Arcade Bullet Hell ‘Batsugun’ by Toaplan Coming in May
Update [Mon 6th Feb, 2023 10:00 GMT]: It’s happening – City Connection announced the launch of BATSUGUN Saturn Tribute Boosted for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Steam worldwide on May 25, 2023. (Thanks, Gematsu!) Last week, reports surfaced that the game had been rated in Korea.
The Saturn Tribute Boosted is reportedly a brand new series from City Connection that is a step up from the S-Tribute. The game is released on physical media, but so far only in Japan.
Here’s what Batsugun’s version of the Saturn Tribute Booster will bring in May, straight from official website of the game:
The Toaplan classic is back!
Batsugun is a vertically scrolling arcade shooter released in 1993 by Toaplan. The game attracted attention with a large number of bullets fired by both enemies and allies. This has led to many games adopting the same game type. Thus, Batsugun became the pioneer of the Bullet Hell genre. A “Special” version of the game was then released on home consoles. The special version offers new features with improved sound.Basic Rules
The player can choose between 3 types of aircraft. The goal is to destroy all approaching enemies with your shot and bombs. By doing so, you can collect bonuses and experience points. When the experience bar reaches a certain point, the player’s aircraft evolves and becomes more powerful. There is no difference between aircraft types in terms of performance, but aircraft change between player 1 and 2. Similarly, dialogue and endings change depending on the pilot you choose.
About the original version. mode
This is the original arcade version of the game. The game consists of five stages with one ending.About the Special Edition. mode
Special version. mode is a redesigned game mode. Improved balance and added various features. The game is repeated from stage 1 to stage 5 (14 stages in total).
Reinforced!
This title is the first release of the new “Saturn Tribute Boosted” brand, which is a port and reproduction of the previous “Saturn Tribute” series using the Zebra engine, but with more new features and additional elements. “Boost Up HUD” is a new user interface that displays the experience bar, current score (+ hidden bonuses) and the name of the background music being played. The game also features an online ranking mode, and the maximum score has been increased for more challenges.
You can read more about the game in our original article below…
Original article [Fri 3rd Feb, 2023 13:00 GMT]: Batsugun S-tribute was rating in Korea on the switch Gematsu reports. Potentially the next entry in City Connection’s S-Tribute series, it focuses on a range of arcade and Sega Saturn titles while improving them for modern audiences.
Batsugun is a 1993 game developed by Toaplan that was later ported to the Saturn in 1996 in Japan only. Batsugun may look like a typical Bullet Hell shooter, but the game features experience points that allow you to upgrade the main gun, and after two upgrades, you use the experience to get an additional supply of bombs. The game is also often referred to as the first “manic shooter” with its ridiculous bullet patterns and tricky enemy waves.
It was the last shooter created by Toaplan before the company filed for bankruptcy in 1994, and the developer is often considered one of the most influential in the genre. So the potential re-release of Batsugun is an important part of the story. A sequel was planned but never materialised, with many of the ideas implemented in Capcom and CAVE’s 2001 shooter. Progear.
The Batsugun S-Tribute has yet to be officially announced, but we expect to hear something soon. City Connection has been releasing S-Tribute games for several years, the most recent Puzzle Bobble 2X/BUST-A-MOVE 2 Arcade Edition and Puzzle Bobble 3/BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute launched just a few days ago. The S-Tribute series often adds a number of quality-of-life improvements, including improved handling.
Check out the gameplay of the original arcade version below!
Have you ever played batsugun? Would you be excited to see this on Switch? Let us know!
