DonPachi

This article is about the arcade game. For the Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo character, see Don Patch.
DonPachi

Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Cave
Falcom (SS)
Publisher(s)
  • JP: SPS (PS)
Series DonPachi
Platform(s) Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation Network
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Shoot 'em up / Manic shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system CAVE 68000
Display Raster, 240 x 320 pixels (Vertical), 2048 colors

DonPachi (首領蜂 DonPachi, A play on the words "Leader Bee" and "Gunfire") is a vertically scrolling manic shooter video game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1995. It was the first game developed by Cave, and the second on Cave's first generation arcade hardware (the first being Power Instinct 2). Literally translated, the title means "leader bee", but it is also a Japanese onomatopoeic expression associated with the sound of firing guns. It is one of the first manic shooters. This game received a sequel in the form of DoDonPachi.

Gameplay

Scoring system

DonPachi features a scoring system known as Get Point System (GPS). By destroying large groups or chains of enemies in a short period of time, you can build up a number called a combo, similar to the kind found in fighting games. You receive an increasing number of points with every enemy you shoot down; the more enemies you hit in one chain, the more points you receive. You can break the chain by waiting to shoot an enemy; the combo number will turn blue when your chain is broken. This system brings a new challenge after the player has cleared the game; plot out the stages to achieve a high score.

After completing an area, player gains following scores based on performance in the completed area:

If 2nd loop is completed with 1 credit, player gets 1 million points for each reserved fighter.

Fighters

The player can choose one of three aircraft at the start of the game, or upon continuing:

Weapons
On the red fighter, the shots circle around of the craft firing forward, combining their firepower with the fighter's main guns.
On the green helicopter, the shots (which, like the helicopter, use blades to hover) are positioned directly to the left and right, and can turn in the direction that the player moves to provide sweeping fire.
On the blue fighter, the shots are near the rear, and angled outward, providing three-way widespread fire.

The player's available bomb stock depends on number of bomb slots the player possesses; a player starts with 3. Between stages (or if the player continues), all the slots are filled. The player can gain slots by using 3 bombs, for maximum of 7 slots; when the player loses a life, the next non-continued life starts with 3 of those. Continuing does not change the existing bomb slot count.

Areas

The game has 5 areas, which can be "looped" if the player succeeds in completing them. The second loop has the same areas, enemy patterns, and bosses as the first loop, but enemies fire denser bullet patterns as well as explode into bullets when destroyed (sometimes called 'suicide bullets' or 'ricochet effect'). However, if enemies are destroyed with the player's ship nearby, such bullets disappear. Destroying the final boss in the second loop unlocks a secret area where you fight the trademark boss of the series, the giant mechanical bee Hachi (蜂; 'bee').

After completing the first loop, the storyline reveals that the commander tells the pilot to continue the missions of fighting against the fellow troop members until one side is completely destroyed, with the game's second loop beginning 7 years later. After defeating Hachi, the story reveals the commander's 'mission' was to turn the existing army into a race of super soldiers. However, since the missions are aerial attacks, many soldiers have taken battles into air and performed the ultimate sacrifices. It was the many lives that have lost in the process that made the mission a success. As a result, a new elite combat force called 'DonPachi' was formed.

Collectible items

There are three types of power-up items in the game, identified by different letters:

In addition, there are also special items that give you points upon collecting them:

Plot

DonPachi arcade PCB

The game's premises differ somewhat by most of its brethren: the player assumes the role of a pilot whose mission is to actually survive an eight years long training mission, where he/she is supposed to prove his/her worth as a fighter and gain entry to the future elite squadron known as the DonPachi Squadron - which is featured prominently throughout the entire series. The twist lies in the fact that the enemies are, in truth, the player's very own comrades, posing as enemies and sacrificing their lives for the sake of allowing only the most skilled pilots to pass the test, and survive.

The player flies their selected fighter over 5 areas of various terrain, encountering a number of land, sea and air enemies. The player's ship has two modes of fire: by tapping the fire button, shots are fired; holding it down produces a concentrated vertical beam, but also reduces the ship's speed.

References

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