| Game Tengoku | |
| Developer: | Jaleco |
| Publisher: | Jaleco |
| Director: | Masahiro Arai |
| Composer: | Kazuo Sawa |
| Genre: | Vertical-scrolling shooter |
| Series: | Game Tengoku |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Platforms: | Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch |
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] and in North America and Europe on May 28, 2020.[5] [6]
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]
In Japan, Game Machine listed Game Tengoku in their February 1, 1996 issue as being the sixteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[10]