[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Espgaluda2_Tateha_Dual_9404.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:319:[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma]] didn't get the benefit of the automatic change of clothes]]

The ''Espgaluda'' series is a series of BulletHell [[ShootEmUp Shoot-'Em-Ups]] by Creator/{{CAVE}}.

The series spans two main games:

!!! ''[=Espgaluda=]'' (2003)

Once upon a time, there was a peaceful kingdom named Shinra (not [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII that one]]), ruled by a line of queens with supernatural powers. The current king, Jakou, decides to conduct a number of experiments to induce this power in his children as well as harness it for military purposes. Two of his children, Ageha and Tateha, are rescued from his grasp and taken into hiding by a man named Hiodoshi. Eventually, Jakou's forces track them down...

The game is known for its Ascension Dead Zone (''Kakusei Shikai'') mechanic (or Ascension/''Kakusei'' for short), in which the player can press a button to [[BulletTime slow down enemy bullets]], allowing beginners to better enjoy the game, although Ascension can only be used for a limited period of time. Notably, the player's character [[SexShifter changes genders]] when activating Ascension mode, and back when deactivating it. To encourage use of Ascension even in high-level play, the game's scoring system relies on destroying enemies in Ascension mode to collect gold items.

A Platform/PlayStation2 port by Creator/{{Arika}} was released in 2004. It features an exclusive ArrangeMode based on the game mechanics of ''VideoGame/ESPRaDe'', the game's SpiritualPredecessor. Another port for Japanese mobile phones, ''[=Espgaluda=] DX'', was released in 2005.
!!! ''[=Espgaluda=] II'' (2005)

It has been three years since the first game, the events of which are known as the "Great Shinra War." The ruling family of another country named Soma decide to salvage Jakou's research and create an organization called the Spirit Society, dedicated to producing more children with psychic powers. One of the products of these experiments, Asagi, flees and joins Ageha and Tateha.

''Espgaluda II'' expands on the gameplay of the original, this time featuring a variant of Ascension known as Ascension Absolute Dead Zone (''Kakusei Zesshikai'', also known as ''Zetsushikai'' or just ''Zetsu''), which can [[DifficultButAwesome create much higher score multipliers at the cost of generating extra bullets and a harder drain on the player's resources]]. Bullet patterns have also been made more difficult overall, ensuring that even survival-based players still face a lot of challenge.

A mobile port, ''[=Espgaluda=] II iPhone''/''Android'', was released in 2010, marking the series' international debut, and features a mode that replicates the arcade version as well as an exclusive arrange mode that makes use of touchscreen-focused controls. It would later get an UpdatedRerelease, ''[=Espgaluda=] II HD for iPad 2'', in 2011.

An Platform/Xbox360 port, ''Espgaluda II Black Label'', was released in 2010. Although Japan-only like the arcade version and the previous game, this port has no region coding, enabling it to be played on any region's console. This features an in-depth tutorial that demonstrates the game's ([[LoadsAndLoadsOfRules rather complex]]) mechanics, the arcade original as well as an HD version of it, as well as three {{Arrange Mode}}s: the titular ''Black Label'' arrange, an arrange by Shinobu Yagawa that implements a bullet color cancelling system, and a bonus mode that is unlocked after completing the game once. There are also Novice versions of the base game and ''Black Label''. This version would later be ported to Platform/NintendoSwitch in 2021 by Live Wire for all major regions, making it the first time that the console version was officially released outside of Japan.
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!!The ''Espgaluda'' series contains examples of:

* AbusiveParents: Ageha and Tateha's father, the king Jakou is decidedly not a nice guy.
* AnimalMotifs: Butterflies are everywhere in both games. The playable characters themselves are named after Japanese terms for certain species of butterflies, and fly around with butterfly wings.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
** Although ''Espgaluda II'' allows for scores in the hundreds of millions, the [[Every10000Points point-based extra lives]] are set at only 15,000,000 and 35,000,000 points, so that even a score-apathetic player can have a chance at getting both of those extra lives.
** ''Espgaluda II'' Arrange mode starts you with 5 lives instead of 3 by default to compensate for how hard it is to get extra lives. That said, another reason for the 5 lives is because the game's scoring system encourages [[ViolationOfCommonSense intentionally dying to reset resources]][[note]]as part of Shinobu Yagawa's SignatureStyle of designing shmup mechanics[[/note]].
* ArchnemesisDad: Jakou from the first ''Espgaluda'' is the father of Ageha and Tateha and the main villain of that game.
* AristocratsAreEvil: "Royalty" in the case of Jakou, an evil king who experimented on his children Ageha and Tateha so he can turn them into psychic {{Tykebomb}}s and use them for military purposes.
* ArrangeMode: The [=PS2=] port of the first game has an arrange that is a crossover between it and ''VideoGame/ESPRaDe'', complete with SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes of J-B 5th and Irori and a force field meter replacing the usual SmartBomb.
** ''Espgaluda II'' has the "Black Label" arrange, which includes a chaining system in the style of ''VideoGame/DoDonPachi'' which multiplies the value of gold, makes it so that when an enemy is killed, their bullets are always canceled into gold, includes a shield meter that repels bullets, and includes Seseri as a new playable character. There is also an arrange mode, programmed by S. Yagawa of ''VideoGame/{{Recca}}'' and ''VideoGame/BattleGaregga'' fame, that implements a polarity system akin to ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'' or ''[[VideoGame/MahouDaisakusen Dimahoo]]'', where bullets are either blue, which are canceled with normal shots, or red, which are canceled using the laser. Switching between your two shots costs gems. Finally, there is the Omake mode, where collecting gems and gold contributes to a combined counter, and when enemy shots approach your character, they turn red. Activating Kakusei mode cancels these bullets, but killing an enemy turns them into gems instead.
* ArtShiftedSequel: The art for the first game was done by Tsukasa Kado, while the art for the second game was done by Masaki Hirooka.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Asagi's ending has this for herself, Tsubame & Janome, and all of the children who were being experimented on by the Spirit Society.]]
* {{BFG}}:
** Madara, the midboss of ''Espgaluda II'' stage 2, carries an [[HandCannon oversized pistol]].
** In ''Espgaluda II Black Label'', Seseri's male Ascension form carries a pistol that seems to be half the size of his body.
* BigBad: Jakou in the first game, and Tsubame and Janome share the position in the second as co Big Bads.
* BilingualBonus: In ''Espgaluda II'', there's an inscription on the podium at the end of Stage 5 where you fight [[spoiler:Seseri]], which reads "Shinra meine heimat", or "Shinra, my homeland" in German.
* BulletTime: The effect of being in Awakening mode and having spare gems.
* CainAndAbel: Seseri's father is Jakou, but her mother is not the Queen of Shinra (a.k.a. Ageha and Tateha's mother), making her the half-sister of the player characters. She hates Ageha and Tateha because Jakou focuses all of his attentions on them, so she seeks to kill them to earn Jakou's love.
* ContinuingIsPainful: In the first game. If you die, your gold meter is cut in half.
* CreepyChild: SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes of the Alice Clones from ''ESP Ra.De.'' return for the final stage of both games in this series.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Ageha and Tateha... sort of. Their eyes are a darker shade of green than their hair. Seseri's purple eyes have a reddish tint compared to her blue-violet hair (in the first game at least).
* {{Cyborg}}: [[spoiler: Seseri, after the first stage of the first game.]]
* DifficultButAwesome:
** To maximize scoring potential in ''Espgaluda II'', one not only needs to make use of Ascension to cancel enemy bullets and to build up Kakusei Over level, they must also master the new Zetsushikai mode. It uses both gems and gold at a rapid pace, destroying enemies while in Zetsu ''spawns extra bullets'' that can spell disaster for the player and eats up gems even faster. Masterful use of Zetsu will cancel those revenge bullets ''en masse'' for massive amounts of points; whereas a no-Zetsu player will probably take until Stage 4 to get both point-based extra lives (first at 15 million points and seconed at 35 million), someone who knows their way around Zetsu can get that 35 million on Stage '''1'''.
** ''Espgaluda II: Black Label'' has this in two different flavors. First, Zetsu instead causes bullets near your character to multiply, and also grants complete invincibility...at the cost of draining your shield meter and ''rapidly'' draining your gem and gold counters. By flying your invincible self into a thick cloud of bullets, you can create even more bullets to cancel when you step out of Zetsu, but you must be very careful that none of the three resources your invincibility runs on run out while you're in the middle of the bullet thicket, or else you are sure to take damage. Mastering this technique can generate a lot of bullets that can make your score skyrocket. And then there's Zetsu Over; activating it causes enemies to fire back aimed revenge bullets and bullets that you graze to spawn aimed bullets, which of course creates a great risk to the player but will cancel nicely into gems, allowing a skilled player to generate extra points and fuel for their Kakusei modes.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:In the first game, Seseri falls from a great height while injured and bloodied from the first boss stage. She comes back in Stage 5 [[WeCanRebuildHim as a cyborg]].]]
* DoWellButNotPerfect: Players looking to get a quick and simple clear in ''Espgaluda II: Black Label'' should die at least once before the end of Stage 5. It's entirely possible for a halfway decent player to no-death up to that point [[note]]survivability is improved in this game compared to the vanilla variant due to enemies cancelling their bullets upon death and a "dead eye" shield allowing the player to block bullets[[/note]], and then experience total regret when they realize that they unlocked the [[spoiler:''True'' Seseri]] fight. Downplayed in vanilla ''Espgaluda II'', where you also have to advance to Ascension Over level 3 to unlock [[spoiler:True Seseri]].
* DudeLooksLikeALady: If not for the first game and the other two characters as references, you might not realize that Asagi's alternate form is supposed to be a boy, especially thanks to the artwork showing that this male form's shoes have higher heels, and the book is changed to a stuffed bunny head.
* EveryTenThousandPoints: By default:
** In ''Espgaluda'' you gain an extra life at 4,000,000 points and again at 14,000,000 points.
** In ''Espgaluda II'':
*** Normal mode: You gain one at 15,000,000 points and another at 35,000,000 points. Given that judicious use of the two Ascension modes can earn scores in the hundreds of millions, these extra life points seem to have been made with survival-focused players in mind, so that they can play the game like it's the original ''Espgaluda'' and still get both extra lives.
*** ''Black Label'': The first one is at ''100,000,000'' points and the second at 300,000,000 points.
*** Arrange: Every 100,000,000 points. Yes you keep gaining extra lives after the first two.
*** Omake: 15,000,000 and 30,000,000 points.
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Jakou, the final boss of the first game, is able to do gender-changing Awakening just like the player characters.]]
* EvilLaugh:
** Jakou does this at the beginning of his FinalBoss fight, daring his opponents to show them their full strength.
** Also Madara, the boss with the multi-part tank, Asmodeus, in ''Espgaluda II''.
* FanServicePack: In ''Espgaluda II'', Tateha and Ageha have aged a bit, and their clothes for their female forms are noticeably more revealing. [[spoiler: Almost literally for Seseri, who was rebuilt to look like she had aged as much as the main characters. (not counting her playable version in ''Espgaluda II Black Label'')]]
* FeedItWithFire: In the first game, if you hit Jakou with your Guard Barrier attack in his final phase, it will ''heal him''.
* {{Flight}}: The main playable characters can fly around with butterfly wings made of PsychicPowers. Seseri can do it, too, but with machinery. [[spoiler:Jakou can do this, too.]]
* FusionDance: The final boss of ''Espgaluda II'' is Tsubame and Janome fused together.
* GenderRestrictedAbility: In the first ''Espgaluda'' it's explained that only the female royalty of Shinra can wield vast psychic powers passed down every generation. The only reason why Ageha and Tateha can wield them too is due to their mother being Shinra royalty, and being experimented on by their evil and ambitious father.
* GuestFighter: The [=PS2=] port's ArrangeMode has two SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes of [[VideoGame/EspRaDe J-B 5th and Irori]].
* IncestSubtext: [[spoiler: In the second game, Tsubame and Janome unify into a single being named Kujaku as the final boss. There is a lot of additional subtext between them shown in Asagi's ending. Also present in Ageha's ending, between him and Tateha.]]
* InconsistentDub: The English localization of the mobile versions translates ''Kakusei'' as "Awakening", but in the Switch version, it's called "Ascension" in English.
* InnocentFlowerGirl: Janome, the boss of ''Espgaluda II'' stage 3, is strongly linked with flowers. She turns not-so-innocent when she becomes a boss of a Creator/{{Cave}} game.
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:Jakou's female form is angelic and beautiful, and has golden wings. He later combines his male and female forms together, resulting in a saintly figure with demonic-looking wings.]]
* LoadsAndLoadsOfRules: ''Espgaluda II''[='=]s systems are considerably more complex than the original, with the console versions' tutorials having at least three pages per mode.
* LongSongShortScene: Unless you're listening to the soundtrack, you won't get to hear the entire stage song in some levels.
* MadScientist: In the first game, Jakou experimented on his own children in order to induce PsychicPowers. In the second game, the Spirit Society is doing this on a larger scale on many children.
* MagicPants: An interesting example, in that the characters' clothes magically transform to be appropriate for their current gender, for certain definitions of "appropriate."
* MirrorMatch: In ''Espgaluda II Black Label'', [[spoiler:''Espgaluda 1'' Seseri can fight against their older self in Stage 5, [[https://youtu.be/ZTUi7xRfHkM and there's a unique theme for this setup]]]].
* MoreDakka: Part 1 of Stage 5 has Jakou's men shoot at you with a ludicrously amount of bullets. The second half of Stage 5 has the Alice Clone-like minions do the same as well.
* NighInvulnerability: In ''Espgaluda II Black Label'', activating Zetsu mode with your shield meter non-empty causes you to activate absolute invulnerability mode, during which you are impervious to ''all'' damage, however the shield, gem, and gold meters will drop rapidly and once any of those reach zero, you lose absolute invulnerability.
* NoSell: In ''Espgaluda II'', the final boss, [[spoiler:a fused Tsubame and Janome]], is immune to your Guard Barrier, raising a shield if you use it. Technically, they use their shield any time you use yours (such as [[MercyInvincibility after taking damage]]), but it so happens that firing your Guard Barrier activates your shield, rendering the Guard Barrier incapable of damaging them. Believe it or not, this is actually a {{Nerf}} from the previous game's FinalBoss, who would ''[[FeedItWithFire recover health]]'' if you hit them with the Guard Barrier.
* OminousPipeOrgan: In ''Espgaluda II Black Label'', [[spoiler:[[https://youtu.be/ZTUi7xRfHkM True Seseri's theme]] features an intimidating pipe organ playing throughout]].
* PrettyButterflies: The playable characters have butterfly-esque wings made of psychic energy.
* PromotedToPlayable: The ''Espgaluda I'' version of Seseri, who is fought twice in that game, is available as a playable character in ''Espgaluda II Black Label''.
* PsychicPowers: The player characters were engineered specifically to have these.
* RobotGirl: [[spoiler: Seseri appears to be fully machine in ''Espgaluda II,'' after she was apparently killed near the end of the first game.]]
* SexShifter: The core gameplay mechanic for high scoring has the player characters changed sex when slowing down enemy projectiles. [[spoiler: The final boss of ''Espgaluda'' can do it too. In ''Espgaluda II'', this game mechanic is required for unlocking the fight against True Seseri, and the final boss is the fusion of Tsubame and Janome.]]
* ShapeshifterBaggage: It is difficult to calculate how much of a mass difference there is, or whether or not any of it is involved in keeping Kakusei ("Awakening") mode going besides the gems.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''ESP Ra.De'' due to the guard barrier mechanic, bosses with huge psychic wings, and enemies resemblant to the Alice Clones.
* SteamPunk: The technology and fashion featured in ''Espgaluda'' are both reminiscent of this trope.
* SuperGenderBender: The player characters change sex when in their SuperMode. [[spoiler: Not only can Jakou, the BigBad, do this himself, but in the final boss battle he fuses his male and female forms together to create a powerful, androgynous being.]]
* TankGoodness: Asmodeus, Madara's war machine, is a three-part tank that can combine, no less, in ''Espgaluda II'' stage 4. Lampshaded by the achievement for the iOS version, "One Less Tank in a Cave Game" upon defeating Asmodeus.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: At the beginning of the first game, Hiodoshi gets shot up a ''lot'' of times.
* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: Seeing their ParentalSubstitute Hiodoshi get brutally killed by Jakou's men caused Ageha and Tateha's PsychicPowers to awaken, and they slaughter the men who killed him before embarking on their journey.
* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Subverted in ''Espgaluda II'', in which it's the boss of stage 5 - Seseri - who has a true version. In vanilla, she is unlocked by advancing Ascension to level 3, then reaching her without dying once. In ''Black Label'', you merely need to reach her without dying.]]
* VoiceOfTheLegion: [[spoiler: Jakou's final form, a fusion of both his male and female forms, speaks with both male and female voices.]]
* WeCanRebuildHim: [[spoiler: Seseri, ''twice''. The first time, she only received some cybernetic implants to recover fron her earlier thrashing in Stage 1 of the first game. The second time, she was ''dead,'' and had to be rebuilt as a full-on robot.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: Seseri's motivation for wanting to kill Ageha and Tateha, since she was not born from a psychic queen like they were. [[spoiler: When she is killed in the second game, she even says, "Father, I'm sorry..." as her life expires.]]
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