Silent Bomber
Encyclopedia
is a 1999 arcade
style action video game for the PlayStation, and the second game developed by CyberConnect2
. Silent Bomber is based on the classic top down shoot 'em up
genre but with a twist: Instead of shooting the enemy, the player blows them up using bombs. In 2006 it was released for the PlayStation Network in Japan.
element of gameplay, where the number of enemies simultaneously destroyed awards more points. Bombs can also be "stacked", and a larger number of bombs in the same place is more destructive. Jutah can set only a limited number of bombs at one time, so the set bombs must be detonated before more bombs can be set.
Jutah also has access to material liquids, which are enhanced bombs with special effect
s. Napalm continues to burn after it is detonated, damaging enemies within the flames. It is also more effective against biological enemies. Gravity forms a miniature black hole
, sucking in nearby enemies. Paralysis temporarily disables electrical devices. It also does extra damage to mechanical enemies. Material liquids can also be stacked and chained with standard bombs.
Jutah can upgrade the number of bombs he can plant before needing to detonate them, the range of his bomb-planting hologram and his resistance to enemy attack by using E-Chips hidden through-out the levels. Jutah's E-Chips can be configured at any time to adapt his skills to different situations.
In keeping with arcade style tradition, many levels end with a powerful boss
that Jutah must destroy or repel to move on through the game's 14 levels.
, being drafted into a covert
military operation
by his home planet of Hornet. Because of events that occurred prior to the game, he is largely devoid of emotions. The mission is to destroy a space cruiser, known as the Dante, that is threatening the planet. Also part of the mission are Benoit Manderubrot, a political criminal; Micino Tifone, a spy; and John Loss, an escape artist and member of an oppressed tribe. The operation is headed by CO
Annri Ohara.
Upon arrival at the Dante, their ship is shot down by Dante's anti-aircraft weapons
. Everyone lands on the cruiser unharmed, but Jutah is separated from the group. As the game progresses and Jutah is asked to destroy various parts of Dante, Jutah and Annri begin to develop feelings for each other.
Finally, Jutah reaches Dante's bridge, but finds that the crew was killed by its own defenses. A hologram of Benoit appears and reveals that it was he who killed the crew, and that he had taken control of the ship and still planned to destroy Hornet. After Jutah refuses to join with Benoit, Benoit tries to kill Jutah by ejecting him into space. He is rescued by his crew as Benoit seals off Dante.
Jutah breaks back into the ship and destroys Dante's powerful cannon in time to save Hornet. With the cannon gone, Jutah Finds Benoit in the ship's core, and discovers that Benoit has bonded himself to the Dante's AI. After the final battle, Benoit activates Dante's self-destruct
system. Jutah tries to get back to his ship, but his way is blocked, forcing the others to leave without him. The game ends with Jutah visiting Annri at her home three years later.
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...
style action video game for the PlayStation, and the second game developed by CyberConnect2
CyberConnect2
is a video game development studio mostly known for its work on the .hack series, along with a series of fighting games based on the Naruto franchise....
. Silent Bomber is based on the classic top down shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
genre but with a twist: Instead of shooting the enemy, the player blows them up using bombs. In 2006 it was released for the PlayStation Network in Japan.
Gameplay
The player takes control of the protagonist, Jutah, whose mission is to attack and destroy the facilities and defenses of the colossal space dreadnought Dante. The player can either plant bombs simply where they stand, or by launching them using the lock-on reticle. Bombs that are launched at enemies also attach to their target. Bombs can then be detonated at any time at the player's discretion. This introduces the chainingCombo (computer and video games)
In video games, a combo is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The 1st combo was done in the Street Fighter II series. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon...
element of gameplay, where the number of enemies simultaneously destroyed awards more points. Bombs can also be "stacked", and a larger number of bombs in the same place is more destructive. Jutah can set only a limited number of bombs at one time, so the set bombs must be detonated before more bombs can be set.
Jutah also has access to material liquids, which are enhanced bombs with special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s. Napalm continues to burn after it is detonated, damaging enemies within the flames. It is also more effective against biological enemies. Gravity forms a miniature black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, sucking in nearby enemies. Paralysis temporarily disables electrical devices. It also does extra damage to mechanical enemies. Material liquids can also be stacked and chained with standard bombs.
Jutah can upgrade the number of bombs he can plant before needing to detonate them, the range of his bomb-planting hologram and his resistance to enemy attack by using E-Chips hidden through-out the levels. Jutah's E-Chips can be configured at any time to adapt his skills to different situations.
In keeping with arcade style tradition, many levels end with a powerful boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
that Jutah must destroy or repel to move on through the game's 14 levels.
Plot
The game begins with Jutah Fate, a war criminalWar crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
, being drafted into a covert
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
military operation
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
by his home planet of Hornet. Because of events that occurred prior to the game, he is largely devoid of emotions. The mission is to destroy a space cruiser, known as the Dante, that is threatening the planet. Also part of the mission are Benoit Manderubrot, a political criminal; Micino Tifone, a spy; and John Loss, an escape artist and member of an oppressed tribe. The operation is headed by CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
Annri Ohara.
Upon arrival at the Dante, their ship is shot down by Dante's anti-aircraft weapons
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
. Everyone lands on the cruiser unharmed, but Jutah is separated from the group. As the game progresses and Jutah is asked to destroy various parts of Dante, Jutah and Annri begin to develop feelings for each other.
Finally, Jutah reaches Dante's bridge, but finds that the crew was killed by its own defenses. A hologram of Benoit appears and reveals that it was he who killed the crew, and that he had taken control of the ship and still planned to destroy Hornet. After Jutah refuses to join with Benoit, Benoit tries to kill Jutah by ejecting him into space. He is rescued by his crew as Benoit seals off Dante.
Jutah breaks back into the ship and destroys Dante's powerful cannon in time to save Hornet. With the cannon gone, Jutah Finds Benoit in the ship's core, and discovers that Benoit has bonded himself to the Dante's AI. After the final battle, Benoit activates Dante's self-destruct
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances.Self-destruct mechanisms are also found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people...
system. Jutah tries to get back to his ship, but his way is blocked, forcing the others to leave without him. The game ends with Jutah visiting Annri at her home three years later.
Characters
- Jutah Fate: A genetically engineeredGenetic engineeringGenetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
man created by the military governmentMilitary dictatorshipA military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
Tarakhan and based on the planet controlled by it and named for it-Tarakhan-as part of its Elite Fighter Engineering Project. He was trained as a military weapon, specialising in spying, assassination, and demolition. He lived only to destroy. Then the military government collapsed, and he was sentenced to 300 years in prison. There, he had a mental breakdownNervous breakdownMental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. Now, he's fighting for his freedom. (English voice: Skip StellrechtSkip StellrechtSkip Stellrecht is a voice actor who is also known as Henry Douglas Grey.- Anime Roles :* .hack//Liminality .... Guard B...
) (credited as Henry Douglas Grey)
- Annri Ohara: An elite military officer and computer specialist that graduated from the military academyMilitary academyA military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
at the head of her class. Annri sought fulfillment in the Hornet government maintaining planet-wide peace. But, after joining the Hornet army, she discovered there were problems with the government, as with any large institution. Annri is the only member of Operation Toroy from the Hornet Military. (English voice: Debra Jean Rogers) (credited as Debbie Derosa)
- Benoit Manderubrot: An international political criminal and chess masterChess masterA chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
who has joined and led seven major revolutions. Benoit assumed a different identity and embraced a different ideology for each conflict. He believes that revolution is like chess, and uses people as game pieces. He volunteered for Operation Toroy. Benoit is considered the most mysterious member of the troop, his ability as a soldier exceeding even Jutah's. (English voice: Richard CansinoRichard CansinoRichard Cansino is an American voice actor. He is also known as Richard Hayworth because he is the nephew of Rita Hayworth, and occasionally goes by the name Steve Davis after the British snooker player of the same name...
) (as Richard Hayworth)
- Micino Tifone: A professional spy who will do anything for money. Micino has stolen state secrets by seducing government officials with her beauty. Her strong points are her physical strengthPhysical strengthPhysical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training.-Overview:...
and cat-like agility, and her uncanny sixth senseExtra-sensory perceptionExtrasensory perception involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by Frederic Myers, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and...
. (English voice: Bridget HoffmanBridget HoffmanBridget Hoffman is an American actress best known for her work as an anime voice actress. She also serves as an ADR scriptwriter and ADR director...
) (as Ruby Marlowe)
- John Loss: A hero, he uses guerrilla tacticsGuerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
to fight for the liberation of the oppressed Nufu tribe, a 'primitive' tribe held in government "preservation". He agreed to join Operation Toroy on condition that the tribe be freed. His character is described as intelligent and quiet, but once he's on the battlefield, his bravery and ferocity are unmatched. (English voice: Kirk ThorntonKirk ThorntonKirk Thornton is an American voice actor.-Bio:He is known for playing tough or grouchy men in English-dubbed anime and video games. His career includes Hotohori in Fushigi Yūgi and Jin in Samurai Champloo...
) (as Sparky Thornton)
- Tim Palmer: The youngest member of the mission, Tim is a brilliant and resourceful pilot. He needs only a few minutes to master any vehicle. He gets his nickname "Mr. Escape" from his previous career of breaking prisoners out of jail. He's a talented weapons operator and is master of the hasty retreat.
External links
CyberConnect2's Silent Bomber website- Silent Bomber on GameStats - synopsis, videos, screenshots, ratings