A collection of personal tips about Tatsujin Oh

[A.Kjoetsu]

Hello.

This is a collection of personal tips on Tatsujin Oh, and I hope it will be useful for your strategies.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8I ... ZRajKELuiX

See you soon.

[A.Kjoetsu]

Good evening.
I recorded this to mark the one-year anniversary since I started my rehabilitation with Tatsujin-Oh.

Tatsujin-Oh（PCB - 4K）11,004,330pts
https://youtu.be/AoU703Szu34?si=bjSn5kJQn9z_Izs2

[SquidDude]

Amazing play!

Did you find going for 10 million points fun enough to where you'd recommend it to other players?
I've always found it a bit strange how this game is seemingly very popular in Japan, with many 10 million+ players, whilst Western Toaplan players tend to dislike it, with only 1 (?) person ever playing it deep into the second loop.
It's such an absurdly long and hard run, I'm surprised that so many people have completed it (I think there's at least 20 people now?).

[A.Kjoetsu]

Thank you for watching.

In Japan, reaching 10 million points on Tatsujin-Oh has been a benchmark for showcasing high-level skill and dedication since the 1990s. Simply put, it remains the absolute pinnacle of hardcore gaming prowess even in the 2020s, so it’s definitely not for everyone.

Personally, the motivation to keep playing for nearly a year came from a desire to express gratitude to the veterans who originally demonstrated the techniques and shared the true joy of this game.

On a side note, with the arcade release of exA-Arcadia Tatsujin-Oh coming up around July through September, it would be great if this video could serve as a small catalyst for new SHMUP players to give it a try.

I'll just quietly blend back into the background (lol), but I sincerely hope the new release takes off.🕹

[A.Kjoetsu]

Good evening.
In this post, I’d like to share a few thoughts I’ve had about Tatsujin-Oh.


①：Enemy Bullet Aim
The player ship’s collision box is centered on the fuselage, but the enemy’s shots are aimed at the cockpit (the green part) at the front of the ship.
In other words, strictly speaking, the enemy is always aiming at a target positioned just in front of the collision box.

The Steam version of *Tatsujin-Oh* has an “Assist” feature that includes an option called “SHOW HITBOX.” When this option is enabled, the green box that appears corresponds to what is referred to here as the “target,” and if you are hit directly below it (in the area not shown on screen), it counts as a miss.


②：Regarding Difficulty
Based on your rank at the start of the game, the increase in shot power acts as a flag to affect the “enemy bullet firing cycle” in real time.

A concrete example is the firing cycle of the purple homing projectiles launched from both sides of the Stage 5 boss, which is the easiest to understand and requires a crucial strategic decision.

※As of now, the gear combinations that consistently work against Stage 5 bosses in the second playthrough and beyond are: Napalm 1 + Speed 5 + Bomb 1–2, or Napalm 5 + Speed 5 + Bomb 2.

Note that the increase in basic difficulty during multiple loops—including enemy bullet firing intervals, increased health, faster bullet speed, and certain enemies starting to fire—is limited to the first two loops; from the third loop onward, the game effectively becomes a “repeat of the second loop.”


③：Optimizing Auto-Fire Rate
Depending on the platform, it’s sometimes the default setting to have the player’s auto-fire speed reduced, but the PCB version’s speed is set to 15.
※AUTOFIRE: 15

Also, since there were frequent instances where enemies would manage to ram into me right between shots or weapon attacks, I’ve included my own rapid-fire technique below (Steam version).


・Button Layout（Nintendo Switch-Compatible Controller）
🅨 - Normal Auto-Fire
🅑 - Bomber
🅧 - Custom Auto-Fire ← This one

・Settings
MENU → INPUT → Controller Setup
→ Face Buttons⬇

🅧 → Fire Weapon → Long Press → Settings
Turbo - ON
Long Press Duration - 0
Repetition Frequency - 264 milliseconds
Haptics - OFF
Start Delay - 0
End Delay - 0
Cycle Command - OFF
Toggle - OFF


※The above settings were originally designed to simplify the process of scoring points by exploiting the blast from napalm, with the intention of reducing the difficulty and risk involved in timing your shots while dodging enemy fire.

…Incidentally, the main cause of mistakes in the icicle area of Stage 6 is being hit by icicles that fly in the split second when the main shot stops. To stabilize your play, keep firing at the thick icicles extending from both sides from a suitable distance to eliminate the gap between main shots.


④：Steps Taken to Improve
・Devised and practiced patterns for both "No-Miss" and "Mid-Stage Recovery" runs
(Memory based on experience)

・Created state saves for high-error spots, and recorded videos whenever a "personally optimized, stable pattern" was established
(Preservation)

・Reviewed past gameplay videos focusing only on the exact points where errors were made
(Fostering adaptability)

・Controller selection & maintenance
(Chose models with narrower button spacing)
(Regular cleaning)


...That is all.　ꉂ (՞. ̫ .)🕹- - - - -