Under Defeat
Game title screen
| Developer: | G.rev |
|---|---|
| Music: | Shinji Hosoe |
| Program: | Masakazu Takeda |
| Art: | Nanashiki Yamamoto |
| Release date: | Oct 27, 2005 |
| Previous game: | Senko no Ronde |
| Next game: | Mamorukun Curse! |
Under Defeat is a 2005 vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up developed by G.rev for the Sega NAOMI arcade board. In 2012, Under Defeat HD was released for PS3 and Xbox 360, featuring a 16:9 mode and updated graphics. Yet another revision, Under Defeat HD+ is available on most modern platforms.
The game is set in an alternate history WWII where two powers, the Empire and the Union are at war. You play as two German helicopter pilots in service to the Empire, fighting back against the Union.
Contents
Gameplay Overview
Under Defeat uses a 3D engine, and the entire screen is tilted forward slightly. Your helicopter has two weapons: a primary shot, and an option. The primary shot consists of two anti-air vulcans and a center vulcan that can target both air and ground targets. The Option is a drone that can be released to fire independently.
Both the primary shot and the option can be aimed by strafing. The game features two aiming styles, Normal and Reverse. Normal aims in the direction of movement, and Reverse aims in the opposite direction.
Controls
- A: Shoot
- A (Charged): The Option meter charges when you aren't shooting. Press A while fully charged to release your Option.
- B: Bomb
Ships
NOTE: The original arcade and Dreamcast versions only include the VKL 5.03.
| Name | Desc |
|---|---|
| VKL 5.03 | Fires two streams of bullets directly forward. Option must be charged. |
| VKL 7.04 | Fires two streams of bullets in a wider angle. No Option; the Option projectile is included with your primary shot. |
| VKL 6.02 | Fires two homing rockets. Option must be charged. |
Weapons
There are three Option types. You start the game with the Vulcan and switch out your Option type by grabbing the Option item, which continuously cycles through the three types as it bounces around the screen. Picking up an Option item while your meter is on cooldown will automatically reset the cooldown, allowing you to charge again immediately.
| Option | Pickup | Power | Charge Speed | Delay | Duration | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan |  |
Weak | 0.5 | 0 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Cannon |  |
Medium | 0.83 | 0.5 | 8 | 3 |
| Rocket |  |
Strong | 1.37 | 1 | 2 | 5.44 |
The player can collect up to a maximum of 6 Bombs. Bombs render the player invincible for a short period of time while also damaging everything on screen.
Rank
The game features a rank system. Each stage has a base rank value. Your rank is calculated by adding the base value to a "rank offset", which can increase or decrease depending on your actions. Rank offset increases at the end of each stage when no-missing and/or no-bombing the stage. Dying decreases the rank offset by 1. Because the game has no extends (score-based or otherwise), there is no reasonable way to mitigate rank, nor is it worth doing so.
Rank primarily affects enemy fire rate and bullet speed. This is especially pronounced on the second loop, where base rank is dramatically increased. When practicing stages, it is advisable to set the rank offset to +10 in order to simulate the worst-case scenario.
Scoring
Enemies destroyed by the Option grant double the points, meaning that enemies with high score values are a priority target. Picking up the same type of option grants a flat 5000. Tick points are gained by shooting both destructible and indestructible objects. You also receive the following bonuses at the end of each stage:
- Skill Assessment - Proportional to Contribution Percentage. Doubled if Contribution is 100%, doubled at 1 life, and tripled at 0 lives.
- Fuel Conservation- The amount of time left on the boss timer multiplied by 1000.
- Ammo Conservation - The number of bombs left over at the end of a stage multiplied by 10000.
Your Contribution Percentage is the percentage of "contribution targets" that were destroyed during the stage. Many high-health enemies such as large tanks and turrets are fixed contribution targets, and background elements such as the howitzers in stage 1 can also be contribution targets. Random zako can also spawn as contribution targets, denoted by striped paint.
Loops
The game features a second loop with increased difficulty. In order to reach the second loop, one must clear the game with an average Contribution Percentage of >95%. The stages are mirrored and feature alternate environments. Since base rank starts at +19, enemies fire more often and bullets are faster. Some enemies have different behaviors, and others spawn revenge bullets on death.
Strategy
See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.
Target prioritization and screen management are highly important due to your narrow primary shot. If too many enemies clump up on screen, it's easy to get overwhelmed by intersecting bullet patterns. If you route correctly, micro-dodging is rarely a necessity.
The Option is key to both scoring and survival. The Rocket does massive damage against bosses and can one-shot large groups of enemies, while the Vulcan and Cannon can supplement your DPS and/or cover blind spots. The Option is immune to bullets, but can be destroyed if it collides with an enemy.
Version Differences
The Dreamcast port is identical to the arcade version. The HD version has slowdown when played in TATE mode. HD+ fixes the slowdown issues.
Trivia
- The cows at the beginning of stage 1 are possibly a reference to the background cows that appear in every Yagawa shoot 'em up (Battle Garegga, Ibara, etc.)
- Under Defeat was one of the last games released on the Sega Dreamcast. The last five games released on the platform were all shoot 'em ups, the others being Trizeal, Radirgy, Triggerheart Exelica, and Karous.
References & Contributors
1. Page text, info, and formatting by Reflector88
