Pilots, choose your fighter, its time to save the world!
Ultra X Weapons is a 1995 top-down Vertical Scrolling Shooter in the same vein as Raiden, released by Banpresto, under Tsuburaya's Ultra Series brand.
True to its name, the player(s) assumes the role of a jet fighter pilot from one of seven Earth Defense Force factions from the live-action installments of the Ultra Series at that time - SSSP from Ultraman, TDF from Ultraseven, MAT from Return of Ultraman, TAC from Ultraman Ace, ZAT from Ultraman Taro, MAC from Ultraman Leo and UGM from Ultraman 80. When alien invaders from all installments of the series begin invading en-masse, the player(s) will control each of their jets (backed up by the Ultramen assisting the same faction from their respective shows) and fight off hordes and hordes of alien and kaiju.
Seven Stages are Available:
- Stage 1 - Japan (Ultraman's Stage) - BOSS: Alien Baltan
- Stage 2 - United States (Ultraseven's Stage) - BOSS: King Joe
- Stage 3 - Europe (Ultraman Jack's Stage) - BOSS: Bemstar
- Stage 4 - China (Ultraman Ace's Stage) - BOSS: Vakishim
- (The first 4 stages can be played in any order the player prefers; however from Stage 5 onward the player will not be granted this option)
- Stage 5 - Middle East (Ultraman Taro's Stage) - BOSS: Geran
- Stage 6 - Asteroid Belt (Ultraman Leo's Stage) - BOSS: Nova
- Stage 7 - Alien Base(Ultraman 80's Stage) - BOSS: Fire-Draco
Here's a quick playthrough of the whole game
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Tropes included in the game:
- Adaptational Badass:
- The Defense Team pilots, hands-down. This time the planes can take down kaijus from the series with a few shots, and seasoned players can finish a whole level without summoning an Ultra even once!
- Geran from Ultraman Taro's level. In the show, Geran barely puts up a fight, gets injured by stepping on a katana (for a 50-meter-long kaiju the size of a building, that's equivalent to a human stepping on a stapler), can only breath a small stream of fire (that most kaiju already can) and doesn't have any projectile attacks; but in the Boss Battle Geran is Nigh-Invulnerable save for her head, can launch spikes all over the place, and summoning an Ultra to assist only does a fraction of damage to her health.
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: The boss for Ultraman 80's level is Fire-Draco, which, as established in Ultraman 80, is an earth-based monster that can only be summoned when three humans with supernatural abilities touches a magic rock. But the player fights Fire-Draco in outer space, seemingly from out of nowhere. Then again it's probably just Rule of Cool.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- Alien Pegassas are amongst the many alien Mooks you need to battle, despite the fact that in the entire franchise they've never been portrayed as villains.
- The stage boss for Taro's level is Geran; in the show, Geran is actually a misunderstood Non-Malicious Monster who attacked because her eggs are being threatened.
- The aforementioned Fire-Draco boss. In the show, one of the monster's heads (the white one) is one the side of good, and actually helps Ultraman 80 in the thick of battle. But over here all three heads are villains.
- Adaptational Wimp:
- Gomora went from being the first monster that defeats Ultraman to a mid-level boss in Ultraman's stage. A rookie player can defeat Gomora without summoning their Ultramen even once.
- The Bemstar boss can now be injured by Specium or Storium Rays (if the player's backup Ultra is Ultraman or Ultraman Taro), despite how in every installment of the shows, Bemstar is shown being able to No-Sell every beam attack an Ultra hurls at it.
- Some monsters in the show are now demoted to low-tier mooks, such as the Dinosaur Tank, Iron Rocks, Takkong, Builgamo, amongst others.
- Alien Guts, which defeated and crucified Ultraseven in their show, are now treated as common mooks which the players can defeat easily.
- Anti-Frustration Features: If you lose three jets and is forced to use a continue, the Father of Ultra will show up and helpfully clear the screen of enemies before you respawn.
- Assist Character: The Ultramen, if the player's jet is being overwhelmed they can summon their respective Ultras to launch their special attacks and shave down the invading forces.
- Asteroid Thicket: Ultraman Leo's stage had the player(s) crossing an asteroid shower while making their way to the invader's base.
- Big Applesauce: Ultraseven's stage (the USA) clearly shows the Statue of Liberty in the harbor when you battle King Joe. The statue may or may not be destroyed, depending on the player's performance in the game.
- Bullet Hell: More often than not, your fighter will be cornered by enemy projectiles and you'll spend more time dodging attacks than attacking.
- A Day in the Limelight: For once, we get to experience life from the perspective of the Defense Team's pilots, who in most episodes of the show usually end up as Cannon Fodder to the Monster of the Week before needing to get their asses saved by the Ultramen.
- Deadly Disc: Play as a MAT pilot, and when you ask Jack for help, Jack will sic an energy disc that covers three quarters of the screen across the battlefield.
- Eiffel Tower Effect: The first four levels clearly shows the landmarks of each respective location in the backgrounds, such as Himeji Castle in Japan, the Statue of Liberty in the USA, the Alps in Europe, and the Great Wall of China in China.
- Flunky Boss:
- The first boss, Alien Baltan, will summon smaller copies of himself to sic at the players, just like in the show itself.
- Zetton will also do this, summoning reinforcements in the dozen once you reduced its health enough.
- Improvised Weapon: During the King Joe boss battle in Manhattan harbour, sometimes a ship will pass by, at which point King Joe will pick it up and hurl it at the player(s).
- Jack of All Stats: The SSP Jet, fittingly enough.
- Kaiju: Each stage had a mid-level boss and end-level boss which is one of the kaijus from the series itself. The final stage gives us Zetton, just when you'd least expect it.
- Kaizo Trap: Frequently, even if you've defeated the boss of the level, their projectile attacks remains onscreen, and sometimes there will be exploding debris flying all over the place.
- Mercy Invincibility: Granted each time a destroyed player respawns.
- Storm of Blades: If your playing as a TDF pilot, when you summon Ultraseven to back you up the Ultra will fill the screen with Eye Sluggers.
- True Final Boss: Zetton.
