Keio Flying Squadron
From Sega Retro
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Keio Flying Squadron | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega-CD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: JVC Musical Industries (US/EU), Victor Entertainment (JP) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Victor Entertainment, Studio Pierrot | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Shooting[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Keio Flying Squadron, called Keiou Yuugekitai (慶応遊撃隊) in Japan, is a 1993 comical shoot-'em-up for the Sega Mega-CD by Victor Entertainment. It was followed by Keio Flying Squadron 2 for the Sega Saturn.
The protagonist Rami, a girl wearing a bunny suit, and her dragon pet Spot, set out to recover a stolen treasure. This game features animated cutscenes provided by Studio Pierrot.
Contents
Story
The game is set in the Keiō era during the Edo period of Japanese history. Rami Nana-Hikari, a seemingly typical teenager, has been the keeper of the Key to the Secret Treasure, and is really a descendant of aliens who came to Earth in ancient times. She does not know the importance of the Treasure, and her overbearing grandmother does not remember what secret the Key unlocks. The Key has been stolen (while Rami was at the local mini-mart, a common hangout for teens then), and now she must get the Key back.
Wearing her bunny girl costume, Rami rides into battle on her trusty dragon, Spot, as she encounters various enemies such as a sea monster, the U.S. Navy, the Russian Army, and the Seven Gods of the Good Fortune, until she arrives at the ship of Dr. Pon Eho, a raccoon billed as the most intelligent creature on Earth with an IQ of 1,400.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up played as Rami riding on top of Spot. The player can move the pair in any direction with the D-Pad. The dragon has two movement speeds, slow and fast, which can be switched with . Each speed is configurable in the options before the game starts. Spot can shoot fireballs at enemies with
. Spot also has a subweapon that fires simultaneously. There are two different main weapons and three different subweapons, which can be switched by collecting items. Collecting an item of the same type as the currently equipped weapon or subweapon upgrades the current weapon or subweapon.
When Spot is not firing, two smaller dragons (companion fighters) appear one after another to assist Rami and Spot. They behave similarly to options in Konami's Gradius series. The lesser dragons shoot smaller fireballs and can be sacrificed with to do larger damage, only to reappear when Spot ceases to shoot.
Rami and Spot lose a life when they take any damage from enemies but respawn momentarily as long as the player has lives remaining. They lose a weapon and subweapon level each time they lose a life (though power-ups for them appear near where Rami and Spot respawn). The game ends when the player runs out of lives, though it can be continued from the start of the current stage.
Characters
Rami Nana-Hikari (七光・蘭未) | |
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Grandchild of an ancient family with the mission of guarding the Key that opens the Ark, Rami wears a traditional kimono at the beginning of the game, and later changes into the "Super Ultra Cute Battle Suit," complete with bunny ears and tail. In the English version of the game she is 20 years old, while in the Japanese version she is 14 years old. | |
Spot Nana-Hikari (ぽち) | |
Rami's pet dragon, always loyal but as lazy as his owner. Spot has no problems with flying and shooting fireballs. Spot is called Pochi in the Japanese release of the game. | |
Dr. Pon Eho (恵方・ポン) | |
A super intelligent raccoon who stole the Key to the Secret Treasure. His IQ is 1,400. | |
Grandma and Grandpa Nana-Hikari | |
Rami's grandparents who have raised her from a young age and have brought her up to be the next keeper of the Secret Treasure. They were former keepers themselves, continuing a long line of ancestors in their clan that have kept the Treasure safe for many generations. They are now retired, and have passed the job to Rami. |
Items
Fly over items to collect them. Weapon items cycle through the available weapons.
Weapons
Collecting an item of the same type as the equipped weapon upgrades the weapon, up to five times (or gives the player 2,000 bonus points if already at max level). Collecting an item for a different weapon equips that weapon at the same level as the currently equipped weapon.
Forward Shot | |
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A concentrated shot straight forward. | |
Multi-Directional Shot | |
Three shots in a conical shape. Less powerful than the Forward Shot but covers more area. |
Subweapons
Collecting an item of the same type as the equipped subweapon upgrades the subweapon, up to four times (or gives the player 2,000 bonus points if already at max level). Collecting an item for a different subweapon equips that subweapon at the same level as the currently equipped subweapon.
Ground Bombs | |
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Launches volleys of bombs at the ground. | |
Explosive Throwing Stars | |
Throws stars in the opposite direction as the last pressed direction (including diagonals). | |
Homing Spot Jrs. | |
Shoots baby dragons like homing missiles at enemies. |
Other
1-Up | |
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Gives the player an extra life. |
Stages
Dr. Pon's Ship Attacks! (宿敵、宝船の追撃) | |
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Follow the River (墨田川を下れ!) | |
Inside the Silent Castle City (江戸城下、沈黙す) | |
Another Ambush (新たなる伏兵) | |
The Battle at Mt. Ararat (激烈、アララト山攻防戦を抜けろ) | |
The Caspian Sea Confrontation (カスピ海を血に染めて) | |
Legacy of the Gods (神々の遺産) | |
Versions
Rami's age was increased for the Western release. The dragon Spot is also described as female in the Western release (despite having visible testicles in the cutscene leading to the second stage). The difficulty has also been lowered in some areas; for instance, the flying ships in the first level kill Rami and Spot when they touch them in the Japanese release but are harmless in the Western release.
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
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English | Keio Flying Squadron | Keio Flying Squadron |
English (US) | Keio Flying Squadron | Keio Flying Squadron |
Japanese | 慶応遊撃隊 | Keiou Yuugekitai |
Production credits
Japanese version
- 演出: 本田 暁
- 錬金術師: 山木 光人
- 楽師: 多和田 吏
- 絵師: 小川 浩樹, 各務 仁志
- 技術監督: 岩沢 慶明
- 動画技術: 松木 義勝, 横田 寿美
- 動画制作: スタジオぴえろ
- 語り手
- 蘭未: 菅野 美穂
- ぽち: 平松 晶子
- Dr.ポン: 八奈見 乗児
- 婆さん: 山本 圭子
- 弁士: 屋良 有作
- 協力: マジック・カプセル
- 登場人物原案: 太田 大雅
- 登場人物作画: 本田 雄
- ご意見番: 冨永 和也
- 雑兵: 石関 宏司, 菊池 健治
- 監督: 遠藤 泰
- 制作: 仙田 勇
- 企画・制作: ビクターエンタテインメント株式会社
Overseas version
- Screen Play: Satoru Honda
- Alchemist: Teruhito Yamaki
- Composer: Tsukasa Tawada
- Artist: Hitoshi Kakumu, Hiroshi Ogawa
- Character Design: Hiromasa Ota
- Character Drawing: Takeshi Honda
- Animation: Studio Pierrot
- Animation Technician: Yoshikatsu Matsuki, Toshimi Yokota
- Rami/Spot: Samantha Paris
- Dr. Pon/Narrator: Roger Jackson
- Translation & Recording: Watanabe-Robins & Associates
- Game Advisor: Kazuya Tominaga
- Game Player (Tester): Koji Ishizeki (Japan), Kenji Kikuchi (Japan), Jeremy Klein (US), Julio C. Arreygue (US), Aki Akaike (US)
- Technical Director: Yoshiaki Iwasawa
- Director: Yasushi Endo
- Producer: Toshiaki Nagai
- Producer (USA): Yoji Takenaka
- Producer (UK): Masavoshi Zaitsu
- Executive Producer: Harunobu Komori
- Developed and Produced by Victor Entertainment. Inc.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Keio Flying Squadron/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)[9]
Physical scans
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Based on 32 reviews |
Technical information
- Main article: Keio Flying Squadron/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:KFS MCD JP Box Front.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/mcd/soft_licensee.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-06-10 17:56)
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 10
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/x4eGyuIePso/m/B8YnHmpG2m0J
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/J3aYPhGIAlY/m/GAs43YIEE4IJ
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sega Pro, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-14), page 75
- ↑ File:KeioYuugekitai MCD JP SSCredits.pdf
- ↑ File:Kfs mcd us manual.pdf, page 18
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 367
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 155
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 23
- ↑ Consoles +, "Avril 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 150
- ↑ Dengeki Mega Drive, "August 1993" (JP; 1993-07-08), page 37
- ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1993-09-03)
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 40
- ↑ Famitsu, "1993-08-13" (JP; 1993-07-30), page 39
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 5 May 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 49
- ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 58
- ↑ Game Informer, "April 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
- ↑ Hippon Super, "September 1993" (JP; 1993-08-03), page 48
- ↑ Joypad, "Avril 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 55
- ↑ MAN!AC, "05/95" (DE; 1995-04-12), page 72
- ↑ Mega, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-21), page 58
- ↑ Mega, "February 1995" (UK; 1995-01-xx), page 12
- ↑ Mega Action, "Christmas 1993" (UK; 1993-12-02), page 55
- ↑ Mega Fun, "04/94" (DE; 1994-03-23), page 114
- ↑ MegaTech, "October 1993" (UK; 1993-09-20), page 46
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-09-28), page 60
- ↑ Next Generation, "May 1995" (US; 1995-04-18), page 97
- ↑ Player One, "Avril 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 116
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "Februar 1996" (DE; 1996-01-10), page 17
- ↑ Sega Magazine, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-11-15), page 94
- ↑ Sega Power, "November 1993" (UK; 1993-10-07), page 76
- ↑ Sega Pro, "Easter 1995" (UK; 1995-03-23), page 46
- ↑ Sega Force Mega, "Autumn 1993" (UK; 1993-09-16), page 62
- ↑ Sega Force, "3/95" (SE; 1995-06-20), page 25
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 139
- ↑ Video Games, "12/93" (DE; 1993-11-22), page 120
- ↑ VideoGames, "April 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 77
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