History Main / UnexpectedShmupLevel

** The game was originally called Dinosaur Planet and got shoehorned into the Starfox universe. The shooter levels were added in an attempt to make it more like Starfox.

* The ''MedalOfHonor'' series does this several times, eg the jeep level in ''Allied Assault'', and the truck ride and MinecartMadness sequences in ''Frontline''.

A common level type in games already relying on the UnexpectedGameplayChange, and almost expected in GameplayRoulette titles, the UnexpectedShmupLevel is a SubTrope where your character ends up having to go through an unexpected ShootEmUp based level, usually of the 2D side scrolling space shooter kind (think Gradius or the like). This is very common in LylatSystem or [[UnderTheSea underwater]] levels, and for some reason unknown, a relatively common gameplay style for final levels and FinalBoss battles.

A common level type in games already relying on the UnexpectedGameplayChange, and almost expected in GameplayRoulette titles, the UnexpectedShmupLevel is a subtrope where your character ends up having to go through an unexpected ShootEmUp based level, usually of the 2D side scrolling space shooter kind (think Gradius or the like). This is very common in LylatSystem or [[UnderTheSea underwater]] levels, and for some reason unknown, a relatively common gameplay style for final levels and FinalBoss battles.

* ''{{Battletoads}}'', Level 7, give or take. ([[NintendoHard Most people never got past]] [[DifficultySpike Level 3]], but this level is just as hard.)

* ''MegaMan V'' (GB) has a Shmup level right before the final stage.
* ''MegaMan 8'' has this happening twice during the course of the game, first during Tengu Man's stage and then in Wily's Castle.

* ''Shockman'', normally a poor-man's MegaMan clone, changes into a submarine ShootEmUp for the third level.

** And then again in Istanbul, only here, you have a [[BFG]] No more needing to burst the police cruisers after you with a [[BoringButPractical machine pistol]]!

** And then again in Istanbul, only here, you have a [[BFG grenade launcher]] No more needing to burst the police cruisers after you with a [[BoringButPractical machine pistol]]!

*** Of course, that sequence was "borrowed" from the last stage of ''[=SeGaGaGa=]'', mentioned below.

* ''GunstarHeroes'' features a spaceship level near the end...

A common level type in games already relying on the UnexpectedGameplayChange, and almost expected in GameplayRoulette titles, the UnexpectedShmupLevel is a subtrope where your character ends up having to go through an unexpected shoot em up based level, usually of the 2D side scrolling space shooter kind (think Gradius or the like). This is very common in LylatSystem or [[UnderTheSea underwater]] levels, and for some reason unknown, a relatively common gameplay style for final levels and FinalBoss battles.

* ''{{Battletoads}}'', Level 7, give or take.
** It's hard to say, being as [[NintendoHard most people never got past]] [[DifficultySpike Level 3...]]
*** The Genesis version is a little more reasonable (but drops the intro and ending cut-scenes).

* ''La Mulana'''s battle against Palenque (complete with a graphical reference to ''{{Gradius}} 2 MSX''.)

* ''Super SpyHunter'' has a ForcedScrolling aerial level, and level that's half boat shooter and half plane shooter. The boat levels in the first game also count.

* ''Super SpyHunter'' has a space-shooter style aerial level. The boat levels in the first game also count.

* In [[MortalKombat Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]], of all things, completing the game would let you choose one of a number of rewards (though the game wouldn't tell you what they were until you picked one). They included character bios, fatality demonstrations, particularly hard bonus fights... and a {{Galaga}}-themed shoot-em-up minigame.

* In [[MortalKombat Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]], of all things, completing the game would let you choose one of a number of rewards (though the game wouldn't tell you what they were until you picked one). They included character bios, fatality demonstrations, particularly hard bonus fights... and one of these.