Controls
- Joystick: Use the 8-way joystick to direct Yūichirō (or Sunday if you're player 2) around the screen. They are always moving forward, but you can direct them anywhere. If one of them flies into Miyuki Chan's Kūchū IN or into Dream Co., Ltd. the other one will automatically be drawn in as well.
- Firing Button: Use this button to make Yūichirō (or Sunday if you're player 2) fire shots at the enemies; they will never run out of the normal ones.
- Bomb Button: Use this button to make Yūichirō (or Sunday if you're player 2) drop bombs on the enemies; they will never run out of normal ones.
- 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.
Characters
Yūichirō Tomari (泊裕一郎)
The genius scientist who flies a red ship and is controlled by the first player; along with his Chinese assistant Sunday Chin, he is on a mission to rescue his kidnapped fiancee, Kana Aihara. He will lose one life, and any special weapons he may have had, whenever he gets hit by an enemy or anything that is fired at him by one - but if he had won a special weapon from Dream Co., Ltd. earlier and turned it down he will receive it at that point.
Sunday Chin (サンデーチン)
Yūichirō's Chinese assistant, who flies a green ship and is controlled by the second player; he can join a game already in progress at any time, and will receive 5000 free crystals if he does so. However, his presence will cause all projectile-firing enemies to fire twice as many projectiles, and all bosses to take twice as many hits to kill - so you should keep this in mind, if you are ever planning to play this game with a friend at some point.
Kana Aihara (相原香奈)
Yūichirō's kidnapped fiancée, who appears in the background at the end of the seventh round after Dr. Kubota has been defeated; in the ending sequence, Yūichirō and Sunday let her have the honour of firing a shot at Dr. Kubota's space station to burn it up and transform it into a volcanic explosion cloud. All three of them will then fly into the explosion cloud, which carries them back down to Earth - and she later became the fifth pitcher for the Nikotama Gals in Super World Stadium '99, the last title in Namco's long-running World Stadium series, which had began earlier in this game's year.
Miyuki Chan (みゆきちゃん)
This blue-haired woman sells special weapons and extra lives (in exchange for crystals), at the "Kūchū IN" (空中IN) which will fly by twice upon the first, second, third and sixth rounds and once on the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds; when one player enters it, the other will automatically be drawn in as well and she will speak the Kanji/Hiragana text of: Irasshaimase Kūchū IN he yōkoso. 1P/2P no kata ue no naka kara 1 tsu dake erande kudasai. (いらっしゃいませ空中INへようこそ. 1P/2Pの方上の中から1つだけ選んで下さい.) to them, and they will have 20 seconds to choose one of the three items shown on the screens in front of them. There are a total of ten different items here and here is a list of them and what they do:
- Vulcan shot (バルカンショット): These shots are fired from Yūichirō's (or Sunday's) ship at a faster rate.
- 3-way shot (3-WAYショット): These shots are fired from Yūichirō's or Sunday's ship, in three directions.
- Wide shot (ワイドショット): These shots are wider (and five times more powerful) than the normal shots.
- After shot (アフターショット): These shots are ten times more powerful than normal shots and are fired continuously from both the fronts and backs of Yūichirō's (or Sunday's) ships; this is an especially useful shot to have when it comes to the bosses (as you will easily be able to defeat them with it).
- Stock bomber shot (ストックボンバーショット): Pac-Man will be held in place upon the front of Yūichirō's or Sunday's ship with a green claw, create a shield around it, suck in all the projectile-firing enemies' shots and spit them back out at them; the more shots he sucks in, the bigger he will become, and the more powerful the shots he spits out will be. Only one player can have this special weapon at any time - if the other player wishes to buy one from Miyuki or wins one from Dream Co. Ltd., they will simply refuse to give it to him, by speaking the Kanji/Hiragana text Kurisutaru ga tarimasen (クリスタルが足りません) or Zan'nen da!! Deha mata (残念だ!! ではまた), which are this game's standard "Not enough crystals" and "Answer of no" texts.
- Fire bombs (ファイヤーボンブズ): These bombs will create a huge explosion upon impact and are especially useful against Power Station and R-4B.
- Homing missiles (ホーミングミサイルズ): These bombs will automatically home in on any enemies currently on screen; the missiles that the Perikan and Dr. Kubota's machine spit from their mouths are also similar to them, but they can be blocked by one of your own shots for 50 extra points each.
- Subroc bombs (サブロックボンブズ): If you wish to to exchange your crystals for these bombs on the third and fourth rounds you have to be playing as Sunday (player 2); they will fly into the air and create a small explosion upon impact, but are not particularly useful (unlike the other two choices).
- Speed-ups (スピードアップス): These will increase the moving speed of Yūichirō's (or Sunday's) ships until they are unfortunate enough to get killed.
- Extra lives: Extra lives can be obtained in exchange for crystals in this game, along with that usual way: accumulation of certain point values (which are 40,000, 140,000, and 240,000 by default); once you have pressed that Firing Button to confirm your choice, Miyuki will speak the Kanji/Hiragana text Arigatōgozaimasu XX000 (XX being a number which can range between 2 and 998) kurisutaru desu. Mata no o raiten wo omachi shite orimasu. (有難うございますXX000クリスタルです. またの御来店をお待ちしております.) to Yūichirō and Sunday, and they will now exit the Kūchū IN and continue.
Dream Co., Ltd. (夢有限会社)
This big white-handed robot will fly by once on the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds; as with the Kūchū IN, when one player flies into him, the other will automatically be drawn in as well, and he will speak the Kanji/Hiragana text Watashi ha DREAM CO., Ltd. X000 (X being a number which can range between 1 and 5) kurisutaru ī mono ga ataru yo. 1P/2P no kata chosen shite mina ika? (私はDREAM CO., Ltd. X000クリスタルいいものが当たるよ. 1P/2Pの方挑戦してみないか?). If either of the players' answer is "yes", he will extend his target and speak the Kanji/Hiragana text of Yō shide ha 3-byō-go ni botan wo sunda!! (よーしでは3秒後にボタンをすんだ!!) as it starts rotating (providing you had enough crystals to pay him) - and after 3 seconds, you must push the Firing Button to launch a marble at the target. The table on the left side of the screen shows what you will win for each number (with the special weapons' names in Katakana), and once the target has receded again, he will speak either the Hiragana text Omedetō!! (おめでとう!!) if you won or the Kanji text Zan'nen (残念) if you lost; if you won a special weapon, he will speak the Kanji/Hiragana text Kono buki ha sugu tsukaimasu ka? (この武器はすぐ使いますか?), and if you answer "no" you'll receive it the next time you get killed. This is especially useful if you win an After shot from him, turn it down and die just before the final battle with Dr. Kubota, as you will easily be able to defeat him with this special weapon - and he will now speak the Kanji/Hiragana text Mata no chōsen wo matsu teru yo. (またの挑戦を待つてるよ) to Yūichirō and Sunday, before they exit his realm and continue onward. The five Kanji characters in his name also literally read as Yume Yūgengaisha.
Crystals (クリスタルズ)
Crystals are the units of currency in this game; they can be obtained by killing a group of smaller enemies, killing some larger enemies, through Dream Co., Ltd., and by clearing a round. The amount of crystals you have remaining after defeating Dr. Kubota at the end of the seventh round will also be added to your score as bonus points - which, combined with the 20000 for every life you have remaining, could add to a very high final score.
Hanbaga (ハンバーガー)
These hamburger-like robots appear on the first, second, fourth and sixth rounds, attack in groups of five and move in a zigzagging pattern. When all five of them have been killed, they will leave a 1000 Crystal behind.
Heri (ヘリ)
These helicopter-like robots appear on the first, second, fourth and fifth rounds and attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Aka Hikoki (赤飛行機)
These plane-like robots appear on the first and sixth rounds and attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday once their side-mounted guns have stopped rotating.
Kame (カメ)
In the first round, these turtle-like robots will attack by emerging from the clouds in groups of five and flying directly at Yūichirō and Sunday while firing projectiles at them. When all five of them have been killed, they will leave a 1000 Crystal behind. In the sixth round, however, they serve a rather different purpose (see the section on Power Station for more information about this).
Same (サメ)
These shark-like robots appear on the first round and attack by leaping into the air in order to come down on Yūichirō and Sunday from above.
Kuchu Yosai (空中要塞)
This heavily-armoured airship appears at the start of the first round, and will come down on Yūichirō and Sunday from below in an attempt to crush them. Later in the round, it will come up on Yūichirō and Sunday from above while firing projectiles at them; you should try to bomb as many of its roof-mounted projectile-firing cannons as you can here. At the end of the round it must be fought as a boss - you should try to destroy the projectile-firing cannons on its front first, then aim for its core. It also reappears at the start of the sixth round (but not as a boss), and will fly around the screen in an anti-clockwise direction while firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday from all around.
Ropera (ロペラ)
These propellered robots appear on the second round and attack in groups of six, coming down from above and up from below while flying directly at Yūichirō and Sunday. When all six of them have been killed, they will leave a 500 Crystal behind.
Juden Iruka (放電イルカ)
These dolphin-like robots appear on the second round and attack by dropping down from above in front of Yūichirō and Sunday to fire projectiles at them. When one is killed, he will leave a 500 Crystal behind.
Kaiten Meiro No Taiho (回転迷路の大砲)
These circular cannons appear in the rotating mazes on the second and seventh rounds, and attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Kiwi (キウイ)
These fruit-like robots appear on the second, fourth and seventh rounds. When Yūichirō and Sunday approach their bases, they will open up and the Kiwi inside will be released in groups of four, flying directly at Yuichiro and Sunday once they have reached their level.
Ao Tanks (青タンクス)
These beetle-like robots appear on the second, fifth and seventh rounds and attack by firing five spreading projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Wani (ワニ)
These crocodile-like robots appear on the second and seventh rounds and attack by homing in on Yūichirō and Sunday in order to eat their ships. When one is killed, he will leave several crystals behind.
Fire Tortoise (ファイヤートータス)
This flaming sub-aquatic reptile is the boss of the second round. He will come up out of the lava and shoot fireballs directly at Yūichirō and Sunday while hovering in place, then curl up into a ball and fly around the screen while shooting fireballs at Yūichirō and Sunday from all directions. Once you have hit him enough times to defeat him, he will shrink and fall back into the lava; by catching him, you will earn a random amount of bonus points between 1000 and 5000. He also reappears in the sixth round, but is coloured blue instead of orange and moves much faster than before.
Sensuikan (潜水艦)
These submersible watercrafts appear on the third and fourth rounds and attack by firing missiles into the air, which will explode at a preset altitude.
Maru Hodai (丸砲台)
These spherical cannons appear on the third, fourth and seventh rounds, stay lined up with Yūichirō and Sunday's positions when they are passing over them and attack by firing projectiles at them.
Sora Yu Kirai (宇遊機雷)
These large mine-like robots appear on the third round and attack by swaying from left to right while moving up and down in a fixed position.
Gyorai (魚雷)
These small mine-like robots appear on the third round and attack by dropping down on Yūichirō and Sunday when they are passing under them.
Kingyo (キンギョ)
These goldfish-like robots appear on the third round, attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday and are accompanied by baby Sakana (see the section below). When all three of them been killed, they will leave a 500 Crystal behind.
Sakana (サカナ)
These fish-like robots appear on the third round and attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Power Station (パワーステーション)
This industrial generator is the boss of the third round. It attacks by moving up and down while spewing fireballs at Yūichirō and Sunday, and its weak points are the balls in its rotary mechanism - but if you take too long over destroying them, it will start moving to the sides as well. It also reappears on the sixth round, but spews Kame instead of fireballs - which will fly directly at Yūichirō and Sunday once they have reached their level.
Tako (タコ)
These octopus-like robots appear on the fourth round and attack by moving up and down in a fixed position.
Big Heri (大ヘリ)
These giant helicopter-like robots appear on the fourth and fifth rounds and start out as gray blobs. Once they have fully materialized, they will attack by firing missiles at Yūichirō and Sunday. When one is killed, it will leave several crystals behind.
R-4B (アー4ビー)
This not-quite-so-heavily-armoured yellow airship is the boss of the fourth round. It will come down on Yūichirō and Sunday from above, and attacks by firing lasers from its front-mounted cannons at them; you should try to destroy these cannons first, then aim for its core (which can only be hit from behind if you managed to win the After shot from Dream Co., Ltd. beforehand). It also reappears on the sixth round, but comes up from below and follows a different pattern.
Pyonpyon (ピョンピョン)
These jumping robots appear on the fifth and seventh rounds and attack by jumping into the air in order to come down on Yūichirō and Sunday from above. Dr. Kubota's powerful dog-like machine can also spit them from its mouth.
Ja (ジャー)
These large jar-like robots appear on the fifth round and attack by firing projectiles at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Muteppo (ムテッポー)
These small jar-like robots appear on the fifth and seventh rounds and attack by firing projectiles in three directions at Yūichirō and Sunday.
Crystal Head (クリスタルヘッド)
This crystallized dragon's head is the boss of the fifth round. He does not move, but occasionally opens his mouth to spit amoebas at Yūichirō and Sunday. Once you have hit him enough times to defeat him, all amoebas currently on screen will turn into 100 Crystals, and his top half will propel itself into the air and explode, releasing hundreds of crystals. Try to collect as many as you can before they all float away.
Perikan (ペリカン)
These pelican-like robots appear on the sixth and seventh rounds and attack by rearing up, opening their fronts and firing homing missiles at Yūichirō and Sunday. When one is killed, he will leave several crystals behind.
Maiku (マイク)
This microphone-like robot is the final boss of the sixth round. He is protected by a spinning barrier of balls similar to those in Power Station's rotary mechanism, which must all be destroyed before Yūichirō and Sunday can get a clear shot at him. He will attack by firing missiles at them as they are trying to do this, and once they have all been destroyed, he will start ricocheting around the screen while firing lasers at them from all directions.
K-Blocks (K-ブロックス)
These turquoise blocks appear on the seventh round and attack by moving either vertically or horizontally in a given area. They cannot be killed and must be avoided.
Nokogiri (鋸)
These saw blades appear on the seventh round and attack by moving vertically in a given area. As with the K-Blocks, they cannot be killed and must be avoided.
Nuts (ナットス)
These mushroom-shaped hardware fasteners appear on the seventh round and move either up and down or to the sides in a fixed position while spinning anti-clockwise. As with the K-Blocks and Nokogiri, they cannot be killed and must be avoided.
Dr. Kubota (Dr. クボタ)
The main antagonist of the game. He has kidnapped Kana Aihara, so as to get Yūichirō and Sunday out to rescue her. At the end of the seventh round, he appears as the game's final boss in a powerful dog-like machine which can spit Pyonpyon and homing missiles from its mouth.