Dragon Blaze

Arcade Video game published 24 years ago:

Dragon Blaze (c) 2000 Psikyo.

In a distant land, four brave dragonriders must make use of every trick in the book to survive wave after wave of powerful monsters and hulking bosses in this Psikyo shoot'em up masterpiece. Features some truly beautiful graphics & sound, excellent control that features some interesting gameplay mechanics and tons of challenge.

- TECHNICAL -

Main CPU : SH-2 (@ 28.63635 Mhz)
Sound Chips : YMF278B (@ 28.63635 Mhz)

Players : 2
Control : 8-Way Joystick
Buttons : 3
=> Shoot, Bomb, Auto-Shot

- TRIVIA -

Dragon Blaze was released in May 2000.

The game forbids the initials : 'SEX', 'DIE', 'FUC', 'FUK', 'PLO', 'PIS', 'PEE', 'KKK', 'IRA', 'HIV', 'AUM', and 'ASS' on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed to three smileys.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

* Maintenance Code :
9-2-2-2-0 Maintenance Mode.
9-2-2-1-0 All Data Erased.
1-2-3-4-5 Reset Scores.

* Each stage 2nd boss has a weak point which is called 'the core' that is exposed for some few seconds. To get the 'Technical Bonus' when the core is revealed you must use the dragon shoot against it killing the boss in one hit. Try not to damage the 2nd boss for too much though, if it gets too damaged it won't reveal the core.

* Dragon Blaze characters:
1) Quaid:
- Speed: average.
- Shot Attack: average width and power, powerful aimed secondary lances with every button press. NOTE: Extra lances can be fired with faster button inputs.
- Shot Special - Button Held: aimed narrow stream of fire. Slow moving fireballs that stay on the screen for a few seconds. Good for deploying on one side of the screen to let them do their work while you take care of something else on screen.
- Dragon Attack: average width and call-back speed.
- Dragon Special: wide Dragon breath, very little range, must be positioned close for any real effect.
- Bomb: good, full screen protection for 2 seconds.
2) Sonia:
- Speed: slow.
- Shot Attack: wider shot than Quaid but about the same power, but she has a very strong secondary lazers that can take out multiple weaker enemies in one shot. Excellent.
- Shot Special - Button Held: very wide spead, powerful. Good.
- Dragon Attack: one of the best in the game, if you notice the main dragon has two extra dragons either side of it making it the widest of all the dragon strikes, only down side is the call-back speed is slow.
- Dragon Special: poor and pretty useless. Main Dragon fires a weak green spread while the two smaller dragons home onto the closest enemy with an even weaker attack. Pretty much useless.
- Bomb: poor, deploys a protective barrier slighly wider than Sonia vertical up the screen, can be hit if outside barrier, useful for sticky situations and not much else.
3) Rob:
- Speed: slowest.
- Shot Attack: one of the best in the game, Wide powerful spread covering a large span of the screen. His secondary weapon are very powerful slow moving metal balls tavelling at a slight angle to the sides but has limited range.
- Shot Special - Button Held: powerful spread of rocks, fast and covers a wide area.
- Dragon Attack: about the same range as Quaids but a little stronger, but again as with Sonia the recall speed is slow, not as slow but easily slower than Quaid and Ian.
- Dragon Special: powerful hori laser, decent. Very useful for level 6.
- Bomb: good, full screen protection for 2 seconds.
4) Ian:
- Speed: fastest.
- Shot Attack: straight fire, average. Secondary weapons are homing daggers that ermm, home in. Okay if you're going for survival but a pain in the arse if you're going for score because it kills everything before you get a chance to dragon shot them. Poor for Score, good for survival.
- Shot Special - Button Held: strong powerful laser, good but, Ian's powerbar takes about 10 years to charge so use it wisely
- Dragon Attack: pretty much the same power and width as Quaid, but with the fastest dragon recall in the entire game. Excellent.
- Dragon Special: green round circular area, shield? I dunno what it is but it spins around the spins the dragon Confused . Good for taking out stronger enemies in level stages.
- Bomb: worst in the game, pretty much useless, it does sod all damage. Poor for panic situation too, no invulnerability.

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES: