DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou
Sixth chapter in Cave's bullet hell DonPachi series.
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is a 2012 vertically scrolling bullet hell arcade game released by Cave, and the sixth chapter in Cave's DonPachi series. It is notable for its complex scoring mechanics and extreme difficulty, particularly the true final boss Inbachi.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Cave
- exA-Arcadia (EXA Label)
- Live Wire (Switch)
- Series
- DonPachi
- Genre
- Bullet Hell
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Arcade
- exA-Arcadia
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox 360
- Director
- Tsuneki Ikeda, Hiroyuki Kimura
- Producer
- Tsuneki Ikeda
- Designer
- NAGI/S.E.C (character)
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Scoring in SaiDaiOuJou works much like DaiOuJou, but with a key change: when the chain meter runs out, the hit counter doesn't reset instantly. Instead, it drops by a quarter and then ticks down rapidly until you land another hit. You can keep the meter above zero by using your laser. Hypers are earned the same way as in Daioujou—by collecting bee medals and building big combos. They now have a maximum level of 10 and activate when the meter is full, similar to DoDonPachi Resurrection. You can fill the hyper meter faster by grabbing star-shaped point items, which appear when you defeat enemies or cancel bullets by destroying larger foes. Activating a hyper boosts your shot and laser power, but unlike in Resurrection, it does not cancel bullets. The original arcade version contains an overflow glitch: if the "get point" counter next to the chain meter exceeds 21,474,836, the score starts climbing at an unintended rapid rate. This glitch was removed in version 1.5. Unlike earlier DoDonPachi games, there is no second loop. The game has five stages, each with eight bee medals to collect and a boss at the end. After beating the stage 5 boss, Taisabachi (a giant mechanical bee), a tougher fight can appear if conditions are met. Collecting all bee medals in at least three stages and dying no more than once makes Hibachi appear. If you collect every bee medal, never die, and use no bombs, Hibachi is replaced by her evil alter ego, Inbachi, an even more difficult boss.
Plot
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou takes place in a separate branch of history from the rest of the DonPachi series, leaving behind all prior characters. Long ago, the Element Doll Electronics Laboratory worked on Project Haruuara, an effort to build the perfect Element Doll meant to aid humanity. The first two models were Extra Z-001 Hina and Extra Z-002 Saya. Raised as twin sisters, they were taught to value closeness with people, yet also trained to fight each other. Hina eventually concluded that the best way to solve humanity's problems was to wipe out humans, and she went rogue. The project was canceled, and both dolls were shut down. Just before the game starts, Hina received a mysterious message telling her to "save everybody," which reactivated her. She then destroyed the lab and her own sealed chamber, vanishing without a trace. Neither the Donpachi Corps nor Saya—who was later found alive among the few surviving Element Dolls—knew where she went. Now calling herself Hibachi, Hina took control of a vast weapons computer system inside the City of Ideal, a high-tech paradise where humans and nature coexist peacefully. Convinced that the only way to save people is to turn them into machines, she launched a war to forcibly convert all humans. In response, the remaining humans hastily revived the ancient Donpachi Corps to fight Hibachi's army of mechanized people. The new Donpachi's goal is to destroy Hina and her computer network. When the pilot confronts Hibachi in the final stage, her dying words reveal that she has come to understand that humans are the ideal form. A True Ending exists if the player chooses Saya as their Element Doll. After Hina is shot down in the first round, Saya tries to reason with her, but before they can reach each other, a virus corrupts Hina's body, transforming her into Inbachi. The pilot and Saya fight hard, defeating both Hibachi and Inbachi, and Hina returns to normal. In the ending, Hina lies damaged and dying in Saya's arms, with barely any power left. They share a final conversation in which Hina expresses deep regret for her actions and gratitude that Saya came for her. With her last words, Hina tells her sister she loves her, then dies as Saya cries out for her.
Development and release
The Xbox 360 version of DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou offers three distinct ways to play: the original arcade mode, which includes the well-known overflow glitch; version 1.5, a tweaked mode made in response to player feedback; and an Xbox 360 mode, similar to Cave's typical console arrange modes, with remixed music, extra voice acting, adjusted mechanics, and a single life and bomb meter instead of separate lives. At launch, three editions were sold: regular, limited (with an arranged soundtrack, steelbook, and small art book), and super limited (adding the standard soundtrack, a full-sized art book, and stickers). A region-free Japanese release came out on May 30, 2013. An enhanced definitive version, called DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou EXA Label in Japan and DoDonPachi True Death EXA Label internationally, hit the exA-Arcadia arcade platform in November 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou?
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou was developed by Cave, exA-Arcadia (EXA Label) and Live Wire (Switch).
What platforms is DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou available on?
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou was released for Arcade, exA-Arcadia, Nintendo Switch and Xbox 360.
Who directed DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou?
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou was directed by Tsuneki Ikeda and Hiroyuki Kimura.
Who designed DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou?
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou was designed by NAGI/S.E.C (character).
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