Guwange
A 1999 shooter with shifting scroll and relentless coin chaining.
Guwange is a 1999 vertical shooter from Cave and Atlus. Its screen scrolls horizontally or diagonally, and its scoring relies on an unforgiving, continuous coin chain that persists across the entire game.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Cave
- Publisher
- Atlus (Arcade); Cave (Xbox 360)
- Designer
- Kenichi Takano; Junya Inoue
- Composer
- Masahiro Kusunoki
- Platforms
- Arcade
- i-mode
- Yahoo! Mobile
- Xbox 360
- Genre
- Manic shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Arcade system
- CAVE 68000
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Guwange incorporates scrolling that frequently shifts from vertical to horizontal or diagonal, depending on the protagonist's path to the demon leader. Each character possesses a limited bomb attack: an energy blast that can be aimed in any direction and dispels any bullets it touches. A separate special attack sends the shikigami into enemy territory; the shikigami can fire independently of the player's direction and bypass obstacles. If an enemy projectile touches the shikigami, it turns pink and slows drastically; if it passes beyond the shikigami, it resumes its original color and speed. Bullets caught in an explosion are cancelled and become coins. Scoring relies almost entirely on uninterrupted coin collection. A countdown timer in the upper-left corner must be replenished by damaging or destroying enemies; when the timer empties, the coin count resets to zero. The player can maintain a coin chain across the entire game rather than per stage, making the scoring system highly unforgiving. Bosses include Fujimura Shizuhiko, a stage 1 boss who is actually a man named Fujihara Motohiko bearing the wood talisman; Madaramukade, the fire talisman bearer; Nekogumo, a cat-spider hybrid with the earth talisman; and Kemonoyajiro, a shrine possessed by a man-eating demon powered by the metal talisman.
Plot
The story takes place during Japan's Muromachi period, when many people become possessed by shikigami. These spirits grant great power but cause the host to die exactly one year after possession. A legend tells of Guwange, a malevolent god trapped in Mt. Gokumon (Hell Gate): if a possessed person gathers talismans of the five Chinese elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, water—from five demons serving Guwange, then infiltrates Gokumon and slays Guwange, the shikigami will be destroyed and the host will survive. Three characters pursue this goal. Shishin, age 35, carries the shikigami Rikiou (over 500 years old) and attacks with kunai. He has lived beyond a year because Rikiou keeps him alive as long as Shishin kills humans for the spirit to devour. Shishin never speaks and wears an oni mask, leading commoners to believe he is an ogre. After a vision of a goddess, he learns that destroying Guwange will free him from Rikiou and restore his lost daughter Mikoto. Kamono Gensuke, age 15, is possessed by the tengu Kirinmaru (over 300 years old). Gensuke trains as a pharmacist and is the son of an onmyouji; Kirinmaru holds a grudge against the elder Kamono. To channel the tengu's malice away from innocents, Gensuke works as a bounty hunter while seeking a cure. Hiiragi Kosame, age 17, is a miko from a demon-hunting family who attacks with bow and arrows. She is possessed by the kitsune Yatsuhisha (over 200 years old). Her father orders her to exorcise herself by destroying Guwange. Yatsuhisha, raised by a demon with little malice toward humans, regards Kosame as a close friend and intends to help her even if it means his own death. Each character has a unique introduction and ending.
Development
The blue label edition of Guwange was a prize for the three top players at a Cave tournament. At the December 2007 Cave fest, a special version with harder late-game stages was shown, and later released as an arcade cabinet. The game's original soundtrack came out as the Guwange/ESP Ra.De. original soundtrack album. In 2010, Cave put out the GUWANGE Arrange Album + Original Sound Track, which included both the original music and new arrangements by composers such as Michiru Yamane, Michiko Naruke, Masafumi Takada, Akari Kaida, and Yoshitaka Hirota.
Releases
The mobile version was split into two games: an I-mode version for FOMA 900 and 901 series, and a Yahoo! Mobile version for SH53 and V601SH series. Guwange DX merged these into a single mobile game with enhanced graphics. Developed by 5pb. Inc, a worldwide Xbox Live Arcade release in November 2010 included the original game and two new modes: Blue (from the Cave fest release) and Arrange 360. In Xbox 360 mode, the player fires automatically and controls the shikigami independently with the R trigger. DLC included two premium themes and two icon packs, each released on July 28, 2011.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Guwange?
Guwange was designed by Kenichi Takano and Junya Inoue.
Who composed the music for Guwange?
The music for Guwange was composed by Masahiro Kusunoki.
More in Atlus Games of the 1990s
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