Graze Counter GM

Developer:	Bikkuri Software
Music:	motchi^3
Release date:	18 Jul 2023 (PC/STEAM, PS4), 19 Jul 2023 (XBOX Series X/S, Nintendo Switch)

Graze Counter GM is a shmup made by Bikkuri Software released in July 18th 2023 for PC/STEAM, PS4 and in July 19th 2023 for XBOX Series X/S and Nintendo Switch by the publishers Henteko Doujin and Sanuk Inc.

As the game`s title suggests, it`s a remake of Graze Counter made in GameMaker, featuring various changes compared to the original game.

For replay videos, visit the Video Index.

Gameplay Overview

Graze Counter GM contains some of the mechanics from the original game. However, gold stars and red stars are replaced with small stars and big stars, and there`s a new technique called the "Triple Item Grab", in which if the player manages to get inside the power-ups triangle, it will start to rapidly spin. Remaining inside it long enough will reward the player with every possible power-ups within that triangle (1UPs included) and will also award a secret bonus.

Before going to Stages 2 and 4, the game will offer the choice between A and B routes. Stage 2-B is the original Stage 2, and 4-A is the original Stage 4. Picking any path combination does not effect the ending.

Controls

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There are 2 control types:

-Split:

• Button 1: Fire main shot
• Button 2: Fire Graze Counter laser
• Button 3: Activate Break mode
• Button 4 Slow movement

-Include:

• Button 1: Fire main shot & slow move
• Button 2: Fire Graze Counter laser
• Button 3 Activate Break mode

Scoring

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The game has a multiplier, which can be increased by grazing bullets or enemies. It can reach up to 1000x.

Each graze gives 100 pts.

Extends are every 200000000 pts.

When clearing a stage, the end stage score bonus values go like this:

• Stars: Amount gets mutliplied by 2500.

• Remaining lives: Remaining lives get multiplied by 10000000.

After that, the total bonus will be formed and will add up to the player´s score.

Modes and Difficulties

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Modes

• Standard: The normal game mode. Rank can reach up to level 100.
• Unlimited: A game mode where suicide bullets appear when killing enemies. Rank is always locked at level 255 and never decreases.
• Pacifist Mode: Disables Break and Rapid Fire. Forces you to rely on performing Graze Counters constantly.

Difficulties (Applies for both Standard and Unlimited modes):

• Novice
• Original
• Hard
• Extreme

Base Skills

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Auto Shield: Generates a new shield every 15 seconds shield is down.

Break Booster: Break gauge charges 2x faster and allows Half Break.

Safety System: Gives invincibility when using Graze Counter at 70%.

Characters & Ships

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The game has April Divider and Freedom Dancer available at the start, but as the game is cleared, other ships will be unlocked. (Beating the game the first time with either ship will unlock two more, then beating the game with one of those will unlock 2 more, and so on. Beating the game a total of 6 times should unlock all pilots/ships. Clearing on Novice will unlock pilots/ships.)

There are a total of 16 ships, 4 ship sections with 4 ships each.

-Standard Ships-

Type-1 April Divider: Piloted by Uzuki Ginyose, a boy who enjoys cross dressing during combat. Slower movement speed. Has a 3-Way spread shot firing 3 frontal bullets and 2 diagonal on each side. This ship can use any of the 3 base Skill Cards. Its spread shot and slower speed makes it a good ship for beginners.

Type-2 Freedom Dancer: Piloted by Satsuki Furuyama, a boy turned into a girl during a failed military experiment. Faster movement speed. Has a full frontal shot with all 7 bullets going straight ahead. This ship can use any of the 3 base Skill Cards. More advanced than April Divider due to speed and focused shot.

Type-3 Revolgear: Piloted by Hayate Kotori, a maid who is also a computer genius. Slower movement speed. Has a 5-Way spread shot firing 3 frontal bullets and 4 diagonal on each side. This ship can use any of the 3 base Skill Cards. Consider this a straight upgrade to April Divider.

Type-4 Kirisame Blade: Piloted by Kiriko Kirisame, a shrine maiden who thinks EDEN is unnecessary. Fast movement speed. Has a full frontal shot with 5 bullets straight ahead and 2 large beams on either side. This ship can use any of the 3 base Skill Cards. Consider this a straight upgrade to Freedom Dancer.

-Extra Ships-

Type-5 Shadow Divider: Piloted by Uzuki Alter, the alternate form of Uzuki Ginyose seen when using April Divider's Break. Speed and weapons are identical to April Divider. This ship has the Exchange Skill Card. This alters the bullet grazing mechanic to fill the Break Gauge, while Stars will fill the Graze Counter Gauge. Grazing while in Break will extend the duration.

Type-6 Alternative-D (Dancer): Piloted by Itsuki Furuyama, the real identity of the character we know as Satsuki. The truth of the experiment Satsuki endured is revealed with this ship: During Break, the pilot changes sex to a distinct, alternate personality, similar to Espgaluda II. Speed and weapons identical to Freedom Dancer. This ship has the Exchange Skill Card. It also uses the Auto-Shield Skill.

Type-7 Revolsaber: Piloted by a Striae Alis, the AI in charge of EDEN who controls Bullet Angel, the final boss. Similar shot to April Divider, but weaker as the side shot have less bullets. This ship has the Trinity Skill Card. This allows the ship to use all 3 basic Skill Cards at once.

Type-8 Kirisame Blade 2: Piloted by Kiriko Alter., a schoolgirl version of Kiriko. This ship is the most unique in the game. It cannot fire, but uses a sword that swings when using the shot button. When in Break, the sword fires 3-Way cutter beams. This ship has the Extend Guard Skill Card. This allows Graze Counter to be used while the gauge is at 50%, and gives invincibility.

-Special 1 Ships-

Type-9 Hazuki Hachimiya: Piloted by Hazuki Hachimiya, who is both the ship and pilot. Fires 3 frontal bullets and has side pods backing up. This ship has the Peaceful Death Skill Card. This makes the side pods fire a beam attack when enemies are near.

Type-A Machinery Tomoko: Piloted by Machinery Tomoko, who is both the ship and pilot. Very fast ship. This ship can not fire, but uses a drill attack at close range. This ship has the Singularity Skill Card. When in Break , she can fire straight shots and her drill will be temporarily disabled. This drill is VERY powerful and can kill bosses in seconds, but has very short range.

Type-B Purpretties Nexalts: Piloted by Rayne Sakurano, this ship is from Grand Cross Renovation. Fires an identical shot to Revolsaber. This ship has the Eternal Sphere Skill Card. This replaces bullets, and fires a laser that can cancel enemy bullets and enemy lasers. When holding the Slow button, the aiming of the laser will be locked in place. While weak in strength, the laser is extremely effective for scoring as it can destroy rapid bullets from bosses with ease.

Type-C SAS-02-G2 ARYS: Piloted by Lily Butler, this ship is from the Blue Sabers series. This is the slowest ship in the game. Fires an identical shot to Revolgear. This ship has the Another Mission Skill Card. When in Break, a GARUDA (Gunship and Reload Unit Directly Airsupport in Blue Sabers) ship will aappear equipped with auto-aiming shots. The ship has invincibility for the entire Break duration, making it temporarily invincible.

-Special 2 Ships-

Type-D Cocoa: Piloted by Cocoa, a devil-like maid who is both the ship and pilot from TOKOYO The Tower of Perpetuity. Fires a 3-Way spread of lasers. This ship has the Hyper Drive Skill Card. This allows both Graze Counter and Break to be used at the same time. When collecting stars in Break mode, it`s duration will get extended.

Type-E Eugene: Piloted by Eugene, a cat girl in jogging clothes who is both the ship and pilot from TOKOYO The Tower of Perpetuity. Fires identical shot to Freedom Dancer. This ship has the Manual Shield Skill Card. This allows the ship to gain shield by bullet grazing.

Type-F Scarlet Edge: Piloted by Akane Isshiki, which is not the same Akane Isshiki from Vividred Operation. Fires identical shot to April Divider. This ship has the Quick Draw Skill Card. This increases the speed at which the Graze Counter Gauge fills. This skill makes the ship a good choice for harder difficulties.

Type-0 Blue Lighting: Piloted by Shizuku Mikazuki, this ship is from Revolgear Zero. Fires identical shot to Freedom Dancer. This ship has the Eternal Memories Skill Card. This skill extends the duration of both Graze Counter and Break.

Extra game modes

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• Practice mode: Allows the player to practice stages and bosses.
• All Stage mode: Allows the player to play all stages, including both A and B routes of stages 2 and 4.
• Boss Rush mode: A mode in which all bosses are fought in order.
• Extra Stage: An additional stage that has only one item carrier. At the end, the extra boss Genocide Angel will appear. Genocide Angel is a harder version of Bullet Angel, in which most of it`s attacks are combined.
• Laser Maiden 2: A Space Invaders inspired mini-game in which the player controls Kotori while shooting cats that fall from the sky. When cats are destroyed, they`ll turn into angels, which are also shootable. Destroyed cats will release a horizontal laser that can also affect other cats that touch it. When killing red cats, they will release 3 bullets. Shooting down rainbow cats will release a series of verticals lasers all over the screen. However, rainbow cats cannot turn into angels.

Items

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	Small star: These small stars appear when attacking enemies with the Graze Counter laser.
	Big star: These big stars appear when attacking enemies in Break mode.
	Shield: Grants the player a shield
	Boost: Instantly boosts the multiplier to 1000x
	Gauge: Instantly boosts the Break gauge to max.

Trivia

• The Triple Item Grab technique comes from ChoRenSha 68K.
• The early version of the Stage 1 BGM "Ignite your heart" was originally named "Ignite your heart 2".
• The early version of the Stage 2A BGM "Float in combat" was originally named "Coral brightness".
• The early version of the Stage 4B BGM "Slipstream" was originally named "Lighting storm".
• Type-9 was originally known as "August Queen" in the Test Build version, which was a yellow colored Type-1 ship with Hazuki Hachimiya as the pilot, but then it got changed to Hazuki being the Type-9 character on the final version.
• Hazuki Hachimiya and Machinery Tomoko are based on Japanese VTubers, which are はちみやちゃんねる- 蜂宮葉月 - and machinery_TOMOKO. It also includes きいねわーるど本店 as well.
• Purpretties Nexalts is a ship based on Nexalts from Grand Cross ReNovation.
• SAS-02-G2 ARYS originates from Blue Sabers, which is a doujin shmup franchise by Blue & White.
• Cocoa and Eugene originate from TOKOYO The Tower of Perpetuity, which is a platformer by //commentout.
• Shizuku Mikazuki originates from Revolgear Zero, which is an upcoming shmup by Bikkuri Software made in GameMaker.
• The Super, Hyper, and Ultra on the Special Thanks are nods to Street Fighter II and its many iterations.
• The sparkling star on the "SHMUPS NEVER DIE" is a reference to "WE LOVE GRADIUS I" at the end of Parodius and "WE LOVE SHOOTING GAMES !" from Gokujyou Parodius.
• The Extra Characters do not have a storyline or their character portrait shown on the background of the staff credits, with the exception of Striae.
• The "SHMUPS SPIRIT 57300" indicator on the character select screen is a reference to the scouters and power levels in Dragon Ball Z.