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Soukyugurentai

2023-07-25T14:43:19Z

DS91: Added clarification

stub page

'''Versions:'''

The Arcade version of Soukyugurentai released on ST-V is the original version of the game.

Several other versions exist :

'''- the Saturn ports (original and Otokuyo) '''
'''- Terra Diver (the US region of the arcade board.) '''

Each of these has a lower default difficulty than the arcade release. However if you raise the difficulty of the Saturn versions or Terra Diver by one level in Options, you can put it at the same level as Japanese arcade default difficulty. The Otokuyo version is a low price release of the game, it features the first stage of Battle Garegga playable as a demo, the ost from Mahou Daisakusen, Shippu Mahou Daisakusen, Battle Garegga, and several other features. The Saturn versions of the game have different bullet sprites, more slowdown on heavy sections, and less explosion sound effects (particularly noticeable on "Peril Dawn" and the Turret Wall before "Zodian").

'''- PS1 port arcade mode '''

After raising the default difficulty by 1 (the equivalent of arcade difficulty for Saturn ports) the PS1 version will have significantly higher rank and difficulty than the other versions.

'''- PS1 arrange '''

It has easier difficulty than the console ports, the much stronger 4th ship, an extra stage at the end, voice acting, and has an ‘every’ extend system instead of just 2 extends. This makes it essentially a type of 'EX' home version.

'''Bomb bonus:'''
Bonuses are awarded for every bomb pickup once the player has reached 7 bombs (reaching 7 does nothing). Due to a bug, the actual stock also stops at 7 (it should correctly stop displaying at 9 and allow infinite stock, just like Mahou Daisakusen). Failing to pick up a bomb item clears the bonus index to 0, requiring a full restart of the bonus. Using a bomb or dying does not reset the bonus.

The bonuses are 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 16000, 32000, 655371. Due to a bug, the bonus index is incremented twice by accident, so you only see 1000, 4000, 16000, 655371.

Due to yet another bug, the bonus index is incorrectly capped at 6 (classical off-by-one due to confusing max bounds and array element count), exposing the beginning of a
different data table as the final bonus amount (leading to the last bonus being worth 655371)

Messages by trap15 on July 2nd, 2022, STG Rev 2020 Discord server

== Bosses ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Stage !! Name
|-
| 1 || Stealth Bomber "Gambiter"
|-
| 2 || Orbital Laser Satellite "Peril Dawn"
|-
| 3 || Anti-air Modular Tank "Descenter"
|-
| 4 || Tactical Null-G Combat Craft "Victimizer"
|-
| 5 || Low-altitude Tank Carrier "Gail Omen"
|-
| 6 || Prototype Planet-killer "King Midas"
|-
| 6-2 || Prototype Planet-killer "Gambiter MKII"
|}

Soukyugurentai

2023-07-23T10:12:45Z

DS91: Added info on Version differences

stub page

'''Versions:'''

Arcade Souky is of course the default.

Then you have:

- the Saturn port 
- Ps1 port arcade mode 
- Terra Diver (the US region of the arcade board.)

Each of these 3 is mechanically identical to the original arcade release but has a lower difficulty. However if you raise the difficulty by one level in Options, it is the same as arcade.

Finally there is the Ps1 arrange. It's around the same difficulty as the console ports but has the much stronger 4th ship, an extra stage at the end, voice acting, and has an ‘every’ extend system instead of just 2 extends.

'''Bomb bonus:'''
Bonuses are awarded for every bomb pickup once the player has reached 7 bombs (reaching 7 does nothing). Due to a bug, the actual stock also stops at 7 (it should correctly stop displaying at 9 and allow infinite stock, just like Mahou Daisakusen). Failing to pick up a bomb item clears the bonus index to 0, requiring a full restart of the bonus. Using a bomb or dying does not reset the bonus.

The bonuses are 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 16000, 32000, 655371. Due to a bug, the bonus index is incremented twice by accident, so you only see 1000, 4000, 16000, 655371.

Due to yet another bug, the bonus index is incorrectly capped at 6 (classical off-by-one due to confusing max bounds and array element count), exposing the beginning of a
different data table as the final bonus amount (leading to the last bonus being worth 655371)

Messages by trap15 on July 2nd, 2022, STG Rev 2020 Discord server

== Bosses ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Stage !! Name
|-
| 1 || Stealth Bomber "Gambiter"
|-
| 2 || Orbital Laser Satellite "Peril Dawn"
|-
| 3 || Anti-air Modular Tank "Descenter"
|-
| 4 || Tactical Null-G Combat Craft "Victimizer"
|-
| 5 || Low-altitude Tank Carrier "Gail Omen"
|-
| 6 || Prototype Planet-killer "King Midas"
|-
| 6-2 || Prototype Planet-killer "Gambiter MKII"
|}

Gundemonium

2022-10-10T14:07:52Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

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

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-10T13:58:04Z

DS91: Some technical corrections.

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:49:09Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. These gems also fill the Mana gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:48:16Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. These gems also fill the Mana gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:46:53Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. These gems also fill the Mana gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:42:14Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:38:58Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T14:36:55Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level unless you bomb. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T12:49:17Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

=== Rank ===
----
Phase Level is the game's rank system. It is capped at 2 for novice mode, 5 for Revised difficulty and is uncapped (max 11) in Unlimited. Rank is fixed at 11 for Demonic Challenge.
Phase Level increases:
After a named enemy is killed. Individual boss phases all count as a named enemy.
After a successful counter-bomb.
When entering demonic shift.
After a Friction Break (500 grazes)

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T12:47:01Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

=== Rank ===
----
Phase Level is the game's rank system. It is capped at 2 for novice mode, 5 for Revised difficulty and is uncapped (max 11) in Unlimited. Rank is fixed at 11 for Demonic Challenge.
Phase Level increases:
After a named enemy is killed. Individual boss phases all count as a named enemy.
After a successful counter-bomb.
When entering demonic shift.
After a Friction Break (500 grazes)

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T12:39:24Z

DS91:

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

=== Rank ===
----
Phase Level is the game's rank system. It is capped at 2 for novice mode, 5 for Revised difficulty and is uncapped (max 11) in Unlimited. Rank is fixed at 11 for Demonic Challenge.
Phase Level increases:
After a named enemy is killed. Individual boss phases all count as a named enemy.
After a successful counter-bomb.
When entering demonic shift.
After a Friction Break (500 grazes)

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===
----
The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a cumulative value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

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

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Gundemonium

2022-10-05T12:36:50Z

DS91: Getting the scoring section filled out.

[[File:Gundemonium_Recollection.jpg|center]]

'''Gundemonium''' is horizontal shoot 'em up created by Platine Dispositif, whose sole member is known as Aeju Murasame. It was originaly released in 2003 and excluding the remakes, it's a part of the Gundemonium trilogy; the other two games are GundeadliGne (2004) and Hitogata Happa (2005). It's set in the alternate 1800s where alchemy is a major part of humanity as a whole. The player characters are agents of an organization called Rosenkreuz Foundation that is fighting against a demonic invasion.

The game heavily features fast-paced gameplay and a mechanic called »Demonic Shift«, which allows you to get more lives and points... with a ''sacrifice''. There's also a dynamic rank system that adapts to your performance at any time, which makes this game suitable for everyone, including the absolute beginners.

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

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #D15450
|innerbordercolor = #F5B585
|title = Gundemonium Recollection
|background = #F6F49F
|image = Gundemonium Recollection Box Art.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = Platine Dispositif
|
|music = Aeju Murasame (Arrange by DM Ashura
|
|program = Aeju Murasame
|
|art = Aeju Murasame
|
|releasedate = 2003 (Gundemonium), 2007 (Gundemonium Recollection), 2018 (Gundemoniums)

|previousgame =
|nextgame = Gundemoniums
}}

__TOC__

== Gameplay Overview ==

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

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

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

=== Difficulty modes ===

'''Novice'''

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

'''Revised'''

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

'''Unlimited'''

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

'''Demonic'''

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

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

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

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

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

=== Characters ===
[[File:Eryth_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Eryth'''

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

Movement speed level: 6

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Derringer guns || [[File:Eryth_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || They can fire their bullets in a straight line towards the right side of the screen. Because of this, she needs to move around the screen a lot in order to successfully destroy her enemies.

'''Rapid Fire effects:''' Eryth starts firing both revolvers at the same time, which increases the amount of damage she can deal to enemies. If Rapid Fire is used too much, the revolvers will get overheated, which will disable them for six seconds and make her defenseless in a worst case scenario.
|-
| Fortune Wheel || [[File:Eryth_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || A wheel that consumes 33 points of Mana when activated and deals damage to enemies if it collides with them. At the same time, it will cause Planeshifts while it's dealing damage. It penetrates anything and is active as long as it's on the screen and multiple instances can be deployed if one has enough Mana energy. It disappears if the player activates Demonic Shift, even if it's damaging an enemy, but the Planeshift effect won't immediately go away, which can be utilized in certain situations.
|-
| 7-Way || [[File:Eryth_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || A flying machine gun appears that shoots bullets in a wide spread to the right. It follows your vertical position on the screen and once it reaches you, it will stop moving, do its thing and then go away. Because of this, you can manipulate where on the screen it will be positioned, which makes it a versatile tool at any time.
|-
|}

[[File:Earl_type_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Earl Type'''

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Weapons
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Star Fire || [[File:Earl_type_5way_icon.png]] || Short hair || One of two wide-shot weapons in the game that can get slightly more powerful during Planeshifts and the center part is the most damaging; the rest of the bullets are weaker and have a slight transparent appearance. Despite being one of the few weapons in the game that can cover a large portion of the screen, pointblanking enemies only gives a small damage boost.
Using this weapon type will lock the character to the lowest speed grade, regardless of other equipped Mana Actions and bombs.

|-
| Twin Drill || [[File:Earl_type_drill_icon.png]] || Twin tail hair || High fire-rate weapon with piercing shots that can pierce through anything. The weapon can be aimed with upwards and downwards movement, which makes crowd control easier.
|-
| Lucky Ray || [[File:Earl_type_laser_icon.png]] || Ponytail hair || Fires a narrow laser. It can hit its target instantly, but seems to be broken because it's supposed to do more damage to a single target over time according to the manual for the Steam version. Because of that, it has poor damage output.
|-
| Photon || [[File:Earl_type_photon_icon.png]] || Short hair with glasses || An unique weapon that fires one projectile at once that can destroy most stage enemies in a single hit. The shots will also cause Planeshift to occur if used in a pointblank range. It can only fire in a straight line and before it can shoot again, the previous projectile either needs to leave the screen completely or hit an enemy.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Mana Actions
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Earl_type_slow_icon.png]] || No breasts || Activates Planeshift while draining mana at a constant rate. It requires at least 33 Mana to be activated, which consumes at an accelerated rate of ~42 Mana/s. After that, the consumption rate significantly slows down to 10 Mana/s – grazing and Tetrabiblios items can extend its duration. If used with Star Fire, it can make it slightly more powerful.

It won't stack with other weapons that can cause Planeshift, like the Photon.
- combining it with the Photon weapon only makes it possible to trigger Planeshift without pointblanking and doesn't enhance the effect itself.

|-
| Derringer || [[File:Earl_type_autogun_icon.png]] || Small breasts || A brown Mini-Earl is summoned that fires a line of bullets to the right; it will trigger Planeshift when they hit enemies. Costs 33 mana and it only lasts 2 seconds. Can be used multiple times in a row with enough Mana.

One of the few Mana Abilities that can transfer their Planeshift effect into Demonic Shift for a bit. The strength of this effect depends on the amount of Mini-Earls deployed that were doing damage at the time of the activation - one Mini-Earl gives a very weak Planeshift bonus, so you need to have multiple instances active in order for the transition to be more effective.
|-
| Rising Sword || [[File:Earl_type_rising_icon.png]] || Medium breasts || Fires a massive laser that has instant travel time and rapidly drains the mana gauge with the rate of 60 Mana/s. It's excellent damage is offset by the fact that the weapon cannot cause Planeshifts to occur. On top of that, it disables your main weapon when it's active.
|-
| Hell Spike || [[File:Earl_type_contact_icon.png]] || Large breasts || The strongest Mana Action in the game that can either destroy bosses in one hit or severly damage them. Because of its massive power, it uses all Mana and your Mana bar needs to be completely charged before you can use it. Because it's a melee ability, you need to be right in front of your target to successfully hit them with it. Using it on regular enemies is not recommended.
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|Bombs
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Appearance
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| Bloodrain || [[File:Earl_type_rain_icon.png]] || Normal || Blood-colored bullets rain from above the screen, damaging anything on the screen it touches. Every »drop« seems to actually hit enemies, but the more durable ones (including bosses) may create a safespot if they're strong enough, which can protect other enemies as a result. The bomb only lasts 2 seconds.
|-
| Overdrive || [[File:Earl_type_pow-up_icon.png]] || Angel wings || Increases attack damage for 8.5 seconds and affects every weapon except Lucky Ray and all Mana Actions that directly deal damage. Photon users need to pointblank as much as possible while the »bomb« is active in order to do more damage. If your bomb stock is maxed out and you use the "bomb", then pick up an extra bomb pickup, it'll only add one "bomb" to the stock instead of giving points despite one of the "bombs" still being active.

'''Notes regarding the final boss/TLB:'''

1. Final boss's health regeneration state disables Photon's firerate increase no matter how close you get, but doesn't gain health as a trade-off

2. When you get hit during the fight while it's active, your shots will heal the boss for a few seconds after you recover.
1st health regen state duration during bomb activation: ~0.6 s
2nd health regen state duration after you get hit: ~2.3 s
Derringers and the Hell Spike are affected by this as well. Rising Sword and Lucky Ray still damage the boss like normal. Photon for some reason won't neither damage or heal.
|-
| Shooting Star || [[File:Earl_type_dragoon_icon.png]] || Brown tail || Summons a fire dragon to chase down any enemy that's one the screen. Lasts for 3.7 seconds and if there are no enemies on screen, it will attempt to move in circles near the player, even if the latter is moving. Does a lot of damage.
|-
| Rozenkreuz || [[File:Earl_type_napalm_icon.png]] || Barefeet || Causes a chain of explosions that move from left to right. It's position can be influenced by movement (it follows your vertical position, so by going up or down, you can manipulate where you want it to go). It lasts 1.5 seconds.
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 1XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 2XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 3XX
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| 4XX
|-
| 111 || Seika || 211 || Multiflora || 311 || Majorette || 411 || Adenochaeta
|-
| 112 || Suzaku || 212 || Blue Moon || 312 || Cinderella || 412 || Koricole
|-
| 113 || Mermaid || 213 || Chablis || 313 || Rugosa Plena || 413 || Margaret
|-
| 114 || Ingrid || 214 || Angela || 314 || Catherine || 414 || Viridiflora
|-
| 121 || Villosa || 221 || Luciae || 321 || Banksiae || 421 || Michelle
|-
| 122 || Daintybess || 222 || Primula || 322 || Rosa Canina || 422 || Matilda
|-
| 123 || Rubrifolla || 223 || Regensberg || 323 || Ronsard || 423 || Tanfifum
|-
| 124 || Cinnamon || 224 || Shiun || 324 || Violacea || 424 || Osiana
|-
| 131 || Paniculigera || 231 || Nelly || 331 || Snow Queen || 431 || Jaclaf
|-
| 132 || La France || 232 || Sparrieshoop || 332 || Heritage || 432 || Louise
|-
| 133 || Hugonis || 233 || Harmonie || 333 || Elizabeth || 433 || Peace
|-
| 134 || Esmeralda || 234 || Tanrowisa || 334 || Van Sian || 434 || Sarabande
|-
| 141 || Richelieu || 241 || Doris || 341 || Scarlet || 441 || Frolic
|-
| 142 || Damascena || 242 || Swan Lake || 342 || Tahiti || 442 || Leonidas
|-
| 143 || Laevigata || 243 || Carrousel || 343 || Meikinosi || 443 || Gigantea
|-
| 144 || Meialfisar || 244 || Kronenburg || 344 || Pristine || 444 || Carina
|-
|}

[[File:Elixirel_portrait.png|200px|frameless|thumb|left]]
'''Elixirel'''

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

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

Movement speed level: 5

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

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="4"|Equipment
|-
!| Name
!| Icon
!| Type
! style="text-align:left;" | Description
|-
| 5-Way || [[File:Elixirel_weapon_icon.png]] || Weapon || A machine gun similar to the one Earls can use, but more powerful and can even fire a red beam if you hold the shot button. This is the second weapon in the game that can benefit from the »Rapid Shot« button because you can fire bullets without having to tap the main one. When her Mana Action is active, the bullets turn into drills that can pierce anything and the red beam gets stronger.
|-
| Daath Whisper || [[File:Elixirel_mana_action_icon.png]] || Mana Action || Works exactly the same as the Daath Whisper Earls can use and it has the same consumption rate when activated and after.
|-
| Gundemonium || [[File:Elixirel_bomb_icon.png]] || Bomb || It damages everything on the screen. The most unique feature about it is that instead of using stocks, it uses an energy bar that can slowly fill up on its own over time and it takes 21 seconds to completely refill - bomb pickups can do that instantly. The recharging process temporarily stops during intermissions between stage sections.
|-
|}

=== Items ===
----
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
!colspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Icon
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Description
|-
| Large green gems || [[File:Large_green_gem.png|64px|]] || Large green gems are the game's main scoring item. Whenever you collect one, it increments the value of the next one by 10. That value caps at a limit that heavily depends on player's performance. They also replenish a bit of your Mana when picked up.

Its size also changes depending on how much they're valuable. The more valuable they are, the bigger they get and vice versa.
|-
| Small green gems || [[File:Small_green_gem.png|64px|]] || They appear when you beat bosses, activate/manually deactivate Demonic Shift, get enough Friction or when a stage section timer runs out in the main game. Their value depends on the Phase Level the player currently has.

Their formula is: Phase Level * 10.
|-
| Blue gems || [[File:Blue_gem.png|64px|]] || Blue gems appear from bullets cancelled when you use a bomb or when hit while in Demonic Shift. They recover Mana much more than their green counterparts, but decrease the Gem value by 10 each. While they can give you lots of points in large quantities when you current gem value is high, they can make your large gems nearly worthless if collected too much in a short time interval.
|-
| Bomb pickup || [[File:Bomb_pickup.png|64px|]] || Adds a single bomb to the stock. The most you can have at once is 5 and they appear after beating certain mini bosses or if Demonic Shift successfully ends on its own. They are important at the end of main boss fights because they determine how much Basic Bonus you get.
|-
| Life pickup || [[File:Life_pickup.png|64px|]] || These not only add a life to the stock, but unlike score extends, they can also raise the maximum life count by 1, up to 5. They appear after beating certain bosses and two of them have requirements in order for the pickup to appear at all.
|-
| Tetrabiblios || [[File:Tetrabiblios.png|64px|]] || A collectible that appears during a run when you complete play orders (in-game achievements) during a run. Collecting it will grand 50.000 points and refill the Mana gauge entirely. This is the only item that will extend Demonic Shift's duration.

Unlike the other achievements on various platforms nowadays that only trigger once, the ones in-game will '''''ALWAYS''''' spawn when you meet a condition (ex. activate Demonic Shift x times), so you can consistently make them appear in a run with proper routes.
|-
|}

=== HUD ===
----
[[File:Gundemonium_HUD.png|550px|left]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: center"
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Number
!colspan="1" style="text-align:left;"| Name
|-
| 1 || Life containers
|-
| 2 || Score counter
|-
| 3 || Mana gauge
|-
| 4 || Friction counter
|-
| 5 || Large gem counter
|-
| 6 || Phase Level indicator
|-
| 7 || Stage section mark
|-
| 8 || Chain hit counter
|-
| 9 || Stage section timer
|-
| 10 || Bomb stock
|-
| 11 || Information bar
|-
| 12 || Boss's health bar
|-
|}

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

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

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

=== Rank ===
----
Phase Level is the game's rank system. It is capped at 2 for novice mode, 5 for Revised difficulty and is uncapped (max 11) in Unlimited. Rank is fixed at 11 for Demonic Challenge.
Phase Level increases:
After a named enemy is killed. Individual boss phases all count as a named enemy.
After a successful counter-bomb.
When entering demonic shift.
After a Friction Break (500 grazes)

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

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

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

(Ability Level should probably go here as well)

=== Scoring ===

The basic scoring method involves collecting as many large green gems (the square ones) as possible during each section. Each gem collected adds another 10 points to a total value per gem collected, and the total maxes out at different values depending on the difficulty. When the value is displayed in red, the gems have reached the current max and will stay at that value for the rest of the level. Green gems also fill the Manna gauge.

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

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

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

A couple of other factors come into play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

'''For the boss fights:'''

1) Basic Bonus = (Bombs remaining x time remaining x phase level) divided by 10 and rounded down to zero on the last digit.

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

'''Total Bonus then = Basic x Magnify'''

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

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

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

A word of warning: The final boss Elixirel is not an easy encounter, even for experienced players on Novice. Expect to use all of your dodging skill, strategic thinking and bomb/Manna/Friction break mechanics just to survive.

----

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

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

== Story ==
From the instruction manual of Gundemonium Recollection:

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

== Unlockable Secrets ==

A third character, Elixirel, can be unlocked by defeating the true final boss in Unlimited Mode.

Play Orders Section goes here
Matrix Orders Section goes here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Trivia ==
Game is good!

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

== Video References ==

[[Gundemonium/Video Index|Video Index]]

== References & Contributors ==

# 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.

*Written by FORECAST and [[User:InFireX|InFireX]], so far.
*Thanks to user Goshi on the shmups forum for his guide. It has been rather helpful.
*Information found mostly on [https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/92200/manuals/recollection_STEAM.pdf the manual] and Goshi's forum thread. Everything else found by the gundemonium players over on discord.
* Template page assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

Espgaluda II

2022-02-15T15:44:36Z

DS91: Added a section on how to use Omake mode as a training tool. Deleted the empty Template data as it was not adding any value, and can be found on the main Template page.

Espgaluda II (エスプガルーダII) is a bullet hell shoot'em up originally released by [[Cave]] in the arcades in 2005 as a sequel to [[Espgaluda]]. An Xbox 360 release, titled [[Espgaluda II Black Label]], was released in 2010 in Japan.

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = Cyan
|title = Espgaluda II
|background = #eefffb
|image = Espgaluda II arcade flyer.jpg
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Title screen
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[CAVE]]
|
|music = Person A
|
|program = Person B
|
|art = Person C
|
|releasedate = Release Date

|nextgame = Next game in a series
}}

__TOC__

== Espgaluda II Main Section ==

(Info here regarding Arcade, Black Label and Arrange modes.)

== Espgaluda II 'Omake Mode' as a Shmup training tool ==

In the home ports of Espgaluda II*, clearing the main game (including Novice Mode, and credit feeding is OK) unlocks "Omake Mode" which translates to "Bonus Mode".

On the face of it, Omake Mode is a fun and easy mode of the game to mess around with for a short time.

'''However when approached correctly this mode provides an unparalleled Shmup training tool for players of any experience.'''

Using a few simple strategies, players are able to practice and observe all of the patterns from Espgaluda II- acknowledged to be some of the most difficult of any Cave games- at the slower speed of 'Kakusei'.

(*home ports are on Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch as at Feb 2022)

=== Basics of Omake Mode for Training ===

The player character is surrounded by an invisible circle within which any bullets will turn red. Let's refer to this as the 'Red Zone'. Any bullets in the Red Zone will be cancelled into Items (green gems and/or gold) when ANY enemy is destroyed. It does not matter which enemy shot the bullets. Any enemy destroyed will have all of the on-screen bullets that it fired cancelled into Items, regardless of whether they are in the Red Zone around the player.

The Kakusei gem count has a maximum value of 500. When entering Kakusei mode, all bullets within the Red Zone will be cancelled into Items. When exiting Kakusei mode MANUALLY (ie with gem count above zero) all bullets within the Red Zone will be cancelled into Items.

Defeating any section of a boss life bar while NOT in Kakusei will cancel the on-screen bullets into GEMS.

There is no bomb button in Omake mode. Instead, any time the player is hit by a bullet, the Guard Barrier will be activated, and will continue to be 'held down' until the player hits the Kakusei button which ends it, or until the barrier gauge runs out. At that point the normal 'beam attack' of the Guard Barrier is fired. While the player character is surrounded by the Guard Barrier, any bullets within the small visible circle of the Guard Barrier are cancelled into Items, starting with Gems and proceeding to Gold when Gems reach 500. When the Gold counter reaches 1000, the Guard Barrier Gauge will be refilled by around 40%. If the gold counter reaches 1000 while the Guard Barrier Gauge is full, the player character will be surrounded by a special frame and all items collected will have 1000 added to their point value.

=== Kakusei Training in Omake ===

Because of the frequency with which bullets are cancelled into Items in Omake Mode, the Gem counter will easily and quickly reach the maximum of 500 during the stage. Because of the length of time that 500 Gems will let the player remain in Kakusei, 500 is more than enough to last through the attacks of any larger enemy, and enough to last through most single sections of any Boss life bar.

'''The player is therefore invited to proceed through the most difficult attacks in the game in full Kakusei mode, to practice and observe the patterns in slow motion.'''

There are 3 simple methods that enable the player to extend the amount of time they spend in Kakusei, allowing them to see out almost the entirety of any Boss encounter in full slow motion.

* '''1)''' Shifting out of Kakusei in order to finish off any Boss life bar section will immediately refill the Gem gauge to 500, due to the amount of bullets cancelled plus some from the Boss sprite. Obviously this is not without risk as the bullets will speed up, but done carefully it should be relatively safe.

* '''2)''' During any given pattern while in Kakusei, if the player feels that they are about to be hit and expend Guard Barrier Gauge, they can manually cancel out of Kakusei and quickly back in. This will cancel all bullets in the Red Zone twice, and provide a safety buffer without expending Guard Barrier Gauge. Doing this does accelerate the rate that the Gem count falls, but done sparingly it should not make a huge difference.

* '''3)''' When Gems have run out, the player can deliberately hit a bullet to activate the Guard Barrier and then charge through enemy bullets while invincible so that they are cancelled back to Gems. Done during a particularly dense pattern, and especially at point-blank above a Boss sprite, this will refill the Gems almost instantly. The player then has a choice of whether to cancel out of Guard Barrier and continue in Kakusei, or expend Guard Barrier to pump up the large Item Counter at the top of the screen which is important for scoring in Omake Mode.

=== Scoring in Omake ===

Scoring in Omake has some value in use as a training mode, as it will help to reach the Extends which in turn provide more Guard Barrier Gauge.

Scoring is very simple: The value of the large Item Counter at the top of the screen will be added to every item picked up WHILE GEMS ARE AT 500. In other words, it acts as an incentive not to go into Kakusei where possible.

As the counter is re-set every stage, it makes sense to use the Guard Barrier on some large enemies early in the stage, to cancel their dense attacks into Item value. The player can then proceed with Gems at 500 and collect the Item Counter point value for every item received.

== Espgaluda II Other Sections ==

(Other info here)

Cho Ren Sha 68K

2021-08-10T16:42:32Z

DS91: Added links to the archived 68k original software

== Cho Ren Sha 68K ==
[[File:CRS68K Logo.jpg|center]]
[[File:CRS68K side art.jpg|250px|left]]

Cho Ren Sha 68K is a vertical shoot 'em up game that has remained popular since the game's initial release and has been referenced in different games such as Graze Counter and ZeroRanger. The game started development on the Sharp X68000 home computer due to the popularity of doujin games for the system and had it's initial release at the 1995 Comiket. Cho Ren Sha 68K became popular enough to eventually see a port to the Windows Operating System in 2001. The game has continued to receive updates occasionally, with the latest update in 2017 making the game more compatible with Windows 10 machines.

=== Controls ===
----
* '''Fire:''' Tapping the Fire button will unleash a couple of shot volleys with a semi-auto rate, meaning you can tap the fire button at a slower speed to get the full shot speed.
* '''Bomb:''' This uses up one of the bombs in the player's possession, deals a lot of damage, and grants invincibility during the bomb duration. It is worth noting that the further away an enemy is from a bomb, the less damage the bomb will do.

=== Weapons ===
----
The player ship "Zanki" is equipped only with a vulcan set of shots with one forward-firing shot and side shots that fan forward to outward. There are 5 levels of power which will increase shot frequency and damage for each powerup collected. Its worth noting that max shot power only increases damage 1.375 times greater than the base shots damage. If the player ship is destroyed, they are reset to power level 1. The ship can also use any bombs that are picked up along the way to destroy enemies more quickly and to grant temporary invincibility.

=== Items ===
----
[[File:CRS Items.png|100px|thumb|left]]
Items in Cho Ren Sha 68K come in the form of a triangle shaped drop that powerup carrier ships will leave behind when destroyed. There are three possible pickups in this triangle:
*'''Powerup:''' Raises power level by 1 or gives excess points if at max power.
*'''Bomb:''' Increases bomb stock by 1 or gives excess points if the player already has 5 bombs in stock.
*'''Shield:''' Grants a shield or gives excess points if the player has a shield already.

If the player manages to get inside the triangle, it will start to rapidly spin. Remaining inside it long enough will reward the player with every possible pickup within that triangle (1ups included).

[[File:CRS 1up.png|40px|left]]
*1up: For every 1 million points earned, the following shield item that appears (when the player already has a shield equipped) will instead be a 1up. If the player accidentally collects another powerup or the 1up flies offscreen, it is gone.

=== Loops ===
----
There is a 2nd loop with no requirements except to complete stage 0, continues can be used. The second loop introduces suicide bullets where killing an enemy will cause it to shoot bullets upon death. At the end of loop 2, a True Last Boss will emerge from the wreckage of the stage 0 boss.

=== Scoring ===
The most significant aspect of Cho Ren Sha 68K involves the scoring system. The player has to take risks to fly directly inside item triangles and remain inside them long enough to get the best rewards. It is a tricky technique to get down consistently and while in the middle of the action as well.

End stage bonuses are also responsible for a lot of points:
*Bomber Bonus: [20,000 x Bombs in stock]
*Shield Bonus: 50,000 if the Zanki has a shield up during the end stage tally.
*Zanki Bonus: [50,000 x Lives in stock]

== Strategy ==
*Cho Ren sha 68K strongly emphasizes never getting hit and rarely bombing, as collecting full item triangles will lead to point bonuses that will increase exponentially per item pickup. This means ANY item picked up with the indicated item at max capacity already (firepower, bomb stock, active shield) will increase the excess point value of all pickups, capping out at 25,600 points per item. Excess item bonuses are as follows: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 25600. This means that when successfully performing a triple item pickup with max power, 5 bombs, and an active shield the player will increase the excess value three amounts and at max value you can earn 76,800 points per item triangle. The item bonus is reset if the player ever loses a ship.

*Stage 1 features special bonus enemies that come slowly from the bottom two corners of the screen and will fire destructible spinners when weakened that are worth 1000 points each. It is very lucrative early score to weaken these enemies to low health and try to keep them alive while destroying all the spinners they shoot out. These enemies will only come out if you ensure that you kill all the enemies in the stage before them as soon as possible, so you will have to point blank a couple big enemies to ensure that they will spawn.

*Stage 1 boss has a special bonus with debris that it leaves behind when destroyed. Bombing this debris grants a lot of bonus points not normally attainable by just firing. Optimally there is a strategy to lightly damage the two parts of the boss and then stop firing. The boss then needs to have it's attacks directed so that it shoots both of it's opposing parts itself so that when they both get destroyed, one bomb will provide maximum point gain possible from the debris they will both release.

*Stage end bonuses further emphasize the importance of never dying and being careful with bombs as much as possible. Since there is no cap on number of lives a player earns, later in the game the player can potentially earn over 1 Million points in end stage bonuses alone. This can lead to lots of 1ups in the later part of the game further expediting score gains.

*Anytime the player picks up an item, they are given about 1.5 seconds of invincibility. During this time, the player can fly into enemies for additional damage before the invincibility wears off.

== Development History ==
Cho Ren Sha 68K was first developed for the X68000 by Koichi Yoshida, who was said to have been inspired by various arcade shoot 'em up games while brainstorming ideas for the design of his game. While creating the game, Koichi wanted the game to have a manual firing system as it was a dying trend during development and autofire started to become implemented in other games he had seen such as Batsugun and Truxton II. He ultimately settled for a semiauto shot, where pressing the Fire button once releases a couple shot volleys and tapping the button slowly would still produce a standard rate of fire.

Cho Ren Sha 68K saw an initial release in 1995 for the X68000 Sharp system. As the game gained popularity in the Doujin scene, it would later be ported to Windows in 2001. This Windows version port allowed the game to be played at the original 55 FPS or at 60 FPS. In 2005 a patch was released to address issues with modern hardware and improve compatibility with newer Windows machines. In 2017 another patch was once again pushed out for Windows 10 systems while continuing to fix various compatibility issues.

=== Version Differences ===
* '''0.10:''' Comiket 1995 Doujin Release for Sharp X68000 home computer.
* '''1.00:''' Completed and released as 1.00 in 1998.
* '''1.01:''' Windows ports
# 2001: Initial port to Windows. Added 60 FPS support
# 2005: Update for 1.01 which added a Hard difficulty and various bug fixes
# 2017: Another update for 1.01 which improved sound issues and compatibility with Windows 10 systems.

== Secrets ==
*'''Kakusi Menu: ''' In the main menu within the config screen, holding UP for 4 seconds will reveal the Kakusi Menu. There are several options to toggle here with varying effects. Holding UP for 4 seconds again brings back the default config menu. (NOTE: This menu is inaccessible in the x68000 version)
#VWAIT: No known effect.
#MUTEKI: Invincibility
#STAGE: 1-7 will pick stages 1 through 0, while setting the digit to F and then hitting Continue in the main menu will let you play Show Time.
#ACCHO: 0-7 will determine which loop you start the game on. The normal game only has 2 loops and later loops wouldn't be seen unless the player Continued after beating loops 1 and 2 in a real game.
#TD_SPEED: Bullet enemy speed
#JK_SPEED: Player movement speed
#BOSSONLY: Skip stages and only fight bosses. The player remains stuck at initial equipment due to the lack of any powerup carriers.
#DEBUG: Will show various information such as enemy values when destroyed based on the setting of this value.
#KASEGI: Cannot be changed and does nothing.

*'''Show Time''': A special boss rush of three bosses alternating infinitely. The bosses use different attacks than what they would use in the normal game and one boss makes an appearance which does not appear in the main game at all.

== Trivia ==
*The default high score table when first turning on the game is populated completely with the names of other Toaplan games: Slap Fight, Tatsujin, Flying Shark, Twin Cobra, Same3!, Tiger Heli, Batsugun, Dogyuun, Out Zone, V-V.
*In the beginning of stage 1-1, there is a brief background color transition and some pieces of debris that are seen coming from the bottom of the screen. When you complete stage 0 and get sent to loop 2 stage 1, the same color transitions and debris appear. This implies that 1-1 has a stage 0 that happened before the player started playing or that there is a cycle occurring.
*The Stage 0 boss makes an appearance in ''ZeroRanger'', a shoot 'em up game released on Steam in 2018.
*The powerup carriers are referenced in ''Graze Counter'', a shoot 'em up game released on Steam in 2017.

== Download ==
The game was available as a free download on Koichi Yoshida's website at the following link, but the page appears to have been changed and the download is not available on the site: http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/download.html

For now the latest Windows version is available at the following link: https://web.archive.org/web/20200804060107/http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/CH170523.ZIP

The following link has all 3 Windows versions, plus the original Sharp X68K version. The 68k version will run in 68k emulators (such as Retro Arch's PX68K core) giving you the advantage of the original framerate = 55fps. This is nearly 10% slower than the Windows version, and hence much more enjoyable! Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20190927084456/http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/download.html

== Gallery ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:CRSG1.png|thumb]] || [[File:CRSG2.png|thumb]] || [[File:CRSOST1.jpg|thumb]] || [[File:CRSOST2.jpg|thumb]]
|}

== References ==
# ''Cho Ren Sha 68K Development Postscript'' [http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/postmortem.html]: http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/postmortem.html

* This page was assembled using a template provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].

[[Category:Independent/Doujin shooting games]]

DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu

2020-12-08T16:25:00Z

DS91: Added Japanese names for the modes

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<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>

----

== Summary ==
[[File:DFK title.png|400px|left]]
[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu |DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu]] (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活, abbreviation: '''DFK''', localized in the West as '''''DoDonPachi Resurrection''''') is the fifth game developed in the ''[[:Category:DonPachi series|DonPachi series]]'' of games, the fourth developed by [[CAVE]]. Released in 2008, it was originally intended to be the final entry in the ''DonPachi'' series of games, until the development and release of ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou]]'' in 2012. There are two major revisions of DFK ('''Ver 1.0''' and '''Ver 1.5'''), as well as ''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Black Label'' ('''DFK BL'''), a major expansion on the original release of DFK. DFK has seen a number of ports to other platforms compared to other CAVE releases, as it's been released on Arcade, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android. There are also several [[Arrange]] modes of the game, which are all included in the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows ports of the game.

DFK is known as a highly mechanically dense game, with two of its major defining mechanics being the '''bullet-canceling [[Hyper system|Hyper Counter]] system''', and '''enemy lasers that can be pushed back by your own'''. There are three ships available in the game; '''Type-A''', '''B''' and '''C''', as well as three different "Styles" to choose from; '''Bomb''', '''Power''', or '''Strong'''. The ship types are similar to ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', with A having a strong straight shot, B a shot following your movement direction, and C a weaker wide shot. Strong Style is the most beginner-friendly style, playing like a traditional DDP game and having the strongest laser. Power introduces a Normal/Boost shot mechanic and in the Boost mode has the strongest shot attack in the game with decreased movement speed. Bomb is simply a weaker version of Strong. Power Style is recommended only for ''advanced players'' and ''score chasers'' due to its increased complexity.

=== Releases ===
The first release, '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.0''''', was released in arcades in 2008. A few months later, Ver 1.0 would see a recall due to several major bugs, [[safespots]], game balance issues, and a [[counter-stop]] present in the game, and would be followed up with '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.5''''', which fixed all of these issues and rebalanced several aspects of the game. Due to these issues, Ver 1.0 is not recommended for serious scoring, and is mostly played as a novelty; effectively rendered obsolete by 1.5.

Two years later, DFK would see another Great Resurrection in the form of '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Black Label''''', a major re-mixing of ''Dai-Fukkatsu'' with tons of brand new mechanics, the most prominent and noticable being a "custom" rank system that fluctuated in real time with player actions, and additional bullet canceling mechanics. All the ships gain the ability to fire the laser and part of the shot at the same time providing very heavy firepower at the cost of movement speed. The version also ends the tradition of including a second loop. Instead, picking the Strong style lets you play the game at the second loop difficulty. Due to the major differences between 1.5 and BL, the two are considered to be separate games entirely.

With the release of '''''DoDonPachi Resurrection''''' on the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms, came even more modes. '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.51''''', a revision of 1.5 with arranged scoring mechanics, was a limited version of DFK, previously only available at '''Cave Matsuri 2010''', but was included in the Windows version of ''DoDonPachi Resurrection'' (available as DLC for the Xbox 360 version). There are also three arrange modes -- '''''Arrange L''''' (Arrange A), '''''Arrange B''''', and '''''Black Label Arrange''''' -- included with this release. Finally, ''Resurrection'' includes a Novice mode for 1.5 and BL -- featuring more forgiving chaining, less bullets, and bee items that don't have to be uncovered -- to allow newer and less experienced players to ease themselves in and learn the many complex mechanics in the game. The game also features updated, higher definition visuals.

=== Gameplay Overview ===
''Due to the many differences between the several versions of DFK, each different version and arrange mode of DFK will be receiving its own individual page, which you can find after the section below. This section will only contain information that is relevant to all releases of DFK.''

With the exception of Ver1.51 and Arrange B, ''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu'' is a four-button shooting game.
* '''A (Press):''' Fires standard shots from the player's ship and their options
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires the traditional ''DonPachi'' laser, which deals concentrated damage to enemies and objects in its path, and can push back weaker enemy Lasers
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, as long as you have one in stock (Bomb/Strong Style) OR switches your ship between Normal shot and Boost shot (Power Style only)
* '''C:''' Auto-Fire for the standard A shot
* '''D:''' Activates the ship's ''Hyper Counter'', granting the player beefed up firepower and the ability to cancel bullets with their Shot and deflect huge enemy lasers with the Laser (requires a 100% full Hyper Gauge)

'''Hit Chaining'''

Much like the games before it, DFK utilizes a scoring system that is centered around '''chaining hits''' with your Shot and Laser weapons. When you destroy enemies, you fill up a '''GP Meter''', which automatically depletes when enemies are not being destroyed.
You can prevent chain drops either by '''training your Laser on enemies''' (where the meter will stall at around 5-10% as long as you are hitting with your Laser), or by '''activating Hyper Counter''', which fills the GP Meter back to 100%. If the gauge fully empties, your hit chain is "dropped", and starts back at 0 Hits. Note that your GP Meter will also fill back up to the top when Hyper Counter mode ends.

'''Bullet-Canceling Hyper Counter System'''

DFK includes a brand-new bullet canceling mechanic in the form of its Hyper Counter System. By dealing damage to enemies and collecting green / white bees, you fill up a '''Hyper Meter''' that can be activated with the D button when your meter is 100% full. Activating the Hyper Counter grants the player the ability to '''cancel bullets''' on-screen with their A shot / C auto-fire, racking up huge amounts of Hits and wiping the screen clear of danger. Depending on the ship and mode you play, canceling bullets with your Shot will also turn them into Small Stars, each Star being worth 1/10 of the value of your current Hit chain.

The player's Laser weapon also gets a massive boost with Hyper Counter active, allowing them to repel huge enemy lasers (which can normally only be done with a Strong Style ship). Repelling enemy lasers while in Hyper Counter will also rapidly increase the rate at which the player earns more Hits for their chain. [[Point-blank]]ing enemies and the base of enemy lasers will also rapidly increase the player's Hyper Meter, allowing them to quickly recharge their meter to 100%.

'''Hidden Bee Items'''

Much like the games before it, DFK includes bee items that are uncovered using your Laser. Unique to DFK, bee items come in three varieties:
* '''Gold''': Awards the player points, multiplied on the amount of bee items collected in the stage.
* '''Green''': Adds about 25% Hyper Meter to the Hyper Gauge.
* '''White / Flashing''': Rewards both green and gold bee bonuses to the player. Freshly revealed bees will also flash white.

Collecting bee items is an integral part of accessing both types of "second [[loop]]s" in the game ('''Omote''' and '''Ura''').

In ''Black Label'', hidden bee items also cancel all bullets on-screen and converts them into Star items.

'''Ura Route & Second Loop'''

DFK includes two different "routes" of the game, which include different mini-bosses as well as slightly different stage progression and enemy layouts; the '''Omote (Standard) Route''' and the '''Ura (Hidden) Route'''. The Omote Route is the default route of the game, which has you fighting the DFK mini-bosses, whereas the Ura Route sends you on different paths to fight different mini-bosses in each stage, represented by the original bosses from ''[[DoDonPachi]]''.

You can access the hidden route during stage 1, by destroying three specific silos before they are run over by the tanks at the beginning of the stage. If you perform this correctly, you'll be sent to a different stage path and fight the first ''DoDonPachi'' boss, and you will stay on this route unless you die (dying at a boss is OK), time out an Ura mini-boss, OR fail to collect every bee in the stage. The hidden Ura route has additional bee items as well as a higher scoring potential in most cases. If you are knocked out of the Ura route, you can get back on it by '''collecting every bee on the next stage'''. (In ''Black Label'', Power Style ships will always be sent on the Ura route of the game, even if they don't destroy the silos before the tanks do.)

There are two [[loop]]s to access in DFK, the Omote and Ura loop. Omote is a standard second loop that takes you through harder versions of the five stages of DFK, facing off against the standard mini-bosses on the Omote Route of the game, with the Last Boss, Golden Disaster, waiting for you at the end. Ura is an even harder second loop with more aggressive enemies, and has you face off against the "Ura route" mini-bosses, ending in an encounter with both [[Taisabachi|Golden Disaster]] and the [[True Last Boss]], [[Hibachi]].

To reach the different two loops, you must accomplish the following:
* '''Omote''': Collect 35 bee items, '''OR''' don't die more than once (Power) + avoid using more than two bombs (Bomb/Strong)
* '''Ura''': Collect all 45 bee items '''AND''' don't die more than once (Power) + avoid using more than two bombs (Bomb/Strong)

== Ver 1.0 ==
'''Ver1.0''' of DFK is the original release issued to arcades. It did not include the Type-B ship or Strong Style by default, each one requiring a different code to enter in order to unlock on the PCB. It is known for having several bugs and a particular [[safespot]] in the fight against Hibachi, as well as a [[counter-stop]]. It is mostly obsolete, and superseded by ''1.5''. 1.0 is not included in any of the ports of DFK.

''(Contrary to info online, it is not possible to unlock either the Type-B ship or Strong Style by 1CCing the game.)''

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.0]]''

== Ver 1.5 ==
'''Ver1.5''' brings back the Type-B helicopter ship as a default selection, re-balances the Type-A and Type-C ships, adds two more digits to the score counter (to prevent [[counter-stop]]ping), and increases the difficulty of the True Last Boss, Hibachi (as well as removing the [[safespot]]. Strong Style is still hidden by default, but can be unlocked permanently on the PCB by accomplishing a [[1CC]] / 1-[[1CC|ALL]] run.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.5]]''

== Black Label ==
'''''Black Label''''' (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活ブラックレーベル) introduces new scoring systems and updates/remixes some mechanics of 1.5. It also features completely new music, an additional [[True Last Boss]] ([[Hibachi|Zatsuza]]), and removes the second loop, with the new RED Gauge system acting like a player-customizable rank system, and the second loop patterns being limited to Strong Style players only. Hidden bee items also tie into the bullet canceling mechanic for the first time.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label]]''

== Ver 1.51 ==
'''Ver 1.51''' is a special revision which was originally made for the '''2010 Cave Matsuri''' with a heavier focus on scoring. This version locks players into a single loop of the Ura route and will always end with a Golden Disaster encounter (followed by Hibachi if requirements are met). Hidden bee items now also grant bombs and hyper charge depending on what color/state they are in when collected. Hyper rank maxes out at 9 instead of 5 and also changes enemy behavior on higher levels to match the Omote and Ura loops.

Ver 1.51 also has a numerous number of changes from 1.5 that could not all be explained on this page alone.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.51]]''

== Arrange L (Arrange A) ==
'''Arrange A''' (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活ブラックレーベル)アレンジA) is an interesting mix between [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]] and Daifukkatsu. The mode continues the story of Daioujou's Death Label mode, featuring Leinyan as the main character. Like Black Label Arrange, it's a single player mode where you can control only one ship type, the type A ship from [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]], which is also locked to play Power style in Daifukkatsu. The game features both mechanics from [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]] and Daifukkatsu, as well as some updated visuals, new mechanics, different way of scoring, reskin [[Hibachi]] and a new ending.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange A]]''

== Arrange B ==
'''Arrange B''' (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活アレンジB) is a highly unique score attack mode, featuring a "global rank" system as well as individual stage and enemy ranks, causing each run of a stage to become easier or harder depending on how you play, and allowing you to custom-tailor your experience through your gameplay. It also strips the player's buttons down from four to two (Laser and Bomb/Hyper) and introduces always-on auto-fire. Stages in Arrange B will always have the player face off against the Ura mid-bosses from ''[[DoDonPachi]]''. Hidden bees are uncovered by default, and collecting a bee will put the player in a different "Grid" that influences how the stage's rank grows, as well as altering the bullet patterns that enemies use against the player. Neither [[Taisabachi]] nor [[Hibachi]] appear in this mode.

Arrange B contains a slew of mechanics changes far too dense to cover on this page.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange B]]''

== Black Label Arrange (Ketsuipachi) ==
'''Black Label Arrange''' (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活ブラックレーベルアレンジ) is a head-on collision between ''DFK Black Label'' and ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]'', mixing mechanics from the two games into one. It is also referred to as ''"Ketsuipachi"'' by many players. In this mode, you play as the Tiger Sword / Tiger Schwert from ''Ketsui'', complete with the Lock-Shot mechanic, utilizing both the proximity chip system (which now goes up to 10-chip) and the bullet-canceling + Hyper Counter mechanics of ''Black Label''. An arranged soundtrack is also included in this mode featuring remixes of music from ''Ketsui'' by Jake "virt" Kaufman.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label Arrange]]''

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360, Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes (360), digital only via Steam.
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes (see above)
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - No, HD only :(
* Internal Scanlines Generator: n/a
* Graphical Filters: Bilinear
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

== References ==

# Information and page on Ver1.0 provided by [[User:SpinoSTG|SpinoSTG]]
# Information on Ver1.51 provided by [[User:NElectron256|NElectron256]]
# Information on Arrange B provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and QSD (via Shmups Discord)
# Primary info provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:SpinoSTG|SpinoSTG]]


[[Category:DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]][[Category:DonPachi series]][[Category:Vertical orientation]][[Category:Bullet Hell]]
[[Category:True Last Boss]]

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T17:29:06Z

DS91:

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka 'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (N.B. the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge always adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the C/V stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the C/V stages. Your existing Death Mode rank is therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 C/V Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the C/V Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes: Version 1.1, Mega Black Label, Mega Black Label Version 1.1
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T16:35:10Z

DS91:

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka 'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (N.B. the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge always adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the C/V stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the C/V stages. Your existing Death Mode rank is therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 C/V Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the C/V Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes:
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T16:20:12Z

DS91:

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka 'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (N.B. the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge always adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the C/V stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the C/V stages. Your existing Death Mode rank is therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 C/V Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the C/V Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

'''Note:''' The home release versions of the game allow you to add Death Mode L1 suicide bullets to ANY C/V stage at ANY rank while in Training Mode. You can therefore practice any Chapter and Verse at Rank 1 but with added suicide bullets. This feature allows players to practice dealing with suicide bullets while the regular enemy shots are at the easiest possible rank level. This is not possible when playing the game outside of Training Mode!

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes:
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T15:57:43Z

DS91:

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka 'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (N.B. the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge always adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the CV stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the C/V stages. Your existing Death Mode rank is therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 C/V Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the C/V Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

'''Note:''' The home release versions of the game allow you to add Death Mode L1 suicide bullets to ANY C/V stage at ANY rank while in Training Mode. You can therefore practice any Chapter and Verse at Rank 1 but with added suicide bullets. This feature allows players to practice dealing with suicide bullets while the regular enemy shots are at the easiest possible rank level. This is not possible when playing the game outside of Training Mode!

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes:
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T15:38:34Z

DS91:

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka 'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (and the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the CV stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 CV stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the CV stages. Your existing Death Mode rank therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 CV Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the CV Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes:
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Deathsmiles

2020-11-09T15:37:46Z

DS91: Creating a page for Deathsmiles

== Deathsmiles ==

Deathsmiles is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is notable for its manually selectable difficulty ranks for each stage, which create branching paths in the game's difficulty.

== Branching Paths Through The Game ==

There are 4 paths possible through the game's Rank system: 2 avoiding the Gorge stage, and 2 including the Gorge (aka'EX') stage.

The 6 'Chapter and Verse' (C/V) stages have a selectable Rank of between R1 (easiest) and R3 (hardest), and your choices in these stages influence the difficulty of the Castle and Gorge stages.

Choosing 5 stages at R3 (and the Non-EX Castle counts as R3 for this purpose) will cause your 5th R3 stage to introduce suicide bullets when enemies are defeated. This is known as Death Mode, and has its own rank levels depending on your path. Choosing the Gorge adds +1 to your existing Death Mode rank from the CV stages, so the Gorge ALWAYS has suicide bullets. *If* you choose to visit the Gorge, the Castle always adds +1 to the Gorge Death Mode rank!

The paths are as follows:

'''NON-EX'''

1) <4 C/V stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated at all, and the Castle will therefore have no suicide bullets.

2) >=4 C/V stages at R3 means you will activate Death Mode L1 in the 5th R3 stage. The castle will therefore definitely have Death Mode L1 suicide bullets

'''EX'''

3) <5 CV stages at R3 means Death Mode will not be activated in the CV stages. Your existing Death Mode rank therefore = 0, Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 1. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 2.

4) >=5 CV Stages at R3 means you will reach Death Mode 1 in the CV Stages. Gorge adds +1 so will be at Death Mode 2. Castle adds +1 again, to reach Death Mode 3, the highest rank in the game.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360/Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes, but available in all 3 regions
* Arranged Modes - Yes:
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - N/A - Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No :(
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save Training mode config? - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - No :(
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Crimzon Clover

2020-09-08T10:38:08Z

DS91: Added home release notes

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<center><big>('''NOTE:''' This page is currently very incomplete and needs expansion!)</big></center>

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== Crimzon Clover / Crimzon Clover: WORLD IGNITION ==

'''''Crimzon Clover''''' (クリムゾンクローバー) is a indie vertical [[shooting game]] developed by YOTSUBANE and released in 2011 for Windows PCs. An arcade version was released in 2013, and an updated version of the game, known as '''''Crimzon Clover: WORLD IGNITION''''', was released in 2014 on Steam and GOG. It focuses on the destruction of a mechanical army known as the '''Gorgoneion''', and their new doomsday weapon known as the '''Crimson Heart'''. The primary focus with the game's overall gameplay is on utilizing '''homing lock-on shots''' -- which activate a score multiplier -- and a [[hyper system]] mechanic known as '''Break Mode''' and '''Double Break Mode'''.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Steam = "World Ignition"'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital only via Steam.
* Region Locked? - No
* Arranged Modes - There are 3 modes of play but no arranged modes
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes
* Internal Scanlines Generator: n/a - Graphics are somewhere between 480p and full HD
* Graphical Filters: Bilinear
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - Yes :)
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

== References ==

# Primary info provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]]

DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu

2020-09-08T10:33:57Z

DS91: Added 360 console release features

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<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>

----

== Summary ==
[[File:DFK title.png|400px|left]]
[[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu |DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu]] (JP: 怒首領蜂大復活, abbreviation: '''DFK''', localized in the West as '''''DoDonPachi Resurrection''''') is the fifth game developed in the ''[[:Category:DonPachi series|DonPachi series]]'' of games, the fourth developed by [[CAVE]]. Released in 2008, it was originally intended to be the final entry in the ''DonPachi'' series of games, until the development and release of ''[[DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou]]'' in 2012. There are two major revisions of DFK ('''Ver 1.0''' and '''Ver 1.5'''), as well as ''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Black Label'' ('''DFK BL'''), a major expansion on the original release of DFK. DFK has seen a number of ports to other platforms compared to other CAVE releases, as it's been released on Arcade, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android. There are also several [[Arrange]] modes of the game, which are all included in the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows ports of the game.

DFK is known as a highly mechanically dense game, with two of its major defining mechanics being the '''bullet-canceling [[Hyper system|Hyper Counter]] system''', and '''enemy lasers that can be pushed back by your own'''. There are three ships available in the game; '''Type-A''', '''B''' and '''C''', as well as three different "Styles" to choose from; '''Bomb''', '''Power''', or '''Strong'''. The ship types are similar to ''[[DoDonPachi]]'', with A having a strong straight shot, B a shot following your movement direction, and C a weaker wide shot. Strong Style is the most beginner-friendly style, playing like a traditional DDP game and having the strongest laser. Power introduces a Normal/Boost shot mechanic and in the Boost mode has the strongest shot attack in the game with decreased movement speed. Bomb is simply a weaker version of Strong. Power Style is recommended only for ''advanced players'' and ''score chasers'' due to its increased complexity.

=== Releases ===
The first release, '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.0''''', was released in arcades in 2008. A few months later, Ver 1.0 would see a recall due to several major bugs, [[safespots]], game balance issues, and a [[counter-stop]] present in the game, and would be followed up with '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.5''''', which fixed all of these issues and rebalanced several aspects of the game. Due to these issues, Ver 1.0 is not recommended for serious scoring, and is mostly played as a novelty; effectively rendered obsolete by 1.5.

Two years later, DFK would see another Great Resurrection in the form of '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Black Label''''', a major re-mixing of ''Dai-Fukkatsu'' with tons of brand new mechanics, the most prominent and noticable being a "custom" rank system that fluctuated in real time with player actions, and additional bullet canceling mechanics. All the ships gain the ability to fire the laser and part of the shot at the same time providing very heavy firepower at the cost of movement speed. The version also ends the tradition of including a second loop. Instead, picking the Strong style lets you play the game at the second loop difficulty. Due to the major differences between 1.5 and BL, the two are considered to be separate games entirely.

With the release of '''''DoDonPachi Resurrection''''' on the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms, came even more modes. '''''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu Ver 1.51''''', a revision of 1.5 with arranged scoring mechanics, was a limited version of DFK, previously only available at '''Cave Matsuri 2010''', but was included in the Windows version of ''DoDonPachi Resurrection'' (available as DLC for the Xbox 360 version). There are also three arrange modes -- '''''Arrange L''''' (Arrange A), '''''Arrange B''''', and '''''Black Label Arrange''''' -- included with this release. Finally, ''Resurrection'' includes a Novice mode for 1.5 and BL -- featuring more forgiving chaining, less bullets, and bee items that don't have to be uncovered -- to allow newer and less experienced players to ease themselves in and learn the many complex mechanics in the game. The game also features updated, higher definition visuals.

=== Gameplay Overview ===
''Due to the many differences between the several versions of DFK, each different version and arrange mode of DFK will be receiving its own individual page, which you can find after the section below. This section will only contain information that is relevant to all releases of DFK.''

With the exception of Ver1.51 and Arrange B, ''DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu'' is a four-button shooting game.
* '''A (Press):''' Fires standard shots from the player's ship and their options
* '''A (Hold):''' Fires the traditional ''DonPachi'' laser, which deals concentrated damage to enemies and objects in its path, and can push back weaker enemy Lasers
* '''B:''' Releases a Bomb, as long as you have one in stock (Bomb/Strong Style) OR switches your ship between Normal shot and Boost shot (Power Style only)
* '''C:''' Auto-Fire for the standard A shot
* '''D:''' Activates the ship's ''Hyper Counter'', granting the player beefed up firepower and the ability to cancel bullets with their Shot and deflect huge enemy lasers with the Laser (requires a 100% full Hyper Gauge)

'''Hit Chaining'''

Much like the games before it, DFK utilizes a scoring system that is centered around '''chaining hits''' with your Shot and Laser weapons. When you destroy enemies, you fill up a '''GP Meter''', which automatically depletes when enemies are not being destroyed.
You can prevent chain drops either by '''training your Laser on enemies''' (where the meter will stall at around 5-10% as long as you are hitting with your Laser), or by '''activating Hyper Counter''', which fills the GP Meter back to 100%. If the gauge fully empties, your hit chain is "dropped", and starts back at 0 Hits. Note that your GP Meter will also fill back up to the top when Hyper Counter mode ends.

'''Bullet-Canceling Hyper Counter System'''

DFK includes a brand-new bullet canceling mechanic in the form of its Hyper Counter System. By dealing damage to enemies and collecting green / white bees, you fill up a '''Hyper Meter''' that can be activated with the D button when your meter is 100% full. Activating the Hyper Counter grants the player the ability to '''cancel bullets''' on-screen with their A shot / C auto-fire, racking up huge amounts of Hits and wiping the screen clear of danger. Depending on the ship and mode you play, canceling bullets with your Shot will also turn them into Small Stars, each Star being worth 1/10 of the value of your current Hit chain.

The player's Laser weapon also gets a massive boost with Hyper Counter active, allowing them to repel huge enemy lasers (which can normally only be done with a Strong Style ship). Repelling enemy lasers while in Hyper Counter will also rapidly increase the rate at which the player earns more Hits for their chain. [[Point-blank]]ing enemies and the base of enemy lasers will also rapidly increase the player's Hyper Meter, allowing them to quickly recharge their meter to 100%.

'''Hidden Bee Items'''

Much like the games before it, DFK includes bee items that are uncovered using your Laser. Unique to DFK, bee items come in three varieties:
* '''Gold''': Awards the player points, multiplied on the amount of bee items collected in the stage.
* '''Green''': Adds about 25% Hyper Meter to the Hyper Gauge.
* '''White / Flashing''': Rewards both green and gold bee bonuses to the player. Freshly revealed bees will also flash white.

Collecting bee items is an integral part of accessing both types of "second [[loop]]s" in the game ('''Omote''' and '''Ura''').

In ''Black Label'', hidden bee items also cancel all bullets on-screen and converts them into Star items.

'''Ura Route & Second Loop'''

DFK includes two different "routes" of the game, which include different mini-bosses as well as slightly different stage progression and enemy layouts; the '''Omote (Standard) Route''' and the '''Ura (Hidden) Route'''. The Omote Route is the default route of the game, which has you fighting the DFK mini-bosses, whereas the Ura Route sends you on different paths to fight different mini-bosses in each stage, represented by the original bosses from ''[[DoDonPachi]]''.

You can access the hidden route during stage 1, by destroying three specific silos before they are run over by the tanks at the beginning of the stage. If you perform this correctly, you'll be sent to a different stage path and fight the first ''DoDonPachi'' boss, and you will stay on this route unless you die (dying at a boss is OK), time out an Ura mini-boss, OR fail to collect every bee in the stage. The hidden Ura route has additional bee items as well as a higher scoring potential in most cases. If you are knocked out of the Ura route, you can get back on it by '''collecting every bee on the next stage'''. (In ''Black Label'', Power Style ships will always be sent on the Ura route of the game, even if they don't destroy the silos before the tanks do.)

There are two [[loop]]s to access in DFK, the Omote and Ura loop. Omote is a standard second loop that takes you through harder versions of the five stages of DFK, facing off against the standard mini-bosses on the Omote Route of the game, with the Last Boss, Golden Disaster, waiting for you at the end. Ura is an even harder second loop with more aggressive enemies, and has you face off against the "Ura route" mini-bosses, ending in an encounter with both [[Taisabachi|Golden Disaster]] and the [[True Last Boss]], [[Hibachi]].

To reach the different two loops, you must accomplish the following:
* '''Omote''': Collect 35 bee items, '''OR''' don't die more than once (Power) + avoid using more than two bombs (Bomb/Strong)
* '''Ura''': Collect all 45 bee items '''AND''' don't die more than once (Power) + avoid using more than two bombs (Bomb/Strong)

== Ver 1.0 ==
'''Ver1.0''' of DFK is the original release issued to arcades. It did not include the Type-B ship or Strong Style by default, each one requiring a different code to enter in order to unlock on the PCB. It is known for having several bugs and a particular [[safespot]] in the fight against Hibachi, as well as a [[counter-stop]]. It is mostly obsolete, and superseded by ''1.5''. 1.0 is not included in any of the ports of DFK.

''(Contrary to info online, it is not possible to unlock either the Type-B ship or Strong Style by 1CCing the game.)''

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.0]]''

== Ver 1.5 ==
'''Ver1.5''' brings back the Type-B helicopter ship as a default selection, re-balances the Type-A and Type-C ships, adds two more digits to the score counter (to prevent [[counter-stop]]ping), and increases the difficulty of the True Last Boss, Hibachi (as well as removing the [[safespot]]. Strong Style is still hidden by default, but can be unlocked permanently on the PCB by accomplishing a [[1CC]] / 1-[[1CC|ALL]] run.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.5]]''

== Black Label ==
'''''Black Label''''' introduces new scoring systems and updates/remixes some mechanics of 1.5. It also features completely new music, an additional [[True Last Boss]] ([[Hibachi|Zatsuza]]), and removes the second loop, with the new RED Gauge system acting like a player-customizable rank system, and the second loop patterns being limited to Strong Style players only. Hidden bee items also tie into the bullet canceling mechanic for the first time.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label]]''

== Ver 1.51 ==
'''Ver 1.51''' is a special revision which was originally made for the '''2010 Cave Matsuri''' with a heavier focus on scoring. This version locks players into a single loop of the Ura route and will always end with a Golden Disaster encounter (followed by Hibachi if requirements are met). Hidden bee items now also grant bombs and hyper charge depending on what color/state they are in when collected. Hyper rank maxes out at 9 instead of 5 and also changes enemy behavior on higher levels to match the Omote and Ura loops.

Ver 1.51 also has a numerous number of changes from 1.5 that could not all be explained on this page alone.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Ver1.51]]''

== Arrange L (Arrange A) ==
'''Arrange A''' is an interesting mix between [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]] and Daifukkatsu. The mode continues the story of Daioujou's Death Label mode, featuring Leinyan as the main character. Like Black Label Arrange, it's a single player mode where you can control only one ship type, the type A ship from [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]], which is also locked to play Power style in Daifukkatsu. The game features both mechanics from [[DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou|Daioujou]] and Daifukkatsu, as well as some updated visuals, new mechanics, different way of scoring, reskin [[Hibachi]] and a new ending.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange A]]''

== Arrange B ==
'''Arrange B''' is a highly unique score attack mode, featuring a "global rank" system as well as individual stage and enemy ranks, causing each run of a stage to become easier or harder depending on how you play, and allowing you to custom-tailor your experience through your gameplay. It also strips the player's buttons down from four to two (Laser and Bomb/Hyper) and introduces always-on auto-fire. Stages in Arrange B will always have the player face off against the Ura mid-bosses from ''[[DoDonPachi]]''. Hidden bees are uncovered by default, and collecting a bee will put the player in a different "Grid" that influences how the stage's rank grows, as well as altering the bullet patterns that enemies use against the player. Neither [[Taisabachi]] nor [[Hibachi]] appear in this mode.

Arrange B contains a slew of mechanics changes far too dense to cover on this page.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Arrange B]]''

== Black Label Arrange (Ketsuipachi) ==
'''Black Label Arrange''' is a head-on collision between ''DFK Black Label'' and ''[[Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi]]'', mixing mechanics from the two games into one. It is also referred to as ''"Ketsuipachi"'' by many players. In this mode, you play as the Tiger Sword / Tiger Schwert from ''Ketsui'', complete with the Lock-Shot mechanic, utilizing both the proximity chip system (which now goes up to 10-chip) and the bullet-canceling + Hyper Counter mechanics of ''Black Label''. An arranged soundtrack is also included in this mode featuring remixes of music from ''Ketsui'' by Jake "virt" Kaufman.

''Full details: [[DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label Arrange]]''

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360, Steam'''

* Physical Release? - Yes (360), digital only via Steam.
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes (see above)
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - No, HD only :(
* Internal Scanlines Generator: n/a
* Graphical Filters: Bilinear
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

== References ==

# Information and page on Ver1.0 provided by [[User:SpinoSTG|SpinoSTG]]
# Information on Ver1.51 provided by [[User:NElectron256|NElectron256]]
# Information on Arrange B provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and QSD (via Shmups Discord)
# Primary info provided by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:SpinoSTG|SpinoSTG]]


[[Category:DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu]][[Category:DonPachi series]][[Category:Vertical shooting games]][[Category:Bullet Hell]]

Mushihimesama Futari

2020-09-08T10:26:24Z

DS91:

== Mushihimesama Futari ==

Mushihimesama Futari is a vertical scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is the sequel to 'Mushihimesama', and contains a new second playable character named 'Palm'.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - No
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Arrange', 'Novice' [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mushihime-sama-futari/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in Version 1.5 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: Yes- 'Picture Setting D' :)
* Graphical Filters: This release has a huge variety of graphical options!
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - No
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Akai Katana

2020-09-08T10:25:23Z

DS91: Minor edit re training mode

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]. 'Origin' and 'Slash' modes also have 'Novice' versions.
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No (T_T)
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay Saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays.
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Save multiple sets of training configurations - Yes
- Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Save Training Run Replays - Yes
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & continue playing.

Ikaruga

2020-08-18T11:12:19Z

DS91:

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #000000
|innerbordercolor = #000000
|title = IKARUGA
|background = #fefafb
|image = Box_art_of_the_PS4_and_Switch_versions.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Box art for the PS4 and Switch versions
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[Treasure Co., Ltd]]
|program = Hiroshi Iuchi Atsutomo Nakagawa Katsuyuki Fujita (G.rev)
|music = Hiroshi Iuchi
|art = Yasushi Suzuki
|releasedate = 20 December 2001 <ref>Treasure's founder Masato Maegawa [https://web.archive.org/web/20160923162709/http://shmuplations.com/treasure/ Interview]</ref>
|previousgame = [[Radiant Silvergun]]
|officialsite = [http://www.treasure-inc.co.jp/ treasure-inc.co.jp]
}}

'''''Ikaruga''''' (斑鳩) is a vertical-scrolling shooter developed and published by [[Treasure Co., Ltd.]] in December 2001 for the Sega NAOMI arcade system. During development, the game was referred to as ‘Project RS-2’, owing to its predecessor [[Radiant Silvergun]], and as such it is considered to be its spiritual sequel, even though the two games differ considerably in terms of mechanics and visual style. ''Ikaruga'' is famous for its '''polarity system''': enemies and bullets are either black or white, while the player’s ship has the ability to switch polarity between the two colours at the press of a button. A similar feature was already implemented to a lesser extent by the arcade shooter [[Great Mahou Daisakusen]], but with Ikaruga being in development when it came out, the inspiration for its polarity mechanic is probably to be found elsewhere: some have mentioned Treasure’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette_Mirage Silhouette Mirage], but game director Hiroshi Iuchi himself<ref name="ref0">Game director Hiroshi Iuchi [https://web.archive.org/web/20160406105839/http://shmuplations.com/ikaruga/ Interview]</ref> has spoken of its connection with the defensive system of Sega Saturn’s game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinrei_Jusatsushi_Tar%C5%8Dmaru Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru], to which he contributed to some extent.

''Ikaruga'' enjoyed critical and commercial success for the genre’s standards and over the years has been ported to several home consoles (Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and Switch, Xbox Live Arcade, Sony PlayStation 4) and online platforms (NESiCAxLive and Steam). The ports fidelity to the arcade version ranges from great (as in the case of the Dreamcast version, which has an essentially perfect reproduction of game patterns and roughly the same amount of slowdowns as the arcade when set to ‘Tate’ mode) to average (as in the case of the Xbox version, which, besides having no slowdowns - a characteristic that it shares with all the other ports save for the DC one - is the least accurate in terms of enemy and bullet patterns).

__TOC__
{{clear}}

==Story==
Most of ''Ikaruga''’s storyline is not presented in-game, but can be gathered from texts included in some of the ported versions and related inserts (game manuals, bonus sections on the DC and GC versions, a text file accessible by inserting the DC gd-rom into a computer disc drive)<ref name="ref1">The official texts on the backstory of the game are all written in japanese. A translation can be found on the ‘Extras’ section of PBSaffran’s comprehensive [https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gamecube/914452-ikaruga/faqs/23884 guide to the game]</ref>. Here’s a short summary of the story preceding the events in the game:

<big>“</big>Sometime in the past, a woman esper named Hourai Tenro, ruler of the insular country of Hourai, unhearted a mysterious object from deep within the earth. Known as the Stone-Like, the object seemed to have a god-like quality and emanated an enormous amount of energy. After fitting a restrictive device to it, she managed to harness its power and proceeded to storm and conquer other nations along with her followers, claiming to be the ‘Chosen Ones’ to unite all the countries in the name of peace. A resistance group known as the ‘Tenkaku’ attempted to fight back, but lost battle after battle until only one member survived, the strong-willed Shinra [Player 1].

Refusing to call it quits, Shinra built a makeshift aircraft that he named Shirasagi and took off on a lone sortie against Hourai’s forces. He managed to make his way through numerous enemies until he was faced with the Eboshidori ‘Butsutekkai’, piloted by Hourai’s general Asami. After a fierce battle, Shinra was ultimately defeated and crash landed on a remote village nearby, inhabited by elderly people who were exiled after Hourai’s conquests - the Village of the Grosbeak (‘Ikaruga no Sato’). Shinra was recovered from the wreckage and nursed back to health. Unwilling to live with regret, he renewed his pledge to defeat Hourai, so the village elders entrusted him with a technological marvel built by former engineering genius Amanai: a ‘hitekkai’ (iron aircraft) capable of switching polarity and absorbing bullets, which was given the village’s name, Ikaruga. Thanks to the unique features of his new ship, Shinra was then able to confront general Asami’s Butsutekkai on equal terms, blocking his foray on the village and driving him away.

Soon after, Shinra is joined by Kagari [Player 2], a woman who originally fought for Hourai but changed side after being shot down and then saved by Shinra and the villagers. A formidable pilot herself, she manages to convince Amanai to upgrade her ship, the Ginkei, to Ikaruga’s capabilities. Firmly determined to bring back freedom, the two set off on their special hitekkai to defeat Hourai Tenro’s forces and destroy the source of her powers... <big>”</big>

{|
|-
| [[File:Shinra_(Player_1).jpeg|200px|thumb|left|Shinra [Player1]]] || [[File:Hourai_Tenro.png|250px|thumb|center|Hourai Tenro]] || [[File:Kagari_(Player_2).jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Kagari [Player 2]]]
|}

==Gameplay Overview==
The gameplay of ''Ikaruga'' revolves around the black and white polarity system, which entails the following:
[[File:Ikaruga_HUD_(Dreamcast_version).png|260px|thumb|right|A screenshot of the DC version in ‘Tate’ mode. From top to bottom, the HUD shows the score, the enemy’s health bar, the chain status indicator, the power gauge and the lives stock]]
* the player’s ship can switch polarity at will and while it can absorb bullets of the same colour (which will fill up a power gauge), it is destroyed if the hitbox makes contact with a single bullet of the opposite polarity (all the bullets are either black or white)
* the enemies are either black or white, and when destroyed can release suicide bullets of their own colour, depending on the game’s difficulty mode (see the [[Ikaruga#Game Modes|modes section]])
* the player’s offensive weapons are of the same polarity as that of the ship and deal double damage to enemies of the opposite colour
* the enemies that are killed in groups of three of the same colour make a chain, which rewards the player with a varying amount of points up to a maximum value (‘max chain’ - see the [[Ikaruga#Score system|scoring section]])

In order to advance in the game, the player is expected to get well acquainted with switching polarity back and forth according to on-screen bullets, potential suicide bullets (if any) and, eventually, the polarity of the enemies (in order to deal more damage). Depending on the game section, speedkilling enemies can spawn additional ones, which potentially allows for more chains. There are no power-ups of any kind.

=== Controls ===
''Ikaruga'' is generally played with a three-button setup: A for firing, B for changing polarity and C for releasing energy. However, the arcade version’s setup was originally designed to be two-button only, with the energy release being triggered with A+B.

==== Single Shot ====
Tapping the fire button will fire off a single shot. This shot type is used when one wants to take down specific enemies, which is sometimes needed for chaining. Customized control set-ups may be equipped with an auto-fire button, allowing for a continuous single-shot stream which can be useful in some sections.

====Double Shot====
[[File:Half_double_shot.gif|thumb|right|A popcorn enemy surviving after being hit with a single projectile from a double-shot stream]]
Holding the fire button down will fire off a double-shot stream. This is the main shot type of the game. One pair of projectiles from a double-shot stream deals the same damage as one single shot (therefore, while a single shot takes down one-hit popcorn enemies even if they are of the same polarity, a single unpaired projectile from a double-shot stream does not). As it is natural to expect, moving laterally while firing will make the bullet stream skew in the direction opposite to the movement. Finally, moving towards an enemy while it's being hit will speed up the collision of the bullets that are in between the ship and the enemy thus slightly increasing the damage per unit of time for a brief moment (the opposite applies when moving away from the enemy).

====Energy Release====
When the power gauge is at least partially filled up, pressing the relevant button will trigger the energy release, which consists of a varying number of homing lasers. The number goes from one to twelve, depending on the status of the power gauge (it is made up of twelve squares, each one representing a laser and taking ten bullets to fill up). One laser inflicts as much damage as five single shots. The energy release is not a panic bomb: it generally does not wipe out all the enemies that are on screen and can actually result in losing a life if the player changes polarity immediately after and is hit by suicide bullets (if any). It is, instead, a general use weapon (there are no score penalties attached), which is very useful for killing off larger enemies and damaging bosses quickly.

If used carefully, the energy release is also an invaluable asset for racking up chains. In order to preserve the chain through an energy release, players typically use it on clusters of enemies of the same polarity. However, it is definitely possible to chain both black and white enemies with a single release, since the lasers hit their target in sequence. Here’s some insights on the logic behind the lasers’ behaviour:
* the lasers hit enemies according to their proximity to the path they travel along, which always goes from the rear and lateral side of the ship to the front and eventually back below it. Therefore, enemies immediately below or next to the ship are wiped out first, followed by the enemies that are in front of it and then those that are farther below
* the lasers are ejected from the ship stacked one on top of the other, with upper ones reaching out first. However, the upper lasers are generally not the first to hit their target, since they tend to pass by the first enemies they cross in their path, pursuing their target only after doing a turnaround
* the lasers move at a varying speed: slower when turning around, faster when going straight
* if there are multiple enemies both next or below and in front of the ship (more than what the lasers can target), usually the energy release takes down a few of them from each area
* if there’s a large enemy on-screen, all the lasers generally tend to flock to it, ignoring smaller enemies
* it is possible for lasers to redirect to another enemy if their original target is taken down or moves away, but they can also just fly off the screen instead (rarely, a laser may even be seen coming back after it went off-screen)
* there might be some instance where a given energy release would appear to have a bias towards keeping chain integrity, but there is no actual evidence in support of this, and any such case is likely to be interpreted as normal behaviour after taking into account some of the points above or other idiosyncrasies of the energy release mechanic

{|
|-
| [[File:Homing1.gif|thumb|The fixed path of the energy release - notice that one of the upper lasers ends up pursuing an enemy at the bottom]] || [[File:Homing2.gif|thumb|center|The lasers tend to flock to large enemies, and can fly off-screen if their original target is taken down]] || [[File:Homing3.gif|thumb|center|Not a common behaviour, but single lasers can sometimes make a comeback on screen]] || [[File:Homing4.gif|thumb|center|Right laser hitting its target after the left one due to wider angle of its path, which slows it down]]
|}

While this is likely to be just a partial description of the logic behind energy releases, it must be noted that the lasers’ behaviour is always deterministically based on the type and position of the enemies relative to the player’s ship at the time of their release - there are no random elements to it, therefore once found out that a release can be used to chain some enemies in a given section, its behaviour will stay consistent if the conditions are replicated closely enough.

=== Game Modes===
Arcade mode is the standard game mode and is the one that has been described up to now. However, every ported version of ''Ikaruga'' also features a ‘Prototype mode’, so called because it represents the game concept as originally designed by the developers <ref name="ref0" />.

This mode differs from arcade for having limited ammos, which are used up by firing off either the main shots or the homing lasers; the stock is replenished by absorbing bullets and is tracked by a counter which goes up to 999 (also replacing the arcade mode’s power gauge). Firing a single shot uses up two ammos (same for a single pair of double-shot) and homing lasers require ten ammos each (a full release taking 120 off the stock). Each absorbed bullet provides three ammos, and sitting on a laser beam will fill up the reserves in just a few seconds. If the player runs out of ammo, the ship will only fire a shot with an extremely limited range, until some stock is restored.

[[File:Ikaruga_Prototype_multi-releases.gif|thumb|right|The ship can launch multiple full releases in Prototype mode, which effectively makes it a killing machine]]
Outside of easy difficulty (see below), even basic bullet-eating skills will make running out of ammos in the middle of a level very unlikely; in fact, it is quite common to get to the stage bosses with substantial reserves. In this case, the battle will clearly end in just a few seconds, thanks to the ability of launching multiple full releases one after the other that is unique to this mode. However, it is worth noting that the different release mechanic also has a (comparatively small) downside with respect to the arcade mode - that is, having a full release always in stock makes it impossible to use in situations where optimal scoring strategies would require to take down just a few specific enemies (in order to keep the chain going).

Each game mode can be played on three difficulty levels, which differ in this way:
* Easy: enemies never release suicide bullets when killed. Some sections have less enemies and bullets than on normal and all three forms of the last chapter’s boss have a smaller health bar
* Normal: enemies of the same polarity as the player release suicide bullets when killed (increasing in number with the size of the enemy’s health bar - larger, more resistant enemies release more bullets)
* Hard: enemies always release suicide bullets when killed (though those of opposite polarity than the player only release half the number of bullets, eventually rounded down). Some sections have more bullets than on normal and the final form of the last chapter’s boss has a larger health bar (it also fires off its homing lasers at double the frequency, making it a real challenge to milk for score without dying, especially on the ported versions that don’t have slowdowns)

Finally, in prototype mode the player starts each chapter with a varying supply of ammos depending on the difficulty: 500 on easy, 300 on normal, 100 on hard. The initial stock doesn’t make much difference in terms of the overall balance of the mode, with the player often having to put up with very low or even no reserves on easy difficulty (due to the lack of suicide bullets).

The game can also be played on 2P mode. ''Ikaruga'', with its polarity-based system and neatly symmetrical enemy patterns, lends itself beautifully to being played in 2P mode. Some game versions allow for cooperative gaming over the internet, and also have a separate mode for double-play, for players that rise to the challenge of controlling both ships solo.

Finally, while technically not representing a different mode, it is possible to finish the entire game without firing a single bullet: the pacifist player is rewarded with a ‘Dot Eater’ rank on the breakdown at the end of each stage.

===Score system===
The scoring system of ''Ikaruga'' is mainly centered around chaining enemies, but there are more ways to rack up points. Here they are listed in order of decreasing relevance:
* Chaining: taking down three enemies of the same polarity in succession will yield a chain. Each following chain can be of the same or of the opposite colour, and can be added immediately after or minutes away from the previous one: what matters is only that the enemies are killed in groups of three. Every destructible enemy that appears in the game has a polarity and can be chained (with the only exception of the parts of which main bosses are made of). The first chains reward the player with a varying amount of points, starting with a value of 100 points, then 200, 400 and so on, doubling each time up to 25600 (ninth chain and over). At each additional chain worth 25600 points, a robotic voice can be heard uttering either ''' ‘Max Chain’''', ''' ‘Excellent’''' or ''' ‘Splendid’''', letting you know how awesome you are. The chain is broken when the player fails to kill enemies in groups of three of the same colour or dies, and resets at the start of each stage. In order to score more points, players will strive to chain as many enemies as possible (by also speedkilling them on sections where time-based bonus enemies are spawned) and keep the chain going for the entire stage. While many sections of the game can be chained intuitively, some others are quite tricky to chain properly, requiring methodic planning and experimentation to come up with good strategies. That said, no one should feel forced to chain everything that moves: on the contrary, it’s better to let some enemies go than haphazardly try to chain them all and possibly break the chain
* Boss time bonus: during boss battles there’s a timer which goes down as time passes (starting at 100 seconds for main bosses) and stops when the boss is defeated - each remaining second is worth ten thousands points, therefore speedkilling is rewarded. Some mid-bosses also give a time bonus, but the timer starts from a lower number (if the player then doesn’t kill the main boss, the time bonus that was racked up is lost). In 2P mode, the boss time bonus is assigned in full to both players
* Extend bonus: Each life that is in stock at the end of the game is worth half a million points. The player’s life stock starts with two lives by default (game is over if you die three times) and extra lives can be gained by scoring (the first one after three million points and the others after every five million, with the standard extend conditions)
* Bullet eating: absorbing a single bullet gives 100 points, while sitting on a laser beam yields 100 points per frame (the rare homing shots fired off by some enemies are worth either 500 or 1000 points). While this is a scoring element that is often neglected, absorbing bullets and lasers to the fullest extent possible can make the difference between very advanced players, once the enemy chaining has been mostly perfected
* Damaging enemies: an enemy hit is generally worth 20 points (40 points for hits on opposite polarity enemies). Score increments of 10 points are also possible, but rarer. A single homing laser hit gives 100 points (again, 200 for opposite polarity), unless the enemy can take less than five single-shot hits, in which case it is worth how many it can take times 20 (e.g. if the enemy can take three hits, it is worth 60 points). This is by far the least important scoring element, and the player also has a very small degree of control over it (since the hit value is fixed, and chaining requires to kill as many enemies as possible anyway). Still, it is possible to go after a purely hit-based score increase during the few idle moments on some main boss fights, by targeting secondary pods or hatches

The player’s scoring performance is graded at the end of each stage, with ranks going from C to S++. The thresholds are fixed across all the various modes and difficulties. Here they are in millions, starting from B:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Stage !! B !! B+ !! B++ !! A !! A+ !! A++ !! S !! S+ !! S++
|-
| Chapter 1 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 3.0 || 3.2 || 3.4
|-
| Chapter 2 || 2.0 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 3.0 || 3.8 || 4.25 || 4.4 || 4.8 || 5.0
|-
| Chapter 3 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 3.5 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 5.0 || 5.2 || 5.4
|-
| Chapter 4 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 4.0 || 4.5 || 5.0 || 5.5 || 5.75 || 6.0
|-
| Chapter 5 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 4.0 || 4.2 || 4.4 || 4.5 || 4.8 || 5.0
|}

Save for possibly the final chapter on arcade easy, the S++ rank can be achieved on every stage of every mode; in fact, in most cases it is possible to score way higher than what it takes to get an S++. Definitely, for the most dedicated players getting an S++ is only where things get serious…

== Stages ==
''Ikaruga'' has five stages, with a full run through the game taking about 25 minutes (the game doesn’t loop). Every stage features an introductory sequence displaying the chapter’s title and a short blurb and ends with a boss fight, but aside for this the stages can vary significantly (actually, even the introductory sequence itself occurs only around mid-stage in stage 3 and 5). Chapter 1 and 2 do not have any mid-boss, while chapter 3 has one (with no time bonus awarded for its defeat) and chapter 4 has two (both giving a time bonus instead). Chapter 3 is riddled with environmental hazards, while they play a minor role in most other stages. The last stage is unique for ending with a boss rush, then giving way to the final boss of the game - the Stone-Like.

Here is a breakdown of the chapters with the plot elements linked to each one<ref name="ref1" />:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Chapter_1.png|300px|center]] || '''Chapter 1: Ideal''' After hearing about the unique capabilities of the Ikaruga, Hourai Tenro ordered an expeditionary force under general Asami to destroy the aircraft while stationed inside its launching carrier, the Sword of Acala, but Shinra and his fellows were ready for a counterattack. Village elder Kazamori breaks the silence with some lines from an old poem: “I won't give up even if my '''Ideal''' isn't fulfilled. My will, just as my regrets, won't ever end. My comrades... it is time"
|-
| '''Chapter 2: Trial''' The battlefield is the country of Agi, which fell under Hourai’s control after the ‘Buppousou’ Butsutekkai started targeting the civilians, forcing Agi’s leader to surrender and Shinra and his comrades to retreat. Going on a mission that will for sure be a '''Trial''' of his abilities, Shinra carries out a surprise attack on the occupation forces and infiltrates the military facility that is being built underground by the enemy's troops.. || [[File:Chapter_2.png|300px|center]]
|-
| [[File:Chapter_3.png|300px|center]] || '''Chapter 3: Faith''' After liberating the country of Agi, a war of attrition ensues, which in the long term would lead to Hourai’s victory. To end the stalemate, Shinra is planning to launch a direct assault by crossing the border to the country of Hourai, but a fortified ravine, considered impenetrable for its environmental hazards, stands in the way. After seeing Shinra’s '''Faith''' in the plan, engineer Amanai overcomes his hesitations and prepares the Ikaruga for departure..
|-
| '''Chapter 4: Reality''' After clearing the ravine, Shinra faces the bulk of the Hourai army led by general Kira from his giant ‘Misago’ Butsutekkai. Shinra and his comrades opt for a methodical combat strategy, attacking the weak spots of the Butsutekkai one by one. They eventually succeed, but the strenuous fight took its toll on Shinra, as the Ikaruga interfaces directly with the pilot’s neural system, accelerating the death of human nerve cells. Shinra must now confront a harsh '''Reality''': the extreme mental drain due to piloting the Ikaruga will certainly exact a hefty price.. || [[File:Chapter_4.png|300px|center]]
|-
| [[File:Chapter_5.png|300px|center]] || '''Final Chapter: Metempsychosis''' Unfazed by the thought that his time may draw near, Shinra bursts into Hourai’s headquarters for the final battle. After taking down the last few enemies, he faces the mighty ‘Tageri’ Butsutekkai. Hourai tries to divert his resolve with words to no avail - Shinra keeps fighting with his last drops of strenght and in the heat of the battle he also hears the voices of two spirit beings that appeared in his dreams. And then, right after he manages to destroy Hourai Tenro’s flagship, the Stone-Like emerges from the debris..
|-
| '''Epilogue: The Stone-Like''' After convincing the engineer to deactivate the restraining devices of the Ikaruga, Shinra unleashes all the energy stored onboard, and meets his destiny just a moment before he can witness the Stone-Like explode. As his soul '''Transmigrates''', the two spirit beings of his dreams manifest themselves.. 
Shinra: "Was that… the right thing to do?" 
Man body: "Don’t worry... for sure, the day will come when we [humans] understand each other" 
Woman body: "Because life will be passed on… to the distant future...”
|| [[File:The_Stone-Like.png|300px|center]]
|}

==Trivia==
All the enemies, bosses and ships of ''Ikaruga'' are named after birds <ref name="ref2">See the relevant article on this archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20050217142400/http://www.greng.net/games/ikaruga/articles.htm Ikaruga fansite]</ref>. For example, ‘ikaruga’ - or just ‘ikaru’ - is the japanese term for grosbeak or mottled dove

''Ikaruga'' contains several philosophical and religious references <ref name="ref2" />, of which some are listed here:
* ‘Ikaruga’ is also the name of a town in the prefecture of Nara, where Buddhism was first introduced in Japan;
* the carrier from where the Ikaruga is launched at the start of the game is called ‘Sword of Acala’, with ‘Acala’ standing for ‘Acalanatha Vidyaraja’, one of the buddhist kings of wisdom;
* [[File:Warning_message_text.png|400px|right]]the boss warning that appears at the end of each chapter bears a passage written in sanskrit, which represents a spell that grants safety from dangerous situations (the same sanskrit characters also appear on the control device fitted around the Stone-Like). The bosses are generally referred to as ‘Butsutekkai’, which roughly translates to ‘iron Buddha’
* the second chapter’s boss is named ‘Bupposou’, which is a term linked to the doctrine of Buddhism (beside being the name given to sacred birds that sing around buddhist temples). This boss also has a yin-and-yang symbol carved on its main body
* the fifth chapter of the game is titled ‘Metempsychosis’, which is a greek term referring to the transmigration of the soul, a central Buddhist tenet. While all the chapter’s titles are linked to events related to the game’s story, some have taken them to represent the path towards enlightenment followed by the main character, or even the player, in the game

The first chapter’s boss, Eboshidori (japanese for turaco birds), wears a damaged helmet, which is a hint of its previous battle with Shinra

The full name of ''Ikaruga''’s final boss is the ‘Ubusunagami Okinokai’ (roughly translated as ‘Golden-Glowing Rock of the Stone-Like God’<ref name="ref1" />). It is clearly the same final boss as that of [[Radiant Silvergun]], the ‘Stone-Like object’. In RSG the Stone-Like is, as described in the plot, the Earth ‘Guardian’ which judges mankind to unfathomable standards: once humanity derails too much from them, it will reset the world, wiping out all humans and allowing some clones to start populating the Earth again, in an endless loop. In ''Ikaruga'', the Ubusunagami Okinokai’s intentions are not explained, and while some fans are willing to assign it the same role as in RSG, others think that in this case it is entirely controlled and exploited by humans, in keeping with the main theme of the game involving the very human struggle of reaching a peaceful coexistence thanks to mutual understanding

An official demonstration video disc titled ‘Ikaruga Appreciate DVD’ was published by Treasure in April 2003, showcasing advanced scoring strategies for each of the game’s difficulty mode <ref>The trailer for the ‘Ikaruga Appreciate DVD’ can be watched [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rEB-NlkWj8 here]</ref>

[[File:Atari_Contest_net_ranking.jpeg|120px|thumb|right|Logo of the Ikaruga Net Ranking contest]]

For the GameCube release of the game, the publisher (Infogrames, under the Atari label) launched a scoring competition, the ‘Ikaruga Net Ranking Contest’, in the form of a dedicated website where players from all over the world could submit their scores on either arcade or prototype mode on normal difficulty (1P only). It was one of the first instances of official online scoreboards for a shooting game. The players with the five highest scores on each mode at the closure of the contest were awarded an official Atari trophy. The legitimacy of the scores was ensured by the fact that the GC version had a special ‘Challenge’ mode, which at the end of the run displayed a twelve-character code that uniquely represented the score achieved and that was to be entered on the website in order to submit the actual score. After the official website went down, a few dedicated players managed to crack the code and implemented the feature on unofficial scoreboards hosted on the ‘ikaruga.co.uk’ website, which remained the point of reference for the western community of ''Ikaruga'' for several years

[[File:Ikarugacouk_banner.png|thumb|center|1000px|Banner of the Ikaruga.co.uk website]]

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Prototype'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - No, HD only
* Graphical Filters: No
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - No
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - Yes
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Skip to level
- No replay slowdown options

==References & Contributors==

<references />
Article written by XER, MAZ, powerfuran

Ikaruga

2020-08-18T11:07:42Z

DS91: Added home console release notes

{{GameInfobox
|bordercolor = #000000
|innerbordercolor = #000000
|title = IKARUGA
|background = #fefafb
|image = Box_art_of_the_PS4_and_Switch_versions.png
|width = 324px;
|imagecaption = Box art for the PS4 and Switch versions
|imagescalepx = 180px

|developer = [[Treasure Co., Ltd]]
|program = Hiroshi Iuchi Atsutomo Nakagawa Katsuyuki Fujita (G.rev)
|music = Hiroshi Iuchi
|art = Yasushi Suzuki
|releasedate = 20 December 2001 <ref>Treasure's founder Masato Maegawa [https://web.archive.org/web/20160923162709/http://shmuplations.com/treasure/ Interview]</ref>
|previousgame = [[Radiant Silvergun]]
|officialsite = [http://www.treasure-inc.co.jp/ treasure-inc.co.jp]
}}

'''''Ikaruga''''' (斑鳩) is a vertical-scrolling shooter developed and published by [[Treasure Co., Ltd.]] in December 2001 for the Sega NAOMI arcade system. During development, the game was referred to as ‘Project RS-2’, owing to its predecessor [[Radiant Silvergun]], and as such it is considered to be its spiritual sequel, even though the two games differ considerably in terms of mechanics and visual style. ''Ikaruga'' is famous for its '''polarity system''': enemies and bullets are either black or white, while the player’s ship has the ability to switch polarity between the two colours at the press of a button. A similar feature was already implemented to a lesser extent by the arcade shooter [[Great Mahou Daisakusen]], but with Ikaruga being in development when it came out, the inspiration for its polarity mechanic is probably to be found elsewhere: some have mentioned Treasure’s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette_Mirage Silhouette Mirage], but game director Hiroshi Iuchi himself<ref name="ref0">Game director Hiroshi Iuchi [https://web.archive.org/web/20160406105839/http://shmuplations.com/ikaruga/ Interview]</ref> has spoken of its connection with the defensive system of Sega Saturn’s game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinrei_Jusatsushi_Tar%C5%8Dmaru Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru], to which he contributed to some extent.

''Ikaruga'' enjoyed critical and commercial success for the genre’s standards and over the years has been ported to several home consoles (Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and Switch, Xbox Live Arcade, Sony PlayStation 4) and online platforms (NESiCAxLive and Steam). The ports fidelity to the arcade version ranges from great (as in the case of the Dreamcast version, which has an essentially perfect reproduction of game patterns and roughly the same amount of slowdowns as the arcade when set to ‘Tate’ mode) to average (as in the case of the Xbox version, which, besides having no slowdowns - a characteristic that it shares with all the other ports save for the DC one - is the least accurate in terms of enemy and bullet patterns).

__TOC__
{{clear}}

==Story==
Most of ''Ikaruga''’s storyline is not presented in-game, but can be gathered from texts included in some of the ported versions and related inserts (game manuals, bonus sections on the DC and GC versions, a text file accessible by inserting the DC gd-rom into a computer disc drive)<ref name="ref1">The official texts on the backstory of the game are all written in japanese. A translation can be found on the ‘Extras’ section of PBSaffran’s comprehensive [https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gamecube/914452-ikaruga/faqs/23884 guide to the game]</ref>. Here’s a short summary of the story preceding the events in the game:

<big>“</big>Sometime in the past, a woman esper named Hourai Tenro, ruler of the insular country of Hourai, unhearted a mysterious object from deep within the earth. Known as the Stone-Like, the object seemed to have a god-like quality and emanated an enormous amount of energy. After fitting a restrictive device to it, she managed to harness its power and proceeded to storm and conquer other nations along with her followers, claiming to be the ‘Chosen Ones’ to unite all the countries in the name of peace. A resistance group known as the ‘Tenkaku’ attempted to fight back, but lost battle after battle until only one member survived, the strong-willed Shinra [Player 1].

Refusing to call it quits, Shinra built a makeshift aircraft that he named Shirasagi and took off on a lone sortie against Hourai’s forces. He managed to make his way through numerous enemies until he was faced with the Eboshidori ‘Butsutekkai’, piloted by Hourai’s general Asami. After a fierce battle, Shinra was ultimately defeated and crash landed on a remote village nearby, inhabited by elderly people who were exiled after Hourai’s conquests - the Village of the Grosbeak (‘Ikaruga no Sato’). Shinra was recovered from the wreckage and nursed back to health. Unwilling to live with regret, he renewed his pledge to defeat Hourai, so the village elders entrusted him with a technological marvel built by former engineering genius Amanai: a ‘hitekkai’ (iron aircraft) capable of switching polarity and absorbing bullets, which was given the village’s name, Ikaruga. Thanks to the unique features of his new ship, Shinra was then able to confront general Asami’s Butsutekkai on equal terms, blocking his foray on the village and driving him away.

Soon after, Shinra is joined by Kagari [Player 2], a woman who originally fought for Hourai but changed side after being shot down and then saved by Shinra and the villagers. A formidable pilot herself, she manages to convince Amanai to upgrade her ship, the Ginkei, to Ikaruga’s capabilities. Firmly determined to bring back freedom, the two set off on their special hitekkai to defeat Hourai Tenro’s forces and destroy the source of her powers... <big>”</big>

{|
|-
| [[File:Shinra_(Player_1).jpeg|200px|thumb|left|Shinra [Player1]]] || [[File:Hourai_Tenro.png|250px|thumb|center|Hourai Tenro]] || [[File:Kagari_(Player_2).jpeg|200px|thumb|right|Kagari [Player 2]]]
|}

==Gameplay Overview==
The gameplay of ''Ikaruga'' revolves around the black and white polarity system, which entails the following:
[[File:Ikaruga_HUD_(Dreamcast_version).png|260px|thumb|right|A screenshot of the DC version in ‘Tate’ mode. From top to bottom, the HUD shows the score, the enemy’s health bar, the chain status indicator, the power gauge and the lives stock]]
* the player’s ship can switch polarity at will and while it can absorb bullets of the same colour (which will fill up a power gauge), it is destroyed if the hitbox makes contact with a single bullet of the opposite polarity (all the bullets are either black or white)
* the enemies are either black or white, and when destroyed can release suicide bullets of their own colour, depending on the game’s difficulty mode (see the [[Ikaruga#Game Modes|modes section]])
* the player’s offensive weapons are of the same polarity as that of the ship and deal double damage to enemies of the opposite colour
* the enemies that are killed in groups of three of the same colour make a chain, which rewards the player with a varying amount of points up to a maximum value (‘max chain’ - see the [[Ikaruga#Score system|scoring section]])

In order to advance in the game, the player is expected to get well acquainted with switching polarity back and forth according to on-screen bullets, potential suicide bullets (if any) and, eventually, the polarity of the enemies (in order to deal more damage). Depending on the game section, speedkilling enemies can spawn additional ones, which potentially allows for more chains. There are no power-ups of any kind.

=== Controls ===
''Ikaruga'' is generally played with a three-button setup: A for firing, B for changing polarity and C for releasing energy. However, the arcade version’s setup was originally designed to be two-button only, with the energy release being triggered with A+B.

==== Single Shot ====
Tapping the fire button will fire off a single shot. This shot type is used when one wants to take down specific enemies, which is sometimes needed for chaining. Customized control set-ups may be equipped with an auto-fire button, allowing for a continuous single-shot stream which can be useful in some sections.

====Double Shot====
[[File:Half_double_shot.gif|thumb|right|A popcorn enemy surviving after being hit with a single projectile from a double-shot stream]]
Holding the fire button down will fire off a double-shot stream. This is the main shot type of the game. One pair of projectiles from a double-shot stream deals the same damage as one single shot (therefore, while a single shot takes down one-hit popcorn enemies even if they are of the same polarity, a single unpaired projectile from a double-shot stream does not). As it is natural to expect, moving laterally while firing will make the bullet stream skew in the direction opposite to the movement. Finally, moving towards an enemy while it's being hit will speed up the collision of the bullets that are in between the ship and the enemy thus slightly increasing the damage per unit of time for a brief moment (the opposite applies when moving away from the enemy).

====Energy Release====
When the power gauge is at least partially filled up, pressing the relevant button will trigger the energy release, which consists of a varying number of homing lasers. The number goes from one to twelve, depending on the status of the power gauge (it is made up of twelve squares, each one representing a laser and taking ten bullets to fill up). One laser inflicts as much damage as five single shots. The energy release is not a panic bomb: it generally does not wipe out all the enemies that are on screen and can actually result in losing a life if the player changes polarity immediately after and is hit by suicide bullets (if any). It is, instead, a general use weapon (there are no score penalties attached), which is very useful for killing off larger enemies and damaging bosses quickly.

If used carefully, the energy release is also an invaluable asset for racking up chains. In order to preserve the chain through an energy release, players typically use it on clusters of enemies of the same polarity. However, it is definitely possible to chain both black and white enemies with a single release, since the lasers hit their target in sequence. Here’s some insights on the logic behind the lasers’ behaviour:
* the lasers hit enemies according to their proximity to the path they travel along, which always goes from the rear and lateral side of the ship to the front and eventually back below it. Therefore, enemies immediately below or next to the ship are wiped out first, followed by the enemies that are in front of it and then those that are farther below
* the lasers are ejected from the ship stacked one on top of the other, with upper ones reaching out first. However, the upper lasers are generally not the first to hit their target, since they tend to pass by the first enemies they cross in their path, pursuing their target only after doing a turnaround
* the lasers move at a varying speed: slower when turning around, faster when going straight
* if there are multiple enemies both next or below and in front of the ship (more than what the lasers can target), usually the energy release takes down a few of them from each area
* if there’s a large enemy on-screen, all the lasers generally tend to flock to it, ignoring smaller enemies
* it is possible for lasers to redirect to another enemy if their original target is taken down or moves away, but they can also just fly off the screen instead (rarely, a laser may even be seen coming back after it went off-screen)
* there might be some instance where a given energy release would appear to have a bias towards keeping chain integrity, but there is no actual evidence in support of this, and any such case is likely to be interpreted as normal behaviour after taking into account some of the points above or other idiosyncrasies of the energy release mechanic

{|
|-
| [[File:Homing1.gif|thumb|The fixed path of the energy release - notice that one of the upper lasers ends up pursuing an enemy at the bottom]] || [[File:Homing2.gif|thumb|center|The lasers tend to flock to large enemies, and can fly off-screen if their original target is taken down]] || [[File:Homing3.gif|thumb|center|Not a common behaviour, but single lasers can sometimes make a comeback on screen]] || [[File:Homing4.gif|thumb|center|Right laser hitting its target after the left one due to wider angle of its path, which slows it down]]
|}

While this is likely to be just a partial description of the logic behind energy releases, it must be noted that the lasers’ behaviour is always deterministically based on the type and position of the enemies relative to the player’s ship at the time of their release - there are no random elements to it, therefore once found out that a release can be used to chain some enemies in a given section, its behaviour will stay consistent if the conditions are replicated closely enough.

=== Game Modes===
Arcade mode is the standard game mode and is the one that has been described up to now. However, every ported version of ''Ikaruga'' also features a ‘Prototype mode’, so called because it represents the game concept as originally designed by the developers <ref name="ref0" />.

This mode differs from arcade for having limited ammos, which are used up by firing off either the main shots or the homing lasers; the stock is replenished by absorbing bullets and is tracked by a counter which goes up to 999 (also replacing the arcade mode’s power gauge). Firing a single shot uses up two ammos (same for a single pair of double-shot) and homing lasers require ten ammos each (a full release taking 120 off the stock). Each absorbed bullet provides three ammos, and sitting on a laser beam will fill up the reserves in just a few seconds. If the player runs out of ammo, the ship will only fire a shot with an extremely limited range, until some stock is restored.

[[File:Ikaruga_Prototype_multi-releases.gif|thumb|right|The ship can launch multiple full releases in Prototype mode, which effectively makes it a killing machine]]
Outside of easy difficulty (see below), even basic bullet-eating skills will make running out of ammos in the middle of a level very unlikely; in fact, it is quite common to get to the stage bosses with substantial reserves. In this case, the battle will clearly end in just a few seconds, thanks to the ability of launching multiple full releases one after the other that is unique to this mode. However, it is worth noting that the different release mechanic also has a (comparatively small) downside with respect to the arcade mode - that is, having a full release always in stock makes it impossible to use in situations where optimal scoring strategies would require to take down just a few specific enemies (in order to keep the chain going).

Each game mode can be played on three difficulty levels, which differ in this way:
* Easy: enemies never release suicide bullets when killed. Some sections have less enemies and bullets than on normal and all three forms of the last chapter’s boss have a smaller health bar
* Normal: enemies of the same polarity as the player release suicide bullets when killed (increasing in number with the size of the enemy’s health bar - larger, more resistant enemies release more bullets)
* Hard: enemies always release suicide bullets when killed (though those of opposite polarity than the player only release half the number of bullets, eventually rounded down). Some sections have more bullets than on normal and the final form of the last chapter’s boss has a larger health bar (it also fires off its homing lasers at double the frequency, making it a real challenge to milk for score without dying, especially on the ported versions that don’t have slowdowns)

Finally, in prototype mode the player starts each chapter with a varying supply of ammos depending on the difficulty: 500 on easy, 300 on normal, 100 on hard. The initial stock doesn’t make much difference in terms of the overall balance of the mode, with the player often having to put up with very low or even no reserves on easy difficulty (due to the lack of suicide bullets).

The game can also be played on 2P mode. ''Ikaruga'', with its polarity-based system and neatly symmetrical enemy patterns, lends itself beautifully to being played in 2P mode. Some game versions allow for cooperative gaming over the internet, and also have a separate mode for double-play, for players that rise to the challenge of controlling both ships solo.

Finally, while technically not representing a different mode, it is possible to finish the entire game without firing a single bullet: the pacifist player is rewarded with a ‘Dot Eater’ rank on the breakdown at the end of each stage.

===Score system===
The scoring system of ''Ikaruga'' is mainly centered around chaining enemies, but there are more ways to rack up points. Here they are listed in order of decreasing relevance:
* Chaining: taking down three enemies of the same polarity in succession will yield a chain. Each following chain can be of the same or of the opposite colour, and can be added immediately after or minutes away from the previous one: what matters is only that the enemies are killed in groups of three. Every destructible enemy that appears in the game has a polarity and can be chained (with the only exception of the parts of which main bosses are made of). The first chains reward the player with a varying amount of points, starting with a value of 100 points, then 200, 400 and so on, doubling each time up to 25600 (ninth chain and over). At each additional chain worth 25600 points, a robotic voice can be heard uttering either ''' ‘Max Chain’''', ''' ‘Excellent’''' or ''' ‘Splendid’''', letting you know how awesome you are. The chain is broken when the player fails to kill enemies in groups of three of the same colour or dies, and resets at the start of each stage. In order to score more points, players will strive to chain as many enemies as possible (by also speedkilling them on sections where time-based bonus enemies are spawned) and keep the chain going for the entire stage. While many sections of the game can be chained intuitively, some others are quite tricky to chain properly, requiring methodic planning and experimentation to come up with good strategies. That said, no one should feel forced to chain everything that moves: on the contrary, it’s better to let some enemies go than haphazardly try to chain them all and possibly break the chain
* Boss time bonus: during boss battles there’s a timer which goes down as time passes (starting at 100 seconds for main bosses) and stops when the boss is defeated - each remaining second is worth ten thousands points, therefore speedkilling is rewarded. Some mid-bosses also give a time bonus, but the timer starts from a lower number (if the player then doesn’t kill the main boss, the time bonus that was racked up is lost). In 2P mode, the boss time bonus is assigned in full to both players
* Extend bonus: Each life that is in stock at the end of the game is worth half a million points. The player’s life stock starts with two lives by default (game is over if you die three times) and extra lives can be gained by scoring (the first one after three million points and the others after every five million, with the standard extend conditions)
* Bullet eating: absorbing a single bullet gives 100 points, while sitting on a laser beam yields 100 points per frame (the rare homing shots fired off by some enemies are worth either 500 or 1000 points). While this is a scoring element that is often neglected, absorbing bullets and lasers to the fullest extent possible can make the difference between very advanced players, once the enemy chaining has been mostly perfected
* Damaging enemies: an enemy hit is generally worth 20 points (40 points for hits on opposite polarity enemies). Score increments of 10 points are also possible, but rarer. A single homing laser hit gives 100 points (again, 200 for opposite polarity), unless the enemy can take less than five single-shot hits, in which case it is worth how many it can take times 20 (e.g. if the enemy can take three hits, it is worth 60 points). This is by far the least important scoring element, and the player also has a very small degree of control over it (since the hit value is fixed, and chaining requires to kill as many enemies as possible anyway). Still, it is possible to go after a purely hit-based score increase during the few idle moments on some main boss fights, by targeting secondary pods or hatches

The player’s scoring performance is graded at the end of each stage, with ranks going from C to S++. The thresholds are fixed across all the various modes and difficulties. Here they are in millions, starting from B:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Stage !! B !! B+ !! B++ !! A !! A+ !! A++ !! S !! S+ !! S++
|-
| Chapter 1 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 3.0 || 3.2 || 3.4
|-
| Chapter 2 || 2.0 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 3.0 || 3.8 || 4.25 || 4.4 || 4.8 || 5.0
|-
| Chapter 3 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 3.5 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 5.0 || 5.2 || 5.4
|-
| Chapter 4 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 4.0 || 4.5 || 5.0 || 5.5 || 5.75 || 6.0
|-
| Chapter 5 || ?? || ?? || ?? || 4.0 || 4.2 || 4.4 || 4.5 || 4.8 || 5.0
|}

Save for possibly the final chapter on arcade easy, the S++ rank can be achieved on every stage of every mode; in fact, in most cases it is possible to score way higher than what it takes to get an S++. Definitely, for the most dedicated players getting an S++ is only where things get serious…

== Stages ==
''Ikaruga'' has five stages, with a full run through the game taking about 25 minutes (the game doesn’t loop). Every stage features an introductory sequence displaying the chapter’s title and a short blurb and ends with a boss fight, but aside for this the stages can vary significantly (actually, even the introductory sequence itself occurs only around mid-stage in stage 3 and 5). Chapter 1 and 2 do not have any mid-boss, while chapter 3 has one (with no time bonus awarded for its defeat) and chapter 4 has two (both giving a time bonus instead). Chapter 3 is riddled with environmental hazards, while they play a minor role in most other stages. The last stage is unique for ending with a boss rush, then giving way to the final boss of the game - the Stone-Like.

Here is a breakdown of the chapters with the plot elements linked to each one<ref name="ref1" />:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| [[File:Chapter_1.png|300px|center]] || '''Chapter 1: Ideal''' After hearing about the unique capabilities of the Ikaruga, Hourai Tenro ordered an expeditionary force under general Asami to destroy the aircraft while stationed inside its launching carrier, the Sword of Acala, but Shinra and his fellows were ready for a counterattack. Village elder Kazamori breaks the silence with some lines from an old poem: “I won't give up even if my '''Ideal''' isn't fulfilled. My will, just as my regrets, won't ever end. My comrades... it is time"
|-
| '''Chapter 2: Trial''' The battlefield is the country of Agi, which fell under Hourai’s control after the ‘Buppousou’ Butsutekkai started targeting the civilians, forcing Agi’s leader to surrender and Shinra and his comrades to retreat. Going on a mission that will for sure be a '''Trial''' of his abilities, Shinra carries out a surprise attack on the occupation forces and infiltrates the military facility that is being built underground by the enemy's troops.. || [[File:Chapter_2.png|300px|center]]
|-
| [[File:Chapter_3.png|300px|center]] || '''Chapter 3: Faith''' After liberating the country of Agi, a war of attrition ensues, which in the long term would lead to Hourai’s victory. To end the stalemate, Shinra is planning to launch a direct assault by crossing the border to the country of Hourai, but a fortified ravine, considered impenetrable for its environmental hazards, stands in the way. After seeing Shinra’s '''Faith''' in the plan, engineer Amanai overcomes his hesitations and prepares the Ikaruga for departure..
|-
| '''Chapter 4: Reality''' After clearing the ravine, Shinra faces the bulk of the Hourai army led by general Kira from his giant ‘Misago’ Butsutekkai. Shinra and his comrades opt for a methodical combat strategy, attacking the weak spots of the Butsutekkai one by one. They eventually succeed, but the strenuous fight took its toll on Shinra, as the Ikaruga interfaces directly with the pilot’s neural system, accelerating the death of human nerve cells. Shinra must now confront a harsh '''Reality''': the extreme mental drain due to piloting the Ikaruga will certainly exact a hefty price.. || [[File:Chapter_4.png|300px|center]]
|-
| [[File:Chapter_5.png|300px|center]] || '''Final Chapter: Metempsychosis''' Unfazed by the thought that his time may draw near, Shinra bursts into Hourai’s headquarters for the final battle. After taking down the last few enemies, he faces the mighty ‘Tageri’ Butsutekkai. Hourai tries to divert his resolve with words to no avail - Shinra keeps fighting with his last drops of strenght and in the heat of the battle he also hears the voices of two spirit beings that appeared in his dreams. And then, right after he manages to destroy Hourai Tenro’s flagship, the Stone-Like emerges from the debris..
|-
| '''Epilogue: The Stone-Like''' After convincing the engineer to deactivate the restraining devices of the Ikaruga, Shinra unleashes all the energy stored onboard, and meets his destiny just a moment before he can witness the Stone-Like explode. As his soul '''Transmigrates''', the two spirit beings of his dreams manifest themselves.. 
Shinra: "Was that… the right thing to do?" 
Man body: "Don’t worry... for sure, the day will come when we [humans] understand each other" 
Woman body: "Because life will be passed on… to the distant future...”
|| [[File:The_Stone-Like.png|300px|center]]
|}

==Trivia==
All the enemies, bosses and ships of ''Ikaruga'' are named after birds <ref name="ref2">See the relevant article on this archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20050217142400/http://www.greng.net/games/ikaruga/articles.htm Ikaruga fansite]</ref>. For example, ‘ikaruga’ - or just ‘ikaru’ - is the japanese term for grosbeak or mottled dove

''Ikaruga'' contains several philosophical and religious references <ref name="ref2" />, of which some are listed here:
* ‘Ikaruga’ is also the name of a town in the prefecture of Nara, where Buddhism was first introduced in Japan;
* the carrier from where the Ikaruga is launched at the start of the game is called ‘Sword of Acala’, with ‘Acala’ standing for ‘Acalanatha Vidyaraja’, one of the buddhist kings of wisdom;
* [[File:Warning_message_text.png|400px|right]]the boss warning that appears at the end of each chapter bears a passage written in sanskrit, which represents a spell that grants safety from dangerous situations (the same sanskrit characters also appear on the control device fitted around the Stone-Like). The bosses are generally referred to as ‘Butsutekkai’, which roughly translates to ‘iron Buddha’
* the second chapter’s boss is named ‘Bupposou’, which is a term linked to the doctrine of Buddhism (beside being the name given to sacred birds that sing around buddhist temples). This boss also has a yin-and-yang symbol carved on its main body
* the fifth chapter of the game is titled ‘Metempsychosis’, which is a greek term referring to the transmigration of the soul, a central Buddhist tenet. While all the chapter’s titles are linked to events related to the game’s story, some have taken them to represent the path towards enlightenment followed by the main character, or even the player, in the game

The first chapter’s boss, Eboshidori (japanese for turaco birds), wears a damaged helmet, which is a hint of its previous battle with Shinra

The full name of ''Ikaruga''’s final boss is the ‘Ubusunagami Okinokai’ (roughly translated as ‘Golden-Glowing Rock of the Stone-Like God’<ref name="ref1" />). It is clearly the same final boss as that of [[Radiant Silvergun]], the ‘Stone-Like object’. In RSG the Stone-Like is, as described in the plot, the Earth ‘Guardian’ which judges mankind to unfathomable standards: once humanity derails too much from them, it will reset the world, wiping out all humans and allowing some clones to start populating the Earth again, in an endless loop. In ''Ikaruga'', the Ubusunagami Okinokai’s intentions are not explained, and while some fans are willing to assign it the same role as in RSG, others think that in this case it is entirely controlled and exploited by humans, in keeping with the main theme of the game involving the very human struggle of reaching a peaceful coexistence thanks to mutual understanding

An official demonstration video disc titled ‘Ikaruga Appreciate DVD’ was published by Treasure in April 2003, showcasing advanced scoring strategies for each of the game’s difficulty mode <ref>The trailer for the ‘Ikaruga Appreciate DVD’ can be watched [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rEB-NlkWj8 here]</ref>

[[File:Atari_Contest_net_ranking.jpeg|120px|thumb|right|Logo of the Ikaruga Net Ranking contest]]

For the GameCube release of the game, the publisher (Infogrames, under the Atari label) launched a scoring competition, the ‘Ikaruga Net Ranking Contest’, in the form of a dedicated website where players from all over the world could submit their scores on either arcade or prototype mode on normal difficulty (1P only). It was one of the first instances of official online scoreboards for a shooting game. The players with the five highest scores on each mode at the closure of the contest were awarded an official Atari trophy. The legitimacy of the scores was ensured by the fact that the GC version had a special ‘Challenge’ mode, which at the end of the run displayed a twelve-character code that uniquely represented the score achieved and that was to be entered on the website in order to submit the actual score. After the official website went down, a few dedicated players managed to crack the code and implemented the feature on unofficial scoreboards hosted on the ‘ikaruga.co.uk’ website, which remained the point of reference for the western community of ''Ikaruga'' for several years

[[File:Ikarugacouk_banner.png|thumb|center|1000px|Banner of the Ikaruga.co.uk website]]

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Prototype'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - No, HD only
* Graphical Filters: No
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - Yes
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Skip to level
- No replay slowdown options

==References & Contributors==

<references />
Article written by XER, MAZ, powerfuran

Mushihimesama Futari

2020-08-18T10:53:54Z

DS91:

== Mushihimesama Futari ==

Mushihimesama Futari is a vertical scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is the sequel to 'Mushihimesama', and contains a new second playable character named 'Palm'.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - No
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Arrange', 'Novice' [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mushihime-sama-futari/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in Version 1.5 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: Yes- 'Picture Setting D' :)
* Graphical Filters: This release has a huge variety of graphical options!
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Guwange

2020-08-18T10:50:56Z

DS91:

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/guwange/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No (T_T)
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Akai Katana

2020-08-18T10:15:26Z

DS91:

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]. 'Origin' and 'Slash' modes also have 'Novice' versions.
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No (T_T)
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay Saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays.
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Save Training Run Replays - Yes
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & continue playing.

Mushihimesama Futari

2020-08-18T10:13:01Z

DS91: Creating page for Mushihimesama Futari

== Mushihimesama Futari ==

Mushihimesama Futari is a vertical scrolling shooter developed by Cave. It is the sequel to 'Mushihimesama', and contains a new second playable character named 'Palm'.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - No
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Arrange', 'Novice' [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/mushihime-sama-futari/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in Version 1.5 'Arcade' mode (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: Yes- 'Picture Setting D' :)
* Graphical Filters: This release has a huge variety of graphical options!
* Save States - No (T_T)
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - Yes :)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
- Save Training Run Replays - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/16 speed.

Akai Katana

2020-08-18T09:41:52Z

DS91:

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No (T_T)
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay Saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays.
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & continue playing.

Akai Katana

2020-08-18T09:40:28Z

DS91:

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No T_T
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay Saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays.
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & continue playing.

Akai Katana

2020-08-18T09:34:15Z

DS91:

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay Saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays.
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No (but can access from Replays)
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & continue playing.

Akai Katana

2020-08-18T09:30:42Z

DS91: Creating a page for Akai Katana

== Akai Katana ==

Akai Katana is a side scrolling shooter developed by Cave.

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360'''

* Physical Release? - Yes
* Region Locked? - Yes
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/akai-katana/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - n/a Hori
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes in 'Origin Mode' (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Save States - Yes - see below:
- Turn on Replay saving in the options
- In 'Training' mode, configure the options for the start of your chosen level (or you can record a full run outside training mode)
- Commence your run. DO NOT CONTINUE and DO NOT RESTART as this will prevent Replay saving.
- At the end of the run, save it to Replays
- You can now watch the replay, fast forward to the part you want to practice AND TAKE OVER CONTROL at any point by pressing the 'BACK'/SELECT button.
- If you take over control and do not continue/restart, you can save this new run to a separate slot. You now have 2 saved runs that you can practice from.

* Training Mode Configuration:
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/2 speed.
- Can take control of the ship during the replay & keep playing.

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:22:44Z

DS91: /* Console Release Notes */

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/guwange/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options:
- Can slow playback to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:18:03Z

DS91:

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/guwange/]
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options
- Can slow playback to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:14:09Z

DS91:

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes, all.
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (& can download high scoring replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options
- Can slow playback to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:10:41Z

DS91:

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:
- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No
* Replay Mode - Yes (and can download high level replays from Leaderboards)
* Replay Options
- Can slow replays to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:09:18Z

DS91:

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<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>

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== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:

- Save States - No
- Level Select - Yes
- Customise Resources - Yes
- Boss Fight Select - No
- Mid Boss Fight Select - No

* Replay Mode - Yes (and can download high level replays from Leaderboards)
- Can slow replays to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]

Guwange

2020-08-17T17:07:48Z

DS91: Added home console release notes

----
<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>

----

== Guwange ぐわんげ ==

'''''Guwange''''' was the last game developed by Cave for their 1st gen hardware.

It was originally released in the arcades in 1999, and later ported to Xbox 360.

A variation of the game with altered scoring system called "Special Version" or "Blue Label" exists. It is a simple rom swap on PCB, and available in the 360 port.

== Gameplay Overview ==
Guwange is a vertical shooter with a walking character and levels scrolling both vertically and horizontally.

* '''A (Press):''' Shot.
* '''A (Hold):''' "Shikigami" attack.
* '''B:''' Bomb
** When holding '''B''' after bombing, you can move the stick to control the direction of the bomb.
* '''C:''' A Auto-fire if enabled in the game's test menu.

=== Characters ===

'''Shishin ''': Dude with mask
* -- Shot can be aimed left/right a bit when moving.
* -- Average movement speed

'''Shishin''': Girl with wolf
* -- Shots fire straight
* -- Fast movement speed
* -- Shikigami attack leave napalm trails

'''Gensuke''': Dude with glasses
* -- Shots are wide but straight
* -- Slow movement speed

=== Health pickups ===

There are three types of health pickups.
- Small: Restores some health in the current health bar.
- Medium: Restores one full health bar.
- Large: Restores all health.

'''Stage 3'''

Destroy the biggest statue first at the end of the horizontally scrolling section (small health pickup)

'''Stage 4'''

Destroy the midboss with shikigami attack (medium health pickup)

'''Stage 5'''

Destroy the tank before the boss (small health pickup)

'''Stage 6'''

On the spider section, killing spiders will grant health pickups. First a small, then a medium and then a large assuming enough spiders are killed.

Each cart at the section towards the end grants a small health pickup.

The right three at the first phase of the boss gives a medium health pickup.

== Scoring ==

TODO: add

== Console Release Notes ==

'''Xbox 360 / Xbox One'''

* Physical Release? - No, digital download only.
* Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Guwange Arrange Blue', 'Guwange Arrange 360'
* Online Leaderboards? - Yes
* Tate Option? - Yes
* Original Arcade Graphics - Yes (and Xbox 360 can be forced to output Tate 4:3 ratio at 480p)
* Internal Scanlines Generator: No
* Graphical Filters: Smoothing On/Off
* Training mode - Yes
* Training Mode Configuration:

** Save States - No
** Level Select - Yes
** Customise Resources - Yes
** Boss Fight Select - No
** Mid Boss Fight Select - No

* Replay Mode - Yes (and can download high level replays from Leaderboards)
** Can slow replays to 1/32 speed (!)

[[Category:Guwange]]