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Ibara (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
is a vertical scrolling shooter developed by Japanese developer Cave
and published by Taito
.
Battle Garegga
and Battle Bakraid
games (in fact, Shinobu Yagawa, the programmer for the aforementioned games, worked on this game). So much so that Ibara could be considered a pseudo-sequel or, at least, a spiritual successor. The similarities are numerous - some are subtle, some are easily spotted. These include combining archaic technology such as biplane
s with more advanced machinery; firing and power-up system; and a medal collecting system which drastically increases scoring. The game features a similar method of earning bombs and a delay when launching them as well. Some of the enemies and their attack patterns are very familiar such as the large cranes in stage 1 and the minigun-wielding first boss. The enemy's explosions spiral around when destroying some of the heavier weapons/scenery and thin, seemingly camouflaged enemy bullets are scattered around the play area in comparable patterns. More subtle references include the HUD
layout which lists the name of the current stage at the top of the screen and, when starting a stage, tells users the title of the background music
that is playing.
A notable feature of Ibara is the inclusion of a variable, real-time difficulty system by way of the Rank system. The player's rank increases as they acquire more items and cause more damage, increasing the difficulty of the game along with it. The number of enemies doesn't increase but the number of bullets fired towards the user does, often reaching a ridiculous level of bullet density. There are ways of lowering this rank system if the odds appear too much. The only known way of decreasing your Rank in Ibara is to die. The more lives you have, the less the rank decreases when you die. In the later version, Ibara Kuro: Black Label, Rank can be decreased by cancelling bullets with a bomb, however Rank also increases much faster in this version, potentially increasing from minimum to maximum in a matter of seconds.
port in the form of Arrange Mode. This version differs from the original version of Ibara in that any sub-weapon additions acquired will be stored (instead of replaced), allowing for real-time switching between any available weapon. Each sub-weapon can be fired in one of five different targeting modes: Normal, Back, Wide, Rolling, and Search. The sub-weapons available are:
Players could now also freely choose which character to play as. In the original version, player one always played as the character Bond while player two was always Dyne. Each character has four different ship types to choose from, giving a total of eight different playable ship configurations. Each type has varying differences in speed, main weapon type, and bomb type.
The updated game added to the amount of enemy bullets that were fired at the player, but gave the player the ability to hold down the shot button instantly changing the shot into a focused stream of power (to the detriment of your plane's movement speed), much like the laser in the Donpachi
series, thus bringing the title more in line with other bullet hell shooters.
A useful addition to Black Label is the inclusion of an on-screen meter to display just where the player's Rank currently resides. This was an unknown quantity in the previous release and made playing with the aim of achieving a top score more difficult as there was no definite way of telling whether your rank was being raised or lowered. Along similar lines, bosses were given their own visible lifebars to aid the player and to add a more tangible feeling to their impending defeat.
An important addition to the PlayStation 2 arrange mode was more visible enemy bullets. A defining feature of the original Ibara was 'stealthy' enemy bullets that seemed purposely designed to be harder to see than is customary in bullet hell. The PS2 version allowed players to change the colouring of the enemy bullets to aid visibility or opt for the original arcade style.
Cave (company)
Cave Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company, known primarily for its manic shoot 'em ups. Cave remains one of the most active makers of arcade shoot-'em-ups in the Japanese market...
and published by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
.
Gameplay
Ibara is very similar to 8ing/Raizing's8ing/Raizing
Eighting Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game company mainly known for its shoot 'em ups and its fighting games....
Battle Garegga
Battle Garegga
is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by 8ing/Raizing in 1996.-Battle Garegga New Version/Type 2:It is a version without hidden fighters, Extended Mode, Harder Mode, Stage Edit, Special mode, and with different enemy bullets.-Story:...
and Battle Bakraid
Battle Bakraid
This version adds 5 extra fighters and special course, unlockable by using following codes:*Phase 2: To unlock 3 more fighter planes, insert a coin and press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, Start....
games (in fact, Shinobu Yagawa, the programmer for the aforementioned games, worked on this game). So much so that Ibara could be considered a pseudo-sequel or, at least, a spiritual successor. The similarities are numerous - some are subtle, some are easily spotted. These include combining archaic technology such as biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
s with more advanced machinery; firing and power-up system; and a medal collecting system which drastically increases scoring. The game features a similar method of earning bombs and a delay when launching them as well. Some of the enemies and their attack patterns are very familiar such as the large cranes in stage 1 and the minigun-wielding first boss. The enemy's explosions spiral around when destroying some of the heavier weapons/scenery and thin, seemingly camouflaged enemy bullets are scattered around the play area in comparable patterns. More subtle references include the HUD
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
layout which lists the name of the current stage at the top of the screen and, when starting a stage, tells users the title of the background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
that is playing.
A notable feature of Ibara is the inclusion of a variable, real-time difficulty system by way of the Rank system. The player's rank increases as they acquire more items and cause more damage, increasing the difficulty of the game along with it. The number of enemies doesn't increase but the number of bullets fired towards the user does, often reaching a ridiculous level of bullet density. There are ways of lowering this rank system if the odds appear too much. The only known way of decreasing your Rank in Ibara is to die. The more lives you have, the less the rank decreases when you die. In the later version, Ibara Kuro: Black Label, Rank can be decreased by cancelling bullets with a bomb, however Rank also increases much faster in this version, potentially increasing from minimum to maximum in a matter of seconds.
Ibara Kuro: Black Label
To remedy some of the concerns fans had with the original version of the game, Cave released an updated version in limited distribution in the first half of 2006. Black Label contains many additions, some of which appeared earlier in the released PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
port in the form of Arrange Mode. This version differs from the original version of Ibara in that any sub-weapon additions acquired will be stored (instead of replaced), allowing for real-time switching between any available weapon. Each sub-weapon can be fired in one of five different targeting modes: Normal, Back, Wide, Rolling, and Search. The sub-weapons available are:
- Machine Gun
- 5-Way
- Gatling Gun
- Rocket
- Flame
- NapalmNapalmNapalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
- Homing Missile
Players could now also freely choose which character to play as. In the original version, player one always played as the character Bond while player two was always Dyne. Each character has four different ship types to choose from, giving a total of eight different playable ship configurations. Each type has varying differences in speed, main weapon type, and bomb type.
The updated game added to the amount of enemy bullets that were fired at the player, but gave the player the ability to hold down the shot button instantly changing the shot into a focused stream of power (to the detriment of your plane's movement speed), much like the laser in the Donpachi
DonPachi
thumb|DonPachi arcade PCB is a vertically-scrolling manic shooter video game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1995. It was the first game developed by Cave, and the second on Cave's first generation arcade hardware...
series, thus bringing the title more in line with other bullet hell shooters.
A useful addition to Black Label is the inclusion of an on-screen meter to display just where the player's Rank currently resides. This was an unknown quantity in the previous release and made playing with the aim of achieving a top score more difficult as there was no definite way of telling whether your rank was being raised or lowered. Along similar lines, bosses were given their own visible lifebars to aid the player and to add a more tangible feeling to their impending defeat.
An important addition to the PlayStation 2 arrange mode was more visible enemy bullets. A defining feature of the original Ibara was 'stealthy' enemy bullets that seemed purposely designed to be harder to see than is customary in bullet hell. The PS2 version allowed players to change the colouring of the enemy bullets to aid visibility or opt for the original arcade style.