Japanese studio Toaplan famously debuted the concept of bullet hell with its superb 1993 arcade shooter Batsugun. Until then, traditional shooting games had been very much calmer, quieter affairs. But while Toaplan’s offering enthusiastically suggested the possibilities of increased bullet counts, complexity and mechanical depth, it was CAVE’s 1997 arcade release DoDonPachi that truly solidified the bullet hell form’s potential.
CAVE, established by former Toaplan staff, had already explored bullet hell – or ‘danmaku’ – with 1995’s . Its sequel however, would establish or refine so many of the tenets that to this day define what bullet hell is, that to better understand how to play is to level up your ability across the genre. And, more importantly, you get to feel the thrill of gradually overcoming one of videogaming’s greatest ever examples.
