Space Bomber

Space Bomber

Start screen

Developer:	Psikyo
Release date:	Arcade: 1998
Previous game:	Pilot Kids
Next game:	Strikers 1999

Space Bomber is a fixed-screen shooting game developed and published in arcades by Psikyo in 1998. The game is noted for it's comedic, irreverent tone, and it's signature capture claw mechanic, which lets you capture enemies and launch them back into other foes for big damage.

For replay videos, visit the Video Index.

Gameplay Overview

Space Bomber is a 2 button game and consists of 24 stages, organised into 6 worlds of 4 stages each. Stages are cleared when all enemies have been either defeated or captured.

Controls

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• A Button: Shot
• B Button: Activate Capture Claw
• Hold A Button, then Release: Deploy captured enemy
• Hold A Button, then Press B: Launch captured enemy

Weapons

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Player ship deploys the capture claw

Main Shot

Basic attack performed by pressing the shot button. This attack is upgraded by collecting Power-Up items, and reaches max power after 2 items have been collected.

Capture Claw

The capture claw is the game's central mechanic, and is used to retreive point items and to capture enemies. A maximum of 3 captured enemies can be held in stock at a given time. Captured enemies can be either deployed in front of the player, where they will block bullets and attack with preset patterns, or they can be launched up the screen, producing a large explosion when they contact with an enemy. The player is awarded with bonus points depending on how many enemies are destroyed in the explosion.

Ships

	Default Ship Basic ship with a linear shot.
	Hidden Ship Unlocked by pressing Right x3, Left x3, Right x7 on the title screen after inserting a credit. Has a stronger wave-beam type shot than the default ship.
	Tetromino Unlocked by pressing Up x3, Down x3, Up x7 on the title screen after inserting a credit. Has a spread shot, and a drill attack instead of the usual capture claw.

Items

	Power Up Increases your shot power (max power after the 2nd item)
	Large Moneybag 2000 point score item
	Small Moneybag 500 point score item
	Hidden Striker 100,000 point score item

Scoring

The main source of score comes from launching captured enemies into other groups of enemies, which awards a large point bonus. The size of the bonus is 1000pts x n², where n is the number of enemies destroyed. The bonus is capped at a maximum of 100,000pts when 10 or more enemies are destroyed.

Enemies destroyed in this fashion also drop moneybags which award 2000pts when collected.

Some stages also contain hidden ships from the Strikers 1945 series which can be captured for 100,000 points each. These ships are spawned by shooting certain parts of the background at specific times.

Enemies destroyed by projectiles from deployed enemies will drop small moneybags worth 500pts each.

If playing as the hidden tetromino ship, the capture claw is replaced by a drill. Enemies destroyed by the drill give the same bonus as the capture claw (1000pts x n²), but they will not drop moneybags.

Endgame Bonus

25,000 points are awarded for each life remaining at the end of the game. If the player has no lives remaining, a 10,000 point bonus is still awarded.

Extends

One extra life is awarded at 3,000,000 points.