DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou was the final original CAVE release before the shoot-em-up (shmup) masters let the credits roll on their one-credit clear run of genre-defining games. As a game tied to arcades and the Xbox 360, fans have clamored for the chance to see a broader, modern release. Thankfully, Livewire has heard the cries of the shmup crowd and has now re-released the title on the Nintendo Switch.
Bullet-Heaven
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is the 6th title in the DonPachi franchise and unlike many shmups (especially from CAVE), it has a mode dedicated to a story. The plot involves an alien invasion and some interestingly dressed girls flying ships to destroy this menace. While it’s commendable that they’ve included a story beyond a title cutscene (more on this later) it’s simply window dressing. As someone who has now played every Donpachi title I couldn’t tell you the story of a single one and it hasn’t detracted from my experience one bit.
From Old to New
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is as you would expect a vertical “bullet hell shmup” to be. If you are unfamiliar with this sub-genre, you control a spaceship with a small hitbox and dodge large swathes of multicolored bullets, taking down smaller enemies as the level progresses until you fight the boss. Wash, rinse, and repeat until you beat the last boss and roll the credits.
DaiOuJou is a simpler and more traditional title than the previous DoDonPachi Resurrection. The additional “Sai” in the name (meaning “most/highest”) gives you the heads-up that this is a more extreme DaiOuJou, which is often regarded as the best DoDonPachi by fans, a sentiment I agree with.
Forgoing the more experimental nature of Resurrection that focused on a technique called bullet canceling (which depended on clearing larger enemies), SaiDaiOuJou is more of a traditional shmup affair where pure dodging skill is the key to success.
You also have an ability called Hyper, a bullet clearer introduced in the first DaiOuJou title and carried on in future titles. In this iteration, it only clears the screen the second it’s pushed. It does improve your firepower and does a great job of keeping your combo meter up so you can chain into another Hyper depending on how much destruction you cause, but it ultimately has no bullet-canceling properties.
Prepare to Die
It’s worth noting that this game is hard. Even on Novice difficulty, the game will absolutely destroy you the second you take your foot off of the gas. In fact, the game is infamous for having a “true last boss” that’s so difficult it took a decade for the game to have its first true recorded one-credit clear (i.e. beating the game without using continues), something I’m a long ways off from doing myself.
Dodonpachi SaiDaiOuJou offers several different modes of play as standard with any CAVE console release, the modes are as follows:
- Arranged Story
- Arcade HD
- Version 1.5
- Novice
Arranged Story is the arcade experience of SaiDaiOuJou, but changed to be more of a tailored experience for console players. This mode was previously only available on the Xbox 360 version. It features much more manageable bullet patterns, fills the screens with meters and other visuals, and has a stronger focus on the story with dialogue between the cast.
Arcade HD is your standard “arcade mode” with an HD coating on it. This is the pure, unfiltered SaiDaiOuJou experience that Japanese gamers were destroyed by years ago and is just itching to take your credits and your sanity from you.
Version 1.5 is another console-exclusive mode which offers console players something closer to the arcade version of the game but with different arrangements of bullet patterns, different scoring parameters, and an overall more polished version of the Arcade HD mode sans the added fluff of the Story Arranged mode.
Finally, you have the Novice mode, which is a mainstay mode in all of the CAVE console releases. These offer a much “tamer” version of the core experience, providing an ideal way to dip your toes into the game without the stress of the high level of difficulty. Don’t be mistaken though, it’s still tough as all hell and is a much larger leap in difficulty than that of the “Super Easy” modes found in more recent M2 CAVE re-releases ESP.RA.DE PSI and Ketsui Deathtiny -Kizuna Jigoku Tachi-.
Fan Service!
You have several different ships you can choose from. These differ from mode to mode, with the Story Arrange mode only locking you into a single character. To customize your experience further you can choose how many or few clothes your pilot wears. Lowering the amount further raises the difficulty with the trade-off being your damage output; you do more damage with less on, but more enemies spawn and fire faster bullets. You can also turn “Auto Bomb” on, meaning if you get hit you’ll trigger a bomb (the standard screen-clearing safety button that grants brief invulnerability) instead of losing a life. The downside is that you use all your bombs in that one hit, which can have massive implications for your score.
Outside of those modes, you also have a store where you can buy artwork, music, and even special unlocks for the game. You earn coins on each full run of the game you do, be it a one-credit clear, completing the game or just running a game over while you try and reach perfection. This adds even more replayability to an already devilishly replayable game and genre.
Translation Woes
It’s difficult to gauge how much I actually enjoyed DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou. It’s ultimately a fantastic game and it’s one tough cookie, one which is fantastic to see finally become playable outside of the Arcades or Xbox 360. Still, it just didn’t have that same grip that DoDonPachi Resurrection or DaiOuJou had, and that is partly due to the localization of the title.
Most of the game isn’t translated into English in this release. Despite being a premium-priced title, only the bare minimum of menus are in English making the Story mode’s main selling point completely moot for most of its international audience. The in-game store and other options either make you rely on an external translation tool or scour the internet to find out exactly what does what. I’m not a stranger to this owning several Japanese releases of shmups, but I expect it from those titles, not in a release on the English eShop that charges $35, especially when there are much cheaper games on the market (CAVE or otherwise).
This isn’t to say the game is without merit; it’s a mighty Shmup mountain to climb and when it clicks with you, you still get that heavenly shmup experience that CAVE has been excellent in providing. Still, it’s not quite as instantaneous as in others and it’s just a shame that this re-release glides by on the bare minimum for an international release while excellent M2 versions of other CAVE games are confined to Japanese storefronts alone.
Good Lick of Paint
Visually, Dodonpachi SaiDaiOuJou is an HD treat. It’s a color explosion that can take a while to adjust your eyes to, but it certainly stands up against even the most modern of the shmup genre. Regrettably however, it ditches the sprite work mastery of previous titles, and I feel like other, older classic CAVE titles like Mushihimesama look a little better.
The soundtrack and sound effects are top-notch. CAVE produces some of the best soundtracks and sound design of any genre and this title once again does not disappoint. The sound effects clearly notify you of what’s going on (e.g. if your shots are hitting) and when you’re collecting score items. The only thing that slightly damages it is the amount of dialogue in the Story mode which is in full Japanese without subtitles and just seems to be a lot of shouting and background noise, at least to me.
Verdict
DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is a hardcore shmup title to its bones. If you’re new to the genre then this probably isn’t going to be the title that converts you; rather it’s a love letter to ship-flying, credit-popping, bomb dropping gamers who love to hit the wall of Level 3 over and over again, maximizing those scores and using the smallest of windows to avoid colorful death.
The lack of an English translation beyond a few menus does a major disservice to this release, but as a whole, it is great to see such an obscure and highly sought title in a more convenient to purchase and play package. It’s a game I’ll be returning to night after night trying to push ever closer to the mythos that is the one-credit clear true last boss which, much like this title, has never been more attainable.
DODONPACHI SAIDAIOUJOU IS RECOMMENDED
If you would like to see more Shooters, you may be interested in our review of Radiant Silvergun.
Many thanks go to Live Wire for a Nintendo Switch review code for this title.
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