[[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|64px]]<small><br>'''2UP'''</div></small> || Gain 2 extra ships. Must acquire many items before dying as it is very high on the item table. Likely to spawn at Stage 3 if no ships have been lost.

|}

The item dropped by each successive item carrier cycles according to the table below. A death will reset the cycle to the beginning. This determines the type of item ''contained'' by carriers rather than the item that appears when the container is destroyed. In other words, whether or not an item is actually released has no impact on the progression of the cycle.
<br/><br/>
{|
|+ '''Item Drop Cycle'''
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''1''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''2''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>'''3''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 4''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 5''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 6''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]</div>
|-
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 7''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 8''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| <div style='text-align: right;'>''' 9''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]</div>
| '''10''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''11''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''12''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''13''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''14''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''15''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''16''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''17''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''18''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''19''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''20''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''21''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''22''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''23''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''24''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''25''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''26''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''27''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''28''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''29''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''30''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''31''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''32''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''33''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''34''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''35''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''36''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''37''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''38''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''39''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''40''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''41''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''42''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''43''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''44''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''45''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''46''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''47''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''48''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''49''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''50''' [[File:Tatsujin 2up.png|32px]]
| '''51''' [[File:Tatsujin power up item.PNG|32px]]
| '''52''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''53''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''54''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
|-
| '''55''' [[File:Tatsujin bomb.PNG|32px]]
| '''56''' [[File:Tatsujin red weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''57''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
| '''58''' [[File:Tatsujin blue weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''59''' [[File:Tatsujin green weapon item.PNG|32px]]
| '''60''' [[File:Tatsujin speed item.PNG|32px]]
</div>
|}
<br/>

===Hit Box===
----
The ship's [[Help:Glossary#Hitbox|hit box]] covers nearly the entire ship, excluding the tips of the cockpit and wings. The hit box can be made thinner by moving the ship horizontally.

[[File:TATSUJIN_HITBOXES.gif]]

=== Rank ===
----
Rank increases as the player progresses through more areas of the game. At higher rank, enemies fire more often, and the overall bullet speed increases.

''rank = base + area/2'' <br/>

The maximum value is 24. After the first loop the rank no longer changes when a new area is reached and remains fixed at the maximum value of 24.

The base rank value is determined by the region and the difficulty setting:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | Difficulty !! colspan="2" | Region
|-
! JP !! INT
|-
! Easy
| 0 || 0
|-
! Normal
| 4 || 1
|-
! Hard
| 8 || 2
|-
! Very Hard
| 12 || 3
|}

''bullet speed = 24 + rank/2 + difficulty/2 + power*2 + loop*2''</br>
The maximum value of bullet speed is 80 and it continually increases each time the game is looped.
The maximum speed will be reached by loop 22.

=== Loops ===
----
Like many early Toaplan games, ''Tatsujin'' loops infinitely, with each loop starting after defeating the boss of stage 5.

=== Scoring ===
----
Destroy All, Don't Die (DADD Scoring).

Every enemy is worth a flat amount of points, with point gain increasing with every loop. Collecting excess items rewards the player with an extra 5000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Tatsujin/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

== Story ==
The evil Gidans attacked the transport ship Belery. The forces of planet Borogo must retrieve Belery's cargo of secret weapons. However, the Gidans are in between them and the weapons. Fearless ace pilot, Tom the Bomb, volunteers for the mission. Tom's commanding officer tells him to fly the Super Fighter. It is equipped with such power weapons that no one dared using them before. So the lone fighter sets off to far reaches of space to rescue the cargo and defeat the Gidans. <ref>https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Sega_Genesis//Manual/formated/Truxton_-_Tatsujin_-_1989_-_Sega.pdf</ref>

The game takes place in space and passes over 8 asteroids in the following order: Blue, Yellow, Red, Orchid, Purple, Poison, Galaxy Pool, and Magman.

There are 5 Gidan bosses called Monster Powers and they appear at the end of each stage.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Boss Name
|-
| Stage 1 || J-Tank
|-
| Stage 2 || Badron
|-
| Stage 3 || Dosvam
|-
| Stage 4 || Gurus
|-
| Stage 5 || Dogurava
|}

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==
* Include information here about differences in a game between various versions. This includes regional differences, patch updates/bugfixes, and the like.
----

== Trivia ==
* Cool facts and random tidbits go here!
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video_Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

File:TATSUJIN HITBOXES.gif

2023-02-16T08:27:24Z

NullNotBub: Ship hitboxes in Tatsujin/Truxton using the hitboxes assist in the port by Bitwave Games.

== Summary ==
Ship hitboxes in Tatsujin/Truxton using the hitboxes assist in the port by Bitwave Games.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

Xexex

2023-02-06T00:40:41Z

NullNotBub: Described how 1UPs spawn in the game.

[[File:XEXEX_Logo.png|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = black
| title = Xexex
| background = #f8f8f8
| image = XEXEX_Title.png
| width = 256px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 200px
| developer = [[Konami]]
| music = Motoaki Furukawa </br> Hidenori Maezawa </br> Satoko Miyawaki </br> Akiko Hashimoto
| program = Toshiaki Takatori </br> Tatsuo Fujii </br> Tetsuya Wada
| art = M. Machiguchi </br> Kuniaki Kakuwa </br> Chiyoko Hanano
| releasedate = 1991
| nextgame = [[Pop’n TwinBee]]
}}

''[[Xexex]]'' ''(ゼクセクス)'' is a horizontal scrolling shoot em' up developed and published by ''[[Konami]]'' in 1991. It is an original project that brings over mechanics from other shooting games such as the ''[[Gradius]]'' series and ''[[Irem|Irem's]]'' ''[[R-Type]]'' and ''[[X Multiply]]''.</br>

Despite the positive reception towards the game, the sudden boom in popularity of fighting games caused Xexex to sell poorly. The game would be localized to other regions, with the US version being renamed to '''''Orius'''''. Despite adding 2 player co-op, the gameplay is altered drastically. And due to the advanced graphics used in the game, ports were never seen until the far future.

__TOC__

{{clear}}

==Gameplay Overview==
''Xexex'' takes place across 7 different stages, with each one having a different and unique appearance. Using the Flintlock, the player will need to shoot down everything that they come across and use their Flint for either offensive or defensive use, whilst changing their shot type by collecting labeled pickups. At the end of each level is a boss fight, with each boss having a weak spot which must be destroyed to proceed to the next stage. In between stages are cutscenes that show Princess Irene pleading her help and/or Klaus taunting the player.

Random power-ups can be found by shooting secret locations in the level. There is a slim chance a 1UP can appear in these spots. This is the only way to earn extends.
===Controls===
</br>
[[File:XEXEX_Controls.png|frameless|none|upright]]</br>
Xexex is a two-button game. Piloting the Flintlock TMF01, the ship can move in 8 directions, fire a wide variety of shot types, and manipulate a biological weapon called the Flint

*'''A:''' Fires main shot.

*'''A (Hold):''' Charges up the Flint.

*'''A (Release):''' Unleashes a powerful, long-range tentacle attack.

*'''B:''' Drops the Flint directly in front of the ship. Pressing the button while the Flint is deployed will call it back to your ship.

*'''B, while charged:''' Shoots the Flint forward a great distance.

===Hitbox===
The Flintlock's hitbox is quite large, covering most of the ship, it's front arms, and the engine in the back. It's best advised to use your Flint to block incoming enemy shots. The back tips of the ship will emit sparks if they touch a surface.

===Weapons===
====The Flint====
The Flint, just like the Force Pod from ''R-Type'', is invincible, blocks bullets, and has tentacles. The ship always starts with it and only attaches to the front of the ship. The Flint itself starts off with one tentacle, but more can be added by collecting the appropriate power-up, up a maximum of three.

While the Flint is attached to the ship, It acts as a shield with a relatively small size. When deployed, the Flint's tentacles will sprout out and block bullets, home into enemies, and deal damage to whatever they touch. The ship will be able to rapidly shoot by holding the A button in this state.

If the Flint's core touches the center of any organic part of an enemy or boss, it will latch onto it and deal continuous damage until the enemy is destroyed or the enemy goes offscreen or moves fast enough.

=====Controlling the Flint=====
The Flint itself can be used in a variety of ways. With the Flint attached to the ship, holding down the A button will charge it up, up to a maximum of two times. While charged, the following actions can be performed:

*Releasing the A button will unleash a tentacle attack. This attack has a very long range and does great damage towards enemies, but is weak towards bosses. The more tentacles the Flint has, the wider the attack gets. Releasing A when charged up a second time will make the attack go across the entire screen. Do note that the tentacles can be stopped by terrain.

*Pressing B while charged will launch the Flint forward at a very high velocity, piercing through any small enemies in the way. A level 2 charge will launch the Flint further; across the entire screen. If the Flint hits any terrain or a large enemy while being launched, it will produce an explosion that does extra damage.

Pressing B without charging will drop the Flint a small distance ahead of the ship. This is useful if you need to avoid enemy fire from behind.

====Main Shot====
The Flintlock starts off with a basic Photon Beam shot. This shot does a decent amount of damage but the projectile is tiny. Other weapons and items can be acquired by destroying rapidly flashing enemies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Laser'''
| Fires a burst of three lasers. The top and bottom lasers divert and home onto the nearest enemy, up to 90 degrees.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX ShadowLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Shadow Laser'''
| Functions identically to the laser weapon in ''Gradius'', except leaving behind a trail.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Round Laser'''
| Shoots a shotgun-like blast of five shots, which encircle into each other after some distance.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SpiralLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spiral Laser'''
| A persisting laser that gets wider the further the shot gets. Functions like a combination of the normal Laser and Ripple Laser from the ''Gradius'' series.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Search Laser'''
| A heat seeking laser that actively hunts down enemies.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Ground Laser'''
| Shoots a long laser that travels along the ground alongside a regular shot.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''1UP'''
| Grants an extra ship. Can be found randomly by revealing secret locations.
|}

Upon death, All power-ups are lost and the player is brought back to the last checkpoint.

===Loops===
Xexex has a much more dificult second loop after completing the first. Some stages have changes in order to make the stage more difficult:

*In general, enemies are much more aggressive. They shoot faster and their bullets are faster.
*Stage 1 has a different color palette. The stage boss has more health.{{unconfirmed}}
*Stage 4's tunnels are narrower when the paths split, making it harder to maneuver.
*Stage 5 uses a different color palette. Erupting volcanoes are added halfway through the stage. There is a huge increase in large flying enemies.
*Stage 6 has an extra battleship during the high-speed section.
*Stage 7's Zub-like enemies appear much more often. The final boss fires a homing attack during the first phase.
There is no additional loops after. The game ends after completing the second loop.

==Revisional Differences==
This page goes over the original Japanese (Version JAA) release of the game. When the game is brought overseas, drastic changes were made to the game with three different revisions:
*Asian version (Version AAA)
*European Version (Version EAA)
*US Version (Version UAA), Renamed to '''''Orius'''''.
Due to the drastic changes made to the revisions, the original Japanese version is the preferred way to play this title.
===Gameplay===
All three revised versions of the game function the same. The gameplay itself received several changes:
*Each stage has a proper name, instead of "CHARGE THE ENEMY" being displayed when the stage starts.
*There is now 2-player co-op, with a new, second Flintlock that has a different appearance.
*The Flintlock has a slightly smaller hitbox.{{unconfirmed}}
*There are no lives in the game. Replacing it is an energy meter that when runs out, requires the player to continue.
*Checkpoints are removed. Players now respawn upon continuing.
*'''All laser power-ups are removed, and are replaced with much simpler weapons.'''
*'''Enemies are more abundant and take more hits to destroy, even appearing in different stages.'''
*'''Bosses have much more health and their patterns are changed. Stage 6 for example has a second copy of the boss.'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spread Shot'''
| Replaces the Photon Beam with a 2-way spread shot. Additional pickups add an addition shot to the spread, up to a 5-way spread.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Missile'''
| Allows the Flintlock to fire homing missiles over and under itself. Additional pickups add more missiles and increase their travel speed.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three. During 2-player games, up to four tentacles can be active at once.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Energy'''
| Restores a small amount of energy to the Flintlock.
|}

===Controls===
Several changes were made to how firing and the Flint functions.
*Charging the Flint instantly charges it to level 2 when charged.
*'''There is no rapid-fire when the Flint is detached from the ship.'''
*'''Pressing B without charging will always shoot out the Flint as if it was charged to level 1.'''

Xexex

2023-02-05T03:18:24Z

NullNotBub: /* Loops */

[[File:XEXEX_Logo.png|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = black
| title = Xexex
| background = #f8f8f8
| image = XEXEX_Title.png
| width = 256px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 200px
| developer = [[Konami]]
| music = Motoaki Furukawa </br> Hidenori Maezawa </br> Satoko Miyawaki </br> Akiko Hashimoto
| program = Toshiaki Takatori </br> Tatsuo Fujii </br> Tetsuya Wada
| art = M. Machiguchi </br> Kuniaki Kakuwa </br> Chiyoko Hanano
| releasedate = 1991
| nextgame = [[Pop’n TwinBee]]
}}

''[[Xexex]]'' ''(ゼクセクス)'' is a horizontal scrolling shoot em' up developed and published by ''[[Konami]]'' in 1991. It is an original project that brings over mechanics from other shooting games such as the ''[[Gradius]]'' series and ''[[Irem|Irem's]]'' ''[[R-Type]]'' and ''[[X Multiply]]''.</br>

Despite the positive reception towards the game, the sudden boom in popularity of fighting games caused Xexex to sell poorly. The game would be localized to other regions, with the US version being renamed to '''''Orius'''''. Despite adding 2 player co-op, the gameplay is altered drastically. And due to the advanced graphics used in the game, ports were never seen until the far future.

__TOC__

{{clear}}

==Gameplay Overview==
''Xexex'' takes place across 7 different stages, with each one having a different and unique appearance. Using the Flintlock, the player will need to shoot down everything that they come across and use their Flint for either offensive or defensive use. At the end of each level is a boss fight, with each boss having a weak spot which must be destroyed to proceed to the next stage. In between stages are cutscenes that show Princess Irene pleading her help and/or Klaus taunting the player.

The only way to earn extends is by finding them in secret locations. However, there are unlimited continues.
===Controls===
</br>
[[File:XEXEX_Controls.png|frameless|none|upright]]</br>
Xexex is a two-button game. Piloting the Flintlock TMF01, the ship can move in 8 directions, fire a wide variety of shot types, and manipulate a biological weapon called the Flint

*'''A:''' Fires main shot.

*'''A (Hold):''' Charges up the Flint.

*'''A (Release):''' Unleashes a powerful, long-range tentacle attack.

*'''B:''' Drops the Flint directly in front of the ship. Pressing the button while the Flint is deployed will call it back to your ship.

*'''B, while charged:''' Shoots the Flint forward a great distance.

===Hitbox===
The Flintlock's hitbox is quite large, covering most of the ship, it's front arms, and the engine in the back. It's best advised to use your Flint to block incoming enemy shots. The back tips of the ship will emit sparks if they touch a surface.

===Weapons===
====The Flint====
The Flint, just like the Force Pod from ''R-Type'', is invincible, blocks bullets, and has tentacles. The ship always starts with it and only attaches to the front of the ship. The Flint itself starts off with one tentacle, but more can be added by collecting the appropriate power-up, up a maximum of three.

While the Flint is attached to the ship, It acts as a shield with a relatively small size. When deployed, the Flint's tentacles will sprout out and block bullets, home into enemies, and deal damage to whatever they touch. The ship will be able to rapidly shoot by holding the A button in this state.

If the Flint's core touches the center of any organic part of an enemy or boss, it will latch onto it and deal continuous damage until the enemy is destroyed or the enemy goes offscreen.

=====Controlling the Flint=====
The Flint itself can be used in a variety of ways. With the Flint attached to the ship, holding down the A button will charge it up, up to a maximum of two times. While charged, the following actions can be performed:

*Releasing the A button will unleash a tentacle attack. This attack has a very long range and does great damage towards enemies, but is weak towards bosses. The more tentacles the Flint has, the wider the attack gets. Releasing A when charged up a second time will make the attack go across the entire screen. Do note that the tentacles can be stopped by terrain.

*Pressing B while charged will launch the Flint forward at a very high velocity, piercing through any small enemies in the way. A level 2 charge will launch the Flint further; across the entire screen. If the Flint hits any terrain or a large enemy while being launched, it will produce an explosion that does extra damage.

Pressing B without charging will drop the Flint a small distance ahead of the ship. This is useful if you need to avoid enemy fire from behind.

====Main Shot====
The Flintlock starts off with a basic Photon Beam shot. This shot does a decent amount of damage but the projectile is tiny. Other weapons and items can be acquired by destroying rapidly flashing enemies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Laser'''
| Fires a burst of three lasers. The top and bottom lasers divert and home onto the nearest enemy, up to 90 degrees.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX ShadowLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Shadow Laser'''
| Functions identically to the laser weapon in ''Gradius'', except leaving behind a trail.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Round Laser'''
| Shoots a shotgun-like blast of five shots, which encircle into each other after some distance.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SpiralLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spiral Laser'''
| A persisting laser that gets wider the further the shot gets. Functions like a combination of the normal Laser and Ripple Laser from the ''Gradius'' series.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Search Laser'''
| A heat seeking laser that actively hunts down enemies.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Ground Laser'''
| Shoots a long laser that travels along the ground alongside a regular shot.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''1UP'''
| Grants an extra ship. Can be found by revealing secret locations.
|}

Upon death, All power-ups are lost and the player is brought back to the last checkpoint.

===Loops===
Xexex has a much more dificult second loop after completing the first. Some stages have changes in order to make the stage more difficult:

*In general, enemies are much more aggressive. They shoot faster and their bullets are faster.
*Stage 1 has a different color palette. The stage boss has more health.{{unconfirmed}}
*Stage 4's tunnels are narrower when the paths split, making it harder to maneuver.
*Stage 5 uses a different color palette. Erupting volcanoes are added halfway through the stage. There is a huge increase in large flying enemies.
*Stage 6 has an extra battleship during the high-speed section.
*Stage 7's Zub-like enemies appear much more often. The final boss fires a homing attack during the first phase.
There is no additional loops after. The game ends after completing the second loop.

==Revisional Differences==
This page goes over the original Japanese (Version JAA) release of the game. When the game is brought overseas, drastic changes were made to the game with three different revisions:
*Asian version (Version AAA)
*European Version (Version EAA)
*US Version (Version UAA), Renamed to '''''Orius'''''.
Due to the drastic changes made to the revisions, the original Japanese version is the preferred way to play this title.
===Gameplay===
All three revised versions of the game function the same. The gameplay itself received several changes:
*Each stage has a proper name, instead of "CHARGE THE ENEMY" being displayed when the stage starts.
*There is now 2-player co-op, with a new, second Flintlock that has a different appearance.
*The Flintlock has a slightly smaller hitbox.{{unconfirmed}}
*There are no lives in the game. Replacing it is an energy meter that when runs out, requires the player to continue.
*Checkpoints are removed. Players now respawn upon continuing.
*'''All laser power-ups are removed, and are replaced with much simpler weapons.'''
*'''Enemies are more abundant and take more hits to destroy, even appearing in different stages.'''
*'''Bosses have much more health and their patterns are changed. Stage 6 for example has a second copy of the boss.'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spread Shot'''
| Replaces the Photon Beam with a 2-way spread shot. Additional pickups add an addition shot to the spread, up to a 5-way spread.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Missile'''
| Allows the Flintlock to fire homing missiles over and under itself. Additional pickups add more missiles and increase their travel speed.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three. During 2-player games, up to four tentacles can be active at once.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Energy'''
| Restores a small amount of energy to the Flintlock.
|}

===Controls===
Several changes were made to how firing and the Flint functions.
*Charging the Flint instantly charges it to level 2 when charged.
*'''There is no rapid-fire when the Flint is detached from the ship.'''
*'''Pressing B without charging will always shoot out the Flint as if it was charged to level 1.'''

Xexex

2023-02-05T03:17:30Z

NullNotBub: /* Revisional Differences */

[[File:XEXEX_Logo.png|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = black
| title = Xexex
| background = #f8f8f8
| image = XEXEX_Title.png
| width = 256px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 200px
| developer = [[Konami]]
| music = Motoaki Furukawa </br> Hidenori Maezawa </br> Satoko Miyawaki </br> Akiko Hashimoto
| program = Toshiaki Takatori </br> Tatsuo Fujii </br> Tetsuya Wada
| art = M. Machiguchi </br> Kuniaki Kakuwa </br> Chiyoko Hanano
| releasedate = 1991
| nextgame = [[Pop’n TwinBee]]
}}

''[[Xexex]]'' ''(ゼクセクス)'' is a horizontal scrolling shoot em' up developed and published by ''[[Konami]]'' in 1991. It is an original project that brings over mechanics from other shooting games such as the ''[[Gradius]]'' series and ''[[Irem|Irem's]]'' ''[[R-Type]]'' and ''[[X Multiply]]''.</br>

Despite the positive reception towards the game, the sudden boom in popularity of fighting games caused Xexex to sell poorly. The game would be localized to other regions, with the US version being renamed to '''''Orius'''''. Despite adding 2 player co-op, the gameplay is altered drastically. And due to the advanced graphics used in the game, ports were never seen until the far future.

__TOC__

{{clear}}

==Gameplay Overview==
''Xexex'' takes place across 7 different stages, with each one having a different and unique appearance. Using the Flintlock, the player will need to shoot down everything that they come across and use their Flint for either offensive or defensive use. At the end of each level is a boss fight, with each boss having a weak spot which must be destroyed to proceed to the next stage. In between stages are cutscenes that show Princess Irene pleading her help and/or Klaus taunting the player.

The only way to earn extends is by finding them in secret locations. However, there are unlimited continues.
===Controls===
</br>
[[File:XEXEX_Controls.png|frameless|none|upright]]</br>
Xexex is a two-button game. Piloting the Flintlock TMF01, the ship can move in 8 directions, fire a wide variety of shot types, and manipulate a biological weapon called the Flint

*'''A:''' Fires main shot.

*'''A (Hold):''' Charges up the Flint.

*'''A (Release):''' Unleashes a powerful, long-range tentacle attack.

*'''B:''' Drops the Flint directly in front of the ship. Pressing the button while the Flint is deployed will call it back to your ship.

*'''B, while charged:''' Shoots the Flint forward a great distance.

===Hitbox===
The Flintlock's hitbox is quite large, covering most of the ship, it's front arms, and the engine in the back. It's best advised to use your Flint to block incoming enemy shots. The back tips of the ship will emit sparks if they touch a surface.

===Weapons===
====The Flint====
The Flint, just like the Force Pod from ''R-Type'', is invincible, blocks bullets, and has tentacles. The ship always starts with it and only attaches to the front of the ship. The Flint itself starts off with one tentacle, but more can be added by collecting the appropriate power-up, up a maximum of three.

While the Flint is attached to the ship, It acts as a shield with a relatively small size. When deployed, the Flint's tentacles will sprout out and block bullets, home into enemies, and deal damage to whatever they touch. The ship will be able to rapidly shoot by holding the A button in this state.

If the Flint's core touches the center of any organic part of an enemy or boss, it will latch onto it and deal continuous damage until the enemy is destroyed or the enemy goes offscreen.

=====Controlling the Flint=====
The Flint itself can be used in a variety of ways. With the Flint attached to the ship, holding down the A button will charge it up, up to a maximum of two times. While charged, the following actions can be performed:

*Releasing the A button will unleash a tentacle attack. This attack has a very long range and does great damage towards enemies, but is weak towards bosses. The more tentacles the Flint has, the wider the attack gets. Releasing A when charged up a second time will make the attack go across the entire screen. Do note that the tentacles can be stopped by terrain.

*Pressing B while charged will launch the Flint forward at a very high velocity, piercing through any small enemies in the way. A level 2 charge will launch the Flint further; across the entire screen. If the Flint hits any terrain or a large enemy while being launched, it will produce an explosion that does extra damage.

Pressing B without charging will drop the Flint a small distance ahead of the ship. This is useful if you need to avoid enemy fire from behind.

====Main Shot====
The Flintlock starts off with a basic Photon Beam shot. This shot does a decent amount of damage but the projectile is tiny. Other weapons and items can be acquired by destroying rapidly flashing enemies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Laser'''
| Fires a burst of three lasers. The top and bottom lasers divert and home onto the nearest enemy, up to 90 degrees.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX ShadowLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Shadow Laser'''
| Functions identically to the laser weapon in ''Gradius'', except leaving behind a trail.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Round Laser'''
| Shoots a shotgun-like blast of five shots, which encircle into each other after some distance.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SpiralLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spiral Laser'''
| A persisting laser that gets wider the further the shot gets. Functions like a combination of the normal Laser and Ripple Laser from the ''Gradius'' series.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Search Laser'''
| A heat seeking laser that actively hunts down enemies.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Ground Laser'''
| Shoots a long laser that travels along the ground alongside a regular shot.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''1UP'''
| Grants an extra ship. Can be found by revealing secret locations.
|}

Upon death, All power-ups are lost and the player is brought back to the last checkpoint.

===Loops===
Xexex has a much more dificult second loop after completing the first. Some stages have changes in order to make the stage more difficult:

*In general, enemies are much more aggressive. They shoot faster and their bullets are faster.
*Stage 1 has a different color palette. The stage boss has more health.{{unconfirmed}}
*Stage 4's tunnels are narrower when the paths split, making it harder to maneuver.
*Stage 5 uses a different color palette. Erupting volcanoes are added halfway through the stage. There is a huge increase in large flying enemies.
*Stage 6 has an extra battleship during the high-speed section.
*Stage 7's Zub-like enemies appear much more often.
There is no additional loops after. The game ends after completing the second loop.

==Revisional Differences==
This page goes over the original Japanese (Version JAA) release of the game. When the game is brought overseas, drastic changes were made to the game with three different revisions:
*Asian version (Version AAA)
*European Version (Version EAA)
*US Version (Version UAA), Renamed to '''''Orius'''''.
Due to the drastic changes made to the revisions, the original Japanese version is the preferred way to play this title.
===Gameplay===
All three revised versions of the game function the same. The gameplay itself received several changes:
*Each stage has a proper name, instead of "CHARGE THE ENEMY" being displayed when the stage starts.
*There is now 2-player co-op, with a new, second Flintlock that has a different appearance.
*The Flintlock has a slightly smaller hitbox.{{unconfirmed}}
*There are no lives in the game. Replacing it is an energy meter that when runs out, requires the player to continue.
*Checkpoints are removed. Players now respawn upon continuing.
*'''All laser power-ups are removed, and are replaced with much simpler weapons.'''
*'''Enemies are more abundant and take more hits to destroy, even appearing in different stages.'''
*'''Bosses have much more health and their patterns are changed. Stage 6 for example has a second copy of the boss.'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spread Shot'''
| Replaces the Photon Beam with a 2-way spread shot. Additional pickups add an addition shot to the spread, up to a 5-way spread.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Missile'''
| Allows the Flintlock to fire homing missiles over and under itself. Additional pickups add more missiles and increase their travel speed.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three. During 2-player games, up to four tentacles can be active at once.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Energy'''
| Restores a small amount of energy to the Flintlock.
|}

===Controls===
Several changes were made to how firing and the Flint functions.
*Charging the Flint instantly charges it to level 2 when charged.
*'''There is no rapid-fire when the Flint is detached from the ship.'''
*'''Pressing B without charging will always shoot out the Flint as if it was charged to level 1.'''

Xexex

2023-02-05T02:59:38Z

NullNotBub: Added revision differences.

[[File:XEXEX_Logo.png|400px|center]]
----
{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = black
| title = Xexex
| background = #f8f8f8
| image = XEXEX_Title.png
| width = 256px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 200px
| developer = [[Konami]]
| music = Motoaki Furukawa </br> Hidenori Maezawa </br> Satoko Miyawaki </br> Akiko Hashimoto
| program = Toshiaki Takatori </br> Tatsuo Fujii </br> Tetsuya Wada
| art = M. Machiguchi </br> Kuniaki Kakuwa </br> Chiyoko Hanano
| releasedate = 1991
| nextgame = [[Pop’n TwinBee]]
}}

''[[Xexex]]'' ''(ゼクセクス)'' is a horizontal scrolling shoot em' up developed and published by ''[[Konami]]'' in 1991. It is an original project that brings over mechanics from other shooting games such as the ''[[Gradius]]'' series and ''[[Irem|Irem's]]'' ''[[R-Type]]'' and ''[[X Multiply]]''.</br>

Despite the positive reception towards the game, the sudden boom in popularity of fighting games caused Xexex to sell poorly. The game would be localized to other regions, with the US version being renamed to '''''Orius'''''. Despite adding 2 player co-op, the gameplay is altered drastically. And due to the advanced graphics used in the game, ports were never seen until the far future.

__TOC__

{{clear}}

==Gameplay Overview==
''Xexex'' takes place across 7 different stages, with each one having a different and unique appearance. Using the Flintlock, the player will need to shoot down everything that they come across and use their Flint for either offensive or defensive use. At the end of each level is a boss fight, with each boss having a weak spot which must be destroyed to proceed to the next stage. In between stages are cutscenes that show Princess Irene pleading her help and/or Klaus taunting the player.

The only way to earn extends is by finding them in secret locations. However, there are unlimited continues.
===Controls===
</br>
[[File:XEXEX_Controls.png|frameless|none|upright]]</br>
Xexex is a two-button game. Piloting the Flintlock TMF01, the ship can move in 8 directions, fire a wide variety of shot types, and manipulate a biological weapon called the Flint

*'''A:''' Fires main shot.

*'''A (Hold):''' Charges up the Flint.

*'''A (Release):''' Unleashes a powerful, long-range tentacle attack.

*'''B:''' Drops the Flint directly in front of the ship. Pressing the button while the Flint is deployed will call it back to your ship.

*'''B, while charged:''' Shoots the Flint forward a great distance.

===Hitbox===
The Flintlock's hitbox is quite large, covering most of the ship, it's front arms, and the engine in the back. It's best advised to use your Flint to block incoming enemy shots. The back tips of the ship will emit sparks if they touch a surface.

===Weapons===
====The Flint====
The Flint, just like the Force Pod from ''R-Type'', is invincible, blocks bullets, and has tentacles. The ship always starts with it and only attaches to the front of the ship. The Flint itself starts off with one tentacle, but more can be added by collecting the appropriate power-up, up a maximum of three.

While the Flint is attached to the ship, It acts as a shield with a relatively small size. When deployed, the Flint's tentacles will sprout out and block bullets, home into enemies, and deal damage to whatever they touch. The ship will be able to rapidly shoot by holding the A button in this state.

If the Flint's core touches the center of any organic part of an enemy or boss, it will latch onto it and deal continuous damage until the enemy is destroyed or the enemy goes offscreen.

=====Controlling the Flint=====
The Flint itself can be used in a variety of ways. With the Flint attached to the ship, holding down the A button will charge it up, up to a maximum of two times. While charged, the following actions can be performed:

*Releasing the A button will unleash a tentacle attack. This attack has a very long range and does great damage towards enemies, but is weak towards bosses. The more tentacles the Flint has, the wider the attack gets. Releasing A when charged up a second time will make the attack go across the entire screen. Do note that the tentacles can be stopped by terrain.

*Pressing B while charged will launch the Flint forward at a very high velocity, piercing through any small enemies in the way. A level 2 charge will launch the Flint further; across the entire screen. If the Flint hits any terrain or a large enemy while being launched, it will produce an explosion that does extra damage.

Pressing B without charging will drop the Flint a small distance ahead of the ship. This is useful if you need to avoid enemy fire from behind.

====Main Shot====
The Flintlock starts off with a basic Photon Beam shot. This shot does a decent amount of damage but the projectile is tiny. Other weapons and items can be acquired by destroying rapidly flashing enemies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Laser'''
| Fires a burst of three lasers. The top and bottom lasers divert and home onto the nearest enemy, up to 90 degrees.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX ShadowLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Shadow Laser'''
| Functions identically to the laser weapon in ''Gradius'', except leaving behind a trail.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Round Laser'''
| Shoots a shotgun-like blast of five shots, which encircle into each other after some distance.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SpiralLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spiral Laser'''
| A persisting laser that gets wider the further the shot gets. Functions like a combination of the normal Laser and Ripple Laser from the ''Gradius'' series.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Search Laser'''
| A heat seeking laser that actively hunts down enemies.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Ground Laser'''
| Shoots a long laser that travels along the ground alongside a regular shot.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''1UP'''
| Grants an extra ship. Can be found by revealing secret locations.
|}

Upon death, All power-ups are lost and the player is brought back to the last checkpoint.

===Loops===
Xexex has a much more dificult second loop after completing the first. Some stages have changes in order to make the stage more difficult:

*In general, enemies are much more aggressive. They shoot faster and their bullets are faster.
*Stage 1 has a different color palette. The stage boss has more health.{{unconfirmed}}
*Stage 4's tunnels are narrower when the paths split, making it harder to maneuver.
*Stage 5 uses a different color palette. Erupting volcanoes are added halfway through the stage. There is a huge increase in large flying enemies.
*Stage 6 has an extra battleship during the high-speed section.
*Stage 7's Zub-like enemies appear much more often.
There is no additional loops after. The game ends after completing the second loop.

==Revisional Differences==
This page goes over the original Japanese (Version JAA) release of the game. When the game is brought overseas, drastic changes were made to the game with three different revisions:
*Asian version (Version AAA)
*European Version (Version EAA)
*US Version (Version UAA), Renamed to '''''Orius'''''.
Due to the drastic changes made to the revisions, the original Japanese version is the preferred way to play this title.
===Gameplay===
All three revised versions of the game function the same. The gameplay itself received several changes:
*There is now 2-player co-op, with a new, second Flintlock that has a slightly different appearance.
*The Flintlock has a slightly smaller hitbox.{{unconfirmed}}
*There are no lives in the game. Replacing it is an energy meter that when runs out, requires the player to continue.
*Checkpoints are removed. Players now respawn upon continuing.
*'''All laser power-ups are removed, and are replaced with much simpler weapons.'''
*'''Enemies are more abundant and take more hits to destroy. Bosses have much more health.'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Item
! Desciption
|-
! [[File:XEXEX RoundLaser.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Spread Shot'''
| Replaces the Photon Beam with a 2-way spread shot. Additional pickups add an addition shot to the spread, up to a 5-way spread.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Homing Missile'''
| Allows the Flintlock to fire homing missiles over and under itself. Additional pickups add more missiles and increase their travel speed.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Speed Up'''
| Speeds up the Flintlock.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Flint.gif|frameless|none|upright]]'''Flint'''
| Adds a tentacle to the Flint. Up to a maximum to three. During 2-player games, up to four tentacles can be active at once.
|-
! [[File:XEXEX Energy.png|frameless|none|upright]]'''Energy'''
| Restores a small amount of energy to the Flintlock.
|}

===Controls===
Several changes were made to how firing and the Flint functions.
*Charging the Flint instantly charges it to level 2 when charged.
*'''There is no rapid-fire when the Flint is detached from the ship.'''
*'''Pressing B without charging will always shoot out the Flint as if it was charged to level 1.'''

File:XEXEX HomingMissile.png

2023-02-05T02:33:14Z

NullNotBub: Homing Missile Powerup used in Revisions of Xexex.

== Summary ==
Homing Missile Powerup used in Revisions of Xexex.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

Xexex

2023-02-04T12:24:41Z

NullNotBub: CHARGE THE ENEMY! Will be working more on this later.

File:XEXEX Controls.png

2023-02-04T10:25:45Z

NullNotBub: NullNotBub uploaded a new version of File:XEXEX Controls.png

== Summary ==
Controls for Xexex, using the button sprites form the game.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:XEXEX Logo.png

2023-02-04T09:49:49Z

NullNotBub: Game logo to Xexex

== Summary ==
Game logo to Xexex
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free logo}}

File:XEXEX Energy.png

2023-02-04T09:47:14Z

NullNotBub: Energy pickup from Xexex (Localized versions only). Idk if this item appears in the Japanese version as a 1UP or such.

== Summary ==
Energy pickup from Xexex (Localized versions only). Idk if this item appears in the Japanese version as a 1UP or such.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:XEXEX Flint.gif

2023-02-04T09:46:16Z

NullNotBub: Flint pickup from Xexex.

== Summary ==
Flint pickup from Xexex.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:XEXEX Speed Up.gif

2023-02-04T09:45:58Z

NullNotBub: Speed Up pickup from Xexex.

== Summary ==
Speed Up pickup from Xexex.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:XEXEX GroundLaser.gif

2023-02-04T09:45:29Z

NullNotBub: Ground Laser/Homing Missile pickup from Xexex/Orius.

== Summary ==
Ground Laser/Homing Missile pickup from Xexex/Orius.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}

File:XEXEX SearchLaser.gif

2023-02-04T09:44:51Z

NullNotBub: Search Laser pickup from Xexex.

== Summary ==
Search Laser pickup from Xexex.
== Licensing ==
{{Non-free game screenshot}}