Space Manbow (スペースマンボウ Supēsu Manbō) is a video game developed and published by Konami for the MSX2 home computer in 1989. It was a step above the Nemesis games as it had smooth scrolling and a bigger color palette. As with Konami's previous releases, Space Manbow comes with the SCC chip for better sound quality. The game was later re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service on the November 24, 2009. It has never been released outside of Japan. In 2007, Bart van Velzen released an unofficial sequel, Manbow 2, for MSX2.
Plot[]
In the year 189 of the Star Calendar, a crisis was looming in the prosperous galaxy. A mysterious giant spaceship was heading towards the solar system, destroying everything in it with its powerful weapons!
The incident began several months ago, when the ruins of a large-scale ancient super civilization were discovered on Alphard IV, a star region on the galactic border. An archaeological investigation team sent by the Interstellar Union discovered after several months of investigation that the planet was a mechanized planet far beyond the reach of human civilization.
The investigation was about to extend even deeper underground into the planet. However, at that moment, the weapon ruins installed all over the planet suddenly began to move. It was an ancient civilization that was thought to have been wiped out tens of thousands of years ago, but its automatic defense function was still active! The planet's defense system, which considered the research team to be an enemy, sent its ultimate weapon, a giant spaceship, toward the research team's home system, the solar system.
The surface of the spaceship was covered in a super-dense substance called neutronium, and a barrier with a radius of 100 km prevented any foreign enemy from entering. The antiproton energy fired from the gigantic nozzle completely destroyed not only the Interstellar Federation fleet, but also the star itself. The spaceship was named "Sunfish" due to its unique shape and destructive power that does not fear even the sun.
At this rate, the solar system will be destroyed by the Sunfish. Kliever Mu, an alien archaeologist and former ace pilot of the Interstellar Alliance, deciphers the ancient documents left behind by the archaeological research team. He determined that the only way to approach the Sunfish heading towards the solar system was to use a warp gate located deep underground in the ruins of Alphard IV to enter the Sunfish's barrier.
Kliever decides to take on the mission himself. The spaceship he is aboard is the product of a super civilization excavated from the ruins of Alphard IV, and although small in size, it has the same powers as the Sunfish. Will he be able to stop the Sunfish from destroying the solar system?
Stages[]
| Stage | Name | Boss | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ground Area | Shatterer | Battle Ship |
| 2 | Wall Area | Stag Head | Providence |
| 3 | Cave Area | Luanmo | Aquarium |
| 4 | Energy Conversion Area | Riger | Parallel Space |
| 5 | Energy Furnace | Naga | Zone 5150 |
| 6 | Dust Area | Golditz | Dust-Dust-Dust |
| 7 | Cave Ruins Area | Warp Machine | Fire Warning |
| 8 | Space Area | Manbow | Brilliance |
Enemies[]
- Falcon
- Blitz
- Ganbot
- Brownie-A
- Banshee
- Laser Bank
- Turret 1
- Homing Pod
- Volcano
- Destroyer-II
- Hawk
- Falcon 2
- Strider
- Blitz 2
- Turret 2
- Battler
- Ray Pod
- Hydra
- Suspender
- Rover Light
- Silo
- Still
- Skonk
- Sorian
- Rusher
- Crater
- Nervous
- Octopus
- Life Stone
- Monitor
- Roo Ring
- Batlight
- Hide Behind
- Skonk B
- Trailer
- Hawker
- Alp
- Rudder
- Stone
- Cog Wheel
- Nuclear Fly
- Turret 6
- Tauros
- Brockan
- Cute
- Cockatoris
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Almost all of the ships in this game resembled aquatic or fish-like animals.
- The ship from Space Manbow inspired the Mambo and Samba characters in the Parodius franchise.
- The Nintendo DS game Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki contains an unlockable Space Manbow minigame with identical graphics but enhanced music.
- The game was released for mobile devices in 2006.
- According to the staff comments, this game was originally planned as a home conversion for Thunder Cross, another Konami shooter for arcades. Because of this, Space Manbow is considered an entry in the Thunder Cross series.
- This also explains the reasoning for Emon · 5 having two tracks from Space Manbow in Otomedius Gorgeous.
External links[]
| Space Manbow | ||
| Ships and Characters | Manbow-J • Kliever Mu | |
| Stages | Ground Area • Wall Area • Cave Area • Energy Conversion Area • Energy Furnace • Dust Area • Cave Ruins Area • Space Area | |
| Bosses | Shatterer • Stag Head • Luanmo • Riger • Naga • Golditz • Warp Machine • Manbow | |
| Gradius video games | ||
| Gradius series | Gradius · Gradius II · Gradius III · Gradius Gaiden · Gradius IV: Fukkatsu · Gradius Galaxies · Gradius V · Gradius ReBirth · Gradius: The Interstellar Assault · Gradius NEO · Gradius NEO Imperial | |
| Spin-offs | Salamander (Life Force) (MSX ver.) · Salamander 2 · Salamander III · Nemesis 2 (Nemesis '90 Kai) · Nemesis 3 · Nemesis (Game Boy) · Cosmic Wars · Solar Assault | |
| Parody games | Parodius · Parodius Da! · Gokujō Parodius! · Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius · Sexy Parodius · Paro Wars · Otomedius (Otomedius Gorgeous) · Otomedius Excellent | |
| Other games | Scramble · Thunder Cross · Thunder Cross II · Space Manbow · Force Gear | |
| Pachislot | Gradius: The Slot · CR Parodius Da! EX · Gokuraku Parodius! | |
| Canceled | Vic Viper: Battle Racing · Gradius Arc · Salamander HD Remaster | |