It’s your friendly neighborhood guest writer again and this time, I’m going to poke at a doujin game. Namely, a series of doujin games that exist within the same universe. Either way, let’s get straight the point, shall we? Today I’ll be talking about the group that created the games, Daidaijiru (aka Orange Juice); the localization company Rockin’ Android, and the Suguri game series in particular.
Suguri is a doujin shmup with a unique twist in its mechanics. Rather than the old standby of a single hit leading to death, you have a health bar that’s modified by a couple of things. See, in this game, there’s basically two kinds of weapons, beams and missiles. Most all beams you can dash through, but that raises a stat called heat. The higher your heat is, the more damage you take when do you get hit! Not only that, but you can choose from a variety of weapons before every stage so you can mix and match weapons to fit your playstyle. The action is fast-paced and it also boasts a lock-on system so you’re able to better target enemy units (which can from all sides of the stage, so you should be prepared).
Another thing that sets it apart is that Suguri doesn’t actually give its player a set number of ‘bombs’ that they’re able to use. Instead, Suguri has a hyper gauge that increases as you hit enemies as well as when you dash through enemy beams. Unlike the Touhou version of grazing, in Suguri, by boosting through beam attacks, you actually take no damage AND fill up your hyper gauge. For an example, simply look through one of the stages playthroughs by HyperGeek.
Suguri: Stage 1. Simplistic, but fun and challenging.
Suguri also has a spin-off game called Acceleration of Suguri, which is a free-motion 1v1 fighting game that uses a lot of the same mechanics in Suguri. All of the characters from the Suguri game are present and selectable (after you unlock everyone, of course). AoS comes with three different story modes as well as a generic match mode so you’re bound to find something you’d enjoy with it.
The best part about Suguri and Acceleration of Suguri is that a stateside company called Rockin’ Android has already translated and released both of these games. There are also other good games released by them (to come in a later article!) so check it out. Not only are they are on the PC (In the form of Suguri Perfect Edition), but Acceleration of Suguri is also on the PSN (but that one doesn’t have netplay, so you might not want it).
For those of you who can’t just be content with Suguri and AoS, both of the games have sequels. The sequel to Suguri is Sora. It’s a prequel that takes place in the same setting and also gives more background and information about the world of Suguri. AoS’s aptly named sequel is Acceleration of Suguri 2 and contains most of the characters from both Suguri and Sora.
Quite a significant improvement between the two games.
As is the case with most game sequels, the mechanics and graphics have been tuned up to provide a better experience. But no matter which ones you play, you’re guaranteed a good gaming experience. Daidaijiru has gone a great job making an enjoyable shmup series and I hope they make a third game someday.
Also it’d be cool if Rockin’ Android could bring out Sora and AoS2 someday too. Yeah.
