Shienryu
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| Shienryu | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Warashi |
| Release date(s) | 1995, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Saturn |
Shienryu (Purple Flame Dragon) is a vertical scrolling shooter created by Warashi for the arcade which was released in 1995, followed by a Saturn console release in 1997.
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[edit] Weapon System
Players start with a standard vulcan shot which starts as a straight firing weapon but spreads-eagle with additional upgrades and the weapon is indicated with red orbs. Other weapons include an electric attack which spreads out toward any enemies available until shocked enemies are destroyed (indicated by a blue orb) and a missile barrage that increases power and amount of missles with the proper upgrades (indicated by yellow orbs).
Upgrades in the game can be picked up after destroying certain enemies and are indicated as red P's in silver squares. Often a glowing version of the weapon upgrades can be found which increase firepower completely and, under the right circumstances, can explode in an array of pick-ups.
Players also start with an amount of bombs which change depending on their weapon type. The vulcan's bomb fires a large laser beam that sweeps from the ship's sides and gradually ends facing forward. The lightening bomb fires up to five straight-firing laser beams within the ship's radius and the missile bomb fires a short range, but very powerful ground bomb that circulates the ship.
Every bomb works not only as a stronger attack, but as temporary defense against enemy fire as the majority of standard, pulsar shots are evaporated within the bomb's blast. Oddly enough, the vulcan bomb is the only bomb that can travel with the player, with the other bombs both being stationary. Like the firing weapon, the bombs also have their own pick-up indicated by a floating B and bomb shape. Picking this up replinshes the player's amount of bombs.
[edit] Gameplay
Players control either of two double-piloted ships going against the headquarters of a regime based both on Earth and in space. The game is a vertical scrolling shooter, so the perspective is from the top of the screen facing down.
Survival is a great emphasis in gameplay as enemies will fire blankest of pulse shots across the screen, some larger than others and some taking on large intricate patterns. Another indication of the game's difficulty is based on the use of a checkpoint system that organizes every level and gives a place for players to continue from if they die at a certain checkpoint.
Like most shooters, the player's ship speed could be increased by picking up Speed boost pick-ups (indicated by blue S's). As the enemies in Shienryu fire very quick moving shots, having a fast ship was beneficial in combat, but if a player happened to die at a tough check point, they would have to repeat the check point with a slightly slower ship.
Once a player has picked up a glowing power up, the player's speed and firepower will reach their highest points and the ship will obtain a white armor attachment across its nose: this gives the player a chance to take one hit before being weakened into their one-hit kill state.
Scoring is based mostly on the amount of enemies destroyed as well as the remaining amount of unused bombs the player has and the accumulation points acquired by collecting red or blue labeled points-indicators: red points score up to 500 points while blue points score up to 5000 points. Extends are awarded to players who reach an indicated score (the score is changable in the Saturn version) as well as 1Ups, though both 1Ups and even 2Ups are availble after defeating minibosses in a certain amount of time.
[edit] Story
Though still quite unknown, the game does have a story which focuses on the assault upon Shienryu, a massive and destructive mech developed by space-age technology.
The 1st player assumes the role of the lead females Harrenlose and Felis who both pilot the player's red ship while the 2nd player assumes the role of the lead males Kluger and Chien, both of which maintain the player's blue ship.
Together, the four pilots challenge the very regime that supports Shienryu's construction and destroy all of their headquarters along the way in the classic shoot-em up fashion.
[edit] Trivia
- The four pilot's names all translate or refer to gender-specific animals.
The names of the lead pilots Herrenlose Katze and Kluger Hund translate in German as 'Abandoned Cat' and 'Clever Dog' while the 2nd player sub-pilot Chien de Chasse translates in French as 'Hunting Dog'. The 1st player sub-pilot's name refers to a genus of European wild cat known as the Felis.
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