Dangun Feveron
A disco-themed shooter where escaping enemies cost you points.
Dangun Feveron, or Fever SOS, is a 1998 vertical shooter from Cave and Nihon System. Players pilot a fighter through increasingly tough stages, with a scoring twist: points are deducted for each enemy that escapes the screen. Its disco style, funky soundtrack, and cheeky voice lines are its trademarks.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Cave
- Publisher
- Nihon System
- Producer
- Kenichi Takano
- Artist
- Hiroyuki Tanaka
- Platforms
- Arcade
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Released
- September 1998 (JP); 1998 (NA)
- Genre
- Vertical-scrolling shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Dangun Feveron is a vertical-scrolling shooter. Its plot involves an organization named the Great Gracce attempting to seize control of Earth; residents of the planet Fever deploy starfighters to stop them. Players select one of three starfighters, each with different shot types, speed, and power, and complete levels by destroying enemy formations while avoiding collisions. The game's disco presentation is tied to gameplay through cyborg soldiers—miniature people that increase the score multiplier when collected. A sassy-toned announcer accompanies these actions. The scoring system encourages destroying as many enemies as possible, as points are subtracted for any that leave the screen. Power-ups dropped by enemies enhance abilities, and bombs clear the screen. Levels introduce faster and tougher enemy types. A hidden time attack mode challenges players to score as many points as possible within three minutes.
Development and release
Dangun Feveron was created by Cave, the studio behind bullet-hell shooters like the DonPachi series. Producer Kenichi Takano, a Cave founder, worked on it at the same time as the vertical shooter ESP Ra.De. (1998). The game started as a more standard shooter, but after poor results in location tests, the team decided to give it a distinct look and feel. During brainstorming, a staff member proposed a disco theme. The game went through several overhauls, with the final version built around dodging very fast bullets. In one earlier draft, cyborg soldiers were the projectiles launched by the player's ship. Early working titles included Fever SOS and Baro Fever, and Fever SOS later became the game's international name. The soundtrack was originally heavy metal, but when the disco theme was adopted, a developer felt the music should match the fast pace. The score was quickly changed to disco-inspired tracks, though the boss battle music kept its heavy metal sound, and the overall style recalls artists like the Bee Gees. Dangun Feveron hit Japanese arcades in September 1998, published by Nihon System Inc. Unlike many Cave games, it stayed arcade-only for years. Cave considered an Xbox Live Arcade release if the digital version of Guwange did well. In 2016, M2, known for high-quality re-releases, brought Feveron to PlayStation 4 under its M2 ShotTriggers line. An international version with English text came out in 2018, along with an Xbox One port. Both added features like achievements and border graphics. The game later appeared on Antstream Arcade in December 2019, and Limited Run Games planned a physical PS4 edition.
Reception
Game Machine listed Dangun Feveron among Japan's most popular arcade games in November 1998. A reviewer for Game Criticism considered it a generic vertical shooter with unremarkable enemy designs and level layouts, feeling it was half-finished and lacking challenge. Takehiko Hara of ITmedia found the low difficulty made it more accessible to beginners, and noted its time attack mode as an unusual feature for arcade games. Retrospective reviews highlighted its absurdity and fast-paced action. A PC Zone writer called it a brilliant, over-the-top shooter, praising its comical nature and addictive gameplay. Famitsu reviewers of the PlayStation 4 version enjoyed its vibrant graphics and fast-paced gameplay; one praised the extra features for justifying the price, while another questioned its difficulty, stating it was likely only suitable for advanced players even at the lowest setting.
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