Keio Flying Squadron
Keio Flying Squadron (慶応遊撃隊 Keiōyūgekitai?) is a scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Victor Entertainment in 1994 for the Sega/Mega CD in Japan, Europe, and North America. It is the first game of the Keio Flying Squadron series with a simple shoot-'em-up style of play. Gameplay The game consists of the protagonist Rami riding on top of Spot, who can shoot fireballs at enemies. When Spot is not firing, two smaller dragons (Companion fighters) appear one after another to assist Rami and Spot. The lesser dragons shoot smaller fireballs and can be sacrificed to do larger damage, only to reappear when Spot ceases to shoot. Release In Europe, a demo of the first level of this game was provided by Sega Pro magazine. The game seemed to end after the first level, but in fact the whole game was accessible on the disc by using a level-select cheat to skip to the second level, and then continuing through the game. Reception Retro Gamer included among top ten Mega CD games, calling it "a perfectly acceptable substitute" OF Konami's Parodius that features "similar style of horizontally scrolling wackiness and puts the Mega-CD hardware to good use to produce some excellent cut-scenes and a brilliant CD-quality soundtrack."
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Keio Flying Squadron is a scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Victor Entertainment for the Sega CD. It was first released in Japan in 1993, followed by Europe in 1994, and North America in 1995. Players control Rami Nanahikari, who rides atop a dragon and battles numerous enemies in search of the key to a secret treasure.
Development was led by director Yasushi Endo and designer Satoru Honda. The team took inspiration from classic Japanese folktales and modern popular culture to create a comedic aesthetic that they believed would have wide appeal. It features music composed by Tsukasa Tawada, and animated cutscenes produced by Studio Pierrot.
Keio Flying Squadron received average reviews, with praise for its graphics and gameplay, but was commercially unsuccessful. It has since attained a cult following and has been recognized as one of the best games for the Sega CD. It was followed by Keio Flying Squadron 2 (1996) for the Sega Saturn, and Rami-chan no Ōedo Sugoroku: Keiō Yūgekitai Gaiden (1998) for the PlayStation.
Plot
The game is set in the Keiō era (1865–1868) of Japanese history, during the Tokugawa shogunate. Rami Nanahikari, a naughty girl in her prime, has been raised from a young age and brought up by her grandparents to be the next Guardian of the Key to the Secret Treasure, known as "Ark", and is really a descendant of aliens who came to Earth in ancient times. She does not know the importance of the Treasure, and her overbearing grandmother does not remember what secret the Key unlocks. The Key was stolen while Rami was at the local convenience store, and now she must get the Key back.
Wearing her bunny girl costume, Rami rides into battle on her trusty dragon, Spot, as she encounters various enemies such as tanuki, dogs, cats, monkeys, the Seven Lucky Gods, the U.S. military forces, the Russian Army, and a serpentine dragon, until she arrives at the ship of Dr. Pon Eho, a tanuki billed as the most intelligent creature on Earth with an IQ of 1400, his appearance being appropriate for the thief that he is.
Gameplay
The game consists of Rami riding on top of Spot, who can shoot fireballs at enemies. By earning "Power-Up Items", the player increases the power of the flames to six different levels. The player can also pick up Sub-Weapons and use either the Ground Bombs, the Explosive Throwing Stars or Homing Spot Jrs. (companion fighters) depending on the type of Sub-Weapon Items available. Normally, Spot Jrs. are for covering Spot; however by pressing the "C" Button, they become powerful bullets projected forward. If surrounded by the enemy, the player can use the Kamikaze Attack, sacrificing the Spot Jrs. to do larger damage, only for them to reappear when Spot ceases to shoot.
Characters
Japanese names are given in the Western order, given name first.
Rami Nanahikari - An alien descendant of Noah and the grandchild of an ancient family with the mission of guarding the Key to the Secret Treasure. Rami wears a traditional kimono at the beginning of the game, and later changes into her bunny suit, the formal attire of a Key Guardian. Voiced by Miho Kanno (Japanese); Samantha Paris (English).
Spot Nanahikari - A dragon who has been serving the Key Guardian Clan and the Nanahikari family as a pet for many generations. Although a bit weak-minded and lazy, he is a fun guy and is always loyal to his owner Rami, having no problems with flying and shooting fireballs. He is called Pochi in the Japanese release of the game. Voiced by Akiko Hiramatsu (Japanese); Samantha Paris (English).
"Grandma" and "Grandpa" Nanahikari - Rami's biological grandparents who have raised her from a young age and brought her up to be the next Key Guardian. They were former Guardians themselves, continuing a long line of ancestors in the Key Guardian Clan that have kept the Treasure safe for many generations. Though they know their duty, they no longer remember the meaning of the Key. Voiced by Keiko Yamamoto (Japanese; Grandma), Yusaku Yara (Japanese; Grandpa); Roger L. Jackson (English; both).
Dr. Pon Eho - A super intelligent tanuki who stole the Key to the Secret Treasure and knows of its significance. His IQ is 1400. He is accompanied by his pet cat, whom he found abandoned on the roadside. In the Japanese version, he has a speech quirk where he ends most of his sentences with "~tsupe" (～っぺ). This is not present in the English versions. Voiced by Jōji Yanami (Japanese); Roger L. Jackson (English).
Seven Lucky Gods - Obedient servants of Dr. Pon, consisting of Fukurokuju, Ebisu, Bishamon, Shōjō, Hotei, Benten and Daikoku.
Narrator - Voiced by Yusaku Yara (Japanese); Roger L. Jackson (English).…