Game Tengoku

Game Tengoku: The Game Paradise!^[a] is a 1995 vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Jaleco. The game is a parody of arcade shooters in a vein similar to the Parodius series. It was followed up with a sequel, Gun Bare! Game Tengoku 2.

Game Tengoku
Advertising flyer
Developer(s)	Jaleco
Publisher(s)	Jaleco
Director(s)	Masahiro Arai
Composer(s)	Kazuo Sawa
Series	Game Tengoku
Platform(s)	Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch
Release	JP: November 1995 NA: 1995
Genre(s)	Vertical-scrolling shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

An updated port of the Sega Saturn version for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows, titled Game Tengoku CruisnMix, was released on November 29, 2017.^[1][2] The official English localization was released on November 29, 2018.^[3] A port for Nintendo Switch was released in Japan on December 19, 2019,^[4] and in North America and Europe on May 28, 2020.^[5][6]

Gameplay

A screenshot from the arcade version, showing the player destroying waves of enemies.

Game Tengoku is a vertical-scrolling shooter similar to games like Parodius (1987).^[7][8] Its plot involves a mad scientist named Genius Yamada harnessing the power of arcade cabinets to take over the Me & You video arcade.^[9] The arcade's clerk, Yuki Ito, calls upon the help of various Jaleco protagonists to stop Yamada before he takes over all of the arcades in the world.^[8][9]

The player controls one of these Jaleco characters throughout the game's six stages, as they must destroy moving formations of enemies and avoid collision with them and their projectiles.^[7] These characters are pulled from five 1980s arcade games: Exerion (1983), Formation Z (1984), Momoko 120% (1986), Butasan (1987), and Plus Alpha (1989).^[8] Each of them possesses their own unique weapon loadout themed to their original game; some feature a faster firing rate while others have more powerful projectiles.^[9] Characters also have "superbombs" that clear the screen of enemies when deployed. Destroying red cubical enemies dispenses a power-up capsule that increases the strength of the player's weapons, as well as two small ships known as "options" that provide additional firepower.^[8] Options take the form of one of the player characters and their weapons correspond to the character they are based on.^[9] The Sega Saturn version features several additions to the game, including a character from Field Combat (1985), an "Arrange" mode that implements story-driven cutscenes, and a remixed soundtrack.^[8][9]

Reception

Review scores

Publication	Score
Nintendo Life	[7]
Saturn Power	70%[10]
Sega Saturn Magazine Japan	24/30[11]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Game Tengoku in their February 1, 1996 issue as being the sixteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.^[12]

Notes

1. Japanese: ゲーム天国, Hepburn: Gēmu Tengoku, Game Heaven