''Steam-Heart's'' is a 1994 vertically

scrolling shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a subgenre 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 character m ...

and

eroge An ''eroge'' (, ''eroge'', or , ''erogē'', ), also called an H-game, is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were crea ...

developed by

Giga Giga- ( or ) is a metric prefix, unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of a Long and short scales, short-scale billion or long-scale milliard (109 or 1,000,000,000). It has the symbol G. ''Giga-'' is derived from the Ancient Greek, ...

and published by TGL. The story follows two siblings as they fight off a virus that is possessing the people in their world. The game features shooter gameplay paired with ample erotic cutscenes with scantily clad women. ''Steam-Heart's'' was initially released on

PC-98 The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit Personal computer, personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it inc ...

personal computers on March 15, 1994; a version for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System was released in 1996 followed by another for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

in 1998, all of which were for the Japanese market. Critics generally found the gameplay to be average, with the erotic content being the sole distinguishing feature.

Gameplay

''Steam-Heart's'' is a vertically scrolling

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre 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 typ ...

and

. There are 8 levels in total, as well as single-player and two-player modes. The primary weapon on the player's ship can either be a vulcan cannon or laser. These shot types can be upgraded or swapped by picking up

power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a Game mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...

s. The player can also choose from a variety of secondary weapons which vary between the versions of ''Steam-Heart's'', but include fixed turrets, flamethrowers, and satellite ships that hunt down enemies among others. The ship can also temporarily boost in any direction to dodge enemies or pick up items. Completing each stage results in a cutscene told through a succession of still images. The player only has one

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

but can take about six hits before losing the life. There are only continues in the cooperative two-player mode. In single-player mode, the player restarts the level after losing a life. The Saturn version includes an arcade mode (a mode devoid of all cutscenes and character dialogue), and a

score attack In video games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points, and events in the game can raise or lower the score of different parties. Most games with score ...

mode.

Plot

The game is set in a world where people have been taken over by a virus, altering their behavior. Two siblings, a male named Blow and a

hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

Falla are immune to the virus and set off to fight it. The characters exchange dialog during gameplay to progress the story. The bosses at the end of each stage are

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

piloted by scantily clad women including

catgirl A or neko is a female character with feline traits, such as cat ears, a tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body. As a type of '' kemonomimi'', catgirls are associated with Japanese anime and manga but may appear in oth ...

s. After each boss is defeated, Blow and Falla interact with the women. Blow

ejaculates Ejaculation is the discharge of semen (the ''ejaculate''; normally containing sperm) from the penis through the urethra. It is the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural concepti ...

into the boss character to cure them from the virus.

Development and release

''Steam-Heart's'' was developed by

and published by TGL. The character designs were done by animator

Takahiro Kimura was a Japanese animator, illustrator and character designer. He died of amyloidosis on March 5, 2023. Works *''City Hunter 3'' ( Key animation) *''Idol Tenshi Yokoso Yōko'' (Key animation) *'' Dirty Pair Flash'' (Character design, animation d ...

. The game is unusual for combining a shooting game with eroticism, as Japanese erotic games are more typically genres like

role playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " a ...

, or even

beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...

s. It was originally released for the NEC PC-9800 series of personal computers in Japan on March 15, 1994. The game's first

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

was on March 22, 1996 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System. For this release, all the graphics were redrawn, the secondary weapons were weakened or removed altogether, and the two-player mode was pulled. It was released near the end of the system's lifespan as its last shooter. A port for the

was released on September 23, 1998, as the Saturn was beginning to lose market share in preparation for the November launch of

Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...

. The Saturn version comes with a small yellow seal warning of the erotic content of the game. The game did not receive a red seal, which is for even more explicit content. Again, all the graphics were redrawn, but this version retains the cooperative mode and also includes more secondary weapons. The Saturn version also makes more use of the scaling and rotation effects supported by the hardware.

Eroge An ''eroge'' (, ''eroge'', or , ''erogē'', ), also called an H-game, is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were crea ...

was known for being more graphic on personal computers than consoles, so when the game was ported to the PC Engine and Saturn, the cutscenes were completely redrawn to be less graphic, albeit more suggestive. The scenes on the Saturn are not visually explicit, but are fully voice acted, including sounds of moans. The Saturn version is the most censored. The text scrolling in the original was also replaced with voice acting in the console versions.

Reception

''PC Engine Fan'' praised the quality of the cutscene graphics and character designs in a preview of the PC Engine version. ''Revival'' did not find the game to be much of a technical feat, despite coming out towards the end of the system's life. They felt the game was enjoyable but ultimately found it to be a weaker offering than other shooters on the system such as '' Gate of Thunder'' (1992). Reviewing the Saturn version, Ralph Karels in ''Video Games'' magazine wrote that the game was standard shooter fare, and was only worthwhile for those that enjoyed the erotic cutscenes. He believed the game could not stand up to the likes of '' Radiant Silvergun'' and '' R-Type Delta'' (both released in 1998), and found the graphics were not much of an improvement over the PC Engine version. Four reviewers for ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave the Saturn version a score of 17/40. Three reviewers covered the game in ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' (Japan). The two more critical reviewers felt the gameplay was unbalanced and generally uninspired. One criticized how the cutscenes would show still images for too long while the voices continued on top, and they compared the game to old

for personal computers. The more receptive reviewer appreciated the erotic themes, and felt the bullet hell gameplay was balanced and enjoyable. ''Super Game Power'' was also receptive of the game giving it a positive score. ''Superjuegos'' noted that aside from the erotic content, the game can't compete in terms of graphics or gameplay to games like '' Radiant Silvergun'' or '' Galactic Attack''. In a retrospective review, Kurt Kalata of ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' wrote that beyond the unique approach to cinematics and the dodge mechanic, the game does very little to distinguish itself from other shooters. He deemed the Saturn version the best because of the improved graphics and gameplay, and the PC Engine version the worst because of cut content and slower gameplay. He believed the Saturn version was better than most '' Raiden'' games, worse than ''

Dodonpachi is a Vertically scrolling shooter, vertically scrolling bullet hell video game 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. ...

'' and ''

Terra Diver , also known as ''Terra Diver'', is a vertical-scrolling shooting game by Raizing originally released as an arcade game for the ST-V platform in 1996. The game was ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation in 1997, with neither port being rel ...

'' (both 1997), and about on par with ''

Batsugun is a 1993 vertically scrolling shooter bullet hell arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as Korea by Unite Trading. The last shoot 'em up created by Toaplan, the title takes place on a distan ...

'' (1996).

Notes

References