Terra Diver

Terra Diver
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Developer(s)	Raizing Outback Pty
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)	Hitoshi Sakimoto
Platforms	Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, EZweb, i-mode, Yahoo Mobile
Release date(s)	Arcade Sega Saturn PlayStation Mobile Phone EzWeb i-mode Yahoo!
Genre(s)	Vertical scrolling shooter, Manic shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, 2 player Co-op
Cabinet	Upright
Arcade system	Sega Titan Video
Display	704 × 513, 6144 palette colors

Sōkyū Gurentai (蒼穹紅蓮隊, lit. "Blue Sky Crimson Lotus Squad") is a vertically scrolling shooter game released by Raizing in 1996. The game is unusual in that, rather than using a 3:4 aspect ratio to better suit the vertically-oriented gameplay, it uses a horizontal monitor (4:3) in the style of Neo Geo vertical shooters as well as the later Radiant Silvergun and Giga Wing. There is an English version of the game titled Terra Diver, but it was never officially released.

Hitoshi Sakimoto confirmed that a re-release of the soundtrack should be released by the end of 2010 under the Basiscape label.

Gameplay

Terra Diver is a vertical-scrolling shooter. The player picks one of three different ships - red, green or blue - each with their own pilot, fire pattern and laser web. Each ship has a standard gun and a bomb, but the most distinctive of these aspects is the laser-web: holding down the button for the standard gun will release a lock-on laser-web traditionally shaped as a cone or semicircle, which will destroy the enemies it locks onto after releasing the buttons.

Each ship has two different lock-on weapons that function as web-designed laser targets. Once an enemy enters the web's range, the player can destroy the enemy or multiple enemies can be destroyed via homing lasers or multiple fire-balls.

Story

After exhausting the Earth’s resources, particularly fossil fuel, innumerable trade companies team up with NASA and begin initiating space programs dedicated to finding resources outside the planet Earth. Mining facilities are established in different areas outside of Earth, particularly on large asteroids near the Moon and most especially on Mars. Various resources are found from these areas and distributed to Earth which aid in the world economy. The largest company that is established from this is the Jin-Sei (Exhausting Star) Corporation set in Japan which is worth 1 trillion in New Yen investments, founded by the Miama family.

However, after years of space resource distribution, the separate companies started initiating attacks that would dominate other company’s resources. The strongest of these attacks started on Martian colonies established by the second largest company on Earth, Eight Luck Interstellar Development Inc., which banded with smaller companies across Earth including ones in China, England, and America. Eight Luck planned on claiming Mars for its own so as to monopolize on the outsourcing of minerals as well as developing terraformed areas.

In response to these attacks, the Jin-Sei formed a union with the JSDF (known in the future as JDF) and began working on a space fighter program organized by Defensive Section 2 of the JDF known as the Scarlet Lotus Team (SOQ for short), which utilized a unique laser technology fighting system known as NALS (Non-blind spot All range Laser System) in combat. The threat of eco-terrorism was on the rise as out-spoken ecosystem protectionism groups opposed the company's outsourcing of materials; these were used as subsequent cover-up stories to hide the company war waging between Jin-Sei and Eight Luck from public awareness.

Made up of the best fighters adapted to this combat system as well as innumerable stamina strengthening tests for space travel, the SOQ are sent in to defend company territory from rival companies on Earth and space at all costs.

Missions:

Mission 1: Eight Luck has began a massive attack at Tokyo's airspace, the Soukyu Gurentai was dispatch to eliminate the forces and their bomber.

Mission 2: A week before their actual mission, the Soukyu Gurentai was sent to destroy a weapons satellite during a live fire testing.

Mission 3: An allied mining base comes under siege by Eight Luck's forces, the Soukyu Gurentai is sent to destroy the armor convoy and any escorts protecting it.

Mission 4: The battle heats up as the Soukyu Gurentai heads to Lagrange 3 to investigate a space fortress where a super weapon was being built the control the asteroid fields.

Mission 5: Oil fields at the North sea comes under siege by Eight Luck's forces, the Soukyu Gurentai begins their attack to reclaim the oil fields.

Mission 6: Soukyu Gurentai and the JDF to attack the Eight Luck's base of operations and end their plans for world domination.

Ships and pilots

In addition to these three pilots, a fourth playable yellow fighter was added to the original three ship, RGB colored cast, as part of the PlayStation release.

SOQ 004 - Toryu (Dragon Slayer)

Pilot: Kaoru Yashida. Department manager of the Defensive Section 2 and one of the most talented SOQ fighters in the line. Though being the oldest and most experienced of her team-mates, she is also the most advanced member of her team in regards to bone strengthening and neurological enhancements, making her the optimum fighter pilot in deep-space combat. Despite facing social nuances such as a bitter divorce and starting a new family, she is a confident woman who forgets her worries in her work.

• Color: Red
• Speed: Quick
• Shot pattern: Straight + Diagonal Angle fire
• NALS Webs:
  • Ei-Dou: semi-circle web, laser fire
  • Pin-Point: cone web, incendiary fire

SOQ 010 - Shiden (Purple Lightning)

Pilot: Ryota Mikazuki. The newest and youngest member of the SOQ Defensive Section 2 and has been with the Jin-Sei’s defense program for a year. Has excelled in physical training as well as the NALS fighting system, proving to be an excellent pilot with a strong and boisterous spirit under a moody facade. What few people know about him however is that he is one of President Miama’s sons; he went into hiding years ago for being unable to ventilate his feelings and emotions about the family company which he could not confront his father with.

• Color: Blue
• Speed: Average
• Shot pattern: Wide-Spread fire + Miniature-Homing Missile launchers
• NALS webs:
  • All Range: full circle web, centralised electric fire
  • Bou-Ryu: semi-circle web, laser fire

SOQ 025 - Houga (Phoenix Fang)

Pilot: Rika Kunimura. Her primary role in the Jin-Sei is Defense Plans & Operations chief assistant. She has had previous experience with the NALS fighting system since her school days, but because of her quarrelsome and independent nature she was issued to the Lunar surface mining facility for the company. During an attack on the facility, she was called into action by the main office and because of her excellent combat skills during a time of emergency was promoted to the SOQ. Her argumentative and liberal views are rooted in the fact that she is partly Swedish on her mother's side and was raised that way; this may explain why her speech and behavioral patterns are misinterpreted by her companions, but deep down she is a very compassionate woman.

• Color: Green
• Speed: Slow
• Shot pattern: Heavy fire + Dual Directional guns
• NALS webs:
  • Random: multi-directional cone web, incendiary fire
  • Mu-Sou: cone web, laser fire

SOQ 026 - Oubu (Yellow Warrior)

Pilot: Tetsuo Shimoniida

• Color: Yellow
• Speed:
• Shot pattern:
• NALS webs:
  • ?
  • ?

Bosses

Flying Wing bomber 'Kokubetsu' (Gambiter)

US Air Force owned jet bomber with a great bomb and fire capacity. Eight Luck imitated it, and developed Kokubetsu. It was the strongest fighter responsible for an attack against the Jin-Sei main office districts of Tokyo.

Anti-Space Anti-Ground satellite 'Shin-Sen' (Perildawn)

Eight Luck owned satellite that serves as a multi-attack unit against space and ground forces on Earth. The satellite was actually used to organise the prior surprise attack on Tokyo.

Grapple Strategy Attack tank 'Don-Ryu' (Storm Dragon) (Descenter)

An alarmingly fast and destructive Chinese military owned tank armed with various guns and dual flame-throwers shaped like dragon heads (hence the Japanese name).

General Purpose Strategy Aggressive space craft 'Akitaka' (Victimizer)

A massive mech that is armed with innumerous guns, particularly two frontal lasers that can fire up to three different weapons. This mech was stationed at the Jin-Sei owned lunar asteroid satellite Heaven Source.

Polar Region Strategic Transport attack plane 'Kaihou' (Sea Phoenix) (G-Omen)

It is remodeling of the Military transport aircraft made in UK. and, VTOL attack aircraft Kai-En is stored in the hangar.

High Altitude Relay and Attack plane 'Bakuzan' (Zodian)

A massive secret weapon stationed at Eight Luck attack HQ on Mars capable of multiple attack directions.

Releases

Terra Diver was originally an ST-V arcade game, so it received a near-perfect Sega Saturn release. It also received a PlayStation port which had a slight loss of graphical clarity and some additional slowdown.

Later on in the Saturn's lifetime, Soukyugurentai Otokuyo was released, which was a slightly enhanced port that fixed up some bugs when playing the game on an American unit with the Pro Action Replay, and included a playable demo of Battle Garegga.

External links

• Eighting arcade page
• Eighting mobile page
• Data East page
• Hamster page
• System 16 page
• Terra Diver at the Killer List of Videogames