Space Manbow
Encyclopedia
Space Manbow is a shoot 'em up
video game developed and published by Konami
for the MSX2
in 1989. It was later re-released for the Wii
's Virtual Console
service on the 24th of November, 2009. It has never been released outside of Japan
.
shaped like a mambo fish
. There are only two weapon types, however your ship is helped by two stationary "options" similar to those found in the Gradius
series. The "options" are able to shift so that they alternatively fire in three directions: forward, backward, and towards the top/bottom of the screen.
The ship from Space Manbow inspired the "Mambo" and "Samba" characters in Konami's Parodius series, which parodies other Konami shoot 'em ups. The characters first appeared in Gokujō Parodius!, in later Sexy Parodius
and Gokuraku Parodius in Pachislot.
The Nintendo DS
game Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki
contains an unlockable Space Manbow minigame with identical graphics but enhanced music. This unlockable version only contains the first level of the game.
In 2006, Space Manbow is released for mobile phones.
In 2007, Bart van Velzen released an unofficial sequel, Manbow 2, for MSX2.
Space Manbow has some similarities to Thunder Cross (and Thunder Cross II - both from Konami as well), which makes Space Manbow considered by some as a Thunder Cross sequel, released only to MSX2 computers.
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...
video game developed and published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
in 1989. It was later re-released for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service on the 24th of November, 2009. It has never been released outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Summary
In the game the player pilots a starshipStarship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
shaped like a mambo fish
Sharptail mola
The sharptail mola, Masturus lanceolatus, is a species of mola found circumglobally in tropical and temperate waters. It is similar in appearance to the ocean sunfish , but can be distinguished by the projection on its clavus . Other common names include sharpfin sunfish, point-tailed sunfish, and...
. There are only two weapon types, however your ship is helped by two stationary "options" similar to those found in the Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
series. The "options" are able to shift so that they alternatively fire in three directions: forward, backward, and towards the top/bottom of the screen.
The ship from Space Manbow inspired the "Mambo" and "Samba" characters in Konami's Parodius series, which parodies other Konami shoot 'em ups. The characters first appeared in Gokujō Parodius!, in later Sexy Parodius
Sexy Parodius
is a scrolling shooter arcade game. It is the fifth installment of the Parodius series, produced by Konami. Like the rest of the series, it is a parody of the Gradius series and other Konami games. It also contains explicitly sexual level and enemy designs and risqué innuendo...
and Gokuraku Parodius in Pachislot.
The Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki
Ganbare Goemon: Tokai Dochu Oedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki
is a Ganbare Goemon game released for the Nintendo DS on June 23, 2005. Its release marked the revival of the series' medieval Japanese themes and quirky humor, as previous games had taken place in a futuristic setting or with a more serious tone.-External links:...
contains an unlockable Space Manbow minigame with identical graphics but enhanced music. This unlockable version only contains the first level of the game.
In 2006, Space Manbow is released for mobile phones.
In 2007, Bart van Velzen released an unofficial sequel, Manbow 2, for MSX2.
Space Manbow has some similarities to Thunder Cross (and Thunder Cross II - both from Konami as well), which makes Space Manbow considered by some as a Thunder Cross sequel, released only to MSX2 computers.