Hitogata Happa - a Quick Review

[SAM]

I acquire the virtical shmups, Hitogata Happa, by Platine Dispositif a few days ago. After playing a few games I feel the game deserve some more attention.
http://www20.cds.ne.jp/~murasame/games/happa64.htm

So I decide to write a quick review here:
(Please correct me if I got anything wrong.)

Game Control:

Joystick:
Control the movement of your Doll (Player Ship)

Button 1:
Fire. Tapping to keep firing and moving at full speed; hold to focus fire and slowdown.

Button 2:
Special Action. Consume the Mana Bar to perform the special action of the Doll. Different type of Doll got different effect when special action is activate.

I don't know how the Mana Bar is filled up, but I think it got somthing to do with enemy distoryed and the time passed by.

Button 3:
Change the next type of Doll to come in when you loss the current Doll. This action is only valid if there are more than one type of Dolls in stock.

Game System:

Bomb (Self Destruct):
Your would self destruct when you ram into an enemy, if the bar labeled Flow beside the Mana bar is fully filled up. You would just die instead, if the Flow bar is not fully filled. The damage infected would totally depends on the type of Doll you are using.

Self Destruct is nessary to KO the Stage 0 Boss witin the time limited given. Since the firepower of the Doll you got in the beginning to too weak to bring it down in time. (That why you got 9 Dolls at start, you need to ram 3 to 5 of them into the boss to get the job done.)

Bullet Cancel Zone:
Each enemy got a circle surrunding it. When the enemy is destoried, all bullet within the circle would canceled into Green Gems. Similar to Progear.

If you fly within the circle, it would enlarge and change in color. An enlarged circle would slowdown moment of enemys' bullet as well as cancel enemy bullets within when the circle owner destroyed. The circle would remind enlarged even you move out of it later. This make an interesting stratgy for the game.

Purchase of Dolls:
At the end of each Stages, you are allow to purchase Dolls (lifes/Player Ship) with the Green Gems you collected. There are a total of 8 type of Dolls. After the purchase of each Doll, the price of the type of Doll you just bought would rise a little.

Homage to Other Games:
This game got stages paying homage to Ikaruga, ESPgaluda, Shikigami no Shiro, etc. quite funny.

************************

This is the one of the few Dojin game that actually support playing in TATE.

[BulletMagnet]

I agree that Happa deserves more attention, but wouldn't this be better-placed in the Reviews section?

[dai jou bu]

looks more like an ST or a GD than a review.

[bVork]

If we can't decide whether it's a review or an ST or whatever, I think it's in the right place

[SAM]

To become a ST we need...

(1) Details information of each Dolls
(2) Explaination on the Scoring System
(3) More on the Boss Barriar
(4) Recommended Strategy and Dolls to be used on each Stages
(5) Tranlation of the game's story.
(6) Any information that appear in the game manual but still missing here.

Anyone would like to provide this? We could than move it to the Strategy as a ST.

[dai jou bu]

Well, here's the current defintion of an ST:

Shmup Treatise (ST)

All our expert shmuppers are invited and encouraged to write a ST for their favourite game(s). A ST should thoroughly document the essential elements of a game, including its basic mechanics (ship/character selection, weapon system etc.), the mechanics of scoring, the mechanics of rank (if applicable), and a treatment of the stages and bosses.

Therefore,

To become a ST we need...

(1) Details information of each Dolls
(2) Explaination on the Scoring System
(3) More on the Boss Barriar
(4) Recommended Strategy and Dolls to be used on each Stages
(6) Any information that appear in the game manual but still missing

An ST does not need a story summary/translation. So far, your review seems to cover everything that would fit as an ST, but you're not sure on how everything works yet for this game.

The reason why I didin't go into detail about the game mechanics for my review is because it'd TATE it even more than it already is. Plus, (to me, anyway) the explanation of these game mechanics doesn't really help unless you actually play/see how the game runs yourself.

[WarCheese]

Wow:

It is quite a nice game. Without SAM I would not have found it... Is this a full game, or is it a shareware?

Cheers.

WarCheese

[diOdesu]

is this freeware?

[benj]

No. You can only download the trial version from the site SAM linked to.

[dai jou bu]

You can buy the full version here or here.

[SAM]

You can buy the full version here or here.

Och, last time I check Hitogata Happa is not avaliable at Palet Mail.

So I bought it $$$ more at HimeYa Shop...

[dai jou bu]

Och, last time I check Hitogata Happa is not avaliable at Palet Mail.

So I bought it $$$ more at HimeYa Shop...

I was shocked to see Air Rade Air there too. About friggin time they had it.

[infested_ysy]

Purchase of Dolls:
At the end of each Stages, you are allow to purchase Dolls (lifes/Player Ship) with the Green Gems you collected. There are a total of 8 type of Dolls. After the purchase of each Doll, the price of the type of Doll you just bought would rise a little.

Homage to Other Games:
This game got stages paying homage to Ikaruga, ESPgaluda, Shikigami no Shiro, etc. quite funny.

And if you completed the game under certain conditions, new dolls can be unlocked (there's a doll for both the suitcase girl and dual pistol girl from GunDeadligne, and a maid, and an ultimate OMG HAX character that shoots near instant-kill bullets all over the screen). Don't ask me about what the conditions are, though, I just got frustrated and downloaded a patch to unlock the hidden dolls, along with all the game modes.

Homages? Where? Which stage?

Also, this game is insane. Mad props to the crazy Japanese people who managed to 1CC in the hardest mode (I've got the replay for it, the guy only use the spectacled doll that shoots a tiny laser).

[Kaspal]

i remember, when i played that game (im not playin much lately), that, the only way to unlock the new chars (and hopefully, new game modes) you need to 1CC the game in EVERY difficulty level, so when you beat the game in the 4 default difficulty levels, you unlock 4 new chars... beating the game in easy, normal its ok... hard, its another level.... but DEMONIC its for Shmups G.O.D.s ... i just managed to unloc 2 chars... i guess its a matter of practice for me to get the other 2 hidden chars.

i cant wait to see what Murasame's goin to show up with in C70

[raiden]

I should be getting this game tomorrow... can´t wait.

[infested_ysy]

but DEMONIC its for Shmups G.O.D.s ... i just managed to unloc 2 chars... i guess its a matter of practice for me to get the other 2 hidden chars.

i cant wait to see what Murasame's goin to show up with in C70

That replay I've mentioned earlier about the guy who used the thin laser doll completed the whole game in Demonic mode.

[Kaspal]

but DEMONIC its for Shmups G.O.D.s ... i just managed to unloc 2 chars... i guess its a matter of practice for me to get the other 2 hidden chars.

i cant wait to see what Murasame's goin to show up with in C70

That replay I've mentioned earlier about the guy who used the thin laser doll completed the whole game in Demonic mode.

POST IT... POST IT!!... i wanna see that sick ass replay!...

[infested_ysy]

POST IT... POST IT!!... i wanna see that sick ass replay!...

I'll check out the replays I've got later today, or if you can't wait, you could get it here:
http://cgi.hossy.info/upload/index.php?page=all

It's one of it from the top dozen or so, search for "ヒトガタハッパ". You got the right one if you found one replay that starts with 13 of the spectacled doll that shoots a thin laser.

[Ceph]

Is anyone still playing this?

[Shion]

Played it a while ago. One of the best doujins I've played
Although character balance is pretty far off.