Chaos Field

Chaos Field (カオスフィールド) is a 2004 vertical-scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game developed by MileStone Inc. and published by Able Corporation. It was the first game developed by Milestone.

The game consists entirely of boss battles, featuring five stages (called "Phases" in-game) with three bosses each. Each of the three player characters is equipped with a variety of weapons they can use to destroy each of the boss parts and perform bullet canceling combos for scoring. Furthermore, the player ships can flip the environment at will between two parallel dimensions named "Fields", including the titular Chaos Field.

Basic info

 * Vertical game on a regular 4:3 horizontal screen (Configuration also colloquially known as "vertizontal")
 * 1 player only
 * 8-direction movement and 3 buttons. Home ports can feature up to 5 buttons
 * Default extends are at 8 and 20 million points and there are two secret 1UPs
 * The player's life stock starts at 3, and is capped at 5
 * 5 stages. No loops. A full run lasts around 20 to 25 minutes
 * The game features no collision damage. It is possible to move on top of enemies without taking a hit
 * Continuing allows the player to change characters

Controls

 * A (Hold): Shot
 * B (Tap 1, 2, or 3 times): Sword
 * Tapping several times in quick succession will unleash a sword combo
 * C: Switch between Order and Chaos Field
 * A + B (Simultaneous tap): Wing-Layer (deploys a protective barrier)
 * B + C (Simultaneous tap): Lock-On (locks and fires homing beams onto the enemies)

Note :


 * The game's ports allow players to map dedicated buttons for the Wing Layer and Lock-On. However, the simultaneous tap inputs have not been removed nor can they be toggled off. It is thus still possible to (accidentally) use either of these weapons by pressing their two buttons at once.

Interface



 * 1 : Shield indicator (Player's lives), character name and portrait.
 * 2 : Meta gauge, used for some of the weapons.
 * Each unit allows one use of the weapons that need it. If a unit is red, it is partially filled but can not be used yet.
 * 3 : Player's score
 * 4 : Current field. Appears in blue for Order Field, and in red for Chaos Field
 * 5 : Amount of hits on the current combo. (Only shows up when a combo is active)
 * 6 : Timer gauge for the current combo. (Only shows up when a combo is active)
 * 7 : For a destroyed part or boss, a display of its base value, multiplier applied, and final value. (Only shows up temporarily after any part or boss destruction)
 * 8 : Boss timer, displayed in seconds. When the timer is below 20 seconds, the ms will also be shown.
 * 9 : Boss' HP bar

Game loop
Chaos Field features 5 stages with 3 bosses in it each, for a grand total of 15 bosses to fight one after the other. Every boss has its own timer and each fight ends when the player empties the boss' life bar or when the timer runs out.

Every boss is made of one or multiple parts and turrets. Dealing enough damage to said turrets can destroy them and generate energy cubes. In order to defeat a boss, destroying all the parts is not necessary, but successful destruction of specific turrets is worth additional points and can prevent the boss from using some patterns or attacks.

Some turrets need to be "destroyed" twice before actually being removed. They will generate energy cubes each time they receive enough damage. Some other turrets can be damaged repeatedly for multiple cube spawns over the course of the boss fight.

Field differences
Throughout the game, the player can switch between two Fields : Order Field and Chaos Field. A new stage will always start in Order Field, but the field will not be reset from a boss to another within the same stage.

The field switching is one of the main mechanics in the game and jumping from one field to another can change the behavior of player tools and bosses. Here is a list of differences between Order Field and Chaos Field :

Characters
Note : The character profiles and ship descriptions have been taken from the official US localization Hal

Ifumi

Jinn

Items
There are a few items types in the game, most notably cubes that can recharge the Meta stock or give points. These can be autocollected by not attacking for a second.

Scoring
Chaos Field's scoring system revolves around the use of specific weapons in order to drive a combo counter up. Since those weapons are also tied to an energy meter, resource management will also play a major role in obtaining the highest possible combos and scores.

Increasing the combo multiplier


While the shot and sword can not increase the combo, the Wing Layer and the Lock-on laser are the only weapons able to do so.

Whenever a bullet is canceled by the Wing Layer or when it is targeted by the Chaos Field variation of the Lock-on laser, the Hit count will go up by 1. When the Lock-on laser targets a boss part (in either field), it will also increase the Hit count by 1.

Since the Lock-on Laser increases the combo as soon as the bullet is locked-on rather than when it is canceled by the homing laser, it is possible to use the sword to erase a locked-on bullet without missing out on the hits the Lock-on Laser generated.

Additionally, it is possible to have a single bullet provide two hits instead of one by first locking on to it with the Chaos Field Lock-on Laser, and then erasing it with the Wing Layer before said laser actually reaches it. [VIDEO SHOWCASE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O73PkIzA_OQ]

The combo counter is visible in the top right of the screen whenever a combo is currently active. Below the hit number is a yellow timer, which stays at the max as the combo increases. However, lulls in bullet canceling or lock-ons will make the timer gauge decrease. If the gauge isn't refilled by increasing the combo, the combo ends entirely.

Combos are essential for high scoring as the higher the combo, the higher the multiplier for parts and boss kills, as well as for tick points.

At the beginning of every stage, the combo is reset to 0, but the combo counter and timer will carry over from one boss to another within the same stage. Having a high-value combo on the first boss of a stage can consequently provide scoring benefits on the second and third boss as long as the combo is also maintained through these fights.



The combo's possible max value is 9.999. When the combo reaches this specific value, it can no longer be increased, but the timer itself can also no longer be replenished. Using the special weapons to increase the hit combo will only temporarily freeze the combo gauge, but never fill it as long as the combo is at 9.999.

[VIDEO SHOWCASE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzywOkoK4NU]

Meta cubes VS Point items


When the meta gauge is already completely full, dedicated yellow point items will spawn instead of more meta cubes. While these items provide more immediate scoring bonuses, it remains preferable to consume the meta gauge and use the special weapons in order to increase the combo counter. A high combo value will be worth a lot more points as the yellow items' value becomes comparatively smaller and smaller as the combo increases.

Combo VS Time bonus
Once a boss is defeated, a bonus will be granted depending on how much time was remaining on the clock. However, said bonus remains relatively smaller than the score obtained by killing the boss after having milked its patterns for a high-value combo.

Halting the combo timer decrease for links
Even if the combo timer requires either of the special weapons to connect in order to be refilled, it is also possible to temporarily freeze said timer in order to buy time whenever there are no other ways to keep the combo alive. This can occur whenever specific bosses leave the screen and/or don't shoot for a few seconds.

If the Wing Layer hits the boss without catching any bullets, it will still freeze the timer for as long as there is an overlap between it and the boss.

[VIDEO SHOWCASE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zKsiGXtXck ]

When a Lock-on laser is used in empty air but does not catch any boss part (and/or bullet in Chaos Field), it will nonetheless temporarily freeze the timer. It is possible to use several Lock-on lasers to stall the timer decrease, as long as energy is available to do so.

[VIDEO SHOWCASE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2USTJOuOink ]

On the other hand, performing a Field Switch does not freeze the combo timer. In case the combo timer is already decreasing, it is preferable to use a special weapon and refill the gauge before switching fields, otherwise the combo risks being reset during the short transition period where the player is unable to move or activate weapons as they switch fields.

Self-destructs for energy recharge
This game features zero penalties for losing lives, and taking a hit will spawn enough meta stock items for three additional special attack uses. Consequently, sacrificing lives on purpose in order to replenish the energy gauge is a viable strategy for extending a combo with no other source of meta stock items available.

The main location when this trick is used is the very final boss' last phase, where the strategy is motivated by a combination of limited parts to damage for meta stock items, very lucrative high-density bullet patterns, and no further boss encounter to threaten survival after all the lives but one are exhausted for score purposes.

Arcade
Arcade is the main mode of the game, featured in every port.

Original Mode
Only available on : GC

In Original Mode, the player does not only face bosses. Sections with popcorn enemies are interspersed between specific boss fights, or sometimes in the middle of a boss fight as well.

Popcorn enemies fire bullets that can be canceled for a combo and they can be locked-on as well. When destroyed, they will spawn meta stock items. It is thus possible to gain resources and score during the popcorn segments in a similar fashion as in boss fights. Besides, combos will carry over within a same stage from a popcorn segment to a boss fight, which provides opportunities for even bigger combo potential than in Arcade mode.

Additionally, a few boss patterns have been altered. Said alterations are relatively minor, as the general shape and concept behind the patterns remains similar, but the speed or bullet type featured in those patterns can be changed.

Record scores
Refer to https://shmups.wiki/library/STG_Hall_of_Records/C#Chaos_Field

Scoreboards

 * JHA hiscore board : https://wiki.denfaminicogamer.jp/highscore/2004_011_%E3%82%AB%E3%82%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%89
 * System11 hiscore board : https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=42140
 * Restart syndrome hiscore board : https://restartsyndrome.com/board.php?id=278
 * hiscores.shump.com board : https://hiscores.shmup.com/game/112

Replays
Refer to https://shmups.wiki/library/Chaos_Field/Video_Index

List of superplay materials
Refer to https://shmups.wiki/library/List_of_superplay_materials#Milestone

Story
[Taken from the US GC manual]

The "Chaos Field", a warped and chaotic dimension.

There humankind was exposed to the threat of annihilation through the invasion of the mysterious "Abo". Humankind resisted them, and a costly battle ensued for many years, a battle with no clear victor.

Over time, the battle spread out beyond the Chaos Field to engulf another time-space dimension called the "Order Field".

In order to put a stop to this multi dimensional war, three pilots have been chosen for an assault...

Gallery
See Chaos Field/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.