Hayao Miyazaki and shmups

[Randorama]

Ok, as i saw again (after ages) "Laputa castle in the sky", yesterday, and i realized that it has inspired a lot of shmups. First and foremost:

Gun Frontier takes some inspiration in vehicle design, the small kite Sheeta and Pazu fly on (when they arrive on Laputa) is one of the GF's enemy's planes. Also, there is one short scene in which the Goliath is docking, and there are flamingoes flying way, scared.

Also, Its direct heir Battle Garegga has stage 1, "Valley", directly taken from Pazu's home village. Again, in Garegga, the fifth stage's giant carrier is more or less inspired to the Goliath in the movie (giant war dirigible).Same thing for the flying flamingoes.

Giga Wing, on the other hand, uses the basic idea of "floating islands" in a style not unlike Laputa. Also, the giant fortress in Giga WIng 2 is very reminescent of the Goliath (the one in the intro).

In Progear (...obviously), there is also a flying island as a final stage.

Esp.Galuda has a flying fortress (which looks a bit like the Goliath) on the third stage, and has a flying castle as a final stage.

Nausicaä is also based on the legend of the insect princess, a legend about a japanese princess who adored insects...obviously, i'm also referring to Mushihime-Sama.

Do you know of other references and homages?

(I think that he great Rag-time show has some inspiration from Porco Rosso as well, but it's pretty weak, i think).

[SuperPang]

I've always thought Cave were heavily influenced. An official Nausicaa/Laputa/Porco shmup by Cave would be a dream come true but Miyazaki and Ghibli are very against any kind of video game franchise.

[SuperPang]

I've always thought Cave were heavily influenced. .

...by Miyazaki, I'm not saying they're stoned or anything

[BulletMagnet]

...by Miyazaki, I'm not saying they're stoned or anything

With some of the stuff they've turned out, who knows? "Dude...like, how cool would it be if there was, like, something with both disco and shooting in it...that would be, like, the best thing ever..."

Though obviously whatever they're smoking is weak compared to the stuff that Parodius Team over at Konami's gotten their mitts on, heh heh.

[Jon]

Its not a Miyazaki flick but the recent anime Steamboy has a very strong Progear feeling throughout the whole movie. From vehicle and aircraft design to the over all setting the film takes place in. Great movie by the way, check it out if you have not done so already.

[Achan]

In Progear (...obviously), there is also a flying island as a final stage.

Hve you read what it says on the newspapers in the background on the title screen? "A tale of adventure in Laputa" and a picture of a/the floating island.

[Pointman]

After Progear's relation to Laputa, and Mushi's relation to Nausicaa, I'm just impatiently waiting for their next shooter to be a World War Italian based game with a red plane and a pig at the helm. Or at least something very similar. Come on Cave make it happen!!!

[Randorama]

Ah, btw, Guwange's third boss is loosely inspired on the...ceshire cat-bus of "My neighbour Totoro", i'd add.

Not a shmup, but Gaiapolis hugely predates Laputa as well (including the ending scene).

[BulletMagnet]

Ah, btw, Guwange's third boss is loosely inspired on the...ceshire cat-bus of "My neighbour Totoro", i'd add.

Methinks that's just a bit of a stretch. If anything Miyazaki might relate to Guwange, I might cite "Spirited Away," with all its weird goblins and such...of course, it wasn't made until several years after Guwange, but hey.

[pixelcorps]

miyazaki homages i've spotted

crying : megadrive : flying snakey insects

ordyne : arcade : entire end sequence


i'd say the cat boss is more linked to japanese legend than inspired by miyazaki..

[Dylan1CC]

I finally caved in and credit fed Mushi last night. Obviously the whole game is Nausicaa inspired. But I also love that the 4th stage looks a bit like the underground river/pond Nausicaa falls into later in the film which is a nice touch.

I still need to watch Laputa.

And about every other Miyazaki film besides Nausicaa.

[ccovell]

Game designers have been influenced by (and have copied from) many movies, books, etc, over the years. The most influential seem to have been Miyazaki, Alien, Terminator, Star Wars, and Blade Runner. Homages to those can be found almost everywhere.

I saw a Japanese webpage recently (Can't find the link anymore...) that had a very large compendium of all the movies that games borrowed art or ideas from. It was very interesting... anybody else see it?

[Dave_K.]

Game designers have been influenced by (and have copied from) many movies, books, etc, over the years. The most influential seem to have been Miyazaki, Alien, Terminator, Star Wars, and Blade Runner. Homages to those can be found almost everywhere.

I saw a Japanese webpage recently (Can't find the link anymore...) that had a very large compendium of all the movies that games borrowed art or ideas from. It was very interesting... anybody else see it?

See September 27th news on Insertcredit.
http://insertcredit.com/archives/2005_09.html

[Dylan1CC]

Game designers have been influenced by (and have copied from) many movies, books, etc, over the years. The most influential seem to have been Miyazaki, Alien, Terminator, Star Wars, and Blade Runner. Homages to those can be found almost everywhere.

I saw a Japanese webpage recently (Can't find the link anymore...) that had a very large compendium of all the movies that games borrowed art or ideas from. It was very interesting... anybody else see it?

See September 27th news on Insertcredit.
http://insertcredit.com/archives/2005_09.html

I am really enjoying looking at the pics so far but wish it was in english so i could get more out of it.

What games are these:







edit: Also, I always thought Metroid's alien homages were the best because it borrows just enough from the movies while still remaining very unique and is nicely subtle in its references.

[DarkWolf7]

Splatterhouse - Wanpaku Grafitti (1989 Namco)
Chelnov - Atomic Runner (1988 Data East)
Psycho Soldier (1987 SNK)

[pixelcorps]

number 2 is data easts chelnov : atomic runner

number 3 is SNK's Athena

no idea about number 1

[Specineff]

A little bit unrelated. Panzer Dragoon borrows from Nausicaa in design of the world and monsters too.

[chtimi-CLA]

the battle garegga stage 5 huge plane reminded me more of the conan series .

[Randorama]

A little bit unrelated. Panzer Dragoon borrows from Nausicaa in design of the world and monsters too.

Ah, i think that Panzer Dragoon is a very interesting case. The design has been entirely done by the immense genius of Moebius (Jean Giraud), who in turn inspired Miyazaki and Otomo (and a lot of other authors all over the world).

the battle garegga stage 5 huge plane reminded me more of the conan series

Yeah, isn't it actually taken from one of the huge flying fortresses in the series?

[chtimi-CLA]

the battle garegga stage 5 huge plane reminded me more of the conan series

Yeah, isn't it actually taken from one of the huge flying fortresses in the series?

yep, the flying fortress that appears toward the end and is destroyed in mid-air by conan. it has the same color and the same anatomy, now that i think about it it even has a detachable nose (like glow squid)
great series btw if you haven't seen it.

[pixelcorps]

panzer dragoon is pretty much wholesale "inspired" by moebius' comic ARZAK.

[Randorama]

panzer dragoon is pretty much wholesale "inspired" by moebius' comic ARZAK.

I thought that Moebius himself made the whole design of the game...i remember that there was a poster by him in my copy of the game, is that correct

[pixelcorps]

really?? wow, I thought they just got someone to mimic the style...

[Dylan1CC]

Thanks to pixel and darkwolf for identifying those games for me.

[Cacophanus]

panzer dragoon is pretty much wholesale "inspired" by moebius' comic ARZAK.

Miyazaki and Moebius are friends though and have often referred to each other as influences (though Moebius did work initially on the original Panzer Dragoon, or his work was at least credited in several Japanese artbooks I saw). Anyway, here are the two creative magnates together...

[Randorama]

There is also an interview/dialogue between the two, and beside that, Moebius was indeed the source of inspiration of Miyazaki, from what i can recall of the interview (especially Arzach, of course...).

Ah, The GunFrontier ships are a bit inspired to the vehicle piloted by Nausicaa when fleeing from the flying warship, and it can be said that Progear starts from the Valley of the Wind (at least, the windmills are similar!).

[DEL]

Miyazaki's films MUST be related to Progear, or vice versa.


OFF TOPIC: Tsui Hark's Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain features blue Tatsujin/Truxton lasers in the barn fight. Identical to the game.

[jiji]

Not a shmup, but in the PS2 flight-adventure game Sky Odyssey, there's a city built on the walls of the crater of an extinct volcano that you can fly around in. Looks just like Laputa to me.

[Turrican]

Do you know of other references and homages?

You all recognize the background, don't you?

[Dylan1CC]

^^^^



I need to play Twinbee again. Been a month or two.