Trouble Shooter
A self-parodying shooter with two female protagonists.
Trouble Shooter is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed and published by Vic Tokai for the Mega Drive/Genesis. Directed by Fujito "Takayan" Takada, the game is noted for its self-parodying theme across enemies, story, and dialogue. A sequel, Battle Mania Daiginjō, was released in Japan and Korea only.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Vic Tokai
- Director
- Fujito Takada
- Composer
- Hiroto Kanno
- Platforms
- Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
- Released
- November 1991 (NA); March 6, 1992 (JP)
- Genre
- Scrolling shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players control Madison, a combat operative assigned to rescue a kidnapped prince, accompanied by her partner Crystal. Crystal can flip firing positions to shoot behind Madison and is invulnerable to enemy fire. At the start of almost every stage, a special weapon is chosen that recharges after each use. Power-ups include speed-ups, life-ups, firepower, and speed-downs. The game has no lives system; players stock hit points via life-up icons and have three continues.
Development and release
Fujito "Takayan" Takada designed Trouble Shooter, based on a prototype arcade game made years earlier. He initially worked on every element alone due to Vic Tokai's reluctance, later taking a supervisory role as more staff joined. The concept for Battle Mania originated from a manga idea set between 1995 and 1997. A scene showing the protagonist stomping on a Super Famicom was added because Takada was annoyed by the budget disparity between Super Famicom and Genesis games. Sega later sent a fax to avoid disparaging other companies' characters; Takada speculated he got away with it because Sega disliked Nintendo. Crystal's weapon-explanation appearance was originally a man named Fugu, based on a character from the manga Trouble is My Business, but Sega's quality assurance team disliked him and he was cut. Inspirations included the book series "The Gaming Magi," 80s idol Noriko Sakai, and locations near Sega's headquarters. Development finished in 1990, but the game released in North America in November 1991 and in Japan on March 6, 1992.
Reception
Trouble Shooter earned a 22.92/30 in a Mega Drive Fan poll and an 8.1151/10 in a 1995 Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine readers' poll, placing 94th among Sega Mega Drive titles. GamePro's David Winstead highlighted its humorous story, anime-style visuals, soundscapes, and dynamic action. Mega Play's four reviewers noted the novelty of two female protagonists in a scrolling shooter, praising the fun gameplay, diverse power-ups, bosses, and music.
Legacy
Management initially showed no interest in a sequel, but market research indicated Trouble Shooter was popular, so Takada was allowed to make Battle Mania: Daiginjō. He had thrown away his design document and had to recall what he could. The sequel released only in Japan and Korea. Takada later pitched Battle Mania 3 NY: Gankutsujou for the Dreamcast, but the project was cancelled early as no publisher could be found.
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