| Bio-Hazard Battle | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Genesis, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | October 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | One or two player |
| Rating(s) | VRC: GA ESRB: E |
Bio-Hazard Battle (クライング - 亜生命戦争 Crying - A Seimei Sensou, "Crying - Biological War") is a 1992 side-scrolling shoot 'em up released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and for the Sega Mega Play arcade platform. On February 26, 2007, it was also made available on the Wii's Virtual Console.
Contents |
During G-Biowar I (the first global biowar), a powerful new form of retrovirus was released as a deadly reprisal from the enemy. The viruses unleashed biological forces which couldn't be stopped, leaving the planet filled with new and deadly forms of life.
Only a few survivors remain in suspended animation in O.P. Odysseus, an orbiting platform circling Avaron. The space station's purpose is to keep the surviving humans alive until Avaron is habitable again. The crew of the Odysseus have been frozen in cryogenic tanks for hundreds of years, and now the onboard computer has awakened them.
Computer probes show that conditions on Avaron are hostile but livable. The question is; where can the crew of Odysseus set up a colony? The gameplay involves piloting an organic ship to Avaron, flying over areas which the probes have designated least hostile, ascertaining planetary conditions and, ultimately finding a new home for the remaining survivors.
The game features a 2D side-scrolling shoot 'em up style of gameplay and the character chosen by the player can be moved in 8 directions by the D-Pad. The player can move, shoot, dodge, and block. To block an enemy projectile, the player must place the power star in the path of the projectile. There is also an array of different weapons at the ships' disposal.
The player will begin with a pre-set number of lives, from 1 to 5, 3 being the default. When a player is hit by a hostile creature or environment, their ship is destroyed and will reappear with one less life. Extra lives are attainable by absorbing 1-UP icons in the various stages, or being awarded 20,000 points without getting Game Over.
The game also features strong usage of deep, bass-heavy music tracks, creative and colorful artwork and foreground and background elements. Despite the many obstacles in the scenery and landscape, the player cannot be harmed or die by bumping into anything other than an enemy or enemy fire. You can die however by being stuck between the screen's edge and a wall. The player travels through eight levels, each one increasing in difficulty, with the last three only being available on the harder difficulties. The game ends showing all four characters flying back into the mothership. A short paragraph explains that the planet Avaron has, for the moment, been saved. "A moment of peace, but who is to say a similar crisis will not occur in the future?"
You have a choice between four types of ships: They include the bird-like blue and red ship Orestes, the reptile-like red and green ship Electra, the bug-like green ship Hecuba, and the fish-like yellow and purple ship Polyxena. These ships all have organic shells, making them look like actual creatures.
| Ship | Speed | Yellow | Red | Blue | Green |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orestes | Fast | Fire Petal | Plasma Ring | Nova | Pods |
| Electra | Slow | Fire Petal | Seeker Laser | Bond | Pods |
| Hecuba | Fast | Spin Laser | Plasma Ring | Bond | Pods |
| Polyxena | Slow | Spin Laser | Seeker Laser | Nova | Pods |
There are five different types of weapons in the game- one primary and four secondary.
The front of the Bioship is equipped with a weapon which can be used in two ways. The Bioship normally fires a plasma beam at the same time as the Power Star, but by holding down the fire button for a few moments, the Bioship pulls plasma energy into its power core and releases it in one massive burst, called the Plasma Wall. This wall of energy is powerful enough to destroy almost anything with one burst.
The Power Star is your secondary weapon. The Power Star, both a shield and a weapon, floats near the Bioship. As a shield, it stops most creatures from hitting your Bioship. More importantly, it uses power from the Energy Seeds to generate weapons. Your Bioship ingests Seeds by passing over them and the energy is transferred to your ship's Power Star.
There are four types of Energy Seeds: Yellow, Orange, Blue and Green. Each Seed changes the Bioship's genetic structure, enabling the ship to generate a different type of weapon. The Energy Seeds are incremental in effect, that is, as the ship ingests the Seeds, the weapon's power increases. Remember that this power increase only happens when you pick up Seeds of the same color. Maximum power capability is reached when the Bioship ingests three Seeds of the same color. If the player loses a life, the Power Star, if upgraded, will downgrade one level. Energy Seeds are scattered by the space station along the flight path your Bioship will take. Near the beginning of each stage, there are usually four seeds available, one for each color.
As stated before, there are four different types of Energy Seeds.