BATSUGUN
Developed by Toaplan
Arcade 1993 *version reviewed*
Saturn 1996
HISTORY
In 1993 shooting games were just coming out of the heady afterglow of their golden era, and the legendary company Toaplan was to release their final game. This past luminary of the shooter world had released such previous gems like Fire Shark, Truxton(Tatsujin) 1&2, Dogyuun, Zero Wing, Outzone and others. Their masterpiece and final title was Batsugun.
Batsugun is considered by most to be the father of the manic shmup, for it introduced elements that have become common staple to any modern shooter. There are suicide bullets, incredible firepower and a small hit box to name a few, however it was the feel of Batsuguns gameplay that seemed so fresh.
Toaplan also released a year later a revised special version of Batsugun that is more manic than the original, with a whole host of extra features, inc extra game loops, more intricate scoring/experience mechanism, a one hit force field, more powerful bombs and an arranged soundtrack. A particular delight is the fact that the release of Batsugun on the Sega Saturn, in 1996 contains both versions of the game.
Testament to the talent behind Batsugun comes from the fact that lead programmer Tsuneki Ineda went on to work, after Toaplan closed it’s doors, with the then fledgling developer Cave, who have had also successfully used Batsuguns illustrator Junya Inoue (Joker Jun) to produce such classic titles as the Dodonpachi series, Esprade, Progear and Guwange.
GRAPHICS
Batsuguns graphical style and design were outstanding at the time and still hold a candle to today’s more powerful hardware. This is down to Joker Juns character artwork and the varied looking enemy craft. The backgrounds are as vibrant as they are lovingly detailed.
Toaplan certainly reached their peak, graphically, with Batsugun, creating one of the most hateful bosses that have been encountered. The level 4 boss, the giant air fortress “Jupiter!” Relentlessly deadly, but tamed by extremely skilled players who can effortlessly milk it for points.
MUSIC
The music from Toaplan games is generally regarded to be some of the best in the genre (along with Zuntana) with Truxton 2 being a particular highlight. Batsuguns musical composer Yoshitatsu Saki delivered a cheesy synth pop affair that is at once catchy, memorable and extremely satisfying. Particular highlights include the level 5 theme “Geo Frontia” a slow airy number that is somewhat at complete odds with the on screen carnage and “Shooting Star” a light smile inducing number that prepares you for action.
GAMEPLAY/MECHANICS
Batsugun was released before there were such mechanisms as chaining etc; however it does feature an experience point, level up system. Collecting the 
and 
icons increase your experience bar at the bottom of the screen. Each level increase will alter the appearance of your ship (of which there are 3 to choose from) and heighten your firepower quite substantially. After having reached your maximum experience level (3), additional experience points will go towards earning more bombs, with your maximum yield being 5.
Each ship also has two different rates of fire, which produce different results. This is dependant on the player tapping or holding the fire button down. For a more detailed account of the various strategies involved within Batsugun the shmups.com forum member Randomrama has an excellently written and detailed account that can be found here.
Gameplay in Batsugun is fast and visually loud. The firepower that some of the ships wield can take up a great portion of the playing field. This had led some to complain that this obscures the view of the enemy bullets, which can result in premature death, and this to an extent can be true. However the feeling of exhilaration as you unleash an unholy amount of firepower upon an enemy craft is truly satisfying.
It would indeed be a hardhearted player who would not smile ear to ear as they reach max power on the type (A) ship for the first time.
CONCLUSION
A stunning swan song from a legendary company. With Toaplans final game the company saw fit to release not only their best shooter to date, but also a title that spawned a whole new sub genre of shooting game. The fact that many fans feel that Caves first game Donpachi (1995) should perhaps have been named Batsugun II truly makes Batsugun the seminal manic shooter.
9/10
Various screenshots
Saturn box art Overkill? Moi?
Original Soundtrack front and back covers.
