Under Defeat

Under Defeat is a shoot 'em up arcade game by G.rev. It was released for the Sega Dreamcast in March 2006. The game takes place in an alternate reality based on World War II, and, in a controversial twist, players control German-speaking characters (under the banner of "the Empire"), fighting against enemies ("the Union") that speak English and possess weapons patterned after those of both real-life Allied and Axis powers (for example, naval units in Level 2 bear heavy resemblance toward the Imperial Japanese warships). The game was released very late in the life of the Dreamcast, but sold much better than expected, probably because there were no other home ports planned in the foreseeable future.

Released: 27 October 2005
Platforms: Arcade Dreamcast Xbox 360
Genres: Arcade Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: G.rev
Publishers: —
Modes: Local multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Composers: Shinji Hosoe

About

Under Defeat is a shoot 'em up video game developed by G.rev and released in Japanese arcades in 2005. The game takes place in an alternate reality during World War II, where players control German-speaking characters (dubbed "the Empire") fighting against English-speaking characters ("the Union"). Their vehicles are patterned after those of real-life Allied and Axis powers. A port for the Dreamcast was released in 2006 and marketed as the last game for the system, although two more were released the following year. The game was commercially successful, but received average reviews from critics because of its traditional and derivative gameplay.

A high-definition remaster, Under Defeat HD, was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012, published by Rising Star Games. The updated version contains improved visuals, new control scheme options, and a new gameplay mode to adapt the game for 16:9 displays. This version was re-released in arcades as Under Defeat HD+. Another enhanced version by City Connection was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2024 in Japan, with Windows port and western release in 2025.

Keywords

shmup

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In Under Defeat, the player assumes control of a helicopter. The gameplay bears resemblance to early Toaplan games such as Twin Cobra. It uses 3D graphics, and a slightly angled perspective to give the game more depth than most other titles in the genre. The player's helicopter can move in eight directions, though its move speed is fixed in relation to the stage's scroll speed.

The player has 3 basic forms of attack: the machine gun, bombs, and options. The primary weapon is the machine gun, which can fire a continuous stream of bullets. Bombs unleash a screen-devastating blast, destroying most enemies instantly, and protects the player's ship from enemy fire. The player begins each life with three bombs and can accumulate up to six.

Development

rev for Sega's NAOMI arcade board. It was released in Japanese arcades on October 27, 2005, followed by a companion soundtrack release in December. A Dreamcast port was released on March 23, 2006, over five years after Sega announced they were pulling support for the system. rev promoted it as the last Dreamcast game, although Triggerheart Exelica and Karous were released for the system the following year.

rev credited the promotion as helping its commercial success. rev's own Border Down (2003). Dreamcast copies were released in limited numbers and continue to command high prices on secondary markets.

Reception

Reviewing the Dreamcast version, Edge and Eurogamer agreed that Under Defeat was traditional in its gameplay, absent of the more inventive bullet patterns, scoring methods, and controls seen in modern shooters. Edge wrote that it although it lacks the excitement of other shooters, it makes up for it through rewarding dedicated players. Eurogamer described it as "'80s gaming dressed in '00s visuals running on '90s hardware" and recommended it for shooter aficionados. They also argued that the scarcity of good shoot 'em ups may influence fans of the genre to overstate Under Defeat's quality.

They concluded their thoughts by calling it "sweet and eloquent but, [...] also tired and relentlessly derivative. Whether that annoys you or not depends on whether you were looking simply some well-made twitch fun or a glorious resurrection." Both publications praised the graphics, particularly the explosions and smoke effects.