Truxton II

Last updated
Truxton II
Truxton II arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) Toaplan
Publisher(s) Toaplan
Artist(s) Naoki Ogiwara
Tomonobu Kagawa
Composer(s) Masahiro Yuge
Series Truxton
Platform(s) Arcade, FM Towns
Release
  • WW: June 1992 [1]
Genre(s) Vertically scrolling shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op

Truxton II [lower-alpha 1] is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe. [2] It is the sequel to Truxton , which was released earlier on arcades in 1988 and later ported to various platforms.

Contents

Taking place after the events of the original game, players assume the role of two fighter pilots taking control of the HyperFighter space fighter crafts in an effort to overthrow the returning Gidans alien race led by Dogurava and free the galaxy from enslavement. Initially launched for the arcades, Truxton II later received a conversion to the FM Towns by Ving and published exclusively in Japan in April 1993, featuring various changes compared with the original version.

Truxton II received positive reception from critics since its initial arcade launch and later on the FM Towns, garnering praise for the detailed presentation, graphics and sound design, though some criticized the length and noted it to be a standard shoot 'em up title. Nevertheless, it has since gained a cult following and as of 2019, the rights to the title are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

Gameplay

Arcade version screenshot ARC Truxton II (Tatsujin O).png
Arcade version screenshot

Truxton II is a science fiction-themed vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game that plays similarly like its predecessor, Truxton, where players assume the role of two pilots taking control of the HyperFighter space fighter crafts through six stages, each with a boss at the end, in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the returning Dogurava and his Gidan army as the main objective. [3] [4] [5] [6] Several changes were implemented in the sequel compared to its predecessor such as an autofire mechanism. [5]

There are three types of weapons in the game that can be acquired by destroying incoming carriers, ranging from red napalm bombs that act in a similar way to the red Bakuryu-housen-ka (Exploding Flower) shot from Robo Aleste , the blue homing laser from Truxton, and the wide-reaching salvos of green shots, which replace the red weapon from the original game and each weapon can be powered-up several times by collecting the respective color of each one. [3] [4] [5] [6] In addition, a set of two satellite "options" are activated after collecting any weapon type. There are only two types of collectible items; speed increasers for the ship and bombs capable of obliterating any enemy caught within their blast radius. [3] [4] [5] [6]

In some occasions, players can pick up a 1UP icon to increase their lives reserve. [4] [6] Similar to Dogyuun and Gun Frontier , the game hosts a number of hidden bonus secrets to be found, which is also crucial for reaching high scores to obtain extra lives. [5] The title uses a checkpoint system in which a downed single player will start off at the beginning of the checkpoint they managed to reach before dying. Getting hit by enemy fire or colliding against solid stage obstacles will result in losing a life, as well as a penalty of decreasing the ship's firepower and speed to its original state and once all lives are lost, the game is over unless the players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing. As with previous shoot 'em ups from Toaplan, the game loops back to the first stage after completing the last stage and each loop increases in difficulty. [5]

Synopsis

Truxton II takes place after the defeat of Dogurava and his Gidan army in the original game, where volcanic eruptions have been occurring on a planet for some time, which ultimately culminated in an explosion that revealed the returning Dogurava from his previous defeat and the resurrection of the Gidan army as a result. Under a short time period, the Gidans quickly dominated the galaxy, while few surviving refugees were able to escape from their grasp to deliver news about the current situation to the astroport. Two fighter pilots taking control of the HyperFighter space fighter crafts are dispatched to counterattack the invaders and overthrow their dominance in the galaxy. [6]

Development and release

Truxton II Arcade PCB Truxton2.jpg
Truxton II Arcade PCB

Truxton II marked the first time Toaplan made use of PCM for sound, although the company still made use of FM as well for the project. [7] [8] [9] [10] The soundtrack was composed by Masahiro Yuge and the team wanted to preserve Toaplan's musical style while challenging themselves with new ideas. [9] Due to memory constrains, Yuge only used PCM for drums, prompting him to focus on FM sound instead. [9] In 2020, former Taito designer Tomonobu Kagawa revealed on Twitter that he was involved during the game's development at Toaplan as graphic designer, as well as creating the HyperFighter ship. [11] Kagawa stated that he was one of the three graphic designers responsible for the pixel art, among them being Naoki Ogiwara as lead artist, who later worked on DoDonPachi at Cave. [12] [13]

Truxton II was released on arcades in 1992. [14] Prior to release, it was showcased to the public at events such as the 1992 AOU Show. [15] On September 18, an album was co-published exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon, featuring an arranged song composed by Yuge. [7] The title later received a faithful conversion to the FM Towns by Ving and was published exclusively in Japan in April 1993, but it features a cropped resolution and the parallax scrolling was removed. [5] [16] M2 included a new version of Truxton II as part of their M2 ShotTriggers publishing label. [17] [18] [19] [20] The game was announced for release on the Nintendo Switch. [21] In 2022, the original arcade version was included as part of the Sega Astro City Mini V, a vertically oriented variant of the Sega Astro City mini console. [22]

Reception and legacy

In Japan, Game Machine listed Truxton II on their August 1, 1992 issue as being the sixth most-popular arcade game at the time. [25] In the September 1992 issue of Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine, the game was ranked on the number five spot in popularity. [26]

Truxton II has been met with positive critical reception from reviewers since its initial release in arcades and later on the FM Towns. [27] Andreas Knauf of German magazine Video Games praised the elaborated and detailed presentation, regarding it to be better than Vimana , although Knauf criticized its length. [14] The four reviewers of GameFan praised the FM Towns port for the presentation, graphics and sound, regarding it to be better than the Sega Genesis version of Truxton but some ultimately noted it to be a standard shoot 'em up title. [24] Edge magazine gave the FM Towns port high praise as well but also slight criticism for the use of infinite continues. [23] [28] Damien McFerran of Retro Gamer regarded the FM Towns port as one of the system's "perfect three" games. [29] Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 gave a positive outlook to the game in a retrospective review, praising the detailed presentation and graphics. [5]

Truxton II has since gained a cult following, [5] being cited as an inspiration for Cho Ren Sha 68K , [30] while the rights to the game and many other IPs from Toaplan are now owned by Tatsujin, a company named after its predecessor's Japanese title that was founded in 2017 by Yuge, and is part of Embracer Group since 2022. [31] [32] [33]

A sequel to Truxton II, named Truxton Extreme, was announced by Tatsujin in 2023, as a PlayStation 5-exclusive title. [34]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as Tatsujin Oh (Japanese: 達人王(たつじんおう), Hepburn: Tatsujin Ō, lit. "Expert King" or "Master King") in Japan.

Related Research Articles

<i>Zero Wing</i> 1989 arcade video game

Zero Wing is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Trent in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien cyborg CATS. It was the eighth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their fourteenth video game overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toaplan</span> Japanese video game developer 1979-1994

Toaplan Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo responsible for the creation of a wide array of scrolling shooters and other arcade video games. The company was founded in 1979 but its gaming division was established in 1984 by former Orca and Crux employees, who wanted to make games, after both companies declared bankruptcy. Their first shoot 'em up game, Tiger-Heli (1985) on arcades, was a success and helped establish Toaplan as a leading producer of shooting games throughout the 1980s and 1990s that would continue to characterize their output.

<i>Tiger-Heli</i> 1985 video game

Tiger-Heli is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall.

<i>Twin Cobra</i> 1987 video game

Twin Cobra, known as Kyukyoku Tiger in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game Tiger-Heli. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions.

<i>Out Zone</i> 1990 video game

Out Zone is a run and gun arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo, North America by Romstar and Europe in August 1990. Set in a future where an alien race from the fictional planet Owagira are threatening to wipe out humanity after multiple failed attempts to defend Earth against their attacks, players assume the role of cyborg mercenaries recruited by the United Nations in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the invaders.

<i>Flying Shark</i> 1987 video game

Flying Shark, known as Sky Shark in North America, is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in 1987 by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear a portion of the screen of bullets and damage enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall.

<i>Truxton</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Truxton is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as in North America by Midway. Set in a future where the Gidans alien race led by Dogurava invaded the fictional planet Borogo, players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders.

<i>Demons World</i> 1989 Video game

Demon's World is a 1989 run and gun arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Catalina Games. In the game, players assume the role of two ghost hunters to fight against several ghosts and monsters that were unleashed upon Earth by the titular demon king. Initially launched for the arcades, the title was then ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² by NEC Avenue and published exclusively in Japan on 26 February 1993, featuring various additions and changes compared with the original release.

<i>Teki Paki</i> 1991 video game

Teki Paki is a 1991 puzzle arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo, Hong Kong by Honest Trading Co. and Taiwan by Spacy Co. Ltd.

<i>Hellfire</i> (video game) 1989 video game

Hellfire is a 1989 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by U.S.A. Games. The first horizontal shoot 'em up title to be created by Toaplan, the game takes place in the year 2998 where a space matter known as Black Nebula created by robot dictator Super Mech spreads and threatens to engulf human-controlled galaxies, as players assume the role of Space Federation member Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's titular weapon.

<i>Slap Fight</i> 1986 video game

Slap Fight is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Theron in the future, where an alien race led by Gaudy have invaded the human-controlled location, players assume the role of an Allied League of Cosmic Nations (ALCON) fighter pilot taking control of the SW475 space fighter craft in an effort to counterattack the invaders. Initially launched for the arcades, the game was later ported to other microcomputer and console platforms by various third-party developers, with each one featuring several changes or additions compared to the original release.

<i>Fire Shark</i> 1989 video game

Fire Shark is a 1989 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe, and by Romstar in North America. It is the sequel to Flying Shark, a game released in 1987 on multiple platforms. Set in the year 1991, the game focuses on a mysterious armada launching a worldwide attack from a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Players take control of the titular biplane to counterattack the enemy forces.

<i>Grind Stormer</i> 1993 video game

Grind Stormer is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and North America. It is considered to be the spiritual successor to Slap Fight. Based around a video game within a video game concept, players assume the role of a young secret agent assigned by the government taking control of the NA-00 space fighter craft in an attempt to defeat the titular virtual reality simulator, rescue the abducted players who lost against it and unveil its true purpose.

<i>Vimana</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Vimana is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Tecmo and Europe in June 1991. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date and for its unique combination of science fiction with brief Hindu references. In the game, players assume the role of the titular warriors taking control of powerful ancient space fighter crafts in order to reclaim their home planet by fighting against military machines gone wild. The title received positive reception from critics and reviewers alike after release in regards to the gameplay, but was considered a flop in arcades. As of 2019, its rights are owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Knuckle Bash</i> 1993 video game

Knuckle Bash is a 1993 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan, as well as North America and Europe by Atari Games. It is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date.

<i>Dogyuun</i> 1992 video game

Dogyuun is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan. Set on the colonized fictional planet of Dino in the future, where an alien race of metallic robots have invaded a police communication center and held its inhabitants as hostages, players assume the role of two fighter pilots taking control of the Sylfers bomber space fighter crafts in an revenge attempt to overthrow the invaders and free the surviving colonists after one of their comrades is killed by one of them during a reconnaissance assignment.

<i>Guardian</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Guardian is a 1986 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published in Japan by Taito and North America by Kitkorp. In the game, players assume the role of a robot fighting against a multitude of enemies and bosses across six locations on a futuristic science fiction setting. It is notable for marking the debut of Twin Cobra and Hellfire artist Kōetsu Iwabuchi in the video game industry, serving as its graphic designer.

<i>Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves</i> 1994 video game

Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves is a 1994 platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan under their Hanafram label. One of the last games to be created by Toaplan, it is the sequel to Snow Bros., which was released earlier in 1990 on multiple platforms. In the game, players assume the role of one of the playable characters to rescue a kidnapped princess from captivity.

<i>Enma Daiō</i> 1993 video game

Enma Daiō is a 1993 hybrid quiz/lie detector arcade video game developed by Toaplan and published exclusively in Japan by Taito. In the game, players answer a number of question. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

<i>Mahjong Sisters</i> 1986 video game

Mahjong Sisters is a 1986 eroge mahjong arcade video game developed and published exclusively in Japan by Toaplan. In the game, the players face off against a group of three sisters in a series of mahjong matches. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs.

References

  1. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). タイトー (Taito); 東亜プラン (Toa Plan) (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. pp. 44, 50. ISBN   978-4990251215.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ↑ Yanma (July 1992). "Super Soft Hot Information - Video Game: 達人王". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 234.
  3. 1 2 3 Truxton II arcade flyer (Toaplan, JP)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Uemura, Sly (July 1992). "New Game Wasshoi: 達人王". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 74. Shinseisha. pp. 132–133.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kalata, Kurt (3 November 2011). "Truxton II". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "達人王" (in Japanese). Shooting Star. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  7. 1 2 "PCCB-00094 | Tatsujin Ou". vgmdb.net. VGMdb. Archived from the original on 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2019-10-08. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-10-22 at the Wayback Machine ).
  8. ↑ "東亜プラン シューティングクロニクル". SweepRecord (in Japanese). SuperSweep. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2020-02-15. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2018-07-11 at the Wayback Machine ).
  9. 1 2 3 "東亜プラン シューティングクロニクル 特設ページ". SweepRecord (in Japanese). SuperSweep. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-15. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-10-02 at the Wayback Machine ).
  10. ↑ Kiyoshi, Tane; hally (VORC); Yūsaku, Yamamoto (3 February 2012). "東亜プラン特集 - 元・東亜プラン 開発者インタビュー: 弓削雅稔". Shooting Gameside (in Japanese). Vol. 4. Micro Magazine. pp. 41–48. ISBN   978-4896373844. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-09-06 at the Wayback Machine ).
  11. ↑ @kagap_t (28 October 2020). "初めましてGoldWingさん。東亜プランでは達人王のグラフィックを担当してました。ハイパーファイター号のデザインも私です。" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020– via Twitter.
  12. ↑ @kagap_t (28 October 2020). "DT7は達人王のグラフィックリーダーが関わっています。その人はその後ケイブで怒首領蜂とかの製作に関わりました。発売出来なくて残念なゲームです。" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ @kagap_t (28 October 2020). "正解です。荻原直樹は達人王チームの私の上司です。達人王は3人のグラフィッカーが参加しています。私はそのうちの一人です。翻訳の関係でちゃんと伝わってなかったらすみません。" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020– via Twitter.
  14. 1 2 Knauf, Andreas (October 1992). "Arcade-News - Panik im Weltraum". Video Games (in German). No. 11. Future-Verlag. pp. 144–145.
  15. ↑ Yanma (May 1992). "AOU'92 アミユース、メントエキスポ・レポート". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 119. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 209.
  16. ↑ Borrachero, David (August 2013). "Japon BITS: La historia del FM TOWNS - Los mejores juegos del FM TOWNS". RetroManiac Magazine (in Spanish). No. 8. RetroManiac. pp. 98–115.
  17. ↑ Romano, Sal (April 18, 2020). "Toaplan shoot 'em ups Twin Cobra, Truxton II, Flying Shark, and Out Zone coming to consoles - M2 porting the late 80s and early 90s titles". Gematsu. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  18. ↑ McFerran, Damien (April 18, 2020). "M2 Is Making A Stupidly Expensive Shooter More Affordable On Home Consoles - Along with some other amazing Toaplan titles". Nintendo Life . Nlife Media. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  19. ↑ Wong, Alistair (April 19, 2020). "Toaplan's Flying Shark, Twin Cobra, Truxton II, and Out Zone Coming to Modern Platforms". Siliconera . Curse LLC . Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  20. ↑ Moyse, Chris (April 20, 2020). "Out Zone, Twin Cobra, and other classic Toaplan shmups coming soon from M2 - Save your quarters". Destructoid . Enthusiast Gaming . Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  21. ↑ "Switchにくる! 東亜プランの4タイトル". Nintendo Dream (in Japanese). No. 315. Tokuma Shoten. July–August 2020.
  22. ↑ McFerran, Damien (December 17, 2021). "Sega's Astro City Mini Is Getting A 'TATE' Version Packed With Shmup Goodness". Nintendo Life . Nlife Media. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  23. 1 2 "Testscreen - Tatsujin 2 (FM Towns Marty)". Edge . No. 2. Future plc. November 1993. pp. 78–80.
  24. 1 2 Halverson, Dave; Sgt. Gamer; Stratton, Tom; Cockburn, Andrew (July 1993). "Viewpoint - Marty - Tatsujin". GameFan . Vol. 1, no. 8. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 11.
  25. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 431. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 August 1992. p. 25.
  26. ↑ Yanma (September 1992). "Super Soft Hot Information - Video Game: Hot 20". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 123. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 242.
  27. ↑ Löwenstein, Richard (October 1992). "Coin Op - Truxton II". Amiga Joker (in German). No. 36. Joker-Verlag. p. 123.
  28. ↑ Laurie, Malcolm. "Tatsujin 2 / Truxton 2". www.shmups.com. SHMUPS!. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  29. ↑ McFerran, Damien (February 2011). "Obscura Machina: Fujitsu FM Towns Marty". Retro Gamer . No. 86. Imagine Publishing. pp. 62–63.
  30. ↑ Yoshida, Koichi (12 September 2001). "超連射68K 開発後記". Yosshin's web page (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-13. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived 2019-07-02 at the Wayback Machine ).
  31. ↑ "ライセンス事業" (in Japanese). TATSUJIN Co., Ltd. 2019. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  32. ↑ Bravo, Roberto (12 September 2018). "Nueva compañía "Tatsujin" asegura tener gran parte de las IPs de la extinta Toaplan" (in Spanish). Gamercafe. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  33. ↑ "Joining the Embracer Group". TATSUJIN ビデオゲーム企画・開発・販売、東亜プランタイトルのライセンス管理 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  34. ↑ "Truxton Extreme announced for PS5". 14 September 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.