Gundemonium



Gundemonium is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion. The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a sacrifice. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

The game received two remasters: "Gundemonium Recollection" for PC in 2007 and »Gundemoniums« for PS4 and PS Vita in 2018. Both of them provided graphical updates and much more content than the 2003 version. This article will cover »Recollection« because it's been available for years and is much more accessible to people outside Japan than the other two versions thanks to Rockin' Android.

Gameplay Overview
The gameplay heavily features a dynamic rank system called »Phase Level« that reacts to player's performance on the fly. The better you play, more difficult it gets and vice versa. Every difficulty mode uses it with varying limits. You get an extend every 1 million points - the reason for that is in the scoring system itself, which will be explained in its own section. As for playable characters, you have 3 characters available (one of them needs to be unlocked). A character called »Earl Type« is configurable and has 64 possible combinations. All of them even have their own names.

There are 5 stages and the first 4 are divided into 4 sections that are labeled A, B, C and D. First 3 are the stage portions and D is the main boss portion. All stage portions last 40 seconds while the boss ones can last longer because beating one phase resets the timer. Fifth stage is the exception to this structure because you only fight the final boss and even the TLB if you meet several conditions at a certain point in the fight.

Its main scoring mechanic is called »Demonic Shift« that in exchange of certain resources grants you more point items and a bomb if it finishes successfully on its own. However, it instantly switches to Phase Level 11, which can either make the game much harder or easier depending on the situation.

Difficulty modes
Novice

An easy mode for this game. It only lets you reach Phase Level 2 and Demonic mode is disabled, which heavily reduces its scoring potential. Revised

A normal mode that lets you increase Phase Level to 7 and you can optionally activate Demonic Shift - if activated and then deactivated, Phase Level reverts to the last one you had prior because Phase Level when in Demonic Shift is higher than 7.

Unlimited

Like the name implies, it doesn't limit you how high your Phase Level gets. The limit of Phase Levels is unlimited in theory, but the actual one is (for now) much lower due to human limitations. Demonic Shift can be used for rank management if Phase Level gets much higher than 11.

Demonic

The hardest difficulty in the game. In this one, the Phase Level is locked at 11 and cannot be changed, which requires above average skill in order to do well. Since Demonic Shift doesn't affect the rank in this mode, it can now be used all the time without instantly changing the difficulty. Revenge bullets are frequently present, so moving around becomes extremely important because they easily limit where you can move.

Some tips for anyone considering this mode:
 * be prepared to macrododge most of the time,
 * Demonic Shift is your best friend,
 * the riskier you play in early game, the better your chances of survival becomes later on,
 * revenge bullets appear in a compact state and are manipulatable, so you can afford to destroy enemies in point-blank range and still be able to not get hit by them.

Controls
Gundemonium is a 4-button game with 2 optional macro buttons. The following 4 buttons are essential for playing the game:


 * Shot: Your main weapon. Can be tapped rapidly when using certain characters to increase damage.
 * Mana Action: Activates the character's Mana Action, a special character-dependant ability. Nearly every such ability deals damage in some way and some even assist the player with special effects.
 * Bomb: Activates the character's bomb, which deals damage to enemies and makes you invulnerable. Additionaly, it converts all projectiles that were present on-screen at the time of activation into blue gems.
 * Slow Movement: as the name implies, it slows down your movement speed to allow more precise dodging.

Last 2 keys are of a macro type that can make your play sessions less tiring and more consistent if you're able to handle playing with more buttons.
 * Rapid Shot: grants you the »Rapid Shot« ability certain characters have, which changes their shot properties. It can be bound to a separate button, so that you don't have to mash the shot button for longer periods of time and strain your body.
 * Demonic Shift: acts as an simultaneous press of Mana Action and Bomb buttons at the same time. Makes the Demonic Shift activation much more consistent, so you don't have to worry about pressing two buttons with a slightly wrong timing at a crucial moment.

Characters
Eryth

A main character of this game. She has high mobility, her Mana Action can create Planeshifts and her main weapons are dual revolvers. Her defining trait is being one of the few characters in the game that can utilize the Rapid Fire mechanic.

Movement speed level: 6

Earl Type

The Earl Type's customizable nature provides a wide variety of arsenals and speeds for anyone's needs. Their entire arsenal will be covered in the next section. While having less overall options in a single character, such as multiple shot types and/or a Demonic Shift buff, their customizable nature allows them to shine where the player needs them to.

Due to their customizable nature, their movement speed varies. Speaking of customization, their arsenal also changes their appearance on some aspects of their bodies.

(ED: Movement speed changes cannot be explained properly at the moment due to lack of data. Needs to be reverse-engineered.)

Each Earl Type combination also has an unique name and all 64 names are listed in the following table:

Elixirel

This one is special due to the fact that she needs to be unlocked first before you're able to play as her. In order to unlock her, you need to beat the TLB in a run or get 24 Play Orders out of 29(?). She is the second character in the game that has actual benefit with the Rapid Shot button.

Her equipment shares some similarities with the Earl Type 11X units, but her main weapon is stronger and has an unique bomb called »Gundemonium«.

Movement speed level: 5

(ED: The condition for unlocking the character via the amount of Play Orders needs to be verified.)

HUD


Most of the HUD in this game is either marked or self-explanatory, but there are a few elements that may not be immediately obvious. One of them is the blue bar (9) that is the timer for the current stage/boss section you're in. It depletes from the left to right, takes 40 seconds before it completely depletes and has 4 lines that divide the timer into quarters. The latter is used to estimate the amount of time you have left.

[11] displays information when you perform Onslaughts (speedkilling an enemy wave quick enough), defeat bosses and it displays the new gem value limit before a new section or stage begins.

Like the stage timer, Mana gauge (3) also has lines that divide it. In this case, you have thirds instead of quarters because some of the Mana Actions consume exactly 33 Mana, which is useful for glancing over the gauge during intense moments instead of looking for the number that's on the right. The fill in the gauge has 3 possible colors depending on how much Mana you have: * blue (when the gauge is completely filled) * yellow (when Mana is between 33 and 98) * red (when Mana is 32 or less)

Phase (Rank)
Phase Level is the game's rank system. It is capped at 2 for novice mode, 5 for Revised difficulty and is uncapped in Unlimited. Rank is fixed at 11 for Demonic Challenge.

Phase Level increases:
 * After a named enemy is killed. Individual boss phases all count as a named enemy.
 * When entering demonic shift.
 * After a Friction Break (500 grazes)
 * Unlimited mode only: After a successful counter-bomb (Getting hit decreases Phase by 1, but a successful counter bomb will recover +1 back to the original phase before hit)

Phase Level decreases:
 * When bombing, or getting hit.
 * When being awarded with an Extend while on max lives.

Rank significantly affects bullet patterns. Enemies will fire more shots, they will fire them faster, and once Phase Level is high enough, patterns that were previously static will begin to be aimed. At Phase Level 11 and higher, every enemy will fire aimed suicide bullets when killed. This mechanic, combined with damage immunity from named enemy kills, can be abused for significant amounts of bullet grazing.

Some guides on the internet say Phase Level rises if Eryth's guns overheat. This is not the case, and is likely a mechanic in another Platine game.

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

Scoring
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected. The gem value is capped, and the cap is influenced by your 'Basic Bonus' for each stage (see below). When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. These gems also fill the Mana gauge.

Bombing has a negative impact on gem value. All shots present on the screen during a bomb will be converted to blue gems and absorbed by the player character. Each blue gem adds to your score, but removes 10 from the current cumulative gem value, which in turn reduces the value of every gem collected thereafter. However, blue gems will increase the Mana gauge very rapidly, so that the player can use it again to obtain more green gems.

Basic objective: collect as many large green gems as possible and do not bomb.

Killing a named enemy will cause all their on-screen shots to have their base value multiplied and added to the score. The multiplication starts at x2 and goes up by 1 on each additional shot to a max of x15. There are usually many more than 15 shots on screen at any time!

A couple of other factors come into play:

Combo hits: Item 8 on the HUD guide above is the combo or chain hit counter. This works very much like Dodonpachi games, where the timer bar below the count will cause the value to fall to zero if it drains fully before the next hit. The gauge is quite lenient though, and simply hitting named enemies with a shot will cause it to rise. You can also graze bullets (see 'Friction' below) to freeze the gauge for a tiny bit. There are some sections where a long gap will require strategy to keep the gauge alive.

Friction: Item 4 on the HUD guide above is the Friction counter. Raising this number requires bullet grazing at close proximity, which poses a substantial risk of death! However, some sections with predictable 'alleyways' of solid bullet lines can be grazed carefully with less risk. Some narrow boss attacks- EVEN ON NOVICE DIFFICULTY - will force the player to graze! Raising the friction count by each next 500 will cause a 'Friction Break' where all on screen shots are converted to gems and Mana is restored, however this will raise the Phase by 1. The circular 'ring' shots fired by some enemies can skyrocket the counter when grazed, and allow for a predictable Friction Break during those fights.

At the end of each stage there is a stage-end bonus, calculated as follows:

For sections A-C (ie not the boss fights)

1) Basic bonus = (number of enemies shot down x phase level x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

2) Magnify bonus = (Number of gems collected x highest combo value gained in the stage x friction value for the stage)

Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify

For the boss fights:

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) rounded down to zero on the last digit.

2) Magnify bonus = (Number of gems collected x highest combo value gained in the stage x friction value for the stage)

Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify

Strategy
Keep an eye out on your score at all times. Getting an extend when at full life stock is a terrible outcome. Using the extend for a demonic shift or getting hit on purpose for rank control and a free bomb is far better in all situations. Killing enemies and collecting green gems is the main objective here. Milking bosses can be a good idea, but it's always important to weigh what the milk gives you, compared to the bonus enemies, considering enemy kill count plays into the stage bonus.

Bombing during extremely dense sections can be very counterproductive. Every cancelled bullet will become a blue gem and be magnetized to the character. This can completely erase accumulated gem value in bad situations. Lumiere can destroy bombs, but bullets will still be cancelled. Ereshkigal is not only bomb-immune, but has a counter-bomb mechanic which fires many bullets back at the player. Elixirel herself will heal from bombs, she can often completely heal.

Strategy for survival only (especially for players new to the game) is somewhat easier. Deliberate bombing at the last moment when the screen is full of shots will easily re-fill the Mana gauge so the player can take advantage of their Mana action straight afterwards. Cycling bomb and Mana action should make named enemy encounters substantially easier, but with a corresponding hit to gem value and the Stage End bonus. Using slowdown Mana actions like Fortune Wheel or Darth Whisper is a good way to learn fight strategies/routes. NB each new life after the first one is lost will only grant a single bomb (not the usual 3 T_T), so this strategy requires frequent bomb restocks!

A word of warning: The final boss Elixirel is not an easy encounter, even for experienced players on Novice. Expect to use all of your dodging skill, strategic thinking and bomb/Mana/Friction break mechanics just to survive. Also see "Notes regarding the final boss/TLB" above.

This section details some particular strategic information about the game and its gameplay, such as hidden 1UPs and some basic scoring tricks. For anything particularly deep or highly complex, you can probably leave it in the Strategy page.

(Currently evaluating whether or not this specific section should even include information outside of the separated Strategy pages. Worth thinking about as a community.)

Story
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

In the 18th century, mankind’s rapid advancement had slowly led them to disaster. With the powerful Philosopher’s Stones, also known as the Matrixes, there were great advances in alchemy, bringing about a new age. These advancements came at a cost, however - The Matrixes were found in the Spring of Yord, deep within a Hell known as Que Pholith. Destruction poured out from Que Pholith and the Demonium army attacked in full force. People eventually learned to control the Matrixes in an attempt to counter the demons. Those people are called Matrix Masters, though even they weren’t enough to stop them. When the 7th Demonium emerged, known as Gundemonium, an artificial Matrix was created to counter this threat. Her name was Elixirel, the Chrome Matrix Proxy. Then it happened. . . Elixirel was captured by Gundemonium, and turned against against mankind. The Rosenkreuz Foundation rushed into action to stop the demons and put an end to this, marking the beginning of Mission Gundemonium.

Unlockable Secrets
A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the TLB in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here Matrix Orders Section goes here

Version Differences

 * Gundemonium: The original 2003 game. Largely unavailable and considered inferior to the Recollection version, as such, little to no information is available.


 * Gundemonium Recollection: Released in 2007, this remake of the original comes with new characters, improved bullet patterns, upgraded graphics and an overhauled engine. In 2011, it's been published by Rockin' Android on Steam and PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3; the former also has an arranged soundtrack by DM Ashura. Although it is no longer listed for sale on either platforms, Steam keys are still available, valid, and the only currently known way to obtain this version.


 * Gundemoniums: Released in Japan by the publisher Mediascape in 2017, with a worldwide release in 2018 by publisher Strictly Limited, Gundemoniums is a remake of Recollection. This version is played in a fully horizontal 16:9 aspect ratio over the previous games' 4:3 resolutions. It sports much of the same core game as Recollection, yet adds several new features. To accomodate the new aspect ratio, most enemies have had their sprites changed, as have their bullet patterns. A new ability named "Alterburst" can be chosen instead of Demonic Shift, which briefly stops a stage segment's progression timer. "Signet" mode has been added, which features unlockable bonuses that the player can use to assist them in trying to clear the game, although scores and replays are disabled in this mode.

Bugs
Since this game wasn't very played on Steam while it was still available for purchase, it contains several bugs that were never fixed and are listed below.

Replay Mode bug
What this bug does is that whenever you delete any replay that isn't the last one you have, any replay that was after the deleted one will disappear. It may look like they were deleted as well, but they're actually still there, but hidden in-game for some unknown reason. This has been present for years and since the developer stopped selling the game on Steam, this bug can no longer be properly fixed. Fortunately, there is a workaround solution to this problem: renaming the replay files.

All you have to do is to rename the replay files in order. They're labeled as "gdmrepXXXX" (XXXX represents numbers, starting with 0000). While this can be done by hand, the process gets time-consuming very quickly if you have to correct several dozen replay files. In that case, you can use software that can rename a large amount of files very quickly for you and even automate the process to make it even easier and quicker. ReNamer is one of the renaming tools that is recommended since it's free, portable and compatible with older Windows operating systems.

The replay files can be found in two possible locations: If you have a non-Steam version of the game, you're free to change the however you want. However, it gets a bit complicated for Steam users due to the cloud saving feature.
 * game's root folder,
 * somewhere in Steam's "userdata" folder.

First, you need to disable cloud saving for this game in particular by right-clicking on the game in your library, then select "Properties". At the time of writing this (2021-06-20), the option for disabling should be available on the first tab ("Keep games saves in the Steam Cloud for Gundemonium Recollection"). Untick the checkbox, then exit the "Properties" window. Now you need to copy your replays and a save file to a different location. The one used for cloud saving is as follows: Copy everything in the "remote" folder, then paste the files in: If done correctly, you should be able to freely rename the replay files (by hand or via software). For those that really need the cloud saving feature enabled for this game as much as possible, you'll need to copy the renamed replay files back in "Steam\userdata\[your AccountID number]\92200\remote\replay" and re-enable the feature. Every time when you'll be deleting replays, you'll have to do the steps above all over again.
 * Steam\userdata\[your AccountID number]\92200\remote
 * Steam\steamapps\common\Gundemonium Recollection

Warning: if you forget to copy the "gundemonium.sav" file, you may end up either having no user data or having it out-of-date when you'll start playing.

Trivia
Game is good!

Gallery
See (Template Page)/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.

Video References
Video Index

References & Contributors

 * 1) Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
 * 2) 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: (Your Name)
 * 3) 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.


 * Written by FORECAST and InFireX, so far.
 * Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
 * Information found mostly on the manual and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
 * Template page assembled by CHA-STG and Plasmo.