Yōjūden

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Yōjūden
Developer(s)Irem
Publisher(s)Irem
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Yōjūden[a] is a 1986 shooter video game developed and published by Irem for arcades. Originally released only in Japan, it consists of a mix of top-down shooter and vertically scrolling shooter gameplay.[1] It was released outside Japan for the first time by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2018, under the name Heroic Episode, with support for vertical screen gameplay on the Nintendo Switch.[2][3]

Gameplay

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In Yōjūden, players control a winged soldier in the fantasy land of Mule, which is under invasion by the Gule Empire; he travels through land and sea to retrieve a statue of their goddess from the Gule Empire. In the land segments, the soldier travels on foot while shooting enemy soldiers in a manner similar to Capcom's Commando, while the air segments has the soldier fly and shoot monsters emerging from under the ocean. The soldier is armed with a maser that can shoot standard projectiles and a stronger version with slower rate of fire.[1][4][5]

Reception

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Reviewing the Arcade Archives release on the Nintendo Switch, Dave Frear of Nintendo Life praised the mix of gameplay but criticized its harsh difficulty and lack of originality.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 妖獣伝, Hepburn: Yōjū-den; lit. "Legend of the Monsters"

References

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  1. ^ a b c Frear, Dave (March 14, 2018). "Review: Arcade Archives Heroic Episode (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  2. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 21, 2018). "This simple but smart Switch accessory lets you play vertical games in handheld mode". Polygon. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  3. ^ Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (February 22, 2018). "Nintendo Download: 22nd February (North America)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on April 13, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. ^ "Arcade Archives HEROIC EPISODE". Arcade Archives | HAMSTER Corporation. February 17, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  5. ^ Moyse, Chris (February 24, 2018). "Arcade Classics range continues with Heroic Episode on PS4 and Switch". Destructoid. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2025.