Batsugun

From Sega Retro

n/a

Batsugun title.png

Batsugun
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Banpresto
Developer:
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Toaplan
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (33 tracks)
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP
¥5,8005,800 T-20605G

Batsugun (バツグン) is a "bullet hell" shooter developed by Toaplan and Gazelle. After a 1993 arcade release, it was ported to the Sega Saturn and released exclusively in Japan in 1996. The game is considered the pioneer of the bullet hell genre; its designers would move on to form Cave, one of the leading developers in the genre. This port was released as the first of Toaplan legendary series, but this series was never released later.

Gameplay

A is the standard shot, B is for bombs and C is for autofire. There are five stages. The Saturn port adds the ability to play in a horizontal screen orientation.

You can choose one of three pilots; each pilot has a ship with a different attack range/frequency. Each ship has three forms, based on the experience points collected.You power up gradually by collecting P icons and by destroying enemies which grant experience points, an unusual design for a shooting game; dying takes away a certain amount of power but gives you a free P icon. After fully powering up, gathering further experience points adds bombs and restores the ship's hitpoints (Special version only)

Extra features

The Saturn port includes the rare "Special" version of the game, which features modified bombs (covering a larger area), smaller hitboxes for the player ships, allows the player to take an additional hit before being destroyed and loops after clearing the last stage, each loop becoming increasingly difficult. Other extra features are the inclusion of both the original and a rearranged soundtrack.

Tips and tricks

  • Credit increase: Credit increase up to a nine.
In gameplay, pause game and ABABXAB.

Trivia

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Trivia sections are bad
Try and incorporate this information into the main article. See the manual of style to find out why.
  • The Saturn port runs with much less slowdown than the Arcade version, making it more difficult.
  • The character Iceman is said to be based on the game's designer Joker JUN.
  • The game features many hidden score opportunities, which are sometimes so obscure that they can't be fully understood without external documentation, e.g. when certain parts of the stage 4 boss, Battleship Jupiter, are destroyed, it starts releasing tanks. When there are enough tanks onscreen, they turn red. Destroying these red tanks with a bomb yields a very high score bonus. More scoring opportunities have been added for the special version.

Production credits

Original Staff
  • Programming: Tsuneki Ikeda, Seiji Iwakura, Satoshi Kohyama
  • Graphic Design: Yuko Tataka, Takeshi Kawamoto, Junya Inoue
  • Music Composer: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Segasaturn Staff
  • Programming: Yoshihiro Matsumoto
  • Special Ver. Support: Hideyuki Murata
  • Music Arranger: Shingo Hirate
  • Package Design: Kenji Teraoka
  • Planner: Koji Ishitani
  • Director: Hiroyuki Fujimoto

Thank You For Your Playing
Presented by: Toaplan

© Toaplan 1993
© Banpresto 1996
Reprogrammed Game © Gazelle
Source:
In-game credits
Batsugun Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
[1]

Track list

1. [data track]  
2. Banpresto: Toaplan Legendary Series (00:10) 
3. Heart Beat (01:32) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
4. Skim The Surface Of The Sea (01:22) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
5. Bomber Dance (01:39) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
6. Complimentary Ticket (03:42) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
7. Geo Frontier (04:02) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
8. Dark Echo (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
9. King Bird (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
10. Psycho Paranoia (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
11. Premonition (02:19) 
Japan 予感
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
12. Final Attack (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
13. Shooting Star (00:39) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
14. Stage Clear (00:10) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
15. Hymnody Of Soldiers (01:02) 
Japan 戦士達の賛美歌
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
16. Game Over (00:06) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
17. Name Entry (00:29) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
18. Blue Illumination (01:23) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
19. Heart Beat (Arrange) (01:32) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
20. Skim The Surface Of The Sea (Arrange) (01:22) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
21. Bomber Dance (Arrange) (01:39) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
22. Complimentary Ticket (Arrange) (04:02) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
23. Geo Frontier (Arrange) (04:02) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
24. Dark Echo (Arrange) (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
25. King Bird (Arrange) (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
26. Psycho Paranoia (Arrange) (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
27. Premonition (Arrange) (02:19) 
Japan 予感 (Arrange)
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
28. Final Attack (Arrange) (02:19) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
29. Shooting Star (Arrange) (00:39) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
30. Stage Clear (Arrange) (00:11) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
31. Hymnody Of Soldiers (Arrange) (02:05) 
Japan 戦士達の賛美歌 (Arrange)
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
32. Game Over (Arrange) (00:07) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
33. Name Entry (Arrange) (00:29) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
34. Blue Illumination (Arrange) (01:24) 
Composed by: Yoshitatsu Sakai
Arranged by: Shingo Hirate
Running time: 56:58

Magazine articles

Main article: Batsugun/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1996-18: "1996-18 (1996-10-25)" (1996-10-11)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
70 №40, p85[2]
63 №411, p32
50
73 №1996-19, p229[3]
85 №, p10[4]
Sega Saturn
68
Based on
5 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Edge (UK) NTSC-J
70
[2]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
63
[5]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
80
[6]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
50
[7]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
68
[8]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
67
[9]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
73
[10]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
85
[4]
Sega Saturn
69
Based on
8 reviews

Batsugun

Saturn, JP
Batsugun Saturn JP Box Back.jpgBatsugun Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
Batsugun Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
Batsugun Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc
BatsugunSaturnJPManual.pdf
Manual
BatsugunSaturnJPCSC.pdf
Reg Card

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Saturn
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
615,417,264 1996-09-12 CD-ROM(JP) T-20605G V1.001

References