Hellfire

From Sega Retro

For the 2020 re-release by Retro-bit, see Hellfire Collector's Edition.

n/a

  • NTSC-J/PAL
  • NTSC-U

Hellfire MD JP TitleScreen.png

HellfireMD TitleScreen.png

Hellfire
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Masaya (Japan), Seismic Software (US), Sega (Europe)
Developer:
Distributor: Hent Gruppen (SE rental), Tec Toy (BR), Samsung (KR)
Licensor: Toaplan
Original system(s): Arcade boards
Developer(s) of original games: Toaplan
Genre: Shooting[1]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥6,800 (7,004)6,800e[2][3] T-25073
Sega Mega Drive
US 		35036
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		1137
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£34.9934.99[7][8] 1137
Sega Mega Drive
SE
(Rental)
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Mega Drive
BR
Sega Mega Drive
KR
Non-Sega versions

Hellfire (ヘルファイアー) is a Sega Mega Drive horizontal shoot-'em-up developed by NCS. It is a port of the titular 1989 Toaplan arcade game Hellfire, originally published by Taito. The Mega Drive version was first published in Japan by Masaya in September 1990, was brought to the United States the following November by Seismic Software, and eventually published in Europe by Sega in May 1992. Sometime later, Hellfire made its way to Brazil, South Korea, and Australia.

One of the first Toaplan games to grace the Sega Mega Drive, Hellfire has been seen as typifying the style and design of the system's early library of shoot-'em-ups, and is one of the more fondly remembered examples of the genre on Sega's 16-bit hardware.

Story

In the year 2998, a space matter known as Black Nebula, created by the robot dictator Super Mech, spreads and threatens to engulf the human-controlled galaxies. Space Federation member Captain Lancer takes control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft in a surprise attack to overthrow the enemies with the fighter craft's "Hellfire" weapon.

Gameplay

Hellfire, Hellfire Weapon.png

Hellfire weapon

The game is a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up with a science fiction theme. Players assume the role of Captain Lancer taking control of the CNCS1 space fighter craft. The CNCS1 moves in any direction with the D-Pad and shoots with A. Rapid-fire can be enabled in the options before starting the game. The ship can fire in multiple different directions, switching between each modes with B, and the color of the ship and the bullets changes to indicate the firing direction. It can fire straight to the right (pink), straight to the left (yellow), straight up and down (green), or diagonally in four directions (blue). Enemies and bosses are designed to encourage switching between the directions frequently. The CNCS1 can shoot the Hellfire weapon with C, which is a powerful beam that penetrates through multiple enemies and neutralizes all projectiles on the screen. The Hellfire is always fired to the right, and its uses are limited (but more uses can be collected as items). The CNCS1 can collect items to upgrade its weapon and its speed.

The CNCS1 is destroyed if it takes damage from enemy fire or contact. It respawns at predetermined checkpoints in the stages, reverting to its base weapon power and movement speed. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued as long as there are continues remaining. The player earns an extra life for every 70,000 points gained.

The game has two difficulty levels (Easy and Hard). Upon completing the last stage, the game starts over at a higher difficulty: Easy progresses to Hard, and Hard progresses to the hidden "Yea Right" difficulty.

Items

Hellfire, Items.png
 Power Up
Powers up the CNCS1's main weapon, up to 5 times.
Hellfire, Items.png
 Speed Up
Increases the CNCS1's speed.
Hellfire, Items.png
 Bonus Points
Awards bonus points. The first Bonus Points collected is worth 40, then each subsequent pickup doubles the previous number, up to a maximum of 10,000 points. This amount resets to 40 points if the player loses a life.
Hellfire, Items.png
 1 Up
Awards an extra life.
Hellfire, Items.png
 Shield
Protects the CNCS1 against one hit.
Hellfire, Items.png
 Seeker
A search-and-destroy robot that destroys enemies on contact.
Hellfire, Items.png
 HELLFIRE
Increases the player's Hellfire stock by one.

Stages

Hellfire, Stage 1-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 1-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 1-3.png

Hellfire, Stage 1-4.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 1-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 1-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 1-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 1-4.png

Hoggr, the Frozen Star

Hellfire, Stage 2-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 2-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 2-3.png

Hellfire, Stage 2-4.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 2-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 2-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 2-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 2-4.png

Qat, the Desert

Hellfire, Stage 3-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 3-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 3-3.png

Hellfire, Stage 3-4.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 3-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 3-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 3-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 3-4.png

Syrinx, the Tropics

Hellfire, Stage 4-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 4-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 4-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 4-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 4-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 4-3.png

Lodur, the Forest

Hellfire, Stage 5-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 5-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 5-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 5-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 5-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 5-3.png

Urd, the Factory

Hellfire, Stage 6-1.png

Hellfire, Stage 6-2.png

Hellfire, Stage 6-3.png

Hellfire, Stage 6-4.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 6-1.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 6-2.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 6-3.png

  • Hellfire, Stage 6-4.png

Pholus, the Giant

History

Development

The music in the game runs too slow on Mega Drive 2 consoles with the VA4 motherboard.[9] These models integrate the sound chip with other system components (including the CPUs and VDP) onto a custom ASIC. Earlier board revisions with a discrete Yamaha YM2612 sound chip are unaffected. This is caused by differences in timing between the discrete and the integrated versions of the chip. Earthworm Jim is similarly affected.

Legacy

The game was re-released worldwide as Hellfire Collector's Edition by Retro-Bit as part of Toaplan Shooters Collector's Edition in October 2020.[10]

The game was included on the North American and European editions of the Mega Drive Mini 2 in October 2022.

Versions

The Japanese version has louder shot sound effects than the NTSC-U and PAL releases.

Production credits

  • Director: C.Suzuki (NCS), T.Jingu (NCS), T.Ota (Toaplan)
  • Programmer: T.Uemura, H.Matsumura
  • Designer: S.Nakaoka, K.Iwabuchi, Y.Tataka
  • Sound Creator: T.Uemura, M.Yuge
  • Special Thanks: Zero One, Ponce 90k, Ram Chan, Jiorama Kun, S.Hiratsuka, M.Murai, Kichi Nanpei, Kansai Boy, Otsuka Hen
© NCS 1990.
© Toaplan 1989.
Source:
In-game credits
Hellfire MD credits.pdf
[11]


Digital manuals

  • Mega Drive Mini 2 US manual

  • Mega Drive Mini 2 EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Hellfire/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Hellfire/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
40
[12]
ACE (UK) PAL
60
[13]
Complete Guide to Consoles (UK)
93
[14]
The Complete Guide to Sega (UK)
90
[15]
Cool Gamer (RU)
30
[16]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
94
[17]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
91
[18]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
78
[19]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
91
[20]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
73
[21]
Game Mania (UK)
92
[22]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
84
[23]
Games-X (UK)
86
[24]
Games-X (UK)
70
[25]
Famicom Hisshoubon (JP) NTSC-J
60
[26]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
94
[27]
Joypad (FR) PAL
95
[28]
Joystick (FR)
97
[29]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL
72
[30]
Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J
68
[31]
MegaTech (UK)
90
[32]
MegaTech (UK) NTSC
89
[33]
MegaTech (UK)
93
[8]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
73
[34]
Mean Machines (UK)
93
[35]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
93
[36]
Player One (FR)
84
[37]
Play Time (DE)
72
[38]
Power Up! (UK)
76
[39]
Power Play (DE)
84
[40]
Raze (UK) NTSC-J
82
[41]
Score (CZ)
60
[42]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC
100
[43]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
84
[7]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
94
[44]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC
69
[45]
Sega Force (SE)
91
[46]
Sega Force (UK)
92
[47]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
69
[48]
Supergame (BR)
88
[49]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
59
[50]
Sega Mega Drive
 80
Based on
41 reviews

Hellfire

Mega Drive, JP
Hellfire MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
Hellfire MD JP CartTop.jpg
Hellfire MD JP Cart Back.jpgHellfire MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Hellfire md jp manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
Hellfire MD US Box.jpg
Cover
Hellfire MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Hellfire md us manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Hellfire MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Hellfire MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Hellfire MD EU pcb.jpg
PCB
Mega Drive, FR

Hellfire MD FR Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, SE (rental; Hent; black)
Hellfire MD SE Box Rental.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, AU

Mega Drive, BR
Hellfire MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
Hellfire MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, KR

Hellfire MD KR cart.jpg
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Hellfire/Technical information.

References

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NEC Retro has more information related to Hellfire S
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  2. ↑ File:Hellfire MD JP Box.jpg
  3. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "November 1990" (JP; 1990-10-XX), page 12
  4. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/aBaGQlt1rXg/m/NEWpMfkSg3cJ
  5. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 72
  6. ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1992-04-06), page 31
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sega Power, "June 1992" (UK; 1992-05-07), page 28
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 MegaTech, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-20), page 24
  9. ↑ https://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?27955-Hellfire-sounds-slow-on-my-Model-2
  10. ↑ https://retro-bit.com/toaplan-shooters/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-05-15 18:27)
  11. ↑ File:Hellfire MD credits.pdf
  12. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 95
  13. ↑ ACE, "January 1991" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 101
  14. ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 31
  15. ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 47
  16. ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 100
  17. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-11-16), page 148
  18. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-05-15), page 106
  19. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 18
  20. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 57
  21. ↑ Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-xx-xx), page 1
  22. ↑ Game Mania, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-xx-xx), page 80
  23. ↑ GamePro, "December 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 132
  24. ↑ Games-X, "14th-20th June 1991" (UK; 1991-06-14), page 35
  25. ↑ Games-X, "26th March-1st April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-26), page 24
  26. ↑ Famicom Hisshoubon, "1990-18, 19 (1990-09-21, 10-05)" (JP; 1990-09-14), page 17
  27. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Abril 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 56
  28. ↑ Joypad, "Avril 1992" (FR; 1992-03-1x), page 140
  29. ↑ Joystick, "Novembre 1990" (FR; 1990-1x-xx), page 134
  30. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 92
  31. ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "December 1990" (JP; 1990-11-08), page 79
  32. ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 78
  33. ↑ MegaTech, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-20), page 23
  34. ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Mayo 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 67
  35. ↑ Mean Machines, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 74
  36. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 139
  37. ↑ Player One, "Avril 1992" (FR; 1992-04-10), page 62
  38. ↑ Play Time, "5/92" (DE; 1992-04-08), page 93
  39. ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, April 18, 1992" (UK; 1992-04-18), page 1
  40. ↑ Power Play, "12/90" (DE; 1990-11-16), page 154
  41. ↑ Raze, "January 1991" (UK; 1990-11-29), page 71
  42. ↑ Score, "Březen 1994" (CZ; 1994-03-14), page 47
  43. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 53
  44. ↑ Sega Pro, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-18), page 28
  45. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 66
  46. ↑ Sega Force, "4/93" (SE; 1993-07-08), page 19
  47. ↑ Sega Force, "May 1992" (UK; 1992-04-16), page 56
  48. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 86
  49. ↑ Supergame, "Setembro 1992" (BR; 1992-09-xx), page 42
  50. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 16


Hellfire

Hellfire MD JP TitleScreen.png

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