The final entry in Toaplan's vertically scrolling shooter lineup! Although this game features an easier difficulty level that gamers of all skill levels can enjoy, it still helped to cement Toaplan's position as a leader in the bullet hell genre.
BATSUGUN
Japanese title: BATSUGUN
| Release | 1993 |
| Genre | Vertically scrolling shooting |
| Platforms | Arcade Astro City Mini V SEGA SATURN Steam |
Story
A lone planet exists in the far reaches of space... This isolated planet is about to serve as the setting for a revolution which the planet's governing body never saw coming. In an effort to overthrow the government, the Gladebaran Revolutionary Army implements Project Epsilon. The rebels swiftly overrun the government's military bases in a mere nine days, and demonstrate a willingness to use any means necessary to achieve their goals. As a result, 10,000,000 innocent lives are lost due to the fighting. Indeed, King Gladebaran proves that he is not a foe to be trifled with... Following the usurpers' assault, the government forces no longer possess a single battleship or fighter to face the enemy. “At this rate, we'll all be slaughtered...“ Just when everyone had lost hope, the government receives an incoming message. In a stroke of luck, a state-of-the-art fighter craft lies safely in an undersea base that escaped destruction during Project Epsilon. Sensing one last attempt to turn the tide of battle, the government forms a special squadron known as the Skull Hornets and tasks it with saving the world. However, little did they know that the revolutionary army was also listening in on the message... Time is of the essence as the Skull Hornets quickly set out for the secret undersea base. However, King Gladebaran's army immediately gives chase. A battle with the very fate of the world itself at stake is about to begin... Concerned with the problems of overpopulation and the destruction of nature that plague the planet, Renoselva A. Gladebaran VII devised the ambitious Project Epsilon to enable mankind to colonize space. However, the government ignored his plan, causing Gladebaran to stage a coup d'état.
Controls & How to Play
The game is played with an 8-way joystick, a Shot button, and a Bomb button.
Use the Shot and Bomb buttons to destroy enemies.
If your ship is hit by enemy fire or collides with an airborne enemy, it will be destroyed and you will lose a life.
You will not lose a life for colliding with enemies located on land, or those on or beneath the sea.
When you restart after losing a life, your power-ups will be reset, but you will begin with three bombs equipped and will retain any experience points and levels that you have earned.
The game is over if you lose all of your lives.
There are a total of five stages.
【Ship Selection】
You can select from three different ships, each with their own type of shot.
Sky Mirage
This ship fires its Megaway shot straight ahead like an arrow.
Leveling up and obtaining power-ups allow your shot to spread out in a fan-shaped path, and also fire missiles that explode on impact.
Dragon's Whisper
This ship fires a Thunder Spark Laser that shoots a lightning-like laser straight ahead, and can cause a powerful spark attack by hitting it repeatedly.
Leveling up and obtaining power-ups allow forward diagonal shots, as well as homing attacks.
Judgment Flash
Hold down the Shot button to fire a Spreadwave shot, and then release the button to change the attack into a shot that splits into multiple fragments.
Leveling up and obtaining power-ups enable these fragmented shots to cover a wider area, and lasers that shoot to the sides can also be fired.
【Power-Up & Leveling Systems】
Your ship levels up by earning experience points.
Experience points can be earned by defeating enemies and through other actions.
Your experience points are displayed via the gauge at the bottom of the screen.
Once the gauge is full, your ship will level up and you will inflict damage on any on-screen enemies, as well as destroy any bullets they've fired.
After you level up, the gauge returns to empty.
You can reach up to a maximum level of 3, and your ship's firepower is increased with each level.
Experience points can still be earned even after reaching Level 3, and if you fill the gauge again, a special bomb item will appear and the gauge will be emptied once again.
You can pick up "P" items to power up your shots (5 levels).
Your ship is powered up with each level, and your power-ups are reset each time you level up.
【Items】
"P" item
Pick this up to power up your shots based on the level of your ship (5 levels).
If you pick one up when you are fully powered up, you will earn 10,000 points instead.
"B"アイテム
Pick this up to add one bomb to your inventory.
You can store up to seven of these bombs.
"Victory" item
This golden V-shaped item gives you 1,000 points for a large version, and 500 points for a small one.
You will earn points based on the number you have obtained of each after clearing a stage.
If you lose a life, the count will be reset.
- POINT1
- There is a secret pig character that appears when you destroy a certain ground-based object in certain stages.
You can earn additional points by approaching the pig with your ship.
- POINT2
- There is also a secret bonus that awards you an additional 59,630 points for destroying certain enemies and objects in a specific stage.
In some instances, you might not earn the points if you destroy the target without using bombs.
Impressions
For the first time ever in a Toaplan shooter, you can choose your own character! There are a total of six characters and three ship types. Each character has their own unique personality, which led to each one gaining a following among fans. The beautiful graphics, flashy attacks, and the lighter soundtrack that differed from previous Toaplan titles were also major selling points. This was the last vertically scrolling shooter from Toaplan and served as a bridge to the bullet hell shooters to come, but the relatively easier difficulty level helped ensure its popularity as a game that players of all ability levels could pick up and play. Still, there is an immense feeling of satisfaction after completing the game! This amazing title helped bring an end to the previous era of Toaplan shooters and usher in the new generation of manic action shooting games that was to come.