DoDonPachi Resurrection

DoDonPachi Resurrection, known in Japan as DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu (怒首領蜂 大復活, Angry Leader Bee Great Resurrection), is the fifth arcade game in Cave's DonPachi series. The game was unveiled at AOU2008 Amusement EXPO.[4]

DoDonPachi Resurrection
Developer(s)Cave
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Kouji Ogata
Composer(s)Manabu Namiki
Azusa Chiba
Yoshimi Kudo
SeriesDonPachi
Platform(s)Arcade, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Release
May 22, 2008
  • Arcade
    • JP: May 22, 2008
    Version 1.5
    • JP: June 24, 2008
    Xbox 360
    • JP: November 25, 2010
    • EU: November 4, 2011
    Black Label
    • JP: February 3, 2011
    iOS
    • WW: August 26, 2010
    Android
    • JP: October 2011
    • EU: October 2011
    Microsoft Windows
    Nintendo Switch
    • WW: November 25, 2021[3]
Genre(s)Bullet hell
Mode(s)
Arcade systemCAVE CV1000-D

Gameplay
Arcade version screenshot.

In addition to all 3 ships seen in the original Donpachi and Dodonpachi, there are 3 different ship styles to choose from to suit one's playstyle. Bomb style, recommended for beginners gives you a stock of 3 bombs that can be increased upon death, the MAXIMUM bonus upon obtaining bombs past your maximum capacity, an autobombing skill that deploys a weak bomb in case you get hit, and bomb powerups that increase your stock of bombs. To compensate, your firepower is somewhat small. Power style replaces bombs with a Normal/Boost system, where pressing a third button on the controller/joystick would change your style of firepower. Normal is the same amount of firepower as it is the Bomb style, but Boost doubles the firepower and gives you a larger laser. Strong style (Introduced in Black Label and Version 1.5) gives the player max firepower as well as bombs but makes the game slightly harder.

There are now 2 types of bee medals, which are still revealed with the laser like in previous games. Yellow bee medals give a large score bonus that increases the more you collect without losing a life. Green bee medals give a meager score bonus but massively increase the Hyper Gauge. Once revealed, the bee medals will alternate between yellow and green until the player collects them.

The hyper gauge is the primary method of scoring and has been changed from the previous game as well. Hypers are built up through large combos, attacking enemies at close range, and collecting green bee medals. However, there is only one hyper meter that when filled, the player can activate by pressing what would normally be the bomb button. In addition to increasing firepower even more, hypers can cancel bullets fired by enemies, with each bullet cancelled contributing to the combo gauge. This is integral to scoring, as point items would have their value multiplied by how many hits are on the combo gauge, and with enemies firing large streams of bullets at the player, the player can maximize combo scores by learning when to activate their hypers and where to activate them so the enemies don't get destroyed too quickly.

The game has a second "Ura" loop, which must be accessed by fulfilling 2 conditions: Collect all 45 bee medals in all 5 stages of the first loop, don't bomb more than twice (including autobombs), and if the player is playing using strong style, they cannot lose a ship more than once. There is also a secret Ura route in the game. By destroying the large silos near the beginning of stage 1, not only does it take you to an alternate pathway, but all midbosses are replaced with those from the first game.

Future releases of the game on consoles and PC have expanded and modified the original arcade release. Version 1.5 is a refined version of the original arcade release, with Novice difficulty being a version of the game for newcomers. Version 1.51 is similar, but with a rebalanced scoring system and bombs now being granted through green bees. Arrange A (or Ver L) uses the same hyper system as Dodonpachi Daioujou, with only one ship to pilot (the narrow shot ship from Daioujou, piloted by the element doll Leinyan) Black Label and Black Label novice add a new red gauge for scoring, much harder patterns, and a new final boss encountered at the end of the game if you fulfill certain conditions, Zatsuza. Arrange B on the PC release is a mode where you can play through singular stages with any ship you like, with altered bullet patterns for enemies and bosses. Arrange B on home consoles as well as Black Label Arrange on PC is a version of the game that uses the scoring mechanics of Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi of collecting score chips, mixed into the combo-stringing gameplay of the original. Smartphone mode, exclusive to the iOS and Andriod versions, includes a new Slaughter-Menace meter that would influence a point multiplier, a revamped hyper system where it increases power by spinning the ship with the touchscreen, and a new soundtrack. A Zatsuza practice mode exclusive to the Nintendo Switch release will allow players to challenge the boss with 3 lives and maximum bomb stock.

Plot

After the turmoil caused by the assault on Lunapolis which sparked the "Blissful Death Wars" (as depicted in the previous installment), peace seems to have been restored, with the legendary DonPachi Corps retreating to its HQ in a space-time fold. Six years later, anomalies are detected in the space-time fabric, yet tests reveal nothing out of order, with the portals regularly functioning for both teleportation and time travel; also, the leader of the DonPachi squadron Colonel Godwin Longhener (a descendant of the deranged Schwarlitz Longhener who once commanded the Donpachi Corps like he had) dismisses the matter due to the lack of actual danger.

Nevertheless, a technician delves deeper into the anomaly, discovering that something has infiltrated the HQ computer systems and is using the portals to send large quantities of materials and data to the past, spreading out like a virus and quickly evolving. In an ironic twist, the virus is discovered to be the program originally installed in the Element Dolls six years ago, now reaching beyond the DonPachi Corps programming and seeking to annihilate the human race in retaliation for their "enslavement" (after the war, they met a rather cruel demise at the hand of their own human creators) by waging war in the past rather than in the present: unsettled, the Colonel authorizes the last transport ship to time jump in order to fight back the invasion before future changes. However, he states: "Start over from the past... I never thought of that", echoing the ideas of mankind's imperfection which has always been a recurring theme in the series.

And once again, the three pilots jump back in time to 2008 and enter the fray, the transport ship being targeted as soon as it exits the portal: the Element Daughters, gigantic evolutions of the Dolls, are awaiting...

The bee is still humming.

Ending

After clearing the game's Ura loop, the entirety of the plot is revealed: one of the Dolls, EXY, interfaced with the enemy computer network at the end of DaiOuJou, managing to shut it down but succumbing to madness soon thereafter. Overwhelmed by the sea of new information, she turned against her human pilot, killing him and herself and becoming the parasitic virtual entity detected by DonPachi HQ; still following her original programming, she created the Element Daughters and the robotic army featured in the game in a desperate attempt to destroy the installation that would start the chain of events leading to the Blissful Death Wars - presumably, DonPachi Corps HQ itself at the time of the elite squadron's birth.

Exploiting their deranged plan for salvation, Colonel Godwin Longhener manipulated the Element Dolls/Daughters into destroying order and civilization, convinced of its intrinsic imperfection (much like his ancestor, Schwarlitz Longhener) and aiming towards rebuilding it according to his idea of flawlessness (an attempt already foiled centuries before by the first DonPachi Squadron). Said ambitions come to an abrupt halt with his death and the destruction of the ultimate fighting machine Hibachi.

As the pilot jumps back to the future, he comes to finally realize how, instead of preventing the bloody future depicted in the series, Next EXY actually triggered it: he/she is forced to watch, powerless, as Longhener is appointed as the commanding officer of the DonPachi Corps with the rank of General, the Daughters standing beside him - the date being just a few years before the start of the Blissful Death Wars. Realizing that everything had been for nothing, the pilot comes to the conclusion that perhaps the future cannot be changed.

The arrange modes have different endings after you defeat Hibachi. In Arrange A, Leinyan appears in front of EXY in her ending of Dodonpachi Daioujou, and manages to console her into giving up her plan, preventing the chain of events that would lead to this game. In Arrange B, the ending reveals that the mode was a simulation meant to train pilots in the Ketsui universe.

Development
Arcade Printed Circuit Board for DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu.

Music

DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Original Sound Track is a 23-track CD that includes music tracks and voice samples from the video game, and a bonus song called Image Song (Bonus Track). The soundtrack went on sale on January 26, 2009. DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label Original Sound Track was released on February 20, 2010. An arrange soundtrack was also released. This is the same as the CD included in the Version 1.5 Limited Edition and Resurrection Deluxe Edition Xbox 360 ports. The iOS exclusive soundtrack was also separately released on CD.

Releases

iOS/Android

An iOS version of the game was released on August 26, 2010 via the App Store. This is a port of DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Version 1.5. There are additions such as an iOS exclusive mode and the ability to play as Hibachi after certain conditions. In addition to the regular soundtrack, the iOS exclusive soundtrack is included. This version was ported to Android in 2011 for the G-Gee service and released internationally in 2012.

Xbox 360

Version 1.5 was also released for the Xbox 360 in Japan on November 25, 2010, in both standard and limited editions.[5] This port does not contain a choice between arcade and high-resolution graphics as per previous Xbox 360 Cave ports, it only includes the high-resolution graphics. The modes included are: Xbox 360 (Arcade), Novice, Arrange A (ver L), and Arrange B (ver B). Version 1.51 is available exclusively in the first-press versions as bonus DLC. Black Label (including a Black Label Novice mode, but NOT Black Label Arrange) is available as 1200 point DLC. The limited edition features a different cover and an arranged soundtrack CD. A Platinum Edition release has been confirmed for 2012. These releases are all region locked to Japan. This version was released in Europe as DoDonPachi Resurrection, see below.

Rising Star Games published Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Ver 1.5' in Europe and PAL territories in November 2011, under the title Dodonpachi Resurrection: Deluxe Edition. This includes Xbox 360 (Arcade), Novice, Arrange A (ver L), and Arrange B (ver B). Version 1.51 is available as 80 point DLC. Black Label (including a Black Label Novice mode, but NOT Black Label Arrange) is available as 800 point DLC. The game features the cover of the Limited Edition version of the Japanese Version 1.5 release and includes the arrange soundtrack CD that came with that version.

Black Label

The Black Label version was released for the Xbox 360 on February 3, 2011. The Xbox 360 version of Black Label also includes an Arrange Mode and featuring crossover content from Ketsui, including the ability to play as the TigerSchwert and to face down against a new far more powerful Evaccaneer DOOM (known as HIVAC in this game), as well as Zatsuza. A.I, one of the Element Daughters, is seen in promotional artwork posing like Alice from Ketsui. The content comes in two forms, the first is a downloadable version which can be used with 1.5's retail version not including the Ketsui content, the second is a standalone retail game which contains the Ketsui content. The soundtrack for the Ketsui game is an arranged version from Ketsui itself and those with the retail disc can customize the music in-game between 1.5, Black Label and Ketsui Arrange as they wish. The Black Label Xbox 360 disc contains Black Label, Black Label Novice and Black Label Arrange modes.

Microsoft Windows

The Microsoft Windows version was announced during the Cave Matsuri event on April 26, 2016, and released on Steam on October 14, 2016.[6] This version contains all previously available contents from the Xbox 360, including the Version 1.51 which was a paid DLC on its European release, and the Japan-only exclusive Black Label Arrange Mode, as well as a soundtrack.[7]

Nintendo Switch

A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 25, 2021, published by LiveWire.[8] Similarly to LiveWire's previous Switch ports of Mushihimesama and Espgaluda II, this version is based on the earlier Xbox 360 port. In this case both the base content from the Xbox 360 release as well as all the Black Label DLC are included. The game was made available in all regions.

Reception

References
  1. "Steam版『怒首領蜂大復活』配信日が決定！ リリース記念SALEも実施予定！！ | 株式会社ケイブ". Archived from the original on 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  2. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for PC launches October 14". 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  3. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for Switch launches November 25". Gematsu. November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. "DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu to be unveiled at AOU2008". 2 February 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. "Three Shmups Ready To Shoot-Up The Xbox 360". 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  6. (株)ケイブ [@cavegames] (30 September 2016). "発売日は10/14（金）に決定！ですよ！！！！ DoDonPachi Resurrection [Steam] 14 Oct,Release! ▼ Steam版『怒首領蜂大復活』配信日が決定！リリース記念SALEも実施予定！！…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. "DoDonPachi Resurrection on Steam". Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  8. "Mushihimesama now available for Switch; Espgaluda II and DoDonPachi Resurrection coming in 2021". Gematsu. June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  9. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for iOS (iPhone/iPad)". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  10. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for Xbox 360". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  11. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  12. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  13. "DoDonPachi Resurrection for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  14. Barnholt, Ray (August 4, 2010). "DoDonPachi Review for iPhone". 1UP.com. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  15. Brown, Mark (August 13, 2010). "DoDonPachi Resurrection Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  16. Parkin, Simon (November 11, 2011). "DoDonPachi Resurrection: Deluxe Edition Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  17. "Famitsu review scores". Nintendo Everything. November 16, 2010. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  18. Hatfield, Daemon (August 30, 2010). "Dodonpachi Resurrection Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  19. Christmas 2011, p.105
  20. "The Pocket Gamer Awards 2011: The Winners". Pocket Gamer. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
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