History Main / BulletHell

However, the genre is not always as NintendoHard as it seems. The player's [[HitboxDissonance hitbox is often very small, sometimes only one pixel]]. In addition, [[ATeamFiring the majority of enemy bullets are sprayed wildly and are not actually aimed at the player]]. Finally, the player is almost always given some variant of the SmartBomb, which will [[DestructibleProjectiles remove bullets from the screen]]. Most modern bullet hell games give the player another way to avoid being killed, such as hypers in ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi]]'', ''Franchise/TouhouProject''[='=]s deathbombs, or ''VideoGame/GigaWing''[='=]s AttackReflector. Though by no means easy, a bullet hell game can be cleared without memorizing patterns or continuing. In fact, Bullet Hell games tend to be just as surmountable as older, less bullet-intensive games. It should be noted that if you do happen to come across an ''actual'' arcade Bullet Hell game, you will know that bullet-intensive areas tend to make the bullets slower. [[RealityIsUnrealistic This is because the hardware used to create the bullets is slowing down, and can't process them all at the same time]], and modern ones used to create more recent games like the ''VideoGame/DonPachi'' series have hardware comparable to that of home consoles. [[MoreDakka Again, that's a lot of dakka.]]

* ExcusePlot: Most BulletHell games feature a token story to explain why your lone hero is facing such overwhelming opposition, and occasionally there are even actual characters or cutscenes... but no one plays these games for their plots.

* NintendoHard: The whole genre looks difficult due to the sheer bullet count, and many games in the genre are, but not every single such game is. It should be noted that bullet patterns tend to be fairly slow and are easier to "sight read", compared to the fast and aimed bullets of more "classical" shooters that tend to invoke TrialAndErrorGameplay, though some bullet hell games, particular ones from long-running series, combine these two for torrential bullet shower with limited sight-read times for players.

* SceneryPorn: The curtains of coloured bullets raining down can be beautiful and hypnotic, shame they are trying to kill you.

* TrueFinalBoss

* MacrossMissileMassacre
* MarathonBoss

* MoreDakka: The most common form of attack, trying to see if players can dodge a swarm of bullets rather than just a single one. It has the best chance of working if the bullets are tightly packed and/or fast.

* PuzzleBoss: Part of the appeal of the genre is not only how intricate the patterns are, but figuring out the weak spots in patterns and how to exploit them.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Such as not using bombs or continues.

* StuffBlowingUp: Somewhat averted. Many games in the genre tend to de-emphasize pretty explosions in favor of bullet counts.

* VideoGameLives

However, the genre is not always as NintendoHard as it seems. The player's [[HitboxDissonance hitbox is often very small, sometimes only one pixel]]. In addition, [[ATeamFiring the majority of enemy bullets are sprayed wildly and are not actually aimed at the player]]. Finally, the player is almost always given some variant of the SmartBomb, which will [[DestructibleProjectiles remove bullets from the screen]]. Most modern bullet hell games give the player another way to avoid being killed, such as hypers in ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi]]'', ''Franchise/TouhouProject''[='=]s deathbombs, or ''VideoGame/GigaWing''[='=]s AttackReflector. Though by no means easy, a bullet hell game can be cleared without memorizing patterns or continuing. In fact, Bullet Hell games tend to be just as surmountable as older, less bullet-intensive games. It should be noted that if you do happen to come across an ''actual'' arcade Bullet Hell game, you will know that bullet-intensive areas tend to make the bullets slower. [[RealityIsUnrealistic This is because the hardware used to create the bullets is slowing down, and can't process them all at the same time]], and modern ones used to create even recent games like the ''VideoGame/DonPachi'' series have hardware comparable to that of home consoles. [[MoreDakka Again, that's a lot of dakka.]]

* ''Zanac'' could be considered an early example. If you fire too much, the adaptive AI will send everything and the kitchen sink after you, filling the screen with enemies, bullets, and missiles (every one with its own firing pattern). Also, the [[CoresAndTurretsBoss boss fights]] can get ''very'' hectic bullet-wise.

* Creator/HudsonSoft's ''VideoGame/StarSoldier: Vanishing Earth'' pulls no punches on bullet shower, after relatively bullet-light predecessors, especially on bosses. The player ship can activate shields to bounce the bullets back as well.

* ''VideoGame/RabiRibi'' and its SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/{{TEVI}} are BulletHell {{Platform Game}}s.

* ''VideoGame/RabiRibi'' is a BulletHell PlatformGame.

%% (ZCE)* Ashley's boss game in ''VideoGame/WarioWareTouched'' is this.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDespair'': Death spams scythes, Beelzebub spams flies, Dracula spams lasers, Astarte spams hearts, R. The Count spams fireballs …

* Wiki/{{Uncyclopedia}} has an [[https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Bullet_hell article]] about the concept. At first it starts normally, but then the page starts getting filled up with bullets...

** ''VideoGame/TouhouReiidenHighlyResponsiveToPrayers''

* ''VideoGame/StarGagnant''

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'': During a dream sequence before the fight with Harvey, you play a top-down, vertical-scrolling space shooter of the mech Glastonbury based on the ''Bizarre Jelly'' franchise, called ''Pure White Giant Glastonbury'', with very simple graphics. Also an example of GameWithinAGame. Afterwards, you can play it some more at Travis' apartment.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'': ''Bizarre Jelly 5''. Notable for [[spoiler:its special difficulty, unlocked after clearing hard without losing a life. Reaching the end of this mode results in an OptionalBoss fight against the Glastonbury. While tough on its own, it unleashes Bullet Hell upon reaching its last breath. And you can't continue in this mode after losing your three lives]].
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'': Unlike the previous numbered games, this one invokes the trope in Travis' actual world instead of a dream or a video game of his. The three MiniBoss monsters fought in outer space are capable of shooting staggering amounts and patterns of projectiles onto the main character's mecha, forcing him to dash sideways to steer away from them.

* Ashley's boss game in ''VideoGame/WarioWare Touched!'' is this. It's also ThatOneBoss.

*** [[spoiler:Mother[[note]]formerly The Witness[[/note]] has returned from [[TheBindingOfIsaacAntibirth Antibirth]] as the FinalBoss of her respective route. Her attacks remain the same as before, but her arena is now a 2x2 room, and she now has [[DamageReduction boss armor]], so it is [[AdaptationalBadass significantly harder]] to avoid her attacks.]]

* MookMaker: May have the usual type, or more commonly [[LastBreathBullet bullets that fire smaller bullets]].

* ''VideoGame/LastCommand''

** Of course, using the Drain-G cannon turns half the bullets into ammo, letting Hunter-X feel the wrath of its own Bullet Hell, though the lasers, the cross blasts and the shots from the upper cannon still hurt, and will not be absorbed. Especially the cross blasts, as they can potentially [[OneHitKill wipe you out in one hit]].

* BonusBoss
** Often a TrueFinalBoss or three.

* The ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games are perhaps the best known example of Bullet Hell these days. The above picture is a screenshot from the battle with Yukari Yakumo, the ''second'' BonusBoss of ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'', who is unleashing her infamous "Boundary of Life and Death" spell card attack (which is an upgraded version of the final attack belonging to the ''normal'' BonusBoss, Ran Yakumo), in which she fires ''nigh every kind of bullet in the game''. Just when you think that card's the end of it, there's still one more to live through.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'': ''Bizarre Jelly 5''. Notable for [[spoiler:its special difficulty, unlocked after clearing hard without losing a life. Reaching the end of this mode results in a BonusBoss fight against the Glastonbury. While tough on its own, it unleashes Bullet Hell upon reaching its last breath. And you can't continue in this mode after losing your three lives]].

* An ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' [[GaidenGame spinoff]]: ''VideoGame/BulletHeaven''. Kinda similar to ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', but with RPGElements. Some of the bosses actually rip off spellcards almost directly! (The second BonusBoss rips off a few of Flandre's. The third has 2 phases of Utsuho's Mega Flare minus the shrinking bullets (the second phase coming from below, which in turn resembles a couple of SA's bonus boss's spellcards (in the fact that the second is the first one in reverse). And a [[VideoGame/BulletHeaven2 sequel]] has since been released.

* ''VideoGame/ParasiteStrike'' is pretty light on the bullets, but the FinalBoss and BonusBoss both have a move that produces a pink fire cloud that sprays bullets ''everywhere''. Especially the latter, who can fire multiple in succession.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' also has bullet hell sequences for enemy attacks, with minor enemies attacks being weaker that stronger enemies or bosses. Each chapter's BonusBoss, [[spoiler:Jevil and Spamton NEO]], respectively, takes this to insane levels. What's more, this trope also appears outside of combat at several points during the game (represented by the screen darkening and Kris' SOUL becoming visible), resulting in Kris having to dodge attacks by moving around the environment.

** The Empress of Light BonusBoss fires several elaborate patterns of screen-filling bullets. At night, they're in all colors of the spectrum; in the day, they're all orange and [[OneHitKill kill the player instantly.]] One of the developers described her as a "beautiful Bullet Hell" in the days leading up to the update that added her.