Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle
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 {{#if: "Wubba, wubba. I'm in the pink today, boy!" |"Wubba, wubba. I'm in the pink today, boy!"}}}} | |||||||
| {{#if: 決闘 トランスフォーマー ビーストウォーズ ビースト戦士最強決定戦| 決闘 トランスフォーマー ビーストウォーズ ビースト戦士最強決定戦 {{#if: Kettō Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Senshi Saikyō Ketteisen| }}
(Kettō Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Senshi Saikyō Ketteisen)}} {{#if:| ""}} | |||||||
| Developer | Gaibrain}} | ||||||
| Developers | }} | ||||||
| Publishers | }} | ||||||
| Publisher | Takara}} | ||||||
| Writer | }} | ||||||
| Written by | }} | ||||||
| Additional writing | }} | ||||||
| Story | }} | ||||||
| Platform | Game Boy Color}} | ||||||
| Platforms | }} | ||||||
| Release date | March 19, 1999}} | ||||||
| End of service | }} | ||||||
| Continuity | Beast Wars continuity}} | ||||||
| Chronology | }} | ||||||
| Rating | }} | ||||||
| Ratings | }} | ||||||
| Standard Retail Price | }} | ||||||
| Credits}} | |||||||
Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle is a fighting game for the Game Boy Color system, released only in Japan in 1999. It has a ridiculously long title and some adorably short combatants from Beast Wars, Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo.
Plot
[edit]On the planet Gaia, Lio Convoy's Maximals and Galvatron's Predacons detect an abnormal form of Angolmois Energy. Investigating the source, they find themselves in a mysterious ruin in another dimension, as do the time-displaced Optimus Primal and Cheetor, who arrived there while pursuing Megatron. Galvatron discovers a strange Energon Quartz in the ruin and attempts to abscond with it, but finds it protected by a barrier. An ethereal voice proclaims the Quartz can only be claimed by the one who proves themselves the strongest, promising great power to whoever possesses it. With the challenge issued, the Maximals and Predacons prepare for battle, each one seeking to claim the Quartz for their own.
Endings
[edit]After Megatron (who is always the final enemy, even if you're playing as him) is defeated in the chamber of the Quartz, the Beast Warrior who has proven themselves the strongest obtains the Quartz and is given the choice of what to do with its immense power.
- Lio Convoy: Determined to keep the Quartz out of the wrong hands, Lio Convoy seals it away forever.
- Galvatron: After absorbing the Quartz, Galvatron grows mad with power and ends up destroying his own base.
- Scuba: Scuba uses the Quartz's power to repair the environmental damage caused by the Predacons.
- Megastorm: Megastorm gloats to himself that with the power of the Quartz, he will finally overcome Galvatron...only for his brother to steal the Quartz right from under his nose.
- Cheetor: Having used the Quartz to become the most powerful of all Maximals, Cheetor is promoted to Supreme Commander. However, he can't handle the responsibility required for the post, and he runs away after only three days.
- Guiledart: Guiledart decides not to use the Quartz right away. Believing that there is still a long time until the war ends, he keeps it around as a future trump card.
- Optimus Primal: Primal uses the Quartz's power to defeat the Predacons once and for all, saving the universe!
- Megatron: Megatron takes the Quartz and sets out to defeat his eternal nemesis, Optimus Primal.
- Star Upper: As Star Upper wants to become strong under his own power, he doesn't use the Quartz for anything.
- Artemis: Blissfully ignorant of the Quartz's power, Artemis finds it really pretty and takes it home to decorate her room with it.
Playable characters
[edit]
{{#if:true ||(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)}}
- In "Fight! Beast" only
- In "Fight! Beast" only
- DJ*
- Ikard October Bacus*|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
- Lio Convoy
- Scuba
- Cheetor
- Optimus Primal
- Star Upper*
- In "Fight! Beast" only
- In "Fight! Beast" only
- Starscream*
- BB*
- Scylla*|
Maximals }}{{#if:*Galvatron
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Predacons }}{{#if:| | Humans }}{{#if:*Artemis*†
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Others }}{{#if:| | Misc }}{{#if:| | Misc }} |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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}}{{#if:*Artemis*†
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}}{{#if:|
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}} |
* Secret character.
† Artemis and Moon function as a single character, with Artemis acting as the "robot mode" and Moon as the "beast mode", and are listed as Predacons in-game for balance reasons.
Secret characters
[edit]Star Upper, Artemis/Moon, Starscream and BB can only be unlocked by using specific individual passwords or the "unlock everything" password; see the "Passwords" section below for more details. The remaining three "Fight! Beast" characters can only be accessed by using special cheat codes on the mini-game's character select screen. For Scylla, hold Select and Up, and press A. For DJ, hold Select and Down, and press A. For Ikard, highlight Scuba, hold Select, and press A.
Gameplay
[edit]
Duel Fight Beast Wars plays like a traditional 2D fighting game, most directly comparable to [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}SNK|{{#if:||SNK}}]]'s [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Fatal Fury|{{#if:||Fatal Fury}}]] and [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The King of Fighters|{{#if:||The King of Fighters}}]], with two opponents battling it out on a small arena in a best-2-of-3 set. Each character has three health bars, starting with a green bar, then yellow, then red; the winner is whoever depletes all of their opponent's health bars first, or whoever has the most health remaining when time expires. As in traditional fighters, players constantly face their opponent's direction and can move left or right, jump by pressing Up, crouch by pressing Down, dash by double tapping a direction, and block by holding in the opposite direction of their opponent. The fighting controls are simple: the B button is used for punches, and the A button for kicks, with a heavy attack being performed instead if the player holds either button. What makes the game unique is, naturally, the characters' ability to transform, which is done with the Select button. Notably, characters with vehicle modes like Megastorm and Galvatron take less damage in their alternate modes than those with beast modes, but these modes are also slow and lack the ability to jump.
There are a handful of advanced techniques. Various combinations of directional inputs with one of the attack buttons will trigger a special move. These inputs vary by character and active mode, with each character having four different special moves per mode. Some special moves can only be used while jumping, while others function as counterattacks. When at close range, the player can press forward and either attack button to perform a throw. Tapping down before jumping in either direction will perform a super jump, extending the distance traveled. While in beast mode, the player can perform a triangle jump by jumping back towards the edge of the screen, then forwards again once they make contact with it. And if they're feeling particularly cheeky, they can taunt by pressing A + B + Select.
During combat, players have access to three unblockable "piyo piyo bullets", which can be fired in robot mode by quickly tapping Down-Down + B. If the shot connects, the opponent will be stunned for a few seconds, allowing the player to move in and attack. Once the player has used all three bullets, they will not replenish for the remainder of the match. Galvatron and Megastorm's vehicle modes are the only ones immune to the bullets' effects. The player can also gain "Beast Power" by blocking attacks, or manually charge their BP gauge by holding Down + A + B. Once the gauge is full, BP can be spent in one of two ways: activating "Hyper Mode" by pressing Up + A + B to temporarily power up all special moves, or using an extra-powerful attack known as a "Super Special Move" by pressing Down-Forward-Down-Back + B. Different super special moves will trigger depending on which mode the character is in. Like in Fatal Fury, players can also repeatedly use their super special move without spending BP when down to their red health bar. Having both a red health bar and a full meter grants the player access to an even stronger "Fierce Special Move", similar to Fatal Fury's Desperation Moves, performed by inputting an inverted super special move button combination (Down-Back-Down-Forward + A) in either mode.
There are multiple playable game modes. "Single Battle" is the game's standard arcade mode, with players choosing a single combatant and battling seven other opponents before concluding with a battle against Megatron. Three difficulty levels are available by default, plus an unlockable fourth difficulty; if playing on Normal or Hard difficulty, a bonus battle with Star Upper or Artemis respectively will occur after defeating Megatron. In "Team Battle", similar to The King of Fighters, players select a team of three Maximals or Predacons and battle against the other faction's team of three, switching to the next team member each time one falls, with the last one standing being the winner. "Quick Draw" is a bonus mode that challenges the player to be the first to press B and fire their weapon when a prompt appears, similar to the "Sunset Showdown" mini-game in Beast Wars Transmetals. All three of these modes can be played in multiplayer by connecting to a Game Boy with a second copy of the game using a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Game Link Cable|{{#if:||Game Link Cable}}]].
An "Extras" menu includes several additional mini-games and other bonuses, most of which must be unlocked. "Punch de GO!" challenges players to destroy a rock in the quickest time possible by mashing the A button. "Guard de GO!" has players attempting to block 100 incoming projectiles without getting hit; the more difficult "Guard de GO! 2" pits the player against endless projectiles to earn a high score. "Run! Beast" is a vertical scrolling game, where the player (permanently in their alternate mode) has to reach the goal while avoiding numerous pits. "Fight! Beast" is similar to "Run! Beast", but the player must shoot down attacking bacteria while they run, with each character's projectiles behaving differently. This mode includes some additional characters not playable in the main game, with those that have flying alternate modes possessing an advantage due to not being affected by pits. "Let's Make a Seal" features 35 images that the player can print out as stickers using the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Game Boy Printer|{{#if:||Game Boy Printer}}]], including character artwork, screenshots of battle scenes, personal records, and even memo templates and manga panels with empty word balloons for the players to fill in. Finally, a "Profiles" section includes character profiles for the playable roster, including descriptions of all their special moves, along with various tutorials and tips hosted by Starscream and Artemis. The game's options menu also includes a sound test, a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}kanji|{{#if:||kanji}}]] toggle, and viewable move lists for each character, which can be printed out.
Passwords
[edit]As Duel Fight Beast Wars lacks any sort of save feature, progression and unlockables are instead tied to a password system. Each password is presented to the player by Artemis and Moon after achieving a specific objective. A complete list of passwords is below, along with what each one unlocks:
| Password | Translation | Conditions for acquisition | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| げすと | Gesuto (Guest) | Clear Single Battle on Normal difficulty | Unlock Star Upper |
| てみす | Temisu ([Ar]temis) | Clear Single Battle on Hard difficulty | Unlock Artemis & Moon |
| つよい | Tsuyoi (Strong) | Clear Single Battle on Hard difficulty without continuing | Unlock Expert difficulty level |
| えんど | Endo (End) | Clear Single Battle on Expert difficulty | View any character's ending and the credits by highlighting their profile and pressing Left + A |
| がーど | Gādo (Guard) | Get 30 points in "Punch de GO!" | Unlock "Guard de GO!" in Extras |
| つうー | Tsuū (Two) | Get 100 points in "Guard de GO!" | Unlock "Guard de GO! 2" in Extras |
| しーる | Shīru (Seal) | Get 150 points in "Guard de GO! 2" | Unlock "Let's Make a Seal" in Extras |
| はしれ | Hashire (Run) | Clear Single Battle on Easy difficulty | Unlock "Run! Beast" in Extras |
| うてっ | Ute' (Fire!) | Clear "Run! Beast" | Unlock "Fight! Beast" in Extras |
| りーむ | Rīmu ([Starsc]ream) | Written in the background of "Fight! Beast" | Unlock Starscream in "Fight! Beast" |
| び び | Bi Bi (BB) | Get 130 points in "Fight! Beast" | Unlock BB in "Fight! Beast" |
| たから | Takara (Treasure) | N/A | Secret screen: あそびは文化 ("Play is Culture"), Takara's slogan |
| ぜんぶ | Zenbu (Everything) | N/A | Unlock all of the above at once ("Takara" password must be entered first) |
| からー | Karā (Color) | N/A | Secret screen: Color test, intended for use when playing on the Super Game Boy |
| おしり | Oshiri (Butt) | Given by Starscream in the seventh tutorial | Secret screen: Three chibi Optimus Primals doing the "Gorilla's Butt Pura" dance |
Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- Under normal circumstances, it'd be impossible for all these characters to coexist in the same space given their place within the larger timeline. The cast of Beast Wars hails from an era tens of thousands of years prior to those of Beast Wars II, not to mention the majority of their adventures occur millions of years earlier than that. And by the time the events of Beast Wars Neo roll around, Galvatron is already dead and Megastorm has upgraded into Gigastorm. The game's instruction manual and official strategy guide explain that the Beast Wars cast were brought forward in time through a portal created by the Energon Quartz, but considering the branching endings make it irreconcilable with the timeline anyway, it's best to ignore the "how" and just focus on enjoying the wanton violence.
Transformers references
[edit]- The character artwork uses the same super deformed style as the package art for the "Beast Change Kit" series of model kits; some pieces of art are even directly reused from that line, with slight alterations.
- Several other characters and concepts are also included in this game during the playable characters' super special move animations:
- Megatron’s "Night Raid" attack has him summon Waspinator, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, Inferno and Scorponok to attack his foe.
- Scuba pilots the Tako Tank during his "Vulcan Rush" attack.
- While Galvatron can only be controlled in his robot and drill-tank modes, his third dragon mode appears during his "Infinity Ray" attack.
Real-world references
[edit]- The use of the word Kettō (決闘, "Duel Fight") in the title is a nod to the Nettō (熱闘, "Fierce Fight") series, AKA "Deadheat Fighters", a Takara-produced line of Game Boy ports of arcade fighting games. In fact, the game's control scheme, gameplay elements, and most of its sound effects are lifted directly from Gaibrain and Takara's previous handheld ports of [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Real Bout Fatal Fury Special|{{#if:||Real Bout Fatal Fury Special}}]] and [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}The King of Fighters '96|{{#if:||The King of Fighters '96}}]].
- Some characters' moves are directly based on techniques from other fighting games. For example, Lio Convoy's "Lio Tempest" technique is based on Ryu's Shōryūken, and his "Lio Tooth" is based on [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Terry Bogard|{{#if:||Terry Bogard}}]]'s Burn Knuckle.
Trivia
[edit]
- There are essentially three versions of the game in one, with the version you get depending on which system you use to play it. As a "dual mode" Game Boy Color game, indicated by its black cartridge, playing on a Game Boy Color provides a full color palette, while playing on an original Game Boy (or Game Boy Pocket) produces an entirely monochrome game. Playing via a [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Super Game Boy|{{#if:||Super Game Boy}}]] adapter on the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Super Nintendo Entertainment System|{{#if:||Super Nintendo Entertainment System}}]] only displays a very limited color palette, but adds a handful of enhancements, including a full color border image of Lio Convoy and Galvatron; enhanced sound effects (which can be sampled in the expanded sound test option); and most significantly, support for local multiplayer on the same system when two SNES controllers are plugged in.
- In multiplayer, if only one player has unlocked Star Upper or Artemis, they will still be available for both players to control in battle.
- Pressing Start on the character select screen changes the character portrait to a crude, goofy-looking drawing of the character's alt mode.
- After unlocking the ending viewer, pressing Left + A while highlighting the 10th tutorial will play a secret tutorial, in which Artemis explains each of the characters' fierce special moves.
- The instruction manual claims that there are only 12 passwords, but there are actually 15. Indeed, the color test and the two "unlock everything" passwords are not obtainable through normal means in-game.
- The game includes a secret code to access its internal dip switches. After going into the Options menu, highlight the Sound Test and press Left + A to make the Soft Dip menu appear. Turning each switch from 0 to 1 activates the following:
- Unlocks Star Upper.
- Unlocks Artemis & Moon.
- Unknown.
- Causes the player character to auto-block all attacks.
- Causes both characters' BP to constantly charge.
- Enables easy super special moves; press Select + B for super special moves, or Select + A for fierce special moves.
- Unlocks Expert difficulty.
- Unlocks Spectator Mode for Single Battle, Team Battle, and Quick Draw, allowing players to watch battles between CPUs.
- The word "Transformers" in the title only appears on printed materials like the box and cartridge art, but not in the game itself.
- Character artwork in the game's instruction manual and on the box slightly differs from the actual in-game artwork; whereas the in-game art gives most of the beast warriors cartoony pupils in both modes—as was the case with the original Beast Change Kit art it was based on—the manual, box, and Super Game Boy border depict their robot modes with solid-colored optics akin to their TV counterparts. Even the characters whose art was reused from Beast Change Kit have been modified to remove their pupils. However, this was apparently such a late stage change that some material, such as the official strategy guide and an advertisement in the February 1999 issue of Comic BomBom, still features art of most of the cast rendered in this original, more comical style. Cheetor even goes an extra step by being depicted with a happy-go-lucky smile in this early art, as opposed to the more "tough guy" style scowl he has in the revised version.
- A few characters had their designs tweaked slightly for their game artwork, even beyond the chibi proportions. For example, Cheetor now wears a cat collar with a bell in beast mode, while Optimus Primal's gorilla form sports spiked bracelets on his arms.
- The game can be used to unlock multiple bonuses in Transformers: Beast Wars Metals 64. By inserting the Game Boy game into the Nintendo 64 [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Transfer Pak|{{#if:||Transfer Pak}}]], players will hear a special message on the Metals 64 title screen from Optimus Primal, and will receive enhancements during gameplay from the power of Lio Convoy's Energon Matrix,<ref>{{#if: |""—|}}{{#if: https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up |The 64Dream, issue #38|The 64Dream, issue #38}}{{#if: |, |}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 1999 |, 1999{{#if: 11 |/{{#switch:{{#len:11}}|1=011|11}}{{#if: |/{{#switch:{{#len:}}|1=0{{{day}}}|{{{day}}}}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.org/details/64dream-038-November-1999-11-600dpi-ozidual/64Dream%201999%2011%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n37/mode/1up%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> including double health and a halved Energon Resistance Gauge depletion rate. If the player has already completed Arcade Mode with Megatron, this will also gain them access to Megatron X as a playable character.