| RainbowBell (TwinBee) | |
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 Japanese arcade flyer of TwinBee. |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Composer(s) | Shigeru Fukutake Yoshinori Sasaki |
| Platform(s) | Arcade Computers: |
| Release date(s) | JP March 5, 1985 (arcade) |
| Genre(s) | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode(s) | 1 player, 2 player co-op |
| Input methods | 8-way joystick, 2 buttons |
| Cabinet | Classic upright |
| Arcade system | Bubble
System, |
TwinBee (ツインビー) is a cartoon-themed vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game originally released by Konami as a coin-operated video game in 1985 in Japan. It was the very first game to run on Konami's Bubble System hardware.[1] TwinBee was ported to the Family Computer[2] and MSX[3] in 1986 and has been included in numerous compilations released in later years. The original arcade game was released outside Japan for the first time in the Nintendo DS compilation Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits.
Various TwinBee sequels were released for the arcade and home console markets following the original game, some which spawned audio drama and anime adaptations in Japan.
Contents |
TwinBee can be play by up to 2-players simultaneously. The player takes control of a cartoon-like anthropomorphic spacecraft, with Player 1 taking control of TwinBee, the titular ship, while Player 2 controls WinBee. The game controls consists of an eight-way joystick and two buttons: one for shooting enemies in the air and for dropping bombs to ground enemies (similarly to Xevious).
The player's primary power-ups are bells that can be uncovered by shooting at the floating clouds where they're hidden. If the player continues shooting the bell after it appears, it will change into of four other colors: the regular yellow bells only grant bonus points, the white bell will upgrade the player's gun into a twin cannon, the blue bell increases the player's speed (for up to five speed levels), the green bell will allow the player to create image copies of its ship for additional firepower, and the red bell will provide the player's ship a barrier that allows it to sustain more damage. The green and red bells cannot be combined together. Other power-ups can also be retrieved from ground enemies such as an alternate bell that gives the player's ship a three-way gun, a star which eliminates all on-screen enemies.
As with other games of the same genre, getting shot by a single enemy bullet will cause the player to lose a life. However, if the bullet only strikes either side of the ship instead, the player's ship will only lose one of its arms. If the player's ship loses both arms, it will lose the ability to throw bombs and the player must wait for ambulance to arrive. The player must navigate their ship to the ambulance to their arms repair.
If two players are playing at the same time, they can align their ships vertically or horizontally together to perform more powerful attacks.[4]
TwinBee originally appeared as an arcade game. It was later ported to MSX and the Family Computer. The Famicom version was re-released only in Japan under the Famicom Mini label for the Game Boy Advance. This game was officially released for the first time outside Japan as part of the Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits for the Nintendo DS in March 2007, under the name RainbowBell in North America, although the TwinBee name was restored for the European release.
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TwinBee | Table of Contents | Walkthrough
| TwinBee | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Japanese title | ツインビー |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Shooter |
| System(s) | Arcade, NES, Famicom Disk System, MSX, Sharp X68000, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii Virtual Console |
| Players | 1-2 co-operative |
| Followed by | Stinger |
| Series | TwinBee |
TwinBee is an arcade game developed by Konami and released on March 5, 1985. Each player controls two jet fighters who must progress through each stage defeating a variety of strange and unusual enemies. Much like the Parodius series that the TwinBee fighters have been featured in, TwinBee lampoons the scrolling shooter genre, taking elements that are found in games like Xevious and adding humor to them.
In TwinBee, two players can play simultaneously. One or two players glide along vertically scrolling stages in an effort to reach the boss and defeat it. They can shoot up into the air, and lob bombs at the ground, but only if at least one of the ship's arms are still functional. Along the way, different kinds of power ups can be collected. The most common one are the bells which must be shot out from inside clouds. The bells are bounced back into the sky by getting shot. Occasionally, a shot will change their color from the ordinary yellow. If they are picked up then, they grant the player with different power-ups depending on the color.
When two people play together, they can access partnership weapons that are only available to them in a two player game. TwinBee became rather popular in Japan, but not so much in the United States. This one game lead to several direct sequels, as well as a number of spin-off games. The game was converted for play to a number of popular Japanese systems, such as the Famicom, MSX, and a near perfect translation on the Sharp X68000. It later saw a rerelease on the Game Boy Advance, and was contained a many Konami classic compilations.
 Title screen |
 Famicom flyer |
In the space calendar year 2801, the peaceful Donburi Island was suddenly attacked. The attack was carried out by an army led by the Spice King.
When the Spice King occupied the island, he stole five precious articles from the inhabitants and divided them up among his four generals. The island was then divided into five parts and ruled.
Meanwhile, the curious scientist Dr. Cinnamon, who lived at the end of the island, was secretly developing two sets of fighter planes, "TwinBee" and "WinBee." Dr. Cinnamon's pupils Annamon and Donnamon volunteered to pilot the planes and bravely challenged the enemy.
editTwinBee series
TwinBee · Moero TwinBee · TwinBee 3 · TwinBee DA! · Detana!! TwinBee · Pop'n TwinBee · TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures · TwinBee Yahho! · TwinBee RPG
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