Under Defeat
Flyer
| Developer: | G.rev |
|---|---|
| Music: | Shinji Hosoe |
| Program: | Masakazu Takeda |
| Art: | Nanashiki Yamamoto |
| Release date: | Oct 27, 2005 |
| Previous game: | Senko no Ronde |
| Next game: | Mamorukun Curse! |
Under Defeat is a 2005 vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up developed by G.Rev for the Sega NAOMI arcade board. It was one of the last games released on the Sega Dreamcast.
The game is set in an alternate history WWII where two powers, the Empire and the Union are at war. You play as two German helicopter pilots in service to the Empire, fighting back against the Union's attack.
Contents
Gameplay Overview
Like G.Rev's other titles, Under Defeat uses a 3D engine. The entire screen is on a slight tilt, and your bullets can sometimes be intercepted by intervening buildings depending on the angle. Your helicopter fires three streams of bullets. Only the center stream is capable of hitting grounded targets.
The game features two aiming styles, Normal and Reverse. Normal aims in the direction of movement, and Reverse aims in the direction opposite to movement.
Controls
- A: Shoot
- A (Charged): The Option meter charges when you aren't shooting. Pressing A while fully charged to release your Option.
- B: Bomb
Characters / Ships / Styles
The original arcade game only includes one ship. The HD remake includes three others.
Weapons
| Option | Pickup | Power | Charge Speed | Delay | Duration | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulcan |  |
Weak | 0.5 | 0 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Cannon |  |
Medium | 0.83 | 0.5 | 8 | 3 |
| Rocket |  |
Strong | 1.37 | 1 | 2 | 5.44 |
The player can collect up to a maximum of 6 Bombs. Bombs render the player invincible for a short period of time while also damaging everything on screen.
Rank
The game features a rank system, but it has little bearing on strategy. Each stage has a base rank value. Your rank is calculated by adding the base value to a "rank offset", which can increase or decrease depending on your actions.
Rank offset increases at the end of each stage when no-missing and/or no-bombing the stage. Dying decreases the rank offset by 1. Because the game has no extends (score-based or otherwise), there is no reasonable way to mitigate rank, nor is it worth doing so.
Rank primarily affects the speed of enemy bullets. This is especially pronounced on the second loop, where base rank is dramatically increased.
When practicing stages, it is advisable to set rank offset to +10 in order to simulate the worst-case scenario.
Scoring
Enemies destroyed by the Option give double the points. Tick points are gained by shooting both destructible and indestructible objects. You also receive the following bonuses at the end of each stage:
- Skill Assessment - Proportional to Contribution Percentage. Doubled if 100% and also increases the less lives you have.
- Fuel Conservation- The amount of time left on the boss timer multiplied by 1000.
- Ammo Conservation - The number of bombs left over at the end of a stage multiplied by 10000.
Your Contribution Percentage is the percentage of "contribution targets" that were destroyed during the stage. Many high-health enemies such as large tanks and turrets are fixed contribution targets, and background elements such as the howitzers in stage 1 can also be contribution targets. Random enemies can also be marked as contribution targets, in which case they will spawn with a striped paint job.
Loops
The game features a second loop with increased difficulty. In order to reach the second loop, one must clear the game with an average Contribution Percentage of >95%. The base rank value of stage 2-1 is +19, which is double that of stage 1-5. The screen is tinted a different color, the stages are mirrored, and certain enemies have different behaviors.
Strategy
See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.
The game has a higher degree of randomness than in most other shmups. Many enemies have random bullet patterns, meaning that macro-dodging is preferable in most situations. Many of the bullet patterns are random, and the placement of contribution enemies is also random. Large enemies with high score values are priority targets.
Trivia
- The cows at the beginning of stage 1 are possibly a reference to the background cows that appear in every Yagawa shoot 'em up (Battle Garegga, Ibara, etc.)
References & Contributors
1. Page text, info, and formatting by Reflector88
