Batsugun

Flyer

**Batsugun** is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released in 1994 for Arcades. It was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1996 by Gazelle and Banpresto. This Saturn version was later ported to the Nintendo Switch, Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC through Steam by City Connection in May 2023 as part of their Saturn Tribute series. In 2024 it was released digitally for PC on the Steam and GOG storefronts by Bitwave games.

In order to incorporate the latest trends in vertical-scrolling shooters of the time, weapon selection by item was changed to aircraft selection before the game started, and pilot characters were also set. In addition, the attacks of both the player's and the enemy's aircraft became very flashy, foreshadowing the arrival of the bullet-hell shooting era a few years later.

## Story

The end of the distant universe...

There was a planet in that universe. And now, an unexpected revolution is about to take place within the Alliance. The Gladebaran Revolutionary Army, which rebels against the government, finally implements the Epsilon project. The Revolutionary Army conquered all government bases in just nine days. Revolutionary army that does not choose the means for the purpose. Ten million innocent lives have been lost by the devil's hand. A terrifying Gladebaran... However, there were no battleships or fighters left in the government army to stand up.

"Are we going to be killed like this..."

So when everyone was losing hope, the government was contacted. Coincidentally, the latest special fighter remains safely at a secret undersea base that has not been damaged by the Epsilon project. Therefore, the government was tasked with selecting Skull Hornet troops from the remaining troops and saving the world. However, this communication had already been tapped by the Revolutionary Army... Skull Hornet corps heading to the undersea secret base. The Gladebaran Revolutionary Army follows after that. The battle for the fate of the world was about to begin...

## Gameplay

In *Batsugun* players can choose between three types of ships, each with its own shot type and unique stats. Shots can be powered up with P-items and leveled up with experience. By destroying enemy planes, the experience gauge at the bottom of the screen increases. When the gauge reaches the maximum, the ship will transform with an effect, and the player's shots will be greatly enhanced. The player can level up to three levels. When the gauge reaches its maximum, a bomber item will appear.

By pressing the Bomber button at the same time when playing with two players at the same time, the player can fire a double bomber that triples the power and covers the entire screen.

## Batsugun Special Version

The main changes from the standard version are as follows

* Double Bomber can be used in single player mode.
* Hit detection has been reduced to one dot.
* When leveling up, a barrier will be added to protect the ships from enemy bullets once. An afterimage will remain when moving while the barrier is in place.
* A looping game of up to 4 stages, with each stage decreasing in number from the second round, so 5+4+3+2=14 stages in total.

## Characters and Ships

* Jeeno Limrustedt and Romu Schneider: Sky Mirage (Illusion of the Sky)
* Beltiana Divine and Alteeno Trudy: Dragon's Whisper (Dragon's Breath)
* Iceman and Olisis R. Gladebaran: Judgment Flasher (Judgment Flash)

## Stages and Bosses

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Videos

【English Sub】"BATSUGUN Saturn Tribute Boosted" Trailer
## External Links

* Official Saturn Tribute site
* Steam store page
* Bitwave Games