Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted announced for Switch

City Connection has announced Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted, a new version of Toaplan’s 1993 vertical shooter for Switch. A release is scheduled for May 25, 2023 in Japan.

Here’s an official overview with more details:

Batsugun is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade game released in 1993 by Toaplan. The game attracted attention for the large number of bullets shot by both enemies and allies. This led many games to adopt the same kind of play. Batsugun thus became the pioneer of the bullet hell genre. The “Special” version of the game was then released on home consoles. The Special version offers new features with a better sound.

The player can choose between 3 types of aircraft. The goal is to destroy all approaching enemies with your shot and bombs. By doing so, you can collect power-ups and experience points. When the experience gauge reaches a certain point, the player’s aircraft evolves and become more powerful. There is no difference between the types of aircraft in terms of performance, but the aircraft changes between Player 1 and 2. Likewise, the dialogues and endings change according to the pilot you choose.

– About “Original Ver.” mode: This is the original arcade version of the game. The game consists of five stages with one ending.
– About “Special Ver.” mode: The Special Ver. mode is a revised mode of the game. The balance is better and various features have been added. The game repeats itself from stage 1 to stage 5 (14 stages total).

This title is the first installment of the new “Saturn Tribute Boosted” brand, which is a port and reproduction of the previous “Saturn Tribute” series using the Zebra engine, but with more new features and additional elements. The “Boost Up HUD” is a new UI that displays the experience gauge, the current score (+hidden bonuses), and the title of the BGM currently playing. The game also features an online ranked mode and the maximum score has been increased for more challenges.

The far reaches of a distant universe…There was a revolution on one of its planets. The Gladebaran Revolutionary Army, which rebelled against the government, finally started Project Epsilon.” In just nine days, the Revolutionary Army conquered all the government bases. They will do anything to achieve their plan… The government forces no longer had the strength to stand up to the Revolutionary Army. “At this rate, we’ll all be slaughtered…?” Just when everyone was about to lose hope, the government received an urgent message. Coincidentally, one of the latest special fighters was still in the undersea base, undamaged from Project Epsilon. This is the only way… The government chose the Skull Hornets group from the remaining troops and start their final operation to save the world. But little did they know that the Revolutionary Army was listening to their conversation. And so, the Skull Hornets group headed for the secret undersea base…followed by the Revolutionary Army. A fierce battle for the fate of the world is about to begin…

We have a trailer for Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted below.

The game will be sold physically and digitally on Switch in Japan. The official website can be found here.