Shienryu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shienryu | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Warashi |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Saturn |
| Release date | 1995, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
Shienryu (紫炎龍?) (Purple Flame Dragon) is a vertical scrolling shooter created by Warashi for the arcade which was released in 1995, later followed by a Sega Saturn console release in 1997.
Contents |
[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 that is run by a regime that is invading Earth. Players assume the role of a mostly European cast of four pilots, each ship having room for a main pilot and navigator; Player 1 controls saultry German pilot Herrenlose Katze with her modest navigator Felius Catalus and Player 2 controls African German pilot Kluger Hund with his French navigator Chien de Chasse. Together, the four pilots challenge the regime that supports Shienryu's construction and destroy all of their headquarters along the way in the classic shoot-em up fashion.
The battle starts on Earth at four different enemy bases and eventually leads to a battle in space fighting enemy armadas, bases built among asteroids and the enemy's main headquarters located among the asteroids along Jupiter's orbit.
[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 blankets of pulse shots across the screen, some larger than others and some taking on wide 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 changeable in the Saturn version) as well as 1Ups, though both 1Ups and even 2Ups are available after defeating minibosses in a certain amount of time.
[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 missiles 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] Trivia
- The four pilot's names all translate or refer to gender-specific animals that simultaneously refer to their personalities. The names of the lead pilots Herrenlose Katze and Kluger Hund translate in German as 'Abandoned Cat' and 'Clever Dog' while the 2nd player navigator Chien de Chasse translates in French as 'Hunting Dog'. The 1st player navigator's name, Felis Catulus, refers to the commonly domesticated genus of cats known as Felis catus.
- Many of the developers responsible for Shienryu had worked previously - before joining with Warashi - on a game entitled Daioh, hence the similarities of Daioh's ships, power-ups and innumerous boss designs.
- The popularity of the game eventually grew to the point of an American PlayStation distribution entitled Gekioh: Shooting King in 2002 produced by Natsume. The game also saw a European PlayStation release in November 2003. This release was published by Zoo Digital.
