Twinkle Star Sprites

SNK Neo-Geo MVS cart. published 28 years ago:

Twinkle Star Sprites (c) 1997 SNK.

Twinkle Star Sprites is a competitive scrolling shooter game originally created by ADK. It was ADK's last production for the Neo-Geo platform. The gameplay, which can be characterized as a combination of a fixed shooter and a versus puzzle game, uses combinations of shots, as well as timed power-ups to attempt to damage the opponent. These attacks also serve as counters to the opponent's attack.

An interesting & highly cute hybrid between a Vs style puzzle game & an overhead shooter, players may choose to play the Story Mode in order to see the misadventures of Load Ran & her faithful yet somewhat annoying Rabbicat as they try to find the Magical Twinkle Star & save their world from the evil Mevious & his henchmen. The other option is to play the Free Character Mode in which you are able to pick any character (see codes under Tips and Tricks) to play the game and see their very own comical ending. A second player may challenge you at any time.

- TECHNICAL -

Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware.
Game ID : 0224

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 2b[A] Shoot/Use attack-stopper, [B] Bomb

- TRIVIA -

Twinkle Star Sprites was released in January 1997.

The game's concept seems to be a funny parody of the Sailor Moon manga, however the game's comic relief 'Rabbicat' seems to be a parody of Tenchi Muyo's very own cute mascot & comic relief 'Ryo-Oh-Ki' the cabbit.

Load Ran & Sprites feature different endings in the Free Character Mode, these endings are completely different to the one seen in the Story Mode.

In the story mode, Mevious will either taunt or praise you if continues have been used during your game or not!

Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Twinkle Star Sprites - PCCB-00247) on 21/02/1997.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

There are two types of standard attacks: a normal shot and a charge-up shot. Each character starts with two bombs which enables him in the event of desperate plight, to clean with the screen while briefly acquiring a state of invincibility. The two players' playfields are separated by a vertical bar, each one having its own independent of the other. Series of enemies arrive from the top of the screen. The player is to successfully destroy them in chains (combos), which will send one or more fireball projectiles to the screen of his adversary (Normal Attack). Shooting at Normal Attacks several times reflects them back as glowing Reverse Attacks. If Reverse Attacks are reflected again, a number of powerful counterattacks in the shape of one or more indestructible enemies appear (Extra Attack). Reflecting many Reverse Attacks at once can instead summon a boss (Boss Attack).

* The Extra Attacks and the Boss Attack vary from one character to another.

* The power gauge fills as the player destroys enemies up to three levels. By holding down the fire button and releasing when a certain level is reached, the player can launch a character-specific charge shot to assist the player in clearing enemies from his screen. At Level 1, the charge shot is launched. At Level 2, the charge shot and three Extra Attacks against the opponent are launched. At Level 3 (Max Level), the charge shot and a Boss Attack are launched. Firing charge shots at Level 2 and above will decrease the power gauge.

* 30–40 seconds into a round, a blue orb appears among a chain of enemies. If this orb is destroyed in a chain, the player achieves Fever status for the next several seconds. Chains created during Fever generate faster and more plentiful Normal Attacks per enemy destroyed, which can prove to be very dangerous to the opponent if large chains are made.

* Both players are given five life points at the start of a round.

* Colliding into an enemy costs 1 life point, but the player cannot be killed this way; if a player has one life point left, he will be left with one half of a life point. When this happens, his character is stunned for a short while and is reduced in speed and attack power for several seconds after recovery, all the while left more vulnerable to opponent attacks.

* Getting hit by a Normal Attack, Reverse Attack, Extra Attack or the projectiles from a Boss cost 3 life points.

* The match is over when a player loses all his life points.

* When a player takes damage, his opponent recovers life points equal to half of the damage taken.

* If a round lasts longer than 100 seconds or the player does not fire a shot for more than 30 seconds, a Death enemy appears. If a player is hit by this enemy, he will lose immediately (Death Attack). The Death can be destroyed as any other enemy, but always comes back, harder to kill. Additionally, if a player is successful in volleying the "death" character over to his opponent's side, and the death character touches the opponent, the opponent dies instantly. This is a possible, though difficult, way to win. This, of course, would require the player to be skilled enough to avoid obstacles and not fire for more than 30 seconds.

* Special Codes:
Play As Sprites : At the character select screen, put the selector on Ran and press Up(x4), A.

Play As Memory : At the character select screen, put the selector on Ran and press Down(x4), A.

Play As Mevious : At the character select screen, put the selector on Griffon and press Up(x4), A.

Play As Dark Ran : At the character select screen, put the selector on Griffon and press Down(x4), A.

* After the Game Over screen, Load Ran & Rabbicat rate your performance and either praise you or give you advice to improve your score, get a very high score (1,000.000 and above) in order to attain the highest rating and make Load Ran blush.

- STAFF -

Developed by ADK.

- PORTS -

* CONSOLES:
[JP] SNK Neo-Geo CD (Feb.1997) "Twinkle Star Sprites [Model ADCD-013]"
[JP] Sega Saturn (Dec.1997) "Twinkle Star Sprites [Model T-37301G]"
Sega Dreamcast [JP] (Mar.2000) "Twinkle Star Sprites [Model T-3103M]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (Dec.2008) "ADK Tamashii [Model SLPS-25906]"

- CONTRIBUTE -

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