Planet Joker

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Planet Joker
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Naxat Soft
Developer: IMP, Yoyogi Animation Gakuin
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (14 tracks)
Peripherals supported: Shuttle Mouse, 3D Control Pad
Genre: Quarter View Shooting (クォータービューシューティング), Shooting
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1997-03-07 ¥5,800 (5,974)5,800e T-18711G

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Planet Joker (プラネット・ジョーカー) is a Sega Saturn vertical shoot-'em-up game developed by IMP and published by Naxat Soft. Released exclusively in Japan in March 1997 to mixed-to-negative reviews, the game has gained a modern reputation as one of the worst shoot-'em-ups on the system, although has since seen a slight critical re-evaluation as an average story-driven shoot-'em-up with uneven production values and an admirable presentation.

Story

On May 17, 2039, a mysterious army suddenly invades Tokyo. They occupied the Japanese center in just an hour, and the mastermind demanded that all production activities in Japan and oil consumption be stopped.

Three female pilots belonging to a special unit of the Self-Defense Forces were ordered to suppress this mysterious army. Operation name "alien crush".

Characters

	Satomi Takayama (サトミ・タカヤマ)
	The main character of this game. Captain of the 17th platoon of the SDF Special Forces. 23 years old, Japanese.
	Elen Rockwell (エレン・ロックウェル)
	A subordinate of a platoon led by the main character. 22 years old, American.
	Sahra Huga (サラ・ユーガ)
	A subordinate of a platoon led by the main character. 20 years old, Indian.
	Mika Yamamoto (ミカ・ヤマモト)
	Operator and communication manager. 23 years old, Japanese.
	Takao Takasugi (タカオ・タカスギ)
	Commander of the SDF Special Forces. 53 years old, Japanese.
	John Markwell (ジョン・マークウェル)
	The mastermind of this terrorist attack. 66 years old, American.

Gameplay

A vertical scrolling shooting with a bird's eye view, such as Layer Section II. Shots, bombs and charge attacks are possible.

Modes

• Normal mode: Normal game mode to clear 7 stages. If the difficulty level is Easy, it will end on missiono 4. If continue, it will start from the beginning of the stage.
• Time attack: Mode to compete for the time to reach 300,000 points.
• Score attack: Mode to compete for points in 3 minutes.
• Boss attack: It can be played by clearing the normal mode. Mode to compete for clear time by playing only the boss battle.

Controls

Button settings cannot be changed.

Move list

Name	Command	Description
Shot		Auto fire while pressing.
Bomb		There are two types: crash and wave. Waves can be fired after accumulating their power by holding down the button.
Charge attack	/	Use while pressing. It is invincible during the attack and attacks by hitting the enemy. The charge gauge is consumed during use.

Items

It can be roughly divided into three types: attack, bomb, and shield. Attacks and bombs change over time.

	Shot (Blue)
	Attack item. Switch weapons to normal and power up. Up to 3 levels are possible.
	Laser (Green)
	Attack item. Switch weapons to laser and power up. Up to 3 levels are possible.
	Missile (Yellow)
	Attack item. Switch weapons to missile and power up. Up to 3 levels are possible.
	Charge (Orange)
	Attack item. Increase the charge gauge.
	Bomb (Wave)
	Bomb item. Increases Wave Bomb. You can have up to 10 bombs in total.
	Bomb (Crash)
	Bomb item. Increases Crash Bomb. You can have up to 10 bombs in total.
	Shield
	Shield item. Restore the shield.

Players

There are 8 types, and 1 type is a hidden character. Each has a different charge, movement, defense, attack range, and weapons. There are various attack methods, and some of them are difficult to use.

	Raules
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Laser Normal shot: Shot gun Missile: Homing missile
	Gerver
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Arrow laser Normal shot: Swing gun Missile: Tomahawk missile
	Wenger
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Undulation laser Normal shot: Spread gun Missile: Napalm missile
	Opinel
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Circulet laser Normal shot: Rear gun Missile: Spread missile Lasers with a narrow attack range and backward shots are quite difficult to use.
	Almer
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Wave laser Normal shot: Side shot Missile: Mine missile
	Aida
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Homing laser Normal shot: 3way shot Missile: Flash missile
	Karshow
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Thunder laser Normal shot: Round shot Missile: Side winder
	Randall
	Charge: Move speed: Defense: Attack range:
	Weapons Laser: Destruct laser Normal shot: Destruct shot Missile: Homing napalm It can be used by clearing the normal mode with a difficulty level of hard.

Stages

	Mission 1: 18th May AM 5:00
	Mission 2: 18th May PM 0:00
	Mission 3: 18th May PM 6:00
	Mission 4: 19th May AM 4:00
	If the difficulty level is Easy, the game will be over in this mission.
	Mission 5: 19th May AM 11:00
	The mid-boss has a safety zone in the upper right corner of the screen.
	Mission 6: 19th May PM 1:00
	Mission 7: 19th May PM 4:00

History

Reception

The game suffers from a significant amount of analog rainbow banding.

Planet Joker is most notable today for its status as one of the worst shoot-'em-up games released for the Sega Saturn. While in reality the title is mostly undeserved, the game is generally known for its poor first impression, particularly in regard to the significantly visible amount of analog rainbow banding. When played through a composite video connection, a large number of Planet Joker's onscreen effects are unintentionally colored with a rainbow pattern by the television set.

Production credits

• サトミ: 岩見 博子
• エレン: 加藤 美由紀
• サラ: 山口 未知世
• ミカ: 福當 亜樹
• 司令官: 野上 智之
• ジョーカー: 平井 正一, 惣林坊 さなえ
• ジョン: 松本 智行
• ナレーション: 北谷 彰基
• キャラクターデザイン: 堀口 恵介
• オープニング主題歌
  • 作詞: 藤井 健一
  • 作曲: 藤井 健一
  • 歌: 平山 百合
• エンディング主題歌
  • 作詞: 藤井 健一
  • 作曲: 藤井 健一
  • 歌: 平山 百合
• 制作協力: 代々木アニメーション学院
• 制作・著作: 株式会社ナグザット, ＩＭＰ

Source:

In-game credits (JP)

• ■Executive Producer: 下地 浩
• ■Program: 井美 公二, 倪 健興, 山崎 高敬
• ■Planning: 倪 健興
• ■Graphic: スタジオオウル, 吉田 大也
• ■3D Graphic: 神内 純弘, 杉野 力, 小畑 昌司, 田崎 信也
• ■Visual Graphic: ジラフ ソフト, 中村 浩人, 世古 隆行
• ■Sound: ユーリズム, 遠藤 宏, 藤井 健一, 高野 充彦
• ■Sales: 吉田 茂, 本多 猛, 野間 広, 深沢 智和, 渡邉 孝樹
• ■Animation: 代々木アニメーション学院
• ■Special Thanks: 代々木アニメーション学院, 井上 正樹, 西嶋 信一, 川枝 浩和

(C)1997 Naxat Soft / IMP

Source:

In-game credits (JP)

Magazine articles

Main article: Planet Joker/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1997-08: "1997-08 (1997-03-21)" (1997-03-07)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J 36 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 40 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 41 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 43 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 23

	37
Based on 5 reviews

Planet Joker

Saturn, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc

Technical information

Main article: Planet Joker/Technical information.