Game Tengoku: The Game Paradise![a] is a 1995 vertical-scrolling shooterarcade 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]
Gameplay
A screenshot from the arcade version, showing the player destroying waves of enemies.
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]
^ abcdeGame Tengoku: The Game Paradise! Sega Saturn instruction manual (in Japanese). Jaleco. June 6, 1997.
^Coulson, Pete (October 14, 1997). "Saturn Power Import - The Game Paradise". No. 7. Future Publishing. Saturn Power. p. 82.
^"Sega Saturn Soft Review - ゲーム天国" (in Japanese). No. 19. SoftBank Group. Sega Saturn Magazine Japan. June 13, 1997. p. 163.
^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 511. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1996. p. 21.
