Gunbird

 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Psikyo and released in arcades in 1994. In the US, it was published by Jaleco. It has been re-released multiple times, including on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Steam. When originally localized outside Japan by XS Games, "Gunbird" was retitled Mobile Light Force. The game was followed by "Gunbird 2" in 1998 and was included in "Gunbird Special Edition" for PlayStation 2.
Gameplay.
When a player collides with the body of an enemy unit, the player loses a shot power level, and a power up flies around the screen and disappears as soon as it reaches the edge. If a player is at the lowest level of shot, the player loses a bomb instead.
There are seven stages in each of the game's two loops. The first three stages are randomly chosen from possible four. In the second loop enemies fire denser bullet patterns moving at faster speeds. Stage 2-1 takes place at the only stage not available on the first loop, instead of the 1-1 counterpart. The remaining two stages are chosen at random, but does not include the replaced stage. After completing first loop with only one player, the player can choose one of two choices for a wish with a magic potion, with unique endings for each choice. If the first loop is completed with two players, a combination-specific ending is played.
The cutscenes between the battles with two players fighting cooperatively are frequently packed with hilarious dialogue and situations. This is often a recurring theme with Psikyo games, the "Gunbird" games being no exception. There are no cutscenes when playing second loop stages. The Korean arcade version contains English dialog but some sound samples are missing during play.
Plot and characters.
"Gunbird" uses manga-styled character as the player's chosen craft. A story plays out in between levels and before boss fights, telling a tale of how the protagonists are trying to collect pieces of a magic mirror to make a wish.
Development and release.
The game was displayed at the PlayStation Expo '96 in Tokyo. There it was shown off alongside another vertically scrolling shooting game, "" by developer Santos.
The game was released in Japan for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn on December 15, 1995.
The game was released in North America as "Mobile Light Force" for the PlayStation. All in-game plot in this version, including the game's ending, was removed and character names were changed to those of XS Games employees. The game featured a "Charlie's Angels"-style cover picture, completely unrelated to the original characters or the game's theme. The original's fan art gallery was also removed from the game, although the directories are still intact on the disc if inserted into a PC.
"Gunbird Special Edition" was a version of the game was based on an arcade version, and included the sequel, "Gunbird 2". It was released only for the PlayStation 2 in 2004–2005.
Gunbird was included in "Psikyo Collection Vol. 1" along with "Strikers 1945", "Samurai Aces" and "Sol Divide".
Reception.
In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Gunbird" on their November 15, 1994 issue as being the ninth most-successful table arcade unit of the year.
"Gunbird" received mostly positive reviews. "Weekly Famitsu" gave the PlayStation version a 29 out of 40 score. An import version for the Sega Saturn earned good scores of 82% from and 80% from French magazines "Consoles +" and "Mega Force". The three reviewers from the Japanese "Sega Saturn Magazine" rated it 6, 8 and 9 out of 10.