Border Down
Encyclopedia
is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game
created by G.rev
in 2003
. It is a spiritual sequel
to Metal Black
, a favorite game of creator Hiroyuki Maruyama. As with most other Sega NAOMI titles, the game was later released on the Dreamcast in September 2003 in two incarnations: a normal edition, and a limited edition that came bundled with a music CD and alternative cover art. Border Down was G.rev's second independent game (though they did subcontracted work on other titles, most notably Ikaruga
and Gradius V
), released after Sega's official discontinuation of the Dreamcast console.
and has colonized Mars
. One day, contact was lost suddenly from an asteroid mining station. This was found to be caused by an invading hostile extraterrestrial force known as F.A. (First Approach ). To defend against the aggressors, the Solar System Defense Forces developed and deployed the R.A.I.N (Remote Artificial Intelligence Network), a remote guidance system for the Antares-xx, an unmanned combat vehicle.
Instead of receiving a set number of lives, a player has the option to start on any "border" at the beginning of the game. Whenever the player dies, a "border down" occurs and the game continues onward on the next hardest difficulty. This puts increasing pressure on the player to stay on the green (easiest) border. Conversely, a player can opt to start at the red "border" for the maximum challenge. The game ends if the player dies while on the red border.
During the use of the break laser, the vessel becomes invincible and all enemy projectiles can be destroyed. Each enemy projectile destroyed by the break laser increases the hit counter by one. At the end of a level, this hit counter is multiplied by 5000 and added on to the score as a bonus. This scoring system is unique to Border Down and encourages the player to take risks. In most games, the player is usually motivated to eliminate bosses as quickly as possible, whereas the goal here is to utilize the time given to attain a higher hit count. If the player exceeds a certain score defined by levels, it can go up to a different border before the beginning of the following level.
The concept of Border Down owes much to the Taito classic Metal Black
. Although many G.rev employees were formerly a part of Taito's arcade division, none of them worked on Metal Black except for composer Yasuhisa Watanabe. Rather, Maruyama was simply a big fan of this game. In an interview for French television, Maruyama said that all he wanted was to make Border Down, and if the company collapsed after this, he would have been content.
Border Down has much similarities to Jaleco's E.D.F.
.
Despite the late release on a "dead" platform and underwhelming critical response, Border Down quickly sold through its initial 10,000 copy print run (of which half were the "limited edition"). Shortly thereafter another 5,000 copies were pressed, and eventually sold out as well.
Since that time, Border Downs reputation with fans has grown, and it has become a hot collector's item, commonly fetching prices as high as $120 on online auctions by 2007. In response to this demand, G.rev announced in January 2008 that they would be do another print run of an undisclosed number of copies for sale at the Akihabara
-based retailer Messe Sanoh.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
created by G.rev
G.rev
G.rev is a Japanese arcade video game developer. The company was founded by former employees of Taito's arcade division who had worked on G-Darius and RayStorm, and is known primarily for their acclaimed arcade shoot 'em up games.-History:G.rev was founded with the mission of developing arcade...
in 2003
2003 in video gaming
-Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame....
. It is a spiritual sequel
Spiritual sequel
A spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction which does not directly build upon the storyline established by a previous work as do most traditional prequels or sequels, but nevertheless features many of the same elements,...
to Metal Black
Metal Black (video game)
Metal Black is an arcade shoot 'em up released by Taito. It is the end result of "Project Gun Frontier 2," being made by the same development staff, though it bears little resemblance to the original Gun Frontier. It is more similar to another Taito shooter, Darius.Players control the Black Fly on...
, a favorite game of creator Hiroyuki Maruyama. As with most other Sega NAOMI titles, the game was later released on the Dreamcast in September 2003 in two incarnations: a normal edition, and a limited edition that came bundled with a music CD and alternative cover art. Border Down was G.rev's second independent game (though they did subcontracted work on other titles, most notably Ikaruga
Ikaruga
is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Treasure. It was released in the arcades in 2001 on the Sega NAOMI, subsequently released on Dreamcast in Japan and then worldwide on the Nintendo GameCube, and was released on Xbox Live Arcade on April 9, 2008...
and Gradius V
Gradius V
Gradius V is a Japanese-developed shoot 'em up video game published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console in 2004. Gradius V was largely developed under contract by the Treasure team responsible for Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga under supervision of Konami's internal development...
), released after Sega's official discontinuation of the Dreamcast console.
Story
In the distant future, humanity has entered a golden ageGolden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
and has colonized Mars
Colonization of Mars
The colonization of Mars by humans is the focus of speculation and serious study because the surface conditions and availability of water on Mars make it arguably the most hospitable planet in the solar system other than Earth...
. One day, contact was lost suddenly from an asteroid mining station. This was found to be caused by an invading hostile extraterrestrial force known as F.A. (First Approach ). To defend against the aggressors, the Solar System Defense Forces developed and deployed the R.A.I.N (Remote Artificial Intelligence Network), a remote guidance system for the Antares-xx, an unmanned combat vehicle.
Gameplay
Border Down features difficulty settings that are switched during gameplay. There are three difficulties to a level, called "borders", green being the easiest whereas red is the hardest. The green "border" is the longest variation on a level, but the enemies fire far less frequently. The red "border" is the shortest variation on a level, but the enemies fire at a frantic rate, making it increasingly more difficult to stay alive.Instead of receiving a set number of lives, a player has the option to start on any "border" at the beginning of the game. Whenever the player dies, a "border down" occurs and the game continues onward on the next hardest difficulty. This puts increasing pressure on the player to stay on the green (easiest) border. Conversely, a player can opt to start at the red "border" for the maximum challenge. The game ends if the player dies while on the red border.
Weapons system
At the bottom of a screen is a laser power meter that progressively fills as enemies are destroyed. Initially the lasers are at level one and can increase up to level five.- Forward laser: Performed by holding down the attack button, this is a strong, but narrow weapon that requires precise aiming. As the laser power increases, the width of the beam does as well.
- Homing laser: Performed by rapidly tapping the attack button, this is a wide-scoping weapon that sends pulses of lasers that home in on several targets simultaneously. This weapon does not deal as much damage as the forward laser.
- Break laser: This weapon acts as a "smart bomb" and is the key to getting high scores in the game. When triggering the laser, it will immediately consume half a bar of laser energy, and after a second the energy will start going down at the rate of one bar for about every three seconds. The break laser deals approximately twice as much damage as a fully powered laser deals at a point-blank range.
During the use of the break laser, the vessel becomes invincible and all enemy projectiles can be destroyed. Each enemy projectile destroyed by the break laser increases the hit counter by one. At the end of a level, this hit counter is multiplied by 5000 and added on to the score as a bonus. This scoring system is unique to Border Down and encourages the player to take risks. In most games, the player is usually motivated to eliminate bosses as quickly as possible, whereas the goal here is to utilize the time given to attain a higher hit count. If the player exceeds a certain score defined by levels, it can go up to a different border before the beginning of the following level.
Scoring
The scoring is calculated in the following manner: points of destruction during the level + (5000 * station-wagon hit during the level) + (10000 * hit counter during the boss ) + 3.000.000 maximum (time bonus)Production
Although G.rev had previously produced an arcade puzzle game, Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker, Border Down was the project G.rev formed to make. Upon establishing his independent company, G.rev president Hiroyuki Maruyama lamented that he didn't have the finances to fund his vision. By doing subcontracted work for Treasure and Taito, and releasing a simple puzzle game, G.rev was able to generate the revenue needed to create Border Down.The concept of Border Down owes much to the Taito classic Metal Black
Metal Black (video game)
Metal Black is an arcade shoot 'em up released by Taito. It is the end result of "Project Gun Frontier 2," being made by the same development staff, though it bears little resemblance to the original Gun Frontier. It is more similar to another Taito shooter, Darius.Players control the Black Fly on...
. Although many G.rev employees were formerly a part of Taito's arcade division, none of them worked on Metal Black except for composer Yasuhisa Watanabe. Rather, Maruyama was simply a big fan of this game. In an interview for French television, Maruyama said that all he wanted was to make Border Down, and if the company collapsed after this, he would have been content.
Border Down has much similarities to Jaleco's E.D.F.
Earth Defense Force
Earth Defense Force may refer to:*Prefectural Earth Defense Force, manga, adapted into anime movie*The Mysterians , a Japanese science fiction film...
.
Reception
Border Down experienced moderate success in Japanese arcades, and after a few months of strong sales, a port was announced for the Dreamcast. Upon its release it received minimal press attention, with a few mixed reviews to its credit, earning a 6 out of 10 from UK magazine Edge, and an 8 out of 10 from Japanese publication Dorimaga.Despite the late release on a "dead" platform and underwhelming critical response, Border Down quickly sold through its initial 10,000 copy print run (of which half were the "limited edition"). Shortly thereafter another 5,000 copies were pressed, and eventually sold out as well.
Since that time, Border Downs reputation with fans has grown, and it has become a hot collector's item, commonly fetching prices as high as $120 on online auctions by 2007. In response to this demand, G.rev announced in January 2008 that they would be do another print run of an undisclosed number of copies for sale at the Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
-based retailer Messe Sanoh.