is a vertically scrolling
dōjin bullet hell
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs
) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...
game developed by Yotsubane and released at the 79th
Comiket. Its name is a reference to the
crimson clover
''Trifolium incarnatum'', known as crimson clover or Italian clover, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to most of Europe. It has been introduced to other areas, including the United States and Japan.
This upright ...
, a species of clover native to Europe. Originally released for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
on January 11, 2011 in Japan, a
NESiCAxLive
is a digital distribution system for arcade video games made by Taito. It is similar to the SEGA ALL.Net game distribution system. Taito uses NESiCAxLive to distribute not only its own games, but also allows other companies to use it as a public ...
arcade version was released on April 25, 2013. An updated Windows version, entitled ''Crimzon Clover: World Ignition'' was released worldwide on June 6, 2014 via
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
, on December 3, 2014 via
GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...
. Another updated
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
version, titled ''Crimzon Clover: World EXplosion'', released on October 29, 2020.
Gameplay
The player controls one of four types of ship - Type I, II, III or Z. All ships share the same control scheme, though movement speed, option arrangement, and break gauge refill differ between the three. A fourth ship, Type III, was added for the updated World Ignition.
;Controls
* Arrow keys move the craft.
* Button 1 (default Z) releases rapid fire straight ahead from both the craft and its options.
* Button 2 (default X), when held, creates a circular field around the player, denoted by a green border. When enemies move inside the border, the craft locks on to them (denoted by a blue line connecting the craft and enemies).
** One enemy can be locked onto multiple times, but the number of times they can be locked on to depends on the amount of health remaining. For example, enemies with only 1
hit point
Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the f ...
can only be locked onto once.
** When the ship reaches the maximum number of allotted lock-ons (16 to start, but more after being powered up/entering Break or Double Break mode), a chime plays and the blue lines connecting the craft to its targets turns red.
** Releasing Button 2 when any number of lock-ons are active deploys a number of homing lasers equal to the number of active lock-ons.
** Releasing a large number of lasers in one lock-on grants the player a score multiplier for a short amount of time - during the multiplier, the value of every enemy kill and item acquisition is multiplied by the current multiplier (similar to ''
ESP Ra.De.''s secondary shot multiplier). The maximum possible multiplier is ×6.4, which is accessible only through use of Double Break Mode.
* The function of Button 3 (default C) varies depending on the current status of the Break Gauge.
;The Break Gauge
In Original and Unlimited modes, using a bomb when the 'Break Mode' gauge is full activates Break Mode. This gives a small window of invincibility, increases firepower, and doubles the speed at which the "Break Rate" counter rises and falls. You can also stack one full Break Mode gauge on top of another - which activates Double-Break Mode, featuring the most intense amount of firepower and score capability. Attacking multiple enemies in a short time increases the "Break Rate" counter, which multiplies the score given for collecting the golden stars dropped by defeated enemies.
;Difficulty levels
The game has 3 difficulty levels - Simple, Original, and Unlimited.
* Simple mode lacks the ability to enter Break Mode, but the Break Gauge has a special utility in this mode - as it passes 50% and 100%, the speed of bullets increases. In this way, gauge level acts similar to rank in ''
Battle Garegga
is a vertically scrolling shoot'em up arcade game developed by Raizing and published by Eighting in 1996. It was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1998, and an updated version, ''Battle Garegga Rev.2016'' was released in 2016.
It was follow ...
''. When the Break Gauge is full, shooting enemies at point-blank range will create a shower of point items, and the score will increase automatically, similar to the Maximum bonus in the ''
DoDonPachi
is a vertically-scrolling bullet hell shoot' em up developed by Cave (company), Cave and published by Atlus in 1997. It was the second game developed by Cave, and the sixth on Cave's first-generation arcade hardware. As with its predecessor '' ...
'' series.
* Original mode allows (Double) Break Mode, and features a "Break Rate" in addition to the lock-on multiplier. Break Rate increases by shooting enemies or locking on to large groups. When in Break Mode, the Break Rate temporarily doubles, and when Double Break Mode is accessed the Rate temporarily doubles yet again. Deaths and bombs deplete the Break Gauge.
* Unlimited mode has the same play system as Original mode, but features higher bullet count. Players also have the ability to clear all bullets on the screen by hitting and killing at least one enemy with a full lock-on.
;Plot
Little plot information is given, however pieces of plot information are revealed in the ''World Ignition'' edition via Steam. The player takes the role of a pilot of mysterious identity sent on a mission to assault a military base of a hostile army, and destroy a mechanical entity known as Gorgoneion which is in the process of constructing a
doomsday weapon
A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon or weapons system — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing " doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth ...
known as the Crimson Heart.
Development and release
Yotsubane, the developer of ''Crimzon Clover'', released two trial versions over the development period, and one paid trial at Comiket 78. The game was originally scheduled to come out during Comiket 78, but schoolwork forced Yotsubane to push back the release date.
* Version 0.10 has only one stage and relatively crude graphical and audio quality.
* Version 0.20 has three stages (though the Stage 3 boss is unfinished), as well as a second difficulty level, Unlimited. Only one stage of Unlimited is available.
* Version 0.30, released during Comiket 78, adds the "Double Break" mechanic (see below) and includes 3 completed stages on Original mode, as well as 2 stages on Unlimited and two stages on a new difficulty, Simple. It also adds more items to the game shop, including the ability to skip various scenes and restart the game more quickly, and a second ship type.
* Version 1.00, released during Comiket 79 and available through
Toranoana online shopping and various independent retailers, contains 5 stages and two sequential true last bosses for all 3 difficulties. It also adds level practice and unlockable music pieces that can be accessed through the "Sound Test" option in the main menu.
* Version 1.01 adds replay support and western-style score display (referred to as "World") while fixing various bugs, including a scrolling bug that allowed for the duplication of the fifth boss and spawning of the second boss during the final boss fight.
A screenshot on Yotsubane's blog also shows a version labeled 0.40 however differences between this and 0.30 are unknown.
Reception
Hardcore Gamer praised ''Crimzon Clover: World Ignition'', giving it a 4 out of 5 and stating: "we didn’t have much to say about ''Crimzon Clover: World Ignition'' that was negative. That was by design, though, as we can’t fault a game for flaws it doesn’t possess. If anything, the only flaws it may have are the ones intrinsic to the genre, not the game."
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
described the game as being similar to
CAVE
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
shooters.
[
]
Notes
References
External links
Yotsubane's blog
{{in lang, ja
Steam Page
GOG.com Page
2011 video games
Arcade video games
Doujin video games
Indie video games
Nintendo Switch games
Vertically scrolling shooters
NESiCAxLive games
Video games developed in Japan
Windows games