Skull Fang: Kuhga Gaiden [Arcade/Saturn]

[Perikles]

Let's create another scoreboard! This game has a lot of different options, versions and modes which can make it a bit confusing. I'm not absolutely sure with the Saturn version yet, if someone can verify or falsify my subsequent enumeration then feel free to do so! Here's what I could gather:

I know for a fact that the World version of Skull Fang behaves differently than the Japanese version. While you only have one life bar in the Japanese version, the World version has lives on top of that bar. It looks like you might lose more energy for each hit in the World version, but I'll most definitely split boards between these for now. I also think that some bosses are more aggressive in the Japanese version.

Furthermore, Auto Mode and Chase Mode are being split. In Auto Mode the speed of your ship is fixed and there's no time limit, but you also don't get any extra bonus points after every stage. That's a significant difference for both scoring and survival.

The Saturn version has a weird nomenclature, but it looks like it does allow players to replicate the Japanese version (not the World version, though) of Skull Fang. The important thing is to set the difficulty to Hard. Then you select Auto and Normal Mode for the, well, Auto Mode or 5 Speed and Normal Mode for the Chase Mode. If someone really wants to play with another configuration (Normal difficulty setting, 2 Speed, Extra Mode, Trial Mode) I'll add more boards by request.


Please submit scores like this:

Version - Mode

Name - Score - Stage - Ship - Pilot - Autofire


Japanese Version

Auto Mode

Chase Mode

Code: Select all

    Name         Score     Stage    Ship          Pilot    Autofire    
1. EmperorIng  19,234,700   ALL   Mega-Valkyrie  Sparrow     Yes
2. Kollision   18,988,500   ALL   Silph-II       Crane       Yes
3. Perikles    18,392,000   ALL   Seylen-EX      Sparrow     Yes        
4. 
5.  

World Version

Auto Mode

Chase Mode

[Perikles]

Japanese Version - Chase Mode



Perikles - 18,392,000 - ALL - Seylen-EX - Sparrow - Yes

Video

I could probably manage to get through the first four stages without getting hit, but it's hard to muster the energy to do that. I wish they weren't so lazy with this game.

[Despatche]

Cool. Maybe I'll throw a few credits in. Here are the flyers, if you wanna mess with them.

[EmperorIng]

I need to dive into the game more. I am also saddened to learn that all my practice thus far has been on the Saturn defaults.


I only skimmed half your video, but it doesn't look like you bothered with the complicated maneuvers that are detailed on the flyers Despatche posted. I never really saw a need for them, outside of one or two moments where a boss might be too slow in moving back in front (and even then I didn't really bother). I am also surprised you didn't rely on the special attacks from the S-units, though I can't tell if they do any more damage than normal. As far as I'm aware, you either need to do a SF-style command, or stand still for a little while to charge it up (I can't tell; I think it's the latter). There's also an option on the Saturn port that simplifies the "thrust" command, but I don't know what that means.

Are there difference between the pilots (aside from Bomber/Fighter) beyond cosmetic?

[Despatche]

As far as I can tell, no. There are just two pilots for each type so both players can have a unique character if they both wanted to use Fighter or Bomber. Small cool detail.

[Perikles]

Cool. Maybe I'll throw a few credits in. Here are the flyers, if you wanna mess with them.

Thanks for the link, those are neat flyers, indeed! I should include them, but I'm afraid to open Pandora's box, I could pretty up all of my scoreboards in all honesty.

I never really saw a need for them, outside of one or two moments where a boss might be too slow in moving back in front (and even then I didn't really bother).

I really didn't want to learn the correct inputs, I just developed a few basic strategies for the bosses and went with them. It would be helpful to turn around the ship by 90 or 180 degrees in a few instances, but you might as well just barrel roll into them at that rate. I wasn't even aware of that s-unit special attack, this game is chock-full of moves.

I'm also pretty sure that the second pilot of each type is only there for variety.

[EmperorIng]

Japanese Version - Chase Mode

EmperorIng - 7,162,600 - 4 - Seylen-EX - Sparrow - Yes

Just to keep your score company. This is my first time practicing on arcade difficulty, so I hope to get better. Died right before beating the stage 4 boss. I hate these mine field segments of the stage. They feel so sloppy/lazy and it feels like it's impossible to not get hit during them.

[EmperorIng]

After agonizing weeks of practice into this lousy game, I can claim (for now) top spot. With no savestates to make things tolerable!

Japanese Version - Chase Mode

EmperorIng - 19,234,700 - ALL - Mega-Valkyrie - Sparrow - Yes





Warning! Wall of text is approaching fast:

What an aggravating time. It can only be with failed attempt after failed attempt can you truly appreciate how janky, sloppy, and excruciatingly painful this game is. You can see in the first pic just how close I was to losing it all in general. And many a damn time I made it to the final boss only to be cheaply blindsided into oblivion.

I chose Mega-Valkyrie for higher damage with the S-Unit. Rapid-firing its attack makes shorter work of bosses than normal, and its special-attack (which seems to trigger randomly, without any control of your own - making it impossible to plan to use it effectively) fires homing lasers which allows you to pick off dangerous targets from a safe distance.

You can be doing amazing, with little to no damage for the first three stages, and lose it all in an instant thanks to a poorly-programmed spam of green ships that flood the screen in ugly bullets. Combine that with the game's habit of sending exploding mines that blanket the screen - you have many moments in the game where your health can drop to critical levels in the blink of an eye. Especially when your own health bar/throttle meter covers the bottom of the screen, making potential attacks/bullets HIDDEN FROM YOUR SIGHT.

I conclude that there is no real discernible pattern for bosses, except for boss 4 (who quickly became my favorite, simply because i could actually create a strategy for it). They randomly lumber around or off the screen, and it is up to God and DECO whether or not they will suddenly or quickly make a beeline for your ship, spawning bullets on top of you with no time to react (boss 5's redux of boss 3 is fond of this agony). Ragnorak itself made me fight the entire ship (not just 6 turrets on Perikles' video), and had the lovely habit of randomly bouncing around the screen and materializing bullets and pink orbs right next to my ship and depleting my lifebar. I thought I was done for once the yellow mech made his appearance, since the ship had decimated all my previous attempts.

The fact that I won can only be attributed to cheesing out the final boss. By a combination of sheer luck and being finicky with the throttle, I forced the boss to be stuck mostly off-screen on the top, except for the nose of the ship. That way I just slowly wore down its health, rolling when it made occasional dips downward. It never even entered its mech phase, with all its most dangerous and difficult attacks. It amazes me that the most visually and mechanically crucial part of the boss can be entirely erased from a playthrough if you combine questionable programming and game-manipulation by the player. Not that I'm complaining. It was only by avoiding those damnable lightning attacks, bullet-spread+gravity bomb combos, and pink orbs that I was able to pull off a win by the skin of my teeth.

I am done with this game! Glad I was able to overcome and prove myself its master. Sayonara, Skull Fang! Bon Voyage, Sparrow! Arrivederci, yellow mech with voice samples from Wolf Fang!

[Kollision]

Well played, Emperor!

CONGRATS

[EmperorIng]

Thanks, Kollision! I enjoyed your write-up of the game on your 1cc log. It feels that you were as unenthusiastic about the mine fields as I was. It truly is bizarre that there was so much effort placed into having what seems like half a dozen moves and maneuvers for all the planes, when polish I think was needed elsewhere!

[Kollision]

Yeah, it's great that we all enjoyed the crapness of Skull Fang together.
It's almost as we're part of a dirty little club now!

My entry ticket:

Kollision - 18,988,500 - ALL - Silph-II - Crane - Yes

played on the Sega Saturn, Normal Mode, 5-speed, Hard difficulty

[Perikles]

You rascals better not think I'll let that one slide, I will strike back! Gotta finish some other - decidedly better - games first, though.