Shienryu Explosion (紫炎龍エクスプロージョン Shienryu Ekusupuroshion) (Purple Flame Dragon Explosion) is a vertical scrolling shooter created by Warashi in 2003 and released on the PlayStation 2 as part of the compilation game Double Shienryu.
Since this is a PlayStation 2 game, Shienryu Explosion uses 3D graphics.
The plot is about a group of pilots from the Lumen organization fighting an alien entity known as Dunamis.
Fighters[]
- BD-21VM: high speed, low firepower.
- BD-22LV: medium speed, medium firepower.
- BD-23ML: slow speed, high firepower.
Pilots[]
There are 6 pilots in the game. Bomb type and weapon colour are changed depending on the pilot.
Weapon system[]
A fighter can fire strong but concentrated shots, or weak but widespread shots, depending on the button pressed. The fighter's shot strength changes depending on how heavily it is pressed, with 3 pre-defined shot strength settings available in the game. The fighter's moving speed decreases with increasing shot strength, and decreases otherwise.
Stages[]
There are 8 stages in the game. In addition, there are 2 extra stages that can be unlocked when certain conditions are met. The game's ending is changed depending on the selected pilot.
Multiplier system[]
When an enemy is destroyed, its score is multiplied between 1 and 256, depending on the frequency the fighter was firing at the time of destruction. Some enemies drop stars when destroyed by high power shots, and sometimes the enemy bullets are turned into stars. A star's multiplier is between 1 and 256 when the star is collected, but the multiplier value decreases when the fighter fires more heavily. Only when the fighter fires weak or no shots that the star's multiplier is at 256.
Releases[]
The game was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan as Double Shienryu, the 37th entry in D3 Publisher's "Simple 2000" series and as the 5th entry in the "Simple 2000 2-in-1" with The Helicopter, while on Europe it was released as Steel Dragon EX, where Shienryu Explosion was renamed as Steel Dragon Evolution.
Trivia[]
- According to some rumors, the game was originally conceived in 2001 as a Shienryu II for the Dreamcast and NAOMI arcade, but it never appeared until 2003 on the PlayStation 2 as Shienryu Explosion, or even was repurposed as what we know today as Triggerheart Exelica which it did appear on the NAOMI and Dreamcast.
- A "capture and throw" function was originally intended for this game, but it was discarded due to the limited development schedule, being later assigned to Triggerheart Exelica as the Anchor Unit.
- The majority of the bosses in the game share design and style similarities with the Ver'mith cores from Triggerheart Exelica. This could backup the "Shienryu II-to-Exelica" change theory even further.