Bullet Hell: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''The person who had done this might as well try to dodge water particles while taking a shower or radioactive particles during a nuclear fallout.''|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAjtr8Cujw YouTube commenter] on ''[[Touhou]]'' [[Fan Work|Ultra mode]].}}
Bullet Hell (called ''danmaku'' or "barrage" - literally "bullet curtain" - in Japanese) shooters are a subgenre of [[Shoot'Em Up|Shoot Em Ups]] that test both your dodging skills and your resistance to seizures. To put it simply, they're vertically scrolling shooters where all the enemies have ''[[More Dakka|lotsa (but not enuff) dakka]]''. They often feature extremely elaborate and beautiful patterns of bullet flows, especially for bosses, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of bullets on the screen at once, requiring constant weaving and pattern memorization in order to get the elusive [[Rank Inflation|S++ ranks]]. Not so [[Painfully-Slow Projectile|painfully slow]] when they ''cover the screen'', eh, tough guy? These games also tend to have [[True Final Boss
However, the genre is not always as [[Nintendo Hard]] as it seems. The player's [[Hitbox Dissonance|hitbox is often very small, sometimes only one pixel]]. In addition, [[A-Team Firing|the majority of enemy bullets are sprayed wildly and have no chance of actually hitting the player]]. Finally, the player is almost always given some variant of the [[Smart Bomb]], which will remove bullets from the screen. Most modern bullet hell games give the player another way to avoid being killed, such as hypers in ''[[Do Don Pachi]]'', ''[[Touhou]]'''s deathbombs, or ''[[Giga Wing]]'''s [[Attack Reflector]]. Though by no means easy, a bullet hell game can be cleared without memorizing patterns or continuing. In fact, Bullet Hell games tend to be just as difficult as older, less bullet-intensive games.
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In addition, the bullet patterns are not the only elaborate things in these games. The [[Scoring Points|scoring systems]] often require as much dedication to master as the bullet patterns. Some common elements including "grazing" (where a bullet passes through your character sprite but not your vital hitbox), collecting items dropped by enemies, and [[No Damage Run|not dying]]. Like the bullet patterns, the scoring systems have become more complex as time went on, going from a very simple [[Combos]] based scoring system in ''[[Don Pachi]]'' to systems that take multiple pages just to describe the most basic elements like ''[[Hellsinker]]''. The scores attained have also been [[Pinball Scoring|subject to inflation]].
The types of projectiles fired by enemies and bosses will almost always be colourful [[Energy Ball
Can overlap with [[Cute'Em Up]]. Usually unrelated to [[Platform Hell]] - these games are consistent about following their own rules and don't depend on cruel surprises.
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{{examples|Known
* ''[[Recca]]'', the [[Ur Example]]. On NES. And it goes even more hellish in the [[Harder Than Hard|Zanki Attack]] mode, where enemies explode into four or so [[Taking You with Me|suicide bullets]] when destroyed. But wait till they come in waves of ten to twenty...
** The main difference between Recca and most of the examples in this page, is that the bullets fill the screen '''AND''' ''they are absurdly fast''.
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* ''Batsugun'', one of [[Toaplan]]'s last games before they closed in 1994, is the [[Trope Maker]]. In fact, several members of Toaplan formed these companies after their closure: Cave (formed from the ''Batsugun'' team), [[Eighting Raizing|8ing/Raizing]], Takumi, and Gazelle.
* Almost anything ever produced by [[CAVE]], including ''[[Don Pachi]]'', ''DoDonPachi'' (the [[Trope Codifier]]) and especially later sequels, culminating in ''DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu''. Cave shooters typically have two loops. The first loop will look feasibly beatable. To get to the second, you usually have to not die and not use more than a couple bombs (or some variation on that). The second loop will be [[No One Could Survive That]]. At the end or after the end of the second loop (depending on the game), you ''finally'' go up against the [[True Final Boss]] who makes the ''entire rest of the game'' look like a cakewalk. And naturally, in most of these games, you have to beat the true boss to even see the "good" ending.
** Cave is almost infamous for creating its own niche of [[Nintendo Hard|hard games]], even by
*** Driving this point home is that shortly after ''Dai Ou Jou's'' release, the Black Label version was released (allegedly in response to some complaints from high-level players), and the notable changes were being able to keep your extra lives after the first loop and being permitted to continue on the last stage of loop 2 (both of which do NOT occur in the original release, which means running out of your initial stock of lives to Hibachi is a game over). They also added a separate 1-loop mode which ends with Hibachi (with continues permitted at any time) just so the veterans could actually get some practice against it.
** Behold a terror like nothing you have seen before. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsWhVhgEEV4&annotation_id=annotation_111728&feature=iv DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label Hibachi]. This is
*** Now Presenting: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ca8RPBwOs&feature=watch_response ZATSUZA], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHqN_fH2S7k&feature=related And in his Arcade Difficulty].
** On special content for Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu Black Label Retail Disc, comes a return of the Ketsui boss Evacaneer DOOM now known as HIVAC for this encounter, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3pbDY5Khk and he's not happy to see you].
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** ''Guwange'', unique in that it uses a true [[Jidai Geki]] setting (compared to series like [[Touhou]]).
** ''ESP Ra.De'' and its [[Spiritual Successor]] ''Espgaluda''.
** ''Progear no Arashi'', or its [[No Export for You|Barely Any Export For You]] localized version ''Progear'', for Capcom?s CPS-2 arcade system. It has a [[Steampunk]] setting. It is also slightly unusual for the
*** Now we have its [[Spiritual Successor]] ''[[Akai Katana]]''.
* ''[[Ketsui]]'', and its DS [[Boss Rush]] port, ''Ketsui Death Label'' have bullets that will curve, multiply, pause, and perform all sorts of other behavior, as if they're organic bullets. ''Death Label'' is perhaps notable for being one of the first danmaku games to grace a portable system, something that one [[YouTube]] user describes as "bullet hell in your pocket."
* The ''[[Touhou]]'' games are perhaps the best known example of
** Even worse in that Yukari is generally considered one of the easier bonus bosses, especially compared to the likes of Flandre or Koishi.
** There's also [http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Touhou_Danmakufu Touhou Danmakufu] which allows you to create your own Touhou-style danmaku games, including bosses with custom-made spellcards.
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** ''Blast Works'' is the [[Adaptation Distillation]] of ''Tumiki Fighters'', a previous shmup by Kenta Cho, who worked on other freeware Bullet Hell games such as ''Noiz2sa'', ''rRootage'', ''Parsec47'', and ''Torus Trooper''. In fact, he developed an XML-based markup language called [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/bulletml/index_e.html BulletML], an open-source markup language that lets you develop your own Bullet Hell patterns.
* ''Pure White Giant Glastonbury'', a [[Game Within a Game]], found {{spoiler|on the way to the Rank 4 fight}} in ''[[No More Heroes]]''.
** And again in the sequel with Bizarre Jelly 5. Notable for {{spoiler|its special difficulty, unlocked after clearing hard without losing a life. Reaching the end of this mode results in a ''[[Bonus Boss]]'' fight against the Glastonbury. While tough on its own, it unleashes ''
* In ''[[Ikaruga]]'' you can absorb some bullets (due to the polarity system). And you ''have'' to. The clouds of bullets that get shot your way often have no spaces between them whatsoever. One would think being able to flip your shield and plow through it would make the game easier... and for the first level or two, it does. [[It Got Worse|Then you realize]] that the next logical step is to shoot obscene clouds of ''both'' kinds of bullets at you ''at the same time''. [[Nintendo Hard|Commence cognitive overload]].
** "I've heard the Ikaruga can squeeze between bricks in a wall without touching them."
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* The bosses of ''[[The Red Star]]'' all fit into this category, despite the fact that the game is a side-scrolling Beat'em Up.
* Some of the more.... ''[[Nintendo Hard|insane]]'' levels of the Gummi Ship sections in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]] 2'' get like this; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEm1hsvo4vs&feature=related for example, this one], especially when the boss comes in.
** Of course, using the [[Game Breaker|Drain cannon]] turns half the bullets into ammo, letting Hunter-X feel the wrath of
* ''[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/509592 Frantic 2]'' is basically a flash version of Touhou. With bonus multipliers for grazing bullets.
** On the topic of Flash Games, if you play your cards right in [[Upgrade Complete]], you can inflict this on the opponent. Sweet, sweet, revenge...
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* [http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550405/?bt=0&sb=1&mt=32&gu=66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550405&p=1&of=0 You Will Die] is an indie game shooter for the Xbox 360 that consists of nothing but killing a boss over and over [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|until you die]]. Every time you kill it, it adds more parts and weapons onto itself and becomes stronger. The game starts out fairly tame, but quickly reaches bullet hell levels of difficulty if you can survive long enough.
* In [http://bossrushgame.com/bossrush/ Boss Rush], you [[Perspective Flip|are the main cause of this]].
* ''[[Beat Hazard]]'' mixes
* ''[[In the Hunt]]'' is normally a shooter that doesn't give the player too many bullets on screen, and [[Shoot the Bullet|most of which can be destroyed]]... until you see the [[Final Boss]]'s "[[That One Attack|Indestructible Red Mines Attack]]" (starts at 1:11 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCc8yyVwvPU here]). Coupled with the fact that your hitbox is kind of large, and you'll see why it's [[Nintendo Hard]]...
* ''[[Prismatic Solid]]'' will literally bombard the player with ridiculous storms of bullets that really only be defended by using the [[Attack Drone]] to shield your ship from enemy fire.
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* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Yq-ThqIZAJI My Little Pegasis: Kizuna DoPonyPachi], a danmaku fangame based on [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]
* ''[[Mushroom Kingdom Fusion]]'' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aH_sD3iPb0 gets in on the action] (start at 2:30).
* One attack during the final boss fight of ''[[Mega Man X]] 8'' simulates the "dodging" part of bullet hell pretty good.
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** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ku4MNbCkE Mothraya] in [[ROM Hack]] ''[[Rock Man 4 Minus Infinity]]''. As it takes damage, its patterns increase in difficulty.
* The Delicious Fruit room in ''I Wanna Be The Fangame''. {{spoiler|"The only cherry in this game" my ass. And you've got to [[Alliteration|surf on a slowly sinking "Psyche!" sign]].}}
* One of the bosses in ''[[The World Ends With You]]'', Megumi Kitaniji (first fight; partnered with {{spoiler|a [[Brainwashed and Crazy|brainwashed]] Shiki Misaki)}}, has a
** His [[One-Winged Angel]] form fires so many fireballs at once, it actually lags the DS.
* A few bosses from ''[[An Untitled Story]]''. Plus rooms with endless waves of falling purple globs, or ghosts.
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** [[Mega Mari|Mega-Freaking-Mari]], FULL STOP.
* The boss battles in ''[[Crescent Pale Mist]]''.
* The Ninja miniboss of Area 3 in ''[[Contra]] ReBirth'' has as one of its attacks a
* [[Epic Battle Fantasy]] actually did bullet hell BEFORE the actual bullet hell spinoff! One of Lance's attacks in the third game is named Bullet Hell. There are indeed a lot of bullets in the animation and it hits a number of times (not that it means much, considering there's no damage cap.) The hell part becomes more applicable once you consider the attack is fire elemental.
* ''[[Mischief Makers]]'': The first and second battles with [[That One Boss|Lunar]] (the wolf with the machine-gun). The first battle is in a snowfield, where he fights you by shooting his weapon of choice and launching bombs, too; the second battle has Lunar on his motorcycle, launching missiles, shooting fire blasts, and also firing a giant laser whenever he gets the chance.
* [http://void.heteml.jp/flash/sayaka_drops/ This] ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' [[Doujinshi|doujin]] game is about maneuvering {{spoiler|Sayaka's}} Soul Gem away from the rain of [[Wangst|tears]]. It starts out fine, but after a while, there'll be so much of it that the difficulty hits this trope.
* [[Super Mario War]]: there is a [{{
* The Twin Val'kyr boss in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'': in a [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[Ikaruga]]'' you choose either white or black colour and have to catch the bullets of your colour so that they won't harm others. Mixed up with occasionally all raid having to switch to one colour to absorb a massive bomb or deal more damage to one of them. However, with advancement of gear and now level cap, people begun to just stand there and annihilate them with superior firepower.
* Wartech: Senko no Ronde has this for the boss fights. Also, the normal characters can power up into B.O.S.S. mode and perform this sort of attack while powered up.
* [[Distorted Travesty]] and it's sequel mixes this with [[Platform Hell]] with bosses throwing huge waves of bullets around. In fact the two short flying levels that more closely resemble traditional
* The fight with {{spoiler|Xemnas}} in Kingdom Hearts 2 may count. Near the end, Sora and {{spoiler|Riku}} are surrounded by umpteen of those shots he fires, and you have to button mash triangle and square to avoid damage, where the two do insane maneuvers to dodge.
* Every other boss battle in ''[[Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure]]'' involved [[Big Bad|Kaos]] alternating between him attacking with spells that are basically full blown bullet hell patterns based around [[Making a Splash|Water]], [[Green Thumb|Life]], [[Casting a Shadow|Undead]] and [[Playing with Fire|Fire]] and spawning [[Evil Knockoff
* A rare example where the player is given this ability: [[Warriors Orochi]] 2 adds newcomer Himiko, a shamanistic goddess. Her floating clay dogu can send out several dozen bullets in various flashy patterns, in addition to lasers. Her R1 special doubles the bullet count for a period of time.
* ''[[Spiral Knights]]'' when Gunpuppies show up. [[That One Level|Oh joy.]]
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