Game Tengoku
Advertising flyer
Developer(s)Jaleco
Publisher(s)Jaleco
Director(s)Masahiro Arai
Composer(s)Kazuo Sawa
SeriesGame Tengoku
Platform(s)Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch
Release
  • JP: November 1995
  • NA: 1995
Genre(s)Vertical-scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Game Tengoku: The Game Paradise![lower-alpha 1] is a 1995 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Jaleco. The game is a parody of arcade shooters in a vein similar to the Parodius series. It was followed up with a sequel, Gun Bare! Game Tengoku 2.

An updated port of the Sega Saturn version for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, titled Game Tengoku CruisnMix, was released on November 29, 2017.[1][2] The official English localization was released on November 29, 2018.[3] A port for Nintendo Switch was released in Japan on December 19, 2019.[4] It was released in North America and Europe on May 28, 2020.[5][6]

Gameplay

A screenshot from the arcade version, showing the player destroying waves of enemies.

Game Tengoku is a vertical-scrolling shooter similar to games like Parodius (1987).[7][8] Its plot involves a mad scientist named Genius Yamada harnessing the power of arcade cabinets to take over the Me & You video arcade.[9] The arcade's clerk, Yuki Ito, calls upon the help of various Jaleco protagonists to stop Yamada before he takes over all of the arcades in the world.[8][9]

The player controls one of these Jaleco characters throughout the game's six stages, as they must destroy moving formations of enemies and avoid collision with them and their projectiles.[7] These characters are pulled from five 1980s arcade games: Exerion (1983), Formation Z (1984), Momoko 120% (1986), Butasan (1987), and Plus Alpha (1989).[8] Each of them possesses their own unique weapon loadout themed to their original game; some feature a faster firing rate while others have more powerful projectiles.[9] Characters also have "superbombs" that clear the screen of enemies when deployed. Destroying red cubical enemies dispenses a power-up capsule that increases the strength of the player's weapons, as well as two small ships known as "options" that provide additional firepower.[8] Options take the form of one of the player characters and their weapons correspond to the character they are based on.[9] The Sega Saturn version features several additions to the game, including a character from Field Combat (1985), an "Arrange" mode that implements story-driven cutscenes, and a remixed soundtrack.[8][9]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Game Tengoku in their February 1, 1996 issue as being the sixteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ゲーム天国, Hepburn: Gēmu Tengoku, Game Heaven

References

  1. ↑ "Game Tengoku CruisnMix Official Website". Kadokawa Games, Ltd. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Game Paradise CruisinMix Official Website".
  3. ↑ "Game Tengoku's international release is live!". Steam Community. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "ゲーム天国 CruisinMix Special". Nintendo Japan. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special for Switch launches May 28". Gematsu. 14 May 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Game Tengoku CruisinMix Special". Nintendo Europe. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 McFerran, Damien (June 7, 2020). "Mini Review: Game Tengoku CruisinMix Special – Jaleco's Answer To Parodius Flies Again". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Tiraboschi, Federico (September 8, 2017). "Game Tengoku - The Game Paradise!". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Game Tengoku: The Game Paradise! Sega Saturn instruction manual (in Japanese). Jaleco. June 6, 1997.
  10. ↑ Coulson, Pete (October 14, 1997). "Saturn Power Import - The Game Paradise". No. 7. Future Publishing. Saturn Power. p. 82.
  11. ↑ "Sega Saturn Soft Review - ゲーム天国" (in Japanese). No. 19. SoftBank Group. Sega Saturn Magazine Japan. June 13, 1997. p. 163.
  12. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 511. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1996. p. 21.
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