Trouble Shooter

From Sega Retro

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  • NTSC-U
  • NTSC-J

TroubleShooter MDTitleScreen.png

BattleMania MD JP TitleScreen.png

Battle Mania/Trouble Shooter
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: VIC Tokai
Developer:
Genre: Shooting[1][2]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP
¥6,8006,800 T-23013
Sega Mega Drive
US
$40.5040.50[3] 23016

Trouble Shooter, called Battle Mania (バトルマニア) in Japan, is a shoot-'em-up developed and published by VIC Tokai for the Sega Mega Drive in 1991 in the US and in Japan in 1992.

The main characters were influenced by the novel Dirty Pair.

Story

Trouble Shooter, Introduction.png

Mania and Maria

Madison (Mania Ohtorii, 大鳥居マニア, in the Japanese version) and Crystal (Maria Haneda, 羽田マリア, in the Japanese version), a sister team called the "Trouble Shooters," are called to rescue the King's son, who has been kidnapped by the evil Blackball (Morgstein, モルグスティン, in the Japanese version) and his minions.

Gameplay

Trouble Shooter, Booster Select.png

Power booster selection

The game is a side-scrolling shooter. Mania and Maria wear jetpacks and can fly. The player controls Mania and can move her in any direction using the D-Pad. She shoots her primary weapon with B, which can be held for rapid-fire. Maria follows Mania and fires when she fires. Though their weapons cannot be aimed, they do deflect slightly upward or downward, each in an opposite direction, as the characters move up or down. While Mania always faces to the right, Maria can be turned around with C, allowing her to fire in either direction. The player can thus choose whether to use Maria to provide additional strength to Mania's fire or to cover the opposite flank. Maria's weapon starts fairly strong but cannot be upgraded, whereas Mania's weapon is initially comparatively weak but can be upgraded by finding power-up items. Both characters can neutralize enemy projectiles with their own. Some stages contain barriers that the player can use to separate the pair and move them more independently.

Before the first four stages, the player is given a choice of power booster. This is a drone that follows the pair and provides a Super Weapon. After collecting two Power Up items, the drone also provides additional support fire. Super Weapons are powerful special abilities that can be used with A when the player's charge bar is full. The bar charges automatically; it charges quickly, so Super Weapons can be used multiple times per stage. Mania admonishes the player for pressing A before the charge bar is ready, causing the bar to reset.

Maria is invulnerable, but if Mania dies once, the game is over and the player must use a continue. There is no way to earn additional continues. Mania dies if she loses all of her health points or gets caught between a surface and the screen as it scrolls. Mania gains an extra health point every 30,000 points earned and by finding heart items. There is no limit to the number of health points that she can gain.

The game's story is conveyed through cutscenes before and after stages. The game employs humor throughout, including a fourth wall-breaking false ending.

Super Weapons

Trouble Shooter, Super Weapons, Lightning Storm.png

Lightning Storm
Two lightning bolts sweep out to the sides of the screen.

Trouble Shooter, Super Weapons, Tidal Wave.png

Tidal Wave
A powerful moving laser that follows the player's horizontal directional controls.

Trouble Shooter, Super Weapons, Blizzard.png

Blizzard
Large energy balls that swirl around in a progressively larger radius.

Trouble Shooter, Super Weapons, Avalanche.png

Avalanche
Multiple volleys of missiles in a stacked vertical formation.

Items

Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Cargo Pod
Shoot down to release an item, then fly over to collect.
Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Speed Up
Increases Mania's movement speed.
Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Speed Down
Decreases Mania's movement speed.
Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Power Up
Increases the power of Mania's weapon. The power of her weapon is maintained from stage to stage unless Mania dies.
Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Life Up
Gives Mania another health point. There is no limit to the number of health points that Mania can have.
Trouble Shooter, Items.png
Bonus Points
Awards the player with 100 bonus points.

Stages

Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 1-3.png

Central Line Shopping Plaza
Boss:
Chuckles

Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-3.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-4.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 2-4.png

Underground Hideout
Boss:
Charger

Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 3-3.png

Outside "Colossus"
Boss:
Jack La Pain

Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 4-3.png

Inside "Colossus"
Boss:
Piston

Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 5-3.png

The Escape
Boss:
Winger
The Prince accompanies Mania and Maria on this stage and inverts the player's directional controls while providing additional support fire.

Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-1.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-2.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-3.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-4.png

Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-5.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-1.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-2.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-3.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-4.png

  • Trouble Shooter, Stage 6-5.png

Final Stage
Boss:
Blackball
Mania plays the majority of this stage by herself. Maria joins her for the final phase of the last boss.

History

Legacy

The game was followed by the Asia-only sequel Battle Mania Daiginjou in 1993.

Mania and Maria make a cameo appearance in Segagaga, released for the Dreamcast in 2001.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English (US) Trouble Shooter Trouble Shooter
Japanese バトルマニア Battle Mania

Production credits

  • Graphics - Enemies, Scroll, Opening: Doro-P
  • Graphics - Enemies, Scroll, Title: Porten
  • Sound Created by: Team Hyakuman-Goku
  • B G M: Raika Papa
  • S.E.: Bakkin! Tama
  • Voice: Yuki Chan
  • Program - Enemies, Scroll, Tools: Propeller Wado
  • Program - Boss, Title: Saboten Cuctus
  • Program - My Chara, System: Takayan
  • Special Thanks to: Sho-chan, Yamachan, Simpson, Kamo-san
  • English Text by: Jimee D & MC Ikeya
  • And My Friendly Neighborhood: Tonboo, Jorum, & Fellows of the Lance
Developed for Video Game Studio Space Iron Men
  • Directed by: Takayan the Barbarian in Studio Space Iron Men
Source:
In-game credits
Trouble Shooter MD credits.pdf
[4]

Magazine articles

Main article: Trouble Shooter/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

TroubleShooter MD US PrintAdvert.jpg
US print advert
TroubleShooter MD US PrintAdvert.jpg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(RU)
50
[5]
(RU)
40
[6]
(DE)
67
[7]
(JP) NTSC-J
70
[8]
(FR)
50
[9]
(JP) NTSC-J
55
[10]
(IT)
85
[11]
(US) NTSC-U
100
[3]
(JP) NTSC-J
70
[12]
(FR) NTSC-U
78
[13]
(FR) NTSC-J
90
[14]
(UK) NTSC-U
61
[15]
(JP) NTSC-J
70
[16]
(UK)
81
[17]
(UK) NTSC
71
[18]
(DE)
68
[19]
(UK) NTSC-J
86
[20]
(UK) NTSC-U
73
[21]
(UK)
78
[22]
(RU)
76
[23]
(JP) NTSC-J
81
[24]
(RU) NTSC-U
66
[25]
Sega Mega Drive
71
Based on
22 reviews

Trouble Shooter

Mega Drive, JP
BattleMania MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
BattleMania MD JP CartTop.jpg
BattleMania MD JP Cart Back.jpgBattleMania MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Battlemania md jp manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
Troubleshooter md us cover.jpg
Cover
BattleMania MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
TroubleShooter MD US Manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

Main article: Trouble Shooter/Technical information.

References


Trouble Shooter

TroubleShooter MDTitleScreen.png

Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs


Sega Mega Drive
Prototypes: 1991-05-28 | 09-12



Trouble Shooter, Mania and Maria.png
Battle Mania games for Sega systems
Battle Mania/Trouble Shooter (1991/1992) | Battle Mania Daiginjou (1993)