<s>
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1993	O
vertically	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
originally	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Slap	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
around	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
within	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
concept	O
,	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
young	O
secret	B-Application
agent	I-Application
assigned	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
NA-00	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
titular	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
simulator	I-Application
,	O
rescue	O
the	O
abducted	O
players	O
who	O
lost	O
against	O
it	O
and	O
unveil	O
its	O
true	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headed	O
by	O
DonPachi	B-Application
producer	O
Kenichi	O
Takano	O
,	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
development	O
team	O
of	O
new	O
employees	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
work	O
at	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
offshoots	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1994	O
and	O
was	O
originally	O
titled	O
Bakuretsu	O
Wing	O
before	O
being	O
ultimately	O
renamed	O
to	O
V・V	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
Tengen	O
and	O
first	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
25	O
March	O
1994	O
and	O
a	O
month	O
later	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
featuring	O
both	O
the	O
original	O
Japanese	O
and	O
North	O
American	O
versions	O
as	O
selectable	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
popular	O
in	O
arcades	O
but	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
and	O
reviewers	O
alike	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
on	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
who	O
felt	O
divided	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
several	O
aspects	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
presentation	O
,	O
visuals	O
,	O
sound	O
design	O
and	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2019	O
,	O
its	O
rights	O
are	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
member	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
and	O
now-affiliate	O
of	O
Japanese	O
arcade	B-Application
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
alongside	O
many	O
other	O
Toaplan	O
IPs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
is	O
a	O
science	O
fiction-themed	O
vertically	O
scrolling	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
young	O
secret	B-Application
agent	I-Application
assigned	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
NA-00	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
through	O
six	O
stages	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
titular	O
VR	B-Application
game	O
,	O
rescue	O
the	O
abducted	O
players	O
who	O
lost	O
against	O
it	O
and	O
unveil	O
its	O
true	O
purpose	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
far	O
as	O
vertical	O
scrolling	O
shooters	O
go	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
initially	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
very	O
standard	O
but	O
the	O
power-up	O
and	O
scoring	O
systems	O
change	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
version	O
being	O
playeed	O
;	O
In	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
,	O
players	O
have	O
the	O
normal	O
weapon	O
layout	O
with	O
instant	O
power-ups	O
and	O
bomb	B-Device
icons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
V・V	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
collect	O
gems	O
that	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
choose	O
between	O
multiple	O
weapons	O
through	O
a	O
power	O
meter	O
system	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Gradius	B-Application
and	O
Slap	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
instead	O
,	O
removing	O
the	O
bombs	B-Device
and	O
weapon	O
icons	O
completely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Missile	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
name	O
implies	O
,	O
fires	O
non-homing	O
rockets	B-Application
with	O
a	O
high	O
firing	O
rate	O
and	O
power	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
options	O
follow	O
the	O
ship	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
snake	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
shadow	O
"	O
style	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
item	O
will	O
turn	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
color	O
into	O
blue	O
once	O
equipped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
Dogyuun	B-Application
and	O
Gun	B-Application
Frontier	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
hosts	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
hidden	O
bonus	O
secrets	O
to	O
be	O
found	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
also	O
crucial	O
for	O
reaching	O
high-scores	O
to	O
obtain	O
extra	O
lives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Getting	O
hit	O
by	O
enemy	O
fire	O
or	O
colliding	O
against	O
solid	O
stage	O
obstacles	O
will	O
result	O
in	O
losing	O
a	O
live	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
penalty	O
of	O
decreasing	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
firepower	O
to	O
its	O
original	O
state	O
and	O
once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
unless	O
the	O
player	O
insert	O
more	O
credits	O
into	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
machine	O
to	O
continue	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
previous	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
ups	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
loops	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
stage	O
after	O
completing	O
the	O
last	O
stage	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
second	O
loop	O
increasing	O
in	O
difficulty	O
and	O
enemies	O
fire	O
denser	O
bullet	B-Application
patterns	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
spawning	O
extra	O
bullets	B-Application
when	O
destroyed	O
(	O
sometimes	O
called	O
'	O
suicide	O
bullets	B-Application
 '	O
or	O
'	O
ricochet	O
effect	O
 '	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
summary	O
of	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
varies	O
between	O
each	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
versions	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
based	O
around	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
within	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
concept	O
and	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2210	O
,	O
where	O
'	O
the	O
ultimate	O
arcade	B-Application
machine	O
 '	O
called	O
Grind	O
Stormer/V	O
・V	O
has	O
finally	O
been	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
VR	B-Application
shooting	O
game	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
so	O
addictive	O
that	O
the	O
government	O
assigned	O
a	O
young	O
secret	B-Application
agent	I-Application
to	O
investigate	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
phenomenon	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
question	O
its	O
true	O
purpose	O
and	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
impossible	O
:	O
to	O
beat	O
the	O
game	O
by	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
NA-00	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
,	O
as	O
those	O
who	O
played	O
and	O
lost	O
against	O
it	O
were	O
abducted	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
surviving	O
Terran	O
Defense	O
Force	O
fighter	B-Application
pilot	I-Application
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
titular	O
fighter	O
craft	O
in	O
order	O
repel	O
an	O
alien	O
race	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Zeta	O
Reticulli	O
from	O
invading	O
Earth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
team	O
of	O
new	O
employees	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
work	O
at	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
offshoots	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
declared	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
originally	O
titled	O
Bakuretsu	O
Wing	O
before	O
being	O
ultimately	O
renamed	O
to	O
V・V	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guardian	B-Application
and	O
Twin	B-Application
Cobra	I-Application
artist	O
Kōetsu	O
Iwabuchi	O
also	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
planning	O
manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cave	O
co-founder	O
Tsuneki	O
Ikeda	O
served	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
programmers	O
in	O
his	O
first	O
video	O
game	O
role	O
prior	O
to	O
Batsugun	B-Application
and	O
DonPachi	B-Application
alongside	O
Seiji	O
Iwakura	O
and	O
he	O
has	O
recounted	O
about	O
Grind	O
Stormer'''s	O
development	O
process	O
in	O
various	O
interviews	O
across	O
publications	O
such	O
as	O
Monthly	O
Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ikeda	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
training	O
exercise	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
small	O
team	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
received	O
a	O
sample	O
game	O
program	O
containing	O
basic	O
elements	O
from	O
the	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
genre	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
,	O
which	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
basis	O
to	O
add	O
other	O
elements	O
and	O
Ikeda	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
pitched	O
as	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Slap	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
initial	O
testings	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
senior	O
programmers	O
gave	O
positive	O
feedback	O
in	O
regards	O
to	O
bullet	B-Application
dodging	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
small	O
hitbox	O
and	O
considered	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
better	O
than	O
Truxton	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
encouraging	O
Ikeda	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
developing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Ikeda	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
Salamander	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yuge	O
taught	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
development	O
crew	O
technical	O
guidance	O
so	O
he	O
could	O
let	O
them	O
develop	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
project	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
and	O
he	O
has	O
since	O
stated	O
on	O
interviews	O
that	O
the	O
reason	O
for	O
composing	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
in	O
FM	O
rather	O
than	O
both	O
it	O
and	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
as	O
with	O
Truxton	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
beginning	O
to	O
clear	O
out	O
their	O
FM	O
chip	O
inventory	O
for	O
business	O
reasons	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
keep	O
PCB	O
manufacturing	O
costs	O
low	O
,	O
despite	O
internal	O
conflicts	O
and	O
served	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
releases	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
to	O
feature	O
an	O
FM	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
featured	O
on	O
a	O
Japanese	O
TV	O
show.Grind	O
Stormer	O
later	O
received	O
a	O
conversion	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
Tengen	O
and	O
was	O
first	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
25	O
March	O
1994	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
April	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
port	O
included	O
both	O
the	O
Japanese	O
(	O
V・V	O
)	O
and	O
North	O
American	O
(	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
)	O
versions	O
as	O
a	O
2-in-1	O
package	O
but	O
has	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
key	O
differences	O
such	O
as	O
having	O
a	O
smaller	O
color	O
palette	O
that	O
lead	O
to	O
sprites	O
being	O
recolored	O
in	O
different	O
ways	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
presentation	O
and	O
gameplay	O
changes	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
North	O
American	O
release	O
has	O
since	O
become	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
expensive	O
titles	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
errors	O
that	O
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
defective	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
print	O
run	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
with	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
port	O
fetching	O
over	O
US$160	O
on	O
the	O
secondary	O
video	O
game	O
collecting	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
will	O
be	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Astro	O
City	O
Mini	O
V	O
,	O
a	O
vertically-oriented	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Astro	O
City	O
mini	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
on	O
their	O
April	O
15	O
,	O
1993	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
eighth	O
most-popular	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
,	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
popular	O
in	O
arcades	O
and	O
exceeded	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
expectations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
Extension	O
noted	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
historically	O
significant	O
to	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
bullet	B-Application
hell	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
GamePro	O
remarked	O
that	O
"	O
While	O
not	O
as	O
technologically	O
innovative	O
as	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
or	O
other	O
top	O
space	O
marauders	O
,	O
Grindstormer	O
is	O
still	O
a	O
colorful	O
,	O
fun	O
,	O
thumb-bustin	O
'	O
good	O
time.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Legacy	O
Grind	B-Application
Stormer	I-Application
has	O
been	O
regarded	O
by	O
some	O
retrospective	O
reviewers	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
manic	O
shooter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
IPs	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
are	O
now	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
named	O
after	O
Truxton's''	O
Japanese	O
title	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
Yuge	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
now	O
affiliated	O
with	O
arcade	B-Application
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
