Guwange

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Guwange

Developer(s)	Cave
Publisher(s)	Atlus
Designer(s)	Kenichi Takano
Platform(s)	Arcade
Release date	1999 (JP)
Genre(s)	Manic shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, 2 player Co-op
Input methods	8-way joystick, 3 buttons
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Cave 1st generation
CPU	Motorola 68000 @ 16 MHz
Sound	Yamaha YMZ280B @ 16.9344 MHz
Display	Raster, vertical orientation, 240 x 320 pixels, 32768 colors, 57.55 Hz refresh rate

Guwange (ぐわんげ, Guwange^?) is an arcade game developed by Cave in 1999. It is a vertical scrolling shooter, taking place in ancient Japan.

The story of Guwange is set during the Muromachi period of Japan. The player takes control of one of three characters, who must battle various demons and soldiers through six levels.

Like all of Cave's manic arcade shooters, Guwange features some interesting gameplay elements that distinguish it from the pack. The core gameplay element is the Spirit, which is a weapon above and beyond the standard forward attack. The Spirit is an indestructible, remotely-guided familiar that can be used to attack, defend against projectiles, and collect power-ups. The catch is that while the Spirit is deployed, speed and standard firepower are reduced, leaving the player's character vulnerable. Also uncommon for the genre is that the player's character is on foot and that the playing field scrolls in all directions while the player can only look upward. Though movement is fast and responsive, physical barriers on the ground such as walls and bridges leave regions of the screen unaccessible at times. Guwange's visual style is very rich and smoothly animated. Its subtleties require a high level of skill to master, making Guwange a cult favorite for many hardcore gamers.