Difference between revisions of "Battle Squadron"

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| publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]
 
| publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]
 
| developer=[[Innerprise Software]]
 
| developer=[[Innerprise Software]]
 +
| distributor={{company|[[Tec Toy]]|region=BR}}
 
| system=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
 
| system=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
 
| sounddriver=
 
| sounddriver=
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| md_date_eu=1991-01{{magref|mm|4|70}}
 
| md_date_eu=1991-01{{magref|mm|4|70}}
 
| md_code_eu=E166SMXI
 
| md_code_eu=E166SMXI
−
| md_date_uk=1991-01{{magref|mm|4|70}}
+
| md_date_uk=1990-12{{fileref|LiverpoolEcho UK 1990-12-31 18.jpg}}<!--1991-01{{magref|mm|4|70}}-->
 
| md_code_uk=E166SMXI
 
| md_code_uk=E166SMXI
 
| md_rrp_uk=39.99{{magref|ace|40|165}}{{magref|mm|4|70}}
 
| md_rrp_uk=39.99{{magref|ace|40|165}}{{magref|mm|4|70}}
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==Story==
 
==Story==
−
{{ScreenThumb|Battle Squadron, Introduction.png|width=200|Commander Mayers and Commander Bergin}}
+
{{ScreenThumb|Battle Squadron, Introduction.png|width=200|Mayers and Bergin}}
 
The alien Barrax Empire has been at war with Earth for centuries to gain control over the Universe. While returning from a mission to destroy all Barrax on Planet Terrainia while gathering information on the empire's fleets, Commander Barry D. Mayers and Commander Lori Bergin were taken hostage by a Barrax nova cruiser, their last transmission mentioning something about being able to turn invisible for a short period of time. The mission is to rescue them.
 
The alien Barrax Empire has been at war with Earth for centuries to gain control over the Universe. While returning from a mission to destroy all Barrax on Planet Terrainia while gathering information on the empire's fleets, Commander Barry D. Mayers and Commander Lori Bergin were taken hostage by a Barrax nova cruiser, their last transmission mentioning something about being able to turn invisible for a short period of time. The mission is to rescue them.
  
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{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=320|
 
{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
−
| title=Red Magnetic Torps
+
| title={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=48}} Red Magnetic Torps
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Red.png
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Red.png
 
| desc=Fires a wide spreadshot in front of the fighter.
 
| desc=Fires a wide spreadshot in front of the fighter.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
−
| title=Blue Anti-Matter Particle Beam
+
| title={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=16 | crop_y=48}} Blue Anti-Matter Particle Beam
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Blue.png
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Blue.png
 
| desc=Fires in a narrow area in the front and back of the fighter.
 
| desc=Fires in a narrow area in the front and back of the fighter.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
−
| title=Orange Magma Wave
+
| title={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=32 | crop_y=48}} Orange Magma Wave
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Orange.png
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Orange.png
 
| desc=Fires in front of the fighter as well as towards the sides.
 
| desc=Fires in front of the fighter as well as towards the sides.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
−
| title=Green Emerald Laser
+
| title={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=48 | crop_y=48}} Green Emerald Laser
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Green.png
 
| screenshot=Battle Squadron, Weapons, Green.png
 
| desc=Fires lasers in front that spread out when upgraded.
 
| desc=Fires lasers in front that spread out when upgraded.
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{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
 
| title=X Capsule
 
| title=X Capsule
−
| sprite={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=64 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=48}}
+
| sprite={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=0 | crop_y=48}}
 +
| sprite2={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=16 | crop_y=48}}
 +
| sprite3={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=32 | crop_y=48}}
 +
| sprite4={{sprite | Battle Squadron, Items.png | 2 | crop_width=16 | crop_height=16 | crop_x=48 | crop_y=48}}
 
| desc=Cycles through four colors (red, blue, orange, and green). Equips the corresponding weapon or upgrades the weapon (up to 5 levels) if already equipped.
 
| desc=Cycles through four colors (red, blue, orange, and green). Equips the corresponding weapon or upgrades the weapon (up to 5 levels) if already equipped.
 
}}
 
}}
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| screenshot3=Battle Squadron, Final Boss 2.png
 
| screenshot3=Battle Squadron, Final Boss 2.png
 
| tabs=yes
 
| tabs=yes
−
| desc=Unusually for the genre, the game has an overworld with three lower sections that can be entered through craters. Players return to the surface after completing one of the lower stages. The final boss appears at the end of the overworld after clearing all of the other stages. Ignoring the craters makes the overworld loop over from the beginning, so players can stay in the overworld (which has fewer enemies than the lower sections) to obtain power-ups before attempting one of the crater stages.
+
| desc=Unusually for the genre, the game has an overworld with three lower sections that can be entered through craters. The overworld contains enemies, like a normal stage, with the large craters dividing it into segments. Players return to the surface after completing one of the lower stages. The final boss appears at the end of the overworld after clearing all of the other stages. Ignoring the craters makes the overworld loop over from the beginning, so players can stay in the overworld (which has fewer enemies than the lower sections) to obtain power-ups before attempting one of the crater stages.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{InfoRow
 
{{InfoRow
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{{multicol|
 
{{multicol|
 
{{creditstable|
 
{{creditstable|
−
*'''Game Design:''' Torbin Larsen, Martin Pedersen
+
*'''Game Design:''' [[Torben Larsen|Torbin Larsen]], [[Martin Pedersen]]
−
*'''Game Graphics:''' Torbin Larsen
+
*'''Game Graphics:''' [[Torben Larsen|Torbin Larsen]]
−
*'''Programming:''' Martin Pedersen
+
*'''Programming:''' [[Martin Pedersen]]
 
*'''Original Music and Sounds:''' Ron Klaren
 
*'''Original Music and Sounds:''' Ron Klaren
 
*'''Music Driver:''' Steve Hayes
 
*'''Music Driver:''' Steve Hayes
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==Technical information==
 
==Technical information==
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Technical information}}
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Technical information}}
−
===ROM dump status===
 
−
{{romtable|
 
−
{{rom|MD|sha1=f003f7af0f7edccc317c944b88e57f4c9b66935a|md5=b5b815ef99b943fe0bad48dc13239b35|crc32=0feaa8bf|size=512kB|date=|source=Cartridge (US/EU)|comments=|quality=good|prototype=}}
 
−
{{rom|MD|sha1=|md5=|crc32=|size=|date=1991-01-18|source=|comments=|quality=|prototype=yes}}
 
−
}}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Latest revision as of 12:59, 17 October 2024

n/a

BattleSquadron MDTitleScreen.png

Battle Squadron
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer:
Distributor: Tec Toy (BR)
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US 		$49.9549.95[2] 702701
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		E166SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£39.9939.99[5][3] E166SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Mega Drive
BR
Non-Sega versions

Battle Squadron is a 1990 shoot-'em-up developed by Innerprise Software Inc and published by Electronic Arts exclusively in the US and Europe for the Sega Mega Drive and the Commodore Amiga.

Story

Battle Squadron, Introduction.png

Mayers and Bergin

The alien Barrax Empire has been at war with Earth for centuries to gain control over the Universe. While returning from a mission to destroy all Barrax on Planet Terrainia while gathering information on the empire's fleets, Commander Barry D. Mayers and Commander Lori Bergin were taken hostage by a Barrax nova cruiser, their last transmission mentioning something about being able to turn invisible for a short period of time. The mission is to rescue them.

Gameplay

The game is a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up played from the perspective of elite fighter pilots of the Earth Defense Fleet, known as the Battle Squadron. It can be played by two players simultaneously. The fighters are moved in any direction using the D-Pad. The playfield is wider than the viewable area, so the screen pans when a fighter is at the edge. The fighters fire their main weapons with A or C (either of which can be held for continuous fire, though it is slower than pressing the button repeatedly). The main weapon has unlimited ammunition. Weapons can be changed or upgraded by collecting power-ups. Fighters also have a finite number of Nova Smart Bombs, which are deployed with B and destroy enemies and projectiles within a radius of the ship.

The fighters are destroyed if they are hit by enemy fire but respawn after a moment if the player has extra lives remaining. The player's weapon is downgraded two levels after losing a ship. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued if the player has credits remaining.

Players can choose the starting lives and credits. Instead of difficulty levels, players can set the maximum number of enemy bullets and the enemy bullet speed.

Weapons

Battle Squadron, Weapons, Red.png

Battle Squadron, Items.png
Red Magnetic Torps
Fires a wide spreadshot in front of the fighter.

Battle Squadron, Weapons, Blue.png

Battle Squadron, Items.png
Blue Anti-Matter Particle Beam
Fires in a narrow area in the front and back of the fighter.

Battle Squadron, Weapons, Orange.png

Battle Squadron, Items.png
Orange Magma Wave
Fires in front of the fighter as well as towards the sides.

Battle Squadron, Weapons, Green.png

Battle Squadron, Items.png
Green Emerald Laser
Fires lasers in front that spread out when upgraded.

Items

Battle Squadron, Items.png
 Barraxian Artillery Gunship
Destroy to release a weapon power-up.
Battle Squadron, Items.png
Battle Squadron, Items.png
Battle Squadron, Items.png
Battle Squadron, Items.png
 X Capsule
Cycles through four colors (red, blue, orange, and green). Equips the corresponding weapon or upgrades the weapon (up to 5 levels) if already equipped.
Battle Squadron, Items.png
 M Capsule
Adds another Nova Smart Bomb to the player's arsenal.
Battle Squadron, Items.png
 Barraxian Jewel Cache
Worth 1,000 points at the end of the stage.

Stages

Battle Squadron, Stage 1.png

Battle Squadron, Final Boss 1.png

Battle Squadron, Final Boss 2.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 1.png

  • Battle Squadron, Final Boss 1.png

  • Battle Squadron, Final Boss 2.png

Planet Terrainia
Unusually for the genre, the game has an overworld with three lower sections that can be entered through craters. The overworld contains enemies, like a normal stage, with the large craters dividing it into segments. Players return to the surface after completing one of the lower stages. The final boss appears at the end of the overworld after clearing all of the other stages. Ignoring the craters makes the overworld loop over from the beginning, so players can stay in the overworld (which has fewer enemies than the lower sections) to obtain power-ups before attempting one of the crater stages.

Battle Squadron, Stage 2-1.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 2-1 Boss.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 2-2.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 2-2 Boss.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 2-1.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 2-1 Boss.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 2-2.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 2-2 Boss.png

Inner Core 1

Battle Squadron, Stage 3-1.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 3-2.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 3-2 Boss.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 3-1.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 3-2.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 3-2 Boss.png

Inner Core 2

Battle Squadron, Stage 4-1.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 4-2.png

Battle Squadron, Stage 4-2 Boss.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 4-1.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 4-2.png

  • Battle Squadron, Stage 4-2 Boss.png

Inner Core 3

History

Legacy

The game was later ported to iOS devices in 2011, to Android in 2012, and to Windows, Mac OS X, AmigaOS 4, and MorphOS in 2013.

A Battle Squadron II is teased in the ending. It was in development but was never released.

Versions

The Sega Mega Drive version runs faster and is harder. It has certain layers right in front of the screen, making it harder to see certain objects. The Amiga version has a bit more varied background tiles and switches background colors more often. It has an extra space background for the final boss.

Production credits

  • Game Design: Torbin Larsen, Martin Pedersen
  • Game Graphics: Torbin Larsen
  • Programming: Martin Pedersen
  • Original Music and Sounds: Ron Klaren
  • Music Driver: Steve Hayes
  • Music Conversion: Rob Hubbard
  • Producer: Christopher Erhardt
  • Associate Producer: Roland Kippenhan
  • Assistant Producer: Michael Lubuguin
  • Product Management: Lesley Mansford, Barbara Windham
  • Package Design: James Blair
  • Package Art: Alan Okamoto
  • Documentation: Andrea Smith
  • Testing: Ed Gwynn
Source:
US manual
Battle Squadron MD US Manual.pdf
[6]

Magazine articles

Main article: Battle Squadron/Magazine articles.

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)
60
[7]
ACE (UK)
79
[8]
Console XS (UK) PAL
88
[9]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
50
[10]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
85
[11]
Gamers (DE)
67
[12]
Génération 4 (FR)
83
[13]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
83
[14]
Joystick (FR)
77
[15]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL
68
[16]
Mega Action (UK)
85
[17]
MegaTech (UK)
80
[18]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
80
[19]
Mean Machines (UK)
85
[20]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
80
[21]
Player One (FR)
72
[22]
Power Play (DE)
74
[23]
Raze (UK) PAL
84
[24]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
90
[25]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
75
[26]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
87
[27]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
87
[28]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
85
[29]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
56
[30]
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U
80
[2]
Sega Mega Drive
 78
Based on
25 reviews

Battle Squadron

Mega Drive, US
BattleSquadron MD US Box.jpg
Cover
BattleSquadron MD US cartback.jpgBattleSquadron US cart.jpg
Cart
Battle Squadron MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
BattleSquadron MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
BattleSquadron MD US cartback.jpgBattleSquadron US cart.jpg
Cart
Battle Squadron MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, AU

Mega Drive, BR
BattleSquadron BR cover.jpg
Cover
BattleSquadron MD BR Cart Back.jpgBattleSquadron MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Battle Squadron/Technical information.

References

  1. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/Z5bU24UZwms/m/Uvxnnn8EmrkJ
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "February 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 40
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mean Machines, "January 1991" (UK; 1991-01-03), page 70
  4. ↑ File:LiverpoolEcho UK 1990-12-31 18.jpg
  5. ↑ ACE, "January 1991" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 165
  6. ↑ File:Battle Squadron MD US Manual.pdf, page 10
  7. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 29
  8. ↑ ACE, "March 1991" (UK; 1991-02-08), page 63
  9. ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 127
  10. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "January 1991" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 22
  11. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 25
  12. ↑ Gamers, "Dezember/Januar 1993" (DE; 1992-11-19), page 101
  13. ↑ Génération 4, "Février 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 91
  14. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 72
  15. ↑ Joystick, "Février 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 122
  16. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 90
  17. ↑ Mega Action, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 65
  18. ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 76
  19. ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Marzo 1991" (ES; 1991-0x-xx), page 38
  20. ↑ Mean Machines, "January 1991" (UK; 1991-01-03), page 68
  21. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 137
  22. ↑ Player One, "Mars 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 44
  23. ↑ Power Play, "4/91" (DE; 1991-03-15), page 135
  24. ↑ Raze, "March 1991" (UK; 1991-01-31), page 54
  25. ↑ Sega Power, "January 1991" (UK; 1990-12-06), page 10
  26. ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 52
  27. ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-xx-xx), page 39
  28. ↑ Sega Pro, "July 1992" (UK; 1992-06-18), page 28
  29. ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 64
  30. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 22


Battle Squadron

BattleSquadron MDTitleScreen.png

Main page | Comparisons | Magazine articles | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs


Sega Mega Drive
Prototypes: 1991-01-18
Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Battle_Squadron&oldid=1019672"