ESP Ra.De.

Infobox VG
title = ESP Ra.De.


developer = Cave
publisher = Atlus
designer = Kenichi Takano
released = 1998
genre = Manic shooter
modes = Single player, 2 player Co-op
platforms = Arcade
input = 8-way joystick, 3 buttons
cabinet = Upright
arcade system = Cave 1st generation
cpu = Motorola 68000 @ 16 MHz
sound = Yamaha YMZ280B @ 16.9344 MHz
display = Raster, vertical orientation, 240 x 320 pixels, 32768 colors, 57.55 Hz refresh rate

nihongo|"ESP Ra.De."|エスプレイド|Esupureido is an arcade game developed by Cave and published by Atlus in 1998. It is a vertical scrolling shooter, set in Tokyo in the year 2018. It, unlike most other shmups, has a fairly involved story and fits nicely into the manic shooter genre.

It has two sequels, "Espgaluda" and "Espgaluda II".

Overview

The game is played as a fairly standard manic shooter: the player is faced with six stages of increasing difficulty, each one with its own sub-boss and final boss to overcome; once the game's main antagonist is defeated, an ending pertaining to the character chosen is shown. unlike the DoDonPachi series, there is not a second loop.

Each of the three characters is given a unique backstory and primary attack, varying in power and bullet spread, which is launched by repeatedly pressing the A button: holding it results in automatic fire and the character slowing down. A so-called Piercing Cannon is activated with the B button: a varying number of powerful flames are launched forward, exploding once they come into contact with an enemy, dealing large quantities of damage. The smartbomb common to the genre is replaced with the ESP Drive: when the C button is pressed, the character becomes invulnerable, a small energy arc forms in front of him/her and a brief energy blast is launched forward, disrupting enemy shots and fiercely damaging regular foes and bosses alike; if the button is held down, a shield will encircle the player character, converting every shot that touches it into bonus tokens and further increasing the attack's power. This however drains the power gauge at the bottom of the screen, which can be replenished only by death or certain bonus icons.

tory

"ESP Ra.De." is regarded as another masterpiece from Cave, and one of their first attempts at providing a fully-developed backstory for the action displayed on-screen.

By 2018, Tokyo has reached its maximum extension, therefore falling prey of common problems such as overpopulation and criminality. For this reason, an artificial island, aptly named Tokyo-2, is created just offshore, thanks to the support of the shady "Yaksa" corporation, led by elusive billionaire Ms. Garra, whose ties with the modern incarnation of Yakuza have not been proved. Another source of unstability is given by the rising number of humans exhibiting extra sensory perceptions, the so called "ESPers", who are constantly hunted down by the Japanese Police force.Unknown to everyone, though, Garra herself is an extremely powerful ESPer, bent on using her influence over the government and military to replace every living being in the city with clones (disturbingly enough, these ESPers take the form of a 10 years old girl, named "Alice" and implied to originate from Garra's own DNA). Just as her plans begin to unfold, three children are forced to take action, each one for his/her own personal motives.

Characters

The story takes place in December, during a 24 hours arc: each character has a specific stage which initiates his/her storyline, then culminating with the final encounter. At the beginning of each stage, a philosophical sentence related to the overall plot is given.

Yusuke SagamiA 17 years old high-school student, portrayed in sporting gear, whose school is suddenly attacked by Yaksa's private military force and a squad of four ESPer clones. One of Yusuke's friends is killed by the squad commander, Satoru Oumi, whose pursuit sets the stage for the entire level. When encountered as a boss, he is seen assuming the form of the boy he killed, thus fueling Yusuke's desire for revenge.

Irori MimakasaAn 11 years old girl, daughter of a family of pacifists. After a failed assassination attempt by Yaksa's mechanized forces at the Tokyo Bay Area (a common location in Japanese video games, such as Final Fight), she is compelled to bring their persecution to an end.

JB-5thA genetically-engineered, 14 years old psychic assassin, his motives are unclear. His storyline, opening with a successful assassination attempt at a shopping mall, implies he's one of Yaksa's clones, rebelling against his creators in order to regain his freedom; his actions, though, get both Garra's forces and the military on his trail.

Locations & Bosses

The game follows the staples of manic shooters, presenting the player with six stages, each one intermitted with a sub-boss fight and culminating when facing a storyline enemy. Mechanical foes have a single power bar, whereas human/ESPer enemies have various smaller sub-bars, whose number increases according to the player's progression through the game: after the character's predefined stage is completed, the remaining two are chosen in random order.

Houo High School "(Yusuke Sagami)"

Sub-Boss: ArachnitankA mechanical walker tank, possibly inspired by the Metal Gear series. Its attacks are mainly unguided, although their intensity increases the later he's fought.Boss: Satoru OumiESPer clone, responsible for the Houo High School Massacre. Protected by four, weaker clones, he's the first antagonist during Yusuke's storyline. At the maximum difficulty setting, he can create a doppelganger of himself.

Bay Area "(Irori Mimakasa)"

Sub-Boss: Yaksa Armored ShipsNot a particularly characterized enemy "per se", it's simply a couple of heavily armored ships, the latter carrying a large anti-aerial cannon.Boss: Hoverboard Assault ChopperA hybrid machine, whose cockpit is shaped like an Apache Longbow, but devoid of an engine block: two large rotors are responsible for the vehicle's propulsion. Its attack are unguided but sometimes inescapable, forcing the player to constantly move across the screen.

Tokyo Shopping Mall "(JB-5th)"

Sub-Boss: Aerial BombersA large number of enemies with greater resiliance to the player's attacks, but with no peculiarity whatsoever.Boss: "Izuna" Assault TankA conventional (albeit futuristic) battle tank, whose armor, when destroyed, reveals additional gun turrets mounted on the four tracks and a large cannon on the main body. The majority of its attacks are aimed at the player's last position.

Wangan Subway Line

Sub-Boss: Armored TrainsTwo heavily armed trains enter the right portion of the screen, while various enemies walk along the carriages of the bulle train on the left, providing distraction.Boss: "Line-Rider" Security MechaA gigantic mechanized security guard riding the tracks: as damage is dealt, parts of its armor and systems are destroyed, increasing the fierceness of its attacks. Its third form shows two laser cannons hidden within its frame, protecting the main core.

Yaksa Fortress (exterior)

Sub-Boss: Yaksa Tank mk.IIA variation of the standard enemy tank seen during the previous stages: yellow in color, fires a continuous stream aimed at the player, while a second curtain of bullets on the said further limits movement. Two of them are fought.Boss: Main Gate Defense SystemThe player is faced with the Fortress' main gate, where a continuous stream of land vehicles are spawned to attack the character. In addition, snipers line the roof, and two turrets provide additional firepower. The target is the shield projected by two ESPer clones, whose support attacks grow increasingly strong as the life bar is depleted.

Yaksa Fortress (Ms. Garra's private quarters)

Sub-Boss 1: Alice ClonesThe first part of the mansion is literally invaded by Alice clones, continuously firing at the player and creating a dynamic curtain of bullets; later on, smaller units and tanks appear.Sub-Boss 2: Athena's HeadThe large head of an Athena statue is psychically torn from the body and revealed to be a complex war machine, with six different weapons. Two different bullet patterns are used at a time, increasing to three after half of the life bar has been depleted.Boss: Ms. GarraThe player is faced with Ms. Garra herself: after a brief, easier skirmish, she evolves into a winged form, increasing her firepower as damage is dealt, until actually attacking with tightly-knit bullet curtains (possibly as some form of tongue-in-cheek humor).At the boss' ultimate demise, the character's specific ending is shown.

External links

* [http://www.cave.co.jp/gameonline/esprade/ "ESP Ra.De."] at the official Japanese website of Cave
*KLOV game|id=7684