| Space Manbow | |
|---|---|
Cover art |
|
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Composer(s) | Tsuyoshi Sekito Michiru Yamane Yuji Takenouchi |
| Platform(s) | MSX, Mobile Phones, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | MSX
|
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | ROM Cartridge |
Space Manbow is a shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Konami for the MSX2 in 1989. It was later re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service on the 24th of November, 2009[1]. It has never been released outside of Japan.
In the game the player pilots a starship shaped like a mambo fish.[2] There are only two weapon types, however your ship is helped by two stationary "options" similar to those found in the Gradius series. The "options" are able to shift so that they alternatively fire in three directions: forward, backward, and towards the top/bottom of the screen.
The ship from Space Manbow inspired the "Mambo" and "Samba" characters in Konami's Parodius series, which parodies other Konami shoot 'em ups. The characters first appeared in Gokujō Parodius!, in later Sexy Parodius and Gokuraku Parodius in Pachislot.
The Nintendo DS game Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki contains an unlockable Space Manbow minigame with identical graphics but enhanced music.[2] This unlockable version only contains the first level of the game.[2]
In 2006, Space Manbow is released for mobile phones.
In 2007, Bart van Velzen released an unofficial sequel, Manbow 2, for MSX2.[3]
Space Manbow has some similarities to Thunder Cross (and Thunder Cross II - both from Konami as well), which makes Space Manbow considered by some as a Thunder Cross sequel, released only to MSX2 computers.