Homura

[Kubrick]

Boxart


Release Dates
JP - 01/12/2005
EU - Spring 2006
US - TBC

Synopsis
Character-based vertical shooting game for PlayStation?2. Developed by Skonec Enternainment, the Korean outfit who brought us the Psyvariar games. The home version is published by TAITO and converted from their Type-X hardware.

Screens




Weblinks


Official Webpage (PS2 Edition)


Arcade Webpage (TAITO)


Arcade Webpage (Skonec)






Buy it Links

[Kubrick]

Been playing this for a bit, and I'm quite impressed.

Right from the start, you can feel the Psyvariar influence in the way the enemies appear onscreen and don't fire any bullets straight away. It's worth waiting on them firing at you first though because the bullets are important just like Psyvariar 1/2.

You don't "buzz" in this game. Instead, you have a sword attack that repels the bullets back at the enemies and destroys them (pretty much like the reflector attack in the Giga Wing games). Using the sword is also linked to scoring - repel 20 bullets, and you trigger a x20 multiplier (or something...still not 100% on the scoring etc).
The use of the sword is limited, and takes 5 secs to recharge. It also works in a different way when there are no bullets nearby. When that happens, your character slashes all the enemies Ninja-style which is pretty cool. This also affects the scoring multiplier in some way.

Apart from that, you have a bomb attack and standard shooting, but the game feels like it'll be all about learning the patterns and rinsing the sword attack for the best results.

Graphically, it's pretty decent but nothing spectacular. Nice and solid framerate, and some nice bullet patterns, so no real complaints. There's about 10 different screen modes to cater for just about every TATE or normal setup possibility.

Menus are all in Japanese, but thankfully fully translated in a boxout when they're highlighted.

Comes on a CD-ROM, but the loading is very quick. Music is also pretty good, nice and "epic". Overall, this is a shooter with some legs, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the look of it.

[Geoff D]

Thanks for those Kubrick - is it a bullet ballet a la Cave games?

[Kubrick]

Hmm, only in some instances. Feels more like a Psyvariar game to me in that it's up to you how heavy the bullet content gets. You can shoot the enemies right away for minimal reward, or wait untill the bullets are plenty and almost on top of you before using the sword attack.

Unlike Cave games, player movement is always pretty quick whether you're shooting or not.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that there's a branching option about halfway through each level - left for easy, and right for hard, or so it seems...

[eastyy]

The reflector thing has me excited now.
Always loved that in giga wings 2.Hearing it plays a bit like castle of shigkami 2 is that true?

[Darwock]

You can shoot the enemies right away for minimal reward, or wait untill the bullets are plenty and almost on top of you before using the sword attack.

Sounds like a slight twist on the Bangai-o concept - I bet it's nowhere near as fun though!

[Kubrick]

The reflector thing has me excited now.
Always loved that in giga wings 2.Hearing it plays a bit like castle of shigkami 2 is that true?

I'd say the similarities with Shikigami are more of a visual thing. The onscreen multiplier looks almost exactly like the one in Shikigami no Shiro II, albeit it goes way beyond x8 in Homura, plus player movement speed is on a par with that game too, and you collect gold coin things as well.

There's definitely similarities with other games, but I'm actually quite surprised at how unique it feels. If you're expecting a rehash of an existing game, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Here's a VIDEO of it (27MB)

[eastyy]

I remember seeing i think a boss battle the projectiles it launched pattern and colour wise reminded me of psyvarier 2

i am bit worrie though psyvarier 2 does not work on my chipped (magic 3.1) i have to use a swap disk to play it wonder if it will be the same for this

[eastyy]

Finally got a chance to play this

Seems like the sword attack works in two ways

1.It will reflect projectiles back
2.That cool ninja attack

The secret i think from my quick play is that you do the cool ninja attack if the sword hits a enemy but you really have to hit hit as many projectiles at the same time to get the multiplier too

[Super Monkey Balls]

Crap.
I've been playing a lot of Cave stuff recently and having this in the other room doesn't help but I can't help thinking it's a bit silly trying hard to find the good in all these small-dev shmups just because we're grateful for anything at all. On first impressions it's not even as good as the other Type-X shooters Raiden 3 and Gigawing Gens really is it. A bit doujin.

[eastyy]

Ooh espgaluda 2 could you do a first play thread on it?

To be honest i prefer homura to gigawings generations and raiden 3.

[Kubrick]

To be honest i prefer homura to gigawings generations and raiden 3.

Same here.

[eastyy]

Think i have worked out some of the scoring method

That cool ninja attack that creates the main score multiplier.The more enemies on screen at the time you do it the higher the multiplier 11 enemies = x11 multiplier.

When reflecting bullets back your right kubrick though i think its a once of and does not add to the main multiplier.

Against the first boss you can rack up a big score just reflecting bullets back i think i managed a 10000 (not sure that score i just made that up) x235 (thats right though)

100% sure it can be higher then that i am just not good enough

[Super Monkey Balls]

To be honest i prefer homura to gigawings generations and raiden 3.

Why Raiden 3 is my favourite Type X shmup

[toy_brain]

Wheee, half a year late to the party.
Just to say that the 505Gamestreet PAL version is out now, available from play.com for about ?15.
Full 60hz mode as usual.
Not sure if anythings been cut from the Japanese version as I dont own it. Feels pretty intact, unless ther were between-level scenes/speech that got cut.
In-game speech seems all intact and all Japanese, screen can be rotated left or right for the telly-tippers out there, and it all runs nice and smoothly.
Blood is all green with no option to turn it red, boo. Is the japanese version the same (not that it matters much anyway)

Dont expect to find it easily in any highstreet shops as it looks to be one of 505's 'cheapo' releases. Well, for a start theres the text on the back of the box:

"Guide Homura, the fallen angel angel, through his perilous ourney in search of vengeance in this ultimate battle between good vs evil"

Yes, they really did miss the 'j' off of 'Journey'!

Ahh, still, seems like a decent enough conversion.