Shmups Wiki -- The Digital Library of Shooting Games - User contributions [en]

Gradius V

2025-11-24T16:58:44Z

BKR: PEG has been kind enough to confirm the Konami code works in later loops, not just loop 1 as some sites have suggested, and that 20 or 30 hz autofire with the basic laser is very useful on small targets, but is still beaten out by holding the laser button and dealing with the periodic gaps you get with Type 1 and Type 3.

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until 17 hours of playtime which unlocks Free Play mode. Use of the Konami code is allowed in this mode, in any loop.

Note that when playing multiplayer, you can only have a maximum of 4 Multiples between both players. You could split them up 2 and 2, but it's possible for one player to accidentally collect all 4 and leave the other with none, as least until they die or a Multiple thief appears.

* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever.

* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online. You're allowed to pause in this mode, but as it's intended for competitive scoring the Konami code obviously does not work.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being red. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

There are a total of 8 stages per loop, though the last level is a short, more difficult rehash of level 2 with no boss at the end (which likely explains why the back of the box claims there's only 7 stages!). The game loops infinitely, with the score screen indicating how far you've gotten as [LOOP#]-[STAGE#]. Unlike earlier Gradius games, you respawn immediately if you die by default, unless you turn on the Revival Start option which then causes you to respawn at the last checkpoint you reached.

== Konami Code ==

A cheat code that appears in many console ports of the Gradius series, usually to give you a much higher life stock than normal. In this game, instead, it's used to immediately powerup your ship to full power. The Konami code in this game works by pausing, then inputting the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' This gives you a full set of Multiples, Missiles, a Force Field or Shield, and also a Laser or Double depending on the input you use. Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles. Generally speaking there's no reason to use this button, unless you're using the Flying Torpedo missile in which case holding this button allows you to launch them vertically until you release the button, at which point they fly forward.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The lasers providing constant coverage around you allows you to hit things above, below, or even behind you as long as you get close to them, affording considerably more versatility than Type 3.

The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2. It also requires more effort to focus your shots for quick boss kills than Type 1 or Type 3, but keeping your Multiples spinning during a boss is an option if you're struggling to accurately hit the core. You'll deal consistent, albeit lower damage that way.

If you want to use Rotation Multiples, note that the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the first loop of the game using the Game Start option using any number of continues. To more easily unlock Weapon Edit you can lower the difficulty by playing on Very Easy, setting your starting player stock to 5, and setting your extend threshold to 200k/300k. You'll also eventually unlock Free Play mode with enough play time, which allows you to effortlessly credit feed through the first loop to unlock Weapon Edit.

Note that if somehow you manage to beat the first loop in Score Attack mode (which does not allow you to use continues!) before doing any of the above, that also will unlock Weapon Edit.

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Unlike the other missiles, there's actually a reason to map the non-rapid missile button: if you use the standard missile button to fire these, the missiles will move vertically until you release the button. This is the same way it behaved in Gradius IV. Holding the rapid missile button will instead launch these immediately forward. With a bit of finesse you can use them to target enemies above and below you using the standard missile button by holding it until they reach the height you want, but they're rather slow when used this way and if you want a missile with vertical coverage you're probably better off with 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Or just use your Multiples to cover threats above and below you.

Holding the rapid missile button to fire them forward constantly is the way these generally get used. The problem is they don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage doing this, and their damage isn't impressive. In theory it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser or Spread Gun and want to be able to have some secondary shots going forward to stop weaker enemies, but unfortunately these travel forward so slowly that you're usually better off with Spread Bomb which launches quick, powerful attacks and positioning your Multiples so they'll drop bombs on whatever you need killed while you're charging up E-Laser.

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots. Note that you can actually rapid fire this without the aforementioned gaps if you manually tap the shot button, or if you use a controller with external autofire, which makes it good at clearing popcorn or shootable bullets as you don't have to worry about the periodic gap in the lasers you get by holding the button. But you'll have to deal with rapidly tapping the button yourself or you'll need a rapid fire controller to use this, and even with 20 hz or 30 hz autofire the damage is still higher on durable targets (boss cores, the stage 5 asteroids, the stage 6 goo) if you simply hold the button down. If you're using Type 2 Direction or Type 4 Rotation multiples then there's no real reason to tap the laser button rapidly as the solid beams they fire are far more useful.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. The slight damage reduction compared to the standard thin laser is well worth Ripple's other advantages, especially if you don't like the gap between shots the standard laser has with Freeze or Spacing Multiples. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart. Note that later on in the game, particularly in later loops, large enemies and the walls you need to shoot through in front of boss cores tend to release revenge bullets when destroyed, so you need to be prepared to evade those. But they can be destroyed so quickly and easily that the risk is manageable and well worth the reward. Something like Freeze Multiples work great for mitigating this by allowing you to extend your range as far as your Multiples allow.

This is also unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also easily clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired due even if you tap the button quickly as there's a limit to 1 shot onscreen at a time, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? (Question Mark / Miscellaneous Slot) ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Enemies killed with Mega Crush (or the blue item) will not give score. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits, and is better for scoring purposes since every enemy killed by Mega Crush will unfortunately not award you points.

== Hitbox ==
Below is a display of the approximate size and position of the ship's hitbox both with and without a Force Field. Gradius V features an incredibly small hitbox, allowing you to squeeze through some incredibly tight spaces and nudge your ship up against walls to the point where the 3D model of your ship can actually safely be inside of a wall without counting as a collision. Similar to the Darius series, the Force Field upgrade gives you an aura of protection that has a much larger hitbox, so you'll sometimes take hits when using it that will damage the Force Field but wouldn't have actually killed you.

The size of the Force Field's hitbox also appears to scale down slightly as it's damaged to become tighter around your ship, with it being smallest when it has 1 hit remaining. This also applies to the Shield upgrade which gives you two rotating orbs in front of you, their size and hitbox shrinks as they take damage.

[[File:Hitbox.jpg|Hitbox Display for Gradius V]]

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-16T01:50:48Z

BKR: Hitbox Display

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until 17 hours of playtime which unlocks Free Play mode.

Note that when playing multiplayer, you can only have a maximum of 4 Multiples between both players. You could split them up 2 and 2, but it's possible for one player to accidentally collect all 4 and leave the other with none, as least until they die or a Multiple thief appears.

* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being red. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

There are a total of 8 stages per loop, though the last level is a short, more difficult rehash of level 2 with no boss at the end (which likely explains why the back of the box claims there's only 7 stages!). The game loops infinitely, with the score screen indicating how far you've gotten as [LOOP#]-[STAGE#]. Unlike earlier Gradius games, you respawn immediately if you die by default, unless you turn on the Revival Start option which then causes you to respawn at the last checkpoint you reached.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles. Generally speaking there's no reason to use this button, unless you're using the Flying Torpedo missile in which case holding this button allows you to launch them vertically until you release the button, at which point they fly forward.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The lasers providing constant coverage around you allows you to hit things above, below, or even behind you as long as you get close to them, affording considerably more versatility than Type 3.

The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2. It also requires more effort to focus your shots for quick boss kills than Type 1 or Type 3, but keeping your Multiples spinning during a boss is an option if you're struggling to accurately hit the core. You'll deal consistent, albeit lower damage that way.

If you want to use Rotation Multiples, note that the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the first loop of the game using the Game Start option using any number of continues. To more easily unlock Weapon Edit you can lower the difficulty by playing on Very Easy, setting your starting player stock to 5, and setting your extend threshold to 200k/300k. You'll also eventually unlock Free Play mode with enough play time, which allows you to effortlessly credit feed through the first loop to unlock Weapon Edit.

Note that if somehow you manage to beat the first loop in Score Attack mode (which does not allow you to use continues!) before doing any of the above, that also will unlock Weapon Edit.

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Unlike the other missiles, there's actually a reason to map the non-rapid missile button: if you use the standard missile button to fire these, the missiles will move vertically until you release the button. This is the same way it behaved in Gradius IV. Holding the rapid missile button will instead launch these immediately forward. With a bit of finesse you can use them to target enemies above and below you using the standard missile button by holding it until they reach the height you want, but they're rather slow when used this way and if you want a missile with vertical coverage you're probably better off with 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Or just use your Multiples to cover threats above and below you.

Holding the rapid missile button to fire them forward constantly is the way these generally get used. The problem is they don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage doing this, and their damage isn't impressive. In theory it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser or Spread Gun and want to be able to have some secondary shots going forward to stop weaker enemies, but unfortunately these travel forward so slowly that you're usually better off with Spread Bomb which launches quick, powerful attacks and positioning your Multiples so they'll drop bombs on whatever you need killed while you're charging up E-Laser.

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots. Note that you can actually rapid fire this if you manually tap the shot button, which makes it good at clearing popcorn or shootable bullets as you don't have to worry about the periodic gap in the lasers you get by holding the button. But you'll have to deal with rapidly tapping the button yourself.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired due even if you tap the button quickly as there's a limit to 1 shot onscreen at a time, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? (Question Mark / Miscellaneous Slot) ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Enemies killed with Mega Crush (or the blue item) will not give score. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits, and is better for scoring purposes since every enemy killed by Mega Crush will unfortunately not award you points.

== Hitbox ==
Below is a display of the approximate size and position of the ship's hitbox both with and without a Force Field. Gradius V features an incredibly small hitbox, allowing you to squeeze through some incredibly tight spaces and nudge your ship up against walls to the point where the 3D model of your ship can actually safely be inside of a wall without counting as a collision. Similar to the Darius series, the Force Field upgrade gives you an aura of protection that has a much larger hitbox, so you'll sometimes take hits when using it that will damage the Force Field but wouldn't have actually killed you.

The size of the Force Field's hitbox also appears to scale down slightly as it's damaged to become tighter around your ship, with it being smallest when it has 1 hit remaining. This also applies to the Shield upgrade which gives you two rotating orbs in front of you, their size and hitbox shrinks as they take damage.

[[File:Hitbox.jpg|Hitbox Display for Gradius V]]

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

File:Hitbox.jpg

2025-11-16T01:41:23Z

BKR:

Hitbox Locations for Gradius V

Gradius V

2025-11-13T20:59:05Z

BKR: PEG was kind enough to test and confirm that a 1cc of Score Attack will also unlock Weapon Edit!

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until approximately 20 hours of playtime which unlocks Free Play mode.

Note that when playing multiplayer, you can only have a maximum of 4 Multiples between both players. You could split them up 2 and 2, but it's possible for one player to accidentally collect all 4 and leave the other with none, as least until they die or a Multiple thief appears.

* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being red. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles. Generally speaking there's no reason to use this button, unless you're using the Flying Torpedo missile in which case holding this button allows you to launch them vertically until you release the button, at which point they fly forward.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The lasers providing constant coverage around you allows you to hit things above, below, or even behind you as long as you get close to them, affording considerably more versatility than Type 3.

The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2. It also requires more effort to focus your shots for quick boss kills than Type 1 or Type 3, but keeping your Multiples spinning during a boss is an option if you're struggling to accurately hit the core. You'll deal consistent, albeit lower damage that way.

If you want to use Rotation Multiples, note that the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the first loop of the game using the Game Start option using any number of continues. To more easily unlock Weapon Edit you can lower the difficulty by playing on Very Easy, setting your starting player stock to 5, and setting your extend threshold to 200k/300k. You'll also eventually unlock Free Play mode with enough play time, which allows you to effortlessly credit feed through the first loop to unlock Weapon Edit.

Note that if somehow you manage to beat the first loop in Score Attack mode (which does not allow you to use continues!) before doing any of the above, that also will unlock Weapon Edit.

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Unlike the other missiles, there's actually a reason to map the non-rapid missile button: if you use the standard missile button to fire these, the missiles will move vertically until you release the button. This is the same way it behaved in Gradius IV. Holding the rapid missile button will instead launch these immediately forward. With a bit of finesse you can use them to target enemies above and below you using the standard missile button by holding it until they reach the height you want, but they're rather slow when used this way and if you want a missile with vertical coverage you're probably better off with 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Or just use your Multiples to cover threats above and below you.

Holding the rapid missile button to fire them forward constantly is the way these generally get used. The problem is they don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage doing this, and their damage isn't impressive. In theory it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser or Spread Gun and want to be able to have some secondary shots going forward to stop weaker enemies, but unfortunately these travel forward so slowly that you're usually better off with Spread Bomb which launches quick, powerful attacks and positioning your Multiples so they'll drop bombs on whatever you need killed while you're charging up E-Laser.

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired due even if you tap the button quickly as there's a limit to 1 shot onscreen at a time, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Enemies killed with Mega Crush (or the blue item) will not give score. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits.

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-12T15:56:55Z

BKR:

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until approximately 20 hours of playtime which unlocks Free Play mode.

Note that when playing multiplayer, you can only have a maximum of 4 Multiples between both players. You could split them up 2 and 2, but it's possible for one player to accidentally collect all 4 and leave the other with none, as least until they die or a Multiple thief appears.

* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being red. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles. Generally speaking there's no reason to use this button, unless you're using the Flying Torpedo missile in which case holding this button allows you to launch them vertically until you release the button, at which point they fly forward.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The lasers providing constant coverage around you allows you to hit things above, below, or even behind you as long as you get close to them, affording considerably more versatility than Type 3.

The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2. It also requires more effort to focus your shots for quick boss kills than Type 1 or Type 3, but keeping your Multiples spinning during a boss is an option if you're struggling to accurately hit the core. You'll deal consistent, albeit lower damage that way.

If you want to use Rotation Multiples, note that the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the game using any number of continues (including in Free Play mode once you have it unlocked). To more easily unlock Weapon Edit you can also lower the difficulty by playing on Very Easy, setting your starting player stock to 5, and setting your extend threshold to 200k/300k.

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Unlike the other missiles, there's actually a reason to map the non-rapid missile button: if you use the standard missile button to fire these, the missiles will move vertically until you release the button. This is the same way it behaved in Gradius IV. Holding the rapid missile button will instead launch these immediately forward. With a bit of finesse you can use them to target enemies above and below you using the standard missile button by holding it until they reach the height you want, but they're rather slow when used this way and if you want a missile with vertical coverage you're probably better off with 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Or just use your Multiples to cover threats above and below you.

Holding the rapid missile button to fire them forward constantly is the way these generally get used. The problem is they don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage doing this, and their damage isn't impressive. In theory it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser or Spread Gun and want to be able to have some secondary shots going forward to stop weaker enemies, but unfortunately these travel forward so slowly that you're usually better off with Spread Bomb which launches quick, powerful attacks and positioning your Multiples so they'll drop bombs on whatever you need killed while you're charging up E-Laser.

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired due even if you tap the button quickly as there's a limit to 1 shot onscreen at a time, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Enemies killed with Mega Crush (or the blue item) will not give score. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits.

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-11T23:57:52Z

BKR:

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until you reach 20 hours which unlocks Free Play mode.

Note that when playing multiplayer, you can only have a maximum of 4 Multiples between both players. You could split them up 2 and 2, but it's possible for one player to accidentally collect all 4 and leave the other with none, as least until they die or a Multiple thief appears.

* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being orange. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2.

This shot type really struggles on Stage 5 where at full power the lasers don't concentrate damage enough to really destroy the asteroids in a timely fashion. If you want to use Rotation Multiples, the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the game using any number of continues (including in Free Play mode once you have it unlocked with 20 hours of play).

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Fires missiles straight forward. They don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage, and their damage isn't overly impressive, but it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser and want to be able to have some shots going forward while you're charging up.

''NEEDS TESTING: if you use the standard missile button rather than the rapid missile button, will holding it cause the missiles to move vertically until you release the button? It worked this way in Gradius IV.''

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits.

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-11T23:52:17Z

BKR: /* Gameplay Overview */

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until you reach 20 hours which unlocks Free Play mode.
* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

The menu can be controlled with either the controller in port 1 or port 2. The port you use determines which player side you're on, with P1 being blue and P2 being orange. Other than the colour and what side the score is displayed on, there's no functional difference between P1 side and P2 side.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2.

This shot type really struggles on Stage 5 where at full power the lasers don't concentrate damage enough to really destroy the asteroids in a timely fashion. If you want to use Rotation Multiples, the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the game using any number of continues (including in Free Play mode once you have it unlocked with 20 hours of play).

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Fires missiles straight forward. They don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage, and their damage isn't overly impressive, but it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser and want to be able to have some shots going forward while you're charging up.

''NEEDS TESTING: if you use the standard missile button rather than the rapid missile button, will holding it cause the missiles to move vertically until you release the button? It worked this way in Gradius IV.''

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits.

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-11T19:05:33Z

BKR: /* Weapon Edit */ - missile

Gradius V (グラディウスV) is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up developed by Treasure and G.Rev in 2004.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Gradius V features 3 selectable modes:

* '''Game Start:''' Uses the difficulty and lives/extends setting you selected under the options, allows for continues and multiplayer, score is saved to the Ranking screen. Every hour of playtime adds 1 credit to your starting stock of credits, until you reach 20 hours which unlocks Free Play mode.
* '''Stage Select:''' Lets you play any stage on any loop you've accessed. Infinite continues, the game ends when you clear the stage. Unusually, you're forced to start with no powerups whatsoever, but you can pause and input the Konami code so you're not forced to start a late stage with no Multiples whatsoever. Pause, then input the following: '''Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, (L1, R1) OR (L2, R2).''' Ending the code with L1, R1 gives you Laser, and ending the code with L2, R2 gives you Double.
* '''Score Attack:''' Single player only, uses the default difficulty and lives/extends setting, and does not allow you to use continues. Unusually, scores obtained here '''do not save to the Ranking screen''', and instead you're given a high score screen that includes a code you could input into the Gradius V website to submit your score online.

== Controls ==
At any time, you can soft reset the game by pressing all of these at the same time: L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 + Start + Select

Controls can be freely remapped in the options screen to any of the PS2 face buttons or shoulder buttons.

* '''Power Up:''' Uses the currently selected upgrade to power up your ship. Collect orange pods repeatedly to change which upgrade is selected.
* '''Rapid Shot:''' Rapidly fires the currently selected weapon. When a Laser weapon is equipped, it won't actually rapidly tap the button and instead holds the shot button to fire a continuous stream. This also applies to the E. Laser weapon which is a charge attack; to rapid fire weak shots with it you need to manually tap this button quickly.
* '''Rapid Missile:''' Rapidly fires missiles as quickly as possible. You generally want Rapid Shot and Rapid Missile mapped to the same button for convenience's sake.
* '''Multiple Control:''' Does various things when you hold the button depending on what Multiple type you're using. With Type 1: Freeze, holding this lets you lock your Multiples in place while moving around. With Type 2: Direction, hold the button then press the d-pad on analog stick in different directions to change what direction your Multiples are firing. With Type 3: Spacing, holding the button lets you spread out or tighten the gap between your Multiples. With Type 4: Rotation, hold this to cause your Multiples to spin around you.

There's also two other buttons that don't appear to be useful (they're non-rapid fire versions of the above controls):

* '''Shot:''' Fires one bullet with no rapid fire (unless Laser is equipped), meaning you have to keep manually tapping this to shoot. Doesn't appear to be terribly useful, Rapid Fire already fires extremely fast when using the default weapon or Double.
* '''Missile:''' Same as above, except for missiles.

== Shot Type Selection ==
There are 4 preset weapon types that are selectable, with a 5th being unlockable called Weapon Edit.

* '''Type 1:''' Speed Up / Missile / Double / Laser / Freeze Multiples / Force Field
Super versatile, and features by far the most powerful Multiple type available that can be used effectively in nearly any situation. You can spread your Multiples out for coverage, move them behind you for protection, focus them in front of you for damage, or really anything else you can think of. The versatility of Freeze Multiples is unmatched for creative players. Can be used to quickly kill bosses faster than any other Multiple type by jamming your Multiples directly in their cores. Unfortunately, Type 1 (and Type 3) both fire lasers that have periodic gaps in between them, unlike Type 2 and Type 4's lasers, and the missiles aren't spectacular, but those are about the only disadvantages.

* '''Type 2:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Missile / Tail Gun / Laser / Direction Multiples / Force Field
Your Multiples fire their lasers in a continuous stream which is really useful, and 2-Way Missile is great for extra coverage. Being able to sweep your lasers around to destroy enemies anywhere is really useful, but you can't easy attack through walls or focus damage on small boss cores, so it's a shot type that's more intended to be useful on stages rather than bosses.

* '''Type 3:''' Speed Up / Eagle Wind / Tail Gun / Laser / Spacing Multiples / Force Field
The least useful of all the default shot types. Spacing is relatively easy to handle as you can adjust your Multiples without needing to move, and you can tighten them up easily for bosses, but your Multiples trail behind you with a slight delay, and the default lasers fire with periodic gaps. Eagle Wind is pretty good, providing coverage on the top and bottom of the screen effectively, but it's not really worth it. Spacing your Multiples out too far really reduces your coverage and lets small enemies slip through your shots. Try Spacing Multiples instead with Weapon Edit, where you can use Ripple, Fire Blaster, or E-Laser which tend to work better with this.

* '''Type 4:''' Speed Up / 2-Way Back / Double / Laser / Rotation Multiples / Force Field
A defensive shot type that spins your Multiples around while firing continuous beams of damage. Quite effective for protecting yourself, and you don't have to rotate them when you want to focus your damage for a boss, either by moving rapidly left and right to move your options together, or quickly tapping the Multiple Control button to suck them in to your ship. 2-Way Back isn't essential and loses some frontal damage, but does give you coverage behind you which can be helpful in several stages like the end of stage 6 or in any other section where enemies walk along the walls from behind to shoot at you like in stages 2 and 3. The downside is the relative simplicity and lack of versatility compared to Type 1 and Type 2.

This shot type really struggles on Stage 5 where at full power the lasers don't concentrate damage enough to really destroy the asteroids in a timely fashion. If you want to use Rotation Multiples, the unlockable Weapon Edit adds some interesting possibilities such as switching the missiles to something with more raw frontal damage like Spread Bomb, Flying Torpedo, 2-Way Missile, etc.

== Weapon Edit ==
This special customization option essentially lets you make your own custom shot type to play with. The possibilities are incredibly powerful, far better than the 4 presets generally allow, and with a much greater variety of weapon types to choose from. To unlock Weapon Edit, simply beat the game using any number of continues (including in Free Play mode once you have it unlocked with 20 hours of play).

The following is an overview of all the upgrade options available:

=== Speed Up ===
The first icon is the only one that can't be customized. Unlike most Gradius games, when you collect your 5th Speed Up, the game will instead say "Max Speed" to signal your ship's at its fastest, and the Speed Up icon will then read "INIT. SPEED" as in Initial Speed, allowing you to reset your ship speed if you wish. So, if you accidentally make your ship faster than intended, or want to reset your speed after the high speed section in Stage 7, you simply need to keep collecting Speed Up upgrades.

Generally speaking, you want 2 or 3 Speed Ups depending on what you're comfortable with. 0 or 1 Speed Ups is too slow to safely avoid attacks. 4 or 5 Speed Ups is quite doable if you enjoy faster response speeds, and 4 is the minimum necessary to safely navigate Stage 7's high speed section, but keeping your speed that high throughout the game makes it trickier to safely get close to walls without crashing into them.

Note that when playing with an analog stick, pressing the stick lightly will allow you to move at a very slow speed, regardless of how many Speed Up upgrades you have. There's no slow / focus movement button, so this isn't possible with an arcade stick or a d-pad, but tap dodging to adjust your position can achieve the same thing and is more precise on those than with an analog stick.

=== Missile ===
The second upgrade icon that outfits your ship with a secondary attack. Spread Bomb is overwhelmingly the most popular and generally the strongest due to its area of effect and damage, making it great for stages with difficult environmental hazards such as 5 and 6, or for pointblank damage on bosses. However, many other useful missile types exist, most of them built to attack enemies on walls such as walking mechs and turrets.

Missile types generally can only fire 1 missile (or volley of missiles) onscreen at a time per Multiple. The missile types that travel along flat surfaces or slopes (Missile, Eagle Wind, Photon Torpedo) can only move forwards or down slopes and cannot go up slopes or vertical surfaces like they do in Salamander or Life Force.

* '''Missile:'''
The standard missile type seen throughout the Gradius series and the one that typically represents the Vic Viper in the Parodius games. Fires a missile down at an angle that then travels along most flat surfaces and downward slopes until it strikes an enemy. It's not awful, but most of the other options Weapon Edit gives you are better.

* '''2-Way Missile:'''
Fires two missiles up and down that move slightly forward as they travel. Their coverage is good, making them effective at protecting you from threats above and below, but they explode the instant they touch anything rather than moving forward along surfaces. The sheer quantity they fire is useful.

* '''Eagle Wind:'''
Identical to Missile in that it fires a missile at an angle that travels forward and down slopes until it hits something, except that it will fire the missile upwards if you or your multiples are on the upper half of the screen. If you spread your multiples out, it's possible to have missiles travelling along the upper and lower surfaces of a level, which can be quite helpful to clear turrets ahead of your ship.

* '''2-Way Back:'''
Same as 2-Way Missile, but fires to the left instead of to the right. It's not super useful except in some circumstances where having coverage that protects everything above and below behind your ship can be really helpful, but not necessarily essential. Rather useful with Spacing Multiples which has the worst rear coverage and otherwise has to switch to something like Tail Gun to easily hit enemies from behind.

* '''Spread Bomb:'''
By far the most popular selection for the missile slot, and arguably the best missile slot weapon in the game. It's really strong, it fires relatively quickly, and the blast has an area of effect that hits multiple times, meaning you can damage or destroy several enemies at once. It's especially strong if you use it with Freeze Multiples and jam them inside of a boss core. Highly recommended for just about any setup, really.

The downsides are that it has a fairly short horizontal range, but this isn't a big deal if you use it with Freeze Multiples, and that the blasts have an aggressive bloom effect that can make it difficult to see the position of your ship, terrain you're about to hit, etc, so be aware of that when firing it in a tight space.

* '''Photon Torpedo:'''
Missile, but better. Instead of descending slowly at an angle, Photon Torpedo drops at a high speed straight down, then travels along flat surfaces and downward slopes. It also pierces any weak enemies it touches, and appears to deal slightly more damage to heavier targets. The faster drop speed is useful for raw damage too, so in Weapon Edit there's generally no reason to use Missile over this.

* '''Flying Torpedo:'''
Fires missiles straight forward. They don't have a particularly fast travel speed, you lose any kind of vertical coverage, and their damage isn't overly impressive, but it's potentially useful if you're using something like E-Laser and want to be able to have some shots going forward while you're charging up.

''NEEDS TESTING: if you use the standard missile button rather than the rapid missile button, will holding it cause the missiles to move vertically until you release the button? It worked this way in Gradius IV.''

=== Double ===
Without any weapon upgrades, your default shot fires up to 4 shots onscreen at a time. Double upgrades cause you to fire two shots at a time, in different directions, generally sacrificing frontal damage to provide extra coverage. They're decently strong (comparable to the standard thin Laser) if you manage to get a Multiple or two jammed into a boss core because they're firing two shots at once, but frontal damage drops off drastically if you're at any distance from the enemy. Because they're typically so much weaker than Laser weapons, and there's a lot of very durable enemies in the game, they're regarded as situational and aren't intended for general use.

Tail Gun or Vertical are probably the best of the options here as there are certain situational sections where having shots firing behind or upward constantly is helpful and you may want to temporarily switch.

* '''Double:'''
Fires at a 45 degree upward angle and forward. Frontal damage is really important in this game, and you can get spread to cover enemies on ceilings above you with clever Multiple positioning or with certain missile types like 2-Way Missile or Eagle Wind. Not terribly useful.

* '''Tail Gun:'''
Trades frontal damage in exchange for giving you a rear firing shot. Very useful at the end of stage 6 or the end of stage 7, but not essential by any means.

* '''Vertical:'''
Fires forward and directly upwards. Can be helpful for attacking some enemies that appear directly above you that a missile might be too slow to effectively attack, but situations like this are rare and you can attack such enemies using a laser with clever Multiple placement.

* '''Free Way:'''
The secondary shot aims based on how you move. The aim doesn't reset when you stop moving to you have to move forward if you want all your shots to go forward. An interesting but very difficult to use weapon. It's possible to use this decently on bosses with a bit of finesse, and it might be an option for use during stages if you're using something like E-Laser for bosses.

* '''Spread Gun:'''
In exchange for losing all forward shots, you now fire shots at 45 degree angles up and down! It's possible to still attack enemies directly in front if you either jam your Multiples into them at close range with Freeze or Rotation. You get rather good spread with this, so you could potentially use this for stages if you're playing with E-Laser for bosses, but it's a bit unusual to handle. If the lack of frontal shots is a problem you could use something like Flying Torpedo to compensate, but Flying Torpedo isn't terribly fast or damaging, so it's likely better to learn to handle your positioning and your Multiples better. Note that it's not a terribly popular weapon, even among E-Laser players.

=== Laser ===
Upgrades your main shot to a more powerful attack. This is generally what you want to be using, especially against bosses. All the Lasers in this game are useful, but perform very differently, allowing for a variety of different playstyles to suit your tastes (once Weapon Edit is unlocked).

* '''Laser:'''
The thin, standard laser all 4 of the preconfigured shot types use. Hold the shot button and it will fire a long, super thin beam that pierces weak enemies. There's a brief delay between shots as it fires, but if using Direction or Rotation Multiples, the ones fired from your Multiples actually fire as a solid, continuous beam, making them a bit more damaging and providing better coverage against small enemies trying to ram into you.

It's not terribly exciting or effective. The damage is decent, but it's so thin that it's really difficult to use. Arguably the worst of the laser choices, the other three that you can use with Weapon Edit are generally far more effective, especially with Freeze or Spacing Multiples that fire this laser with a gap in between shots.

* '''Ripple:'''
Slightly weaker than the standard laser but vastly more effective due to much wider coverage, and multiple shots being able to easily overlap each other even when your Multiples are spread out at a distance. The difference in damage really isn't that significant as combined with Spread Bomb, you can still achieve very fast kills on bosses, and have way more spread to deal with small enemies than you would with the normal laser. The Ripple also becomes wide enough as it travels that it has some unusual piercing properties, where its shots can actually hit the core through enemy armor, making it just generally very useful for anything. Highly recommended and easy to use.

* '''Fire Blaster:'''
An ultra powerful flamethrower with rather limited horizontal range, this laser option is a bit tricky to use if you're not comfortable with getting close to enemies, but is devastatingly effective if you take the time to practice with it. It's useful with nearly all Multiple types, though Freeze and Spacing are perhaps the most interesting to use it with. Get your Multiples in close, and watch as difficult enemies are ripped apart.

This is unquestionably the top tier weapon against the asteroids in stage 5 and the green goo balls in stage 6, arguably some of the most difficult obstacles in the game. It also instantly clears out the small green orbs in stage 4 that occasionally get fired at you. Seriously, this melts asteroids far quicker and easier than any other laser, so if you're having trouble there, this weapon is highly recommended and it's not too difficult to learn to use it despite its limited horizontal range.

* '''E-Laser:'''
The charge shot of the game. Instead of rapid firing, holding the rapid shot button causes this to charge up. There's no distinct visual indication when it's fully charged except for the little glowing balls getting particularly close together, so it takes a bit of practice to learn to use, but releasing a fully charged shot with all 4 Multiples hitting will generally instantly kill most boss cores. The fully charged shot is also super wide and has some ability to pierce and hit cores even if your aim isn't perfect. This weapon is highly specialized for tearing through bosses and makes bosses hilariously easy, at the cost of stages being far more challenging.

For stages, you'll need to plan where to fire your charge shots, and what missiles you'll use as those will be your main source of damage while charging. Uncharged shots are quite weak and can't be rapidly fired, making it difficult to clear small enemies. Using this with Spread Bomb limits your coverage but gives you a lot of damage, using this with 2-Way Missile, Photon Torpedo, or Flying Torpedo reduces damage but makes it a bit easier to hit things while charging. A difficult laser type intended for experts, but that pays off massively by trivializing otherwise tricky boss fights.

=== Multiple ===
Lets you select from the 4 types of Multiples that the 4 preset shot configurations use. Freeze is overwhelmingly regarded as the best due to its versatility, but the other types are also useful.

* '''Freeze Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock them in place, allowing you move around and arrange your Multiples to give yourself vertical spread, close defensive coverage, concentrated damage on bosses, attacks on targets behind you... this Multiple is overwhelmingly popular because it can quite literally do just about anything.

Spread Bomb is particularly useful with this Multiple as it allows you to jam your Multiples in bosses and deliver concentrated damage to rip them apart.

The only downside is that it requires a bit of finesse and planning to use. It's very difficult to move around and reposition your options in a tight area such as the asteroids in stage 5, so learning how and where to position in advance helps a lot.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots.

* '''Direction Multiples:'''
Hold the Multiple Control button to lock your ship in place and allow you to freely aim your Multiples in any direction. You can sweep the screen of enemies and attack targets at awkward angles that would normally be tricky to hit, such as the Stage 3 boss when it's above you.

You need to manually wiggle your ship to focus your shot damage on bosses, as with classic Gradius games, but the benefit of being able to aim in any direction is very useful in many situations. Still, Direction Multiples are not nearly as popular as Freeze Multiples as Freeze lets your Multiples extended far past your ship to attack targets behind walls, something that's always incredibly useful.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

* '''Spacing Multiples:'''
Weapon Edit makes this a lot more useful than Type 3's setup is, with Ripple, Fire Blaster and E-Laser all proving useful with shots wide enough to cover the gaps the standard Laser has. It's still nowhere as helpful as Freeze or Rotation Multiples tend to be, trading raw power to gain easier usability, but if you're struggling to handle the quirks of the other Multiple types this one is pretty straightforward to use, and allows you to focus or spread out your Multiples without needing to move around at all. Consider using 2-Way Back Missiles with this to cover your rear, the main disadvantage this Multiple type has.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers fire with a brief delay in between shots. Because you can't position the multiples on top of each other unless they're all focused together, it makes the thin Laser particularly bad at protecting you from small enemies trying to ram you; consider Ripple or Fire Blaster as better laser slot alternatives.

* '''Rotation Multiples:'''
Holding the Multiple Control button causes your Multiples to spin around you. It's pretty easy to use, and the continuous beam you get with the standard Laser is pretty effective, but the tradeoff is that you don't get the possibilities for raw damage that Freeze Multiples offer. Like Spacing Multiples, it's easy to use, but Spacing tends to work better on bosses as it's easier to focus your shots. With this, if you want to focus your attacks you either have to wiggle your ship, or tap the Multiple Control button to suck your Multiples into your ship.

Weapon Edit gives you a few interesting options with this, such as substituting in Spread Bomb or Photon Torpedo which gives valuable damage or frontal coverage. E-Laser isn't recommended to use with this, but Fire Blaster is potentially a fun alternative to the standard Laser, especially since its damage is way higher and still gives you a constant ring of damage around your ship. Ripple also works decently as the extra wide shots mean you get mix of frontal damage and spreadfire all at once.

When using the thin Laser weapon with this Multiple, the lasers from your Multiples fire in a continuous stream of damage. Your ship still fires normally with a brief delay between lasers.

=== ? ===
This final slot lets you pick from two defensive upgrades, or a fullscreen attack.

* '''Force Field:'''
Grants your ship an aura that can absorb up to 3 hits before dissipating. Normally your hitbox is an extremely small rectangle around your cockpit, but the aura from Force Field greatly increases your hitbox, and it's possible for bullets that wouldn't have hit your cockpit to damage your Force Field. It'll also be damaged if you graze against solid structures like walls.

Note that it's possible to actually move through seemingly solid objects such as Stage 7's closing walls in the high speed section, or the high speed vertical energy beams, if you have a high speed and move through them quickly with a fresh Force Field. It appears getting hit while Force Field gives you a few frames (like 2 or 3 max) of invulnerability which allows for this ''(needs confirmation on how this works)''.

* '''Shield:'''
Instead of the all around protection Force Field provides, this instead only covers the front with two circular orbs. The benefit is they absorb an insane number of hits, 15 each, giving you far more durable coverage and also serving as a powerful attack if you summon them while you're directly in front of an enemy core which will cause them to rapidly deal damage. Their size does shrink as they weaken and to refill them can be a bit of a nuisance compared to Force Field as you have to push up against a wall or some kind of enemy to break them, so they're trickier to use, but in the hands of a skilled player they're a powerful alternative to Force Field.

* '''Mega Crush:'''
Instead of a defensive barrier, this allows you to clear the screen of enemies that die in 1 hit as will as clearing all bullets. This appears to have the same effect as the blue items that occasionally appear, except that it can be used freely at any time when your upgrade is on the ? icon. Losing access to a defensive shield isn't that big of a deal in a game where your hitbox is quite small, but Force Field and Shield are still typically a lot more popular. Potentially very useful, but Force Field is overwhelmingly more popular for soaking accidental hits.

== Video Replay Index ==

For a comprehensive video overview demonstrating all the weapons, please see this video by KietTezend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axahD-_D2bE

{{VideoIndex}}

Gradius V

2025-11-11T16:58:44Z

BKR: /* Weapon Edit */ - double

Gradius V

2025-11-11T16:22:01Z

BKR: /* Weapon Edit */ - lasers

Gradius V

2025-11-11T15:41:04Z

BKR: Gradius V - mostly weapons related changes

Gradius V

2025-11-11T15:30:22Z

BKR: /* Weapon Edit */ - formatting

Gradius V

2025-11-11T15:26:28Z

BKR: /* Weapon Edit */

Gradius V

2025-11-11T12:50:04Z

BKR: Gradius V: starting to work on weapon descriptions and formatting

Espgaluda

2023-11-13T15:04:01Z

BKR:

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #00cc99
|innerbordercolor = #aceeee
|title = Espgaluda
|background = #f8fff9
|image = Espgaluda Title.png
|width = 300px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[CAVE]]
|music = Toshiaki Tomizawa Neptune Reeb T-FORCE
|program = Tsuneki Ikeda Takashi Ichimura
|art = Akira Wakabayashi Hiroyuki Tanaka Hideki Nomura Kengo Arai
|releasedate = '''Arcade''': October 2003 '''PS2''': 2004
|previousgame = [[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]
|nextgame = [[Mushihimesama]]

}}

[[File:Espgaluda Logo.png|center]]
'''Espgaluda''' (エスプガルーダ) is a vertical shoot-em-up released by [[CAVE]] in 2003, and the spiritual successor to [[ESP Ra.De.|ESP Ra.De]]. A departure from the military style present in most shooting games, ''Espgaluda'' is notable for its '''steampunk, fairy tale setting''', along with the player's ability to '''slow down enemy bullets''', which allows for survival as well as an '''open-ended, bullet cancel-based scoring system'''.

''Espgaluda'' was ported to the Playstation 2 in 2004, and a sequel titled [[Espgaluda II]] was released in 2006.
__TOC__
{{clear}}

[[File:Espgaluda Screenshot.png|thumb|right|250px|Typical ''Espgaluda'' gameplay]]
== Gameplay Overview ==
''Espgaluda'' is a four-button game with five stages, no loops, and two playable characters, the siblings '''Ageha''' and '''Tateha'''.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press):''' Fires standard shots.
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires a focused laser shot, and slows the player down.
* '''B:''' Activates and deactivates [[#Kakusei_Mode|Kakusei Mode]], allowing the player to change the speed of and cancel enemy bullets.
* '''C (Press):''' Fires a limited-use barrier attack similar to a [[bomb]], dealing high damage and granting invincibility.
* '''C (Hold and release):''' Charges up and releases a more powerful barrier attack.
* '''D:''' Auto-fire for the standard shot.
* '''Arcade version specific:''' After inserting a credit, hold buttons C & D and then press Start to swap Auto-fire to button C and Barrier to button D. Much like Espgaluda 2, Dodonpachi Dai-Fukkatsu, and Akai Katana, the game allows you to swap whether the auto-fire button is on button D or on button C. However, instead of being a selectable control scheme after shot type/character selection, it's done via this button input on the start screen. You can release the buttons once you're at the character select screen.

Gameplay revolves around picking up gems which are dropped by enemies, then using the characters' psychic powers to enter [[#Kakusei_Mode|Kakusei Mode]], which consumes gems and slows down all onscreen bullets, and causes all bullets shot by an enemy to be destroyed when the enemy is destroyed - known as a [[bullet cancel]]. Points are awarded per destroyed bullet, with more points awarded for more bullets destroyed. This results in a gameplay loop of collecting gems, entering Kakusei mode and destroying as many bullets as possible, exiting the mode and repeating the process.

=== Characters===
----

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Ageha.png|center|100px]] || '''Ageha''' The older sibling. Has a narrow shot which will also swivel in the direction of the player's movement, similar to the Type-B ship in the [[:Category:DonPachi series|''DonPachi'' Series]], a wider laser, and a faster movement speed.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Tateha.png|center|100px]] || '''Tateha''' The younger sibling. Has a wide shot that covers a large area, a narrower laser, and a slower movement speed.
|}

=== Mechanics ===
----
=====Barrier Attacks=====

Instead of a strict bomb counter, ''Espgaluda'' barrier attacks use a meter. Pressing the C button will activate a barrier attack and consume a quarter of the meter, but C can also be held to charge up a larger barrier attack. Charged barrier attacks will do more damage and grant additional invincibility during the chargeup time, but will consume barrier meter during the charge. Additionally, getting hit while in Kakusei mode will activate a barrier attack automatically, consuming half of the barrier meter and preventing the player from losing a life. Picking up an energy item will restore 50% of the barrier meter, and losing a life will restore the barrier meter to full.

[[File:Espgaluda Kakusei.png|200px|thumb|right|During Kakusei Mode, enemy bullets turn pink and slow down significantly]]

=====Kakusei Mode=====
----

Pressing the B button causes the player to enter ''Kakusei Mode''. In Kakusei mode, Ageha's laser becomes more powerful, at the expense of his main shot power - with the inverse taking place for Tateha. Additionally, '''getting hit will result in an automatic barrier attack''', consuming 50% of the barrier meter and preventing the player from losing a life.

There are two types of Kakusei mode: one in which the player has gems, and one in which the player has no gems, called ''Kakusei Overmode''. Regular Kakusei mode causes the following additional effects:

* All onscreen bullets turn pink and slow down significantly
* Certain enemies will shoot more bullets
* Destroying enemies will cause a bullet cancel - depleting the player's gem count, destroying the bullets they shot, awarding points, and converting the destroyed bullets into gold ingot items ''(for more details, see [[#Scoring|Scoring]])''
* Killing and destroying certain boss phases will cause a bullet cancel - indicated by a line in their health bar and an audio cue when almost at the cancel point.

Using the bullet slowdown and destruction features of Kakusei mode is a recommended strategy when playing for survival, as slower bullets become easier to dodge, and the automatic barrier will protect the player in case they get hit.

[[File:Kakusei Overmode.png|200px|thumb|right|In ''Kakusei Overmode'', all bullets turn red and increase in speed. The Kakusei Overmode Level increases as shown by the circular gauge around the player]]

=====Kakusei Overmode=====
----

Kakusei Overmode is activated when the player enters Kakusei mode with no gems, or runs out of gems during regular Kakusei mode. Kakusei Overmode causes the following effects:

* All onscreen bullets turn red, and speed up instead of slowing down
* Destroying enemies no longer causes bullet cancels
* Enemies drop gold ingots instead of green gems
* Points are awarded continuously over time

Kakusei Overmode can be dangerous due to the increased bullet speed, but it also grants rewards. When in Kakusei Overmode, the player will constantly accumulate small amounts of points. The points accumulated are based on the player's ''Kakusei Overmode Level'', which is indicated by a circular meter around the player, increases constantly during Kakusei Overmode, and maxing out at level four, after which the player will acquire a blue "ghost" effect on their sprite.

Kakusei Overmode Level increases faster when not shooting. A higher level causes bullets to move even faster during overmode, and the level will reset back to 1 when the player is hit.

Lastly, a higher Kakusei Overmode Level will increase the number of gems dropped by enemies when not in overmode. More gems allows the opportunity for more usage of regular Kakusei mode, which players can use for both survival and scoring purposes.

Playing the game while entirely in Kakusei Overmode is a popular challenge for the thrill-seeking player.

=== Items ===
----

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Gem.png|center]] || '''Gem''' Increases your gem count for Kakusei mode and awards a small number of points. Destroying small enemies quickly and levelling up [[#Kakusei Overmode|Kakusei Overmode]] will grant marginally more gems. The player can carry a maximum of 500 gems, before enemies begin to drop gold ingots instead. Dropped by enemies while not in Kakusei mode.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Gold.png|center]] || '''Gold Ingot (various sizes)''' Awards points. The more gold ingots are collected, the more points are granted for bullet cancels, up to 1000 ingots. Dropped by bullets cancelled during Kakusei mode, enemies while in Kakusei Overmode, and in place of gems when at the maximum gem amount of 500.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Power.png|center]] || '''Power Up''' Increases your shot power. Dropped by certain enemies.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Energy.png|center]] || '''Energy''' Increases your barrier meter by 50%. Dropped by certain enemies.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Extend.png|center]] || '''Extra Life''' Grants an extra life. Obtained from destroying an orb at the end of the airship in stage 3 while in Kakusei mode. See [[#Hidden_Extend|Hidden Extend]]. Extra lives are also granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points, without an item.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Maxpower.png|center]] || '''Maximum Power''' Grants maximum shot power. Dropped from the player upon losing their last life.
|}

=====Hidden Extend=====

[[File:Esgaluda Extend Location.png|200px|thumb|right|Destroy the orb (top of screen) in Kakusei mode for a hidden extend!]]

Extends are granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points. However, an additional hidden extend can be found toward the end of stage 3. At the end of the airship portion of the stage, there is an orb on the ground. This orb can be damaged when the player is in Kakusei mode, and destroying it will drop an extra life item. Notably, the player must be in regular Kakusei mode, not Kakusei Overmode. Performing a barrier attack while in Kakusei mode will also damage the orb, which can be useful to destroy it quickly if the player doesn't have enough gems to remain in Kakusei mode for long enough to destroy it.

=== Scoring ===
----

Points are awarded for many actions in ''Espgaluda'', including destroying enemies, shooting large enemies, picking up gems and gold, being in Kakusei Overmode, and having lives and barrier meter remaining after beating the game. However, the main source of points is ''bullet cancels'', performed by destroying enemies while in Kakusei Mode. This is because the value of the destroyed bullets has a multiplier applied to it, depending on how many bullets were destroyed over the course of a Kakusei session, and all cancelled bullets are converted into gold, awarding points that dwarf most other sources.

=====Bullet Cancel Multiplier=====

The bullet multiplier always starts at 1 when Kakusei mode is first initiated. Cancelling more bullets over the course of Kakusei mode will increase the multiplier by 1 for every bullet destroyed, up to a maximum of 100. Leaving Kakusei mode resets the multiplier, so staying in Kakusei mode to destroy as many bullets as possible is key to score.
If you end a Kakusei session before an enemy dies from your Kakusei projectiles you will still get the cancel but the multiplier will reset to x1 for that specific cancel.

[[File:Espgaluda bullet cancel.png|thumb|right|200px|The aftermath of a bullet cancel - each cancelled bullet is multiplied up to 100 times]]

The multiplier is always increased by 1 for each bullet, even if they all come from the same enemy. So destroying an enemy that shot ten bullets will not have all bullets multiplied by ten, but instead the first bullet will be multiplied by one, the next by two, the next by three, and so on. The base value for a single cancelled bullet is 40 points. As a result, the following formulas represent the amount of points obtained by a bullet cancel:

* '''Cumulative cancel points prior to 100 bullets:''' <code><nowiki>40 (bullet value) * ( N (N+1) / 2 )</nowiki></code>
where ''N'' is the number of pre-100 bullets

* '''Cumulative cancel points for bullets 100 and up:''' <code><nowiki>40 (bullet value) * 100 (multiplier value) * N</nowiki></code>
where ''N'' is the number of post-100 bullets

This is excluding the points gained from shooting down the enemies themselves, as well as the points from the gold ingots that the bullets are converted into. Gold ingot points are detailed at [[#Gold_Ingots|Gold Ingots]].

=====Gold Ingots=====

Cancelled bullets will be turned into gold ingots, as well as all gems collected past 500, and all gems collected during Kakusei Overmode. The point value of gold ingots varies based on how many gold ingots are currently collected, up until the maximum ingot count of 1000. Ingots will slowly drain during boss fights, and '''losing a life will cut the player's gold amount in half''', which can cause the value of obtained gold to drop in turn. The value of each gold ingot is represented by the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Gold Ingot Count''' || '''Points Per Ingot Collected
|-
| 000-099 || 100 points
|-
| 100-199 || 150 points
|-
| 200-299 || 200 points
|-
| 300-399 || 300 points
|-
| 400-499 || 350 points
|-
| 500-599 || 400 points
|-
| 600-699 || 600 points
|-
| 700-799 || 650 points
|-
| 800-899 || 700 points
|-
| 900-1000 || 900 points
|}

Gold ingots will take on a different sprite depending on which ingot count bracket the player is in. Once ingots are on their way to the player, they will always retain whatever point value corresponds to their sprite - they will not provide higher value than their sprite shows or change to a higher value midair, even if the player passes over into a higher value ingot count bracket during their flight.

=====Tic Points=====

When you are shooting enemies your score will slightly increase, This is called Tic Points. When you are in Kakusei mode you will gain no tic points at all, but in Kakusei Overmode it works a little differently.
In Overmode you get a passive score increase when not shooting during the stages. If the player enters a boss though, these rules get reversed, and you will instead gain extra score from shooting the boss in Overmode.
The amount of score you get from doing this is dependent on your rank which is the number deciding the speed of the bullets in Overmode. The higher your rank the more score these things will yield.
The visual indicator of your rank is the blue circle that appears around you when in Overmode. This will passively fill up to max when Overmode is active. If you want to speed up the rank increase you can stop shooting and the rank will make haste.
You will know you have max rank when the circle is gone and your character has a blue trail.

=====Endgame Bonus=====

Clearing the game can be a significant source of points. Endgame points are awarded for every life remaining, as well as the number of life containers (notwithstanding if full or empty), the barrier gauge remaining, and the gold remaining. The point breakdown for each endgame bonus is as follows:

* '''Lives remaining:''' 1,000,000 points each (minimum 1,000,000 with one life remaining, max 6,000,000)
* '''Life containers:''' 500,000 each (minimum 1,500,000 due to life containers at game start, max 3,000,000)
* '''Barrier remaining:''' 16,000 points per 1% (max 1,600,000)
* '''Gold remaining:''' 1,000 per piece (max 1,000,000)

This gives a minimum possible endgame bonus of 2,500,000 points, and a maximum of 11,600,000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Espgaluda/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

=====Survival=====

For survival, Kakusei mode can be used to slow down enemy bullets and ease dodging, all while protecting the player with the automatic barrier attack. Because barrier is restored to 100% when a life is lost, players shouldn't be afraid to use their barrier to survive - using up all of your barrier before losing a life will maximize the amount of barrier available throughout a playthrough.

=====Score=====

For score, it is much better to have longer Kakusei sessions in which many bullets are cancelled, than cancelling the same number of bullets over multiple Kakusei sessions. This is because the bullet score multiplier resets upon exiting the mode, but will continue going up with each cancelled bullet over a single Kakusei session, even over multiple different bullet cancels. Due to enemy destruction consuming additional gems on top of the regular gem depletion in Kakusei mode, players playing for score should be careful not to destroy any unintended enemies. Good positioning, making the most out of every Kakusei mode through good timing, and bullet cancelling with as many bullets on screen as possible will put you well on your way to a good score!

Playing on the Player 2 side will also provide a very minor score advantage in the arcade release - see [[#Version_Differences|Version Differences]]

Going for some degree of score is recommended, as extends are granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points.

It is also recommended to try and obtain the [[#Hidden_Extend|Hidden Extend]], by destroying the orb at the end of the stage 3 airship while in Kakusei mode.

== Story ==
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Shinra, there was a queen who passed down magical powers to her descendents, and a king, Jakou, who did not. In a period of rapidly advancing alchemical technology, Jakou became overcome with ambition, and sought to use alchemy to exploit the queen's powers to the fullest extent. He subjected his children, Ageha and Tateha, to a super-soldier program, known as Project Galuda. The queen, appalled by his actions, sealed herself and her essence away in spirit gems, but Jakou and his alchemists found a solution - to harness the stones to create a spirit engine, raise an army, and begin to conquer surrounding nations.

Hiodoshi, an elderly alchemist who was key to Project Galuda, had a change of heart, and was moved into action. He took the king's children under his wing and fled, in hopes of giving them a chance at a normal life. Years passed, but Jakou's army eventually tracked them down. Hiodoshi refused to surrender. The soldiers, in response, mercilessly slaughtered him in the children's presence. Bearing witness to Hiodoshi's death, Ageha and Tateha's latent powers emerged. Wings sprouted from their backs, and the soldiers were destroyed instantly in a burst of energy. The siblings took flight, guided back toward Shinra by a mysterious force that neither of them understands. And this is where our story begins.

== Version Differences ==

Version differences between the arcade release and the Playstation 2 arcade mode are minimal. In the arcade release, the stage 3 midboss will spawn more bullets from its pod attack when the player is on the Player 2 side. The Playstation 2 version fixes this discrepancy by making both sides behave like Player 2.

The Playstation 2 release also includes an [[arrange]] mode, with significantly more bullets, and playable characters from [[ESP Ra.De.|ESP Ra.De]]. However, there`s no 3rd character that can resemble Yusuke`s attacks.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Espgaluda Poster.png|Arcade poster
Espgaluda PS2.png|Playstation 2 boxart
Stage 1 Clear.png|Stage 1 Clear screen
Stage 2 Clear.png|Stage 2 Clear screen
Stage 3 Clear.png|Stage 3 Clear screen
Stage 4 Clear.png|Stage 4 Clear screen
</gallery>

== References & Contributors ==

# Shmups Forum Espgaluda strategy thread: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=134
# Story information: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/espgaluda/
# Initial article written by [[User:SLRmercury|SLRmercury]]


[[Category:Espgaluda]] [[Category:Vertical orientation]]

Espgaluda

2023-11-13T14:40:48Z

BKR: Details on the control customization available in the arcade version.

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #00cc99
|innerbordercolor = #aceeee
|title = Espgaluda
|background = #f8fff9
|image = Espgaluda Title.png
|width = 300px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[CAVE]]
|music = Toshiaki Tomizawa Neptune Reeb T-FORCE
|program = Tsuneki Ikeda Takashi Ichimura
|art = Akira Wakabayashi Hiroyuki Tanaka Hideki Nomura Kengo Arai
|releasedate = '''Arcade''': October 2003 '''PS2''': 2004
|previousgame = [[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]
|nextgame = [[Mushihimesama]]

}}

[[File:Espgaluda Logo.png|center]]
'''Espgaluda''' (エスプガルーダ) is a vertical shoot-em-up released by [[CAVE]] in 2003, and the spiritual successor to [[ESP Ra.De.|ESP Ra.De]]. A departure from the military style present in most shooting games, ''Espgaluda'' is notable for its '''steampunk, fairy tale setting''', along with the player's ability to '''slow down enemy bullets''', which allows for survival as well as an '''open-ended, bullet cancel-based scoring system'''.

''Espgaluda'' was ported to the Playstation 2 in 2004, and a sequel titled [[Espgaluda II]] was released in 2006.
__TOC__
{{clear}}

[[File:Espgaluda Screenshot.png|thumb|right|250px|Typical ''Espgaluda'' gameplay]]
== Gameplay Overview ==
''Espgaluda'' is a four-button game with five stages, no loops, and two playable characters, the siblings '''Ageha''' and '''Tateha'''.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A (Press):''' Fires standard shots
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires a focused laser shot, and slows the player down
* '''B:''' Activates and deactivates [[#Kakusei_Mode|Kakusei Mode]], allowing the player to change the speed of and cancel enemy bullets
* '''C (Press):''' Fires a limited-use barrier attack similar to a [[bomb]], dealing high damage and granting invincibility
* '''C (Hold and release):''' Charges up and releases a more powerful barrier attack. Can be swapped with the auto-fire button.
* '''D:''' Auto-fire for the standard shot. Can be swapped with the barrier attack button.

'''Note:''' Much like Espgaluda 2, Dodonpachi Dai-Fukkatsu, and Akai Katana, the game allows you to swap whether the auto-fire button is on button D or on button C. However, instead of being a selectable control scheme after shot type/character selection, it's done via a button input on the start screen. To swap autofire to button C and bomb to button D, insert a credit and then hold buttons C & D before pressing Start. You can release the buttons once you're at the character select screen.

Gameplay revolves around picking up gems which are dropped by enemies, then using the characters' psychic powers to enter [[#Kakusei_Mode|Kakusei Mode]], which consumes gems and slows down all onscreen bullets, and causes all bullets shot by an enemy to be destroyed when the enemy is destroyed - known as a [[bullet cancel]]. Points are awarded per destroyed bullet, with more points awarded for more bullets destroyed. This results in a gameplay loop of collecting gems, entering Kakusei mode and destroying as many bullets as possible, exiting the mode and repeating the process.

=== Characters===
----

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Ageha.png|center|100px]] || '''Ageha''' The older sibling. Has a narrow shot which will also swivel in the direction of the player's movement, similar to the Type-B ship in the [[:Category:DonPachi series|''DonPachi'' Series]], a wider laser, and a faster movement speed.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Tateha.png|center|100px]] || '''Tateha''' The younger sibling. Has a wide shot that covers a large area, a narrower laser, and a slower movement speed.
|}

=== Mechanics ===
----
=====Barrier Attacks=====

Instead of a strict bomb counter, ''Espgaluda'' barrier attacks use a meter. Pressing the C button will activate a barrier attack and consume a quarter of the meter, but C can also be held to charge up a larger barrier attack. Charged barrier attacks will do more damage and grant additional invincibility during the chargeup time, but will consume barrier meter during the charge. Additionally, getting hit while in Kakusei mode will activate a barrier attack automatically, consuming half of the barrier meter and preventing the player from losing a life. Picking up an energy item will restore 50% of the barrier meter, and losing a life will restore the barrier meter to full.

[[File:Espgaluda Kakusei.png|200px|thumb|right|During Kakusei Mode, enemy bullets turn pink and slow down significantly]]

=====Kakusei Mode=====
----

Pressing the B button causes the player to enter ''Kakusei Mode''. In Kakusei mode, Ageha's laser becomes more powerful, at the expense of his main shot power - with the inverse taking place for Tateha. Additionally, '''getting hit will result in an automatic barrier attack''', consuming 50% of the barrier meter and preventing the player from losing a life.

There are two types of Kakusei mode: one in which the player has gems, and one in which the player has no gems, called ''Kakusei Overmode''. Regular Kakusei mode causes the following additional effects:

* All onscreen bullets turn pink and slow down significantly
* Certain enemies will shoot more bullets
* Destroying enemies will cause a bullet cancel - depleting the player's gem count, destroying the bullets they shot, awarding points, and converting the destroyed bullets into gold ingot items ''(for more details, see [[#Scoring|Scoring]])''
* Killing and destroying certain boss phases will cause a bullet cancel - indicated by a line in their health bar and an audio cue when almost at the cancel point.

Using the bullet slowdown and destruction features of Kakusei mode is a recommended strategy when playing for survival, as slower bullets become easier to dodge, and the automatic barrier will protect the player in case they get hit.

[[File:Kakusei Overmode.png|200px|thumb|right|In ''Kakusei Overmode'', all bullets turn red and increase in speed. The Kakusei Overmode Level increases as shown by the circular gauge around the player]]

=====Kakusei Overmode=====
----

Kakusei Overmode is activated when the player enters Kakusei mode with no gems, or runs out of gems during regular Kakusei mode. Kakusei Overmode causes the following effects:

* All onscreen bullets turn red, and speed up instead of slowing down
* Destroying enemies no longer causes bullet cancels
* Enemies drop gold ingots instead of green gems
* Points are awarded continuously over time

Kakusei Overmode can be dangerous due to the increased bullet speed, but it also grants rewards. When in Kakusei Overmode, the player will constantly accumulate small amounts of points. The points accumulated are based on the player's ''Kakusei Overmode Level'', which is indicated by a circular meter around the player, increases constantly during Kakusei Overmode, and maxing out at level four, after which the player will acquire a blue "ghost" effect on their sprite.

Kakusei Overmode Level increases faster when not shooting. A higher level causes bullets to move even faster during overmode, and the level will reset back to 1 when the player is hit.

Lastly, a higher Kakusei Overmode Level will increase the number of gems dropped by enemies when not in overmode. More gems allows the opportunity for more usage of regular Kakusei mode, which players can use for both survival and scoring purposes.

Playing the game while entirely in Kakusei Overmode is a popular challenge for the thrill-seeking player.

=== Items ===
----

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Gem.png|center]] || '''Gem''' Increases your gem count for Kakusei mode and awards a small number of points. Destroying small enemies quickly and levelling up [[#Kakusei Overmode|Kakusei Overmode]] will grant marginally more gems. The player can carry a maximum of 500 gems, before enemies begin to drop gold ingots instead. Dropped by enemies while not in Kakusei mode.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Gold.png|center]] || '''Gold Ingot (various sizes)''' Awards points. The more gold ingots are collected, the more points are granted for bullet cancels, up to 1000 ingots. Dropped by bullets cancelled during Kakusei mode, enemies while in Kakusei Overmode, and in place of gems when at the maximum gem amount of 500.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Power.png|center]] || '''Power Up''' Increases your shot power. Dropped by certain enemies.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Energy.png|center]] || '''Energy''' Increases your barrier meter by 50%. Dropped by certain enemies.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Extend.png|center]] || '''Extra Life''' Grants an extra life. Obtained from destroying an orb at the end of the airship in stage 3 while in Kakusei mode. See [[#Hidden_Extend|Hidden Extend]]. Extra lives are also granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points, without an item.
|-
| [[File:Espgaluda Maxpower.png|center]] || '''Maximum Power''' Grants maximum shot power. Dropped from the player upon losing their last life.
|}

=====Hidden Extend=====

[[File:Esgaluda Extend Location.png|200px|thumb|right|Destroy the orb (top of screen) in Kakusei mode for a hidden extend!]]

Extends are granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points. However, an additional hidden extend can be found toward the end of stage 3. At the end of the airship portion of the stage, there is an orb on the ground. This orb can be damaged when the player is in Kakusei mode, and destroying it will drop an extra life item. Notably, the player must be in regular Kakusei mode, not Kakusei Overmode. Performing a barrier attack while in Kakusei mode will also damage the orb, which can be useful to destroy it quickly if the player doesn't have enough gems to remain in Kakusei mode for long enough to destroy it.

=== Scoring ===
----

Points are awarded for many actions in ''Espgaluda'', including destroying enemies, shooting large enemies, picking up gems and gold, being in Kakusei Overmode, and having lives and barrier meter remaining after beating the game. However, the main source of points is ''bullet cancels'', performed by destroying enemies while in Kakusei Mode. This is because the value of the destroyed bullets has a multiplier applied to it, depending on how many bullets were destroyed over the course of a Kakusei session, and all cancelled bullets are converted into gold, awarding points that dwarf most other sources.

=====Bullet Cancel Multiplier=====

The bullet multiplier always starts at 1 when Kakusei mode is first initiated. Cancelling more bullets over the course of Kakusei mode will increase the multiplier by 1 for every bullet destroyed, up to a maximum of 100. Leaving Kakusei mode resets the multiplier, so staying in Kakusei mode to destroy as many bullets as possible is key to score.
If you end a Kakusei session before an enemy dies from your Kakusei projectiles you will still get the cancel but the multiplier will reset to x1 for that specific cancel.

[[File:Espgaluda bullet cancel.png|thumb|right|200px|The aftermath of a bullet cancel - each cancelled bullet is multiplied up to 100 times]]

The multiplier is always increased by 1 for each bullet, even if they all come from the same enemy. So destroying an enemy that shot ten bullets will not have all bullets multiplied by ten, but instead the first bullet will be multiplied by one, the next by two, the next by three, and so on. The base value for a single cancelled bullet is 40 points. As a result, the following formulas represent the amount of points obtained by a bullet cancel:

* '''Cumulative cancel points prior to 100 bullets:''' <code><nowiki>40 (bullet value) * ( N (N+1) / 2 )</nowiki></code>
where ''N'' is the number of pre-100 bullets

* '''Cumulative cancel points for bullets 100 and up:''' <code><nowiki>40 (bullet value) * 100 (multiplier value) * N</nowiki></code>
where ''N'' is the number of post-100 bullets

This is excluding the points gained from shooting down the enemies themselves, as well as the points from the gold ingots that the bullets are converted into. Gold ingot points are detailed at [[#Gold_Ingots|Gold Ingots]].

=====Gold Ingots=====

Cancelled bullets will be turned into gold ingots, as well as all gems collected past 500, and all gems collected during Kakusei Overmode. The point value of gold ingots varies based on how many gold ingots are currently collected, up until the maximum ingot count of 1000. Ingots will slowly drain during boss fights, and '''losing a life will cut the player's gold amount in half''', which can cause the value of obtained gold to drop in turn. The value of each gold ingot is represented by the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''Gold Ingot Count''' || '''Points Per Ingot Collected
|-
| 000-099 || 100 points
|-
| 100-199 || 150 points
|-
| 200-299 || 200 points
|-
| 300-399 || 300 points
|-
| 400-499 || 350 points
|-
| 500-599 || 400 points
|-
| 600-699 || 600 points
|-
| 700-799 || 650 points
|-
| 800-899 || 700 points
|-
| 900-1000 || 900 points
|}

Gold ingots will take on a different sprite depending on which ingot count bracket the player is in. Once ingots are on their way to the player, they will always retain whatever point value corresponds to their sprite - they will not provide higher value than their sprite shows or change to a higher value midair, even if the player passes over into a higher value ingot count bracket during their flight.

=====Tic Points=====

When you are shooting enemies your score will slightly increase, This is called Tic Points. When you are in Kakusei mode you will gain no tic points at all, but in Kakusei Overmode it works a little differently.
In Overmode you get a passive score increase when not shooting during the stages. If the player enters a boss though, these rules get reversed, and you will instead gain extra score from shooting the boss in Overmode.
The amount of score you get from doing this is dependent on your rank which is the number deciding the speed of the bullets in Overmode. The higher your rank the more score these things will yield.
The visual indicator of your rank is the blue circle that appears around you when in Overmode. This will passively fill up to max when Overmode is active. If you want to speed up the rank increase you can stop shooting and the rank will make haste.
You will know you have max rank when the circle is gone and your character has a blue trail.

=====Endgame Bonus=====

Clearing the game can be a significant source of points. Endgame points are awarded for every life remaining, as well as the number of life containers (notwithstanding if full or empty), the barrier gauge remaining, and the gold remaining. The point breakdown for each endgame bonus is as follows:

* '''Lives remaining:''' 1,000,000 points each (minimum 1,000,000 with one life remaining, max 6,000,000)
* '''Life containers:''' 500,000 each (minimum 1,500,000 due to life containers at game start, max 3,000,000)
* '''Barrier remaining:''' 16,000 points per 1% (max 1,600,000)
* '''Gold remaining:''' 1,000 per piece (max 1,000,000)

This gives a minimum possible endgame bonus of 2,500,000 points, and a maximum of 11,600,000 points.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Espgaluda/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

=====Survival=====

For survival, Kakusei mode can be used to slow down enemy bullets and ease dodging, all while protecting the player with the automatic barrier attack. Because barrier is restored to 100% when a life is lost, players shouldn't be afraid to use their barrier to survive - using up all of your barrier before losing a life will maximize the amount of barrier available throughout a playthrough.

=====Score=====

For score, it is much better to have longer Kakusei sessions in which many bullets are cancelled, than cancelling the same number of bullets over multiple Kakusei sessions. This is because the bullet score multiplier resets upon exiting the mode, but will continue going up with each cancelled bullet over a single Kakusei session, even over multiple different bullet cancels. Due to enemy destruction consuming additional gems on top of the regular gem depletion in Kakusei mode, players playing for score should be careful not to destroy any unintended enemies. Good positioning, making the most out of every Kakusei mode through good timing, and bullet cancelling with as many bullets on screen as possible will put you well on your way to a good score!

Playing on the Player 2 side will also provide a very minor score advantage in the arcade release - see [[#Version_Differences|Version Differences]]

Going for some degree of score is recommended, as extends are granted at 4,000,000 and 14,000,000 points.

It is also recommended to try and obtain the [[#Hidden_Extend|Hidden Extend]], by destroying the orb at the end of the stage 3 airship while in Kakusei mode.

== Story ==
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Shinra, there was a queen who passed down magical powers to her descendents, and a king, Jakou, who did not. In a period of rapidly advancing alchemical technology, Jakou became overcome with ambition, and sought to use alchemy to exploit the queen's powers to the fullest extent. He subjected his children, Ageha and Tateha, to a super-soldier program, known as Project Galuda. The queen, appalled by his actions, sealed herself and her essence away in spirit gems, but Jakou and his alchemists found a solution - to harness the stones to create a spirit engine, raise an army, and begin to conquer surrounding nations.

Hiodoshi, an elderly alchemist who was key to Project Galuda, had a change of heart, and was moved into action. He took the king's children under his wing and fled, in hopes of giving them a chance at a normal life. Years passed, but Jakou's army eventually tracked them down. Hiodoshi refused to surrender. The soldiers, in response, mercilessly slaughtered him in the children's presence. Bearing witness to Hiodoshi's death, Ageha and Tateha's latent powers emerged. Wings sprouted from their backs, and the soldiers were destroyed instantly in a burst of energy. The siblings took flight, guided back toward Shinra by a mysterious force that neither of them understands. And this is where our story begins.

== Version Differences ==

Version differences between the arcade release and the Playstation 2 arcade mode are minimal. In the arcade release, the stage 3 midboss will spawn more bullets from its pod attack when the player is on the Player 2 side. The Playstation 2 version fixes this discrepancy by making both sides behave like Player 2.

The Playstation 2 release also includes an [[arrange]] mode, with significantly more bullets, and playable characters from [[ESP Ra.De.|ESP Ra.De]]. However, there`s no 3rd character that can resemble Yusuke`s attacks.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Espgaluda Poster.png|Arcade poster
Espgaluda PS2.png|Playstation 2 boxart
Stage 1 Clear.png|Stage 1 Clear screen
Stage 2 Clear.png|Stage 2 Clear screen
Stage 3 Clear.png|Stage 3 Clear screen
Stage 4 Clear.png|Stage 4 Clear screen
</gallery>

== References & Contributors ==

# Shmups Forum Espgaluda strategy thread: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=134
# Story information: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/espgaluda/
# Initial article written by [[User:SLRmercury|SLRmercury]]


[[Category:Espgaluda]] [[Category:Vertical orientation]]

Halley's Comet

2022-10-10T13:12:10Z

BKR:

[[File:Halley's Comet (poster & card).jpg|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Halley's Comet
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Halley's Comet - title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px
|developer = [[Taito]]
|
|music = Hisayoshi Ogura
|
|program = Fukio Mitsuji
|
|releasedate = January 1986
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Halley's Comet, made in 1986 by Taito, features you defending various planets from attacking invaders. It's one of the rare games where you have to actively destroy enemies or else you're penalized for letting them escape, with a gameover potentially resulting if you let too many past. It's currently available as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives for the PS4 as well as Nintendo Switch. The game is single player only, and there do not appear to be there are no continues available. Deaths result in a checkpoint-style respawn with you back to your base power and speed levels.

Halley's Comet takes about about 45 minutes to an hour per loop depending on how many times you die or "reset" miniboss/comet entrance fights by using bombs to milk the spawning enemies for points. Clearing both loops will generally get you enough points to counterstop the game; depending on how well you've scored up to that point you'll trigger the counterstop somewhere between halfway through the final level of loop 2, or shortly into loop 3's first level.

It's not clear where difficulty maxes out but brief testing suggests difficulty might cap in loop 2. By the point you reach loop 3 you've counterstopped the game, and you're just playing to see how far you can get from that point onward.

Default dip settings for the game are Normal difficulty, 3 lives, and extend setting of 200,000 , 800,000, and every 600,000 after.

[[File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png|thumb]]
Each level is broken up into three numbered Areas, where you try to protect the planet from getting attacked by swarms of enemies trying to get past you. Each Area has swarms of basic enemies that keep spawning in a fixed pattern of enemy types (randomly selecting from preset flight patterns each time a wave of enemies spawn), as well as asteroids to shoot for powerups, and unique large enemies that give a score bonus for shooting them all down. Each Area ends with a boss; the early Area has 1 or 2 large enemies that shoot dark blue orbs at you, the middle Area's boss is the comet entrance where you have to shoot 4 turrets that pop up at random locations to advance, and the Area within the comet ends with a boss that has a large set of turrets that pop up as basic enemies keep spawning. Shoot all the turrets to end the level.

[[File:Halley's Comet - game over.gif|thumb]]
Each enemy that manages to escape by flying offscreen deals 1% damage to the planet, and if the current planet you're trying to rescue hits 100% damage, it's an immediate game over. Some enemies like the multisegmented worm-like enemies deal 1% per segment that gets past you, so damage can add up very quickly if you die in the middle of the stage, leaving you at low shot power and unable to safely deal with all the enemies until you power up again. There also does not appear to be any way to reduce the amount of damage a planet has accumulated; when you loop the game, the damage values stay at what they were in Loop 1 and do not reset back to 0, so if you died a lot on a particular level in Loop 1 and the planet racked up a lot of damage, you're at higher risk of an immediate game over from the planet getting destroyed in subsequent loops!

If you're fortunate enough to beat a level while keeping the planet at 0% damage you get a special bonus: an extra life! The end of level bonus is linear, and is equal to 50000 - (500 x planet damage%). Note that finishing a level with 0% damage is not so much a matter of skill as it is luck; there's several enemy waves that can almost instantly send an enemy off the left or right side of the screen and easily damage the planet you're trying to protect. As a general rule, if you're doing well and haven't died in a level, 10% damage or lower is a realistic amount to aim for.

Levels are also on a time limit. If the comet is able to get low enough, it'll instantly hit the planet, and '''result in an immediate game over.''' The gameover point is when the tip of the comet is about 1/4 of the way into the planet's sprite. However, from a practical standpoint the time limit is generally never a threat in normal gameplay. The game is super generous with how much time you have to clear the level, and the only way to run out of time is to deliberately waste time by resetting fights, such as bombing a comet entrance repeatedly so as to milk points from more enemy waves. You can milk the comet entrance safely with 2 or 3 bombs and still have tons of time to spare. Dying only costs a bit of time depending on where you die; if you die in the middle of a level on basic enemies or inside the comet it'll actually skip the enemy waves you were fighting, but dying on one of the three Area bosses will reset the fight and let the comet move down slightly.

Basically, you shouldn't ever worry about the time limit, but keep in mind it can kill you if you try for aggressive milking shenanigans using your bombs to warp into hyperspace and reset the comet entrance fights.

=== Controls ===
----
'''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a slow built-in autofire rate. 10 hz autofire on Button 1 is a good speed to use which works well when you're at low power as well as high power. Without autofire, the game requires a lot of button tapping due to its length. At max shot power you can actually get away with holding the button down and not having autofire. It's just barely fast enough to be decent, but not particularly good, either.

Note that the recent ports in the Hamster Arcade Archives only allow for 15 hz, 20 hz, or 30 hz speeds. 20 and 30 hz are unnecessarily fast and leave too wide of a gap between your shots without really adding much benefit (the minibosses in each level don't seem to die much faster at 30 hz), so 15 hz there is the recommended setting, even if it's slightly on the fast side to give an optimal balance of coverage.

'''Button 2:''' Bomb (when you have a helper ship attached, sacrifices the helper ship in exchange for using a bomb)

Bombs can only be used when you pick up helper ships, whether with the individual icons or the green G item that instantly gives you a full formation of 6. Using a bomb sacrifices one helper ship to instantly clear the screen of enemies and also send you into hyperspace, skipping ahead in the level to get closer to the comet. If you're fighting a miniboss, or you're at the entrance of the comet, bombing simply cancels the bullets and warps you into hyperspace backwards, essentially resetting the fight and letting you try again. This allows you to milk some extra points, particularly at the comet entrances.

When you bomb inside of the comets, you don't activate hyperspace. You simply kill all bullets and enemies onscreen. Note that it will not reset the comet boss fight when you use a bomb, but bombs also don't damage the boss's turrets.

When you collect a bomb item it takes a second for it to actually spawn, and during this brief period you can't use it to bomb. If you hide at the bottom of the screen, 4 of your bombs will be hidden off-screen and can't be hit by any enemies, but being off-screen also pauses their spawning animation.

If one of your helper ships close to you his hit, the ships behind it in the formation will detach and fly upwards where you can attempt to collect them. If one of the two ships that's exposed when you're at the bottom of the screen is hit, any ships behind them that
are off-screen immediately vanish.

Button 2 does not require or benefit from the use of autofire.

=== Powerups ===
----
Your ship starts out at extremely low power. You fire a single laser per shot, and move with very low speed. Dying causes you to lose all powerups, so dying at a tough spot makes for an extremely difficult recovery process (Jupiter or Mars in particular are rough and lead to chaindeaths). If you die in the middle of a stage, you'll have to let some enemies past you as you focus on getting powerups again. The key powerups you need when recovering are the spreadshot and the speed up items. Make sure not to miss those!

Powerups appear as you shoot asteroids, or as you shoot the boxes that appear in comets. Powerups always seem to spawn in a fixed order, so you can predict what powerups will spawn next aside from the three special powerups. When you reveal a special powerup the one you get is randomly selected. The powerups appear roughly in this order:

[[File:Twin Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Twin Laser]]
Twin Laser: Adds a pair of lasers to your ship, allowing you to fire three tightly packed beams per shot. Each beam is its own hitbox, making this powerup immediately useful for punching through swarms. It takes like 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade, which makes it longer and wider, thus easier to hit with.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Bomb.jpg|thumb|none|Bomb]]
Bomb: Adds a helper ship to the side of your ship. They add slightly to your firepower by shooting small shots every now and then, and provide a slight bit of defense by blocking a shot for you (which causes the helper to be destroyed). Pressing Button 2 sacrifices them in order to fire off a bomb (see Controls above for details), which is what really makes them helpful as it's your only means of escape if you're about to get hit. You can carry up to 6 of the helper ships as bombs.

Sometimes when you bomb during a level outside the comet, enemies will spawn during the hyperspace animation. You are totally invulnerable though and can't be hit by them, but they can fly past you and damage the planet (the screen gets wiped when hyperspace ends).

[[File:Halley's Comet - Middle Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Middle Laser]]
Middle Laser: Powers up your main laser to be longer and slightly wider. Twin Laser is more important, but this is still useful to collect whenever you can safely do so. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Spreadshot.jpg|thumb|none|Spreadshot]]
Spreadshot: Extremely useful, adds spreadfire to your shots. The spreadfire is quite strong in this game, capable of killing basic enemies in one hit. It's also decently powerful on enemies that take more hits. Collecting more of these doesn't make it any stronger, but upgrades the size of the projectiles, making them cover much more of the screen. When you're at max shot power you have a ton of spread in Halley's Comet. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Speed Up.jpg|thumb|none|Speed Up]]
Speed Up: You can collect up to 3 of these, at which point your speed's at the maximum. Your ship has a bit of startup acceleration when moving before it travels at full speed, and speed upgrades appear to boost both your maximum speed as well as reduce how long it takes to accelerate to max speed. It's recommended that you stick with 2 Speed Up items to give yourself a good balance of speed and tight dodging control, but you can definitely make the max of 3 Speed Up items work. It's not like a Gradius game where collecting too many Speed Ups can make you way too fast to realistically control. Because you're extremely slow at default ship speed, picking up one of these as soon as you can is a high priority. Also note that for some reason these never appear to spawn inside of the comet.

Note that even at max speed, you can still control your speed. As with many other shmups, holding down and tapping left or right to move at a diagonal along the bottom of the screen moves you slower than just going left or right. This can help for tight tap dodges.

'''The following three items are special items. Whenever one spawns, the game seems to randomly pick one to give you:'''

[[File:Halley's Comet - Max Power.jpg|thumb|none|Max Power]]
Max Power: Immediately gives you every single weapon powerup in the game and fully upgrades all of them. It doesn't do anything special if you're already fully upgraded, but if you died recently or if you're early on in the game, suddenly getting maxed out Twin Laser, Middle Laser, and Spreadshot is incredibly helpful.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Group.jpg|thumb|none|Group]]
Group: This immediately gives your ship a full formation of 6 helper ships to use as bombs or just to have as extra firepower. Pretty handy! Along with the Max Power item, this is one of the two more commonly dropped special items.

[image to be added]
Pow: A dark blue circular P icon that immediately destroys all enemies and bullets onscreen, same as if you used a bomb. It only seems to appear inside the comets. Note that the larger turrets that spray rainbow fire don't appear to get destroyed by these!

[[File:Halley's Comet - Barrier.jpg|thumb|none|Barrier]]
Barrier: This powerup is extremely rare. It's entirely possible to get through both loops '''without ever seeing one''', and only on very rare occasions has it been seen spawning early in Loop 1. This rainbow coloured powerup gives your ship a frontal barrier that has no time limit. It can absorb nearly every shot type in the game including some of the bigger, weirder looking attacks fired at you, '''and can eat about 20 hits or so''' (!!!) before disappearing. The remaining hit count appears to be retained between levels and doesn't recover or recharge except presumably by grabbing another Barrier item if you're lucky enough to see two in a single playthrough.

The Barrier only covers your front, so you're still vulnerable to diagonal attacks that hit your sides, but if you pick one up consider yourself extremely lucky as it makes life a lot easier due to the sheer number of hits it can soak up.

Also note that that it's only ever been seen spawning in the last part of the level, when you're inside the comet.

=== Rank ===
----
The game doesn't appear to have a noticeable rank system, if any. Difficulty is more or less strictly tied to what level you're currently on.

=== Loops ===
----
The game starts at the Earth, flies you to the inner planets and the Sun, then slingshots you to Pluto and back through the inner planets. In other words, the stage order is: Earth, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars -> loop back to Earth. The game appears to loop infinitely, and difficulty seems to max out at loop 2 (needs additional testing/confirmation).

Earth is Area 1 to 3, Venus is Area 4 to 6, Mercury is 7 to 9, and so on. Loop 2 starts at Area 31 and goes up to Area 60. Note that Loop 3 is unusual; '''it reuses Loop 2 numbering so Loop 3 Earth shows as Area 31 again on the scoreboard.''' If you're playing far enough that you're at Loop 3 or higher, it's probably best just to refer to your progress as "Loop #, [Planet], [Beginning/Middle/Comet]"

=== Scoring ===
----
Scoring mostly consists of surviving well. There's a ton of extends/1UPs in this game you can get from scoring, and you can hold well over 10 lives stocked (once you have more than 9 lives it displays 10 as A, 11 as B, 12 as C, and so on). You should counterstop the game at 10 million (9,999,90) by the last level of Loop 2. You can score more early on by collecting powerups (which give 1000 each), and by making sure to kill as many enemies as possible. Most enemies give 500 points per kill or so, and special waves of enemies give 10000 to 40000 for killing them all without bombing them (or without killing the pod that instantly destroys the wave, there's a couple waves where a pod appears that serves as a weakpoint and hitting it will destroy the wave without giving the score bonus, the first example is found at Venus).

You can also use bombs outside the entrance of a comet to reset the fight, or destroy all the turrets except one at the boss inside a comet, then milk enemies for additional points. Just be careful not to accidentally get killed in the process, and don't dawdle for too long because the level does technically have a time limit, even if it's an extremely generous one!

== Version Differences ==
----
There were a few revisions of the game that were released. While there don't appear to be any significant gameplay adjustments, the older revisions of the game have exploitable scoring glitches that allow you to get way more points than intended per level, or even counterstop the game at the end of the first level ([https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1475144#p1475144 thanks to Lethe and Pearl for the info]). Use a bomb right as the last panel of the comet boss is destroyed to break the level transition and get a massive amount of points as the game glitches out. Or, do this bomb glitch and get hit by an enemy that spawns as the level is about to end, and you can immediately counterstop the game by glitching out the game. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK-RbMF8pro Video explanation by Pearl here.] Note that these bugs do not appear to be in the newer Japanese revisions or in Halley's Comet '87. They are also fixed by default in Hamster's Arcade Archives releases, albeit there's a menu option to disable this bugfix if you want to try and trigger it.

Hamster's Arcade Archives releases appear to be arcade perfect ports. They also have improved sound quality over currently available emulation, which appears to be missing some of the deep bass noises that are sometimes played such as when using a bomb to enter hyperspace. Highly recommended ports.

There's also a version known called "Halley's Comet '87" which has a modified title screen, but it's not clear what gameplay differences there are, if any.

The game had sequel called "Halley Wars" for both Famicom and Game Gear. These versions are quite different from each other as well as the original arcade game.

== Secrets ==
----
[[File:Kumagaya !.jpg|thumb]]
Moving up to the top of the screen over the text that appears at the beginning of each level ("RESCUE THE [planet name] FROM THE COMETS !") causes the message "DO NOT ERASE !" to appear in angry red letters. From level 2 (Venus) onward, if you then hold button 1 down while you're there, the message will change to reveal various developer names.

== Walkthrough ==

Each area features unique predetermined miniboss spawns, and slight variations on the order and aggressiveness of the non-stop waves of enemies that keep spawning. More specific details to be added in the future.

'''Earth (Area 1-3 / 31-33)'''

Easy. First priority is to get powered up, particularly with Spreadshot and Speed Up. If you're in loop 2 and accidentally get killed, it's fortunately not too hard to recover here.

'''Venus (Area 4-6 / 34-36)'''

[to do]

'''Mercury (Area 7-9 / 37-39)'''

[to do]

'''The Sun (Area 10-12 / 40-42)'''

[to do]

'''Pluto (Area 13-15 / 43-45)'''

Amusingly misspelled "Plato" on the level screen, Pluto is the first area where the early area bosses come in pairs as opposed to singly.

'''Neptune (Area 16-18 / 46-48)'''

[to do]

'''Uranus (Area 19-21 / 49-51)'''

[to do]

'''Saturn (Area 22-24 / 52-54)'''

[to do]

'''Jupiter (Area 25-27 / 55-57)'''

The enemies that line up in a pair of columns you met at Venus show up again inside the comet, except they're far more aggressive about shooting this time, and there's no weak spot you can hit to destroy them all. Consider bombing them for safety.

'''Mars (Area 28-30 / 58-60)'''

Mars is uniquely nasty for having enemies spawn at a much faster rate, to the extent that '''you will often have multiple enemy waves overlapping at once.''' It's because of this that dying here can lead to an immediate game over as a result of being unable to recover. The enemies can potentially kill you over and over, sapping all your lives.

The turrets at comet entrance fire very dense lines of shots and don't stay up for long, so you'll have to be quick about dealing with them.

There's a giant mech that appears early once you enter the comet. It's a unique enemy found nowhere else that fires rocket punches at you, and soaks up damage like a sponge. Killing it with your lasers is very dangerous as it takes a massive beating before going down, and gives negligible points for the effort. It is highly recommended that you bring a bomb into the comet so that you can bomb it to death as soon as it appears on-screen, which will destroy it instantly without any fuss or risk.

'''Loop 2 changes:'''

Loop 2 is functionally the same as Loop 1, except that the basic enemies that keep spawning move MUCH faster, changing how far down their waves move prior to firing. Otherwise the bullets they fire move at the same speeds, bosses have the same health, you just have to adjust your dodges to match the new trajectories enemies take due to their increased movement speed. Recovery is much tougher if you die as the very fast enemies are difficult to hit with at low shot power.

Loop 3 and onward appear to be identical to Loop 2.

== Video References ==
----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al69pcfHZRA Counterstop run by player: T．S (めんく)]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0CAHbU_4E Counterstop run by player: BKR]

== References & Contributors ==

BKR: ''YOU COULD RESCUE THE WIKI ENTRY!'' >w>

Halley's Comet

2022-10-10T13:11:14Z

BKR:

[[File:Halley's Comet (poster & card).jpg|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Halley's Comet
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Halley's Comet - title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px
|developer = [[Taito]]
|
|music = Hisayoshi Ogura
|
|program = Fukio Mitsuji
|
|releasedate = January 1986
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Halley's Comet, made in 1986 by Taito, features you defending various planets from attacking invaders. It's one of the rare games where you have to actively destroy enemies or else you're penalized for letting them escape, with a gameover potentially resulting if you let too many past. It's currently available as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives for the PS4 as well as Nintendo Switch. The game is single player only, and there do not appear to be there are no continues available. Deaths result in a checkpoint-style respawn with you back to your base power and speed levels.

Halley's Comet takes about about 45 minutes to an hour per loop depending on how many times you die or "reset" miniboss/comet entrance fights by using bombs to milk the spawning enemies for points. Clearing both loops will generally get you enough points to counterstop the game; depending on how well you've scored up to that point you'll trigger the counterstop somewhere between halfway through the final level of loop 2, or shortly into loop 3's first level.

It's not clear where difficulty maxes out but brief testing suggests difficulty might cap in loop 2. By the point you reach loop 3 you've counterstopped the game, and you're just playing to see how far you can get from that point onward.

Default dip settings for the game are Normal difficulty, 3 lives, and extend setting of 200,000 , 800,000, and every 600,000 after.

[[File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png|thumb]]
Each level is broken up into three numbered Areas, where you try to protect the planet from getting attacked by swarms of enemies trying to get past you. Each Area has swarms of basic enemies that keep spawning in a fixed pattern of enemy types (randomly selecting from preset flight patterns each time a wave of enemies spawn), as well as asteroids to shoot for powerups, and unique large enemies that give a score bonus for shooting them all down. Each Area ends with a boss; the early Area has 1 or 2 large enemies that shoot dark blue orbs at you, the middle Area's boss is the comet entrance where you have to shoot 4 turrets that pop up at random locations to advance, and the Area within the comet ends with a boss that has a large set of turrets that pop up as basic enemies keep spawning. Shoot all the turrets to end the level.

[[File:Halley's Comet - game over.gif|thumb]]
Each enemy that manages to escape by flying offscreen deals 1% damage to the planet, and if the current planet you're trying to rescue hits 100% damage, it's an immediate game over. Some enemies like the multisegmented worm-like enemies deal 1% per segment that gets past you, so damage can add up very quickly if you die in the middle of the stage, leaving you at low shot power and unable to safely deal with all the enemies until you power up again. There also does not appear to be any way to reduce the amount of damage a planet has accumulated; when you loop the game, the damage values stay at what they were in Loop 1 and do not reset back to 0, so if you died a lot on a particular level in Loop 1 and the planet racked up a lot of damage, you're at higher risk of an immediate game over from the planet getting destroyed in subsequent loops!

If you're fortunate enough to beat a level while keeping the planet at 0% damage you get a special bonus: an extra life! The end of level bonus is linear, and is equal to 50000 - (500 x planet damage%). Note that finishing a level with 0% damage is not so much a matter of skill as it is luck; there's several enemy waves that can almost instantly send an enemy off the left or right side of the screen and easily damage the planet you're trying to protect. As a general rule, if you're doing well and haven't died in a level, 10% damage or lower is a realistic amount to aim for.

Levels are also on a time limit. If the comet is able to get low enough, it'll instantly hit the planet, and '''result in an immediate game over.''' The gameover point is when the tip of the comet is about 1/4 of the way into the planet's sprite. However, from a practical standpoint the time limit is generally never a threat in normal gameplay. The game is super generous with how much time you have to clear the level, and the only way to run out of time is to deliberately waste time by resetting fights, such as bombing a comet entrance repeatedly so as to milk points from more enemy waves. You can milk the comet entrance safely with 2 or 3 bombs and still have tons of time to spare. Dying only costs a bit of time depending on where you die; if you die in the middle of a level on basic enemies or inside the comet it'll actually skip the enemy waves you were fighting, but dying on one of the three Area bosses will reset the fight and let the comet move down slightly.

Basically, you shouldn't ever worry about the time limit, but keep in mind it can kill you if you try for aggressive milking shenanigans using your bombs to warp into hyperspace and reset the comet entrance fights.

=== Controls ===
----
'''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a slow built-in autofire rate. 10 hz autofire on Button 1 is a good speed to use which works well when you're at low power as well as high power. Without autofire, the game requires a lot of button tapping due to its length. At max shot power you can actually get away with holding the button down and not having autofire. It's just barely fast enough to be decent, but not particularly good, either.

Note that the recent ports in the Hamster Arcade Archives only allow for 15 hz, 20 hz, or 30 hz speeds. 20 and 30 hz are unnecessarily fast and leave too wide of a gap between your shots without really adding much benefit (the minibosses in each level don't seem to die much faster at 30 hz), so 15 hz there is the recommended setting, even if it's slightly on the fast side to give an optimal balance of coverage.

'''Button 2:''' Bomb (when you have a helper ship attached, sacrifices the helper ship in exchange for using a bomb)

Bombs can only be used when you pick up helper ships, whether with the individual icons or the green G item that instantly gives you a full formation of 6. Using a bomb sacrifices one helper ship to instantly clear the screen of enemies and also send you into hyperspace, skipping ahead in the level to get closer to the comet. If you're fighting a miniboss, or you're at the entrance of the comet, bombing simply cancels the bullets and warps you into hyperspace backwards, essentially resetting the fight and letting you try again. This allows you to milk some extra points, particularly at the comet entrances.

When you bomb inside of the comets, you don't activate hyperspace. You simply kill all bullets and enemies onscreen. Note that it will not reset the comet boss fight when you use a bomb, but bombs also don't damage the boss's turrets.

When you collect a bomb item it takes a second for it to actually spawn, and during this brief period you can't use it to bomb. If you hide at the bottom of the screen, 4 of your bombs will be hidden off-screen and can't be hit by any enemies, but being off-screen also pauses their spawning animation.

If one of your helper ships close to you his hit, the ships behind it in the formation will detach and fly upwards where you can attempt to collect them. If one of the two ships that's exposed when you're at the bottom of the screen is hit, any ships behind them that
are off-screen immediately vanish.

Button 2 does not require or benefit from the use of autofire.

=== Powerups ===
----
Your ship starts out at extremely low power. You fire a single laser per shot, and move with very low speed. Dying causes you to lose all powerups, so dying at a tough spot makes for an extremely difficult recovery process (Jupiter or Mars in particular are rough and lead to chaindeaths). If you die in the middle of a stage, you'll have to let some enemies past you as you focus on getting powerups again. The key powerups you need when recovering are the spreadshot and the speed up items. Make sure not to miss those!

Powerups appear as you shoot asteroids, or as you shoot the boxes that appear in comets. Powerups always seem to spawn in a fixed order, so you can predict what powerups will spawn next aside from the three special powerups. When you reveal a special powerup the one you get is randomly selected. The powerups appear roughly in this order:

[[File:Twin Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Twin Laser]]
Twin Laser: Adds a pair of lasers to your ship, allowing you to fire three tightly packed beams per shot. Each beam is its own hitbox, making this powerup immediately useful for punching through swarms. It takes like 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade, which makes it longer and wider, thus easier to hit with.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Bomb.jpg|thumb|none|Bomb]]
Bomb: Adds a helper ship to the side of your ship. They add slightly to your firepower by shooting small shots every now and then, and provide a slight bit of defense by blocking a shot for you (which causes the helper to be destroyed). Pressing Button 2 sacrifices them in order to fire off a bomb (see Controls above for details), which is what really makes them helpful as it's your only means of escape if you're about to get hit. You can carry up to 6 of the helper ships as bombs.

Sometimes when you bomb during a level outside the comet, enemies will spawn during the hyperspace animation. You are totally invulnerable though and can't be hit by them, but they can fly past you and damage the planet (the screen gets wiped when hyperspace ends).

[[File:Halley's Comet - Middle Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Middle Laser]]
Middle Laser: Powers up your main laser to be longer and slightly wider. Twin Laser is more important, but this is still useful to collect whenever you can safely do so. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Spreadshot.jpg|thumb|none|Spreadshot]]
Spreadshot: Extremely useful, adds spreadfire to your shots. The spreadfire is quite strong in this game, capable of killing basic enemies in one hit. It's also decently powerful on enemies that take more hits. Collecting more of these doesn't make it any stronger, but upgrades the size of the projectiles, making them cover much more of the screen. When you're at max shot power you have a ton of spread in Halley's Comet. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Speed Up.jpg|thumb|none|Speed Up]]
Speed Up: You can collect up to 3 of these, at which point your speed's at the maximum. Your ship has a bit of startup acceleration when moving before it travels at full speed, and speed upgrades appear to boost both your maximum speed as well as reduce how long it takes to accelerate to max speed. It's recommended that you stick with 2 Speed Up items to give yourself a good balance of speed and tight dodging control, but you can definitely make the max of 3 Speed Up items work. It's not like a Gradius game where collecting too many Speed Ups can make you way too fast to realistically control. Because you're extremely slow at default ship speed, picking up one of these as soon as you can is a high priority. Also note that for some reason these never appear to spawn inside of the comet.

Note that even at max speed, you can still control your speed. As with many other shmups, holding down and tapping left or right to move at a diagonal along the bottom of the screen moves you slower than just going left or right. This can help for tight tap dodges.

'''The following three items are special items. Whenever one spawns, the game seems to randomly pick one to give you:'''

[[File:Halley's Comet - Max Power.jpg|thumb|none|Max Power]]
Max Power: Immediately gives you every single weapon powerup in the game and fully upgrades all of them. It doesn't do anything special if you're already fully upgraded, but if you died recently or if you're early on in the game, suddenly getting maxed out Twin Laser, Middle Laser, and Spreadshot is incredibly helpful.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Group.jpg|thumb|none|Group]]
Group: This immediately gives your ship a full formation of 6 helper ships to use as bombs or just to have as extra firepower. Pretty handy! Along with the Max Power item, this is one of the two more commonly dropped special items.

[image to be added]
Pow: A dark blue circular P icon that immediately destroys all enemies and bullets onscreen, same as if you used a bomb. It only seems to appear inside the comets. Note that the larger turrets that spray rainbow fire don't appear to get destroyed by these!

[[File:Halley's Comet - Barrier.jpg|thumb|none|Barrier]]
Barrier: This powerup is extremely rare. It's entirely possible to get through both loops '''without ever seeing one''', and only on very rare occasions has it been seen spawning early in Loop 1. This rainbow coloured powerup gives your ship a frontal barrier that has no time limit. It can absorb nearly every shot type in the game including some of the bigger, weirder looking attacks fired at you, '''and can eat about 20 hits or so''' (!!!) before disappearing. The remaining hit count appears to be retained between levels and doesn't recover or recharge except presumably by grabbing another Barrier item if you're lucky enough to see two in a single playthrough.

The Barrier only covers your front, so you're still vulnerable to diagonal attacks that hit your sides, but if you pick one up consider yourself extremely lucky as it makes life a lot easier due to the sheer number of hits it can soak up.

Also note that that it's only ever been seen spawning in the last part of the level, when you're inside the comet.

=== Rank ===
----
The game doesn't appear to have a noticeable rank system, if any. Difficulty is more or less strictly tied to what level you're currently on.

=== Loops ===
----
The game starts at the Earth, flies you to the inner planets and the Sun, then slingshots you to Pluto and back through the inner planets. In other words, the stage order is: Earth, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars -> loop back to Earth. The game appears to loop infinitely, and difficulty seems to max out at loop 2 (needs additional testing/confirmation).

Earth is Area 1 to 3, Venus is Area 4 to 6, Mercury is 7 to 9, and so on. Loop 2 starts at Area 31 and goes up to Area 60. Note that Loop 3 is unusual; '''it reuses Loop 2 numbering so Loop 3 Earth shows as Area 31 again on the scoreboard.''' If you're playing far enough that you're at Loop 3 or higher, it's probably best just to refer to your progress as "Loop #, [Planet], [Beginning/Middle/Comet]"

=== Scoring ===
----
Scoring mostly consists of surviving well. There's a ton of extends/1UPs in this game you can get from scoring, and you can hold well over 10 lives stocked (once you have more than 9 lives it displays 10 as A, 11 as B, 12 as C, and so on). You should counterstop the game at 10 million (9,999,90) by the last level of Loop 2. You can score more early on by collecting powerups (which give 1000 each), and by making sure to kill as many enemies as possible. Most enemies give 500 points per kill or so, and special waves of enemies give 10000 to 40000 for killing them all without bombing them (or without killing the pod that instantly destroys the wave, there's a couple waves where a pod appears that serves as a weakpoint and hitting it will destroy the wave without giving the score bonus, the first example is found at Venus).

You can also use bombs outside the entrance of a comet to reset the fight, or destroy all the turrets except one at the boss inside a comet, then milk enemies for additional points. Just be careful not to accidentally get killed in the process, and don't dawdle for too long because the level does technically have a time limit, even if it's an extremely generous one!

== Version Differences ==
----
There were a few revisions of the game that were released. While there don't appear to be any significant gameplay adjustments, the older revisions of the game have exploitable scoring glitches that allow you to get way more points than intended per level, or even counterstop the game at the end of the first level ([https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1475144#p1475144 thanks to Lethe and Pearl for the info]). Use a bomb right as the last panel of the comet boss is destroyed to break the level transition and get a massive amount of points as the game glitches out. Or, do this bomb glitch and get hit by an enemy that spawns as the level is about to end, and you can immediately counterstop the game by glitching out the game. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK-RbMF8pro Video explanation by Pearl here.] Note that these bugs do not appear to be in the newer Japanese revisions or in Halley's Comet '87. They are also fixed by default in Hamster's Arcade Archives releases, albeit there's a menu option to disable this bugfix if you want to try and trigger it.

Hamster's Arcade Archives releases appear to be arcade perfect ports. They also have improved sound quality over currently available emulation, which appears to be missing some of the deep bass noises that are sometimes played such as when using a bomb to enter hyperspace. Highly recommended ports.

There's also a version known called "Halley's Comet '87" which has a modified title screen, but it's not clear what gameplay differences there are, if any.

The game had sequel called "Halley Wars" for both Famicom and Game Gear. These versions are quite different from each other as well as the original arcade game.

== Secrets ==
----
[[File:Kumagaya !.jpg|thumb]]
Moving up to the top of the screen over the text that appears at the beginning of each level ("RESCUE THE [planet name] FROM THE COMETS !") causes the message "DO NOT ERASE !" to appear in angry red letters. From level 2 (Venus) onward, if you then hold button 1 down while you're there, the message will change to reveal various developer names.

== Walkthrough ==

Each area features unique predetermined miniboss spawns, and slight variations on the order and aggressiveness of the non-stop waves of enemies that keep spawning. More specific details to be added in the future.

'''Earth (Area 1-3 / 31-33)'''

Easy. First priority is to get powered up, particularly with Spreadshot and Speed Up. If you're in loop 2 and accidentally get killed, it's fortunately not too hard to recover here.

'''Venus (Area 4-6 / 34-36)'''
[to do]

'''Mercury (Area 7-9 / 37-39)'''
[to do]

'''The Sun (Area 10-12 / 40-42)'''
[to do]

'''Pluto (Area 13-15 / 43-45)'''

Amusingly misspelled "Plato" on the level screen, Pluto is the first area where the early area bosses come in pairs as opposed to singly.

'''Neptune (Area 16-18 / 46-48)'''
[to do]

'''Uranus (Area 19-21 / 49-51)'''
[to do]

'''Saturn (Area 22-24 / 52-54)'''

'''Jupiter (Area 25-27 / 55-57)'''

The enemies that line up in a pair of columns you met at Venus show up again inside the comet, except they're far more aggressive about shooting this time, and there's no weak spot you can hit to destroy them all. Consider bombing them for safety.

'''Mars (Area 28-30 / 58-60)'''

Mars is uniquely nasty for having enemies spawn at a much faster rate, to the extent that '''you will often have multiple enemy waves overlapping at once.''' It's because of this that dying here can lead to an immediate game over as a result of being unable to recover. The enemies can potentially kill you over and over, sapping all your lives.

The turrets at comet entrance fire very dense lines of shots and don't stay up for long, so you'll have to be quick about dealing with them.

There's a giant mech that appears early once you enter the comet. It's a unique enemy found nowhere else that fires rocket punches at you, and soaks up damage like a sponge. Killing it with your lasers is very dangerous as it takes a massive beating before going down, and gives negligible points for the effort. It is highly recommended that you bring a bomb into the comet so that you can bomb it to death as soon as it appears on-screen, which will destroy it instantly without any fuss or risk.

'''Loop 2 changes:'''

Loop 2 is functionally the same as Loop 1, except that the basic enemies that keep spawning move MUCH faster, changing how far down their waves move prior to firing. Otherwise the bullets they fire move at the same speeds, bosses have the same health, you just have to adjust your dodges to match the new trajectories enemies take due to their increased movement speed. Recovery is much tougher if you die as the very fast enemies are difficult to hit with at low shot power.

Loop 3 and onward appear to be identical to Loop 2.

== Video References ==
----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al69pcfHZRA Counterstop run by player: T．S (めんく)]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0CAHbU_4E Counterstop run by player: BKR]

== References & Contributors ==

BKR: ''YOU COULD RESCUE THE WIKI ENTRY!'' >w>

Shmups Wiki:List of shooting games

2022-10-10T13:05:25Z

BKR:

----

<center>
This page contains links to every game that we ''currently'' have a wiki page written about in our Library.

If you notice a game is missing, consider '''[[(Template Page)#Creating a new page|starting a page]]'''! ❤️

A robust list of 100% free-to-play games can be found '''[[Free to Play|here]]'''!
</center>

----

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Game !! Developer !! Publisher !! Year !! Notes
|-
| ''[[Aeon Zenith]]'' || [[User:Squire Grooktook|Squire Grooktook]] || Squire Grooktook || TBD || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page. '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Aero Fighters 2]]'' || [[Video System]] || Video System || 1994 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Aero Fighters 3]]'' || [[Video System]] || Video System || 1995 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Akai Katana]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page; '''needs content & formatting'''
|-
| ''[[Akuu Gallet]] / Air Gallet'' || [[Gazelle]] || Banpresto || 1996 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page. Formatting is good so far, but needs content
|-
| ''[[ALLTYNEX Second]]'' || [[SITER SKAIN]] || Nyu Media || 2013 || '''⭐⭐''' Fairly new WIP page, needs images
|-
| ''[[AngerForce: Reloaded]]'' || [[Screambox Studio]] || Screambox Studio || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, missing images and some '''formatting'''
|-
| ''[[AngerForce: Strikers]]'' || [[Screambox Studio]] || Screambox Studio || 2014 || '''⭐''' Stub page and fork of [[AngerForce: Reloaded]] page.
|-
| ''[[Apare Usapie!]]'' || [[Sorafune Atelier]] || Sorafune Atelier || 2015(?) || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Armed Police Batrider]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, needs page formatting
|-
| ''[[Barrage Fantasia]]'' || [[Hanaji Games]] || Hanaji Games || 2021 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs more info. Controls, scoring and items missing
|-
| ''[[Batsugun]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Battle Bakraid]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1999 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Gameplay overview and controls are missing
|-
| ''[[Battle Garegga]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1996 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page verified by top players!
|-
| ''[[Blaynix]]'' || [[zakichi]] || zakichi || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Blue Revolver]]'' || [[Stellar Circle]] || Stellar Circle || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[BroodStar]]'' || [[User:Razeal|Razeal]] || Razeal || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
|''[[Bullet Hell Monday]]'' || [[Masayuki Ito]] || Masayuki Ito || 2016 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Bullet Sorceress]]'' || [[DANGER HEART Entertainment]] || DANGER HEART Entertainment || TBD 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Celtreos]]'' || [[User:vornaff|Kevin Grant]] || Kevin Grant || 2017 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!''' Just missing some formatting.
|-
| ''[[Chaos Field]]'' || [[MileStone]] || Able Corporation || 2004 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page!
|-
| ''[[Cho Ren Sha 68K]]'' || [[Koichi Yoshida]] || Koichi Yoshida || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Choujikuu Yousai Macross II]]'' || [[NMK]] || Banpresto || 1995 || '''⭐''' Stub page. Contains dev team credits + some basic history
|-
| ''[[Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams]]'' || [[Success]] || Success || 1991 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start but still has some template leftovers
|-
| ''[[Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams]]'' || [[Success]] || Success || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start but still has some template leftovers
|-
| ''[[CounterAttack]]'' || [[Relative Games]] || Relative Software|| 2019|| '''⭐''' Stub page
|-
| ''[[Crimzon Clover]]'' || [[YOTSUBANE]] || YOTSUBANE || 2011 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs mode descriptions. This page is for the original doujin release.
|-
| ''[[Crimzon Clover: World Ignition]] / World EXplosion'' || [[YOTSUBANE]] || Degica Games || 2014 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs mode descriptions. Includes the latest revision.
|-
| ''[[Crisis Wing]]'' || [[Pieslice Productions]] || Pieslice Productions || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Dangun Feveron]] / Fever S.O.S.'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1998 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs formatting and content.
|-
| ''[[Danmaku Unlimited 2]]'' || [[Doragon Entertainment]] || Doragon Entertainment || 2013 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Danmaku Unlimited 3]]'' || [[Doragon Entertainment]] || Doragon Entertainment || 2017 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Darius Gaiden]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Darius Twin]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1991 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Deathsmiles]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2007 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion and formatting.
|-
| ''[[Deathsmiles Mega Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2008 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]] / DoDonPachi Resurrection'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update''' '''''Includes information about several releases!'''''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange A]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange B]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page, verified by top (and frequent) players!
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2010 (?) || '''⭐⭐''' Contains some details on mechanics and gameplay. Needs formatting.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label Arrange]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2011 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page created by top player! Needs some updates to formatting.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.0]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update'''; could use more images
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.5]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page created by top player! Needs images & some '''formatting'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.51]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Slim on content and formatting, but what's there is good.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiOuJou]] White Label'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Great content; '''In need of formatting update''', lacking images
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi MAXIMUM]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2012 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs '''information'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2012 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou exA Label]]'' || [[exA Arcadia]] || exA Arcadia || 2020 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[Dogyuun]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1992 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[DonPachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Dragon Blaze]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 2000 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Drainus]]'' || [[Team Ladybug]] || PLAYISM || 2022 || '''⭐''' Stub page; '''needs more content'''
|-
| ''[[Eschatos]]'' || [[Qute]] || Qute || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[ESP Ra.De.]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Espgaluda]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2003 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Espgaluda II]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2005 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[F/A]] / Fighter & Attacker'' || [[Namco]] || Namco || 1992 || '''⭐⭐''' Contains strategy and some starter info. Missing images.
|-
| ''[[Galshell: Blood Red Skies]]'' '''(18+)''' || [[Akiragoya]] || Akiragoya || 2004 || '''⭐''' Borderline empty page. Could use info, formatting, and research. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Gemini Wing]]'' || [[Tecmo]] || Tecmo || 1987 || '''⭐''' Stub page.
|-
| ''[[Giga Wing]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' Early page with a fair amount of missing content
|-
| ''[[Giga Wing 2]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs more content
|-
| ''[[Great Mahou Daisakusen]] / Dimahoo'' || [[Raizing]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs more content
|-
| ''[[Gradius]] / Nemesis'' || [[Konami]] || Konami || 1985 || '''⭐⭐''' Good formatting. Needs more expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Gun Frontier]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1990 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. Detailed rank information available
|-
| ''[[Gunbird]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Jaleco || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good formatting and basic explanations for mechanics, characters and scoring. Needs more in-depth information and video examples.
|-
| ''[[Gunbird 2]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, could use a small formatting update
|-
| ''[[Gundemonium]]'' || [[Platine Dispositif]] || Rockin' Android || 2003 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page, could use minor formatting update
|-
| ''[[Gunroar]]'' || [[Kenta Cho]] || Kenta Cho || ???? || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Guwange]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' In a pretty early state. '''Missing formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Hacha Mecha Fighter]]'' || [[NMK]] || NMK || 1991 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page
|-
| ''[[Halley's Comet]]'' || [[Taito]] || [[Taito]] || 1986 ||
|-
| ''[[Harmful Park]]'' || [[Sky Think System]] || Sky Think System || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, just missing '''formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Hellsinker.]]'' || [[Ruminant's Whimper]] || Ruminant's Whimper || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly detailed and well-researched page!
|-
| ''[[Hishouzame]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Taito || 1987 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing '''formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Ibara]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page
|-
| ''[[Ikaruga]]'' || [[Treasure]] || Treasure || 2001 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality, well-researched page, just missing some formatting.
|-
| ''[[Illmatic Envelope (Illvelo)|Illmatic Envelope]] / Illvelo'' || [[Milestone]] || Milestone || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality, well-researched page! Just missing some minor formatting.
|-
| ''[[Jamestown]]'' || Final Form Games || Batterystaple Games || 2011 || '''⭐⭐''' Low on content, contains template leftovers.
|-
| ''[[Kaiju Kite Attack]]'' || PWCA || PWCA || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Kaikan]]'' || Zakichi || ©-kigekiyahonpo- || 2013 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent info! Could probably use a '''visual/formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Kyuukyoku Tiger]] / Twin Cobra'' || [[Toaplan]] || Taito || 1987 || '''⭐''' Stub page with some basic info; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Lotus Land Story]] / Touhou Gensoukyou'' || [[ZUNsoft]] / [[Amusement Makers]] || Taito || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info, just a tad lean. Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Mahou Daisakusen]] / Sorcer Striker'' || [[Raizing]] || Able Corporation || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Lots of good info, but needs page formatting.
|-
| ''[[Mars Matrix|Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Recent content and formatting update. Still needs work!
|-
| ''[[Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo]]'' || [[HEY]] || HEY || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent info! Could probably use a '''visual/formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Mega Typhoon]]'' || Bernhard Braun || Nordlicht EDV-Service || 1996 || '''⭐⭐''' Basic Game info
|-
| ''[[Moon Dancer]]'' || [[Terarin Games]] || Terarin Games || 2022 || '''⭐''' Stub page with basic info
|-
| ''[[Mountain of Faith]]'' || [[Team Shanghai Alice]] || Team Shanghai Alice || 2007 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent page content!
|-
| ''[[Muchi Muchi Pork!]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2007 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[M.U.S.H.A.]] / Musha Aleste'' || [[Compile]] || Seismic Software Inc. || 1990 || '''⭐⭐''' Starter page in development.
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2004 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent information detail, just needs formatting. 
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama Futari]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Extremely detailed page! Just has a few template remainders to get rid of and some minor formatting work.
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama Futari Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2007 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Operation STEEL]]'' || [[User:BB|BB]] || BB || 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[OutZone]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Tecmo || 1990 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly complete page. Featuring an in-depth '''Strategy''' page!
|-
| ''[[P-47 Aces]]'' || [[NMK]] || Jaleco || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page! 
|-
| ''[[Pawarumi]]'' || [[Manufacture 43]] || Manufacture 43 || 2018 || '''⭐⭐''' Starter page in development.
|-
| ''[[Phoenix]]'' || [[Amstar Electronics]] || Taito || 1978 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info and some strategy info. '''Needs expansion and cleanup work.'''
|-
| ''[[Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start, but still needs a bit of cleanup work
|-
| ''[[Pleasure Hearts]]'' || [[M-KAI]] || M-KAI || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Precious Star]]'' || [[Ever-Juvenile]] || Ever-Juvenile || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, could use more formatting. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Progear no Arashi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Capcom || 2001 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Lots of info here, just needs a formatting pass & organization
|-
| ''[[QP Shooting - Dangerous!!]]'' || [[Orange Juice]] || Orange Juice || 2014 || '''⭐''' Stub page; still contains many template leftovers
|-
| ''[[Radirgy]]'' || [[RS34]] || RS34 || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page! 
|-
| ''[[Radirgy Swag]]'' || [[RS34]] || RS34 || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good info, but needs expansion and images
|-
| ''[[Raiden Fighters Jet]]'' || [[Seibu Kaihatsu]] || Seibu Kaihatsu || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Detailed page, but needs formatting update and page organization
|-
| ''[[Raiden IV]]'' || [[MOSS]] || MOSS || 2007 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Recent updates to content and formatting!
|-
| ''[[Raiga: Strato Fighter]]'' || [[Tecmo]] || [[Tecmo]] || 1991 ||
|-
| ''[[RefRain - prism memories -]]'' || [[RebRank]] || Degica Games || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Rigid Force Alpha]]'' || [[Com8Com1]] || Com8Com1 || 2018 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Contains good info. Still many template leftovers on page.
|-
| ''[[R-Type]]'' || [[Irem]] || Irem || 1987 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content great, needs formatting.
|-
| ''[[Same! Same! Same!]] / Fire Shark'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1989 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Schildmaid MX]]'' || [[HitP Studio]] || HitP Studio || 2021 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Fairly robust page, needs some expansion. **Partialy written by the developer!**
|-
| ''[[Sengoku Ace]] / Samurai Aces'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Sexy Parodius]]'' || [[Konami]] || Konami || 1996 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Shikigami no Shiro 3]] / Castle of Shikigami 3'' || [[AlfaSystem]] || AlfaSystem || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly-detailed page written by frequent players, could use more images.
|-
| ''[[Shippu Mahou Daisakusen]] / Kingdom Grand Prix'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page written by a top player
|-
| ''[[Shining Shooting Star]] || [[SSS Dev Team]] 雨夜枫雪制作组 || SSS Dev Team雨夜枫雪制作组 || 2016 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page with some images. Needs content.
|-
| ''[[Sine Mora]]'' || [[Digital Reality]], [[Grasshopper Manufacture]] || THQ Nordic || 2012 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, just needs '''images and some slight reorganization.'''
|-
| ''[[Sky Adventure]]'' || [[Alpha Denshi]] || ADK || 1989 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Soldier Force]]'' || [[Studio Siesta]] || Studio Siesta || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Needs some page reorganization and cleanup
|-
| ''[[Soukyugurentai]] / Terra Diver'' || [[Raizing]] || Raizing || 1996 || '''⭐''' Stub page
|-
| ''[[Space Invaders]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1978 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Short but sweet!
|-
| ''[[STELLAVANITY - Prelude to the Destined Calamity -]]'' || [[TRIS-GRAM]] || TRIS-GRAM || 2012 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info, still has some stubs from the tmeplate
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content in progress! Needs images, cleanup, fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945 II]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Very detailed page! Needs formatting cleanup.
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945 III]] / Strikers 1999'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1999 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content in progress! Needs images, cleanup, fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Super XYX]]'' || [[Team Grybanser Fox]] || Team Grybanser Fox || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Short but sweet!
|-
| ''[[Tatsujin]] / Truxton'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1988 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good content. Needs formatting and could use some minor expansion.
|-
| ''[[Tatsujin Ou]] / Truxton II'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1992 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Thunder Force III]]'' || [[Technosoft]] || Technosoft || 1990 || '''⭐''' Solid starter info but could use more fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Tiny XEVIVOS]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2013 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Transcendpang|TranscendPang]]'' || [[wosderge]] || wosderge || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Incredibly well-detailed page!
|-
| ''[[Trizeal]]'' || [[Triangle Service]] || Taito || 2004 || '''⭐⭐''' Mostly a stub page, but contains some info on mechanics and score strategies. Needs more content
|-
| ''[[Tyrian]]'' || [[Eclipse Software]] || Epic Megagames || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info, development history, version differences. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[Undefined Fantastic Object]]'' || [[Team Shanghai Alice]] || Team Shanghai Alice || 2009 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent page content!
|-
| ''[[V-V]] / Grind Stormer'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[Triggerheart Exelica]]'' || [[Warashi]] || SEGA || 2006 || '''⭐⭐''' Started but still missing a lot of info
|-
| ''[[Vastynex]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2018 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Xyanide]]'' || [[Playlogic]] || Evolved Games || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info, but page is disorganized; '''needs formatting'''
|-
| ''[[Zakesta]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2021 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[ZeroRanger]]'' || [[SystemErasure]] || SystemErasure || 2018 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Zero Wing]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Namco || 1989 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[ZOE]]'' || [[User:Retchy|Retchy]] || Retchy || TBD 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|}

Halley's Comet

2022-10-10T13:00:40Z

BKR:

[[File:Halley's Comet (poster & card).jpg|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Halley's Comet
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Halley's Comet - title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px
|developer = [[Taito]]
|
|music = Hisayoshi Ogura
|
|program = Fukio Mitsuji
|
|releasedate = January 1986
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Halley's Comet, made in 1986 by Taito, features you defending various planets from attacking invaders. It's one of the rare games where you have to actively destroy enemies or else you're penalized for letting them escape, with a gameover potentially resulting if you let too many past. It's currently available as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives for the PS4 as well as Nintendo Switch. The game is single player only, and there do not appear to be there are no continues available. Deaths result in a checkpoint-style respawn with you back to your base power and speed levels.

Halley's Comet takes about about 45 minutes to an hour per loop depending on how many times you die or "reset" miniboss/comet entrance fights by using bombs to milk the spawning enemies for points. Clearing both loops will generally get you enough points to counterstop the game; depending on how well you've scored up to that point you'll trigger the counterstop somewhere between halfway through the final level of loop 2, or shortly into loop 3's first level.

It's not clear where difficulty maxes out but brief testing suggests difficulty might cap in loop 2. By the point you reach loop 3 you've counterstopped the game, and you're just playing to see how far you can get from that point onward.

Default dip settings for the game are Normal difficulty, 3 lives, and extend setting of 200,000 , 800,000, and every 600,000 after.

[[File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png|thumb]]
Each level is broken up into three numbered Areas, where you try to protect the planet from getting attacked by swarms of enemies trying to get past you. Each Area has swarms of basic enemies that keep spawning in a fixed pattern of enemy types (randomly selecting from preset flight patterns each time a wave of enemies spawn), as well as asteroids to shoot for powerups, and unique large enemies that give a score bonus for shooting them all down. Each Area ends with a boss; the early Area has 1 or 2 large enemies that shoot dark blue orbs at you, the middle Area's boss is the comet entrance where you have to shoot 4 turrets that pop up at random locations to advance, and the Area within the comet ends with a boss that has a large set of turrets that pop up as basic enemies keep spawning. Shoot all the turrets to end the level.

[[File:Halley's Comet - game over.gif|thumb]]
Each enemy that manages to escape by flying offscreen deals 1% damage to the planet, and if the current planet you're trying to rescue hits 100% damage, it's an immediate game over. Some enemies like the multisegmented worm-like enemies deal 1% per segment that gets past you, so damage can add up very quickly if you die in the middle of the stage, leaving you at low shot power and unable to safely deal with all the enemies until you power up again. There also does not appear to be any way to reduce the amount of damage a planet has accumulated; when you loop the game, the damage values stay at what they were in Loop 1 and do not reset back to 0, so if you died a lot on a particular level in Loop 1 and the planet racked up a lot of damage, you're at higher risk of an immediate game over from the planet getting destroyed in subsequent loops!

If you're fortunate enough to beat a level while keeping the planet at 0% damage you get a special bonus: an extra life! The end of level bonus is linear, and is equal to 50000 - (500 x planet damage%). Note that finishing a level with 0% damage is not so much a matter of skill as it is luck; there's several enemy waves that can almost instantly send an enemy off the left or right side of the screen and easily damage the planet you're trying to protect. As a general rule, if you're doing well and haven't died in a level, 10% damage or lower is a realistic amount to aim for.

Levels are also on a time limit. If the comet is able to get low enough, it'll instantly hit the planet, and '''result in an immediate game over.''' The gameover point is when the tip of the comet is about 1/4 of the way into the planet's sprite. However, from a practical standpoint the time limit is generally never a threat in normal gameplay. The game is super generous with how much time you have to clear the level, and the only way to run out of time is to deliberately waste time by resetting fights, such as bombing a comet entrance repeatedly so as to milk points from more enemy waves. You can milk the comet entrance safely with 2 or 3 bombs and still have tons of time to spare. Dying only costs a bit of time depending on where you die; if you die in the middle of a level on basic enemies or inside the comet it'll actually skip the enemy waves you were fighting, but dying on one of the three Area bosses will reset the fight and let the comet move down slightly.

Basically, you shouldn't ever worry about the time limit, but keep in mind it can kill you if you try for aggressive milking shenanigans using your bombs to warp into hyperspace and reset the comet entrance fights.

=== Controls ===
----
'''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a slow built-in autofire rate. 10 hz autofire on Button 1 is a good speed to use which works well when you're at low power as well as high power. Without autofire, the game requires a lot of button tapping due to its length. At max shot power you can actually get away with holding the button down and not having autofire. It's just barely fast enough to be decent, but not particularly good, either.

Note that the recent ports in the Hamster Arcade Archives only allow for 15 hz, 20 hz, or 30 hz speeds. 20 and 30 hz are unnecessarily fast and leave too wide of a gap between your shots without really adding much benefit (the minibosses in each level don't seem to die much faster at 30 hz), so 15 hz there is the recommended setting, even if it's slightly on the fast side to give an optimal balance of coverage.

'''Button 2:''' Bomb (when you have a helper ship attached, sacrifices the helper ship in exchange for using a bomb)

Bombs can only be used when you pick up helper ships, whether with the individual icons or the green G item that instantly gives you a full formation of 6. Using a bomb sacrifices one helper ship to instantly clear the screen of enemies and also send you into hyperspace, skipping ahead in the level to get closer to the comet. If you're fighting a miniboss, or you're at the entrance of the comet, bombing simply cancels the bullets and warps you into hyperspace backwards, essentially resetting the fight and letting you try again. This allows you to milk some extra points, particularly at the comet entrances.

When you bomb inside of the comets, you don't activate hyperspace. You simply kill all bullets and enemies onscreen. Note that it will not reset the comet boss fight when you use a bomb, but bombs also don't damage the boss's turrets.

When you collect a bomb item it takes a second for it to actually spawn, and during this brief period you can't use it to bomb. If you hide at the bottom of the screen, 4 of your bombs will be hidden off-screen and can't be hit by any enemies, but being off-screen also pauses their spawning animation.

If one of your helper ships close to you his hit, the ships behind it in the formation will detach and fly upwards where you can attempt to collect them. If one of the two ships that's exposed when you're at the bottom of the screen is hit, any ships behind them that
are off-screen immediately vanish.

Button 2 does not require or benefit from the use of autofire.

=== Powerups ===
----
Your ship starts out at extremely low power. You fire a single laser per shot, and move with very low speed. Dying causes you to lose all powerups, so dying at a tough spot makes for an extremely difficult recovery process (Jupiter or Mars in particular are rough and lead to chaindeaths). If you die in the middle of a stage, you'll have to let some enemies past you as you focus on getting powerups again. The key powerups you need when recovering are the spreadshot and the speed up items. Make sure not to miss those!

Powerups appear as you shoot asteroids, or as you shoot the boxes that appear in comets. Powerups always seem to spawn in a fixed order, so you can predict what powerups will spawn next aside from the three special powerups. When you reveal a special powerup the one you get is randomly selected. The powerups appear roughly in this order:

[[File:Twin Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Twin Laser]]
Twin Laser: Adds a pair of lasers to your ship, allowing you to fire three tightly packed beams per shot. Each beam is its own hitbox, making this powerup immediately useful for punching through swarms. It takes like 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade, which makes it longer and wider, thus easier to hit with.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Bomb.jpg|thumb|none|Bomb]]
Bomb: Adds a helper ship to the side of your ship. They add slightly to your firepower by shooting small shots every now and then, and provide a slight bit of defense by blocking a shot for you (which causes the helper to be destroyed). Pressing Button 2 sacrifices them in order to fire off a bomb (see Controls above for details), which is what really makes them helpful as it's your only means of escape if you're about to get hit. You can carry up to 6 of the helper ships as bombs.

Sometimes when you bomb during a level outside the comet, enemies will spawn during the hyperspace animation. You are totally invulnerable though and can't be hit by them, but they can fly past you and damage the planet (the screen gets wiped when hyperspace ends).

[[File:Halley's Comet - Middle Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Middle Laser]]
Middle Laser: Powers up your main laser to be longer and slightly wider. Twin Laser is more important, but this is still useful to collect whenever you can safely do so. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Spreadshot.jpg|thumb|none|Spreadshot]]
Spreadshot: Extremely useful, adds spreadfire to your shots. The spreadfire is quite strong in this game, capable of killing basic enemies in one hit. It's also decently powerful on enemies that take more hits. Collecting more of these doesn't make it any stronger, but upgrades the size of the projectiles, making them cover much more of the screen. When you're at max shot power you have a ton of spread in Halley's Comet. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Speed Up.jpg|thumb|none|Speed Up]]
Speed Up: You can collect up to 3 of these, at which point your speed's at the maximum. Your ship has a bit of startup acceleration when moving before it travels at full speed, and speed upgrades appear to boost both your maximum speed as well as reduce how long it takes to accelerate to max speed. It's recommended that you stick with 2 Speed Up items to give yourself a good balance of speed and tight dodging control, but you can definitely make the max of 3 Speed Up items work. It's not like a Gradius game where collecting too many Speed Ups can make you way too fast to realistically control. Because you're extremely slow at default ship speed, picking up one of these as soon as you can is a high priority. Also note that for some reason these never appear to spawn inside of the comet.

Note that even at max speed, you can still control your speed. As with many other shmups, holding down and tapping left or right to move at a diagonal along the bottom of the screen moves you slower than just going left or right. This can help for tight tap dodges.

'''The following three items are special items. Whenever one spawns, the game seems to randomly pick one to give you:'''

[[File:Halley's Comet - Max Power.jpg|thumb|none|Max Power]]
Max Power: Immediately gives you every single weapon powerup in the game and fully upgrades all of them. It doesn't do anything special if you're already fully upgraded, but if you died recently or if you're early on in the game, suddenly getting maxed out Twin Laser, Middle Laser, and Spreadshot is incredibly helpful.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Group.jpg|thumb|none|Group]]
Group: This immediately gives your ship a full formation of 6 helper ships to use as bombs or just to have as extra firepower. Pretty handy! Along with the Max Power item, this is one of the two more commonly dropped special items.

[image to be added]
Pow: A dark blue circular P icon that immediately destroys all enemies and bullets onscreen, same as if you used a bomb. It only seems to appear inside the comets. Note that the larger turrets that spray rainbow fire don't appear to get destroyed by these!

[[File:Halley's Comet - Barrier.jpg|thumb|none|Barrier]]
Barrier: This powerup is extremely rare. It's entirely possible to get through both loops '''without ever seeing one''', and only on very rare occasions has it been seen spawning early in Loop 1. This rainbow coloured powerup gives your ship a frontal barrier that has no time limit. It can absorb nearly every shot type in the game including some of the bigger, weirder looking attacks fired at you, '''and can eat about 20 hits or so''' (!!!) before disappearing. The remaining hit count appears to be retained between levels and doesn't recover or recharge except presumably by grabbing another Barrier item if you're lucky enough to see two in a single playthrough.

The Barrier only covers your front, so you're still vulnerable to diagonal attacks that hit your sides, but if you pick one up consider yourself extremely lucky as it makes life a lot easier due to the sheer number of hits it can soak up.

Also note that that it's only ever been seen spawning in the last part of the level, when you're inside the comet.

=== Rank ===
----
The game doesn't appear to have a noticeable rank system, if any. Difficulty is more or less strictly tied to what level you're currently on.

=== Loops ===
----
The game starts at the Earth, flies you to the inner planets and the Sun, then slingshots you to Pluto and back through the inner planets. In other words, the stage order is: Earth, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars -> loop back to Earth. The game appears to loop infinitely, and difficulty seems to max out at loop 2 (needs additional testing/confirmation).

Earth is Area 1 to 3, Venus is Area 4 to 6, Mercury is 7 to 9, and so on. Loop 2 starts at Area 31 and goes up to Area 60. Note that Loop 3 is unusual; '''it reuses Loop 2 numbering so Loop 3 Earth shows as Area 31 again on the scoreboard.''' If you're playing far enough that you're at Loop 3 or higher, it's probably best just to refer to your progress as "Loop #, [Planet], [Beginning/Middle/Comet]"

=== Scoring ===
----
Scoring mostly consists of surviving well. There's a ton of extends/1UPs in this game you can get from scoring, and you can hold well over 10 lives stocked (once you have more than 9 lives it displays 10 as A, 11 as B, 12 as C, and so on). You should counterstop the game at 10 million (9,999,90) by the last level of Loop 2. You can score more early on by collecting powerups (which give 1000 each), and by making sure to kill as many enemies as possible. Most enemies give 500 points per kill or so, and special waves of enemies give 10000 to 40000 for killing them all without bombing them (or without killing the pod that instantly destroys the wave, there's a couple waves where a pod appears that serves as a weakpoint and hitting it will destroy the wave without giving the score bonus, the first example is found at Venus).

You can also use bombs outside the entrance of a comet to reset the fight, or destroy all the turrets except one at the boss inside a comet, then milk enemies for additional points. Just be careful not to accidentally get killed in the process, and don't dawdle for too long because the level does technically have a time limit, even if it's an extremely generous one!

== Version Differences ==
----
There were a few revisions of the game that were released. While there don't appear to be any significant gameplay adjustments, the older revisions of the game have exploitable scoring glitches that allow you to get way more points than intended per level, or even counterstop the game at the end of the first level ([https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1475144#p1475144 thanks to Lethe and Pearl for the info]). Use a bomb right as the last panel of the comet boss is destroyed to break the level transition and get a massive amount of points as the game glitches out. Or, do this bomb glitch and get hit by an enemy that spawns as the level is about to end, and you can immediately counterstop the game by glitching out the game. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK-RbMF8pro Video explanation by Pearl here.] Note that these bugs do not appear to be in the newer Japanese revisions or in Halley's Comet '87. They are also fixed by default in Hamster's Arcade Archives releases, albeit there's a menu option to disable this bugfix if you want to try and trigger it.

Hamster's Arcade Archives releases appear to be arcade perfect ports. They also have improved sound quality over currently available emulation, which appears to be missing some of the deep bass noises that are sometimes played such as when using a bomb to enter hyperspace. Highly recommended ports.

There's also a version known called "Halley's Comet '87" which has a modified title screen, but it's not clear what gameplay differences there are, if any.

The game had sequel called "Halley Wars" for both Famicom and Game Gear. These versions are quite different from each other as well as the original arcade game.

=== Secrets ===
----
[[File:Kumagaya !.jpg|thumb]]
Moving up to the top of the screen over the text that appears at the beginning of each level ("RESCUE THE [planet name] FROM THE COMETS !") causes the message "DO NOT ERASE !" to appear in angry red letters. From level 2 (Venus) onward, if you then hold button 1 down while you're there, the message will change to reveal various developer names.

== Video References ==
----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al69pcfHZRA Counterstop run by player: T．S (めんく)]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0CAHbU_4E Counterstop run by player: BKR]

== References & Contributors ==

BKR: ''YOU COULD RESCUE THE WIKI ENTRY!'' >w>

Halley's Comet

2022-10-10T12:59:49Z

BKR: Created page with "center {{GameInfobox |bordercolor = black |title = Halley's Comet |background = #f8f8f8 |image = Halley's Comet - title.png |width..."

[[File:Halley's Comet (poster & card).jpg|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Halley's Comet
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Halley's Comet - title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px
|developer = [[Taito]]
|
|music = Hisayoshi Ogura
|
|program = Fukio Mitsuji
|
|releasedate = January 1986
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Halley's Comet is a really neat shmup made in 1986 by Taito, which features you defending various planets from attacking invaders. It's one of the rare games where you have to actively destroy enemies or else you're penalized for letting them escape, with a gameover potentially resulting if you let too many past. It's currently available as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives for the PS4 as well as Nintendo Switch. The game is single player only, and there do not appear to be there are no continues available. Deaths result in a checkpoint-style respawn with you back to your base power and speed levels.

Halley's Comet takes about about 45 minutes to an hour per loop depending on how many times you die or "reset" miniboss/comet entrance fights by using bombs to milk the spawning enemies for points. Clearing both loops will generally get you enough points to counterstop the game; depending on how well you've scored up to that point you'll trigger the counterstop somewhere between halfway through the final level of loop 2, or shortly into loop 3's first level.

It's not clear where difficulty maxes out but brief testing suggests difficulty might cap in loop 2. By the point you reach loop 3 you've counterstopped the game, and you're just playing to see how far you can get from that point onward.

Default dip settings for the game are Normal difficulty, 3 lives, and extend setting of 200,000 , 800,000, and every 600,000 after.

[[File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png|thumb]]
Each level is broken up into three numbered Areas, where you try to protect the planet from getting attacked by swarms of enemies trying to get past you. Each Area has swarms of basic enemies that keep spawning in a fixed pattern of enemy types (randomly selecting from preset flight patterns each time a wave of enemies spawn), as well as asteroids to shoot for powerups, and unique large enemies that give a score bonus for shooting them all down. Each Area ends with a boss; the early Area has 1 or 2 large enemies that shoot dark blue orbs at you, the middle Area's boss is the comet entrance where you have to shoot 4 turrets that pop up at random locations to advance, and the Area within the comet ends with a boss that has a large set of turrets that pop up as basic enemies keep spawning. Shoot all the turrets to end the level.

[[File:Halley's Comet - game over.gif|thumb]]
Each enemy that manages to escape by flying offscreen deals 1% damage to the planet, and if the current planet you're trying to rescue hits 100% damage, it's an immediate game over. Some enemies like the multisegmented worm-like enemies deal 1% per segment that gets past you, so damage can add up very quickly if you die in the middle of the stage, leaving you at low shot power and unable to safely deal with all the enemies until you power up again. There also does not appear to be any way to reduce the amount of damage a planet has accumulated; when you loop the game, the damage values stay at what they were in Loop 1 and do not reset back to 0, so if you died a lot on a particular level in Loop 1 and the planet racked up a lot of damage, you're at higher risk of an immediate game over from the planet getting destroyed in subsequent loops!

If you're fortunate enough to beat a level while keeping the planet at 0% damage you get a special bonus: an extra life! The end of level bonus is linear, and is equal to 50000 - (500 x planet damage%). Note that finishing a level with 0% damage is not so much a matter of skill as it is luck; there's several enemy waves that can almost instantly send an enemy off the left or right side of the screen and easily damage the planet you're trying to protect. As a general rule, if you're doing well and haven't died in a level, 10% damage or lower is a realistic amount to aim for.

Levels are also on a time limit. If the comet is able to get low enough, it'll instantly hit the planet, and '''result in an immediate game over.''' The gameover point is when the tip of the comet is about 1/4 of the way into the planet's sprite. However, from a practical standpoint the time limit is generally never a threat in normal gameplay. The game is super generous with how much time you have to clear the level, and the only way to run out of time is to deliberately waste time by resetting fights, such as bombing a comet entrance repeatedly so as to milk points from more enemy waves. You can milk the comet entrance safely with 2 or 3 bombs and still have tons of time to spare. Dying only costs a bit of time depending on where you die; if you die in the middle of a level on basic enemies or inside the comet it'll actually skip the enemy waves you were fighting, but dying on one of the three Area bosses will reset the fight and let the comet move down slightly.

Basically, you shouldn't ever worry about the time limit, but keep in mind it can kill you if you try for aggressive milking shenanigans using your bombs to warp into hyperspace and reset the comet entrance fights.

=== Controls ===
----
'''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a slow built-in autofire rate. 10 hz autofire on Button 1 is a good speed to use which works well when you're at low power as well as high power. Without autofire, the game requires a lot of button tapping due to its length. At max shot power you can actually get away with holding the button down and not having autofire. It's just barely fast enough to be decent, but not particularly good, either.

Note that the recent ports in the Hamster Arcade Archives only allow for 15 hz, 20 hz, or 30 hz speeds. 20 and 30 hz are unnecessarily fast and leave too wide of a gap between your shots without really adding much benefit (the minibosses in each level don't seem to die much faster at 30 hz), so 15 hz there is the recommended setting, even if it's slightly on the fast side to give an optimal balance of coverage.

'''Button 2:''' Bomb (when you have a helper ship attached, sacrifices the helper ship in exchange for using a bomb)

Bombs can only be used when you pick up helper ships, whether with the individual icons or the green G item that instantly gives you a full formation of 6. Using a bomb sacrifices one helper ship to instantly clear the screen of enemies and also send you into hyperspace, skipping ahead in the level to get closer to the comet. If you're fighting a miniboss, or you're at the entrance of the comet, bombing simply cancels the bullets and warps you into hyperspace backwards, essentially resetting the fight and letting you try again. This allows you to milk some extra points, particularly at the comet entrances.

When you bomb inside of the comets, you don't activate hyperspace. You simply kill all bullets and enemies onscreen. Note that it will not reset the comet boss fight when you use a bomb, but bombs also don't damage the boss's turrets.

When you collect a bomb item it takes a second for it to actually spawn, and during this brief period you can't use it to bomb. If you hide at the bottom of the screen, 4 of your bombs will be hidden off-screen and can't be hit by any enemies, but being off-screen also pauses their spawning animation.

If one of your helper ships close to you his hit, the ships behind it in the formation will detach and fly upwards where you can attempt to collect them. If one of the two ships that's exposed when you're at the bottom of the screen is hit, any ships behind them that
are off-screen immediately vanish.

Button 2 does not require or benefit from the use of autofire.

=== Powerups ===
----
Your ship starts out at extremely low power. You fire a single laser per shot, and move with very low speed. Dying causes you to lose all powerups, so dying at a tough spot makes for an extremely difficult recovery process (Jupiter or Mars in particular are rough and lead to chaindeaths). If you die in the middle of a stage, you'll have to let some enemies past you as you focus on getting powerups again. The key powerups you need when recovering are the spreadshot and the speed up items. Make sure not to miss those!

Powerups appear as you shoot asteroids, or as you shoot the boxes that appear in comets. Powerups always seem to spawn in a fixed order, so you can predict what powerups will spawn next aside from the three special powerups. When you reveal a special powerup the one you get is randomly selected. The powerups appear roughly in this order:

[[File:Twin Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Twin Laser]]
Twin Laser: Adds a pair of lasers to your ship, allowing you to fire three tightly packed beams per shot. Each beam is its own hitbox, making this powerup immediately useful for punching through swarms. It takes like 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade, which makes it longer and wider, thus easier to hit with.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Bomb.jpg|thumb|none|Bomb]]
Bomb: Adds a helper ship to the side of your ship. They add slightly to your firepower by shooting small shots every now and then, and provide a slight bit of defense by blocking a shot for you (which causes the helper to be destroyed). Pressing Button 2 sacrifices them in order to fire off a bomb (see Controls above for details), which is what really makes them helpful as it's your only means of escape if you're about to get hit. You can carry up to 6 of the helper ships as bombs.

Sometimes when you bomb during a level outside the comet, enemies will spawn during the hyperspace animation. You are totally invulnerable though and can't be hit by them, but they can fly past you and damage the planet (the screen gets wiped when hyperspace ends).

[[File:Halley's Comet - Middle Laser.jpg|thumb|none|Middle Laser]]
Middle Laser: Powers up your main laser to be longer and slightly wider. Twin Laser is more important, but this is still useful to collect whenever you can safely do so. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out this upgrade.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Spreadshot.jpg|thumb|none|Spreadshot]]
Spreadshot: Extremely useful, adds spreadfire to your shots. The spreadfire is quite strong in this game, capable of killing basic enemies in one hit. It's also decently powerful on enemies that take more hits. Collecting more of these doesn't make it any stronger, but upgrades the size of the projectiles, making them cover much more of the screen. When you're at max shot power you have a ton of spread in Halley's Comet. Takes 4 or 5 of these to max out.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Speed Up.jpg|thumb|none|Speed Up]]
Speed Up: You can collect up to 3 of these, at which point your speed's at the maximum. Your ship has a bit of startup acceleration when moving before it travels at full speed, and speed upgrades appear to boost both your maximum speed as well as reduce how long it takes to accelerate to max speed. It's recommended that you stick with 2 Speed Up items to give yourself a good balance of speed and tight dodging control, but you can definitely make the max of 3 Speed Up items work. It's not like a Gradius game where collecting too many Speed Ups can make you way too fast to realistically control. Because you're extremely slow at default ship speed, picking up one of these as soon as you can is a high priority. Also note that for some reason these never appear to spawn inside of the comet.

Note that even at max speed, you can still control your speed. As with many other shmups, holding down and tapping left or right to move at a diagonal along the bottom of the screen moves you slower than just going left or right. This can help for tight tap dodges.

'''The following three items are special items. Whenever one spawns, the game seems to randomly pick one to give you:'''

[[File:Halley's Comet - Max Power.jpg|thumb|none|Max Power]]
Max Power: Immediately gives you every single weapon powerup in the game and fully upgrades all of them. It doesn't do anything special if you're already fully upgraded, but if you died recently or if you're early on in the game, suddenly getting maxed out Twin Laser, Middle Laser, and Spreadshot is incredibly helpful.

[[File:Halley's Comet - Group.jpg|thumb|none|Group]]
Group: This immediately gives your ship a full formation of 6 helper ships to use as bombs or just to have as extra firepower. Pretty handy! Along with the Max Power item, this is one of the two more commonly dropped special items.

[image to be added]
Pow: A dark blue circular P icon that immediately destroys all enemies and bullets onscreen, same as if you used a bomb. It only seems to appear inside the comets. Note that the larger turrets that spray rainbow fire don't appear to get destroyed by these!

[[File:Halley's Comet - Barrier.jpg|thumb|none|Barrier]]
Barrier: This powerup is extremely rare. It's entirely possible to get through both loops '''without ever seeing one''', and only on very rare occasions has it been seen spawning early in Loop 1. This rainbow coloured powerup gives your ship a frontal barrier that has no time limit. It can absorb nearly every shot type in the game including some of the bigger, weirder looking attacks fired at you, '''and can eat about 20 hits or so''' (!!!) before disappearing. The remaining hit count appears to be retained between levels and doesn't recover or recharge except presumably by grabbing another Barrier item if you're lucky enough to see two in a single playthrough.

The Barrier only covers your front, so you're still vulnerable to diagonal attacks that hit your sides, but if you pick one up consider yourself extremely lucky as it makes life a lot easier due to the sheer number of hits it can soak up.

Also note that that it's only ever been seen spawning in the last part of the level, when you're inside the comet.

=== Rank ===
----
The game doesn't appear to have a noticeable rank system, if any. Difficulty is more or less strictly tied to what level you're currently on.

=== Loops ===
----
The game starts at the Earth, flies you to the inner planets and the Sun, then slingshots you to Pluto and back through the inner planets. In other words, the stage order is: Earth, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars -> loop back to Earth. The game appears to loop infinitely, and difficulty seems to max out at loop 2 (needs additional testing/confirmation).

Earth is Area 1 to 3, Venus is Area 4 to 6, Mercury is 7 to 9, and so on. Loop 2 starts at Area 31 and goes up to Area 60. Note that Loop 3 is unusual; '''it reuses Loop 2 numbering so Loop 3 Earth shows as Area 31 again on the scoreboard.''' If you're playing far enough that you're at Loop 3 or higher, it's probably best just to refer to your progress as "Loop #, [Planet], [Beginning/Middle/Comet]"

=== Scoring ===
----
Scoring mostly consists of surviving well. There's a ton of extends/1UPs in this game you can get from scoring, and you can hold well over 10 lives stocked (once you have more than 9 lives it displays 10 as A, 11 as B, 12 as C, and so on). You should counterstop the game at 10 million (9,999,90) by the last level of Loop 2. You can score more early on by collecting powerups (which give 1000 each), and by making sure to kill as many enemies as possible. Most enemies give 500 points per kill or so, and special waves of enemies give 10000 to 40000 for killing them all without bombing them (or without killing the pod that instantly destroys the wave, there's a couple waves where a pod appears that serves as a weakpoint and hitting it will destroy the wave without giving the score bonus, the first example is found at Venus).

You can also use bombs outside the entrance of a comet to reset the fight, or destroy all the turrets except one at the boss inside a comet, then milk enemies for additional points. Just be careful not to accidentally get killed in the process, and don't dawdle for too long because the level does technically have a time limit, even if it's an extremely generous one!

== Version Differences ==
----
There were a few revisions of the game that were released. While there don't appear to be any significant gameplay adjustments, the older revisions of the game have exploitable scoring glitches that allow you to get way more points than intended per level, or even counterstop the game at the end of the first level ([https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1475144#p1475144 thanks to Lethe and Pearl for the info]). Use a bomb right as the last panel of the comet boss is destroyed to break the level transition and get a massive amount of points as the game glitches out. Or, do this bomb glitch and get hit by an enemy that spawns as the level is about to end, and you can immediately counterstop the game by glitching out the game. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK-RbMF8pro Video explanation by Pearl here.] Note that these bugs do not appear to be in the newer Japanese revisions or in Halley's Comet '87. They are also fixed by default in Hamster's Arcade Archives releases, albeit there's a menu option to disable this bugfix if you want to try and trigger it.

Hamster's Arcade Archives releases appear to be arcade perfect ports. They also have improved sound quality over currently available emulation, which appears to be missing some of the deep bass noises that are sometimes played such as when using a bomb to enter hyperspace. Highly recommended ports.

There's also a version known called "Halley's Comet '87" which has a modified title screen, but it's not clear what gameplay differences there are, if any.

The game had sequel called "Halley Wars" for both Famicom and Game Gear. These versions are quite different from each other as well as the original arcade game.

=== Secrets ===
----
[[File:Kumagaya !.jpg|thumb]]
Moving up to the top of the screen over the text that appears at the beginning of each level ("RESCUE THE [planet name] FROM THE COMETS !") causes the message "DO NOT ERASE !" to appear in angry red letters. From level 2 (Venus) onward, if you then hold button 1 down while you're there, the message will change to reveal various developer names.

== Video References ==
----
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al69pcfHZRA Counterstop run by player: T．S (めんく)]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0CAHbU_4E Counterstop run by player: BKR]

== References & Contributors ==

BKR: ''YOU COULD RESCUE THE WIKI ENTRY!'' >w>

File:Halley's Comet - Barrier.jpg

2022-10-10T12:45:09Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Barrier

File:Halley's Comet - Group.jpg

2022-10-10T12:44:09Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Group

File:Halley's Comet - Max Power.jpg

2022-10-10T12:43:28Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Max Power

File:Halley's Comet - Speed Up.jpg

2022-10-10T12:39:24Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Speed Up

File:Halley's Comet - Spreadshot.jpg

2022-10-10T12:38:14Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Spreadshot

File:Halley's Comet - Middle Laser.jpg

2022-10-10T12:37:39Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Middle Laser

File:Halley's Comet - Bomb.jpg

2022-10-10T12:36:27Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Bomb

File:Twin Laser.jpg

2022-10-10T12:34:27Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - Twin Laser

File:Kumagaya !.jpg

2022-10-10T12:19:07Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - secret

File:Halley's Comet - game over.gif

2022-10-10T12:01:16Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - game over at damage 100%

File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png

2022-10-10T11:57:41Z

BKR:

"YOU COULD RESCUE THE EARTH"

File:Areas in Halley's Comet.png

2022-10-10T11:57:03Z

BKR:

"You could defend the Venus!"

File:Halley's Comet - title.png

2022-10-10T11:44:09Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet - title screen

Raiga: Strato Fighter

2022-10-10T11:39:55Z

BKR:

[[File:Raiga Logo.jpg|400px|center|Raiga: Strato Fighter (logo)]]

{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = #d6231f
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
| background = #fefafb
| image = Raiga Strato Fighter (title).png
| width = 300px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 180px
| developer = [[Tecmo]]
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Long before [[Deathsmiles]] existed, Raiga: Strato Fighter (or just Strato Fighter) existed as an early example of a horizontal shmup where you could freely fire left or right as you pleased. Instead of having two different buttons to fire depending on the direction you wanted to shoot however, Raiga simply features a shot button and a separate button to change directions.

It's pretty easy to 1CC the first loop at least. You're exceptionally powerful when your shot power is maxed out, allowing you to easily sweep enemies and bosses away, and there's a very large number of extends/1UPs available. You do however get depowered heavily if you die (what some folks call "Gradius syndrome") so it's the kind of game where your first clear will likely also be a deathless clear.

Its scoring system basically just rewards killing as many enemies as possible. The bosses don't appear to be terribly milkable in terms of point value, with the exception being the final boss which rewards a tremendous amount of points if you milk it in both loops and then kill it prior to it dying due to timeout. There do not appear to be any checkpoints in any version, and dying results in an immediate respawn (albeit severely depowered).

It's also pretty fun to play cooperatively. Just note that if you start the game with two players, the enemy count is nearly doubled and there's also extra powerup items that appear.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a way too slow built-in autofire rate, so don't bother holding it. You're meant to be tapping the button constantly to keep a good number of shots onscreen. Autofire improves it immensely as there's little to no reason to ever stop firing. About 10 hz autofire on Button 1 as a good speed to use which works well as a balance between screen coverage and shot power, and also is effective when you're at low power as well as high power.

* '''Button 2:''' Change Direction (tap it to switch which direction you're facing)

=== Ships ===
----
1P is red, 2P is blue. You can freely play the game alone on 1P or 2P side. Both appear to have the same movement speed and damage, with the only differences being which one appears in the cutscenes between stages and at the end of the game.

=== Powerups ===
----
Powerups are dropped at fixed points in the game, often by item carriers that have two boxes, or by shooting individual boxes found in the environment.

There's also a few item carriers that appear which drop 4 random powerups when killed. These can include extends. There's two in Loop 1, Stage 5, two in Loop 2, Stage 5, and one in Loop 2, Stage 6, that look like these:

https://i.imgur.com/lJs37mE.jpg

There's 3 different types of weapon powerups (Primary, Secondary, Auto Guard) as well as miscellaneous items. [https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=2124&image=2 Please click here for an English version of the game's flyer] for a quick overview, further details are below:

'''Primary Weapons'''

Note that dying will strip you of all powerups, but will keep your current Primary Weapon type and simply depower it to the lowest power level. This can be an issue for Spread Gun and Vertical which are rather weak at low shot power. Every time you collect one of these, your shot power increases, and this increase applies even if you switch weapons (like going Ion -> S.Gun -> Ion in Stage 1), which makes this game a bit friendlier than games like [[Mahou Daisakusen]] which do not power you up unless you collect the same weapon icon repeatedly. It appears to take 3 powerups to reach max power, at which point all three weapon types change to a distinct shade of purple.

'''Ion Launcher (ION.L):''' The weapon you start the game with. It's the strongest of your weapons when at low shot power, and at maximum shot power it can absolutely melt bosses in seconds with ease. The thin shot isn't too big of an issue if you also have two Beam Rifles with you, but at some points in the game you may wish to switch weapons to have a bit more spread.

'''Spread Gun (S.GUN):''' Fairly weak at low show power, but gets pretty powerful when at max power, at least for stages. It has a good deal of coverage, but because most bosses in this game have pretty small weak points, damage output drops drastically during boss fights, where Ion Launcher outclasses it. Perhaps better for scoring during stages because it's easier to score kills without having to chase down enemies?

'''Vertical (VERTICAL):''' Fires 3 energy waves, one in front of your ship, and 2 fired vertically above and below slightly in front of you. They're pretty useful for sections where a lot of enemies appear above and below you, or if you don't have the auto aiming of Beam Rifle for some reason, but their damage to sturdier targets is underwhelming. You generally want to switch to something else before you reach the bosses of each stage, and fortunately the game is kind enough to give out appropriate powerups to do so.

At low shot power damage is minimal, so dying with this equipped will put you at risk of further deaths from being unable to kill things in a timely fashion!

'''Secondary Weapons'''

'''Missiles:''' Fires a pair of homing missiles. They're slow and you're limited to one volley onscreen at a time, but they're pretty decent damage whenever they connect. The best of the two secondary weapons, generally speaking.

'''Bombs:''' Drops a bomb at a short arc in front of you, similar to the Spread Bomb found in some [[Gradius]] games, but with a much smaller blast radius. It deals a good deal of damage and is useful in some specific sections such as early in Stage 2 (where they conveniently first appear), but generally speaking missiles are better suited to most encounters.

'''Auto Guards:'''

Note that despite what the game flyer calls them, they do not block shots. They're little helper mechs that fly above and below your ship, that come equipped with one of three guns. With the exception of the Blaster variety, they will turn to face the same direction you do. They also have lightsabers and will attack enemies and enemy homing missiles with them when in range (enemy missiles can also be shot down, they're rather slow). Collecting one adds one above your ship, and the next one you collect adds it below. Any time you grab one of these icons, the guns both Auto Guards use is changed to that gun type.

'''Beam Rifle (BEEM.R):''' The rarest, and most useful of the three types of Auto Guard. The only guaranteed ones are in Stage 1 and in Stage 4. They fire auto-aimed blue bullets at enemies, and are able to aim in a more or less 180 degree angle from the direction you're facing. Damage is pretty decent, and they can handle plenty of enemies on their own. Use them along with Ion Launcher to maximize your boss killing potential.

They don't seem to be very aggressive about using the lightsaber against enemies touching them, but their shots do plenty of damage at close range, so this isn't a practical issue.

'''Solid Shooter (SOLID.S):''' This type of Auto Guard stays above and below your ship at a fixed distance, firing rockets at a decent rate of fire in whatever direction you're facing. If you don't have access to a Beam Rifle for some reason this is probably your next best pick. It's not bad by any means, but Beam Rifle's auto aiming allows for dealing with enemies from multiple directions as well as concentrating fire on bosses that have relatively small weak points, so you'll usually want to stick with Beam Rifle when possible. Solid Shooter may be better for sweeping the screen though as its projectiles are faster, and Beam Rifle can occasionally miss fast targets. Its shots don't appear to be stronger, if at all, per hit compared to other Auto Guards.

'''Blaster (BLASTER):''' The only one of the three Auto Guards that doesn't aim in the same direction as you. These trail along after you, similar to Gradius Options/Multiples. They do not turn to fire when you change directions, but keep firing in the direction they were firing. To change their firing direction, you have to first change direction, then move around so you drag the Auto Guards past their current position. When pulled far enough, they will switch firing direction to the direction you're currently facing. This quirk makes them generally extremely awkward to use compared to the other types of Auto Guard.

They're the only Auto Guard in the game that lets you fire in both directions at once which has some theoretical niche uses, but because of how difficult they are to control, how thin their shots are, and how quickly and effectively you can switch directions normally, Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should always be preferred over Blaster. Blaster does have an advantage over Solid Shooter in that it's thin enough to line up shots on very small boss weakpoints, but it's generally much harder to use it effectively and thus Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should be preferred over it.

'''Other Powerups'''

'''Speed Up (SPEED.UP):''' Increases your movement speed. You're too slow to dodge anything effectively at the default speed, so these are rather crucial. Collecting 2 or 3 of these is recommended and will allow you to deal with whatever the game throws at you. If you collect too many of them and make yourself uncomfortably fast, there's no way to reduce your speed level aside from dying.

Because dying drops you back to your extremely slow default speed, one death tends to lead to multiple chaindeaths until an item carrier appears.

'''Extend (EXTEND):''' Gives you an extend / 1UP / extra life, etc. There's a couple to be had from fixed item boxes in stage 5, and a few more from the random item carriers in stage 5 as well as potentially the ones in loop 2, stage 6. The game generally is quite generous with extends and it's entirely possible to clear both loops with 12 or more lives in stock (which is handy for your end-of-game score).

=== Rank ===
----
The game does not appear to have an aggressive rank system, if it even has one at all.

=== Loops ===
----
The game features 6 stages per loop, with 2 loops to play through. The game automatically loops upon completion of loop 1, stage 6, and starts what it refers to as "Professional Mode". You can tell you're in loop 2 by the word PRO written in red at the top of the screen.

Interestingly, while stage 6 in loop 1 starts you in front of the final boss, loop 2 reveals an entirely new stage in loop 6, where you go through a boss rush of most of the bosses in the game before finally encountering the final boss.

=== Scoring ===
----
Score comes from three elements. You get points per enemy killed, you get points per extra life remaining at the end of the game, and you can squeeze additional points out by milking bosses. The final boss in particular is milkable in both loops for a notable amount of points (you'll also need to kill it before it times out, about 2 minutes on the timer or so, or lose out on those points).

Because of randomness in extra life drops from the large item carriers, scoring probably isn't the most fun thing to do in this game. It's still a fun game to play for the 2 loop clear.

== Version Differences ==
JP version's called Raiga: Strato Fighter, the English/US release was renamed to simply Strato Fighter. More details are needed as to whether or not there are any meaningful gameplay differences between them. It was released in arcades, and later received a port on the original Xbox as part of the "Tecmo Classic Arcade" compilation. It's not yet known how accurate this port is.

== Video References ==
''[[user:BKR|BKR's]] note: Somehow I apparently have the highest scoring recording known? I have no idea where the world record gets those additional points. There may be a scoring glitch, but this game lacks checkpoints, so there'd be no checkpoint milking available. Possibly the world records start in 2 player mode which increases the number of enemies spawned, and thus points available? I'm told this isn't the case, but given the lack of footage available there's no way to know for sure. At any rate, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skExYa7_3GY here's a no-miss run of both loops of the game I managed to get] when I was aggressively trying to score attack it. I'm afraid I haven't figured out how to squeeze any more points out yet since then, and there doesn't appear to be any video footage available from the world record holders, alas.

''And for fun, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MZOtvLOo a dumb video showing off the countless stupid deaths] I had in the months I was working on this.''

== References & Contributors ==

[[user:BKR|BKR:]] This game is neat! I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or formatting issues. >w>;

File:Halley's Comet (poster & card).jpg

2022-10-10T11:28:45Z

BKR:

Halley's Comet (poster/card)

Shmups Wiki:List of shooting games

2022-10-10T11:25:39Z

BKR: Added: Raiga

----

<center>
This page contains links to every game that we ''currently'' have a wiki page written about in our Library.

If you notice a game is missing, consider '''[[(Template Page)#Creating a new page|starting a page]]'''! ❤️

A robust list of 100% free-to-play games can be found '''[[Free to Play|here]]'''!
</center>

----

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Game !! Developer !! Publisher !! Year !! Notes
|-
| ''[[Aeon Zenith]]'' || [[User:Squire Grooktook|Squire Grooktook]] || Squire Grooktook || TBD || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page. '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Aero Fighters 2]]'' || [[Video System]] || Video System || 1994 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Aero Fighters 3]]'' || [[Video System]] || Video System || 1995 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Akai Katana]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page; '''needs content & formatting'''
|-
| ''[[Akuu Gallet]] / Air Gallet'' || [[Gazelle]] || Banpresto || 1996 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page. Formatting is good so far, but needs content
|-
| ''[[ALLTYNEX Second]]'' || [[SITER SKAIN]] || Nyu Media || 2013 || '''⭐⭐''' Fairly new WIP page, needs images
|-
| ''[[AngerForce: Reloaded]]'' || [[Screambox Studio]] || Screambox Studio || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, missing images and some '''formatting'''
|-
| ''[[AngerForce: Strikers]]'' || [[Screambox Studio]] || Screambox Studio || 2014 || '''⭐''' Stub page and fork of [[AngerForce: Reloaded]] page.
|-
| ''[[Apare Usapie!]]'' || [[Sorafune Atelier]] || Sorafune Atelier || 2015(?) || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Armed Police Batrider]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, needs page formatting
|-
| ''[[Barrage Fantasia]]'' || [[Hanaji Games]] || Hanaji Games || 2021 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs more info. Controls, scoring and items missing
|-
| ''[[Batsugun]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Battle Bakraid]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1999 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Gameplay overview and controls are missing
|-
| ''[[Battle Garegga]]'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1996 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page verified by top players!
|-
| ''[[Blaynix]]'' || [[zakichi]] || zakichi || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Blue Revolver]]'' || [[Stellar Circle]] || Stellar Circle || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[BroodStar]]'' || [[User:Razeal|Razeal]] || Razeal || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
|''[[Bullet Hell Monday]]'' || [[Masayuki Ito]] || Masayuki Ito || 2016 || '''⭐''' Stub page. '''Needs content'''
|-
| ''[[Bullet Sorceress]]'' || [[DANGER HEART Entertainment]] || DANGER HEART Entertainment || TBD 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Celtreos]]'' || [[User:vornaff|Kevin Grant]] || Kevin Grant || 2017 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!''' Just missing some formatting.
|-
| ''[[Chaos Field]]'' || [[MileStone]] || Able Corporation || 2004 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page!
|-
| ''[[Cho Ren Sha 68K]]'' || [[Koichi Yoshida]] || Koichi Yoshida || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Choujikuu Yousai Macross II]]'' || [[NMK]] || Banpresto || 1995 || '''⭐''' Stub page. Contains dev team credits + some basic history
|-
| ''[[Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams]]'' || [[Success]] || Success || 1991 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start but still has some template leftovers
|-
| ''[[Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams]]'' || [[Success]] || Success || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start but still has some template leftovers
|-
| ''[[CounterAttack]]'' || [[Relative Games]] || Relative Software|| 2019|| '''⭐''' Stub page
|-
| ''[[Crimzon Clover]]'' || [[YOTSUBANE]] || YOTSUBANE || 2011 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs mode descriptions. This page is for the original doujin release.
|-
| ''[[Crimzon Clover: World Ignition]] / World EXplosion'' || [[YOTSUBANE]] || Degica Games || 2014 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs mode descriptions. Includes the latest revision.
|-
| ''[[Crisis Wing]]'' || [[Pieslice Productions]] || Pieslice Productions || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[Dangun Feveron]] / Fever S.O.S.'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1998 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs formatting and content.
|-
| ''[[Danmaku Unlimited 2]]'' || [[Doragon Entertainment]] || Doragon Entertainment || 2013 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Danmaku Unlimited 3]]'' || [[Doragon Entertainment]] || Doragon Entertainment || 2017 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Darius Gaiden]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Darius Twin]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1991 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Deathsmiles]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2007 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion and formatting.
|-
| ''[[Deathsmiles Mega Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2008 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]] / DoDonPachi Resurrection'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update''' '''''Includes information about several releases!'''''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange A]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange B]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page, verified by top (and frequent) players!
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2010 (?) || '''⭐⭐''' Contains some details on mechanics and gameplay. Needs formatting.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label Arrange]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2011 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page created by top player! Needs some updates to formatting.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.0]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update'''; could use more images
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.5]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page created by top player! Needs images & some '''formatting'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.51]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Slim on content and formatting, but what's there is good.
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiOuJou]] White Label'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Great content; '''In need of formatting update''', lacking images
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi MAXIMUM]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2012 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs '''information'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2012 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou exA Label]]'' || [[exA Arcadia]] || exA Arcadia || 2020 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[Dogyuun]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1992 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[DonPachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page; '''in need of minor formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Dragon Blaze]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 2000 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Drainus]]'' || [[Team Ladybug]] || PLAYISM || 2022 || '''⭐''' Stub page; '''needs more content'''
|-
| ''[[Eschatos]]'' || [[Qute]] || Qute || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page, '''needs information'''
|-
| ''[[ESP Ra.De.]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''In need of formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Espgaluda]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2003 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Espgaluda II]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2005 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[F/A]] / Fighter & Attacker'' || [[Namco]] || Namco || 1992 || '''⭐⭐''' Contains strategy and some starter info. Missing images.
|-
| ''[[Galshell: Blood Red Skies]]'' '''(18+)''' || [[Akiragoya]] || Akiragoya || 2004 || '''⭐''' Borderline empty page. Could use info, formatting, and research. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Gemini Wing]]'' || [[Tecmo]] || Tecmo || 1987 || '''⭐''' Stub page.
|-
| ''[[Giga Wing]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' Early page with a fair amount of missing content
|-
| ''[[Giga Wing 2]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs more content
|-
| ''[[Great Mahou Daisakusen]] / Dimahoo'' || [[Raizing]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs more content
|-
| ''[[Gradius]] / Nemesis'' || [[Konami]] || Konami || 1985 || '''⭐⭐''' Good formatting. Needs more expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Gun Frontier]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1990 || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. Detailed rank information available
|-
| ''[[Gunbird]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Jaleco || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good formatting and basic explanations for mechanics, characters and scoring. Needs more in-depth information and video examples.
|-
| ''[[Gunbird 2]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, could use a small formatting update
|-
| ''[[Gundemonium]]'' || [[Platine Dispositif]] || Rockin' Android || 2003 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page, could use minor formatting update
|-
| ''[[Gunroar]]'' || [[Kenta Cho]] || Kenta Cho || ???? || '''⭐''' Stub page, needs more info. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Guwange]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Atlus || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' In a pretty early state. '''Missing formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Hacha Mecha Fighter]]'' || [[NMK]] || NMK || 1991 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page
|-
| ''[[Harmful Park]]'' || [[Sky Think System]] || Sky Think System || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Great info, just missing '''formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Hellsinker.]]'' || [[Ruminant's Whimper]] || Ruminant's Whimper || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly detailed and well-researched page!
|-
| ''[[Hishouzame]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Taito || 1987 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing '''formatting and organization'''
|-
| ''[[Ibara]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page
|-
| ''[[Ikaruga]]'' || [[Treasure]] || Treasure || 2001 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality, well-researched page, just missing some formatting.
|-
| ''[[Illmatic Envelope (Illvelo)|Illmatic Envelope]] / Illvelo'' || [[Milestone]] || Milestone || 2008 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality, well-researched page! Just missing some minor formatting.
|-
| ''[[Jamestown]]'' || Final Form Games || Batterystaple Games || 2011 || '''⭐⭐''' Low on content, contains template leftovers.
|-
| ''[[Kaiju Kite Attack]]'' || PWCA || PWCA || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Kaikan]]'' || Zakichi || ©-kigekiyahonpo- || 2013 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent info! Could probably use a '''visual/formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2002 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info! Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Kyuukyoku Tiger]] / Twin Cobra'' || [[Toaplan]] || Taito || 1987 || '''⭐''' Stub page with some basic info; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Lotus Land Story]] / Touhou Gensoukyou'' || [[ZUNsoft]] / [[Amusement Makers]] || Taito || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good info, just a tad lean. Missing formatting and organization
|-
| ''[[Mahou Daisakusen]] / Sorcer Striker'' || [[Raizing]] || Able Corporation || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Lots of good info, but needs page formatting.
|-
| ''[[Mars Matrix|Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting]]'' || [[Takumi]] || Capcom || 2000 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Recent content and formatting update. Still needs work!
|-
| ''[[Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo]]'' || [[HEY]] || HEY || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent info! Could probably use a '''visual/formatting update'''
|-
| ''[[Mega Typhoon]]'' || Bernhard Braun || Nordlicht EDV-Service || 1996 || '''⭐⭐''' Basic Game info
|-
| ''[[Moon Dancer]]'' || [[Terarin Games]] || Terarin Games || 2022 || '''⭐''' Stub page with basic info
|-
| ''[[Mountain of Faith]]'' || [[Team Shanghai Alice]] || Team Shanghai Alice || 2007 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent page content!
|-
| ''[[Muchi Muchi Pork!]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2007 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[M.U.S.H.A.]] / Musha Aleste'' || [[Compile]] || Seismic Software Inc. || 1990 || '''⭐⭐''' Starter page in development.
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2004 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent information detail, just needs formatting. 
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama Futari]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Extremely detailed page! Just has a few template remainders to get rid of and some minor formatting work.
|-
| ''[[Mushihimesama Futari Black Label]]'' || [[CAVE]] || AMI || 2007 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Operation STEEL]]'' || [[User:BB|BB]] || BB || 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|-
| ''[[OutZone]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Tecmo || 1990 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly complete page. Featuring an in-depth '''Strategy''' page!
|-
| ''[[P-47 Aces]]'' || [[NMK]] || Jaleco || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page! 
|-
| ''[[Pawarumi]]'' || [[Manufacture 43]] || Manufacture 43 || 2018 || '''⭐⭐''' Starter page in development.
|-
| ''[[Phoenix]]'' || [[Amstar Electronics]] || Taito || 1978 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info and some strategy info. '''Needs expansion and cleanup work.'''
|-
| ''[[Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara]]'' || [[CAVE]] || CAVE || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good start, but still needs a bit of cleanup work
|-
| ''[[Pleasure Hearts]]'' || [[M-KAI]] || M-KAI || 1999 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Precious Star]]'' || [[Ever-Juvenile]] || Ever-Juvenile || 2016 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, could use more formatting. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Progear no Arashi]]'' || [[CAVE]] || Capcom || 2001 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Lots of info here, just needs a formatting pass & organization
|-
| ''[[QP Shooting - Dangerous!!]]'' || [[Orange Juice]] || Orange Juice || 2014 || '''⭐''' Stub page; still contains many template leftovers
|-
| ''[[Radirgy]]'' || [[RS34]] || RS34 || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched page! 
|-
| ''[[Radirgy Swag]]'' || [[RS34]] || RS34 || 2019 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good info, but needs expansion and images
|-
| ''[[Raiden Fighters Jet]]'' || [[Seibu Kaihatsu]] || Seibu Kaihatsu || 1998 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Detailed page, but needs formatting update and page organization
|-
| ''[[Raiden IV]]'' || [[MOSS]] || MOSS || 2007 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Recent updates to content and formatting!
|-
| ''[[Raiga: Strato Fighter]]'' || [[Tecmo]] || [[Tecmo]] || 1991 ||
|-
| ''[[RefRain - prism memories -]]'' || [[RebRank]] || Degica Games || 2011 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Rigid Force Alpha]]'' || [[Com8Com1]] || Com8Com1 || 2018 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Contains good info. Still many template leftovers on page.
|-
| ''[[R-Type]]'' || [[Irem]] || Irem || 1987 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content great, needs formatting.
|-
| ''[[Same! Same! Same!]] / Fire Shark'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1989 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Schildmaid MX]]'' || [[HitP Studio]] || HitP Studio || 2021 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Fairly robust page, needs some expansion. **Partialy written by the developer!**
|-
| ''[[Sengoku Ace]] / Samurai Aces'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Well-researched and well-formatted page!
|-
| ''[[Sexy Parodius]]'' || [[Konami]] || Konami || 1996 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs content & formatting
|-
| ''[[Shikigami no Shiro 3]] / Castle of Shikigami 3'' || [[AlfaSystem]] || AlfaSystem || 2005 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Highly-detailed page written by frequent players, could use more images.
|-
| ''[[Shippu Mahou Daisakusen]] / Kingdom Grand Prix'' || [[Raizing]] || Eighting || 1994 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' High quality page written by a top player
|-
| ''[[Shining Shooting Star]] || [[SSS Dev Team]] 雨夜枫雪制作组 || SSS Dev Team雨夜枫雪制作组 || 2016 || '''⭐⭐''' Stub page with some images. Needs content.
|-
| ''[[Sine Mora]]'' || [[Digital Reality]], [[Grasshopper Manufacture]] || THQ Nordic || 2012 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Well-detailed page, just needs '''images and some slight reorganization.'''
|-
| ''[[Sky Adventure]]'' || [[Alpha Denshi]] || ADK || 1989 || '''⭐⭐''' Needs expansion on content.
|-
| ''[[Soldier Force]]'' || [[Studio Siesta]] || Studio Siesta || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Needs some page reorganization and cleanup
|-
| ''[[Soukyugurentai]] / Terra Diver'' || [[Raizing]] || Raizing || 1996 || '''⭐''' Stub page
|-
| ''[[Space Invaders]]'' || [[Taito]] || Taito || 1978 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Short but sweet!
|-
| ''[[STELLAVANITY - Prelude to the Destined Calamity -]]'' || [[TRIS-GRAM]] || TRIS-GRAM || 2012 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info, still has some stubs from the tmeplate
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content in progress! Needs images, cleanup, fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945 II]]'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1997 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Very detailed page! Needs formatting cleanup.
|-
| ''[[Strikers 1945 III]] / Strikers 1999'' || [[Psikyo]] || Psikyo || 1999 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Content in progress! Needs images, cleanup, fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Super XYX]]'' || [[Team Grybanser Fox]] || Team Grybanser Fox || 2020 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Short but sweet!
|-
| ''[[Tatsujin]] / Truxton'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1988 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good content. Needs formatting and could use some minor expansion.
|-
| ''[[Tatsujin Ou]] / Truxton II'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1992 || '''⭐''' Stub page; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Thunder Force III]]'' || [[Technosoft]] || Technosoft || 1990 || '''⭐''' Solid starter info but could use more fleshing out.
|-
| ''[[Tiny XEVIVOS]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2013 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Transcendpang|TranscendPang]]'' || [[wosderge]] || wosderge || 2010 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Incredibly well-detailed page!
|-
| ''[[Trizeal]]'' || [[Triangle Service]] || Taito || 2004 || '''⭐⭐''' Mostly a stub page, but contains some info on mechanics and score strategies. Needs more content
|-
| ''[[Tyrian]]'' || [[Eclipse Software]] || Epic Megagames || 1995 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Good starter info, development history, version differences. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[Undefined Fantastic Object]]'' || [[Team Shanghai Alice]] || Team Shanghai Alice || 2009 || '''⭐⭐⭐⭐''' Excellent page content!
|-
| ''[[V-V]] / Grind Stormer'' || [[Toaplan]] || Toaplan || 1993 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[Triggerheart Exelica]]'' || [[Warashi]] || SEGA || 2006 || '''⭐⭐''' Started but still missing a lot of info
|-
| ''[[Vastynex]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2018 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[Xyanide]]'' || [[Playlogic]] || Evolved Games || 2006 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info, but page is disorganized; '''needs formatting'''
|-
| ''[[Zakesta]]'' || [[Zakichi]] || Zakichi || 2021 || '''⭐''' Stub page. [[Free to Play]] game.
|-
| ''[[ZeroRanger]]'' || [[SystemErasure]] || SystemErasure || 2018 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Has some good starter info; needs expansion
|-
| ''[[Zero Wing]]'' || [[Toaplan]] || Namco || 1989 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' Some good starter info. '''Needs formatting.'''
|-
| ''[[ZOE]]'' || [[User:Retchy|Retchy]] || Retchy || TBD 2022 || '''⭐⭐⭐''' '''This wiki page was created by the developer!'''
|}

Raiga: Strato Fighter

2022-10-10T01:05:05Z

BKR:

[[File:Raiga Logo.jpg|400px|center|Raiga: Strato Fighter (logo)]]

{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = #d6231f
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
| background = #fefafb
| image = Raiga Strato Fighter (title).png
| width = 300px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 180px
| developer = [[Tecmo]]
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Long before [[Deathsmiles]] existed, Raiga: Strato Fighter (or just Strato Fighter) existed as an early example of a horizontal shmup where you could freely fire left or right as you pleased. Instead of having two different buttons to fire depending on the direction you wanted to shoot however, Raiga simply features a shot button and a separate button to change directions.

It's pretty easy to 1CC the first loop at least. You're exceptionally powerful when your shot power is maxed out, allowing you to easily sweep enemies and bosses away, and there's a very large number of extends/1UPs available. You do however get depowered heavily if you die (what some folks call "Gradius syndrome") so it's the kind of game where your first clear will likely also be a deathless clear.

Its scoring system basically just rewards killing as many enemies as possible. The bosses don't appear to be terribly milkable in terms of point value, with the exception being the final boss which rewards a tremendous amount of points if you milk it in both loops and then kill it prior to it dying due to timeout.

It's also pretty fun to play cooperatively. Just note that if you start the game with two players, the enemy count is nearly doubled and there's also extra powerup items that appear.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a way too slow built-in autofire rate, so don't bother holding it. You're meant to be tapping the button constantly to keep a good number of shots onscreen. Autofire improves it immensely as there's little to no reason to ever stop firing. About 10 hz autofire on Button 1 as a good speed to use which works well as a balance between screen coverage and shot power, and also is effective when you're at low power as well as high power.

* '''Button 2:''' Change Direction (tap it to switch which direction you're facing)

=== Ships ===
----
1P is red, 2P is blue. You can freely play the game alone on 1P or 2P side. Both appear to have the same movement speed and damage, with the only differences being which one appears in the cutscenes between stages and at the end of the game.

=== Powerups ===
----
Powerups are dropped at fixed points in the game, often by item carriers that have two boxes, or by shooting individual boxes found in the environment.

There's also a few item carriers that appear which drop 4 random powerups when killed. These can include extends. There's two in Loop 1, Stage 5, two in Loop 2, Stage 5, and one in Loop 2, Stage 6, that look like these:

https://i.imgur.com/lJs37mE.jpg

There's 3 different types of weapon powerups (Primary, Secondary, Auto Guard) as well as miscellaneous items. [https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=2124&image=2 Please click here for an English version of the game's flyer] for a quick overview, further details are below:

'''Primary Weapons'''

Note that dying will strip you of all powerups, but will keep your current Primary Weapon type and simply depower it to the lowest power level. This can be an issue for Spread Gun and Vertical which are rather weak at low shot power. Every time you collect one of these, your shot power increases, and this increase applies even if you switch weapons (like going Ion -> S.Gun -> Ion in Stage 1), which makes this game a bit friendlier than games like [[Mahou Daisakusen]] which do not power you up unless you collect the same weapon icon repeatedly. It appears to take 3 powerups to reach max power, at which point all three weapon types change to a distinct shade of purple.

'''Ion Launcher (ION.L):''' The weapon you start the game with. It's the strongest of your weapons when at low shot power, and at maximum shot power it can absolutely melt bosses in seconds with ease. The thin shot isn't too big of an issue if you also have two Beam Rifles with you, but at some points in the game you may wish to switch weapons to have a bit more spread.

'''Spread Gun (S.GUN):''' Fairly weak at low show power, but gets pretty powerful when at max power, at least for stages. It has a good deal of coverage, but because most bosses in this game have pretty small weak points, damage output drops drastically during boss fights, where Ion Launcher outclasses it. Perhaps better for scoring during stages because it's easier to score kills without having to chase down enemies?

'''Vertical (VERTICAL):''' Fires 3 energy waves, one in front of your ship, and 2 fired vertically above and below slightly in front of you. They're pretty useful for sections where a lot of enemies appear above and below you, or if you don't have the auto aiming of Beam Rifle for some reason, but their damage to sturdier targets is underwhelming. You generally want to switch to something else before you reach the bosses of each stage, and fortunately the game is kind enough to give out appropriate powerups to do so.

At low shot power damage is minimal, so dying with this equipped will put you at risk of further deaths from being unable to kill things in a timely fashion!

'''Secondary Weapons'''

'''Missiles:''' Fires a pair of homing missiles. They're slow and you're limited to one volley onscreen at a time, but they're pretty decent damage whenever they connect. The best of the two secondary weapons, generally speaking.

'''Bombs:''' Drops a bomb at a short arc in front of you, similar to the Spread Bomb found in some [[Gradius]] games, but with a much smaller blast radius. It deals a good deal of damage and is useful in some specific sections such as early in Stage 2 (where they conveniently first appear), but generally speaking missiles are better suited to most encounters.

'''Auto Guards:'''

Note that despite what the game flyer calls them, they do not block shots. They're little helper mechs that fly above and below your ship, that come equipped with one of three guns. With the exception of the Blaster variety, they will turn to face the same direction you do. They also have lightsabers and will attack enemies and enemy homing missiles with them when in range (enemy missiles can also be shot down, they're rather slow). Collecting one adds one above your ship, and the next one you collect adds it below. Any time you grab one of these icons, the guns both Auto Guards use is changed to that gun type.

'''Beam Rifle (BEEM.R):''' The rarest, and most useful of the three types of Auto Guard. The only guaranteed ones are in Stage 1 and in Stage 4. They fire auto-aimed blue bullets at enemies, and are able to aim in a more or less 180 degree angle from the direction you're facing. Damage is pretty decent, and they can handle plenty of enemies on their own. Use them along with Ion Launcher to maximize your boss killing potential.

They don't seem to be very aggressive about using the lightsaber against enemies touching them, but their shots do plenty of damage at close range, so this isn't a practical issue.

'''Solid Shooter (SOLID.S):''' This type of Auto Guard stays above and below your ship at a fixed distance, firing rockets at a decent rate of fire in whatever direction you're facing. If you don't have access to a Beam Rifle for some reason this is probably your next best pick. It's not bad by any means, but Beam Rifle's auto aiming allows for dealing with enemies from multiple directions as well as concentrating fire on bosses that have relatively small weak points, so you'll usually want to stick with Beam Rifle when possible. Solid Shooter may be better for sweeping the screen though as its projectiles are faster, and Beam Rifle can occasionally miss fast targets. Its shots don't appear to be stronger, if at all, per hit compared to other Auto Guards.

'''Blaster (BLASTER):''' The only one of the three Auto Guards that doesn't aim in the same direction as you. These trail along after you, similar to Gradius Options/Multiples. They do not turn to fire when you change directions, but keep firing in the direction they were firing. To change their firing direction, you have to first change direction, then move around so you drag the Auto Guards past their current position. When pulled far enough, they will switch firing direction to the direction you're currently facing. This quirk makes them generally extremely awkward to use compared to the other types of Auto Guard.

They're the only Auto Guard in the game that lets you fire in both directions at once which has some theoretical niche uses, but because of how difficult they are to control, how thin their shots are, and how quickly and effectively you can switch directions normally, Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should always be preferred over Blaster. Blaster does have an advantage over Solid Shooter in that it's thin enough to line up shots on very small boss weakpoints, but it's generally much harder to use it effectively and thus Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should be preferred over it.

=== Rank ===
----
The game does not appear to have an aggressive rank system, if it even has one at all.

=== Loops ===
----
The game features 6 stages per loop, with 2 loops to play through. The game automatically loops upon completion of loop 1, stage 6, and starts what it refers to as "Professional Mode". You can tell you're in loop 2 by the word PRO written in red at the top of the screen.

Interestingly, while stage 6 in loop 1 starts you in front of the final boss, loop 2 reveals an entirely new stage in loop 6, where you go through a boss rush of most of the bosses in the game before finally encountering the final boss.

=== Scoring ===
----
Score comes from three elements. You get points per enemy killed, you get points per extra life remaining at the end of the game, and you can squeeze additional points out by milking bosses. The final boss in particular is milkable in both loops for a notable amount of points (you'll also need to kill it before it times out, about 2 minutes on the timer or so, or lose out on those points).

Because of randomness in extra life drops from the large item carriers, scoring probably isn't the most fun thing to do in this game. It's still a fun game to play for the 2 loop clear.

== Version Differences ==
JP version's called Raiga: Strato Fighter, the English/US release was renamed to simply Strato Fighter. More details are needed as to whether or not there are any meaningful gameplay differences between them. It was released in arcades, and later received a port on the original Xbox as part of the "Tecmo Classic Arcade" compilation. It's not yet known how accurate this port is.

== Video References ==
''[[user:BKR|BKR's]] note: Somehow I apparently have the highest scoring recording known? I have no idea where the world record gets those additional points. There may be a scoring glitch, but this game lacks checkpoints, so there'd be no checkpoint milking available. Possibly the world records start in 2 player mode which increases the number of enemies spawned, and thus points available? I'm told this isn't the case, but given the lack of footage available there's no way to know for sure. At any rate, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skExYa7_3GY here's a no-miss run of both loops of the game I managed to get] when I was aggressively trying to score attack it. I'm afraid I haven't figured out how to squeeze any more points out yet since then, and there doesn't appear to be any video footage available from the world record holders, alas.

''And for fun, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MZOtvLOo a dumb video showing off the countless stupid deaths] I had in the months I was working on this.''

== References & Contributors ==

[[user:BKR|BKR:]] This game is neat! I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or formatting issues. >w>;

Raiga: Strato Fighter

2022-10-10T01:04:00Z

BKR:

[[File:Raiga Logo.jpg|400px|center|Raiga: Strato Fighter (logo)]]

{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = #d6231f
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
| background = #fefafb
| image = Raiga Strato Fighter (title).png
| width = 300px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 180px
| developer = [[Tecmo]]
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Long before [[Deathsmiles]] existed, Raiga: Strato Fighter (or just Strato Fighter) existed as an early example of a horizontal shmup where you could freely fire left or right as you pleased. Instead of having two different buttons to fire depending on the direction you wanted to shoot however, Raiga simply features a shot button and a separate button to change directions.

It's pretty easy to 1CC the first loop at least. You're exceptionally powerful when your shot power is maxed out, allowing you to easily sweep enemies and bosses away, and there's a very large number of extends/1UPs available. You do however get depowered heavily if you die (what some folks call "Gradius syndrome") so it's the kind of game where your first clear will likely also be a deathless clear.

Its scoring system basically just rewards killing as many enemies as possible. The bosses don't appear to be terribly milkable in terms of point value, with the exception being the final boss which rewards a tremendous amount of points if you milk it in both loops and then kill it prior to it dying due to timeout.

It's also pretty fun to play cooperatively. Just note that if you start the game with two players, the enemy count is nearly doubled and there's also extra powerup items that appear.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a way too slow built-in autofire rate, so don't bother holding it. You're meant to be tapping the button constantly to keep a good number of shots onscreen. Autofire improves it immensely as there's little to no reason to ever stop firing. About 10 hz autofire on Button 1 as a good speed to use which works well as a balance between screen coverage and shot power, and also is effective when you're at low power as well as high power.

* '''Button 2:''' Change Direction (tap it to switch which direction you're facing)

=== Ships ===
----
1P is red, 2P is blue. You can freely play the game alone on 1P or 2P side. Both appear to have the same movement speed and damage, with the only differences being which one appears in the cutscenes between stages and at the end of the game.

=== Powerups ===
----
Powerups are dropped at fixed points in the game, often by item carriers that have two boxes, or by shooting individual boxes found in the environment.

There's also a few item carriers that appear which drop 4 random powerups when killed. These can include extends. There's two in Loop 1, Stage 5, two in Loop 2, Stage 5, and one in Loop 2, Stage 6, that look like these:

https://i.imgur.com/lJs37mE.jpg

There's 3 different types of weapon powerups (Primary, Secondary, Auto Guard) as well as miscellaneous items. [https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=2124&image=2 Please click here for an English version of the game's flyer] for a quick overview, further details are below:

'''Primary Weapons'''

Note that dying will strip you of all powerups, but will keep your current Primary Weapon type and simply depower it to the lowest power level. This can be an issue for Spread Gun and Vertical which are rather weak at low shot power. Every time you collect one of these, your shot power increases, and this increase applies even if you switch weapons (like going Ion -> S.Gun -> Ion in Stage 1), which makes this game a bit friendlier than games like [[Mahou Daisakusen]] which do not power you up unless you collect the same weapon icon repeatedly. It appears to take 3 powerups to reach max power, at which point all three weapon types change to a distinct shade of purple.

'''Ion Launcher (ION.L):''' The weapon you start the game with. It's the strongest of your weapons when at low shot power, and at maximum shot power it can absolutely melt bosses in seconds with ease. The thin shot isn't too big of an issue if you also have two Beam Rifles with you, but at some points in the game you may wish to switch weapons to have a bit more spread.

'''Spread Gun (S.GUN):''' Fairly weak at low show power, but gets pretty powerful when at max power, at least for stages. It has a good deal of coverage, but because most bosses in this game have pretty small weak points, damage output drops drastically during boss fights, where Ion Launcher outclasses it. Perhaps better for scoring during stages because it's easier to score kills without having to chase down enemies?

'''Vertical (VERTICAL):''' Fires 3 energy waves, one in front of your ship, and 2 fired vertically above and below slightly in front of you. They're pretty useful for sections where a lot of enemies appear above and below you, or if you don't have the auto aiming of Beam Rifle for some reason, but their damage to sturdier targets is underwhelming. You generally want to switch to something else before you reach the bosses of each stage, and fortunately the game is kind enough to give out appropriate powerups to do so.

At low shot power damage is minimal, so dying with this equipped will put you at risk of further deaths from being unable to kill things in a timely fashion!

'''Secondary Weapons'''

'''Missiles:''' Fires a pair of homing missiles. They're slow and you're limited to one volley onscreen at a time, but they're pretty decent damage whenever they connect. The best of the two secondary weapons, generally speaking.

'''Bombs:''' Drops a bomb at a short arc in front of you, similar to the Spread Bomb found in some [[Gradius]] games, but with a much smaller blast radius. It deals a good deal of damage and is useful in some specific sections such as early in Stage 2 (where they conveniently first appear), but generally speaking missiles are better suited to most encounters.

'''Auto Guards:'''

Note that despite what the game flyer calls them, they do not block shots. They're little helper mechs that fly above and below your ship, that come equipped with one of three guns. With the exception of the Blaster variety, they will turn to face the same direction you do. They also have lightsabers and will attack enemies and enemy homing missiles with them when in range (enemy missiles can also be shot down, they're rather slow). Collecting one adds one above your ship, and the next one you collect adds it below. Any time you grab one of these icons, the guns both Auto Guards use is changed to that gun type.

'''Beam Rifle (BEEM.R):''' The rarest, and most useful of the three types of Auto Guard. The only guaranteed ones are in Stage 1 and in Stage 4. They fire auto-aimed blue bullets at enemies, and are able to aim in a more or less 180 degree angle from the direction you're facing. Damage is pretty decent, and they can handle plenty of enemies on their own. Use them along with Ion Launcher to maximize your boss killing potential.

They don't seem to be very aggressive about using the lightsaber against enemies touching them, but their shots do plenty of damage at close range, so this isn't a practical issue.

'''Solid Shooter (SOLID.S):''' This type of Auto Guard stays above and below your ship at a fixed distance, firing rockets at a decent rate of fire in whatever direction you're facing. If you don't have access to a Beam Rifle for some reason this is probably your next best pick. It's not bad by any means, but Beam Rifle's auto aiming allows for dealing with enemies from multiple directions as well as concentrating fire on bosses that have relatively small weak points, so you'll usually want to stick with Beam Rifle when possible. Solid Shooter may be better for sweeping the screen though as its projectiles are faster, and Beam Rifle can occasionally miss fast targets. Its shots don't appear to be stronger, if at all, per hit compared to other Auto Guards.

'''Blaster (BLASTER):''' The only one of the three Auto Guards that doesn't aim in the same direction as you. These trail along after you, similar to Gradius Options/Multiples. They do not turn to fire when you change directions, but keep firing in the direction they were firing. To change their firing direction, you have to first change direction, then move around so you drag the Auto Guards past their current position. When pulled far enough, they will switch firing direction to the direction you're currently facing. This quirk makes them generally extremely awkward to use compared to the other types of Auto Guard.

They're the only Auto Guard in the game that lets you fire in both directions at once which has some theoretical niche uses, but because of how difficult they are to control, how thin their shots are, and how quickly and effectively you can switch directions normally, Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should always be preferred over Blaster. Blaster does have an advantage over Solid Shooter in that it's thin enough to line up shots on very small boss weakpoints, but it's generally much harder to use it effectively and thus Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should be preferred over it.

=== Rank ===
----
The game does not appear to have an aggressive rank system, if it even has one at all.

=== Loops ===
----
The game features 6 stages per loop, with 2 loops to play through. The game automatically loops upon completion of loop 1, stage 6, and starts what it refers to as "Professional Mode". You can tell you're in loop 2 by the word PRO written in red at the top of the screen.

Interestingly, while stage 6 in loop 1 starts you in front of the final boss, loop 2 reveals an entirely new stage in loop 6, where you go through a boss rush of most of the bosses in the game before finally encountering the final boss.

=== Scoring ===
----
Score comes from three elements. You get points per enemy killed, you get points per extra life remaining at the end of the game, and you can squeeze additional points out by milking bosses. The final boss in particular is milkable in both loops for a notable amount of points (you'll also need to kill it before it times out, about 2 minutes on the timer or so, or lose out on those points).

Because of randomness in extra life drops from the large item carriers, scoring probably isn't the most fun thing to do in this game. It's still a fun game to play for the 2 loop clear.

== Version Differences ==
JP version's called Raiga: Strato Fighter, the English/US release was renamed to simply Strato Fighter. More details are needed as to whether or not there are any meaningful gameplay differences between them. It was released in arcades, and later received a port on the original Xbox as part of the "Tecmo Classic Arcade" compilation. It's not yet known how accurate this port is.

== Video References ==
''[[user:BKR|BKR's]] note: Somehow I apparently have the highest scoring recording known? I have no idea where the world record gets those additional points. There may be a scoring glitch, but this game lacks checkpoints, so there'd be no checkpoint milking available. Possibly the world records start in 2 player mode which increases the number of enemies spawned, and thus points available? I'm told this isn't the case, but given the lack of footage available there's no way to know for sure. At any rate, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skExYa7_3GY here's a no-miss run of both loops of the game I managed to get] when I was aggressively trying to score attack it. I'm afraid I haven't figured out how to squeeze any more points out yet since then, and there doesn't appear to be any video footage available from the world record holders, alas.
''
And for fun, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MZOtvLOo a dumb video showing off the countless stupid deaths] I had in the months I was working on this.''

== References & Contributors ==

[[user:BKR|BKR:]] This game is neat! I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or formatting issues. >w>;

Raiga: Strato Fighter

2022-10-10T00:58:30Z

BKR: Raiga: Strato Fighter

[[File:Raiga Logo.jpg|400px|center|Raiga: Strato Fighter (logo)]]

{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = #d6231f
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
| background = #fefafb
| image = Raiga Strato Fighter (title).png
| width = 300px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 180px
| developer = [[Tecmo]]
}}

== Gameplay Overview ==
Long before [[Deathsmiles]] existed, Raiga: Strato Fighter (or just Strato Fighter) existed as an early example of a horizontal shmup where you could freely fire left or right as you pleased. Instead of having two different buttons to fire depending on the direction you wanted to shoot however, Raiga simply features a shot button and a separate button to change directions.

It's pretty easy to 1CC the first loop at least. You're exceptionally powerful when your shot power is maxed out, allowing you to easily sweep enemies and bosses away, and there's a very large number of extends/1UPs available. You do however get depowered heavily if you die (what some folks call "Gradius syndrome") so it's the kind of game where your first clear will likely also be a deathless clear.

Its scoring system basically just rewards killing as many enemies as possible. The bosses don't appear to be terribly milkable in terms of point value, with the exception being the final boss which rewards a tremendous amount of points if you milk it in both loops and then kill it prior to it dying due to timeout.

It's also pretty fun to play cooperatively. Just note that if you start the game with two players, the enemy count is nearly doubled and there's also extra powerup items that appear.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''Button 1:''' Shoot (holding it shoots slowly, tap it rapidly to shoot much faster)

The game has a way too slow built-in autofire rate, so don't bother holding it. You're meant to be tapping the button constantly to keep a good number of shots onscreen. Autofire improves it immensely as there's little to no reason to ever stop firing. About 10 hz autofire on Button 1 as a good speed to use which works well as a balance between screen coverage and shot power, and also is effective when you're at low power as well as high power.

* '''Button 2:''' Change Direction (tap it to switch which direction you're facing)

=== Ships ===
----
1P is red, 2P is blue. You can freely play the game alone on 1P or 2P side. Both appear to have the same movement speed and damage, with the only differences being which one appears in the cutscenes between stages and at the end of the game.

=== Powerups ===
----
Powerups are dropped at fixed points in the game, often by item carriers that have two boxes, or by shooting individual boxes found in the environment.

There's also a few item carriers that appear which drop 4 random powerups when killed. These can include extends. There's two in Loop 1, Stage 5, two in Loop 2, Stage 5, and one in Loop 2, Stage 6, that look like these:

https://i.imgur.com/lJs37mE.jpg

There's 3 different types of weapon powerups (Primary, Secondary, Auto Guard) as well as miscellaneous items. [https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=2124&image=2 Please click here for an English version of the game's flyer] for a quick overview, further details are below:

'''Primary Weapons'''

Note that dying will strip you of all powerups, but will keep your current Primary Weapon type and simply depower it to the lowest power level. This can be an issue for Spread Gun and Vertical which are rather weak at low shot power. Every time you collect one of these, your shot power increases, and this increase applies even if you switch weapons (like going Ion -> S.Gun -> Ion in Stage 1), which makes this game a bit friendlier than games like [[Mahou Daisakusen]] which do not power you up unless you collect the same weapon icon repeatedly. It appears to take 3 powerups to reach max power, at which point all three weapon types change to a distinct shade of purple.

'''Ion Launcher (ION.L):''' The weapon you start the game with. It's the strongest of your weapons when at low shot power, and at maximum shot power it can absolutely melt bosses in seconds with ease. The thin shot isn't too big of an issue if you also have two Beam Rifles with you, but at some points in the game you may wish to switch weapons to have a bit more spread.

'''Spread Gun (S.GUN):''' Fairly weak at low show power, but gets pretty powerful when at max power, at least for stages. It has a good deal of coverage, but because most bosses in this game have pretty small weak points, damage output drops drastically during boss fights, where Ion Launcher outclasses it. Perhaps better for scoring during stages because it's easier to score kills without having to chase down enemies?

'''Vertical (VERTICAL):''' Fires 3 energy waves, one in front of your ship, and 2 fired vertically above and below slightly in front of you. They're pretty useful for sections where a lot of enemies appear above and below you, or if you don't have the auto aiming of Beam Rifle for some reason, but their damage to sturdier targets is underwhelming. You generally want to switch to something else before you reach the bosses of each stage, and fortunately the game is kind enough to give out appropriate powerups to do so.

At low shot power damage is minimal, so dying with this equipped will put you at risk of further deaths from being unable to kill things in a timely fashion!

'''Secondary Weapons'''

'''Missiles:''' Fires a pair of homing missiles. They're slow and you're limited to one volley onscreen at a time, but they're pretty decent damage whenever they connect. The best of the two secondary weapons, generally speaking.

'''Bombs:''' Drops a bomb at a short arc in front of you, similar to the Spread Bomb found in some [[Gradius]] games, but with a much smaller blast radius. It deals a good deal of damage and is useful in some specific sections such as early in Stage 2 (where they conveniently first appear), but generally speaking missiles are better suited to most encounters.

'''Auto Guards:'''

Note that despite what the game flyer calls them, they do not block shots. They're little helper mechs that fly above and below your ship, that come equipped with one of three guns. With the exception of the Blaster variety, they will turn to face the same direction you do. They also have lightsabers and will attack enemies and enemy homing missiles with them when in range (enemy missiles can also be shot down, they're rather slow). Collecting one adds one above your ship, and the next one you collect adds it below. Any time you grab one of these icons, the guns both Auto Guards use is changed to that gun type.

'''Beam Rifle (BEEM.R):''' The rarest, and most useful of the three types of Auto Guard. The only guaranteed ones are in Stage 1 and in Stage 4. They fire auto-aimed blue bullets at enemies, and are able to aim in a more or less 180 degree angle from the direction you're facing. Damage is pretty decent, and they can handle plenty of enemies on their own. Use them along with Ion Launcher to maximize your boss killing potential.

They don't seem to be very aggressive about using the lightsaber against enemies touching them, but their shots do plenty of damage at close range, so this isn't a practical issue.

'''Solid Shooter (SOLID.S):''' This type of Auto Guard stays above and below your ship at a fixed distance, firing rockets at a decent rate of fire in whatever direction you're facing. If you don't have access to a Beam Rifle for some reason this is probably your next best pick. It's not bad by any means, but Beam Rifle's auto aiming allows for dealing with enemies from multiple directions as well as concentrating fire on bosses that have relatively small weak points, so you'll usually want to stick with Beam Rifle when possible. Solid Shooter may be better for sweeping the screen though as its projectiles are faster, and Beam Rifle can occasionally miss fast targets. Its shots don't appear to be stronger, if at all, per hit compared to other Auto Guards.

'''Blaster (BLASTER):''' The only one of the three Auto Guards that doesn't aim in the same direction as you. These trail along after you, similar to Gradius Options/Multiples. They do not turn to fire when you change directions, but keep firing in the direction they were firing. To change their firing direction, you have to first change direction, then move around so you drag the Auto Guards past their current position. When pulled far enough, they will switch firing direction to the direction you're currently facing. This quirk makes them generally extremely awkward to use compared to the other types of Auto Guard.

They're the only Auto Guard in the game that lets you fire in both directions at once which has some theoretical niche uses, but because of how difficult they are to control, how thin their shots are, and how quickly and effectively you can switch directions normally, Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should always be preferred over Blaster. Blaster does have an advantage over Solid Shooter in that it's thin enough to line up shots on very small boss weakpoints, but it's generally much harder to use it effectively and thus Beam Rifle or Solid Shooter should be preferred over it.

=== Rank ===
----
The game does not appear to have an aggressive rank system, if it even has one at all.

=== Loops ===
----
The game features 6 stages per loop, with 2 loops to play through. The game automatically loops upon completion of loop 1, stage 6, and starts what it refers to as "Professional Mode". You can tell you're in loop 2 by the word PRO written in red at the top of the screen.

Interestingly, while stage 6 in loop 1 starts you in front of the final boss, loop 2 reveals an entirely new stage in loop 6, where you go through a boss rush of most of the bosses in the game before finally encountering the final boss.

=== Scoring ===
----
Score comes from three elements. You get points per enemy killed, you get points per extra life remaining at the end of the game, and you can squeeze additional points out by milking bosses. The final boss in particular is milkable in both loops for a notable amount of points (you'll also need to kill it before it times out, about 2 minutes on the timer or so, or lose out on those points).

Because of randomness in extra life drops from the large item carriers, scoring probably isn't the most fun thing to do in this game. It's still a fun game to play for the 2 loop clear.

== Video References ==
''[[user:BKR|BKR's]] note: Somehow I apparently have the highest scoring recording known? I have no idea where the world record gets those additional points. There may be a scoring glitch, but this game lacks checkpoints, so there'd be no checkpoint milking available. Possibly the world records start in 2 player mode which increases the number of enemies spawned, and thus points available? I'm told this isn't the case, but given the lack of footage available there's no way to know for sure. At any rate, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skExYa7_3GY here's a no-miss run of both loops of the game I managed to get] when I was aggressively trying to score attack it. I'm afraid I haven't figured out how to squeeze any more points out yet since then, and there doesn't appear to be any video footage available from the world record holders, alas.
''
And for fun, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MZOtvLOo a dumb video showing off the countless stupid deaths] I had in the months I was working on this.''

== References & Contributors ==

[[user:BKR|BKR:]] This game is neat! I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or formatting issues. >w>;

User:BKR

2022-10-10T00:24:30Z

BKR: Created page with "I like shmups. Also mildly Bayonetta obsessed. I occasionally get some good clears that I post on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bareknuckleroo Stuff I've 1CC'd: https://sh..."

I like shmups. Also mildly Bayonetta obsessed. I occasionally get some good clears that I post on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bareknuckleroo

Stuff I've 1CC'd: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1944&p=844709#p844709

Sideline overview/game guide on the forum: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=65435

Halley's Comet overview/game guide on the forum: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=69440

Raiga overview/game guide on the forum: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=69526

File:Raiga Strato Fighter (title).png

2022-10-10T00:14:35Z

BKR:

Raiga: Strato Fighter (title screen)

File:Raiga Logo.jpg

2022-10-10T00:09:14Z

BKR:

Raiga: Strato Fighter (JP logo)

DonPachi

2021-12-28T20:21:17Z

BKR:

[[File:Logo_DonPachi_3x.png|300px|center]]

{{GameInfobox
| bordercolor = #d6231f
| innerbordercolor = #eeeeac
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
| background = #fefafb
| image = Screenshot_DonPachi_001.png
| width = 324px;
| imagecaption = Title screen
| imagescalepx = 180px
| developer = [[CAVE]]
| music = Ryūichi Yabuki
| program = Tsuneki Ikeda Toshiaki Tomizawa Hiroyuki Uchida Ryūichi Yabuki
| art = Atsunori Aburatani Kazuhiro Asaba Jun Fujisaku Riichiro Nitta Naoki Ogiwara
| releasedate = '''Arcade:''' May 1995 '''Sega Saturn:''' April 26, 1996 '''Playstation:''' October 18, 1996
| nextgame = [[DoDonPachi]]
}}

''[[DonPachi]]'' (首領蜂 "Leader Bee", abbreviated: '''DP''') is the first game developed by ''[[CAVE]]'', and the first entry in the ''[[:Category:DonPachi series|DonPachi series]]'' of shoot-em-ups. It is one of the first games in its genre to introduce a chaining system, which would become a well-known staple of the series. Alongside ''[[Batsugun]]'', ''DonPachi'' is considered to be one of the progenitors of the shooting game sub-genre known as [[bullet hell]]. It also features a man named "Bob" as the announcer of the game, and '''we love him very much'''.

''DonPachi'' was originally released in the arcades in 1995. It was later ported to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn home consoles. The console ports are generally considered inferior to the arcade version, and typically aren't played for score.

{{center |'''DON'T YOU JUST ''LOVE'' THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY?'''}}

__TOC__

{{clear}}

== Gameplay Overview ==

[[File:Donpachilogocolor.jpg|thumb|200px|right]]

''DonPachi'' is a three-button shooter. Button '''C''' is disabled by default but can be enabled in the service menu.

There are five stages in the game, with a second [[loop]] beginning at the end of stage five. Upon reaching the end of the second loop, the player will fight the [[True Last Boss]], [[Taisabachi]]. There are no special requirements for entering the second loop or fighting the TLB.

=== Controls ===

* '''A (Press)''': Fires the standard "spread" shot weapon.
* '''A (Hold)''': Fires the ship's "focus" laser weapon (also surrounds the player with an Aura that deals severe damage).
* '''B''': Detonates a Bomb, clearing the screen of bullets and dealing massive damage to enemies on screen.
** Pressing '''B''' detonates a Spread Bomb, which damages everything on screen.
** Pressing '''B''' while '''holding A''' (firing your laser) detonates a Laser Bomb, which fires a massive laser blast dealing extreme damage to anything in its path.
* '''C''': Auto-fire for the player's standard spread shot. Shot frequency with '''C''' is higher than what can normally be achieved with putting auto-fire on button '''A'''. Therefore, some advanced chains are only possible with '''C'''.

=== Ships ===

There are three ship types in ''DonPachi''. Playing on 2P side has no effect on game mechanics.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Ship
! rowspan="2" | 1P side
! rowspan="2" | 2P side
! rowspan="2" | Speed
! rowspan="2" | Shot
! colspan="4" | Laser
! rowspan="2" | Y-axis position of hitbox
|-
! Strength !! Beam Width !! Activation Speed !! Travelling Speed
|-
| '''Type A''' || [[File:Dp-p1-red.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-yellow.gif|x100px]] || Faster || Narrow || Stronger || Smaller || Faster || Medium || Center
|-
| '''Type B''' || [[File:Dp-p1-green.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-purple.gif|x100px]] || Medium || Medium Options track lateral movement || Medium || Greater || Medium || Faster || Higher
|-
| '''Type C''' || [[File:Dp-p1-blue.gif|x100px]] || [[File:Dp-p2-black.gif|x100px]] || Slower || Wide || Weaker || Greater || Slower || Medium || Lower
|}

Note: Type B is unusual in that it is the only one of the three shot types where its gunpods shift their aim according to your movement. As you move left or right, the gunpod on that side will rotate accordingly, and can rotate until it's firing horizontally. The turning speed is '''much''' faster if you hold down then press left or right, allowing you to rapidly sweep with it by tapping the appropriate direction. You can also force the gunpods back into a forward facing position by briefly holding Button 1 and then letting go again, allowing you to move around while keeping both gunpods firing mostly forward. There's a brief window where you can hold Button 1 then release to reset their aim without activating your laser.

=== Bombs ===

There are two types of bombs, Spread Bombs (press '''B''') and Laser Bombs (press '''B''' while firing your laser). Laser Bombs are recommended for use against bosses for survival players, as they damage the bosses considerably well.

The player holds 3 bomb slots upon starting the game. With every 3 bombs used, the player's bomb capacity is increased by 1 slot up to a maximum of 7 slots.

After the end of each stage, the player is rewarded with extra bombs depending on the stage completed shown in the table below. These extra bombs only fill up the existing slots with extras being discarded if the player's stock is full.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Stage !! Extra bombs
|-
| 1-1 || 1
|-
| 1-2 || 2
|-
| 1-3 || 3
|-
| 1-4 || 4
|-
| 1-5 || 5
|-
! colspan="2" | Second Loop
|-
| 2-1 || 1
|-
| 2-2 || 2
|-
| 2-3 || 3
|-
| 2-4 || 4
|}

In the US version of ''DonPachi'' the player's bomb stock is refilled regardless of the stage cleared.

=== Items ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Item powerup.jpg|center]] || '''Power Up''' Increases your attack power (max power after the 8th item)
|-
| [[File:Item full.jpg|center]] || '''Max Power Up''' Instantly grants max power (only appears after losing all lives)
|-
| [[File:Item bomber.jpg|center]] || '''Bomb''' Increases your bomb stock by 1
|-
| [[File:Item star.jpg|center]] || '''Star Item''' Small point reward
|-
| [[File:Item bee medal.jpg|center]] || '''Bee Medal''' Point value increases the more you collect per stage
|-
| [[File:Item 1up.jpg]] || '''1-Up''' Rewards the player with one extra life
|}

=== Extra Lives ===

[[File:Dp1ex.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Stage 1-4 extra life location]]

There are two extra lives to be gained in ''DonPachi'', increasing the player's maximum possible life stock to 4.

# By getting '''2,000,000''' points the player is rewarded with one extra life.
# There is a hidden 1-Up item in the central building located at the end of the corridor with the stationary red ships to the sides in the second half of '''stage 1-4'''. If you use a bomb while destroying this building, '''the 1-Up item will not appear'''. There are no other requirements to make the 1-Up appear. This 1-Up does not appear in the second loop.

=== Hidden Bomb Items ===

There are a handful of hidden bombs that can be uncovered by fulfilling conditions described below. This is particularly relevant to survival players.

* Destroy the two hoverboats in stages 1-3 and 2-3 '''after they have come to a halt''' for one bomb each.
* Destroy the three green midsized enemies towards the end of stage 2-2 '''without the use of a bomb'''. If done correctly, each of the enemies will drop a bomb.
* Destroy the two hatches to the left and right side of the stage 2-3 boss '''without the use of a bomb''' for one extra bomb item each. The hatches will also drop a bomb item if they are still intact when the boss blows up. However, if the boss is destroyed with a bomb, even an intact hatch will not drop a bomb item.

=== Rank ===

The rank system of ''DonPachi'' works as follows.

[[File:Donpachi rank nomiss flag.png|thumb|right|(Left) No Miss flag is ON; (Right) No miss flag is OFF]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Per-player rank
|-
| playerrank = (power * 2) + bombstock + ((maxhit - 20) / 8)
|-
! Single-player game
|-
| rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + bees + lives + playerrank
|-
! Two-player game
|-
| rank = (loop * 16) + (stage * 2) + (survivalframes / 2048) + 1Pbees + 2Pbees + 1Plives + 2Plives + ((1prank + 2prank) / 2)
|}

* '''Everything starts counting from 0''', so stages 0-4 for 1-1 to 1-5; loops 0-1 for loop 1 and 2. Default starting lives are counted as 3 not 2.
* ''power'' refers to your '''power level''' and increases every 2 Power-Up items collected. A sound effect "power up!" is played when you increase your power level by 1.
* ''bees'' refers to the number of bees collected in the current stage.
* ''maxhit'' refers to the maximum number of hits obtained throughout the entire game. If this is below 20, this factor is not included into the rank.
* The final result of this formula and therefore the rank itself is '''capped at 63'''.

Additionally, there is a '''no miss flag''' that is either ON and OFF. This trigger solely affects the behavior of the '''suicide bullets''' during the loop. '''If it's ON''', the random spread of the bullets is much wider, the bullets are faster, and a different type of thicker bullets is found in between. The suicide bullets during the loop become '''gradually harder'''. So even on max rank with a no miss, the difficulty of the suicide bullets is much harder in 2-2 than it is in 2-1 and so on.

As the rank cap of 63 is set comparatively low, advanced players will reach max rank '''as early as stage 1-5''' thereby making the whole formula feel unnecessarily convoluted. '''Rank control''' is generally not considered to be a viable strategy neither for scoring nor survival.

=== Player Death ===

When the player loses a ship, the following changes are made:

* The number of lives the player has is decremented by 1. If the player had no spare lives, this causes a game over.
* The number of bombs being carried is set to 3, regardless of capacity. There is no effect on the bomb capacity count.
* The [[#Bomb_Capacity_Bonus|Capacity Bonus chain]] is broken, and cannot be restarted.
* The player's shot power is set to 0. However, "partial" power up (the small P icon on the bottom of the HUD) is preserved.
* The GPS chain is broken.

=== Observable Screen & Playing Field ===

[[File:DP screenboth.png|400px|left]]
As in many other shmups, the screen in DonPachi only shows about 3/4 of the horizontal playing field, leaving some parts to the sides of the screen not observable to the player. It's important to note that this phenomenon has no effect on ground enemies but does affect most (but not all!) airborne enemies in their spawn position on screen. In fact, the x-axis position of many airborne enemies is decided in relation to the viewable screen only and not by the absolute playing field.

To give an example, in the left half of the image to the left, the player is at the left edge of the playing field, and in the right half the player hugs the right edge. Nonetheless, the x-axis position of the item carrier is exactly the same relative to the observable screen. This also means that the absolute coordinate of the x-axis position is different when the full playing field is considered. This results in the fact that airborne enemies spawn in slightly different places for their x-axis position.

{{clear}}
[[File:Dpxaxis.png|400px|left]]
The full deviation of the x-axis spawn points of airborne enemies is shown in the image to the left. The red lines mark the two extreme coordinates of the x-axes when the player has hugged the two edges of the playing field by the time the enemy had entered on screen. This has potentially great effects on devising a chain route as the player can control the enemy spawn positions to a certain extent. For instance, when spawning the item carrier in this scenario more to the right, it becomes possible to damage the cockpit of the ship that would otherwise be blocked as seen on the left. This way, the player can keep the item carrier alive including it in the chain and is able to weaken the cockpit for a better setup overall.

The deviation of the two extreme x-axis positions roughly equals the size of the unobservable portions of the playing field.

{{clear}}

=== Behavior of Aimed Bullets ===

[[File:Donpachi error2.png|150px|right]]
Patterns that are directly aimed at the player ship show a behavior of very often consistently missing their target. This aspect of aimed bullets can be exploited to the player's advantage, e.g. to find a safe spot on the first form of the 4th boss (due to the [[DonPachi#Ships|different x-axis positions of the ships' hitboxes]], this safe spot only works with Type A and C but not with Type B). The inaccurate aim of the bullets is shown in the graphic on the right. Depending on the angle the bullet is fired at the player ship (the center of the image), the firing aim can be 1 tick extra clockwise (yellow), 2 ticks extra clockwise (red) or 1 tick extra counter-clockwise (cyan). Bullets fired from an angle marked in black hit the player directly.

{{clear}}

=== Scoring ===
----
''For world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records#Donpachi|Hall of Records entry]].''
 ''For the history of world record scores, please refer to the [[STG_Hall_of_Records/World_Record_Progression_Donpachi|World Record Progression of DonPachi]]

==== Chaining ====

The central scoring mechanic of ''DonPachi'' is the '''Get Point System''' (GPS), which rewards the player with huge score by performing '''hit/kill chains''' upon enemies and the environment, in quick succession. The chaining in ''DonPachi'' is very strict, requiring that the player destroy another enemy or object within '''0.5 seconds''' (30 frames) of the previous destroyed object. The only way the player can keep their chain from dropping is by destroying another enemy, unlike in later games in the series that provided additional ways to keep a chain going (e.g. connecting your laser to a midsize enemy). Because of this, ''DonPachi'' typically emphasizes collecting points from '''multiple, smaller chains''' instead of connecting one chain through an entire stage.

The scoring formula of the chain system looks as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| hit count * A '''+''' (hit count - 1) * B '''+''' (hit count - 2) * C '''+''' ... '''+''' 1 * Z
''(whereas A, B, C, ... , Z are the base values of the enemies chained in successive order)''
|}

For example, a '''3 Hit chain''' with the successive enemy base values of (A = 100), (B = 600), and (Z = 300), results in '''1,800pts''' (3*'''100''' + 2*'''600''' + 1*'''300''' = '''1,800''').

If the player were to destroy the same enemies but in a ''different order'', this will also have an effect on the total score gain.
With that in mind, destroying the previous enemies in the order of (A = 600), (B = 300), and (Z = 100) yields '''2,500pts''' total (3*'''600''' + 2*'''300''' + 1*'''100''' = '''2,500'''). For this reason, it is more lucrative to '''destroy enemies with a higher base value''' as '''early''' on in the chain as possible.

==== Enemy point values ====

:''Main article: [[DonPachi/Enemy list]]''

==== Bomb Capacity Bonus ====

One of the most important sources for score apart from the Chaining is the Capacity Bonus. While the player has not died and not increased their bomb capacity, the end stage '''Capacity Bonus''' increases for each stage. This increased Capacity Bonus value maxes out at 5 million, for every stage in the second loop. This bonus looks as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Capacity Bonus
|-
| 1-1 || 100,000
|-
| 1-2 || 200,000
|-
| 1-3 || 400,000
|-
| 1-4 || 800,000
|-
| 1-5 || 2,000,000
|-
| 2-1 to 2-5 || 5,000,000
|}

Once the player '''has died once, or increased their bomb capacity to 4 or more slots''', the Capacity Bonus chain is '''disabled''', resulting in a dramatically smaller bonus '''solely based on the number of bomb slots'''. The Capacity Bonus chain cannot be restarted once it has been broken. The "normal" capacity bonus values are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Bomb Slots !! Capacity Bonus
|-
| 3 slots || 100,000
|-
| 4 slots || 60,000
|-
| 5 slots || 40,000
|-
| 6 slots || 20,000
|-
| 7 slots || 0
|}

Additional to the Capacity Bonus, the player is rewarded with '''10,000pts per remaining bomb after the end of each stage'''. This bonus is consistent throughout the game unaffected by the number of deaths or bomb slots.

==== Bee Medals ====

There are '''13''' bees to collect in each stage, and collecting a bee icon awards the player points, with each collected bee in a stage awarding '''increased point gain'''. Unlike in later games of the series, this bonus does '''not carry over between stages'''.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[File:Item bee medal.jpg|center]]
| 100 || 200 || 400 || 800 || 1,000 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 8,000 || 10,000 || 20,000 || 40,000 || 80,000 || '''100,000'''
|}

If the player dies, the Bee Medal value '''resets back to 100'''.

The following maps show you the '''locations of the 13 bees''' for each of the stages.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[DonPachi/stage1_beemap|Stage 1]] || [[DonPachi/stage2_beemap|Stage 2]] || [[DonPachi/stage3_beemap|Stage 3]] || [[DonPachi/stage4_beemap|Stage 4]] || [[DonPachi/stage5_beemap|Stage 5]]
|}

==== Item Collection ====

'''Star Items''' have to be uncovered on the ground (uncovering them contributes as a Hit for the Chain) and give '''300pts''' each when picked up. Additionally, the player is rewarded with '''1,000pts''' each for every Star Item collected at the end of a stage. ''The player is not rewarded with this end bonus if they have died after the collection of a Star Item''.

'''Power-Up Items''' are worth '''10,000pts''' if picked up when fully powered up. Similarly, '''Bomb Items''' are also worth '''10,000pts''' when they are collected while the player has a full bomb stock.

==== End Game Bonus ====

Upon reaching the end of the second loop and destroying [[Taisabachi]], the player is rewarded with '''1,000,000pts per remaining life''' and likewise the usual '''10,000pts per remaining bomb'''.

[[File:Dpgenend.jpg|400px|center]]

== Versions ==

There are four different PCB revisions for DonPachi.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%;"
|-
! style="width:10%;" | [[File:Dp jpversion.png|100px]] Japan Version
| style="width:30%;" | The original version of DonPachi and the standard to play whether you're hunting for a [[1cc]] or shoot for high scores.
|-
! style="width:10%;" | [[File:Dp usaversion.png|100px]] US Version
| style="width:30%;" | A significantly easier version of the game. Much lower rank and the bombstock is fully refilled after each stage. Good for beginners. Features English language text for the story.
|-
! style="width:10%;" | [[File:Dp krversion.png|100px]] Korea Version
| style="width:30%;" | A version with presumably fewer tweaks. Rank seems to have no changes. The only documented difference is an easier final attack pattern for the first boss (both loops). Likely to feature Korean language story, which is unfortunately only displayed as garbled Japanese text on Mame.
|-
! style="width:10%;" | [[File:Dp hkversion.png|100px]] Hong Kong Version
| style="width:30%;" | Insanely difficult version with much higher rank right from the start. The masochist's choice. No intermission nor ending sequence.
|}

== Trivia ==
[[File:Dp ranking.png|150px|thumb|left|[[Toaplan]] forever!]]
[[File:Pipiru.png|150px|thumb|right|[[Toaplan]] is dead, long live [[CAVE]]!]]

* The HIT count of the chain will be displayed on screen from '''10 HITs''' onwards. The number will increase in size from '''30 HITs''' onwards. To make the HIT display show the large font permanently, the player has to hold '''Up + Left''' and then press '''A + Start''' anywhere in the game during a run. This command has a purely cosmetic effect and does not affect the gameplay in any way. What this command also does is display your max hit chain count in your gp window as long as you're not actively chaining.

* During an '''active chain''', the HIT count will be displayed in red color. When you finish the chain with '''less than 50 HITs''' the counter will be blue. After a '''50 to 99 HIT''' chain it will be green and a chain of '''100 HITs or more''' will be displayed in yellow color after it ends.

* The '''default ranking screen''' has a hidden message when the letters of the player's initials are read vertically across entries: TOAPLAN.FOREVER (shown on the left).

* During the '''credits sequence after the second loop''', [[Toaplan]]'s mascot ''Pipiru'' can be spotted clinging onto the Type A ship and then vanishing into goofiness (shown on the right).

== Video References ==

[[DonPachi/Video Index|Video index for DonPachi]]

== References & Contributors ==

# Scoring info and formatting work provided by [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]]
# Basic info and formatting work provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]]
# Gifs for the ships taken from http://www.slateman.net/beestorm/donpachi/
# Item sprites taken from http://www.world-of-arcades.net/Cave/DonPachi/score_system.htm
# Rank info based on messages by "smc" posted on Discord on August 18th and August 25th, 2020.
# Information on the behavior of aimed bullets incl. the graphical representation provided by [[User:Trap15|Trap15]] based on messages posted on Discord dated May 3rd, 2021.


[[Category:DonPachi]]
[[Category:DonPachi series]]
[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[Category:True Last Boss]]

Mushihimesama Futari

2021-12-28T20:01:34Z

BKR: Details on how to reset the Spiritual Larsa code, been known about for a few years now: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=1385736#p1385736 - note: not sure if it's possible to do the Spiritual Larsa code on the XB360 port, possibly not since there's a training mode anyways.

[[File:Mushimesama Futari Logo.jpg|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Mushihimesama Futari
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = Template_Title.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[CAVE]]
|
|music = Manabu Namiki Kimihiro Abe
|
|program = Tsuneki Ikeda
|
|art = Hideki Nomura
|
|releasedate = October 27, 2006
}}

Mushihimesama Futari (''虫姫さまふたり'' literally ''Bug Princess Duo'') is a vertical scrolling shooting game released in arcades by [[CAVE]] in 2006. It is a sequel to [[Mushihimesama]] (虫姫さま) which was released in 2004. In addition to ''Reco'', the player character of the first game, it features the addition of a second player character called ''Palm''. After a short life in arcades the original version 1.0 was replaced with an upgraded 1.5 version featuring numerous gameplay changes and enhancements. A more extensively modified version, ''Mushihimesama Futari Black Label'' was also released to arcades in 2007. A slightly easier revision of ''Black Label'', subtitled ''Another Version'', was also developed, and may have been originally intended for international release{{unconfirmed}}. The game was ported to the XBOX 360 by [[M2]] in 2009. It included version 1.5 with ''Black Label'' available as DLC, in addition to exclusive Arrange and Novice modes. A 1.01 version based heavily on version 1.0 with minor changes was produced in 2007 but was not widely released in arcades. It was included as a bonus DLC code in limited editions of the XBOX 360 port.

The game features three modes to choose from. Like the original '[[Mushihimesama]]', ''Original Mode'' features few in number but fast moving bullets and a simple scoring system, while ''Maniac Mode'' has greater in number but slower moving bullets and a more complex scoring system. Much like the first game in the series, ''Ultra Mode'' aims for an exceptionally high difficulty level with an extreme number of bullets. Unlike the first game the scoring system of ''Ultra Mode'' is based on the simpler ''Original Mode'' system rather than a duplication of the ''Maniac Mode'' system. In ''Black Label'', however, 'Ultra Mode' is absent and is replaced instead with ''God Mode'', which features a more manageable difficulty level, with often simplified versions of enemy attacks from ''Ultra Mode'', and an enhanced version of the ''Maniac Mode'' scoring system.

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==
=== Controls ===
----

[[File:Joystick Three Button.png|frameless|none]]

* '''A (Press):''' Wide shot
* '''A (Hold):''' Focus shot
* '''B:''' Bomb
* '''C (Hold)''' Wide shot (autofire)

While using focus shot, movement speed is reduced.
If both A and C are held A takes precedence. An often used technique is to hold both buttons and release the A button to seamlessly transition from laser to rapid shot.

Tapping A and holding C both have the same effect and will produce an autofire stream of rapid shot. Tapping C on the other hand has two functions: it will produce a momentary burst of fire, and will also set the rate of autofire to be used when using the normal rapid shot. Tapping C also resets the lasers shot by Reco's options and this can be used to manage damage output in some situations.

Use of a bomb will grant temporary invulnerability and erase all enemy bullets throughout its duration.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - No
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Arrange', 'Novice' [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mushihime-sama-futari/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in Version 1.5 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: Yes- 'Picture Setting D' :)
* Graphical Filters: This release has a huge variety of graphical options!
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

=== Unlockable Secrets ===
----
==== Unlocking Ultra Mode in Version 1.0 ====
----
In the original version 1.0 Ultra mode was hidden by default. In order to unlock it a code must be entered:
After inserting a coin, '''hold A, B, and C''' on the '''2nd player controls''' and input the following combination on the '''1st player controls''':

'''→, C,　B, ↑, ↓, ←, B, A, C, A'''<ref>http://cave-stg.com/forum/index.php?topic=371.msg6006#msg6006</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72aArwdibz8</ref>

A sound effect will play upon successful activation and Ultra mode will become available in the mode select menu.

==== Always face Spiritual Larsa in God Mode ====
----

In Black Label, the true last boss, ''Spiritual Larsa'' is normally only accessible by completing the game on ''God Mode'', the highest difficulty, without losing a single life, including defeating the standard final boss, ''Dragon Emperion''. However, on the arcade platform there exists a code that removes this no-death requirement, enabling the player always to encounter ''Spiritual Larsa'' at the end of ''God Mode''.

In order to activate, first insert a coin, then while holding the '''B''' button on the '''1st player controls''', input the following combination on the '''2nd player controls''':

'''B, B, ↓, ↓, C, ↑, A, C, ←, A, →, B'''<ref>https://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/mushihime2/topics/BL_info.html</ref>

A sound effect will play upon successful entry, and ''Spiritual Larsa'' will always appear upon defeating ''Dragon Emperion'' at the end of ''God Mode'' whether the player has died or not. This code remains in effect even when the PCB is powered off and on again, but can be disabled by inputting the standard CV1000 hardware reset code (as documented in MAME's CV1000 driver source) that also works in games with code unlocks like DFK 1.0 and Deathsmiles to return the game to its factory settings state:

'''" - During boot hold P1 Right+A+B+C and P2 Left+A+B+C - Forcibly initialise non-volatile data (EEPROM or NAND settings area)"'''

'''" - During boot hold P1 A and P2 A - Reset random numbers generator at each game start. Probably was used during testing or/and competition events."'''

=== Shot Types ===
----

Each of the two playable characters has two shot types to choose from, ''Normal'' and ''Abnormal''. The Normal types tend to be weaker in power than the Abnormal Types but more mechanically conventional and easier to use. Unlike other versions of the game, Black Label features only two shot types, one for each character. They can loosely be considered an amalgamation of the ''Normal'' and ''Abnormal'' shot types from version 1.5. The two characters also have different bombs that function differently.

==== Reco ====

Reco's bomb is similar to the bomb in the first ''[[Mushihimesama]]'' game. It is thrown towards a target where it then explodes. The damage is concentrated within a small area and the bomb can be aimed to some extent by moving in the direction to be thrown towards. Like the original game, the bomb will bounce off the edges of the screen which can cause it to miss its intended target.

===== Normal =====

''Normal Reco'''s weapons make reference to two of the weapons in the original ''Mushihimesama'' game. The rapid shot is based on the ''W Power'' weapon, being a wide shot that expands in range as power increases. The options fire lasers and are positioned at the sides of the player, in a similar way to the ''Formation'' option style in the first game.

The laser is based on the ''S Power'' weapon from the first game, being a forward aiming weapon that isn't a true laser, but consists of individual bullets like the rapid shot.

''Normal Reco'' has the slowest non-laser movement speed in the game, which can sometimes be a disadvantage when a high degree of mobility is required to deal with enemies or their attacks. The movement speed while using laser is shared with [[#Abnormal_2|Abnormal Palm]], and is also the slowest laser speed in the game, allowing for accurate movement between tightly spaced bullets.

The Laser of this shot type is the second weakest of the four shot types. This can prolong boss fights allowing them to progress to much more dangerous attacks and make it much harder to survive. The laser also has quite a narrow range, which can make dealing damage to crucical targets difficult while being continually pushed away by threats. However the rapid shot has an extremely wide range making this shot type very useful for dealing with the large swarms of enemies that often appear around the entire screen during the later stages of the game.

===== Abnormal =====

This is the most difficult of the four shot types to make effective use of. ''Abnormal Reco''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s rapid shot is similar in range to 'Normal Reco'<nowiki>'</nowiki>s rapid shot, but is much stronger and can deal a large amount of damage to enemies at point blank range. Specifically, the rapid shot gets a special damage bonus when firing at close range, which is shown by the explosions becoming much bigger. The close range damage from the rapid shot is roughly equivalent to the laser damage (with all 4 options locked on) but is generally impractical for bosses. In contrast to ''Normal Reco'', the option formation is based on the ''Trace'' style from the first ''[[Mushihimesama]]'' game, following along with the movement path of the player in a snake-like pattern reminiscient of the [[Gradius]] series from [[Konami]].

The laser is somewhat more powerful than its normal counterpart, but making effective use of it is difficult. The majority of damage comes from the options which must be locked onto the target by placing them within a very close range. This carries a high level of risk, and failure to attach enough options to a target will severely reduce the damage output.

Compounding the difficulty in making effective use of the laser is the eccentricity of the movement speeds of this shot type. The movement speeds are essentially inverted, with the speed while using laser being the fastest movement speed available in the game. The movement speed while not using laser is far slower while still being faster than the laser speed of any other shot type. This makes ''Abnormal Reco'' the fastest shot type of the four. Laser must be used with all options locked onto the target in order to deal effective damage at long range. This means use of the laser is essential while fighting bosses, but this also means that attacks must be dodged while dealing with the extreme movement speed, requiring a high degree of precision. The laser movement speed makes dodging certain attacks so dangerous that sometimes a significant amount of damage output must be sacrificed by switching to the slower rapid shot in order to navigate the enemy attacks. This shot type is the least score efficient of the four shot types by far, purely because its unusual mechanics often interfere heavily with optimal scoring technique.

===== Black Label =====

Reco's Black Label shot type is most similar to the [[#Abnormal|Abnormal]] variant from 1.5. The range from which the options can lock onto a target has been greatly extended, making it much easier to deal effective damage to durable enemies, and the damage of the laser has been greatly increased. The movement speeds have been returned to a much more conventional arrangement, with the laser speed being considerably slower. Reco's rapid shot speed is somewhat slower than [[#Black Label_2|Palm's]] but her laser speed is somewhat faster.

==== Palm ====

Palm's bomb behaves very differently to [[#Reco|Reco's]]. It deals similar damage but instead of being concentrated within the area of the explosion radiates outwards from the explosion, the damage being more evenly distributed throughout the screen. This means that it will instantly remove any enemy of sufficiently low HP from the screen, regardless of its position, wheras [[#Reco|Reco's]] bomb will only damage targets in its immediate vicinity.

===== Normal =====

''Normal Palm''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s rapid shot is fairly powerful, though not as powerful as [[#Abnormal|Abnormal Reco's]] rapid shot when used at close range. As it is a straight angled shot proximity does not have as significant an effect on damage output as Reco's rapid shot types.

''Normal Palm'''s laser is by far the weakest laser in the game, being not much more damaging than the rapid shot. While the two weapons being so close in damage can seem to make switching between them for scoring purposes much simpler, the weak laser greatly prolongs boss fights, and makes timing destructions for optimal bullet cancels extremely difficult. The vast majority of damage is concentrated in the central laser, with the smaller lasers coming from the options contributing essentially negligible damage. Despite this, the firing angle of the option lasers can be adjusted through vertical movement, with the lasers fanning out as the player moves up, and contracting as the player moves down. Diagonal movement however will not have any effect on the angles of the option lasers.

''Normal Palm'' moves considerably faster than [[#Normal|Normal Reco]], both when using laser and not using laser. This is advantageous in the latter case but the higher laser speed makes precision of movement more difficult while dodging bullet-heavy enemy attacks.

===== Abnormal =====

In version 1.5, ''Abnormal Palm'''s main advantage is power, as this shot type possesses the most damaging laser in the game. This makes it by far the best shot type for dealing with bosses, as the bosses will often be destroyed before having the chance to use some of their most dangerous attacks. The high damage output also provides a scoring advantage as it grants a high degree of flexibility in the timing of bullet cancels. In addition to extremely high damage, the laser has a wide range of attack as it will automatically lock onto nearby targets, allowing the player to move freely while still dealing damage.

In contrast, this shot type has the weakest rapid shot, both in terms of damage and range. The rapid shot follows an unusual path, becoming thinner the further it travels. The horizontal range of the shot is therefore much greater at close range, making it the polar opposite of either of Reco's rapid shots. Because of the poor range of the rapid shot, stages require more planning to navigate with this shot type.

While not using laser, this shot type moves at the same speed as [[#Normal_2|Normal Palm]], sharing with it the fastest non-laser movement speed in the game, and the second fastest overall movement speed after [[#Abnormal|Abnormal Reco's]] laser movement speed. Its laser movement speed is shared with [[#Normal|Normal Reco]], being slower than [[#Normal_2|Normal Palm's]] laser movement speed, and the slowest overall movement speed in the game, allowing for precise movement while dodging.

In version 1.0, this shot type was very different. The laser's damage was considerably weaker, although still stronger than the other shot types' lasers. The non-laser movement speed was slower than even [[#Normal|Normal Reco's]], and the locking range of the laser was much smaller, making this shot type far more difficult to use and less effective in versions 1.0 and 1.01.

===== Black Label =====

Palm in Black Label moves faster when not using laser than either of his 1.5 counterparts, while retaining the [[#Abnormal_2|Abnormal]] laser speed, whereas [[#Black Label|Reco]] moves slightly faster than Palm when using laser. The laser itself is a combination of the [[#Normal_2|Normal]] laser, albeit considerably increased in power, and the locking behaviour of the [[#Abnormal_2|Abnormal]] laser. The option lasers still deal negligible damage as with [[#Normal_"|Normal Palm]] in version 1.5, and vertical movement still expands and contracts the angles of the option lasers, however the angles now automatically contract while not moving. The rapid shot is very similar to its [[#Normal_2|Normal]] counterpart in 1.5, with the addition of the [[#Abnormal_2|Abnormal]] type's lightning that locks onto nearby enemies.

=== Items ===
----

All excess items are worth 10000 points .

==== Power Up ====

Increases power level up to seven times. The increase in power level is permanent and power is not reduced when a life is lost or through any other means. There are eight power up items in the game in total, with all but one of these being necessary to reach maximum power.

==== Bomb Item ====

Increases bomb stock by one. A maximum of six bombs can be carried. In most versions of the game there are four bomb items available throughout the game, usually appearing towards the end of a stage before a boss. In the original version 1.0 (but not version 1.01) only two bomb items appear in the entirety of the game.

==== 1UP ====

Increases life stock by one. There is only one of these in the game, appearing in stage 5. It is contained in a house shortly after the midboss. In order to obtain the 1UP, the house must be destroyed while a bomb is not being used. Even if the bomb itself does not destroy the house, simply having a bomb in use is enough to disqualify from receiving the 1UP. In Novice Ultra mode exclusively this house contains two 1UPs.

==== Max Power ====

Appears only after having used a continue. Immediately increases the current power level to maximum.

=== Rank ===
----

==== Version 1.5 ====
Rank plays the most prominent role in Original mode. The general rank formula is as follows:

base + bombs*4 + power*2 + framecount/256

The result is capped at a value depending on the specific mode:

{| class="wikitable"
! Original
| 208
|-
! Maniac
| 232
|-
! Ultra
| 248
|}

The base value is specific to each stage within each mode:

{| class="wikitable"
| !colspan="5"|Stage
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
|-
! Original
| 12
| 44
| 72
| 60
| 96
|-
! Maniac
| 128
| 136
| 144
| 240
| 240
|-
! Ultra
| 208
| 224
| 240
| 255
| 255
|}

Comparing the base values with the maximum values it can be seen that rank is always at the maximum from stage 4 in the Maniac and Ultra modes. Original mode has the widest range between the minimum and maximum values so the additional factors have a much more significant impact on the final value.

This rank level primarily affects the frequency of enemy attacks, and how soon they first attack.

==== Original Mode ====

In version 1.5 and ''Black Label'', Original Mode has an additional system. While not strictly related rank it has a large impact on difficulty: when the [[#Total Counter|total gem counter]] reaches [[#Total Counter Above 70000|70000 (version 1.5)]], or [[#Total Counter Above 100000|100000 (''Black Label'')]] respectively, the speed of enemy bullets dramatically increases, until the counter falls back below this threshold. Activation of this special mode has additional effects which are relevant to scoring and will be discussed below. This feature is entirely absent from version 1.0 and it's derivative version 1.01.

In ''Black Label'' alone, reaching the [[#9999 Stage Counter|maximum value of 9999]] on the [[#Stage Counter|Stage Counter]] also causes the bullet speed to increase, but not to the same degree as the total counter. This is restricted to Black Label and the stage counter has no impact on difficulty in version 1.5 or any other versions.

=== Scoring ===
----

Each mode of the game has a unique scoring system, and each version of the game has a unique scoring system for that mode. The 1.0 and 1.5 scoring systems are very similar. As 1.5 is considered to be the definitive release, any [[#Version Differences|differences]] will be noted. Scoring across all modes revolves around the collection of point items, colloquially referred to as ''gems'' or ''amber'' (''琥珀'') and the management of one or more gem counters. The XBOX 360 exclusive ''Novice Mode'' is identical to version 1.5 in terms of scoring mechanics.

==== Gem Counters ====

Depending on the mode, the counters used consist of either a single [[#Multiplier|multiplier]], or a pair of counters known as the [[#Total Counter|Total Counter]] and the [[#Stage Counter|Stage Counter]].

As the names imply, the Stage Counter resets at the start of every stage while the Total Counter accumulates throughout the entire game. The functions of the gem counters will be covered in more detail later.

==== Gem Types ====

In all versions and modes there are various types of gem items to collect. There are airborne gems which descend until they fall off the screen, and stationary ground gems, both of which appear in large and small varieties making for a total of four distinc gem types.

The primary difference between them is the base value that each gem adds to the gem counters when collected:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"|Airborne
! Small
| 1
|-
! Large
| 2
|-
! rowspan="2"|Ground
! Small
| 5
|-
! Large
| 10
|}

The large ground gems usually have a value of 10 but have a value of 13 in the highest difficulty modes.

==== Attracting Gems ====

In most versions an airborne gem can be attracted to the player by coming within 11,010,048 subpixels of its location. However in versions 1.0 and 1.01 the attraction range is smaller at 9,437,184 subpixels. Airborne gems may only be attracted while not using laser.

Ground gems can be attracted by holding the A button in most versions, however the ability to attract ground gems in this way is absent from version 1.0 and 1.01.

==== Bonus Gems ====
Destroying certain boss and midboss enemies with rapid shot regardless of the [[#Total Counter|Total Counter]] produces extra gems: the stage 3 midboss' projectiles and the stage 4 midboss' web produce large airborne gems if destroyed with the rapid shot. The stage 3 boss leaves behind 16 large ground gems if destroyed with the rapid shot.

==== Stage Clear Bonus ====

====== Gem Tally ======
Upon completing a stage the total number of every type of gem collected is counted. However, a death will reset all of the gem counts to zero. The values awarded for each gem are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"|Airborne
! Small
| 100
|-
! Large
| 1000
|-
! rowspan="2"|Ground
! Small
| 200
|-
! Large
| 2000
|}

====== Bomb Bonus ======
Upon completing a stage the player also receives a bonus of 500,000 points per bomb in stock. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 this is a smaller amount at 50,000 points per bomb.

====== No Miss Bonus ======
If the player completes a stage without losing a life, a ''No Miss'' bonus is awarded. This is equal to a base value specific to each mode, multiplied by the number of the stage completed.

{| class="wikitable"
! Original
| 1,000,000
|-
! Maniac
| 2,000,000
|-
! Ultra/God
| 5,000,000
|}

Again, in versions 1.0 and 1.01 these values are ten times smaller.

===== Counter Penalties =====

In all versions and modes, dying or using a bomb will drop the values of the [[#Gem Counters|Gem Counters]]. When bombing, the counter drops by a fixed amount per frame while the bomb is active. Since [[#Reco|Reco]] and [[#Palm|Palm]] have completely different bombs, they are active for different lengths of time and so the reduction in counter is different:

{| class="wikitable"
!
! 1.0(1)
! 1.5
! Black Label
|-
! Reco
| 1540
| 980
| 6820
|-
! Palm
| 1320
| 840
| 5940
|}

In versions 1.0 and 1.01 only the [[#Stage Counter|Stage Counter]] is penalized, while the [[#Total counter|Total Counter]] remains the same value as it was before using a bomb. In all other versions the penalty is applied to both counters.

Upon losing a life the counters are cut by 1/3 in all versions but 1.0 and 1.01. In these versions the stage counter is cut by 25% and the total counter is cut by 50%

The counters also continuously decrease during bosses. In version 1.5 the rate of decrease is fast when not shooting (either laser or rapid shot) but slow when shooting. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 the rate is always slow.

==== Versions 1.5 and 1.0(1) ====
----

===== General =====

====== Green Gems ======
Collecting a gem within a certain time after it appears causes the gem to glow green as it is collected, which doubles its value. In version 1.5 an airborne gem must be collected within 48 frames of its creation to become green, while ground gems may be collected within 80 frames of creation. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 however, ground gems are never able to become green.

====== Bullet Cancelling ======

When certain enemies are destroyed all bullets on the screen will be instantly converted into gems. The duration of this effect varies from enemy to enemy and some enemies that cancel bullets in one version of the game may not cancel them in another, or for a different duration.

====== Life Bonus ======
Common to all modes is the remaining life bonus, which awards 10 million points per life the player has left upon clearing the game. This bonus is only awarded if the player has not used any continues. It is doubled if the player has defeated the true last boss, awarding 20 million points per life.

====== Stage 5 Lanterns ======
In version 1.5 the points gained from destroying the lanterns placed throughout the final stage are multiplied by the number of lanterns destroyed. The first lantern awards 100,000 points, increasing up to 2 million points by the final one. The crater left behind constantly emits a fountain of small airborne gems while it remains on screen. In [[#Ultra Mode|Ultra Mode]] the lanterns also cancel bullets when destroyed within very close range, which also causes the gem fountain to consist of large airborne gems instead of small. In versions 1.0 and 1.01, all lanterns award 100,000 points, do not cancel bullets and do not emit gems when destroyed, leaving only one small ground gem in the crater.

====== Counterstop ======

The maximum score that can be reached is 3,999,999,999. Any points received beyond this will not be added to the score.

===== Original Mode =====
----

====== Stage Counter ======

This is the more important of the two gem counters. When collecting a gem, the value of the gem is added to the counter. The value is doubled if the gem is green. The new value of the stage counter is then added to the score. In version 1.5 this value is also doubled if the gem is green. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 green gems do not double the score awarded. Note that the type of gem does not directly affect the base score gained - this is always equal to the new value of the stage counter. Larger gems offer a small increase in point value as the stage counter increase they provide is larger.

In Original Mode the stage counter has a maximum value of 9999. When it reaches this value all four gem types become almost identical in value, aside from their contribution to the end of stage tally, as the differences in counter gain become irrelevant when the counter is already at the maximum value.

====== Total Counter ======

This counter alternates between green and blue, changing each time it increases by 500. This determines which weapon the player should use to destroy enemies. Every enemy has four sets of gems it can drop, based on the combination of the total counter state and the weapon the enemy was destroyed with. With the exception of some [[#Bonus Gems|special cases]] These drop sets follow a general pattern as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
!
! Green
! Blue
|-
! Shot
| N large gems + 1 small gem
| 1 small gem
|-
! Laser
| N small gems
| N large gems
|}

As can be seen, the most gems are received when the counter is green and rapid shot is used. This makes the most difference with small ''zako'' enemies, as these appear in large numbers and for these particular enemies, N is equal to 1, meaning the amount of gems received from these enemies is doubled when the total counter is green. The total counter does not affect bullet cancels, which always convert each bullet into one small gem.

In Original Mode the total counter has a maximum value of 99999.

====== Total Counter Above 70000 ======

When the total counter reaches 70000 the game enters a special mode in which the bullets of enemies greatly increase in speed, and a score bonus is awarded every frame. This bonus increases in value every additional 5000 added to the total counter above 70000:

{| class="wikitable"
! Total Counter
! Per Frame Score Gain
|-
| 70000
| 1111
|-
| 75000
| 3333
|-
| 80000
| 6666
|-
| 85000
| 11110
|-
| 90000
| 16665
|-
| 95000
| 23331
|}

A total counter of 70000 in version 1.5 is not reachable before the final stage and not without a high level of scoring optimization.

====== Boss Destruction Bonuses ======
Each form of a boss awards a fixed point value upon destruction. For bosses in all but the last stage you receive an additional bonus equal to the [[#Gem Counters|Stage Counter]]*100. For the last stage bosses the bonus is equal to the larger [[#Total Counter|Total Counter]]*100.
Note: in versions 1.0 and 1.01 the bosses in the final stage also use the stage counter, not the total counter.

===== Maniac Mode =====
----

====== Meter ======

Destroying enemies with rapid shot increases a meter, represented by a horizontal bar on the left of the screen, which empties quickly. In version 1.5 simply shooting at midbosses and bosses will fill the meter, but in versions 1.0 and 1.01, as with all enemies, only destruction of midbosses and the different forms of bosses contributes to the meter. The status of this meter determines what happens when an enemy is destroyed with a certain weapon.

* When the meter is completely empty and an enemy is destroyed with laser, blue gems (see below) are produced.
* When the meter is in the blue area and an enemy is destroyed with any weapon, small gems are produced
* When the meter is in the red area and an enemy is destroyed with rapid shot, large gems are produced
* In 1.5, When the meter is in the red area and an enemy is destroyed with laser, twice as many large gems are produced. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 this does not increase the number of gems produced.

In the case of bullet cancels, only the bullets present when the cancel is first initiated can be converted into blue gems. Any bullets fired after initiation but before the cancel has ended will be converted into normal gems.

====== Multiplier ======

Maniac mode only has a single gem counter - the multiplier. Collecting ordinary gems increases the multiplier by the standard amounts, including the doubling of the value received when collecting green gems. The multiplier is not applied to these gems and they directly contribute only a small amount of score.

====== Blue Gems ======

These are the only gems that award a significant amount of points in Maniac Mode. Unlike other gems these blue gems only exist in airborne form. When collected the multiplier is applied to the base value of the gem, and large blue gems have twice the base value of small ones. At the same time the multiplier is decreased. Maniac scoring therefore consists of a cycle of building up the multiplier by collecting normal gems, then spending the multiplier at lucrative points by producing blue gems. Unlike other gems, blue gems do not contribute to the end of stage gem bonus tally.

===== Ultra Mode =====
----

Ultra Mode uses the same basic scoring system as [[#Original Mode_2|Original Mode]] with a few adjustments:

* In version 1.5 the total counter changes state every increase of 2000 rather than 500. This is because the large number of bullets that are cancelled cause the counter to increase more rapidly than original mode and so the original value of 500 would cause it to change much too frequently. In versions 1.0 and 1.01 the original value of 500 is retained.

* Some enemies cancel bullets for longer than in Original Mode, and in versions 1.0 and 1.01, some enemies that did not cancel bullets at all now do.

* The Total Counter has a maximum value of 999999

* The Stage Counter has a maximum value of 99999

* Ultra has no equivalent of the 70000 total counter effect in Original Mode.

* There is a true last boss which can be accessed by defeating the stage 5 boss without having used a continue. This extra boss consists of three forms, the last of which also requires no continues to have been used to access.

* In version 1.5 alone, the lanterns in stage 5 will cancel bullets if destroyed within a 100000 subpixel radius (16 pixels).

==== Black Label ====
----

===== General =====
----

====== Blue and Red Gems ======
In addition to green gems which are double value, collecting gems even faster after creation will produce blue (Original Mode) or red (Maniac, God Mode) gems that are worth four times their base value.

====== Boss Counter Loss ======

The rate of counter loss during bosses is inverted from 1.5. Shooting now causes the counters to decrease rapidly. Not shooting causes the counters to decrease slowly.

====== Stage 5 Lanterns ======
The lanterns in stage 5 now cancel bullets in all modes, and the range from which the cancel can be triggered is much larger.

====== Counterstop ======

The maximum score of 3,999,999,999 in earlier versions has been raised to 9,999,999,999 in Black Label, which is well out of the reach of a single player in any of the three modes.

====== Life Bonus ======

In Black Label, much like other versions, the player receives 10 million points per remaining life, or 20 million points per remaining life if the true last boss was defeated. However unlike other versions, this is then multiplied by the player's bomb stock. The maximum amount receivable on default settings is therefore 600 million points, while the minimum is 0 if the player has either 0 lives '''or''' 0 bombs remaining.

===== Original Mode =====
----
Original mode in Black Label is based on an augmented version of the system in its [[#Original Mode_2|1.5 counterpart]]. The major additions and changes are outlined here.

====== Proximity Effect ======

The Total Counter has the same original function as it does in version 1.5 - destroying enemies with the appropriate weapon produces more gem items. In Black Label shooting an enemy with this weapon when the source of the weapon's attack is within close range of the target causes the target to exude a stream of gem items. Since a large number of gems can be produced in this way the counter changes state every increase of 3000 rather than 500. In addition any gems produced by this proximity effect will be worth 10% of the score value of gems produced in other ways. The proximity effect applies to almost all enemies but the very smallest, including midbosses, but is absent from all stage bosses.

====== Bullet Cancelling ======

Unlike 1.5, when a bullet is cancelled the number of gem items varies with the speed of the bullet. An important aspect of scoring well is therefore to raise the bullet speed as much as possible by raising the gem counter values as outlined below.

====== Total Counter Above 100000 ======

The maximum value of the total counter has been raised from 99999 to 999999. From a value of 100000 a special mode is activated similar to the one activated at 70000 in version 1.5, but with an additional effect: all points received from collecting gems are doubled. Combined with the increased yield of bullet cancels resulting from the increased bullet speed, entering and maintaining this special state hugely increases the potential for score gain.

====== 9999 Stage Counter ======

Reaching the maximum stage counter value has some additional effects absent from version 1.5. A very small bonus is awarded each frame. The gems produced from shooting an enemy at close proximity will be large instead of small. The speed of enemy bullets speed is slightly increased, with the associated effects on bullet cancelling.

===== Maniac Mode =====
----
The scoring changes from [[#Maniac Mode|Version 1.5]] in Maniac Mode are limited. They consist of the ability to raise the multiplier by dealing damage to enemies and the ability to fill the meter by shooting any enemy with rapid shot, not only bosses.

===== God Mode =====
----
Unlike [[#Ultra Mode|Ultra Mode]], which is based on the [[#Original Mode_2|Original Mode]] system, God Mode is an enhanced version of the [[#Maniac Mode|Maniac Mode]] system.

The maximum multiplier value is 30000 instead of 9999.

When the multiplier reaches 10000 or over it becomes possible to raise it by dealing damage - when the meter is in the red zone, shooting at enemies with rapid shot will increase the multiplier, and the effect is much more pronounced at close range. When the meter is empty, shooting at enemies with laser will increase the multiplier.

== Strategy ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Strategy]] for '''stage maps''', '''enemy and boss descriptions''', '''walkthroughs''', and '''advanced play strategies'''.''
</div>
----

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 ==
Basic story breakdowns, plot information, and endings are included here.

If there is no story at all, or any information about the setting, then this section can be omitted. Try to include at least small things here when you can.
----

== Development History ==
If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. ''Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.''
----

== Version Differences ==
----

=== 1.0 and 1.01 ===

Version 1.01 is almost identical to 1.0 with a few changes:
* The size is the [[#Ultra Mode|Ultra Mode]] hitbox is much smaller
* There are two additional [[#Bomb Item|bomb carriers]], before the stage 2 and stage 3 bosses.
* A hitbox bug in the final attack of the stage 4 boss was fixed
* Ultra Mode is unlocked by default and no longer requires a code to access.

=== 1.0(1) and 1.5 ===

In version 1.0(1):
* Shooting does not change the rate of counter loss during bosses.
* The final boss(es) use the [[#Gem Counters|Stage Counter]] as a point value multiplier instead of the Total Counter.
* [[#Abnormal_2|Abnormal Palm]] is much slower and has a much weaker laser
* Bombs deal much less damage to enemies
* [[#Stage 5 Lanterns|Lanterns]] do not award more points as more are destroyed and do not cancel bullets in any mode. They leave behind a single gem instead of a constant fountain from the crater.
* The location of the [[#1UP|1UP]] in stage 5 has changed.
* Some large enemies that cancel bullets when destroyed in version 1.5 do not cancel bullets.
* The large dragon enemies in stage 5 cancel bullets for a much shorter period of time.
* [[#Green Gems|Green Gems]] still double the amount of counter value gained but not the amount of score value gained.
* The [[#Attracting Gems|range from which gems can be attracted]] to the player is smaller.
* [[#Gem Types|Ground Gems]] cannot be green and cannot be automatically collected by pressing A.
* Many enemy attacks are more difficult.
* The speed of bullets in [[#Original Mode_2|Original Mode]] is much faster.
* The end of stage [[#Bomb Bonus|Bomb Stock]] and [[#No Miss Bonus|no miss]] bonuses are much smaller.
* Reaching a [[#Total Counter Above 70000|value of 70000 on the Total Counter]] has no effect in Original Mode.
* Holding A emits a short burst of rapid shot before initiating the laser.
* Many enemies continue attacking for longer after appearing or will attack at times they wouldn't in version 1.5.
* Some enemies that would only appear when no bullet cancelling enemy was on screen will always appear.

=== 1.5 and Black Label ===

In Black Label:
* [[#Ultra Mode|Ultra Mode]] has been replaced with [[#God Mode|God Mode]] featuring a different scoring system and many simplified versions of the Ultra attacks.
* The [[#Shot Types|Normal and Abnormal]] shot types have been removed reducing the number of distinct shot types from four to two.
* The shot types deal more damage than the shot types in version 1.5.
* The [[#Counterstop|Maximum Score]] has been increased from 3,999,999,999 to 9,999,999,999.
* The rate of enemy fire in general has been increased.
* [[#Stage 5 Lanterns|Stage 5 lanterns]] [[#Bullet Cancelling|cancel bullets]] in every mode. The range from which the cancel can be triggered is greater and the fountain of gems in the crater only appears if a cancel was successfully achieved, and in God Mode it will consist of large gems instead of small.
* Some large enemies cancel bullets not only on destruction but in the transition from first attack phase to second.
* There are additional enemies in many areas.
* The scoring systems of every mode have been expanded and enhanced.

== Trivia ==
* In one of the location test builds, there was only one counter in Original mode. This may have been a prototype for what was to become the stage counter in the final release. {{unconfirmed}}
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==
[[Mushihimesama_Futari/Video_Index|Video index for Mushihimesama Futari 1.5]]
 
[[Mushihimesama_Futari_Black_Label/Video_Index|Video index for Mushihimesama Futari Black Label]]

== References==
<references />

[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[Category:True Last Boss]]
[[Category:Bullet-cancelling_mechanic]]
[[Category:Bomb_mechanic]]