Doujin Game Pick

Life Fortress Volcabamba

2011-05-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

When playing Volcabamba for the first time you may think this is another oldschool shooter made to look like a MSX 1 Gradius game. You may be right but not entirely ...

This game is an hybrid between The classic Konami game, Hellfire by Toaplan and W Double Ring by Naxat Soft.

Graphics and music look like a crossover port of W Double Ring and Gradius on the MSX 1.

Backgrounds are in darker tones than the foreground and every dangerous ship or bullet are in brighter colors. On the other hand the scrolling is choppy like it was back in the eighties. To not be annoyed by this you may play in windowed mode or, if played fullscreen, be far enough of your monitor.

Music are not ripp off but are clearly in the same tones as W Double Ring : happy melodies with sometime a tint of melancholy and panic when needed.

Before the first stage you have to choose one of the two types of control of your shots :

- when the shoot button is released move in the direction you want your shots to be, it is fixed when you press shoot again

- 1 shot button and 1 change direction button. In this mode you may choose 8 ways or 4 ways.

Shots are always fired in two directions and look like those of Toaplan game Hellfire : front and back or up and down.

There are no upgrades to be found.

The pause key is F1.

There are 6 stages, each with a boss. Each one has distincts enemies and bosses.

Another node to W Double Ring are the hidden Volca stones foud between stages 1 to 5. You have to shot a specific place for them to appear (but it seems there are no hidden levels this time). Found Volca sphere found are highlighted at the bottom of the screen. Each ones add between 100 and 1000 points to your score.

The first extend is at 20000 points then the next ones are at every 50000 points.

This game is a pure memorizer and is brutal ! If you can bypass the really oldschool design you may find a shmup to break you teeth on again and again.

Home Page

Download

If you want to play fullscreen just tick the box in the v_config.exe.

Warning : the video is a full run, if you don't want to be spoiled, stop before the end ! Otherwise you'll see a manic, hard as nail shmup !

Update : another 1lc is available from shmup player yrcnois. This time it's in full HD ! Check his blog for more promising 1lc !

Originally posted on 3/14/11, upped to add the yrcnois 1lc.

TranscendPang

2011-04-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

A hardcore Pang style shooting game !

Many characters to choose, each one with his own special skill.

Lots of game modes and a weird but cool setting.

Moreover it's a bilingual english/japanese game with a full english tutorial !

There's an italian review on http://www.idealsoftblog.it.

Seicro-X-Cross

2011-04-09T02:01:00.000-07:00

An april fool joke game : a sequel to Seicross !

Home Page

Download

Endless Alice Crysys

2011-04-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Formerly a paid doujin game, it's now freeware !

Home Page

Download : click one of the square below "alicry_v100.zip (14.0MB)"

EX -extra-

2011-03-16T04:25:00.000-07:00

If you like Ketsui, you'll probably like this shmup too, enough said.

Developers' Blog

Download

Bullet Hell !

2011-03-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Bullet Hell ! is a very polished danmaku shmup.

There are the 2 classics shot types : wide and focused.
When you power up with the P item you get either fixed modules shooting straight ahead for the first one or auto aiming for the second one.
There's the slow button with concentrated shot and visible hitbox on the player.
The 3rd button shoot an Ikaruga style auto aiming laser (MP).

When you destroy an enemy with the normal shot you collect yellow stars which resplenishes the mana gauge. When full you get another laser (MP). You can also get one by collecting a B item.
If enemies are destroyed with a laser shot you collect green stars which value more points and resplenishes the mana gauge faster. Strategic use of the laser is required to score and get extends. The required score to get one is the value written next to the 1up line.

Moreover if you use the slow button on certain parts of a level you collect hidden fruits for points.

Each stage gets new enemies or new gameplay elements, like the third one where there are blocks moving similarly to those of Radiant Silvergun or the second one where wind abounds.

Enemies and boss pattern are similar to many danmaku shmup, classics but effective. There's a hard mode with faster and more plentiful ones.

Graphic wise it looks like a fantasy rpg from the Super Famicom era. Backgrounds are pixelated but characters are in a higher resolution.

Music fits the game but is not that great : it's standard fantasy orchestral synths.

Download
Home Page

Originally posted on 2/24/10, upped because the download link was down.

Lethal Application

2011-03-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

You're a girl who needs to go up. The only

way to do it is shooting down. If you want to go left you need to shoot right and vice versa. If you go to the right part of the screen you're transfering to the left. If you're too slow you will be electrocuted by some horizontal electric wire, which is slowly going up, and loose some life. That's it ! Great gameplay, great level design and fast paced, you will be addicted !

The ammo is not infinite and you need to blow enemies to resplenish it. They leave some items with different sizes, the bigger the better. There are four special weapons which can be leveled up : bazooka, sword, wide shot and laser.

After the first introducing levels the game is hard, especially the bosses. But they are really well designed. You have to think fast in order to not being electrocuted to death. As you have to score to gain extends the game become really addictive.

Crisp anime style graphics (like a 16 bit era game slightly updated), pure arcade synth soundtrack and you have a little gem of a game which could have been designed by Treasure.

Home Page

Download (scroll down and choose a mirror)

An english translation is available there.

Die Feen

2011-03-15T03:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a totally unknown shmup which should be celebrated. When it was released it was a slow and methodic game, quite good as graphics and music go but not so much on the gameplay. Through many updates it changed progressively into a challenging sort of Tohou/Cave styled shmup. Though it keeps its own system of fairies (satellites with their own life bar).

Home Page

Download demo (scroll down to diefeen_trial100.zip)

There"s a more complete review in the description of the video.

Red Killer 2nd Age

2010-04-29T02:28:00.000-07:00

Red Killer 2nd Age is a shmup clearly based on the Siter Kain ones. It looks like a Reflex clone but there's no reflection system. There's a front beam, which gauge depletes when used and slowly resplenishes when not used, but that's all. The standard shot is a 7 ways shot: it aims at every angle minus the back. There are no power ups at all.

You've got 5 lives and a shield bar. Enemies shoot fast an the screen is easily full of bullets. Bosses patterns are based on those of Reflex and Kamui.
Again graphics and sounds are clearly based on those of the aforementioned titles but are not as great.

To sum it up it's a good shmup but Siter Skain games are way better.
Download

Option menu translation :

- number of lives
- background
- sound effects
- music
- flash effects (you may turn them off for the level 5, they are nasty on the eyes !)
- screen mode
- save settings and return at the title screen

Monolith

2010-03-19T02:04:00.001-07:00

Monolith is quite an interesting platformer.

Game play has nothing different from many platformers : a jump button, a shoot button/run button and some weapons items too. But there's 3D.

Each screen is a cube face and to get to the end of the level you got to rotate them. This is done by plugging green cards found in the levels in a slot. Then cube rotates or moves up and down and the level morphs into another layout.

There are only 4 worlds but the game is hard as nail due to some laggy controls. Music is quite repetitive and sound effects are simples but effectives.
There's default joypad support too.

Download

Chibi Shooting

2010-02-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

Chibi Shooting is a nice oldschool shmup, just slightly updated with some manic shootings and a ship with a small hitbox. Apart from the normal shot there's a boost button to escape tricky situations. The latter is charged by destroying enemies. When boosting you're invincible and destroy any enemy in contact with the ship.

There are 20 zones and each one is divided in 3 parts (A, B, C). Depending which enemy you destroyed last in zone A and B change the enemies in the zone C named "Counter Attack".
When a shooting star appear on screen it means you have been too slow to kill all the enemies and they shoot more aggressively. The faster you clear the waves, the more bonus points you get. Finally there are extends each 50000 points.

To sum it up it's a cross between Nomltest and Cosmo Gang the Video !

If you want to play with a joypad or a joystick you can use a program like joytokey.

Download
Home Page

3 Days Shooting

2010-02-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

3 Days Shooting is an horizontal shmup scrolling from right to left !

You've got a life gauge (3), so there's no instant death but there's only one life.
There's an overheat gauge (4), so sometimes you need to stop shooting for a second or two.
There are only 3 buttons used : shoot, anchor shot and select skill to level up.
There are 2 characters to choose, each one with a different set of weapons.

You upgrade your character by using an anchor. When an enemy (9) or a part of a big one is killed you've got to take it with your anchor. Each time you take one it fills the gauge of the skill you want upgrade. You select the skill with the 3rd button which is then highlighted (5). When the gauge is full you level up (with a maximum of 5 levels). The skills are weapon, body, leg and booster.
Depending of where your character is hit you lose levels, so you've got to constantly shoot your anchor to dead enemies to stay fully powered and fast enough.

Download
Home Page

Chokotto DiaRunba

2010-02-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

Chokotto DiaRunba is an original action puzzle game. You character is always walking to the right of the screen. You must move the platforms in order to avoid the enemies and to destroy them by combining two, like the blobs in Puyo Puyo and many puzzlers. Of course any contact with them is fatal.

Download
Home Page

Progressive Front

2010-02-22T04:58:00.000-08:00

Progressive Front is a 2d overhead vs shmup fighting game.

Download
Promotional Video

Silver Knights

2010-02-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

Silver Knights is a mech 3d fighting game. There are many modes availables and network play too ! Most people consider it much better than Bootfighter Windom XP SP-2.

Download
Japanese manual
English forum

Gigantic Gear

2010-02-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Gigantic Gear is another fine 3d graphics/2d play field mech action game.

Download

Varia

2010-02-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Varia is a vertical shmup with gradius style power ups.

Home Page

Bootfighter Windom XP SP-2

2010-02-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Bootfighter Windom XP SP-2 is a Virtual On mech versus fighting game with net play.

English Version
Japanese Home Page

Nezumiman

2010-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

Nezumiman is a classic Rockman/Megaman platformer where you play a rat !

Home Page and download

Inyou Douji Monogatari

2010-02-12T01:16:00.000-08:00

Inyou Douji Monogatari is a puzzle platformer game.

You control a warrior with 3 main abilities : fly, slash a sword, and push objects. The gameplay is very similar to Gargoyle's Quest, except you have a sword. The goal of each stage is to pass the exit door. Between stages, when a there's a new enemy, a new type of block or a new condition to open the door, some nice animations play.
The difficulty is well adjusted. If you hit an enemy you lose a life and return to the map where you can practice stages already beaten. The save feature is really useful. There you can collect items previously missed such as extra life and experience. Each stage needs a different strategy to reach the door but, as it is timed, you need to think quickly while slashing the enemy, avoiding them and jumping tightly. The stage design could have been made by Treasure (of bangaio and Radiant Silvergun fame).

This game has been created by famous Ikaruga player MIR. and that's why there are two characters to choose : the white one (easy mode) and the dark one (hard mode). Each one with a different set of type of enemies it can defeat and type of block it can destroy.

Graphics are well done as is the music and the sound effects. The low resolution is not a drawback and while playing this seems a really well polished game. The only annoyance may be the menus in japanese. But with a bit of blind trying anybody can guess what to do.

When you have beaten the game you can use the editor to make additional stages ... or check those available to download. At the time of this writing there are 639 additional stages to chose with ! Not counting 5 packs, one for each difficulty setting !

Downloads :
Main page, click the douji.zip link
Stages packs
Extra stages

Help :
Stage maps

Bombaran ! games

2010-02-12T01:04:00.000-08:00

Bombaran ! games are cute traditional japanese style puzzle platformer games. There are 4 games :

Bombaran !
Bombaran ! 2
Bombaran ! E3
Bombaran ! @

Gunhound

2010-02-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

Gunhound is a versus mech space fighting game, a sort of Senko no Ronde ancestor.

Download

Armored Soldier GunHound

2010-02-12T00:17:00.000-08:00

Armored Soldier GunHound is not a doujin game and is available from retail stores or as a digital product. It is a tribute to the Leynos/Valken games with up to dates game mechanics (danmaku inspired shooting from the bosses). It's not a doujin but it has the fan spirit (Armored Trooper Votoms enthousiasts should be in love) !

Download the trial or buy online.

Gun Arms

2010-02-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

Gun Arms is a simple but enjoyable 3d graphics/2d play field mech action game.

Download
Home Page

Vampire Blaze

2010-02-11T02:49:00.000-08:00

Vampire Blaze is an excellent platformer akin to the old Castlevania formula : less rpg elements and more action !

Download
Home Page

Hacker 9

2010-02-11T02:18:00.000-08:00

Hacker 9 is a quite hard but excellent hack of pixel platformer game Cave Story.

Home Page and download

Secure Link

2010-02-11T02:03:00.000-08:00

Secure Link is a classic Rockman/Megaman platformer where you play a bunny girl !

Home Page and download

Armored Suits GunValken

2010-02-11T01:53:00.000-08:00

Armored Suits GunValken is a tribute to Assault Suits Valken, nothing more, nothing less; apart from the music which is nowhere to be heard.

Home Page
Download

Crimzon Clover

2010-01-29T01:01:00.000-08:00

Crimzon Clover is a cross between a Cave and a Raystorm/Soukyugurentai shmup. !

download
creator's blog

Mission -0-

2010-01-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se367836.html

ToriTatsu Death Label & ToriTatsu 2

2010-01-18T00:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se441907.html
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se472156.html

Mogura Rebirth 1 & Mogura Rebirth 2

2010-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se337972.html
http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se402209.html

海軍航空隊 (a6m2b)

2010-01-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/game/fh350698.html

Quantized Blaze

2010-01-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/win95/game/se397592.html

Eden's Aegis

2010-01-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/winnt/game/se442605.html

Radio Zonde

2010-01-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/game/fh313786.html

NP Twins

2010-01-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.dokokano.net/~fslasht/warehouse/programs/NPTwins_latest.zip

Marsh

2009-09-22T03:35:00.001-07:00

http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dl/winnt/game/se478255.html

Storm Assault

2009-08-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/%7Ebp-827z/asd/products/s_assault/dl.htm

D-Force. & D-Force.2

2009-08-28T08:43:00.001-07:00

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/kuro68k/magical-palette/stg/df_main.htm
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/kuro68k/magical-palette/d2/d2_top.htm

BomberBomber Gaiden

2009-08-28T08:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.chin3.net/game/BomberG/index.html

Ashi

2009-08-28T08:38:00.001-07:00

http://ncradle.com/soft/ashi3.html

Beautiful World

2009-08-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.crazarl.net/kasu1/bw-102.zip

Acceleration of SUGURI

2009-08-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

http://daidai.moo.jp/accelerationofsuguri.html
English version

Cloudphobia

2009-08-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.dwahan.net/Marsbound/cloudphobia/index_e.html

Xed

2009-08-28T06:33:00.001-07:00

http://i.cool.ne.jp/bomb28/game.html

Sonic Sisters

2009-08-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.kit.hi-ho.ne.jp/zapzap/works_eng.htm

Ifrit

2009-08-28T06:27:00.001-07:00

http://www10.plala.or.jp/bb/zac/ifrit_e.html

The Trapezohedron Of The Darkness

2009-08-28T06:22:00.001-07:00

http://enhancedgame.hp.infoseek.co.jp/game/trpgame.html

Rozen Diadem

2009-08-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.15citron.com/ichigo/rozen/index.html

HECTOR'39

2009-08-28T06:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.15citron.com/ichigo/hector39/index.html

Genetos

2009-08-28T06:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.tatsuya-koyama.com/software/wg002_genetos_eng.html

Mikkus Taiken

2009-08-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

http://akiragoya.sakura.ne.jp/game/mix/

Mayakai

2009-08-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

http://reveaulait.rash.jp/ral/pcgame.html

Nomltest

2009-08-28T05:49:00.001-07:00

Nomltest is a Space Invaders clone but the ship moves in the entire screen. The invaders have more than one pattern. It is way faster than the original, you have to "eat" enemy's bullets, and the way the shots are handled is reminiscent of Radiant Sivergun. If you meet some conditions there are 2 bonus modes with differents gameplays.
So it's not Space Invaders, it's way better !

Download

Earth Annihilation

2009-08-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Earth Annihilation is an oldschool Space Invaders tribute shmup but is way faster than the original. Invaders can shoot in all directions and some of their bullets have inertia. To counter attack you can speed up or down your ship . To gain lifes you have to collect coins. All bullets on screen changes into coins if you destroy the ufo and when you clear the stage.

The game is looping indefinately and is very manic.

http://aicat.michikusa.jp/ea/top.htm