Posts Tagged ‘bullet hell’
DoDonPachi Series (Cave)
Welcome to import week on Shmuppreciation and what better way to begin than with the quintessential Cave shooter that started it all: the DoDonPachi series. Those that have been following our “shmup of the day” may have noticed that last week I regarded Raiden as being a primitive version of the “danmaku” (bullet hell) shmup, well the DoDonPachi series would mark the actual beginning of this genre. You’ll notice with this game that big explosions, massive enemies and large pink bullets are just par for the course in this addicting and animated shmup. While the story is not any more diverse than any series we’ve discussed, this was probably the first shmup where I followed each iteration’s story. Although tough as nails, the DoDonPachi series (and pretty much all shmups by Cave) is just so fun and makes you feel so powerful at times that your drive overwhelms the difficulty curve. You keep failing but you don’t seem to care.
Worldwide Arcade Distribution
DonPachi is the first game in the series, although all sequels carry the DoDonPachi name and thus is the true main title for the series. It was developed by Cave, the first title since the separation of developer Toaplan (the only game I’ve played by them was the somewhat similar NES shmup Tiger Heli) closed down and spawned 4 smaller dev studios. DonPachi ran first generation proprietary hardware that appears to be specifically designed for dynamic vertical arcade games. It released in 1995 to a crowded arcade space and thanks to Atlus (a known publisher for localizing and releasing Japanese games in America) even made it to the United States.
Raiden Series (Seibu Kaihatsu/Moss)
Raiden (pronounced “rhy-den”, not “ray-den” like in Mortal Kombat) doesn’t really need an introduction, as an arcade game that came out worldwide in 1990 many people are probably familiar with it, but for what it is it’s perhaps best to take a second look. You see, it’s probably the first game in the famed “bullet hell” genre (or danmaku), although since you’re more dodging bullets rather than weaving in and out of them it may be an archaic example. This doesn’t make the game any less fun, though, it basically takes the conventions of the vertical shmup that started with titles like 1942 and integrates much more bullets. This title also supports co-operative play and respawns instead of checkpoints.
The reason I like this particular series is that it rides the “just good enough” wave on so many levels. It’s not particularly hard, although the gameplay footage below makes it seem far too easy compared to when I play it. It doesn’t have much of a power-up system, so the concept of a single life playthrough is not necessary. It also has a ton of non-shooting enemies, big blinky ships and massive bosses that don’t do much to feel like a true powerhouse, especially when compared to the short lifespan of most bullet hell titles.
Bullet Hell Shmups
This is going to be a really short blog post with some videos, so those of you who like flashing lights and hate these word things will be in heaven. “Bullet Hell” shmups (also referred to as “danmaku” by the Japanese and fans of the genre) usually refers to vertical perspective (based on vertical raster effects from arcade monitors of the 70s, 80s and 90s) where a single ship is more concerned with dodging bullets rather than enemies. Sure, enemies still play their part, but they prefer to do it from a distance. It’s pretty hard to bump into an enemy in early bullet hell titles, but thanks to developers like Treasure and Cave, those rules are quickly broken.
Bullet Hell, get it?
Gaming History 101 