Descpription:
Guwange is an arcade game developed by Cave in 1999. It
is a vertical scrolling shooter, taking place in ancient Japan.
The story of Guwange is set during the Muromachi period of Japan.
The player takes control of one of three characters, who must
battle various demons and soldiers through six levels.
Like all of Cave's manic arcade shooters, Guwange features some
interesting gameplay elements that distinguish it from the pack.
The core gameplay element is the Spirit, which is a weapon
above and beyond the standard forward attack.
The Spirit is an indestructible, remotely-guided familiar that
can be used to attack, defend against projectiles, and collect power-ups.
The Spirit attack is necessary to defeat enemies that are inaccessible
to standard weaponry, such as enemies locked below the
player or enemies atop buildings or cliffs. However, the catch is
that while the Spirit is deployed, speed and standard firepower
are reduced, leaving the player'scharacter vulnerable.
Uncommon for the genre is that the player's character is on foot
and that the playing field scrolls in all directions while the player
can only look upward. Though movement is fast and responsive,
physical barriers on the ground such as walls and bridges leave
regions of the screen inaccessible at times.
Guwange's visual style is very rich and smoothly animated. Its
subtleties require a high level of skill to master,
making Guwange a cult favorite for many hardcore gamers.
