Akai Katana

Akai Katana

Title Screen

Developer:	CAVE
Music:	Ryu Umemoto
Program:	Tsuneki Ikeda Shinobu Yagawa Daisuke Koizumi Toshihiko Sera Takashi Ichimura Yuji Inoue
Art:	Tachikawa Mushimaro Takeharu Isogai Hideki Nomura Toshiyuki Kuroiwa
Designer:	Hiroyuki Tanaka Akira Wakabayashi
Release date:	Arcade: August 13, 2010 Xbox 360: May 26, 2011 (JP) May 15, 2012 (NA,EU) Switch, PS4, Steam, Xbox One: December 15, 2022
Previous game:	DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label
Next game:	DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou

Akai Katana is a horizontal shooting game developed by CAVE in 2010. The arcade release was created on the CV1000-D version of the SH3 hardware. It was the third horizontal shoot 'em up developed by CAVE.

Gameplay Overview

Akai Katana is a four button game.

There are six stages in the game. Playing through stage 6 without losing a life will trigger the True Last Boss.

For replay videos, visit the Video Index.

Controls

A: Focus shot The fighter's shot width narrows and the drone fires its lasers while holding position. The drone also gathers Energy Orbs from nearby enemies. Holding and releasing the A button will generate more energy than just holding.

B: Bomb Grants invulnerablity frames while damaging all enemies and cancelling all bullets on screen. Unlike other Cave games, bombing will not break the current hit chain. While there are no extends left and at least one bomb in stock, autobombing is enabled. Autobombing consumes all remaining bombs.

C: Rapid shot Standard shot, the width varies depending on the ship selected. Destroying enemies at close range will increase the amount of resources generated.

In the original arcade version of Akai Katana, destroying small enemies generates energy orbs. Sustained fire on large enemies will not generate any energy orbs.

In the Akai Katana Shin arrange, destroying enemies with the rapid shot creates light blue orbs called Hagane Stocks. When gathered, a circular orange gauge will fill up around the ship with orbs.

D: Phantom mode

Any amount of energy can be used to enter Phantom mode. The Energy Gauge slowly drains until phantom mode ends. The Energy Gauge increases in size with each life lost.

In the original arcade version of Akai Katana, Phantom mode is completely invulnerable to damage, except while the focus shot is held. The phantom is able repel and push bullets. Pushing them off screen will despawn them permanently. Taking damage will force them out of Phantom Mode.

Destroyed enemies will convert to gold coins that orbit the phantom. In large numbers, orbiting coins will be the main source of game slowdown. These coins merge with each other to form larger coins, but eventually turn red and disappear.

By manually exiting Phantom mode, the coins are collected, all bullets around the player are briefly repelled and a chunk of energy is consumed.

In the Akai Katana Shin arrange, Phantom mode has improved bullet canceling abilities, but it is completely vulnerable. Taking damage reduces the energy gauge per hit and forces phantom mode to end if the gauge empties.

When entering Phantom mode, any Hagane stocks in the gauge are converted into floating spirit orbs. They can be fired by using the focus shot, and are aimed by holding the opposite direction. The orbs will cancel bullets as they travel and return as Steel Katanas. The bullet cancelling abilites improve with higher Hagane Stocks and can convert into gold coins for modest score.

Steel Katanas are fired by manually exiting Phantom mode, and are aimed by holding the opposite direction. As they travel, the katanas cancel bullets and convert them into gold coin. Large coins are created quickly with katanas.

Destroying enemies with rapid shot in phantom mode will create Katana Steel Parts. Gathering 16 parts will create a Steel Katana. After 8 katanas are created, 32 parts will have to be gathered per katana.

Character Selection

A: Tsubaki and Sumire

• The fastest fighter with a strong, narrow shot
• Drone does not lock on and will mirror the fighter's movements
• Holding focus shot will hold the drone's position while firing a long, narrow cone-shaped laser
• Phantom laser has full-screen range

B: Botan and Kikyou

• Average speed figther with a medium-wide shot
• The only drone that can lock onto enemies. Its laser sweeps up and down while being held
• Phantom laser fires in place while the A button is held, and has full-screen range

C: Shion and Suzuran

• The slowest fighter but has the widest shot spead
• Drone does not lock on and will mirror the fighter's movements
• Holding focus shot will hold the drone's position while firing a sweeping laser
• Phantom laser fires a narrow, short-ranged laser

Items

Bombs

Increase bomb stock by 1

Energy Orb

Increase energy gauge, comes in large and small sizes

Gold Coin

Increases score, large coins score more points

Hagane Stocks

Increases Hagane gauge, consumed when entering Phantom mode

Spirit Katanas

Bullet cancelling projectiles created from Hagane Stocks or Katana Parts, converts enemy bullets into coins

Console Release Notes

Xbox 360

• Physical Release? - Yes
• Region Locked? - Yes
• Arranged Modes - Yes: 'Akai Katana Climax', 'Akai Katana Slash'[1]. '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.