Giga Wing

Sega console exclusive

Vertically scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Takumi Corporation and published by Capcom on their CPS-2 arcade system board and ported later that year to the Dreamcast console.

Released: 11 November 1999
Platforms: Arcade Dreamcast
Genres: Arcade Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: Takumi Corporation
Publishers: Capcom
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

Giga Wing is a 1999 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed by Takumi Corporation and published by Capcom for arcades and the Dreamcast. The arcade version is notable for using a horizontally aligned monitor (much like Treasure's Radiant Silvergun), something that is considered rare for a vertical shooter. The Dreamcast version had been scheduled to be released in the U.S. in April 2000, before it was delayed to July 18, 2000. It was later included in Capcom Arcade Stadium.

›Story

Giga Wing takes place during a fictional war within a steampunk setting. The game is based on the player(s) trying to destroy a medallion which possesses great power. Many of the bosses use the medallion as a weapon. At the end, it shows that an evil man who pilots a ship called the "Stranger" is the real person who is in control of the Medallion, and was responsible for the war, as well as other conflicts in the past including World War II, and you fight him three times as a mini-boss and as the last boss.

He appears to be a friend of Stuck 30 years ago when you fight him with Stuck. There are four different characters in the game: Sinnosuke, Ruby, Isha, and Stuck; and each of them has their own individual storyline. Players can also do team play mode that has two characters at once, creating a new storyline. In each storyline, there are two endings.

In the bad ending, the character the player uses will sacrifice their life in a kamikaze attack that destroys the Medallion. In team up mode, generally one of the character does this, but sometimes both characters survive. In the good endings for either solo or team play, the characters do not sacrifice themselves.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
death
robots
steampunk
bullet hell
flight
war
multiple endings
artificial intelligence
pixel art
manic shooter
airplane

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Giga Wing takes place during a fictional war within a steampunk setting. The player controls one of four different futuristic aircraft and must destroy enemy aircraft, tanks, ships, and buildings using both guns and missiles mounted on the aircraft and a limited supply of bombs which damage or destroy all enemies on-screen when used. The game is based on the player(s) trying to destroy a medallion which possesses great power. Many of the bosses use the medallion as a weapon.

At the end, it shows that an evil man who pilots a ship called the "Stranger" is the real person who is in control of the Medallion, and was responsible for the war, as well as other conflicts in the past including World War II, and the players fight him three times as a mini-boss and as the last boss. He appears to be a friend of Stuck 30 years ago when the players fight him with Stuck.

Reception

The Dreamcast version received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Game Informer gave the game a favorable review, and Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a mixed review, both while the game was still in development. Jim Preston of NextGen said that the game "should be packaged with bottles of both Visine and Excedrin." In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.

Also in Japan, Game Machine listed the arcade version in their May 1, 1999 issue as the tenth most-successful arcade game of the month.