| Twinkle Star Sprites | |
| Developer: | ADK |
| Publisher: | SNK ADK (Neo Geo CD, Saturn) |
| Producer: | Kazuo Arai |
| Designer: | Yoshiyasu Matsushita |
| Programmer: | Shōji Aomatsu |
| Artist: | Mimoli Fujinomiya |
| Composer: | Hideki Yamamoto Hiroaki Kujirai Hiroaki Shimizu |
| Series: | Twinkle Star Sprites |
| Platforms: | Arcade, Dreamcast, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Saturn |
| Genre: | Scrolling shooter |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade System: | Neo Geo MVS |
is a competitive vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game created by ADK and published by SNK in 1996. It was ADK's last production for the Neo Geo. Two players are each in separate, side-by-side, vertically scrolling levels. Combinations of shots and timed power-ups damage the other player. These attacks also serve as counters to the opponent's attack.
There are two types of standard attacks: a normal shot and a charge-up shot. Each character starts with two bombs, which clean the screen while briefly granting the player invincibility. The two players' playfields are separated by a vertical bar; each playfield is independent of the other. Series of enemies arrive from the top of the screen. The player must destroy them in chains (combos), which will send one or more fireball projectiles the opponent's screen (Normal Attack). Shooting a Normal Attack several times reflects it back as a glowing Reverse Attack. If Reverse Attacks are reflected again, a number of powerful counterattacks in the shape of one or more indestructible enemies appear (Extra Attack). Reflecting many Reverse Attacks at once can instead summon a boss (Boss Attack).
Twinkle Star Sprites was developed by ADK.[1] [2] [3] [4]
While Twinkle Star Sprites was initially published as an arcade game by SNK for the Neo Geo platform, SNK later ported it to the Neo-Geo AES home console on January 31, 1997, and the Neo-Geo CD on February 21, 1997. On December 7, 1997, ADK developed and published an updated version of it to the Sega Saturn, featuring an anime-style intro, tweaked gameplay, a new character and a bonus 'Fan Disc' full of extra materials. After SNK ended up buying ADK's intellectual properties, SNK released another enhanced version of Twinkle Star Sprites for the Sega Dreamcast on March 23, 2000. To pay tribute to ADK, SNK included the Neo-Geo version along with four of ADK's other notable Neo-Geo titles in the compilation ADK Damashii, which was released for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan on December 8, 2008. Twinkle Star Sprites later became available on the subscription service GameTap. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console for Japan on August 9, 2011.[5]
A port developed by DotEmu for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and asm.js was released as part of the Humble NEOGEO 25th Anniversary Bundle on December 8, 2015.[6] It was released on Steam on May 26, 2016;[7] and on GOG.com on May 30, 2017.[8]
Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game on February 21, 1997.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Twinkle Star Sprites on their January 1, 1997 issue as being the fourteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[9] The game received generally mixed reception from critics since its release in arcades and other platforms. However, fan reception was positive; Readers of the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine voted to give the Saturn port a 8.85 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 118 spot, indicating a large popular following.[10] Readers of the Japanese Dreamcast Magazine also voted to give the Dreamcast port a 7.58 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 307 spot, indicating a popular following as well.[11]
Both AllGames Kyle Knight praised the audiovisual presentation and frantic gameplay, stating that Twinkle Star Sprites is "a refreshingly innovative title that manages to pull its seemingly incompatible elements together brilliantly." However, Knight criticized the amount of slowdown when too many objects are present on-screen. Consoles Plus François Garnier also praised the presentation, visuals, animations, audio, longevity and playability. IGNs Colin Williamson reviewed the Dreamcast conversion, commending the addition of extra options in the release and multiplayer mode but criticized the low-resolution graphics and stated that playing single-player modes were not appealing in a long-term.
However, Joypads Grégoire Hellot reviewed the Sega Saturn version and gave the title an overall mixed outlook. In a similar manner, Video Games Ralph Karels also gave the Dreamcast port a mixed overview, commending the unconventional gameplay but criticized the audio and visuals when compared to other shoot 'em ups on the Dreamcast.
is a 2005 sequel to Twinkle Star Sprites originally created by SNK. At E3 2005, it was shown at the SNK Booth. It is an enhanced re-vamp of the Neo-Geo title featuring fully 3D environments and a host of new characters. Clearing the game opens up a perfectly emulated version of the original Neo-Geo title. There was a possibility that it would be released in North America, but after some consideration, at E3 2006, Ben Herman, president of SNK Playmore USA, stated that the game will not be published in North America http://360.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=7430&pg=4&comments=&preview= The decision was that it will not be marketable for the North American audience. The sequel was released exclusively in Japan for the PlayStation 2 on July 28, 2005, and was re-released for the same platform on November 22, 2006, with the green-label 'SNK Best Collection' added to the front cover. Content remains the same as the original print.