Twinbee
Encyclopedia
is a video game series composed primarily of cartoon-themed vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up games produced by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

 that were released primarily in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The series originated as a coin-operated video game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

 simply titled TwinBee
Twinbee
is a video game series composed primarily of cartoon-themed vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up games produced by Konami that were released primarily in Japan. The series originated as a coin-operated video game simply titled TwinBee in , which was followed by several home versions and sequels...

in , which was followed by several home versions and sequels. The character designs of almost every game in the series since Detana!! TwinBee in were provided by Japanese animator Shuzilow HA (Jujiro Hamakawa), who also planned and supervised most of the subsequent installments in the TwinBee series. The series also inspired a radio drama adaptation
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...

 that lasted three seasons in Japan, as well as an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 version.

Overview

The series centers around a blue bee-shaped anthropomorphic spacecraft named TwinBee, who is usually accompanied by a pink "female" counterpart known as WinBee. In most games, the first player controls TwinBee while WinBee is controlled by the second player. A third ship also exists named GwinBee, a green counterpart to TwinBee and WinBee who in most games serves as a power-up, but in some instances also appear as a third playable spacecraft. In contrast to the series sci-fi theme of Konami's Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...

series, the fictional universe of the TwinBee series is set in a cartoon-like world featuring several kinds of anthropomorphic creatures in addition to regular human characters. The player control their spacecraft in most games shooting or punching at airborne enemies while literally throwing bombs on ground ones similarly to Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...

's Xevious
Xevious
is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game by Namco, released in 1982. It was designed by Masanobu Endō. In the U.S., the game was manufactured and distributed by Atari. Xevious runs on Namco Galaga hardware. In Brazil the arcade cabinet was printed with the name 'COLUMBIA' for the game, while the...

. The main power-ups in the TwinBee are yellow bell
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...

s that the player can uncover by shooting at the floating clouds. The player must shoot these bells to keep them afloat and after shooting them a number of times, they will change colors, allowing the player to add new abilities to their spacecraft.

Despite being one of Konami's most prominent series in Japan during most of the 1990s, only a select few titles were localized for the foreign market. Particularly the second console game Moero! TwinBee (which was released in America under the changed title Stinger); the two Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...

 installments, Pop'n TwinBee
Pop'n Twinbee
Pop'n Twinbee is a top-view shoot-'em-up game originally released in by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan and Europe. It is the sixth game in the TwinBee and a direct follow-up to the arcade game Detana!! TwinBee...

and Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and TwinBee Da!! for Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...

, which was released in Europe as a standalone title with the name Pop'n TwinBee and later in compilations. The second arcade game, Detana!! TwinBee, also had a limited international release under the name of Bells & Whistles. The original arcade game was featured in the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

 compilation Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits
Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits
Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits, released as Konami Arcade Collection in Japan and Konami Arcade Classics in Europe and Oceania, is a collection of 15 classic arcade games by Konami for the Nintendo DS.-Lineup:...

under the name RainbowBell (the European compilation however, uses the original TwinBee name).

List of games

  • TwinBee
    Twinbee (video game)
    is a cartoon-themed vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game originally released by Konami as a coin-operated video game in in Japan. It was the very first game to run on Konami's Bubble System hardware. TwinBee was ported to the Family Computer and MSX in and has been included in numerous...

    (known as RainbowBell in North America), released March 5, 1985: An original arcade vertical shooter, TwinBee plays similar to Namco
    Namco
    is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...

    's Xevious
    Xevious
    is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game by Namco, released in 1982. It was designed by Masanobu Endō. In the U.S., the game was manufactured and distributed by Atari. Xevious runs on Namco Galaga hardware. In Brazil the arcade cabinet was printed with the name 'COLUMBIA' for the game, while the...

    . Players use TwinBee or WinBee in a short string of six levels that repeats indefinitely, with a boss at the end of each. A Family Computer
    Nintendo Entertainment System
    The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

     (Famicom) and a MSX
    MSX
    MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...

     version were made in 1986. The Famicom version was re-released for the Game Boy Advance
    Game Boy Advance
    The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

     under Nintendo
    Nintendo
    is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

    's Famicom Mini label in Japan only. It was released in North America as part of an arcade compilation for Nintendo DS
    Nintendo DS
    The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

     in March, 2007, where it was renamed RainbowBell; when the compilation was released in Europe, the TwinBee name was restored.
  • Moero! TwinBee: Cinnamon Hakushi wo Sukue!, released on November 21, 1986 and in 1987 in America as Stinger, this is the first game in the TwinBee series that was released in North America
    North America
    North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

    . Some enemy force kidnaps Dr. Cinnamon (creator of the TwinBee ships) and TwinBee, WinBee and GwinBee must rescue him. The Japanese version for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986, this game allowed up to three players simultaneously. Unlike its predecessor, Stinger has horizontal shooter levels (like Gradius
    Gradius
    The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...

    ) in addition to the vertical ones. Since the Disk System extension was not released in North America, the American version was released as a cartridge, however, it lost the three player mode (only allowing for up to two players), the story scenes were removed and the difficulty was altered. Moero! TwinBee was re-released in cartridge format in with a new easy mode added.
  • TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō
    TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō
    is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up video game produced by Konami originally released for the Family Computer in . It was the third game in the TwinBee series released for the Famicom, following the home version of the original TwinBee and the Famicom-exclusive Moero TwinBee...

    released on September 29, 1989. This is the last game in the
    TwinBee
    Twinbee
    is a video game series composed primarily of cartoon-themed vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up games produced by Konami that were released primarily in Japan. The series originated as a coin-operated video game simply titled TwinBee in , which was followed by several home versions and sequels...

    series for the Famicom to be released and the third game in the series. It ditches Stinger's horizontal levels, which makes this more in line to the first title.
  • TwinBee Da!!, first released on October 12, 1990 and in fall 1994 in Europe: A sequel to the original TwinBee for the Game Boy
    Game Boy line
    The line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....

    . In Europe it is known as
    Pop'n TwinBee.
  • Detana!! TwinBee (also known as Bells & Whistles outside Japan), first released on February 21, 1991: An arcade release, also ported to PC Engine
    TurboGrafx-16
    TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....

     (which was ported to Virtual Console
    Virtual console
    A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...

    ), Sharp X68000
    Sharp X68000
    The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...

    , PlayStation
    PlayStation
    The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...

     and Sega Saturn
    Sega Saturn
    The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...

     (the latter two bundled with
    TwinBee Yahho!) It has no relation from the original and Famicom games. While not too different, gameplay wise, from its predecessors, Detana! improves vastly on graphics and audio. It also introduces the current character cast, like TwinBee's and WinBee's characters (Light and Pastel, respectively) and other characters that will remain in the subsequent games. It was the most popular game in the series in Japan, and paved the way for some merchandise products (including audio dramas and an Original Video Animation
    Original video animation
    , abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

    ). This also introduced cutscenes that played between stages, which usually showed Pastel and WinBee getting one up on Light and TwinBee.
  • Pop'n TwinBee
    Pop'n Twinbee
    Pop'n Twinbee is a top-view shoot-'em-up game originally released in by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan and Europe. It is the sixth game in the TwinBee and a direct follow-up to the arcade game Detana!! TwinBee...

    , first released on March 26, 1993, and later 1993 in Europe: A Super NES game. It is one of Detana!s sequels, though they play different. Pop uses a large energy bar, which if it depletes, the game is over. The player starts the game with no lives, although it is possible to earn them later. When playing with two players, it is also possible to share energy.
  • TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventure (Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures in Europe), released on January 7, 1994 in Japan and also in Europe during the same year. This Super NES game meant the first real departure in the series, Rainbow Bell Adventures is a side-scrolling platformer. Also released in Europe, though the level order, some dialogue and the back-up system (the European version uses passwords, the Japanese one uses battery
    Battery (electricity)
    An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

    ) are different.
  • TwinBee Taisen Puzzle-Dama published on December 9, 1994 in Japan. It is a puzzle video game for PlayStation simple mechanics are part of a series of puzzles Taisen Puzzle-Dama and that this issue takes as its theme the world TwinBee.
  • TwinBee Yahho!
    Twinbee Yahho!
    is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up released by Konami as a coin-operated video game in . It is the third and final game in the TwinBee series released for the arcades. During the same year as its arcade release, the game was released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in a two-in-one compilation...

    , released on April 19, 1995: Another sequel for Detana!, originally released in arcades, and later ported to the PlayStation and Saturn (along with Detana! TwinBee). Included a vocal theme song, among other vocals, with WinBee greeting the arcade owner each time it is booted, and various snatches of dialogue from most of the characters, all voiced by the cast of TwinBee Paradise.
  • Twinbee PARADISE in Donburishima, released on February 26, 1998: More than a game, this is a CD-ROM with accessories inspired by the series (as a screensaver, etc.) for Windows 95.
  • TwinBee RPG
    Twinbee RPG
    is a console role playing game for the PlayStation released exclusively in Japan on April 2, 1998. It is a spin-off of the TwinBee shoot-'em-up series featuring a storyline based on the TwinBee Paradise audio drama serial.-Game System:...

    , released on April 3, 1998: Featuring 3D graphics and made for the PlayStation, this simplistic role playing game, set in the complete universe of the series, is possibly the final game in the series.
  • TwinBee Dungeon, released on May 14, 2004: A roguelike
    Roguelike
    The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...

     dungeon RPG
    Role-playing video game
    Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...

     for cell phones themed on TwinBee universe which is part of the Mystery Dungeon series.
  • TwinBee Portable, released on January 25, 2007 (Japan): A PSP compilation featuring TwinBee, Detana!! TwinBee, Pop'n TwinBee, TwinBee Yahho!, and a remake of the Game Boy game TwinBee Da!.
  • TwinBee JG Pachisuro, released in September, 2007 (Japan): A TwinBee themed pachislot machine released by KPE. The machine is based on TwinBee Yahho! world.

Radio drama

A radio drama version of the series was produced following the release of Pop'n TwinBee for the Super Famicom titled , which began airing on the radio station NCB
Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
is a Japanese radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area. It is one of the two flagship radio stations of National Radio Network and also has a relationship with JOLF and Fuji Television....

 on October 10, 1993. The series lasted three seasons, with the third and final series concluding on March 30, 1997, comprising a total of 96 episodes, which were later released in drama CD collections.

TwinBee Paradise features the same cast of characters previously introduced in Detana!! TwinBee and Pop'n TwinBee. TwinBee Paradise further developed the fictional universe of the TwinBee and many story elements introduced in the serials, including the names of TwinBee's and WinBee's pilots, Light and Pastel (who were originally nameless characters in the games), were canonized in later video games such as TwinBee Yahho!
Twinbee Yahho!
is a vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up released by Konami as a coin-operated video game in . It is the third and final game in the TwinBee series released for the arcades. During the same year as its arcade release, the game was released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in a two-in-one compilation...

and TwinBee RPG
Twinbee RPG
is a console role playing game for the PlayStation released exclusively in Japan on April 2, 1998. It is a spin-off of the TwinBee shoot-'em-up series featuring a storyline based on the TwinBee Paradise audio drama serial.-Game System:...

.

Anime

Two short anime films and an OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

 mini-series based on the TwinBee were produced. The first was , a short film released in 1994 released as a promotional tie-in to the Super Famicom game Rainbow Bell Adventure. The second anime short, , was released in 1998 alongside the first short in a promotional tie-in to the subsequent OVA series.

The OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

 series is titled TwinBee Paradise and is based on the radio drama of the same name. The OVA comprises three episodes, which were released individually on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 and Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...

 in 1999.

Manga

In 1994, The Video Game Arcade Detana!! Twinbee was makes a three official manga on Japanese with black and white for pages with story and art by Yoshizaki Mine. Part of the Gamest Comics collection.

List of characters

After "Detana!! TwinBee":: The main character and his blue bee-shaped robot. He the eldest of Dr. Cinnamon's grandchildren.: Light's cousin and her pink bee-shaped robot. She is a younger member of Dr. Cinnamon's grandchildren.: Pastel's little brother and his green bee-shaped robot. He's the youngest member of Dr. Cinnamon's grandchildren.: The ruler of Planet Meru.: The TwinBees' inventor and Grand father of Light, Pastel and Mint.: The Evilbees' inventor, he's Dr Cinnamon's arch-rival. He spends his time building armies of evil bee clones and trying to take over the world. He also dabbles in foreign politics, provoking coups, that sort of thing. He's always thwarted by TwinBee, of course. Probably the most evil man in the Universe. He also has a number of airships which invariably end up getting crashed.: Mardock's granddaughter and friend of Light, Pastel & Mint. Madoka was rescued from her insane grandfather by TwinBee and now enjoys baking and other domestic activities. She's also a fledgling mechanic, although her efforts don't always work out as planned.
  • Seeds
  • Salyute
  • Ms. Apple
  • Molte
  • Vielen
  • Nurse Peach
  • Dr. Mardock
  • Baronbee
  • Queen Melody
  • Ace : Pilot of Shooting Star airship
  • Archiduke Nonsense : Villain in TwinBee Yahho!
  • Greed: Villain in TwinBee RPG

Appearances in other games

  • Battle Tryst
    Battle Tryst
    is a 3D fighting arcade game developed and published by Konami. It is Konami's second attempt in the 3D arcade fighting game market after their 3D arcade fighting game Fighting Bujutsu. It is powered by the Konami M2 Hardware, which is Konami's version of the Panasonic M2...

    : Pastel is an unlockable playable character in this fighting game
    Fighting game
    Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

    .
  • Wai Wai World: TwinBee is one of two playable ships (Vic Viper being the other one) in the second to last stage, which is a generic vertical shooting stage.
  • Wai Wai World 2: TwinBee is a playable character in certain levels. However, the levels in which he is playable are not just vertical shooting stages, but on-rails shooting stages in the vein of Space Harrier
    Space Harrier
    is a third-person rail shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. It was produced by Yu Suzuki, responsible for many popular Sega games. It spawned several sequels: Space Harrier 3-D , Space Harrier II , and the spin-off Planet Harriers ....

    , as well.
  • Parodius series: In most of the series, TwinBee and WinBee made an appearance as playable characters, while Shooting Star (the enemy red ship in TwinBee Yahho!) is playable in Sexy Parodius
    Sexy Parodius
    is a scrolling shooter arcade game. It is the fifth installment of the Parodius series, produced by Konami. Like the rest of the series, it is a parody of the Gradius series and other Konami games. It also contains explicitly sexual level and enemy designs and risqué innuendo...

    . Also, while Parodius is more of a parody of Gradius
    Gradius
    The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...

    , it features the bell powerup system in addition to the Gradius's bar system one, as well. Both systems works in parallel and give different powerups. Also, the bell system's powerups are temporary, while the bar system not.
  • Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu
    Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu
    is a Super NES game by Konami released only in Japan, and the second of the SNES Ganbare Goemon games. This game was re-released along the first SNES Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-Hime Kyūshutsu Emaki in a Game Boy Advance compilation, which also remained in Japan...

    : Pastel makes an appearance as an NPC in a house at the village which is visited at night.
  • Snatcher
    Snatcher
    is a cyberpunk-themed graphic adventure game produced by Konami, originally released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX 2 computer platforms in 1988. It was followed by a CD-ROM-based remake released for the PC Engine video game console in 1992, which was subsequently ported and localized into...

    : In the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions, Light and Pastel appear as clients at the Outer Heaven nightclub among other Konami characters.
  • Konami Krazy Racers
    Konami Krazy Racers
    Konami Krazy Racers is a kart racing video game published and developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console and iOS. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America and some PAL regions. It was a launch game for the system...

    : Pastel is a playable character in this kart-racing game with Konami characters. Since Pastel is available from the beginning this game represents her first time as a primary-tier character. It is the second game released in United States with a TwinBee character. Also, different colored bells in this game have different powerups.
  • DreamMix TV World Fighters
    DreamMix TV World Fighters
    is a 2003 multiplayer fighting video game for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in Japan. It features licensed characters from a few well-known Japanese companies, including Konami, Hudson Soft, and Takara.-Story:...

    : TwinBee is a playable character in this fighting game
    Fighting game
    Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

    .

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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