Shienryu
Encyclopedia
It is a PlayStation port of the original Shienryu. It adds following:
Some enemies drop stars when destroyed by high power shots, and sometimes the enemy bullets are turned into stars. A star's multiplier is between 1 to 256 when the star is collected, but the multiplier value decreases when the fighter fires more heavily. Only when the fighter fires weak or no shots that the star's multiplier is at 256.
Switching between games is achieved by pushing reset button.
Gamerankings rated Steel Dragon EX 36.50% based on 2 reviews.
- Pocket Mode: Presented in PocketStationPocketStationThe is a peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation home video game console. Categorized by Sony as a miniature personal digital assistant, the device features a monochrome liquid crystal display , infrared communication capability, a real-time clock, built-in flash memory, and...
graphics and effects (under the name JIENRYU), enemies appear as blocky heart-shaped craft and bullets are tiny gray blocks, all lacking graphical detail.
- Comical Mode: The same game, only there is no music and the sound effects are replaced by various laugh tracks and an audience applauses the player the higher their score gets.
- Stingy Mode: The same game, only the player has only one life, no continues and there are only two levels. Oddly enough, the original soundtrack is used in this mode only.
- No Mercy Mode: The same game, only extremely difficult.
- Slow Mode: The same game, only darker shading, an atmospheric/techno beat soundtrack and all sound effects are replaced by haunted-house type sounds. It's interesting to note that all enemies and the player's ship scream once destroyed. Despite the greatly slowed movements of all of the sprites onscreen, the game vastly increases the number of bullets put out by the enemy and this mode is, surprisingly, the most difficult setting in the game.
- Ancient Mode: The same game, only presented in a yellowed-with-age monochrome screen with cracks and lines in the screen as well as weakened sound effects and music to create an antiquated feel.
- Arcade mode now called Gekioh Mode.
Changes to arcade mode
- Gekioh Shooting King has a lower grade version of the original soundtrack resulting in weaker tunes and musical effects.
- Gekioh Shooting King lacks the transparency and depth effects the Saturn original had, particularly on the massive second level boss fight.
- Gekioh Shooting King disables save-game abilities particularly high scores and option changes, seeing how there is no option menu in GSK.
- The manual to Gekioh Shooting King disavows the original plot and pilot identification.
Fighters
- BD-21VM: high speed, low firepower.
- BD-22LV: medium speed, medium firepower.
- BD-23ML: slow speed, high firepower.
Pilots
There are 6 pilots in the game. Bomb type and weapon colour are changed depending on the pilot.- Passer
- Rosa
- Cornix
- Viola
- Laruc
- Lilia & Procyon
Weapon system
A fighter can fire strong but concentrated shots, or weak but widespread shots, depending on the button pressed. The fighter's shot strength changes depending on how heavily it is pressed, with 3 pre-defined shot strength settings available in the game. The fighter's moving speed decreases with increasing shot strength, and decreases otherwise.Stages
There are 8 stages in the game. In addition, there are 8 extra stages that can be unlocked when certain conditions are met. The game's ending is changed depending on pilot.Multiplier system
When an enemy is destroyed, its score is multiplied between 1 to 256, depending on the frequency the fighter was firing at the time of destruction.Some enemies drop stars when destroyed by high power shots, and sometimes the enemy bullets are turned into stars. A star's multiplier is between 1 to 256 when the star is collected, but the multiplier value decreases when the fighter fires more heavily. Only when the fighter fires weak or no shots that the star's multiplier is at 256.
Steel Dragon EX
It is a compilation that includes Shienryu (Steel Dragon) and Shienryu Explosion (Steel Dragon Evolution).Switching between games is achieved by pushing reset button.
Receptions
SHUMPS! rated the Shienryu Explosion 7.Gamerankings rated Steel Dragon EX 36.50% based on 2 reviews.
Trivia
- The four pilot's names all translate or refer to gender-specific animals that simultaneously refer to their personalities. The names of the led pilots Herrenlose Katze and Kluger Hund translate in German as 'Abandoned Cat' and 'Clever Dog' while the 2nd player navigator Chien de Chasse translates in French as 'Hunting Dog'. The 1st player navigator's name, Felis Catulus, refers to the commonly domesticated genus of cats known as Felis catus.
- Many of the developers responsible for Shienryu had worked previously - before joining with Warashi - on a game entitled DaiohDaiohDaioh is an arcade game developed by Athena Co. Ltd., and released in the US by Sammy in 1993. It is a conventional vertical-scrolling shooter, but with uniquely immense enemies and bosses.- Story :...
, hence the similarities of Daioh's ships, power-ups and innumerous boss designs.