Games - Scrolling shooter

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	Games - Scrolling shooter

Scrolling shooters are a type of video game, a subgenre of shoot 'em up . Shoot 'em ups, moreover, are sub-types of shooting games. The term "shmup" is used particularly in English-speaking portions of Europe. The term is less common (and even held in disregard) elsewhere.

Description

A scrolling shooter is, as the name suggests, a shoot 'em up that takes place against a scrolling background.

There are several subclasses of this genre. For example:

Horizontal scrollers (e.g. R-Type, Gradius, Darius), also known more simply as "horizontal shooters" or "side-scrolling shooters"

Vertical scrollers (e.g. Raiden, Xevious, 1942), also known as "top-down" or "overhead" shooters

'Complex' scrollers (in which the player's orientation might change throughout the game (e.g. Axelay, Salamander)

Multidirectional scrollers (in which the scrolling follows the player's movement, e.g. Desert Strike, Thrust, Sinistar)

Horizontal and vertical scrollers are the most common, and have become well-defined subgenres in their own right. They have come to typify the definition of a shooter. The shooter's perspective defines whether a shooter is horizontal or vertical, rather than the direction of scroll. It is becoming increasingly common for shooters not to follow a linear path.

Horizontal scrollers

Almost all horizontal scrollers view the player's avatar from the side, and present the level in cross-section, such that the player appears to be flying 'through' something, such as a landscape or a mothership.

The first horizontal scroller was arguably Defender, released in 1980, although it shares few features with other horizontal scrollers.

Typically, the scrolling in these games is continuous, such that the player is led through a level by the game. There is also sometimes a degree of vertical freedom, in which the player can move up or down on a playing area which is taller than the screen itself. (Thunderforce IV and Dragon Breed are two games which take this to extremes).

As well as battling enemies, some of the challenge in horizontal scrollers tends to come from navigating the environment, as invariably contact with the level results in the death of or damage to the player's character.

Vertical scrollers

Vertical scrollers are largely similar to horizontal scrollers, but the direction of scroll tends to force a different viewpoint on the game: vertical scrollers are nearly always viewed from above. This means that it is less common to have solid obstacles in these games, as the player is usually above them.

Perhaps because of this difference, vertical scrollers tend to be more intense, focusing on shooting and dodging projectiles.

The first vertical scroller was Xevious, released in 1982. This game introduced many concepts that are standard in scrolling shooters today, such as an episodic level structure, and bosses.

It can be argued that very early games like Galaxian can be considered vertical scrollers, as they are set against a constantly scrolling starfield. However, they are generally classed as fixed shooters along with Space Invaders, as the stars are purely for visual effect and add nothing to the gameplay.

When the "top-down" or "overhead" names are used, the line becomes blurrier. By this definition, Space Invaders would likely be the first game of the type -- and indeed, many consider it the first true top-down shooter.

As with their horizontal counterparts, some vertical shooters may allow a degree of free horizontal movement.

Scrolling shooter concepts

Weapons

Being shooters, weapons are one of the most important aspects of these games, and most feature a huge array for the player to use.

Traditionally, the player starts off with only a weak, single-shot, forward-firing gun which is sometimes informally referred to as a 'peashooter'. This gun can usually be improved or replaced by collecting power-ups.

Common weapons in scrolling shooters are:

Three-way shots (also sometimes called 'spread shots'; other numbers are seen but three is the most common)
Side shots
Rear shots
Homing missiles
Bombs
Lasers (or any kind of powerful beam weapon)
Autonomous entities (things which are separate from the player character but accompany it in some way, usually by floating alongside it. Often these provide supporting firepower and sometimes can protect the player by blocking enemy projectiles)
A limited supply of "smart bombs" (which damage or destroy every enemy on the screen, or in a large area)

Enemies

The majority of enemies faced in scrolling shooters are comparable in size to the player character, are quite mobile, and are armed with a small projectile weapon that can fire in any direction; usually at the player's current position. These are basically 'cannon fodder'. They are weak, but usually their numbers present a problem.

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