Boogie Wings
Encyclopedia
Boogie Wings is a side-scrolling shooter arcade game
released by Data East
in 1992
. The game contains unique gameplay, along with many nonsensical or comedic themes not present in other games of the genre, but was never ported to other consoles because of its relative unpopularity in arcade centers.
The game is set around the time of World War I
, where the player maneuvers biplanes, automobiles, animals, and various other unidentifiable objects to battle an army of mech-wielding scientists.
The player uses the 8-way joystick to control the biplane's movements, and the 2 buttons to shoot or hook enemies. The biggest characteristic of the player's biplane is the hook attached to its rear section. The hook is also controlled by the joystick, and enemies or objects that come in contact with the hook are dragged along by the plane. Dragged objects cause damage to anything they collide with, and the player can release the objects on the hook by pressing the hook button again. Dragged objects are destroyed when the player releases them from the hook, or if they collide enough times to break apart.
The ship's power gauge increases when the player taps the shot button rapidly, and filling up the gauge causes the plane to shoot a bolt of lightning that covers a large area of the screen. However, the plane overheats if the player taps the shot button too many times, so this attack must be used sparingly.
The game's graphics are highly detailed, and many of the backgrounds are likened to European towns and cities or World's fair-like scenes. Many of the game's background objects can also be destroyed or dragged around with the hook.
s, bicycles, motorcycles, jeeps, and several types of robots that can hop and shoot missiles. Though the biplane is by far the most effective unit in terms of game completion, the presence of the ground units adds another layer of amusement to the game. Wolf Fang
was developed and released in Japan by Data East a year prior to Boogie Wings, and the vehicles in Boogie Wings were derived from the gameplay in Wolf Fang, where the player could continue on foot even after their robot was destroyed.
A dialogue begins when the player reaches the last boss, and the player's character can fly away with the boss or take control of the boss depending on the player's answer to his questions. The game also asks the player whether they want to see the ending screen after defeating the final boss. Though there are cases where the ending can be skipped, few others ask whether the player wants to see the ending at all. Each object displayed during the ending screen can also be caught and thrown with the hook to add to the player's high score.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released by Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
in 1992
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
. The game contains unique gameplay, along with many nonsensical or comedic themes not present in other games of the genre, but was never ported to other consoles because of its relative unpopularity in arcade centers.
Gameplay
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where the player maneuvers biplanes, automobiles, animals, and various other unidentifiable objects to battle an army of mech-wielding scientists.
The player uses the 8-way joystick to control the biplane's movements, and the 2 buttons to shoot or hook enemies. The biggest characteristic of the player's biplane is the hook attached to its rear section. The hook is also controlled by the joystick, and enemies or objects that come in contact with the hook are dragged along by the plane. Dragged objects cause damage to anything they collide with, and the player can release the objects on the hook by pressing the hook button again. Dragged objects are destroyed when the player releases them from the hook, or if they collide enough times to break apart.
The ship's power gauge increases when the player taps the shot button rapidly, and filling up the gauge causes the plane to shoot a bolt of lightning that covers a large area of the screen. However, the plane overheats if the player taps the shot button too many times, so this attack must be used sparingly.
The game's graphics are highly detailed, and many of the backgrounds are likened to European towns and cities or World's fair-like scenes. Many of the game's background objects can also be destroyed or dragged around with the hook.
Vehicles
Though the player's main vehicle is the biplane, they can still continue on foot if their plane is shot down. The player can attack with a handgun while on foot, and can also ride various vehicles found along the way to make the progress easier. The vehicles include various animals such as giraffes, elephants, and horses, pogo stickPogo stick
A pogo stick is a device for jumping off the ground in a standing position with the aid of a spring, used as a toy or exercise equipment. It consists of a pole with a handle at the top and footrests near the bottom, and a spring located somewhere along the pole...
s, bicycles, motorcycles, jeeps, and several types of robots that can hop and shoot missiles. Though the biplane is by far the most effective unit in terms of game completion, the presence of the ground units adds another layer of amusement to the game. Wolf Fang
Wolf Fang
, known outside of Japan as Rohga: Armor Force, is a 1991 run and gun/platform hybrid arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the sequel to Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation and was followed by Skull Fang Kuhga Gaiden.-Plot:...
was developed and released in Japan by Data East a year prior to Boogie Wings, and the vehicles in Boogie Wings were derived from the gameplay in Wolf Fang, where the player could continue on foot even after their robot was destroyed.
Nonsensical themes
Numerous nonsensical themes or scenes appear throughout the game, such as:- A battle against a ferris wheel rolling on the rails of a jet-coaster.
- A battle against a gigantic Santa Claus who ambushes the player with a handgun.
- A pennantPennant (sports)A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
item that serves no purpose when collected. - A fountain of water infinitely spewing out of a fire hydrant that was fished up from the water.
- A blues singer, dog, and village girl who move around on the field with no effect on the player's character or the enemies.
- A bronze statue of Tough Guy; a character from another nonsensical Data East game called Trio the PunchTrio The Punch - Never Forget Me...is an arcade game released by Data East in 1990. The game was never released outside of Japan, and is noted for its bizarreness and stupidity.The game was re-released in 2007 as part of , a series which ported arcade games from the 1980s and 90s to the PlayStation 2...
.
A dialogue begins when the player reaches the last boss, and the player's character can fly away with the boss or take control of the boss depending on the player's answer to his questions. The game also asks the player whether they want to see the ending screen after defeating the final boss. Though there are cases where the ending can be skipped, few others ask whether the player wants to see the ending at all. Each object displayed during the ending screen can also be caught and thrown with the hook to add to the player's high score.