Difference between revisions of "Eschatos"
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|title = Eschatos | |title = Eschatos | ||
|background = #f8f8f8 | |background = #f8f8f8 | ||
| − | |image = | + | |image = Eschatos_capsule.jpg |
|width = 324px; | |width = 324px; | ||
|imagecaption = Cover Art (Steam / Nintendo Switch / PS4) | |imagecaption = Cover Art (Steam / Nintendo Switch / PS4) | ||
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}} | }} | ||
| − | '''Eschatos''' is a vertical 2.5D shooter | + | '''Eschatos''' is a vertical 2.5D shooter developed by Qute. It features 2D control with fully rendered 3D objects and backgrounds which occasionally change perspective. It has several modes and difficulty levels, each mode and difficulty level combination having its own dedicated online leaderboard. |
| + | {{VideoIndex}} | ||
__TOC__ | __TOC__ | ||
{{clear}} | {{clear}} | ||
== Story == | == Story == | ||
| − | + | The game offers no in-game dialogue or exposition, instead relying on environmental storytelling and small bits of description given in the manual. | |
| − | + | In the year 21XX, a mysterious alien force codenamed "Purple Erosion" has taken over the Moon, covering it in a mysterious purple mass and using it as a base from which to invade the Earth. A squadron of fighter pilots controlling advanced aircraft (retroactively called the FV-30MZ Arcam by Qute's next game, ''Ginga Force'') are scrambled to a city where three UFOs are releasing Purple Erosion forces. The player's Arcam blows through the enemy forces and takes on the first of the UFOs, destroying its turret nodes and critically damaging its central core to force it to retreat. From there, the Arcam squadron flies through the skies, away from the city to a grassy ruins, following the enemy forces to a pyramid resembling a Mayan temple, where purple spherical "eggs" were either excavated or planted by Purple Erosion. The enemy forces attempt to secure eight of the eggs, but the player destroys five of them, forcing a transport UFO to take the remaining three and flee to low orbit. The player's ship chases after them using the pyramid as a vertical takeoff ramp, eventually confronting the transport UFO, destroying the eggs it was carrying, and soon after the machine entirely. The squadron then begins to approach the Moon in their mission to reclaim it, with the third of Purple Erosion's UFOs catching up to them and deploying a myriad of strange fighters, from giant spiders to a floating heart to a large battle-craft. After fighting through everything the UFO can throw at them, the UFO confronts the Arcam and is subsequently destroyed. Now having arrived at the invaded Moon, the squadron begins flying through trenches in the moon, destroying more of Purple Erosion's defenders until they come across a pit within the Moon blasting lasers outward, presumably trying to artillery strike Earth cities. The player's Arcam flies into the pit, dodging lasers until they come across a mysterious disc-like life-form and a wall of eggs, the life-form presumably being Purple Erosion's commander, which detaches itself from the wall and engages the Arcam. After a long-fought battle, including a transformation where the life-form turns red and gains a screaming human-like face, it falls into the wall of eggs and self-destructs, causing a chain reaction within the corrupted moon. The player's Arcam escapes the pit just as the purple mass covering the Moon begins to dissolve and explode, and is rejoined by their squadron as they fly back to Earth and twirl in celebration, with a Moon free of Purple Erosion's influence shining behind them. | |
== Gameplay Overview == | == Gameplay Overview == | ||
| − | Eschatos has three modes : | + | Eschatos has three modes: Original, Advanced and Time Attack. Additionally, Original and Advanced have four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest. Original and Advanced also have an Endless Mode which, contrary to its name, is a mode consisting of Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest played in that order. |
| + | |||
| + | The manual describes Original, Advanced, and Time Attack as follows: | ||
=== Original === | === Original === | ||
| − | The Player will be able to switch between 3 shot types: "Frontal | + | ''The Player will be able to switch between 3 shot types: "Frontal'' |
| − | Shot", "Wide Shot", and "Shield." Control your ship and defeat | + | ''Shot", "Wide Shot", and "Shield." Control your ship and defeat'' |
| − | enemies that appear in the area. Different shot types cannot be | + | ''enemies that appear in the area. Different shot types cannot be'' |
| − | used at the same time. | + | ''used at the same time.'' |
| − | When you lose all lives, then it is game over. Eliminate all the | + | |
| − | enemies in the area or stay alive for a certain time to move to | + | ''When you lose all lives, then it is game over. Eliminate all the'' |
| − | the next area. | + | ''enemies in the area or stay alive for a certain time to move to'' |
| − | Defeat the final boss to complete a game. Choose the most | + | ''the next area.'' |
| − | effective shot type for each situation to eliminate the enemies. | + | |
| + | ''Defeat the final boss to complete a game. Choose the most'' | ||
| + | ''effective shot type for each situation to eliminate the enemies.'' | ||
=== Advanced === | === Advanced === | ||
| − | ADVANCED mode is based on ORIGINAL, but is more | + | ''ADVANCED mode is based on ORIGINAL, but is more'' |
| − | complex with 7 different shot power levels and Bonus | + | ''complex with 7 different shot power levels and Bonus'' |
| − | Point Items. It's a more challenging mode. | + | ''Point Items. It's a more challenging mode.'' |
=== Time Attack === | === Time Attack === | ||
| − | TIME ATTACK mode is based on ORIGINAL mode, except players compete | + | ''TIME ATTACK mode is based on ORIGINAL mode, except players compete'' |
| − | to finish the game in the shortest time. The Player is given a 90 second | + | ''to finish the game in the shortest time. The Player is given a 90 second'' |
| − | time limit initially, and keeps extending the time through time bonuses | + | ''time limit initially, and keeps extending the time through time bonuses'' |
| − | awarded for finishing each area. If time reaches 0, it's game over. When | + | ''awarded for finishing each area. If time reaches 0, it's game over. When'' |
| − | the player loses a life, 5 seconds is deducted as a penalty. | + | ''the player loses a life, 5 seconds is deducted as a penalty.'' |
| − | The quicker the game is completed, the higher the score on Rankings. If | + | |
| − | the player does not finish a complete game, players that have survived | + | ''The quicker the game is completed, the higher the score on Rankings. If'' |
| − | longer will be listed on the Rankings. | + | ''the player does not finish a complete game, players that have survived'' |
| − | Results for TIME ATTACK will not be added to the TOTAL SCORE within | + | ''longer will be listed on the Rankings.'' |
| − | the player Report submenu | + | |
| + | ''Results for TIME ATTACK will not be added to the TOTAL SCORE within'' | ||
| + | ''the player Report submenu.'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Difficulty Modes === | ||
| + | There are four difficulty levels in ''Eschatos'', as well as an Endless Mode. | ||
| + | * '''Easy:''' Low bullet density and speed. | ||
| + | * '''Medium:''' Average bullet density and speed. More aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses. | ||
| + | * '''Hard:''' High bullet density and speed. More aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses. | ||
| + | * '''Hardest:''' Outrageous bullet density and speed. Even more aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses. This mode must be unlocked for Original and Advanced by achieving specific option levels. | ||
| + | * '''Endless:''' Starts out as an Easy playthrough, but loops back to Stage 1 when the game is cleared and moves up to the next difficulty level. | ||
| + | |||
| + | There does not appear to be a rank system in '''Eschatos'', but the game does employ some randomization for where enemies will spawn. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Time Attack does not have these difficulty levels, and based on bullet density, appears to be based on Normal difficulty. | ||
=== Controls === | === Controls === | ||
| Line 84: | Line 103: | ||
==== Option Levels ==== | ==== Option Levels ==== | ||
| − | As you | + | As you play Original or Advanced mode, the total of all scores is added up to determine what is called an Option Level. Your current Option Level corresponds to various new features, some more useful than others, up to the maximum level of 50. The following is a list of every unlock provided by this system: |
# (default) | # (default) | ||
| Line 137: | Line 156: | ||
# Starting lives can be increased to 99 | # Starting lives can be increased to 99 | ||
| − | === | + | === Ship Types === |
---- | ---- | ||
| − | There is initially one ship, three other | + | There is initially one ship type (color), with three other variants being unlocked through the Option Level mechanic. Type A is red, Type B is blue, Type C is green, and Type D is purple. Each ship type is purely cosmetic in nature. |
=== Weapons === | === Weapons === | ||
| Line 165: | Line 184: | ||
=== Items === | === Items === | ||
---- | ---- | ||
| − | + | 1UP - After destroying a set number of enemies, a 1UP will drop from an enemy after death. After collecting the 1UP, the kills required for the next 1UP increases. The kill counter and requirement reset after using a continue. In Time Attack mode, 1UPs drop as normal, but extend the timer by 15 seconds. | |
| + | Blue Flash - Collecting the blue Flash item will destroy all bullets on screen. If playing on Advanced mode, the Flash item also reduces the power level and multiplier by 1. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Yellow Flash - Advanced mode exclusive. Operates similar to the blue Flash, but converts bullets into point items. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Wonder Witch - Hidden collectibles unearthed by shooting various environmental details throughout the game, which reward points when picked up. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Power Up - Advanced mode exclusive. When collected, raises the power level and multiplier by 1. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Bonus Point Item | ||
| + | |||
| + | Time Bonus Item | ||
=== Scoring === | === Scoring === | ||
| Line 173: | Line 203: | ||
==== Original ==== | ==== Original ==== | ||
| − | Scoring is relatively straightforward - each wave of enemies, as well as the bosses have timers that give a bonus once complete. | + | Scoring is relatively straightforward - each wave of enemies, as well as the bosses have timers that give a bonus once complete. Each wave completely cleared will increase the multiplier to a maximum, with the speed and cap of the multiplier varying depending on difficulty: |
| + | * Easy - +1 multiplier every 3 waves, maximum of 5 | ||
| + | * Normal - +1 multiplier every 2 waves, maximum of 10 | ||
| + | * Hard - +1 multiplier every wave, maximum of 20 | ||
| + | * Hardest - +1 multiplier every wave, no maximum | ||
| + | |||
| + | Dying will reduce the multiplier by 1, as will failing to destroy an enemy. Using the Flash item when it appears incurs no penalty. | ||
==== Advanced ==== | ==== Advanced ==== | ||
| Line 179: | Line 215: | ||
While Advanced mode uses a multiplier similarly to Original mode, there are some important differences. (dumping all of this here for now, some of it belongs in another section most likely) | While Advanced mode uses a multiplier similarly to Original mode, there are some important differences. (dumping all of this here for now, some of it belongs in another section most likely) | ||
| − | * | + | * This mode enables the power meter and power-ups. The power meter affects various statistics of the ship's main and wide shots - range, screen coverage, and fire rate - and increases by 1 each time a power-up is collected, up to a maximum power level of 6. The ship starts out weaker than Original mode, but is significantly stronger than Original at maximum power (Original mode locks the player at a power level of 4). Collecting either type of Flash item will reduce the power level by 1, as will taking a hit. |
| − | + | * Multiplier speed and cap are similar to Original mode, but the multiplier is separated into two different types: power-up and enemy multiplier, which increase and decrease by different means. These two multiplier values are additive, so the value shown at the left side of the screen is the sum of the power-up and enemy multipliers. | |
| − | * | + | * Enemy multiplier works identical to Original mode, increasing based on waves completing and decreasing when an enemy escapes. |
| − | * | + | * Getting hit will reduce the enemy multiplier down to one. This means extra caution should be taken during boss encounters, as a 26x multiplier can go crashing back down to 6x should the player get reckless and take a hit. For this reason, and this is merely opinion, I don't think picking up F-bombs in Advanced mode should be stigmatized. It's obviously preferable to yo-yo between 26x and 25x, if you think you're in danger, instead of taking a hit due to your pride and receiving a 6x multiplier as a reward. |
| + | * The power-up multiplier is directly tied to the ship's power level, ranging from 0 to 6. A fully powered ship will always have at least 7x multiplier unless the power level is reduced by taking a hit or collecting a Flash. | ||
| + | * Your shield is weakened to these values with each respective powerup: 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, and finally 30 at maximum power. | ||
| + | * Shielding bullets will create purple gems that act as an offensive barrier around your ship. When the shield is lowered, these purple items are automatically collected and converted into points. | ||
* There is no time bonus in Advanced mode, which means speed killing isn't prioritized. There are two ways you can abuse this: waiting for item carriers to give you powerups/F-bombs at a safer time or waiting for a more lucrative bullet cancel. I've provided a list below for when you might want to stall a bit for bullet cancels. | * There is no time bonus in Advanced mode, which means speed killing isn't prioritized. There are two ways you can abuse this: waiting for item carriers to give you powerups/F-bombs at a safer time or waiting for a more lucrative bullet cancel. I've provided a list below for when you might want to stall a bit for bullet cancels. | ||
| − | * Yellow | + | * Yellow Flashes appear only during the stage, while blue Flashes only appear when the power meter is maxed or during boss encounters. The pods that drop items appear to do so in a pattern: the first two drop power-ups/blue Flashes, and every third will drop a gold Flash. |
* Wonder witches cancel bullets into purple gems, just like yellow F-bombs - however they do NOT power you down like yellow F-bombs. Good luck finding any decent opportunities to cancel with witches, though. | * Wonder witches cancel bullets into purple gems, just like yellow F-bombs - however they do NOT power you down like yellow F-bombs. Good luck finding any decent opportunities to cancel with witches, though. | ||
==== Time Attack ==== | ==== Time Attack ==== | ||
| − | + | Time Attack mode operates similarly to Original mode, but on a time limit. There is no score or multiplier, only the total time used for the game session. There are infinite lives, but dying removes five seconds from the clock. Time is added when completing an area or collecting a 1UP. The clock pauses in-between waves, mainly when the camera is maneuvering to another angle or the wave is just entering the screen. There are no continues for this mode - if time runs out, a game over is triggered. After defeating the final boss, the time left on the clock is subtracted from the current playthrough time to establish a final time. | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
== Strategy == | == Strategy == | ||
| Line 206: | Line 241: | ||
== Version Differences == | == Version Differences == | ||
| − | * | + | * The version for the Nintendo Switch eliminates the loading pauses that occur between stages. The Switch version also comes with ''Judgement Silversword'' and ''Cardinal Sins'', the predecessors to ''Eschatos'', as bonus games that can be played. |
| − | |||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
| − | While the sparks when grinding bullets look like they indicate a bullet-grinding mechanic, it is just there for visual flair. | + | * While the sparks when grinding bullets look like they indicate a bullet-grinding mechanic, it is just there for visual flair. |
== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
| Line 229: | Line 263: | ||
Eschatos manual 6.png|Credits Section | Eschatos manual 6.png|Credits Section | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
== Other == | == Other == | ||
| Line 252: | Line 281: | ||
<small> | <small> | ||
| − | * This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]].</small> | + | * This template page was assembled by [[User:CHA-STG|CHA-STG]] and [[User:Plasmo|Plasmo]]. |
| + | |||
| + | * Information about the Option Level unlocks provided by Emuser: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=69338</small> | ||
[[Category:Vertical_orientation]] | [[Category:Vertical_orientation]] | ||
[[Category:Tate support (PC)]] | [[Category:Tate support (PC)]] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:52, 25 April 2024
Cover Art (Steam / Nintendo Switch / PS4)
| Developer: | Qute |
|---|---|
| Music: | Yousuke Yasui |
| Program: | M-KAI |
| Art: | Hiroshi-iro-enpitu, Kunio Jyoduka |
| Release date: | 2011 |
| Previous game: | Judgement Silversword/Cardinal Sins |
| Next game: | Ginga Force |
Eschatos is a vertical 2.5D shooter developed by Qute. It features 2D control with fully rendered 3D objects and backgrounds which occasionally change perspective. It has several modes and difficulty levels, each mode and difficulty level combination having its own dedicated online leaderboard.
For replay videos, visit the Video Index.
Contents
Story
The game offers no in-game dialogue or exposition, instead relying on environmental storytelling and small bits of description given in the manual.
In the year 21XX, a mysterious alien force codenamed "Purple Erosion" has taken over the Moon, covering it in a mysterious purple mass and using it as a base from which to invade the Earth. A squadron of fighter pilots controlling advanced aircraft (retroactively called the FV-30MZ Arcam by Qute's next game, Ginga Force) are scrambled to a city where three UFOs are releasing Purple Erosion forces. The player's Arcam blows through the enemy forces and takes on the first of the UFOs, destroying its turret nodes and critically damaging its central core to force it to retreat. From there, the Arcam squadron flies through the skies, away from the city to a grassy ruins, following the enemy forces to a pyramid resembling a Mayan temple, where purple spherical "eggs" were either excavated or planted by Purple Erosion. The enemy forces attempt to secure eight of the eggs, but the player destroys five of them, forcing a transport UFO to take the remaining three and flee to low orbit. The player's ship chases after them using the pyramid as a vertical takeoff ramp, eventually confronting the transport UFO, destroying the eggs it was carrying, and soon after the machine entirely. The squadron then begins to approach the Moon in their mission to reclaim it, with the third of Purple Erosion's UFOs catching up to them and deploying a myriad of strange fighters, from giant spiders to a floating heart to a large battle-craft. After fighting through everything the UFO can throw at them, the UFO confronts the Arcam and is subsequently destroyed. Now having arrived at the invaded Moon, the squadron begins flying through trenches in the moon, destroying more of Purple Erosion's defenders until they come across a pit within the Moon blasting lasers outward, presumably trying to artillery strike Earth cities. The player's Arcam flies into the pit, dodging lasers until they come across a mysterious disc-like life-form and a wall of eggs, the life-form presumably being Purple Erosion's commander, which detaches itself from the wall and engages the Arcam. After a long-fought battle, including a transformation where the life-form turns red and gains a screaming human-like face, it falls into the wall of eggs and self-destructs, causing a chain reaction within the corrupted moon. The player's Arcam escapes the pit just as the purple mass covering the Moon begins to dissolve and explode, and is rejoined by their squadron as they fly back to Earth and twirl in celebration, with a Moon free of Purple Erosion's influence shining behind them.
Gameplay Overview
Eschatos has three modes: Original, Advanced and Time Attack. Additionally, Original and Advanced have four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest. Original and Advanced also have an Endless Mode which, contrary to its name, is a mode consisting of Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hardest played in that order.
The manual describes Original, Advanced, and Time Attack as follows:
Original
The Player will be able to switch between 3 shot types: "Frontal Shot", "Wide Shot", and "Shield." Control your ship and defeat enemies that appear in the area. Different shot types cannot be used at the same time.
When you lose all lives, then it is game over. Eliminate all the enemies in the area or stay alive for a certain time to move to the next area.
Defeat the final boss to complete a game. Choose the most effective shot type for each situation to eliminate the enemies.
Advanced
ADVANCED mode is based on ORIGINAL, but is more complex with 7 different shot power levels and Bonus Point Items. It's a more challenging mode.
Time Attack
TIME ATTACK mode is based on ORIGINAL mode, except players compete to finish the game in the shortest time. The Player is given a 90 second time limit initially, and keeps extending the time through time bonuses awarded for finishing each area. If time reaches 0, it's game over. When the player loses a life, 5 seconds is deducted as a penalty.
The quicker the game is completed, the higher the score on Rankings. If the player does not finish a complete game, players that have survived longer will be listed on the Rankings.
Results for TIME ATTACK will not be added to the TOTAL SCORE within the player Report submenu.
Difficulty Modes
There are four difficulty levels in Eschatos, as well as an Endless Mode.
- Easy: Low bullet density and speed.
- Medium: Average bullet density and speed. More aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses.
- Hard: High bullet density and speed. More aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses.
- Hardest: Outrageous bullet density and speed. Even more aggressive attack patterns are used by bosses and minibosses. This mode must be unlocked for Original and Advanced by achieving specific option levels.
- Endless: Starts out as an Easy playthrough, but loops back to Stage 1 when the game is cleared and moves up to the next difficulty level.
There does not appear to be a rank system in 'Eschatos, but the game does employ some randomization for where enemies will spawn.
Time Attack does not have these difficulty levels, and based on bullet density, appears to be based on Normal difficulty.
Controls
- Directional pad, Left stick: Move ship
- START: Open pause menu
- A: Frontal Shot. Autofire when held.
- X: Wide Shot. Autofire when held.
- A + X (Hold): Shield
- RT: Shield
- RB: Change speed
Unlockable Secrets
Option Levels
As you play Original or Advanced mode, the total of all scores is added up to determine what is called an Option Level. Your current Option Level corresponds to various new features, some more useful than others, up to the maximum level of 50. The following is a list of every unlock provided by this system:
- (default)
- Continue count is increased to 1
- Wallpaper brightness
- Wallpaper number 4
- Player stock / starting lives unlocked in the "game settings" menu
- Continue count is increased to 2
- Demo sound can be toggled on or off
- Continue count is increased to 3
- Starting lives can be increased to 4
- Stage select unlocks, accessible in the "game settings" menu (only stages 1 and 2 are available initially)
- Fragment is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Continue count is increased to 4
- Smoke is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Wallpaper number 5
- Type C ship type (green) unlocked in the "game settings" menu
- Enemy alt. display is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Original Hardest
- Starting lives can be increased to 5
- Continue count is increased to 5
- Leaderboard replays can now be viewed
- Continue count is increased to 6
- Stage 3 is unlocked for stage select in the "game settings" menu
- Spark is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Continue count is increased to 7
- Advanced Hardest
- Wallpaper number 6
- Starting lives can be increased to 6
- Continue count is increased to 8
- Stage 4 is unlocked for stage select in the "game settings" menu
- Continue count is increased to 9
- Wallpaper number 7
- Starting lives can be increased to 7
- "Special settings" unlocked in the options menu
- Collision display is unlocked in the "special settings" menu
- Starting lives can be increased to 8
- Stage 5 is unlocked for stage select in the "game settings" menu
- Bullet bloom is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Type D ship type (purple) unlocked in the "game settings" menu
- Starting lives can be increased to 9
- Infinite continues
- Starting lives can be increased to 10
- Explosion is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- God mode is unlocked in the "game settings" menu
- Shadow mapping is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Wallpaper number 8
- Super shot is unlocked in the "special settings" menu
- Wallpaper number 9
- Bloom effect is unlocked in the "effect settings" menu
- Wallpaper 10
- Starting lives can be increased to 99
Ship Types
There is initially one ship type (color), with three other variants being unlocked through the Option Level mechanic. Type A is red, Type B is blue, Type C is green, and Type D is purple. Each ship type is purely cosmetic in nature.
Weapons
Original
- Frontal Shot - Concentrated fire in front of the ship with long range and fire power.
- Wide Shot - Fan-shaped spread fire. Short range but wide area.
- Shield - A defensive weapon that appears at the nose of the ship. It cannot block attacks from the side or the rear. The shield can also damage enemies that come in contact with it. The Shield will gradually deplete the Shield Meter while it is deployed. The Shield Meter will decrease faster when it blocks an enemy bullet, when it's switched off, and when changing speed.
When the Shield Meter is almost empty, the shield will turn red. When the Meter is completely empty, the shield will be turned off and cannot be used for a while. The Shield Meter will replenish with time. Shield Meter will replenish with time.
Advanced
ADVANCED mode uses a power up system for the shots. Collecting each Power Up Item will upgrade the shots by 1 level each. However, each shot power up will make the shield meter smaller. Shot power can be upgraded to a maximum of level 7. Adjust the amount of power according to the need for shields.
Time Attack
In Time Attack mode, the weapons behave the same as they do in Original Mode.
Items
1UP - After destroying a set number of enemies, a 1UP will drop from an enemy after death. After collecting the 1UP, the kills required for the next 1UP increases. The kill counter and requirement reset after using a continue. In Time Attack mode, 1UPs drop as normal, but extend the timer by 15 seconds.
Blue Flash - Collecting the blue Flash item will destroy all bullets on screen. If playing on Advanced mode, the Flash item also reduces the power level and multiplier by 1.
Yellow Flash - Advanced mode exclusive. Operates similar to the blue Flash, but converts bullets into point items.
Wonder Witch - Hidden collectibles unearthed by shooting various environmental details throughout the game, which reward points when picked up.
Power Up - Advanced mode exclusive. When collected, raises the power level and multiplier by 1.
Bonus Point Item
Time Bonus Item
Scoring
Original
Scoring is relatively straightforward - each wave of enemies, as well as the bosses have timers that give a bonus once complete. Each wave completely cleared will increase the multiplier to a maximum, with the speed and cap of the multiplier varying depending on difficulty:
- Easy - +1 multiplier every 3 waves, maximum of 5
- Normal - +1 multiplier every 2 waves, maximum of 10
- Hard - +1 multiplier every wave, maximum of 20
- Hardest - +1 multiplier every wave, no maximum
Dying will reduce the multiplier by 1, as will failing to destroy an enemy. Using the Flash item when it appears incurs no penalty.
Advanced
While Advanced mode uses a multiplier similarly to Original mode, there are some important differences. (dumping all of this here for now, some of it belongs in another section most likely)
- This mode enables the power meter and power-ups. The power meter affects various statistics of the ship's main and wide shots - range, screen coverage, and fire rate - and increases by 1 each time a power-up is collected, up to a maximum power level of 6. The ship starts out weaker than Original mode, but is significantly stronger than Original at maximum power (Original mode locks the player at a power level of 4). Collecting either type of Flash item will reduce the power level by 1, as will taking a hit.
- Multiplier speed and cap are similar to Original mode, but the multiplier is separated into two different types: power-up and enemy multiplier, which increase and decrease by different means. These two multiplier values are additive, so the value shown at the left side of the screen is the sum of the power-up and enemy multipliers.
- Enemy multiplier works identical to Original mode, increasing based on waves completing and decreasing when an enemy escapes.
- Getting hit will reduce the enemy multiplier down to one. This means extra caution should be taken during boss encounters, as a 26x multiplier can go crashing back down to 6x should the player get reckless and take a hit. For this reason, and this is merely opinion, I don't think picking up F-bombs in Advanced mode should be stigmatized. It's obviously preferable to yo-yo between 26x and 25x, if you think you're in danger, instead of taking a hit due to your pride and receiving a 6x multiplier as a reward.
- The power-up multiplier is directly tied to the ship's power level, ranging from 0 to 6. A fully powered ship will always have at least 7x multiplier unless the power level is reduced by taking a hit or collecting a Flash.
- Your shield is weakened to these values with each respective powerup: 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, and finally 30 at maximum power.
- Shielding bullets will create purple gems that act as an offensive barrier around your ship. When the shield is lowered, these purple items are automatically collected and converted into points.
- There is no time bonus in Advanced mode, which means speed killing isn't prioritized. There are two ways you can abuse this: waiting for item carriers to give you powerups/F-bombs at a safer time or waiting for a more lucrative bullet cancel. I've provided a list below for when you might want to stall a bit for bullet cancels.
- Yellow Flashes appear only during the stage, while blue Flashes only appear when the power meter is maxed or during boss encounters. The pods that drop items appear to do so in a pattern: the first two drop power-ups/blue Flashes, and every third will drop a gold Flash.
- Wonder witches cancel bullets into purple gems, just like yellow F-bombs - however they do NOT power you down like yellow F-bombs. Good luck finding any decent opportunities to cancel with witches, though.
Time Attack
Time Attack mode operates similarly to Original mode, but on a time limit. There is no score or multiplier, only the total time used for the game session. There are infinite lives, but dying removes five seconds from the clock. Time is added when completing an area or collecting a 1UP. The clock pauses in-between waves, mainly when the camera is maneuvering to another angle or the wave is just entering the screen. There are no continues for this mode - if time runs out, a game over is triggered. After defeating the final boss, the time left on the clock is subtracted from the current playthrough time to establish a final time.
Strategy
See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.
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.)
Version Differences
- The version for the Nintendo Switch eliminates the loading pauses that occur between stages. The Switch version also comes with Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins, the predecessors to Eschatos, as bonus games that can be played.
Trivia
- While the sparks when grinding bullets look like they indicate a bullet-grinding mechanic, it is just there for visual flair.
Gallery
Official Digital Game Manual
Eschatos Game Manual made by Qute Corporation in digital format, bundled with the purchase of the game vía Steam (PC), Nintendo eShop or PSN.
Contains a brief explanation of the Controls and the Game System.
Manual cover art
Controls
Game System Explanation - Original Mode
Game System Explanation - ADVANCED Mode
Game System Explanation - Time Attack Mode
Credits Section
Other
We have support for wikitables, giving us the potential to add lots of cool info in a small box on the page somewhere, but we are not using them at the moment. I'm just leaving this here so we can have it handy in case we decide to actually use them. Feel free to not use this section.
| (Template Page) |
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References & Contributors
- Information about the Option Level unlocks provided by Emuser: https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=69338
