History VideoGame / Mushihimesama

* DifficultButAwesome: The "counter banking" exploit in the original game on Maniac, Ultra, and Arrange. The details are complicated, but it involves manually tapping fire buttons (or special rapid fire buttons on modifiied cabinets and the Rapid Shot and Rapid Full Auto buttons on home ports) to repeatedly gain the "first hit" boost on enemies' multipliers. Normally this is negated by the multiplier rapidly decreasing when the enemy isn't being hit, but "manually" firing with the correct timing (slow enough that the enemy is registered as "not hit", but fast enough that the multiplier doesn't start to decrease) allows the player to spike the multiplier on the enemy. A text guide on counter banking can be found [[https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=62356&sid=f0e9b18e1f0cfb74671e256404556d84#p62356 here]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeRrfh3Ico this episode]] of ''Shooting Game Weekly'' provides a video demonstration.

The first game in the series, released originally as an UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame in 2004 and then ported to the Platform/PlayStation2 in 2005.

The game was ported to the Platform/Xbox360 in 2009, with ''no UsefulNotes/RegionCoding'', allowing 360 owners of any region to play it. The 360 port comes with Version 1.5, [[RandomlyDrops a random chance of getting the Version 1.01 unlock code]], a tag-team-ish Arrange mode where you control both characters, and a Novice mode for beginner players. A few weeks later, the Black Label upgrade was made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace (again, with no region lock) for 1200 Microsoft Points (or 15 USD).

* UsefulNotes/HighDefinition: The arcade version of ''Futari'' runs at 240x320, but the 360 port offers a mode that makes the graphics look ''much'' nicer, especially on an high-definition screen.

The first game in the series, released originally as an arcade game in 2004 and then ported to the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 2}} in 2005.

In December 2011 Creator/{{Cave}} released an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS port]] named ''Bug Princess'' -- the first arcade game in the series to be translated to English!

A UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port by Live Wire was announced on June 15, 2021 (along with upcoming ports of ''VideoGame/{{Espgaluda}} II'' and ''VideoGame/DoDonPachi Resurrection''), and released that same day in all major regions. All of the content of the Xbox 360 and Steam releases, including the Version 1.5 DLC, is included in the initial purchase.

The game was ported to the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 in 2009, with ''no UsefulNotes/RegionCoding'', allowing 360 owners of any region to play it. The 360 port comes with Version 1.5, [[RandomlyDrops a random chance of getting the Version 1.01 unlock code]], a tag-team-ish Arrange mode where you control both characters, and a Novice mode for beginner players. A few weeks later, the Black Label upgrade was made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace (again, with no region lock) for 1200 Microsoft Points (or 15 USD).

''Mushihime-sama BUG PANIC!'' is a top-down free-roaming shooter for newer [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iDevices]]. One day, the koujuu of Shinju Forest start acting strangely and begin flying off elsewhere. Kiniro is mentally troubled, Hirow is severely wounded by the koujuu, and Palm is completely useless without Hirow. This leaves Reco to travel on foot, throw miniature bombs at enemies, and set things right.

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port has an arrange that gives you more firepower, the ability to change shot types at will, and an auto-bomb feature, but without the ability to use continues.

* {{Bishounen}}: Palm manages to be this and a cute boy at the same time.

* AreYouSureYouWantToDoThat: Both games give you a menacing red and black warning screen if you choose Ultra difficulty, asking if you're prepared to "battle sheer despair". If you choose "no", the game sends you back to the difficulty select.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To the early ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' videogame adaptations.

* DifficultySpike: ''Futari'' in Original Mode has one after the stage 3 midboss, and another in stage 5.

* EveryTenThousandPoints

** God Mode in ''Futari Black Label'' is actually easier than 1.5's Ultra; it has slightly less bullets and significantly more slowdown. ''And'' Larsa gains a legitimate TrueFinalBoss form much easier than her original fight in the Ultra Difficulty.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Starting with ''Futari'', Reco's hair becomes fiery-orange at the tips.

** Maniac in all versions of ''Futari'' can actually be easier than Original, as Original has a DynamicDifficulty system that eventually leads to lightning-fast bullets, while Maniac doesn't have such a mechanic and the bullets don't go anywhere near Original high-rank speeds.

* DifficultButAwesome: The "counter banking" exploit in the original game on Maniac, Ultra, and Arrange. The details are complicated, but it involves manually tapping fire buttons (or special rapid fire buttons on modifiied cabinets and the Rapid Shot and Rapid Full Auto buttons on home ports) to repeatedly gain the "first hit" boost on enemies' multipliers. Normally this is negated by the multiplier rapidly decreasing when the enemy isn't being hit, but "manually" firing quickly enough allows the player to spike the multiplier on the enemy. A text guide on counter banking can be found [[https://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?p=62356&sid=f0e9b18e1f0cfb74671e256404556d84#p62356 here]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeRrfh3Ico this episode]] of ''Shooting Game Weekly'' provides a video demonstration.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Unlike most other Bullet Hell shooters, all of the bullets are either purple or pink to make them easier to distinguish, [[NintendoHard though that isn't saying much.]]

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Bug Panic'', dying frequently results in the game giving more lives. This is most noticeable against the final boss.

A UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port was announced on June 15, 2021 (along with upcoming ports of ''VideoGame/{{Espgaluda}} II'' and ''VideoGame/DoDonPachi Resurrection''), and released that same day in all major regions. All of the content of the Xbox 360 and Steam releases, including the Version 1.5 DLC, is included in the initial purchase.

* AscendedGlitch: In the original game on Maniac, Ultra, and Arrange, when you start hitting an enemy, their multiplier counter jumps up by a significant amount, with the amount further increased if you have sub-multipliers on that enemy from your [[AttackDrone options]]' lasers. Normally this is balanced out by the main multiplier decreasing rapidly when the enemy isn't being hit, but players discovered that with careful manipulation of manually-fired shots, they could get the "first hit" boost in rapid succession, faster than the penalty can compensate for. As a result, some operators would implement special rapid fire buttons to take full advantage of this trick. CAVE noticed, and replicated the same feature in all home ports.

The game was announced for a Steam release in September 2015. It was released on November 5, 2015. A UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port was announced on June 15, 2021 (along with upcoming ports of ''VideoGame/{{Espgaluda}} II'' and ''VideoGame/DoDonPachi Resurrection''), and released that same day in all major regions.

The game was announced for a Steam release in September 2015. It was released on November 5, 2015.

* WouldHurtAChild: Larsa, and the child is ''her only remaining son'' no less. Reco is also legally a child in some countries, and Larsa is just as willing to hurt her too.

* BigBad: Larsa in ''Futari''.

* MagicalFlutist: A mysterious girl who appears in the cutscenes [[spoiler: named Sora]]

--> '''Queen Larsa:''' There are far more princes where you come from... ''now die.''
* TheUriahGambit: Larsa intended this for Palm, not expecting that Palm would be able to become friends with Reco.

** ''Futari'' also has an arrange that has you control one character, with another following behind, being able to swap with each other. The reserve character, if they have gold, is able to slow and [[AttackReflector reflect enemy bullets]], which leave behind a shower of gold in their path. A Fever mode is available when both of the characters' gold meters reach 9999, where their shots become more powerful, and all gold has a blue aura and greatly increases your score, but the gold attained drops to zero. This arrange mode, according to WordOfGod, was inspired by the final scene from ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone]]''.

* DownerEnding: At the end of ''Mushihime-sama'' [[spoiler: Aki collaposes after defeat and death seems inevitable while Reco tries to help him, having not wanted to kill him. It turns out that the bracelet he gave Reco in the prologue was his own protection against a poison in the Shinjuku forest and when he met Reco there he gave her it to save her life at the cost of his own future. Reco, who seems to have been harboring a crush on him, collapses in tears holding his soon dead body while his final message is he'll always be with her in spirit.]]
** Not that bad in ''Futari'' [[spoiler: Palm loses his mother after he and/or Reco are forced to stop her to bring an end to the insane rioting brought about by her anger against Reco for killing Aki despite their pleas to her that Reco did not want Aki to die and Reco is a good person. While Palm is noticibly upset, this time the spirit of his big brother Aki appears again and he has Reco to give him a big tearful hug.]]

* HighSpeedBattle: Several boss battles. ''Futari'' Stage 1's in particular has a T-Rex-like creature chasing after you, with the screen scrolling ''backwards.''

* LethalLavaLand: Hibachi Volcano from ''Bug Panic''

* MeaningfulName: One of the TrueFinalBoss tracks is called ''Cry! Scream!'' [[ThatOneBoss Never has a piece of music been more appropriately named.]]

** God mode in ''Futari Black Label'' is actually easier than 1.5's Ultra; it has slightly less bullets and significantly more slowdown.

* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Shimotsuki Ice Shelf from ''Bug Panic'', which is also implied to be stage 2 from ''Futari'' based on the enemies.

* NoblewomansLaugh: Larsa [[MostAnnoyingSound does this a lot]].

* SayMyName: On dying in ''Futari''[='=]s later stages -- [[MostAnnoyingSound "RECO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!" "PARUMUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"]]