Flying islands?

[Spyke]

Hi all,

Quick question, I've noticed since returning to the shmup fold in the last year or so, and being exposed to Japanese shmups, there seems to be quite a few games with "flying islands" as enemies. I'm thinking of Deathsmiles and Mushihimesams Futari 1.5 particularly, but I'm sure I've seen them in videos of other games online.

Is there a cultural significence to them? Why are they considered "evil"? Or is it just random?

Ant

[moh]

HAHA, i never really stopped to think about that.

But you're right, and those flying islands are damn funny

[ptoing]

The ones in Deathsmiles have faces, no? So they are some kinda creature which is inside an island perhaps. Like a hermit crab, kinda.

And the ones in Futari do not really attack you, apart from Ultra and God, where everything shoots at you anyway.

[Kollision]

Grindstormer/-V-V has them as well, but they're indestructible.

[n0rtygames]

And the ones in Futari do not really attack you, apart from Ultra and God, where everything shoots at you anyway.

I'm sure there's a parody waiting to happen here.... maybe one day we'll have aggressive rank meters.

[BPzeBanshee]

Quite a few animes have floating islands as central locales or something, it probably goes back to that.

[RaidenViper]

There's a stage in Gigawing with flying islands that shoots bullets. The one with the trains?

[BulletMagnet]

I'm sure there's a parody waiting to happen here.... maybe one day we'll have aggressive rank meters.

Sometimes I wouldn't be surprised if Deadpool suddenly popped into my game of DFKBL, grabbed the rank meter and smacked me with it.

On topic, I know of a fair amount of space-themed shooters that feature asteroids with guns and such mounted on them, though I don't think those technically count as "islands".

[Ed Oscuro]

Quite a few animes have floating islands as central locales or something, it probably goes back to that.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (which I haven't seen)...also the original Zelda sort-of was based on the concept of things like that (like finding a lake on top of a mountain). I personally see it as kind of like an outgrowth of the same influence behind zen gardens - you have only so much space, now make it pretty

Thank goodness for Twin Eagle 1 & 2!

[PedroMD]

Maybe they just are really cool. It's not only in shmups or even only in games you find them. From Laputa to Sonic to Avatar, they're everywhere. I don't think there's any meaning behind them, floating islands or continents are just a nice setting.

[BIL]

Kamui's second stage does the floating island thing beautifully, with waterfalls cascading off them to the earth miles below. Directly inspired by Rayforce's third stage, of course, but iirc those are islands suspended by steel pylons (that you can blow up to send them crashing down).

Oh snap, Contra avatar triple chain!

[To Far Away Times]

Xexex has floating waterfalls of all things, only sometimes they are actually attached to floating islands. Graphically, it's a weird, but extremely stylish game.

[ciox]

Probably evolved from terrain made out of multiple, different-looking parallax layers, which everyone was using at some point, whole thing was started by Rayforce most likely.

[Drum]

Japan's producers of anime and videogames pretty much became smitten with them after Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky so you'd see a lot in rpgs and stuff. I guess they migrated outwards from there and mutated over time, becoming a cultural fixture - like mechs/city-destroying monsters/sentai etc. etc.
Laputa itself was inspired by Johnathan Swift, natch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laputa

[EmperorIng]

Probably evolved from terrain made out of multiple, different-looking parallax layers, which everyone was using at some point, whole thing was started by Rayforce most likely.

I was going to mention that 'the' floating island for me is the one in RayForce's Area 3 "Phantasm of Silver" where you destroy the island's support beams, and send it hurtling down towards the earth.

Such a small, inconsequential moment in the game ends up being one of the most memorable for sheer graphical "wow" factor.

[BPzeBanshee]

Quite a few animes have floating islands as central locales or something, it probably goes back to that.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (which I haven't seen)...also the original Zelda sort-of was based on the concept of things like that (like finding a lake on top of a mountain). I personally see it as kind of like an outgrowth of the same influence behind zen gardens - you have only so much space, now make it pretty

Thank goodness for Twin Eagle 1 & 2!

That's the one I was thinking of. It had the flying turtle right?

Papilio has floating islands in the background as well. For those who don't know it's one of the best horizontal shmups to come out of our Development forum even though it's still WIP, and the gameplay is just as good as the art.

[Ed Oscuro]

Drum might be right that it actually is Laputa - for some reason I thought Nausicaa had the theme too, but looking at a plot synopsis I don't see any reference to that. Like I said though, I haven't seen it...but I do think there is a turtle in one of the two mentioned.

Turtle Ship...yum.

[ptoing]

Progear also is more than a bit inspired by Laputa it seems. It even has Laputa written on one of the newspaper clips in the title.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Laputa desu! Occurs above other parts of Earth too. My relative once took a photo.
I find it pretty cool that Ys in the Falcom games was elevated rather than submerged. The Granstream Saga by Quintet used the motif as well.

[Lord Satori]

you guys are over analysing this. its an interesting concept: an island that defies gravity. thats all there is to it.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

There's a stage in Gigawing with flying islands that shoots bullets. The one with the trains?

It was Stage 4 - the whole level was some temple sort of thing built on floating islands. The islands themselves didn't attack, but turrets built on them attacked you and you could destroy them.

[Spyke]

you guys are over analysing this. its an interesting concept: an island that defies gravity. thats all there is to it.

And? Over-analysing never got anybody stressed! LOL

I must admit I'm surprised as to the amount of replies. I just thought it was an interesting and somewhat wierd little foible of imported games. I see I'm not alone!

Ant

[Spyke]

Laputa desu! Occurs above other parts of Earth too. My relative once took a photo.
I find it pretty cool that Ys in the Falcom games was elevated rather than submerged. The Granstream Saga by Quintet used the motif as well.

Cool video - thanks!
(I notice it's not shooting at anyone... phew!)

[lillin]

Not a shooter, but anyone remember Zeal from Chrono Trigger? Coolest freaking floating island after Laputa.

[Lord Satori]

you guys are over analysing this. its an interesting concept: an island that defies gravity. thats all there is to it.

And? Over-analysing never got anybody stressed! LOL

I must admit I'm surprised as to the amount of replies. I just thought it was an interesting and somewhat wierd little foible of imported games. I see I'm not alone!

Ant

except its not just imported games. floating islands are seen in all sorts of games.

[trap15]

But mostly Japanese ones.

[Op Intensify]

It was mentioned earlier, and I think the entire trend started with Laputa.