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

Metal Black

2022-04-26T11:22:34Z

ColdComfort:

[[File:Metal black logo.png|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Metal Black
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = [[File:Metal_black_flyer.jpg|thumb]]
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Arcade Flyer
|imagescalepx = 180px;

|developer = TAITO
|
|music = Yasuhisha Watanabe (YACK)
|
|Design = Takatsuna Senba
|
|program = Naoya Kuroki, Takashi Seguchi, Takamasa Hori
|
|
|art = Takatsuna Senba, Ohno Wepokichi
|
|releasedate = 1991

|previousgame = Gun Frontier
|nextgame = Grid Seeker
}}

__TOC__

== Metal Black ==
'''Metal Black''' is a 1991 shooting game developed and published by TAITO for the Taito F1 Arcade System. It is "Project Gun Frontier 2", sharing that game's development team - though there are only minor connections between the two games. Originally conceived as a Single Screen "Darius 3", it was spun off into it's own project when it was deemed to have too dark an atmosphere. The game is most notable for it's surreal visuals, soundtrack, and it's "Beam System", where instead of bombs, the player charges up their main laser, of which the power can be used to release a strong beam, which can be dueled with boss enemies.

== Gameplay Overview ==
The player pilots the Black Fly, a ship with no options, traditional bombs, or means of powering up other than by collecting Newalone particles, which float around the stages and spawn during the game's boss fights. Collecting these particles powers up both the main shot of the Black Fly, and also enables it to fire a Super Beam, which at max power has a screen clearing bomb effect. However, consuming the beam energy also powers down the player's main shot. The beam's duration can be increased by picking up particles during it's duration.

The game's bosses fire attacks which resemble that of the Black Fly's but are pink - for the simple laser attacks that resemble the standard shot, these can be cancelled, but for larger beams, these can be counterattacked using the Black Fly's own Super Beam, which initiates a beam duel.

Notably the Black Fly's shot spawns at around the mid point of the ship and at high power, has a large hitbox, enabling the player to hit enemies just below and above the ship in a pseudo-melee attack. This technique is known as "Scraping".

The game also features bonus stages which take place from a first person perspective, where they most lock onto enemies as fast as possible and fire missiles, though the player is in no danger in these stages.

Under default settings, Extends are given at 70,000 Points, and then Every 150,000 points afterwords (Starting at 220,000).

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the main beam attack. When held, it fires at a fast rate which decreases over time, so Autofire or repeated tapping are neccessary. Also fires the Missiles in bonus stages.
* '''B:''' Fires the Super Beam attack. At power levels 1-5, this forms a simple, powerful beam that deals high damage and can pass through all obstacles, as well as duel against boss enemies' beam attacks. When power is at MAX, it has a screen-wide bullet clearing effect when pressed, and if not held down, fires energy in all directions for a number of seconds, until it reaches Power Level 3 and reverts to a beam. The beam can be activated earlier if the button is held down.

=== Rank ===
----
Unlike the game's precursor Gun Frontier, Rank is simple and appears to mostly be tied to survival time. The effects of Rank are far less than that of Gun Frontier. (Further info may be neccessary)

=== Scoring ===
----

== 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 ==
In 2042, a phantom companion star suddenly appears in Jupiter's orbit, Raining meteorities upon the Earth, whilst simultaneously, an alien force known as Nemesis invades the planet, decimating the earth forces with their beam weapons powered by energy known as "Newalone". In the face of almost total destruction of Earth, a peace treaty is signed. Project Metal Black - a military endeavour that uses the aliens' own Beam technology, is frozen permenantly. In 2052, a rogue pilot - named in supplemental materials as John Ford - commandeers a Black Fly ship, the result of the Metal Black project. He takes the fight to Aliens, in violation of the treaty, in an attempt to save what remains of Earth.
----

== Development History ==
Metal Black was spun off from a concept for Darius 3 (Sometimes referred to as Darius 2-2 or Darius 3rd Stage) produced by Takatsuna Senba following the release of Darius 2 in 1989. Senba notes that this project was not what lead to Darius Gaiden, though some of the designs that he created in design documents for Darius 3 were used in Gaiden - though some were used in Metal Black itself.
[[File:Darius 3 - metal black enemies.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Darius32.jpg|thumb]]

The Game was developed simultaneously alongside Dino Rex, a fighting game also produced by the same team (Senba refers to them as "Sister games"). Both games had troubled developments, with substantially reduced budget and tight deadlines compared to that of Gun Frontier - which itself was made on a comparatively low budget. Whilst Metal Black was quite well recieved, Dino Rex was panned, and Senba resigned shortly after the release of Metal Black, and has never returned to game development.

----

== Trivia ==
* Metal Black was the primary inspiration for G.Rev's first original STG, Border Down. Hiroyuki Maruyama was a massive fan of Metal Black, and with G.Rev being formed of mostly ex-Taito staff and the music again composed by YACK, the game can be considered a spiritual successor of sorts.
* A number of Metal Black's music tracks have appeared in other Taito games following it's release, notably [https://youtu.be/ztRr9ftV7vw "Dual Moon" in Taiko No Tatsujin], which replicates the background moon of stage 2 in it's note pattern.
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Metal Black)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# [http://t1008.blog.fc2.com/ Takasuna Senba's Web Blog - detailed history of Metal Black/Dino Rex's development] | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# Darius Odyssey (Book) - Details Regarding Darius 3, images.
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Metal Black

2022-04-26T11:21:20Z

ColdComfort:

[[File:Metal black logo.png|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Metal Black
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = [[File:Metal_black_flyer.jpg|thumb]]
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Arcade Flyer
|imagescalepx = 180px;

|developer = TAITO
|
|music = Yasuhisha Watanabe (YACK)
|
|Design = Takatsuna Senba
|
|program = Naoya Kuroki, Takashi Seguchi, Takamasa Hori
|
|
|art = Takatsuna Senba, Ohno Wepokichi
|
|releasedate = 1991

|previousgame = Gun Frontier
|nextgame = Grid Seeker
}}

__TOC__

== ( Metal Black ) ==
'''Metal Black''' is a 1991 shooting game developed and published by TAITO for the Taito F1 Arcade System. It is "Project Gun Frontier 2", sharing that game's development team - though there are only minor connections between the two games. Originally conceived as a Single Screen "Darius 3", it was spun off into it's own project when it was deemed to have too dark an atmosphere. The game is most notable for it's surreal visuals, soundtrack, and it's "Beam System", where instead of bombs, the player charges up their main laser, of which the power can be used to release a strong beam, which can be dueled with boss enemies.

== Gameplay Overview ==
The player pilots the Black Fly, a ship with no options, traditional bombs, or means of powering up other than by collecting Newalone particles, which float around the stages and spawn during the game's boss fights. Collecting these particles powers up both the main shot of the Black Fly, and also enables it to fire a Super Beam, which at max power has a screen clearing bomb effect. However, consuming the beam energy also powers down the player's main shot. The beam's duration can be increased by picking up particles during it's duration.

The game's bosses fire attacks which resemble that of the Black Fly's but are pink - for the simple laser attacks that resemble the standard shot, these can be cancelled, but for larger beams, these can be counterattacked using the Black Fly's own Super Beam, which initiates a beam duel.

Notably the Black Fly's shot spawns at around the mid point of the ship and at high power, has a large hitbox, enabling the player to hit enemies just below and above the ship in a pseudo-melee attack. This technique is known as "Scraping".

The game also features bonus stages which take place from a first person perspective, where they most lock onto enemies as fast as possible and fire missiles, though the player is in no danger in these stages.

Under default settings, Extends are given at 70,000 Points, and then Every 150,000 points afterwords (Starting at 220,000).

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the main beam attack. When held, it fires at a fast rate which decreases over time, so Autofire or repeated tapping are neccessary. Also fires the Missiles in bonus stages.
* '''B:''' Fires the Super Beam attack. At power levels 1-5, this forms a simple, powerful beam that deals high damage and can pass through all obstacles, as well as duel against boss enemies' beam attacks. When power is at MAX, it has a screen-wide bullet clearing effect when pressed, and if not held down, fires energy in all directions for a number of seconds, until it reaches Power Level 3 and reverts to a beam. The beam can be activated earlier if the button is held down.

=== Rank ===
----
Unlike the game's precursor Gun Frontier, Rank is simple and appears to mostly be tied to survival time. The effects of Rank are far less than that of Gun Frontier. (Further info may be neccessary)

=== Scoring ===
----

== 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 ==
In 2042, a phantom companion star suddenly appears in Jupiter's orbit, Raining meteorities upon the Earth, whilst simultaneously, an alien force known as Nemesis invades the planet, decimating the earth forces with their beam weapons powered by energy known as "Newalone". In the face of almost total destruction of Earth, a peace treaty is signed. Project Metal Black - a military endeavour that uses the aliens' own Beam technology, is frozen permenantly. In 2052, a rogue pilot - named in supplemental materials as John Ford - commandeers a Black Fly ship, the result of the Metal Black project. He takes the fight to Aliens, in violation of the treaty, in an attempt to save what remains of Earth.
----

== Development History ==
Metal Black was spun off from a concept for Darius 3 (Sometimes referred to as Darius 2-2 or Darius 3rd Stage) produced by Takatsuna Senba following the release of Darius 2 in 1989. Senba notes that this project was not what lead to Darius Gaiden, though some of the designs that he created in design documents for Darius 3 were used in Gaiden - though some were used in Metal Black itself.
[[File:Darius 3 - metal black enemies.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Darius32.jpg|thumb]]

The Game was developed simultaneously alongside Dino Rex, a fighting game also produced by the same team (Senba refers to them as "Sister games"). Both games had troubled developments, with substantially reduced budget and tight deadlines compared to that of Gun Frontier - which itself was made on a comparatively low budget. Whilst Metal Black was quite well recieved, Dino Rex was panned, and Senba resigned shortly after the release of Metal Black, and has never returned to game development.

----

== Trivia ==
* Metal Black was the primary inspiration for G.Rev's first original STG, Border Down. Hiroyuki Maruyama was a massive fan of Metal Black, and with G.Rev being formed of mostly ex-Taito staff and the music again composed by YACK, the game can be considered a spiritual successor of sorts.
* A number of Metal Black's music tracks have appeared in other Taito games following it's release, notably [https://youtu.be/ztRr9ftV7vw "Dual Moon" in Taiko No Tatsujin], which replicates the background moon of stage 2 in it's note pattern.
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Metal Black)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# [http://t1008.blog.fc2.com/ Takasuna Senba's Web Blog - detailed history of Metal Black/Dino Rex's development] | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# Darius Odyssey (Book) - Details Regarding Darius 3, images.
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

File:Darius32.jpg

2022-04-26T10:52:06Z

ColdComfort:

Darius 3 design document, depicting boss concepts. Notably the Stage B boss of Darius Gaiden, and the Stage A captain, can be seen

File:Darius 3 - metal black enemies.jpg

2022-04-26T10:51:04Z

ColdComfort:

Darius 3 design document by Senba depicting enemies that eventually ended up in Metal Black

Metal Black

2022-04-26T10:31:59Z

ColdComfort: Created page with "center {{GameInfobox |bordercolor = black |title = Metal Black |background = #f8f8f8 |image = thumb |width = 324p..."

[[File:Metal black logo.png|center]]

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = black
|title = Metal Black
|background = #f8f8f8
|image = [[File:Metal_black_flyer.jpg|thumb]]
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Arcade Flyer
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = TAITO
|
|music = Yasuhisha Watanabe (YACK)
|
|Design = Takatsuna Senba
|
|program = Naoya Kuroki, Takashi Seguchi, Takamasa Hori
|
|
|art = Takatsuna Senba, Ohno Wepokichi
|
|releasedate = 1991

|previousgame = Gun Frontier
|nextgame = Grid Seeker
}}

__TOC__

== ( Metal Black ) ==
'''Metal Black''' is a 1991 shooting game developed and published by TAITO for the Taito F1 Arcade System. It is "Project Gun Frontier 2", sharing that game's development team - though there are only minor connections between the two games. Originally conceived as a Single Screen "Darius 3", it was spun off into it's own project when it was deemed to have too dark an atmosphere. The game is most notable for it's surreal visuals, soundtrack, and it's "Beam System", where instead of bombs, the player charges up their main laser, of which the power can be used to release a strong beam, which can be dueled with boss enemies.

== Gameplay Overview ==
The player pilots the Black Fly, a ship with no options, traditional bombs, or means of powering up other than by collecting Newalone particles, which float around the stages and spawn during the game's boss fights. Collecting these particles powers up both the main shot of the Black Fly, and also enables it to fire a Super Beam, which at max power has a screen clearing bomb effect. However, consuming the beam energy also powers down the player's main shot. The beam's duration can be increased by picking up particles during it's duration.

The game's bosses fire attacks which resemble that of the Black Fly's but are pink - for the simple laser attacks that resemble the standard shot, these can be cancelled, but for larger beams, these can be counterattacked using the Black Fly's own Super Beam, which initiates a beam duel.

Notably the Black Fly's shot spawns at around the mid point of the ship and at high power, has a large hitbox, enabling the player to hit enemies just below and above the ship in a pseudo-melee attack. This technique is known as "Scraping".

The game also features bonus stages which take place from a first person perspective, where they most lock onto enemies as fast as possible and fire missiles, though the player is in no danger in these stages.

Under default settings, Extends are given at 70,000 Points, and then Every 150,000 points afterwords (Starting at 220,000).

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the main beam attack. When held, it fires at a fast rate which decreases over time, so Autofire or repeated tapping are neccessary. Also fires the Missiles in bonus stages.
* '''B:''' Fires the Super Beam attack. At power levels 1-5, this forms a simple, powerful beam that deals high damage and can pass through all obstacles, as well as duel against boss enemies' beam attacks. When power is at MAX, it has a screen-wide bullet clearing effect when pressed, and if not held down, fires energy in all directions for a number of seconds, until it reaches Power Level 3 and reverts to a beam. The beam can be activated earlier if the button is held down.

=== Rank ===
----
Unlike the game's precursor Gun Frontier, Rank is simple and appears to mostly be tied to survival time. The effects of Rank are far less than that of Gun Frontier. (Further info may be neccessary)

=== Scoring ===
----

== 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 ==
In 2042, a phantom companion star suddenly appears in Jupiter's orbit, Raining meteorities upon the Earth, whilst simultaneously, an alien force known as Nemesis invades the planet, decimating the earth forces with their beam weapons powered by energy known as "Newalone". In the face of almost total destruction of Earth, a peace treaty is signed. Project Metal Black - a military endeavour that uses the aliens' own Beam technology, is frozen permenantly. In 2052, a rogue pilot - named in supplemental materials as John Ford - commandeers a Black Fly ship, the result of the Metal Black project. He takes the fight to Aliens, in violation of the treaty, in an attempt to save what remains of Earth.
----

== 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 ==
* Include information here about differences in a game between various versions. This includes regional differences, patch updates/bugfixes, and the like.
----

== Trivia ==
* Metal Black was the primary inspiration for G.Rev's first original title, Border Down. Hiroyuki Maruyama was a massive fan of Metal Black, and with G.Rev being formed of mostly ex-Taito staff and the music again composed by YACK, the game can be considered a spiritual successor of sorts.
*
----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[(Template Page)/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Video References ==

If the game already has an existing entry in the [[:Category:Video Index|Video Index]], please link to the page here. If you want to link to smaller clips perhaps not included in the Index, you can also leave them here.

== Other ==

We have support for wikitables, giving us the potential to add lots of cool info in a small box on the page somewhere, but we are not using them at the moment. I'm just leaving this here so we can have it handy in case we decide to actually use them. Feel free to not use this section.

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"
|-
! [[(Template Page)]]
|-
| put your stuff here
|}

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

File:Metal black logo.png

2022-04-26T09:04:28Z

ColdComfort:

Metal black's logo

File:Metal black flyer.jpg

2022-04-26T09:01:35Z

ColdComfort:

Japanese Arcade flyer for metal black

Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi

2021-12-17T10:07:22Z

ColdComfort:

----
<center><big>('''NOTE:''' This page is currently in need of a '''formatting''' and '''re-organization''' update to fall in line with the current [[(Template Page)|template]] format!)</big></center>

----

== Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi ==
[[File:Logo Ketsui.png|130px|center]]

[[File:Screenshot Ket 001.png|thumb|150px|left]]

[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]] is a [[bullet hell]] [[shooting game|shoot-em-up]] developed by [[CAVE]] in 2002. Its primary defining gameplay attributes are its '''highly complex bullet patterns''', its '''proximity-based chip scoring system''', and the '''lock-on focus shot''' utilized by the player ships, ''Tiger Schwert'' and ''Panzer Jäger''. It was developed alongside ''[[DoDonPachi DaiOuJou]]'' and runs on the same engine, as well as utilizing many of the same sound effects and explosion graphics. Both games are also notable for the switch to pre-rendered 3D models as sprites, giving the games a distinctive (and grittier) look compared to the studio's previous works, ''[[DonPachi]]'' and ''[[DoDonPachi]]''. The story involves a group of young men who are sent on a secret "suicide mission" to destroy the EVAC Industry, an arms dealer who is developing a series of extremely dangerous weapons of mass destruction.

== Gameplay Overview ==

[[File:Ketsui Gameplay Screenshot.png|thumb|right|Typical ''Ketsui'' gameplay]]

''Ketsui'' is a three-button game with two playable ships and five levels. Completing all five levels under certain conditions will trigger a second [[loop]] of the game, of which there are two variations - with one ending in fighting the [[True Last Boss]], [[Evaccaneer DOOM]]. The scoring system involves destroying enemies up close with the '''Shot''' to increase a multiplier, and then "cashing out" that multiplier by destroying enemies with the '''Lock-Shot''', awarding points based on the multiplier times the point value of the enemy killed.

====Controls====

* '''A (Press):''' Fires standard shots from the ship and [[options]]
* '''A (Hold):''' Slows the ship down, fires a laser from the main ship and a lock-on shot from its options
* '''B:''' Fires a limited-use [[bomb]], which does large amounts of damage and makes the ship invincible for some time
* '''C:''' Auto-fire for the standard shot

====Characters====

''Ketsui'' contains two playable ships, Tiger Schwert and Panzer Jäger. Tiger Schwert has a wide shot, locks onto enemies faster, and has a slower movement speed. Panzer Jäger has a straight shot, locks onto enemies slower, and has a faster movement speed. Both ships have the same [[hitbox]] size.

====Resources====

''Ketsui'' uses lives to measure player health, and starts the player at two lives. On default settings, an extra life is granted once at 20,000,000 points, and again at 45,000,000 points. Specific strategies also grant the player additional extra lives ''(see [[#Hidden_Extends|Hidden Extends]])''

The player starts off with three bombs at the beginning of each life. Additional bombs are granted by killing specific enemies.

The player is given three bombs after respawning from death, regardless of how many bombs they had before. Those playing for pure survival are advised to use a bomb if they feel death is unavoidable, in order to maximize how many bombs will be available to them throughout their playthrough.

====Items====

''Ketsui'' has four different types of items: '''power up items''' which increase the strength of the player's shot, '''bomb items''' which grant the player an additional bomb, '''1up items''' which grant the player an extra life, and '''chips''' which increase the scoring multiplier.

''(pictures of the items)''

===Scoring System===

''Full details: [[Ketsui:_Kizuna_Jigoku_Tachi/Guides#Goal:_High_score|High Score Guide]]''

''WARNING! The scoring system works differently during the second loop! see [[Ketsui:_Kizuna_Jigoku_Tachi/Guides#Second_Loop_Scoring|Second Loop Scoring]]''

[[File:Ketsui scoring hud.png|thumb|Scoring HUD.<br>'''Top:''' Boss multiplier<br>'''Middle:''' Enemy multiplier<br>'''Bottom:''' Countdown chip value and time]]

Killing enemies awards points. There are two multipliers that can increase the amount of points given, known as the '''boss multiplier''' and the '''enemy multiplier'''. The boss multiplier is equal to the value of all chips picked up during the stage, and is used when killing the boss, and the enemy multiplier is used when killing enemies with the lock-on shot.

Maximizing the amount of high-value chips you pick up is the key to increasing your multiplier. Killing enemies up close with the standard shot awards higher value chips - up to five, depending on distance. After this, a brief countdown is initiated, shown under the multipliers. During this countdown, killing enemies with the lock-on shot will also award chips, of the same value, regardless of distance, until the countdown runs out.

This cycle - killing with the standard shot to start a countdown, killing enemies with the lock-on shot to cash out the multiplier and gain more chips, and repeating once the countdown runs out - is the primary building block of ''Ketsui's'' scoring system.

====Stage Completion Points====

At the end of each stage, the boss multiplier is used to award additional points based on the number of bombs and lives remaining. Each life (including the current life) grants five hundred points times the boss multiplier, and each bomb grants fifty points times the boss multiplier.

==Strategy==
[[File:Hitboxes Ketsui Scan.png|thumb|left|Hitbox sizes for the Tiger Schwert and Panzer Jäger, as provided by Ketsui's DS port.]]

====Hitboxes====
The player's hitbox is 2 pixels wide and 3 pixels tall (4x6 on hardware, due to the rectangular pixels of the PGM). Despite there being several different bullet types in the game, '''all bullet hitboxes are in fact just a single point, with no thickness at all''' - the player is hit when the point falls inside their ship's hitbox.

In the second loop of the game, the player's horizontal hitbox is shrunk by ''half a pixel''.

====Empty Locking====

''Full details: [[Ketsui:_Kizuna_Jigoku_Tachi/Techniques#Empty_Locking|Empty Locking]]''

Killing enemies with the standard shot grants chip items and starts a countdown, and killing with the lock-on shot during countdown grants additional chips on top of cashing out the multiplier for the enemy killed. However, '''the chips granted when lock-on killing enemies in countdown are not spawned by killing the enemy itself. They're instead spawned from the ''explosions'' after the enemy is killed.''' This means that receiving the lock-on chips from an exploding enemy does not necessarily require that the enemy was killed with the lock-on shot.

By killing an enemy with the standard shot to start a countdown, and timing a switch to the lock-on shot so it's active by the time the enemy is exploding, the game will grant the chips for standard-killing the enemy, and ''also'' grant the lock-on chips during the enemy's explosion.

'''Switching to the lock-on shot to gain additional chips during an enemy explosion, without actually killing it with the lock-on shot, is known as ''empty locking''.'''

Empty locking allows the player to save multiplier while acquiring lock chips from an enemy, or in the case of air zako it will be used to gain more multiplier than otherwise possible (shot chip + lock chip, vs just shot chip).
'''

====Second Loop====

Following in the footsteps of the previous releases by CAVE, completing all five levels under certain conditions will trigger a second [[loop]] of the game. There are two variations of the second loop, called the '''Omote''' loop and the '''Ura''' loop. During the second loop, the scoring system entirely changes and requires different play strategies in order to maximize your scoring potential. ''(See [[Ketsui:_Kizuna_Jigoku_Tachi/Guides#Second_Loop_Scoring|Second Loop Scoring]] for more information.)'' Reaching the Ura loop is the only way to fight [[Evaccaneer DOOM]] at the end of the game, otherwise the game will end after destroying Evaccaneer in Stage 2-5.

'''Omote Loop'''

* Beat the game with '''no continues'''
* Sum of deaths + bombs used is less than or equal to '''6'''

'''Ura Loop'''

* Beat the game with '''no continues'''
* ''[[No-Miss]]'' and '''No-Bomb''' the first loop
* Earn at least '''120,000,000pts''' during the first loop

[[File:Ketsui extend stage3.png|thumb|right|Recommended shooting order for the stage 3 midboss extend]]

====Hidden Extends====

=====Stage 3=====
'''Destroying all pieces of the midboss''' battleship before killing it will grant a 1up item. Bombing prevents getting the extend.

Note that the turret that shoots pink bullets in a circular pattern ('''18''', right) will destroy all of the other pieces on death, so saving it until last is recommended.

All pieces must be manually shot down by the player in order for the requirement to be satisfied.

=====Stage 5=====

Just before the Midboss, two "clones" of the player ships will fly onscreen. If they are killed without bombing, an 1up item is awarded.

== References ==
<small>
# Primary info and diagrams provided by [[User:SLRmercury|SLRmercury]]
# Some information verification provided by semenfairy
# Hitbox image from ''Ketsui Death Label'' (DS) provided by Plasmo
# Information on player and enemy bullet hitboxes (acquired via reverse-engineering) provided by Enrico Pozzobon / Olifante | https://gitlab.com/epozzobon/ketsui-re/
# Minor information provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]]
</small>

[[Category:Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]
[[Category:Vertical orientation]]
[[Category:True Last Boss]]

Help:Glossary

2020-08-29T08:30:09Z

ColdComfort:

==0-9==
===1cc===
"'''1cc'''" stands for "'''1 Credit Clear''' or '''1 Coin Clear'''", and refers to completing all of the stages of a game on a '''single credit''' (no continues).

Another term that is used is "x-'''ALL'''", where x represents the number of [[loop]]s completed in a single run on a single credit. An example of an ALL is completing both loops of a game like ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', which features two loops; completing a 1cc on both loops of the game is referred to as a '''2-ALL'''.

==A==
===Arrange===
An '''arrange mode''' is an alternate version of a game, commonly either included with console ports, or made as part of special events, where mechanics, artwork, and various aspects of the game are "remixed" and modified in various ways.

Arrange modes typically don't have enough changes to be considered completely different games, as they are often re-conceptualizations of stages and mechanics, but in some cases, they do have enough differences to be given separate leaderboards, strategies, and stage routing.

===Auto-fire===
''Also called '''Auto-Shot''' or '''Full Auto'''.''

A feature found in some shmups which allows you to fire shots continuously by holding down the “fire” button, or a separately-designated “auto-fire” button, instead of tapping the fire button repeatedly. Depending on a weapon’s fire rate, and the situation, using auto-fire may or may not be to a player’s advantage at all times. Older shooters (or depending on a weapon that is gathered) usually required continuous button pressing to keep firing. Rapid fire can be gathered by either turning it on in an options menu, obtaining a certain weapon power up, or flipping on a turbo fire switch on a control pad (Usually a third party pad).

===Auto-fire rate===
Despite sounding similar, this is NOT the same thing as fire rate. Refers specifically to the amount of shots fired in a single “burst” when using auto-fire : in some shmups this setting is adjustable in the Options menu (or even in-game), while in other cases players will engineer an auto-fire hack to set extra buttons to different auto-fire rates to use in different situations. Usually, the auto-fire rate is represented in Hz, representing how many times the shot button is pressed per second. For instance, a 30hz auto-fire rate means that the shot button is being pressed 30 times a second.

==B==
===Bomb===
A '''bomb''' is the generic term for a limited-use weapon, usually one that does large amounts of damage, typically granting some amount of invincibility for use in emergency situations. Bombs are often stored in stocks similarly to lives, though sometimes they operate on a meter or even just a cooldown timer. They will often be replenished each time the player loses a life.

===Bullet Cancel===
In some games, destroying certain enemies or meeting specific conditions will result in bullets being deleted from the screen, known as a '''bullet cancel'''. Bullet cancels are typically used as a part of a game's scoring system, as cancelled bullets will often increase score, release point items, or create other similar effects.

===Bullet Hell===
''Also called '''Danmaku''' or '''Manic Shooter'''.''

A type of shoot-em-up characterized by large numbers of bullets, often in intricate patterns. Innovated in large part by the developers of [[Toaplan]] and [[CAVE]], and with [[DonPachi]], released in 1995.

===Bullet Herding===
'''Bullet-herding''' is a basic technique in shoot-em-up play that involves positioning the player's ship at different places on the screen with the intent to adjust the trajectory of bullets or lasers that are aimed towards the player. This is commonly used by high level players to create "safe" areas of the screen that the player can move towards incrementally, allowing them to have more space to move around when action becomes hectic.

==C==
===Chain===
''Also called '''Combos'''.''

Any of a number of various repeated techniques a player can perform to increase the points awarded for shooting enemies, collecting items, or other things under the right circumstances: the most common varieties involve shooting down many enemies (or enemies of a specific type) in a row, or collecting a certain type of score item many times in a row.

===Counter-stop===

A '''"counter-stop", counterstop, or CS''' refers to when a score counter reaches the maximum amount that it is able to reach, commonly displayed on a HUD as a series of 9s in each score digit. When a counter-stop is achieved, in most cases, the game stops counting score for the player. It is not possible to score higher than a counter-stop, so often players will stop using scoring techniques upon reaching it.

Games with particularly exploitable counter-stop strategies due to oversights in game design, such as ''[[Dogyuun]]'', are in many cases not played for high scores, or are played in ways that specifically avoid counter-stop strategies.

==D==
===Doujin===

Any artwork made by independent Japanese creators, often a small group or even a single person. Many famous [[shooting game]]s, such as the Touhou Project series, are doujin works. While often conflated with the Western concept of indie, many doujin creators consider themselves philosophically different from indie creators.

==E==
===Euroshmup===
'''Euroshmup''' is a slang term applied to some shmups, usually in a derogatory manner, as a means to criticize or highlight perceived flaws within that game. Although there is no concrete definition, elements of a euroshmup may often include:
* Ship physics / Ship momentum
* Player shields / Health bars
* Unavoidable dangers (which are meant to be absorbed with health bars or shields)
* No bullet patterns / Only simple [[Dodging_strategy#Aimed_patterns|aimed bullets]]
* Limited weapon ammo, which usually also introduces shops and money management into the game
* Lack of complex enemy ship AI such as ships that curve around the screen
* Extremely high enemy HP
* Very slow player bullets
* Huge number of levels often with little variation between them
* No scoring systems

===Extend===
"'''Extend'''" is a term used primarily in arcade games (and especially in [[shooting game]]s) to describe '''extra lives''' / '''1UP'''s. In shooting games, extends are usually rewarded after earning a certain score, or after completing specific in-game tasks.

==F==

===Full Extent of the Jam===

A notorious misspelling of "Full extent of the law" found in the terribly written legal notices of early [[CAVE]] shooters. Has been parodied by CAVE themselves in the legal notices for ports of their games, such as Mushihemesama on PC.

==G==

===Gradius Syndrome===
''Also known as '''Power-Up Syndrome''' , '''One-Life Game'''

Refers to a game where dying once leads to the player losing most or all of their power ups, and where recovery from such a state is extremely difficult even if the game provides a large number of extends. Notable games that have this aspect include '''Gradius''' and '''Darius II/Sagaia'''

===Grazing===
'''Grazing''' is a mechanic present in some shooting games, in which some effect is produced by getting extremely close to, but not touching, enemy bullets. Grazing may be used in games to increase score, provide items, or even slow down bullets, among other effects.

==H==
===Hitbox===
A '''hitbox''' is a typically invisible box or region, used by a game to calculate whether objects have collided or not. They are typically made of simple shapes, and are used to simplify and add consistency to collision detection, as using every pixel of a sprite or model for collision detection would be both computationally more intensive and mechanically unwieldy. Player ships, enemy ships, bullets, environment, and so on, can all have hitboxes. Hitboxes are often much smaller than the objects might appear, so developers will often add some sort of visual feature to hint at hitbox location - such as a bright cockpit on a ship, an ornament on a character's back, or even displaying the hitbox itself with a small dot. Bullets may also have their hitboxes indicated via a different colored region toward the center of the bullet, that more closely matches its true hitbox.

===Hyper System===
'''"Hyper system"''' or '''hyper''' refers to a game mechanic where the player can spend a gauge or power-up that grants them '''massively increased firepower''' for a limited time, in exchange for '''harder game difficulty''', such as faster bullet speeds, denser bullet patterns, overall rank increase, and/or more aggressive enemy AI. The concept of the hyper system was originally conceived in ''[[DoDonPachi Campaign Version]]'', a special arrange mode of ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', and was refined and popularized by ''[[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou]]''. It has since appeared in a variety of games, such as ''[[Crimzon Clover]]''.

In more non-traditional uses of the term, '''hyper''' may be used to refer to any temporary, powered-up state.

==L==

===Label===

Shmup re-releases and variations, particularly those produced by CAVE, are often referred to as (something) Label, most commonly Black Label. Whilst there is no true terminology behind the usage of different prefixes, most 'Label' games follow the pattern below;

'''White Label''' - Refers to original release (unofficial, mostly used for Dodonpachi DaiOuJou)

'''Black Label''' - Improved Re-release of the original game, sometimes changes are more significant.

'''Death Label''' - Boss Rush version of the game with no stages

'''Blue Label/Red Label''' - Arranged versions typically made for festival events.

The usage of "Labels" in this manner appears to be inspired by whiskey production and sale.

===Loop===
''Also called '''Round'''.''

A successful completion of all of a shmup’s levels that are available for one “trip” through the game, from beginning to end. The term “loop” is most commonly used when a shmup starts itself over at the first stage after a player completes it, thus sending them through a second “loop,” or “lap,” of the game, which is usually more difficult than the first “loop.” Some shmups offer several successive “loops,” sometimes even ad infinitum, though most have a maximum of one or two. Successive “loops” of a shmup will usually leave the player’s score from the previous “loops” intact, enabling him to reach even higher scores.

Some shmups require a player to one-credit the game in order to reach a successive loop, while others will send the player to it no matter how many times he has to continue to finish the initial run . Sometimes “loops” which occur after the initial trip through the game will only require the player to progress through a limited portion of the game’s total stages, though most of the time they involve all stages; in other instances, later loops can contain a number of various things not seen in earlier ones.

It’s worth noting that some shmuppers do not consider the first, or “original” trip through a game’s stages as a “loop,” but only the successive ones: Thus, to them, the second successive run through is the “first loop”, the third is the “second loop”, and so on. However, most feel free to refer to the original run through a game’s stages as the “first loop,” and progress in succession from there.

Also worth noting is that, in games which contain one or more loops, the way stages are listed oftentimes also notes which loop the stage is in: most of the time, the loop is listed first, and the stage second. For instance, the first few stages in the initial loop of a game would be listed as “1-1,” 1-2,” 1-3,” etc., while the same stages in the second loop would be “2-1,” “2-2,” “2-3,” and so on.

==M==
===Memory shmup===
''Also called '''Memorizer'''.''

A type of shmup, usually horizontal in orientation, which forces a player to repeatedly play its levels and memorize its layout in order to perform effectively, though quick reflexes are also a factor to an extent. The R-Type games are the most well-known examples.

===Milk===
''Also called '''Leech'''.''

To “milk” an enemy, usually a boss, is to gain as many points from the fight as possible by taking advantage of infinite (or semi-infinite) sources of points which are present: in most cases, this involves leaving the enemy alive for as long as is possible, rather than destroying it immediately. Examples include continually grazing shots and repeatedly destroying any endlessly respawning weaker enemies or sub-parts for the entire duration of the battle, rather than attacking the core and ending the encounter quickly. In some cases, a player will have to take additional “unorthodox” actions (such as suicide or power down ) to milk most effectively. Even disregarding this, milking can still be risky, since some milkable enemies become more difficult to defeat if they’re left alive too long; the practice can also, simply put, be boring to the player, due to its highly repetitive nature. Also, if there is a boss timer in effect, in most cases the player will want to be sure to stop milking and focus on destroying the boss before it runs out, or else forfeit the points that the boss would have been worth.

==N==
===No-miss===
In shooting games (and many games that originate in Japan), a "miss" refers to player death; achieving a '''No-Miss''' means going through the entire stage, game, or boss fight without losing a life.

Many games offer significant bonus points for achieving a No-Miss at the end of the stage, or at the end of the game. In games that feature a [[True Last Boss]] or other hidden content, a No-Miss is occasionally a requirement to unlock said content.

==O==
===Option===
An "'''option'''" is an augment to a player's ship that grants additional firepower. In some games, options can also be used to block bullets. Options are usually represented by a pod-like object or a small ship that flies with the player's ship.

==P==
===Point-blank===
"'''Point-blank'''" is a term used by [[shooting game]] players to describe ''getting as close to an enemy as possible while shooting at them''.

In most cases, this concentrates all of their firepower on a singular enemy, increasing the rate of damage dealt to the enemy, in exchange for putting themselves at greater risk of receiving damage from enemies, and dealing less damage to other enemies coming into the screen. Some games will directly reward you for this kind of aggressive play, such as ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi|Ketsui]]'' and its proximity chip scoring system, or ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]]'' and its Hyper Counter system, which allows you to quickly charge/recharge your Hyper Meter by point-blanking with your Laser / Hyper Laser.

===Popcorn===
''Also called '''Cannon Fodder''', '''Zako'''.''

Term to refer to common, weak enemies which appear in large numbers at a time during the course of a shmup, but only take a shot or two apiece to destroy, and can thus be taken out in bulk (or “popped”) fairly easily. Literally, zako is the Japanese word for “small fry,” as in fish.

===Port===
When a game is converted to a platform different that for what it was originally produced. For Shmups, this most commonly refers to games being ported from Arcade platforms to a home platform.

==R==
===Rank===
Gameplay system found in many shmups which will automatically adjust the game’s difficulty in accordance with the player’s performance: for example, in many cases more enemies will appear (and/or existing enemies will attack more aggressively) when the player is fully powered up. Some more “extreme” rank systems require that the player purposely avoids powering up, shooting down enemies, etc. in order to effectively increase his chances of survival, although often at the cost of higher scoring opportunities. Some rank systems are controlled directly by the player’s status and can change quickly, while others will continually increase depending on the player’s actions until they “max out,” and efforts to control them can only slow down how fast they increase.

===RNG===
''Also known as '''Randomness'''''

Short for ''Random Number Generation'', RNG is a term that broadly describes any behaviors in game that are influenced by randomness. Though less prevalent in shmups than in some other genres, randomness is still a significant factor in many games. Any element which differs significantly between two runs could be an indicator of RNG; shmups with very little randomness and high consistency between runs are known as [[#Memory shmup| Memory Shmups or Memorizers]], because learning a fixed route can 'solve' the entire game. Common shmup elements that can be driven by RNG include, but are not limited to:
* Boss movements - In many games, the direction and/or speed at which bosses move is influenced by RNG.
* Boss attack patterns - In addition to movement, many games allow bosses to choose their attack patterns at random from a small pool of possible attacks.
* Point values - Some games feature collectible items or destructible targets with values that are randomly chosen from a small pool of options.
* Bullet aiming - Instead of being aimed at a player, bullets might be fired in a random direction.
* Enemy spawns - Spawn locations for enemies may sometimes be driven by randomness, often within a specific range to keep things somewhat fair.

==S==
===Safespot===
A "'''safe-spot'''" refers to a place on the screen that you can place your ship to completely avoid damage from incoming bullet patterns. Safespots are typically the result of system exploits, game design oversights, or glitches/bugs.

Particularly egregious safespots can often allow a player to completely avoid damage while still damaging enemies and bosses for the duration of an encounter, which can completely nullify the difficulty of said encounter.

===Shrapnel===
''Also called '''Debris'''.''

Graphical touch found in some shmups, in which “shards” or “chunks” of enemy craft appear to be blown off of them when they are shot or destroyed. In most cases shrapnel is included for purely presentational reasons and cannot directly harm the player, but it can still be a hindrance if enemy bullets are not very distinct, as they can blend in with the shrapnel and become hard to spot.

===Slowdown===
* Programming phenomenon commonly found in shmups, in which all onscreen action slows down and/or the frame rate drops when high amounts of separate elements (i.e. enemies, bullets, etc.) appear at once. Can be used to a player’s advantage by giving him more time to react to what’s going on, but can seriously hamper a game’s playability when found in abundance. The amount of slowdown present can be adjusted in some console shmups via the ”Wait” option.
* In this case, usually presented as two words (Slow Down). An ability found in some shmups, which enables the player to deliberately slow his craft’s movement speed, to assist in dodging tight and/or slow-moving bullet patterns; sometimes also changes the effect of the weapon the player is firing when in use. A few shmups also contain a built-in “slow down” function which can slow enemies and their attacks, but utilization of these is almost always considered a form of cheating.

==T==

===Tick Points===
Many games provide the player with a small, but consistent, point bonus as long as the player's shots hit an enemy. Even if the enemy is not damaged or destroyed, the player may still gain points just because their bullets are contacting an enemy; these are known as 'tick points'. Though in most situations tick points are a minor scoring element, in some games this can be a valuable source of points, especially when used against invulnerable enemies or bosses.

===Time-out===
A "'''time-out'''" refers to a situation where a boss or mid-boss flies off the screen when it continues to survive for a certain period of time. Some games, such as ''[[Ikaruga]]'', feature an invincible boss that must be timed-out in order to win, forcing the player to rely on their dodging skills and pattern recognition. In most other games, time-outs typically exist in order to prevent the player from earning unlimited amounts of points from [[#Milk|milking]].

===True Last Boss===
Many [[shooting game]]s include a "'''True Last Boss''' (TLB)," a hidden boss encounter that only appears to highly skilled players. Reaching the TLB of a game often requires meeting a series of requirements, such as achieving a "[[no miss]]-no bomb (NMNB)" run, reaching a certain score threshold, destroying certain objects, entering a certain "path", or other objectives that can range from the obvious to the esoteric.

Even just reaching the TLB is a high achievement, and defeating them is, in some cases, a much greater challenge than an ordinary clear of the game.

==Z==
===Zako===
''See [[#Popcorn|Popcorn]]''

===Zunpets===
Name for the often maligned Trumpet samples used in many of the Touhou games. Named after their developer, ZUN

==References==
# https://www.sega-16.com/2005/04/unofficial-shmups-glossary/
# https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=11882

Darius Gaiden

2020-08-28T15:04:43Z

ColdComfort: /* Story */

[[File:Darius_Gaiden_Arcade_Flyer.jpg|right]]

==Darius Gaiden==

'''Darius Gaiden''' is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up released by [Taito] in 1994, and is the third arcade title in the [Darius] series. It is the first game in the series to use a single-screen display, and has a heavy focus on the use of psychadelic effects, bizzare atmosphere and an unusual soundtrack from TAITO's music team Zuntata to produce a dreamlike experience. The Stage 1 Track VISSIONERZ, composed by Hisayoshi Ogura, formed the basis for all of the music and the presentation of the game, with the opening lyrics telling the player to "Close your eyes..."

As is typical for the Darius series, Gaiden features Fish-based theming and bosses, Branching Pathways - with a total of 28 stages - and multiple endings.

Darius Gaiden has been ported to the Saturn, Playstation, and to the PS4 and Switch as part of the Darius Cozmic Collection.

Darius Gaiden chronologically takes place between the first two Darius games, which is where the name draws from - Gaiden is often used in Japanese titles, loosely translated as "Another story".

Darius Gaiden was followed up by '''G-Darius''' in 1997.

== Gameplay Overview ==
'''Darius Gaiden''' is a 2-button Horizontal shmup, which is fairly classical in style - with typically lower numbers of bullets on screen and a larger hitbox than '''Bullet Hell''' styled games. There is only one player ship, the '''Silver Hawk'''. The gameplay is largely focused around power-ups, with power ups for your main shot, the bombs shot from your ship, and a shield which can take 3 hits, upgrading to 4 and then 5 as more are picked up. Upon death, your shot power decreases one full stage whilst shield and bomb stage remains constant - except after new credits.

There are also Score Item Pickups, Screen-clearing item pickups, and Pickups containing extra lives. Enemies that drop all types of pickups, and those revealed when shot in secret parts of the stage, are '''Fixed''', though their quantities do vary depending on the route you take throughout the game.

The '''Black-Hole Bomb''' is a new addition to the series, and serves a very similar purpose to the traditional bombs found in most shmups - destroying weak enemies immedietly, providing invulnerability for a few seconds (except from stage hazards such as walls), and clearing the screen of enemy projectiles. However, the black hole bomb also sucks up and destroys floating pickup items and prevents pickup enemies dropping them. Bombs are lost upon death.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the main shot and standard diagonal bombs. When held, fires at about a 5hz, but can be tapped quickly for more rapid shots
* '''B:''' Fires the '''Black-Hole Bomb'''

=== Weapons ===
----
This section describes the weapons that you use in the game and elaborates on them further. Stuff like standard shots, focus shots, bombs, weapon pickups that differ in functionality, options, etc. ''This can be omitted if not relevant to the game in question.''

=== Items ===
----
This section describes any and all collectibles that you acquire in the game. An example being any '''Power Up items''' or '''Medals''' from ''[[Battle Garegga|Battle Garegga]]''. Include secret items such as extra lives as well.

=== Scoring ===
----
This section should cover a general breakdown of the scoring system of the game. Feel free to put the meat and potatoes here. A great example of a scoring section is the ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' page.

== Strategy ==

A 30Hz autofire is highly reccomended for Darius Gaiden, and is included as a default on Darius Gaiden Extra Version - it makes bosses far less tanky and the game far easier throughout.

Stage V is the easiest final stage, and most survival-routes end there, as it's final boss, '''RISK STORAGE''' being easily the least tanky and difficult of the final bosses. Stage Z', meanwhile, is the hardest final stage, with '''GREAT THING''' effectively serving as the [True Last Boss] of the game. Stage V' is also very difficult with '''STORM CAUSER''' serving as the second hardest boss.

''(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 ==
Taking place after the original Darius, Gaiden focuses on the refugees of the Planet Darius after the climactic battle of the original game, who having left for the planet '''Vadis''', now attempt to return to their home planet. Upon doing so, they are ambushed by a '''Belsar''' fleet, which destroys most of the Silver Hawks, leaving only two remaining Silver Hawks, piloted by '''Keith Arden (1P Side)''' and '''Anna Steiner (2P Side)''', where the game begins...

Gaiden features 7 Endings, most of which focus on the dreamlike nature of the game itself. The endings to Zone Z' and V' can probably be seen as the game's good endings, whilst the rest are more ambiguous.

*'''Zone Z'''': Upon defeating '''GREAT THING''', Keith and Anna witness the battlefield and desolation they've thought through give way to a forest scene, and they are unsure if what they have just fought through is real or a dream.

*'''Zone V''': Going deep underwater to defeat '''RISK STORAGE''', the Silver Hawks are destroyed by water pressure, fall to the bottom of the sea, and are covered by the Marine snow.

*'''Zone W''': Reveals that Darius Gaiden is just a game Keith and Anna were playing in the arcade, with Keith cheering in triumph. Essentially a joke ending.

*'''Zone X''': Destroying the Belsar citidel, Keith and Anna ruminate that the battle isnt over yet, as shadows lurk in the clouds.

*'''Zone Y''': Upon defeating '''ODIOUS TRIDENT''', Keith and Anna land in a forest similar to that shwon in the ending to Zone Z', and are welcomed by the native species, being lauded for destroying the enemies that were destroying the forests of Darius.

*'''Zone Z''': Defeating '''CURIOUS CHANDELIER''' and the rest of the Belsar fleet, Anna and Keith leave Darius, only to find that the fighting had caused so much damage that Darius explodes. Keith and Anna are at a loss what to do.

*'''Zone V'''': Defeating '''STORM CAUSER''' clears the huge storm around the stage and reveals the lost fleet of refugee ships from the opening of the game, which settle on Darius once again. Peace is restored. Definetly the "best" ending, and seeing as the Zone's inclusion as the final stage in the EXTRA version, is the closest to a "true ending."

== Version Differences ==
* '''Darius Gaiden Extra Version''', an official hack, rearranges the stage order of the original game and provides a 30Hz autofire by default for pressing A. As a special extra, starting the game as 2P side starts a version of the game where all 28 stages are played in alphabetical order, ending with stage V' and the boss '''STORM CAUSER''', and also utilising it's ending.

== Trivia ==
* ZUN's favourite shmup.

----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Darius Gaiden/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Other ==

We have support for wikitables, giving us the potential to add lots of cool info in a small box on the page somewhere, but we are not using them at the moment. I'm just leaving this here so we can have it handy in case we decide to actually use them. Feel free to not use this section.

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"
|-
! [[(Template Page)]]
|-
| put your stuff here
|}

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

Darius Gaiden

2020-08-28T15:00:41Z

ColdComfort: Created page with "right ==Darius Gaiden== '''Darius Gaiden''' is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up released by [Taito] in 1994, and is the third arca..."

[[File:Darius_Gaiden_Arcade_Flyer.jpg|right]]

==Darius Gaiden==

'''Darius Gaiden''' is a horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up released by [Taito] in 1994, and is the third arcade title in the [Darius] series. It is the first game in the series to use a single-screen display, and has a heavy focus on the use of psychadelic effects, bizzare atmosphere and an unusual soundtrack from TAITO's music team Zuntata to produce a dreamlike experience. The Stage 1 Track VISSIONERZ, composed by Hisayoshi Ogura, formed the basis for all of the music and the presentation of the game, with the opening lyrics telling the player to "Close your eyes..."

As is typical for the Darius series, Gaiden features Fish-based theming and bosses, Branching Pathways - with a total of 28 stages - and multiple endings.

Darius Gaiden has been ported to the Saturn, Playstation, and to the PS4 and Switch as part of the Darius Cozmic Collection.

Darius Gaiden chronologically takes place between the first two Darius games, which is where the name draws from - Gaiden is often used in Japanese titles, loosely translated as "Another story".

Darius Gaiden was followed up by '''G-Darius''' in 1997.

== Gameplay Overview ==
'''Darius Gaiden''' is a 2-button Horizontal shmup, which is fairly classical in style - with typically lower numbers of bullets on screen and a larger hitbox than '''Bullet Hell''' styled games. There is only one player ship, the '''Silver Hawk'''. The gameplay is largely focused around power-ups, with power ups for your main shot, the bombs shot from your ship, and a shield which can take 3 hits, upgrading to 4 and then 5 as more are picked up. Upon death, your shot power decreases one full stage whilst shield and bomb stage remains constant - except after new credits.

There are also Score Item Pickups, Screen-clearing item pickups, and Pickups containing extra lives. Enemies that drop all types of pickups, and those revealed when shot in secret parts of the stage, are '''Fixed''', though their quantities do vary depending on the route you take throughout the game.

The '''Black-Hole Bomb''' is a new addition to the series, and serves a very similar purpose to the traditional bombs found in most shmups - destroying weak enemies immedietly, providing invulnerability for a few seconds (except from stage hazards such as walls), and clearing the screen of enemy projectiles. However, the black hole bomb also sucks up and destroys floating pickup items and prevents pickup enemies dropping them. Bombs are lost upon death.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''A:''' Fires the main shot and standard diagonal bombs. When held, fires at about a 5hz, but can be tapped quickly for more rapid shots
* '''B:''' Fires the '''Black-Hole Bomb'''

=== Weapons ===
----
This section describes the weapons that you use in the game and elaborates on them further. Stuff like standard shots, focus shots, bombs, weapon pickups that differ in functionality, options, etc. ''This can be omitted if not relevant to the game in question.''

=== Items ===
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This section describes any and all collectibles that you acquire in the game. An example being any '''Power Up items''' or '''Medals''' from ''[[Battle Garegga|Battle Garegga]]''. Include secret items such as extra lives as well.

=== Scoring ===
----
This section should cover a general breakdown of the scoring system of the game. Feel free to put the meat and potatoes here. A great example of a scoring section is the ''[[DoDonPachi]]'' page.

== Strategy ==

A 30Hz autofire is highly reccomended for Darius Gaiden, and is included as a default on Darius Gaiden Extra Version - it makes bosses far less tanky and the game far easier throughout.

Stage V is the easiest final stage, and most survival-routes end there, as it's final boss, '''RISK STORAGE''' being easily the least tanky and difficult of the final bosses. Stage Z', meanwhile, is the hardest final stage, with '''GREAT THING''' effectively serving as the [True Last Boss] of the game. Stage V' is also very difficult with '''STORM CAUSER''' serving as the second hardest boss.

''(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 ==
Taking place after the original Darius, Gaiden focuses on the refugees of the Planet Darius after the climactic battle of the original game, who having left for the planet '''Vadis''', now attempt to return to their home planet. Upon doing so, they are ambushed by a '''Belsar''' fleet, which destroys most of the Silver Hawks, leaving only two remaining Silver Hawks, piloted by '''Keith Arden (1P Side)''' and '''Anna Steiner (2P Side)''', where the game begins...

Gaiden features 7 Endings, most of which focus on the dreamlike nature of the game itself. The endings to Zone Z' and V' can probably be seen as the game's good endings, whilst the rest are more ambiguous.

*'''Zone Z'''': Upon defeating '''GREAT THING''', Keith and Anna witness the battlefield and desolation they've thought through give way to a forest scene, and they are unsure if what they have just fought through is real or a dream.

*'''Zone V''': Going deep underwater to defeat '''RISK STORAGE''', the Silver Hawks are destroyed by water pressure, fall to the bottom of the sea, and are covered by the Marine snow.

*'''Zone W''': Reveals that Darius Gaiden is just a game Keith and Anna were playing in the arcade, with Keith cheering in triumph. Essentially a joke ending.

*'''Zone X''': Destroying the Belsar citidel, Keith and Anna ruminate that the battle isnt over yet, as shadows lurk in the clouds.

*'''Zone Y''': Upon defeating '''ODIOUS TRIDENT''', Keith and Anna land in a forest similar to that shwon in the ending to Zone Z', and are welcomed by the native species, being lauded for destroying the enemies that were destroying the forests of Darius.

*'''Zone Z''': Defeating '''CURIOUS CHANDELIER''' and the rest of the Belsar fleet, Anna and Keith leave Darius, only to find that the fighting had caused so much damage that Darius explodes. Keith and Anna are at a loss to do.

*'''Zone V'''': Defeating '''STORM CAUSER''' clears the huge storm around the stage and reveals the lost fleet of refugee ships from the opening of the game, which settle on Darius once again. Peace is restored. Definetly the "best" ending, and seeing as the Zone's inclusion as the final stage in the EXTRA version, is the closest to a "true ending."

== Version Differences ==
* '''Darius Gaiden Extra Version''', an official hack, rearranges the stage order of the original game and provides a 30Hz autofire by default for pressing A. As a special extra, starting the game as 2P side starts a version of the game where all 28 stages are played in alphabetical order, ending with stage V' and the boss '''STORM CAUSER''', and also utilising it's ending.

== Trivia ==
* ZUN's favourite shmup.

----

== Gallery ==
<div style='text-align: center;'>
''See [[Darius Gaiden/Gallery]] for our collection of images and scans for the game.''
</div>
----

== Other ==

We have support for wikitables, giving us the potential to add lots of cool info in a small box on the page somewhere, but we are not using them at the moment. I'm just leaving this here so we can have it handy in case we decide to actually use them. Feel free to not use this section.

{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"
|-
! [[(Template Page)]]
|-
| put your stuff here
|}

== References & Contributors ==
<small>
# Remember to include everyone that you can in your credits if they contributed information! | Having links handy is even better, when available.
# If you are a primary source of information for a game, be sure to link to your Shmup Wiki user account by including a link to your profile, such as: <nowiki>[[User:(You)|(Your Name)]]</nowiki>
## And while you're at it, make yourself a little profile page (if you want, of course)! As a contributor, you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

* This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small>

Help:Glossary

2020-08-27T21:24:30Z

ColdComfort: /* Z */

==0-9==
===1cc===
"'''1cc'''" stands for "'''1 Credit Clear''' or '''1 Coin Clear'''", and refers to completing all of the stages of a game on a '''single credit''' (no continues).

Another term that is used is "x-'''ALL'''", where x represents the number of [[loop]]s completed in a single run on a single credit. An example of an ALL is completing both loops of a game like ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', which features two loops; completing a 1cc on both loops of the game is referred to as a '''2-ALL'''.

==A==
===Arrange===
An '''arrange mode''' is an alternate version of a game, commonly either included with console ports, or made as part of special events, where mechanics, artwork, and various aspects of the game are "remixed" and modified in various ways.

Arrange modes typically don't have enough changes to be considered completely different games, as they are often re-conceptualizations of stages and mechanics, but in some cases, they do have enough differences to be given separate leaderboards, strategies, and stage routing.

===Auto-fire===
''Also called '''Auto-Shot''' or '''Full Auto'''.''

A feature found in some shmups which allows you to fire shots continuously by holding down the “fire” button, or a separately-designated “auto-fire” button, instead of tapping the fire button repeatedly. Depending on a weapon’s fire rate, and the situation, using auto-fire may or may not be to a player’s advantage at all times. Older shooters (or depending on a weapon that is gathered) usually required continuous button pressing to keep firing. Rapid fire can be gathered by either turning it on in an options menu, obtaining a certain weapon power up, or flipping on a turbo fire switch on a control pad (Usually a third party pad).

===Auto-fire rate===
Despite sounding similar, this is NOT the same thing as fire rate. Refers specifically to the amount of shots fired in a single “burst” when using auto-fire : in some shmups this setting is adjustable in the Options menu (or even in-game), while in other cases players will engineer an auto-fire hack to set extra buttons to different auto-fire rates to use in different situations. Usually, the auto-fire rate is represented in Hz, representing how many times the shot button is pressed per second. For instance, a 30hz auto-fire rate means that the shot button is being pressed 30 times a second.

==B==
===Bomb===
A '''bomb''' is the generic term for a limited-use weapon, usually one that does large amounts of damage, typically granting some amount of invincibility for use in emergency situations. Bombs are often stored in stocks similarly to lives, though sometimes they operate on a meter or even just a cooldown timer. They will often be replenished each time the player loses a life.

===Bullet Cancel===
In some games, destroying certain enemies or meeting specific conditions will result in bullets being deleted from the screen, known as a '''bullet cancel'''. Bullet cancels are typically used as a part of a game's scoring system, as cancelled bullets will often increase score, release point items, or create other similar effects.

===Bullet Hell===
''Also called '''Danmaku''' or '''Manic Shooter'''.''

A type of shoot-em-up characterized by large numbers of bullets, often in intricate patterns. Innovated in large part by the developers of [[Toaplan]] and [[CAVE]], and with [[DonPachi]], released in 1995.

===Bullet Herding===
'''Bullet-herding''' is a basic technique in shoot-em-up play that involves positioning the player's ship at different places on the screen with the intent to adjust the trajectory of bullets or lasers that are aimed towards the player. This is commonly used by high level players to create "safe" areas of the screen that the player can move towards incrementally, allowing them to have more space to move around when action becomes hectic.

==C==
===Chain===
''Also called '''Combos'''.''

Any of a number of various repeated techniques a player can perform to increase the points awarded for shooting enemies, collecting items, or other things under the right circumstances: the most common varieties involve shooting down many enemies (or enemies of a specific type) in a row, or collecting a certain type of score item many times in a row.

===Counter-stop===

A '''"counter-stop", counterstop, or CS''' refers to when a score counter reaches the maximum amount that it is able to reach, commonly displayed on a HUD as a series of 9s in each score digit. When a counter-stop is achieved, in most cases, the game stops counting score for the player. It is not possible to score higher than a counter-stop, so often players will stop using scoring techniques upon reaching it.

Games with particularly exploitable counter-stop strategies due to oversights in game design, such as ''[[Dogyuun]]'', are in many cases not played for high scores, or are played in ways that specifically avoid counter-stop strategies.

==D==
===Doujin===

Any artwork made by independent Japanese creators, often a small group or even a single person. Many famous [[shooting game]]s, such as the Touhou Project series, are doujin works. While often conflated with the Western concept of indie, many doujin creators consider themselves philosophically different from indie creators.

==E==
===Euroshmup===
'''Euroshmup''' is a slang term applied to some shmups, usually in a derogatory manner, as a means to criticize or highlight perceived flaws within that game. Although there is no concrete definition, elements of a euroshmup may often include:
* Ship physics / Ship momentum
* Player shields / Health bars
* Unavoidable dangers (which are meant to be absorbed with health bars or shields)
* No bullet patterns / Only simple [[Dodging_strategy#Aimed_patterns|aimed bullets]]
* Limited weapon ammo, which usually also introduces shops and money management into the game
* Lack of complex enemy ship AI such as ships that curve around the screen
* Extremely high enemy HP
* Very slow player bullets
* Huge number of levels often with little variation between them
* No scoring systems

===Extend===
"'''Extend'''" is a term used primarily in arcade games (and especially in [[shooting game]]s) to describe '''extra lives''' / '''1UP'''s. In shooting games, extends are usually rewarded after earning a certain score, or after completing specific in-game tasks.

==G==

===Gradius Syndrome===
''Also known as '''Power-Up Syndrome''' , '''One-Life Game'''

Refers to a game where dying once leads to the player losing most or all of their power ups, and where recovery from such a state is extremely difficult even if the game provides a large number of extends. Notable games that have this aspect include '''Gradius''' and '''Darius II/Sagaia'''

===Grazing===
'''Grazing''' is a mechanic present in some shooting games, in which some effect is produced by getting extremely close to, but not touching, enemy bullets. Grazing may be used in games to increase score, provide items, or even slow down bullets, among other effects.

==H==
===Hitbox===
A '''hitbox''' is a typically invisible box or region, used by a game to calculate whether objects have collided or not. They are typically made of simple shapes, and are used to simplify and add consistency to collision detection, as using every pixel of a sprite or model for collision detection would be both computationally more intensive and mechanically unwieldy. Player ships, enemy ships, bullets, environment, and so on, can all have hitboxes. Hitboxes are often much smaller than the objects might appear, so developers will often add some sort of visual feature to hint at hitbox location - such as a bright cockpit on a ship, an ornament on a character's back, or even displaying the hitbox itself with a small dot. Bullets may also have their hitboxes indicated via a different colored region toward the center of the bullet, that more closely matches its true hitbox.

===Hyper System===
'''"Hyper system"''' or '''hyper''' refers to a game mechanic where the player can spend a gauge or power-up that grants them '''massively increased firepower''' for a limited time, in exchange for '''harder game difficulty''', such as faster bullet speeds, denser bullet patterns, overall rank increase, and/or more aggressive enemy AI. The concept of the hyper system was originally conceived in ''[[DoDonPachi Campaign Version]]'', a special arrange mode of ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', and was refined and popularized by ''[[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou]]''. It has since appeared in a variety of games, such as ''[[Crimzon Clover]]''.

In more non-traditional uses of the term, '''hyper''' may be used to refer to any temporary, powered-up state.

==L==

===Label===

Shmup re-releases and variations, particularly those produced by CAVE, are often referred to as (something) Label, most commonly Black Label. Whilst there is no true terminology behind the usage of different prefixes, most 'Label' games follow the pattern below;

'''White Label''' - Refers to original release (unofficial, mostly used for Dodonpachi DaiOuJou)

'''Black Label''' - Improved Re-release of the original game, sometimes changes are more significant.

'''Death Label''' - Boss Rush version of the game with no stages

'''Blue Label/Red Label''' - Arranged versions typically made for festival events.

The usage of "Labels" in this manner appears to be inspired by whiskey production and sale.

===Loop===
''Also called '''Round'''.''

A successful completion of all of a shmup’s levels that are available for one “trip” through the game, from beginning to end. The term “loop” is most commonly used when a shmup starts itself over at the first stage after a player completes it, thus sending them through a second “loop,” or “lap,” of the game, which is usually more difficult than the first “loop.” Some shmups offer several successive “loops,” sometimes even ad infinitum, though most have a maximum of one or two. Successive “loops” of a shmup will usually leave the player’s score from the previous “loops” intact, enabling him to reach even higher scores.

Some shmups require a player to one-credit the game in order to reach a successive loop, while others will send the player to it no matter how many times he has to continue to finish the initial run . Sometimes “loops” which occur after the initial trip through the game will only require the player to progress through a limited portion of the game’s total stages, though most of the time they involve all stages; in other instances, later loops can contain a number of various things not seen in earlier ones.

It’s worth noting that some shmuppers do not consider the first, or “original” trip through a game’s stages as a “loop,” but only the successive ones: Thus, to them, the second successive run through is the “first loop”, the third is the “second loop”, and so on. However, most feel free to refer to the original run through a game’s stages as the “first loop,” and progress in succession from there.

Also worth noting is that, in games which contain one or more loops, the way stages are listed oftentimes also notes which loop the stage is in: most of the time, the loop is listed first, and the stage second. For instance, the first few stages in the initial loop of a game would be listed as “1-1,” 1-2,” 1-3,” etc., while the same stages in the second loop would be “2-1,” “2-2,” “2-3,” and so on.

==M==
===Memory shmup===
''Also called '''Memorizer'''.''

A type of shmup, usually horizontal in orientation, which forces a player to repeatedly play its levels and memorize its layout in order to perform effectively, though quick reflexes are also a factor to an extent. The R-Type games are the most well-known examples.

===Milk===
''Also called '''Leech'''.''

To “milk” an enemy, usually a boss, is to gain as many points from the fight as possible by taking advantage of infinite (or semi-infinite) sources of points which are present: in most cases, this involves leaving the enemy alive for as long as is possible, rather than destroying it immediately. Examples include continually grazing shots and repeatedly destroying any endlessly respawning weaker enemies or sub-parts for the entire duration of the battle, rather than attacking the core and ending the encounter quickly. In some cases, a player will have to take additional “unorthodox” actions (such as suicide or power down ) to milk most effectively. Even disregarding this, milking can still be risky, since some milkable enemies become more difficult to defeat if they’re left alive too long; the practice can also, simply put, be boring to the player, due to its highly repetitive nature. Also, if there is a boss timer in effect, in most cases the player will want to be sure to stop milking and focus on destroying the boss before it runs out, or else forfeit the points that the boss would have been worth.

==N==
===No-miss===
In shooting games (and many games that originate in Japan), a "miss" refers to player death; achieving a '''No-Miss''' means going through the entire stage, game, or boss fight without losing a life.

Many games offer significant bonus points for achieving a No-Miss at the end of the stage, or at the end of the game. In games that feature a [[True Last Boss]] or other hidden content, a No-Miss is occasionally a requirement to unlock said content.

==O==
===Option===
An "'''option'''" is an augment to a player's ship that grants additional firepower. In some games, options can also be used to block bullets. Options are usually represented by a pod-like object or a small ship that flies with the player's ship.

==P==
===Point-blank===
"'''Point-blank'''" is a term used by [[shooting game]] players to describe ''getting as close to an enemy as possible while shooting at them''.

In most cases, this concentrates all of their firepower on a singular enemy, increasing the rate of damage dealt to the enemy, in exchange for putting themselves at greater risk of receiving damage from enemies, and dealing less damage to other enemies coming into the screen. Some games will directly reward you for this kind of aggressive play, such as ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi|Ketsui]]'' and its proximity chip scoring system, or ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]]'' and its Hyper Counter system, which allows you to quickly charge/recharge your Hyper Meter by point-blanking with your Laser / Hyper Laser.

===Popcorn===
''Also called '''Cannon Fodder''', '''Zako'''.''

Term to refer to common, weak enemies which appear in large numbers at a time during the course of a shmup, but only take a shot or two apiece to destroy, and can thus be taken out in bulk (or “popped”) fairly easily. Literally, zako is the Japanese word for “small fry,” as in fish.

===Port===
When a game is converted to a platform different that for what it was originally produced. For Shmups, this most commonly refers to games being ported from Arcade platforms to a home platform.

==R==
===Rank===
Gameplay system found in many shmups which will automatically adjust the game’s difficulty in accordance with the player’s performance: for example, in many cases more enemies will appear (and/or existing enemies will attack more aggressively) when the player is fully powered up. Some more “extreme” rank systems require that the player purposely avoids powering up, shooting down enemies, etc. in order to effectively increase his chances of survival, although often at the cost of higher scoring opportunities. Some rank systems are controlled directly by the player’s status and can change quickly, while others will continually increase depending on the player’s actions until they “max out,” and efforts to control them can only slow down how fast they increase.

===RNG===
''Also known as '''Randomness'''''

Short for ''Random Number Generation'', RNG is a term that broadly describes any behaviors in game that are influenced by randomness. Though less prevalent in shmups than in some other genres, randomness is still a significant factor in many games. Any element which differs significantly between two runs could be an indicator of RNG; shmups with very little randomness and high consistency between runs are known as [[#Memory shmup| Memory Shmups or Memorizers]], because learning a fixed route can 'solve' the entire game. Common shmup elements that can be driven by RNG include, but are not limited to:
* Boss movements - In many games, the direction and/or speed at which bosses move is influenced by RNG.
* Boss attack patterns - In addition to movement, many games allow bosses to choose their attack patterns at random from a small pool of possible attacks.
* Point values - Some games feature collectible items or destructible targets with values that are randomly chosen from a small pool of options.
* Bullet aiming - Instead of being aimed at a player, bullets might be fired in a random direction.
* Enemy spawns - Spawn locations for enemies may sometimes be driven by randomness, often within a specific range to keep things somewhat fair.

==S==
===Safespot===
A "'''safe-spot'''" refers to a place on the screen that you can place your ship to completely avoid damage from incoming bullet patterns. Safespots are typically the result of system exploits, game design oversights, or glitches/bugs.

Particularly egregious safespots can often allow a player to completely avoid damage while still damaging enemies and bosses for the duration of an encounter, which can completely nullify the difficulty of said encounter.

===Shrapnel===
''Also called '''Debris'''.''

Graphical touch found in some shmups, in which “shards” or “chunks” of enemy craft appear to be blown off of them when they are shot or destroyed. In most cases shrapnel is included for purely presentational reasons and cannot directly harm the player, but it can still be a hindrance if enemy bullets are not very distinct, as they can blend in with the shrapnel and become hard to spot.

===Slowdown===
* Programming phenomenon commonly found in shmups, in which all onscreen action slows down and/or the frame rate drops when high amounts of separate elements (i.e. enemies, bullets, etc.) appear at once. Can be used to a player’s advantage by giving him more time to react to what’s going on, but can seriously hamper a game’s playability when found in abundance. The amount of slowdown present can be adjusted in some console shmups via the ”Wait” option.
* In this case, usually presented as two words (Slow Down). An ability found in some shmups, which enables the player to deliberately slow his craft’s movement speed, to assist in dodging tight and/or slow-moving bullet patterns; sometimes also changes the effect of the weapon the player is firing when in use. A few shmups also contain a built-in “slow down” function which can slow enemies and their attacks, but utilization of these is almost always considered a form of cheating.

==T==

===Tick Points===
Many games provide the player with a small, but consistent, point bonus as long as the player's shots hit an enemy. Even if the enemy is not damaged or destroyed, the player may still gain points just because their bullets are contacting an enemy; these are known as 'tick points'. Though in most situations tick points are a minor scoring element, in some games this can be a valuable source of points, especially when used against invulnerable enemies or bosses.

===Time-out===
A "'''time-out'''" refers to a situation where a boss or mid-boss flies off the screen when it continues to survive for a certain period of time. Some games, such as ''[[Ikaruga]]'', feature an invincible boss that must be timed-out in order to win, forcing the player to rely on their dodging skills and pattern recognition. In most other games, time-outs typically exist in order to prevent the player from earning unlimited amounts of points from [[#Milk|milking]].

===True Last Boss===
Many [[shooting game]]s include a "'''True Last Boss''' (TLB)," a hidden boss encounter that only appears to highly skilled players. Reaching the TLB of a game often requires meeting a series of requirements, such as achieving a "[[no miss]]-no bomb (NMNB)" run, reaching a certain score threshold, destroying certain objects, entering a certain "path", or other objectives that can range from the obvious to the esoteric.

Even just reaching the TLB is a high achievement, and defeating them is, in some cases, a much greater challenge than an ordinary clear of the game.

==Z==
===Zako===
''See [[#Popcorn|Popcorn]]''

===Zunpets===
Name for the often maligned Trumpet samples used in many of the Touhou games. Named after their developer, ZUN

==References==
# https://www.sega-16.com/2005/04/unofficial-shmups-glossary/
# https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=11882

Help:Glossary

2020-08-27T21:14:51Z

ColdComfort: /* P */

==0-9==
===1cc===
"'''1cc'''" stands for "'''1 Credit Clear''' or '''1 Coin Clear'''", and refers to completing all of the stages of a game on a '''single credit''' (no continues).

Another term that is used is "x-'''ALL'''", where x represents the number of [[loop]]s completed in a single run on a single credit. An example of an ALL is completing both loops of a game like ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', which features two loops; completing a 1cc on both loops of the game is referred to as a '''2-ALL'''.

==A==
===Arrange===
An '''arrange mode''' is an alternate version of a game, commonly either included with console ports, or made as part of special events, where mechanics, artwork, and various aspects of the game are "remixed" and modified in various ways.

Arrange modes typically don't have enough changes to be considered completely different games, as they are often re-conceptualizations of stages and mechanics, but in some cases, they do have enough differences to be given separate leaderboards, strategies, and stage routing.

===Auto-fire===
''Also called '''Auto-Shot''' or '''Full Auto'''.''

A feature found in some shmups which allows you to fire shots continuously by holding down the “fire” button, or a separately-designated “auto-fire” button, instead of tapping the fire button repeatedly. Depending on a weapon’s fire rate, and the situation, using auto-fire may or may not be to a player’s advantage at all times. Older shooters (or depending on a weapon that is gathered) usually required continuous button pressing to keep firing. Rapid fire can be gathered by either turning it on in an options menu, obtaining a certain weapon power up, or flipping on a turbo fire switch on a control pad (Usually a third party pad).

===Auto-fire rate===
Despite sounding similar, this is NOT the same thing as fire rate. Refers specifically to the amount of shots fired in a single “burst” when using auto-fire : in some shmups this setting is adjustable in the Options menu (or even in-game), while in other cases players will engineer an auto-fire hack to set extra buttons to different auto-fire rates to use in different situations. Usually, the auto-fire rate is represented in Hz, representing how many times the shot button is pressed per second. For instance, a 30hz auto-fire rate means that the shot button is being pressed 30 times a second.

==B==
===Bomb===
A '''bomb''' is the generic term for a limited-use weapon, usually one that does large amounts of damage, typically granting some amount of invincibility for use in emergency situations. Bombs are often stored in stocks similarly to lives, though sometimes they operate on a meter or even just a cooldown timer. They will often be replenished each time the player loses a life.

===Bullet Cancel===
In some games, destroying certain enemies or meeting specific conditions will result in bullets being deleted from the screen, known as a '''bullet cancel'''. Bullet cancels are typically used as a part of a game's scoring system, as cancelled bullets will often increase score, release point items, or create other similar effects.

===Bullet Hell===
''Also called '''Danmaku''' or '''Manic Shooter'''.''

A type of shoot-em-up characterized by large numbers of bullets, often in intricate patterns. Innovated in large part by the developers of [[Toaplan]] and [[CAVE]], and with [[DonPachi]], released in 1995.

===Bullet Herding===
'''Bullet-herding''' is a basic technique in shoot-em-up play that involves positioning the player's ship at different places on the screen with the intent to adjust the trajectory of bullets or lasers that are aimed towards the player. This is commonly used by high level players to create "safe" areas of the screen that the player can move towards incrementally, allowing them to have more space to move around when action becomes hectic.

==C==
===Chain===
''Also called '''Combos'''.''

Any of a number of various repeated techniques a player can perform to increase the points awarded for shooting enemies, collecting items, or other things under the right circumstances: the most common varieties involve shooting down many enemies (or enemies of a specific type) in a row, or collecting a certain type of score item many times in a row.

===Counter-stop===

A '''"counter-stop", counterstop, or CS''' refers to when a score counter reaches the maximum amount that it is able to reach, commonly displayed on a HUD as a series of 9s in each score digit. When a counter-stop is achieved, in most cases, the game stops counting score for the player. It is not possible to score higher than a counter-stop, so often players will stop using scoring techniques upon reaching it.

Games with particularly exploitable counter-stop strategies due to oversights in game design, such as ''[[Dogyuun]]'', are in many cases not played for high scores, or are played in ways that specifically avoid counter-stop strategies.

==D==
===Doujin===

Any artwork made by independent Japanese creators, often a small group or even a single person. Many famous [[shooting game]]s, such as the Touhou Project series, are doujin works. While often conflated with the Western concept of indie, many doujin creators consider themselves philosophically different from indie creators.

==E==
===Euroshmup===
'''Euroshmup''' is a slang term applied to some shmups, usually in a derogatory manner, as a means to criticize or highlight perceived flaws within that game. Although there is no concrete definition, elements of a euroshmup may often include:
* Ship physics / Ship momentum
* Player shields / Health bars
* Unavoidable dangers (which are meant to be absorbed with health bars or shields)
* No bullet patterns / Only simple [[Dodging_strategy#Aimed_patterns|aimed bullets]]
* Limited weapon ammo, which usually also introduces shops and money management into the game
* Lack of complex enemy ship AI such as ships that curve around the screen
* Extremely high enemy HP
* Very slow player bullets
* Huge number of levels often with little variation between them
* No scoring systems

===Extend===
"'''Extend'''" is a term used primarily in arcade games (and especially in [[shooting game]]s) to describe '''extra lives''' / '''1UP'''s. In shooting games, extends are usually rewarded after earning a certain score, or after completing specific in-game tasks.

==G==

===Gradius Syndrome===
''Also known as '''Power-Up Syndrome''' , '''One-Life Game'''

Refers to a game where dying once leads to the player losing most or all of their power ups, and where recovery from such a state is extremely difficult even if the game provides a large number of extends. Notable games that have this aspect include '''Gradius''' and '''Darius II/Sagaia'''

===Grazing===
'''Grazing''' is a mechanic present in some shooting games, in which some effect is produced by getting extremely close to, but not touching, enemy bullets. Grazing may be used in games to increase score, provide items, or even slow down bullets, among other effects.

==H==
===Hitbox===
A '''hitbox''' is a typically invisible box or region, used by a game to calculate whether objects have collided or not. They are typically made of simple shapes, and are used to simplify and add consistency to collision detection, as using every pixel of a sprite or model for collision detection would be both computationally more intensive and mechanically unwieldy. Player ships, enemy ships, bullets, environment, and so on, can all have hitboxes. Hitboxes are often much smaller than the objects might appear, so developers will often add some sort of visual feature to hint at hitbox location - such as a bright cockpit on a ship, an ornament on a character's back, or even displaying the hitbox itself with a small dot. Bullets may also have their hitboxes indicated via a different colored region toward the center of the bullet, that more closely matches its true hitbox.

===Hyper System===
'''"Hyper system"''' or '''hyper''' refers to a game mechanic where the player can spend a gauge or power-up that grants them '''massively increased firepower''' for a limited time, in exchange for '''harder game difficulty''', such as faster bullet speeds, denser bullet patterns, overall rank increase, and/or more aggressive enemy AI. The concept of the hyper system was originally conceived in ''[[DoDonPachi Campaign Version]]'', a special arrange mode of ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', and was refined and popularized by ''[[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou]]''. It has since appeared in a variety of games, such as ''[[Crimzon Clover]]''.

In more non-traditional uses of the term, '''hyper''' may be used to refer to any temporary, powered-up state.

==L==

===Label===

Shmup re-releases and variations, particularly those produced by CAVE, are often referred to as (something) Label, most commonly Black Label. Whilst there is no true terminology behind the usage of different prefixes, most 'Label' games follow the pattern below;

'''White Label''' - Refers to original release (unofficial, mostly used for Dodonpachi DaiOuJou)

'''Black Label''' - Improved Re-release of the original game, sometimes changes are more significant.

'''Death Label''' - Boss Rush version of the game with no stages

'''Blue Label/Red Label''' - Arranged versions typically made for festival events.

The usage of "Labels" in this manner appears to be inspired by whiskey production and sale.

===Loop===
''Also called '''Round'''.''

A successful completion of all of a shmup’s levels that are available for one “trip” through the game, from beginning to end. The term “loop” is most commonly used when a shmup starts itself over at the first stage after a player completes it, thus sending them through a second “loop,” or “lap,” of the game, which is usually more difficult than the first “loop.” Some shmups offer several successive “loops,” sometimes even ad infinitum, though most have a maximum of one or two. Successive “loops” of a shmup will usually leave the player’s score from the previous “loops” intact, enabling him to reach even higher scores.

Some shmups require a player to one-credit the game in order to reach a successive loop, while others will send the player to it no matter how many times he has to continue to finish the initial run . Sometimes “loops” which occur after the initial trip through the game will only require the player to progress through a limited portion of the game’s total stages, though most of the time they involve all stages; in other instances, later loops can contain a number of various things not seen in earlier ones.

It’s worth noting that some shmuppers do not consider the first, or “original” trip through a game’s stages as a “loop,” but only the successive ones: Thus, to them, the second successive run through is the “first loop”, the third is the “second loop”, and so on. However, most feel free to refer to the original run through a game’s stages as the “first loop,” and progress in succession from there.

Also worth noting is that, in games which contain one or more loops, the way stages are listed oftentimes also notes which loop the stage is in: most of the time, the loop is listed first, and the stage second. For instance, the first few stages in the initial loop of a game would be listed as “1-1,” 1-2,” 1-3,” etc., while the same stages in the second loop would be “2-1,” “2-2,” “2-3,” and so on.

==M==
===Memory shmup===
''Also called '''Memorizer'''.''

A type of shmup, usually horizontal in orientation, which forces a player to repeatedly play its levels and memorize its layout in order to perform effectively, though quick reflexes are also a factor to an extent. The R-Type games are the most well-known examples.

===Milk===
''Also called '''Leech'''.''

To “milk” an enemy, usually a boss, is to gain as many points from the fight as possible by taking advantage of infinite (or semi-infinite) sources of points which are present: in most cases, this involves leaving the enemy alive for as long as is possible, rather than destroying it immediately. Examples include continually grazing shots and repeatedly destroying any endlessly respawning weaker enemies or sub-parts for the entire duration of the battle, rather than attacking the core and ending the encounter quickly. In some cases, a player will have to take additional “unorthodox” actions (such as suicide or power down ) to milk most effectively. Even disregarding this, milking can still be risky, since some milkable enemies become more difficult to defeat if they’re left alive too long; the practice can also, simply put, be boring to the player, due to its highly repetitive nature. Also, if there is a boss timer in effect, in most cases the player will want to be sure to stop milking and focus on destroying the boss before it runs out, or else forfeit the points that the boss would have been worth.

==N==
===No-miss===
In shooting games (and many games that originate in Japan), a "miss" refers to player death; achieving a '''No-Miss''' means going through the entire stage, game, or boss fight without losing a life.

Many games offer significant bonus points for achieving a No-Miss at the end of the stage, or at the end of the game. In games that feature a [[True Last Boss]] or other hidden content, a No-Miss is occasionally a requirement to unlock said content.

==O==
===Option===
An "'''option'''" is an augment to a player's ship that grants additional firepower. In some games, options can also be used to block bullets. Options are usually represented by a pod-like object or a small ship that flies with the player's ship.

==P==
===Point-blank===
"'''Point-blank'''" is a term used by [[shooting game]] players to describe ''getting as close to an enemy as possible while shooting at them''.

In most cases, this concentrates all of their firepower on a singular enemy, increasing the rate of damage dealt to the enemy, in exchange for putting themselves at greater risk of receiving damage from enemies, and dealing less damage to other enemies coming into the screen. Some games will directly reward you for this kind of aggressive play, such as ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi|Ketsui]]'' and its proximity chip scoring system, or ''[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]]'' and its Hyper Counter system, which allows you to quickly charge/recharge your Hyper Meter by point-blanking with your Laser / Hyper Laser.

===Popcorn===
''Also called '''Cannon Fodder''', '''Zako'''.''

Term to refer to common, weak enemies which appear in large numbers at a time during the course of a shmup, but only take a shot or two apiece to destroy, and can thus be taken out in bulk (or “popped”) fairly easily. Literally, zako is the Japanese word for “small fry,” as in fish.

===Port===
When a game is converted to a platform different that for what it was originally produced. For Shmups, this most commonly refers to games being ported from Arcade platforms to a home platform.

==R==
===Rank===
Gameplay system found in many shmups which will automatically adjust the game’s difficulty in accordance with the player’s performance: for example, in many cases more enemies will appear (and/or existing enemies will attack more aggressively) when the player is fully powered up. Some more “extreme” rank systems require that the player purposely avoids powering up, shooting down enemies, etc. in order to effectively increase his chances of survival, although often at the cost of higher scoring opportunities. Some rank systems are controlled directly by the player’s status and can change quickly, while others will continually increase depending on the player’s actions until they “max out,” and efforts to control them can only slow down how fast they increase.

===RNG===
''Also known as '''Randomness'''''

Short for ''Random Number Generation'', RNG is a term that broadly describes any behaviors in game that are influenced by randomness. Though less prevalent in shmups than in some other genres, randomness is still a significant factor in many games. Any element which differs significantly between two runs could be an indicator of RNG; shmups with very little randomness and high consistency between runs are known as [[#Memory shmup| Memory Shmups or Memorizers]], because learning a fixed route can 'solve' the entire game. Common shmup elements that can be driven by RNG include, but are not limited to:
* Boss movements - In many games, the direction and/or speed at which bosses move is influenced by RNG.
* Boss attack patterns - In addition to movement, many games allow bosses to choose their attack patterns at random from a small pool of possible attacks.
* Point values - Some games feature collectible items or destructible targets with values that are randomly chosen from a small pool of options.
* Bullet aiming - Instead of being aimed at a player, bullets might be fired in a random direction.
* Enemy spawns - Spawn locations for enemies may sometimes be driven by randomness, often within a specific range to keep things somewhat fair.

==S==
===Safespot===
A "'''safe-spot'''" refers to a place on the screen that you can place your ship to completely avoid damage from incoming bullet patterns. Safespots are typically the result of system exploits, game design oversights, or glitches/bugs.

Particularly egregious safespots can often allow a player to completely avoid damage while still damaging enemies and bosses for the duration of an encounter, which can completely nullify the difficulty of said encounter.

===Shrapnel===
''Also called '''Debris'''.''

Graphical touch found in some shmups, in which “shards” or “chunks” of enemy craft appear to be blown off of them when they are shot or destroyed. In most cases shrapnel is included for purely presentational reasons and cannot directly harm the player, but it can still be a hindrance if enemy bullets are not very distinct, as they can blend in with the shrapnel and become hard to spot.

===Slowdown===
* Programming phenomenon commonly found in shmups, in which all onscreen action slows down and/or the frame rate drops when high amounts of separate elements (i.e. enemies, bullets, etc.) appear at once. Can be used to a player’s advantage by giving him more time to react to what’s going on, but can seriously hamper a game’s playability when found in abundance. The amount of slowdown present can be adjusted in some console shmups via the ”Wait” option.
* In this case, usually presented as two words (Slow Down). An ability found in some shmups, which enables the player to deliberately slow his craft’s movement speed, to assist in dodging tight and/or slow-moving bullet patterns; sometimes also changes the effect of the weapon the player is firing when in use. A few shmups also contain a built-in “slow down” function which can slow enemies and their attacks, but utilization of these is almost always considered a form of cheating.

==T==

===Tick Points===
Many games provide the player with a small, but consistent, point bonus as long as the player's shots hit an enemy. Even if the enemy is not damaged or destroyed, the player may still gain points just because their bullets are contacting an enemy; these are known as 'tick points'. Though in most situations tick points are a minor scoring element, in some games this can be a valuable source of points, especially when used against invulnerable enemies or bosses.

===Time-out===
A "'''time-out'''" refers to a situation where a boss or mid-boss flies off the screen when it continues to survive for a certain period of time. Some games, such as ''[[Ikaruga]]'', feature an invincible boss that must be timed-out in order to win, forcing the player to rely on their dodging skills and pattern recognition. In most other games, time-outs typically exist in order to prevent the player from earning unlimited amounts of points from [[#Milk|milking]].

===True Last Boss===
Many [[shooting game]]s include a "'''True Last Boss''' (TLB)," a hidden boss encounter that only appears to highly skilled players. Reaching the TLB of a game often requires meeting a series of requirements, such as achieving a "[[no miss]]-no bomb (NMNB)" run, reaching a certain score threshold, destroying certain objects, entering a certain "path", or other objectives that can range from the obvious to the esoteric.

Even just reaching the TLB is a high achievement, and defeating them is, in some cases, a much greater challenge than an ordinary clear of the game.

==Z==
===Zako===
''See [[#Popcorn|Popcorn]]''

==References==
# https://www.sega-16.com/2005/04/unofficial-shmups-glossary/
# https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=11882

File:Darius Gaiden Arcade Flyer.jpg

2020-08-23T17:40:19Z

ColdComfort:

Original Arcade Flyer for Darius Gaiden