Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a series of Beat 'em Up video games developed by Angel and released for the Super Famicom in 1993. The first one was based on the first season and released on August 27, 1993, published by Bandai. The sequel, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R, based on the eponymous second season, was published by Bandai and was released on December 29, 1993.
Notable for being the first time the Sailor Moon series was brought to a home console, following the earlier Game Boy game. It was released to cash in the popularity of the anime without the limitations of the previous game. The player can control one of the five Inner Senshi to fight across five stages (four in the SNES sequel) to defeat either the Dark Kingdom or the Black Moon Clan and its assorted set of youmas. Critical reception was mixed, with some people labeling it as a copy of Final Fight and criticizing the sound quality (but at least the Sailor Moon games had local co-op, something that the first Final Fight game (two if you count Final Fight Guy) didn't have).
The game featured key animation by Toei Animation staffer Yukihiro Kitano, new character design work by Kazuko Tadano, and new music by Takanori Arisawa, who had all worked on the anime, plus new and exclusive youma designs by Naoko Takeuchi herself. It also incorporates some attacks from the manga that didn't make it to the anime, such as Sailor Jupiter's Flower Hurricane in the first SNES game and Venus' Rolling Heart Vibration in the second.
The first game was also ported to the Sega Mega Drive by Arc System Works (yes, THAT Arc System Works) with TNS, on July 8, 1994 (During the Sailor Moon S-era), published by MA-BA. The Mega Drive version notably had a different story in which Usagi had a dream that the Dark Kingdom was unexpectedly revived, and somehow her dream turned out to be true, causing her and the other guardians to re-live the struggles of that arc. This version also had a slightly different art style, a different soundtrack, and arguably better presentation but had larger sprites and did not have a two-player option.
The Sailor Moon 1993-94 video games provide examples of:
- Cast from Hit Points: In the SNES games, using a special attack only drains health if it connects. In the Mega Drive game, it will always drain health, regardless if it connects or not.
- Charged Attack: The Signature Move is used like this. In both SNES games there's a charge bar above the Life Meter, the player must hold the attack button to charge it to full before using it. In the second SNES game the bar charges faster, but it's somewhat weaker in power to compensate. The Mega Drive version also uses this, but without the charge bar.
- Expressive Health Bar: Depending on the game, the portrait of the chosen Senshi changes upon being hit or losing a life:
- The first game only has a crying portrait and animation.
- The second game has a pained expression of the Senshi upon being knocked down to the floor, and another crying one for losing a life.
- The Mega Drive port only has a pained portrait upon being hit, no crying portrait or animation either.
- Game-Over Man: Tuxedo Mask in the first game and its Genesis port, while the second game features Luna and a crying Chibiusa.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: Even though there are lives, you have completely unlimited continues and no penalty for continuing, effectively making lives infinite. The only way to lose is to not continue when you run out of lives.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: The commercial for the game has Sailor Moon herself threatening to punish the viewer if they don't play the game, much to the embarrassment of her friends.
- Wrestler in All of Us: The games were notorious for this. It wasn't common for the time that a young heroine could execute piledrivers, slams, and other popular wrestling techniques to defeat enemies. And this was way before Pretty Cure started to make the physical fights popular.
Producer Jouji Yuno said in an interview that the fighting techniques were based from pro-wrestling magazines.
- Bear Hug: Dumbles from the sequel can do this to the player, although it does less damage than its standard kicks (though each attack consists of a quadruple hit). It's next to impossible to escape from grabs in this game.
- Bottomless Pits: Only in the sequel's Stage 2. At the second half you will have to fight enemies on a raft. Falling from the raft will take a large chunk of the player's health, but the enemies die instantly.
- Christmas Episode: Stage 1-2 of R is set in the Juuban Christmas Market.
- Classic Cheat Code: There're extra modes for Chibiusa that are only activated as a Cheat Code, this mode allows to play both players as Chibiusa, or to have another character play as the second player.
- Combination Attack: Only in two-player mode (and only if Chibiusa isn't one of the players), one player can grab the other and throw her, allowing the thrown player to do a unique special attack.
- Easy-Mode Mockery: In the first game, you can only complete the first two levels in easy mode before the game ends. However, a special version of the easy mode can be used to complete the full game...but you won't see the full version of the kiss scene.
- Flunky Boss: Many bosses in the two games fight alongside youmas or droids. In the second game, Rubeus and Demande, the third and final bosses, are notorious for this, refusing to fight until the player clears two to four
Jamanen/Jellaxes and Fuuraiki/Thunderclaps, respectively...and then more enemies spawn during the fight. - It's a Wonderful Failure: On the continue screen in the second game, Luna tries to comfort a crying Chibiusa, but the letters spelling "GAME OVER" crash into Luna and knock her out, causing Chibiusa to cry louder.
- Marshmallow Hell: A villainous variation of it. A Jamanen (or Jellax for those who grew with the DiC dub), can envelope a player with her...body, for a triple hit. Fittingly, this is one of the most dangerous attacks in the game.
- Mercy Mode: Playing as Chibiusa has shades of this: most enemies can't damage her, her attacks can damage every enemy, and she can't be grabbed. However, her attacks have the lowest damage in the game (except for her Smart Bomb) and she can't perform a Combination Attack.
- Motor Mouth: The voice actresses for the Sailor Guardians had to say the names of their attacks much faster than they did in the anime in order to conserve memory.
- Playing with Fire: Mars with her charged and bomb attacks, obviously. The second to fourth variations of the Fuuraiki (Thunderclap if you follow the DiC dub) can also do this to the player, and it's one of the most dangerous attacks in the game.
- Shave And A Haircut: In the second game, this plays when you get a Game Over and refuse to continue.
- Shock and Awe: As with Mars and her fire attacks, Jupiter can instead shock the enemies with her charged and bomb attacks. On the enemies' side, the red and white Fuuraiki enemies can do a long jump and shock the player, and these attacks hurt (although the fire does more damage than the electrical one).
- Smart Bomb: Only in the second game's single player mode. The player can use the Senshi's second season Signature Move to wipe out all enemies on the screen and cause heavy damage to bosses. But its use is very limited (credit-based instead of lives-based, so you had to continue to get your supply back) and there're very few items in the game to replenish it. Also, you can't use the Bomb when there're two players.
- The Unfought: In R, despite being a part of the overall backstory, Wiseman doesn't even appear at all. Demande is the Final Boss instead.
- Lava Pit: At the end of the second half of Stage 4, the floor suddenly begins to collapse revealing a lava pit underneath. If the player doesn't break the wall at the end of the room, you will lose a life and return to the start of the section.
- Heart Container: In a rare example for a Beat'em up, if you find a rare Silver Crystal item, your Life Meter will increase by 50%. A free one is given to you at the beginning of Stage 5...
- Traintop Battle: Stage 3 starts with the player in top of two trucks who are always moving, considerably limiting your movement.
- True Final Boss: If played on Hard difficulty, the player will face Metallia after beating Queen Beryl.
