<s>
is	O
a	O
1989	O
horizontally	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Taito	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
U.S.A.	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
horizontal	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2998	O
where	O
a	O
space	O
matter	O
known	O
as	O
Black	O
Nebula	O
created	O
by	O
robot	B-Algorithm
dictator	O
Super	O
Mech	O
spreads	O
and	O
threatens	O
to	O
engulf	O
human-controlled	O
galaxies	B-Application
,	O
as	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Space	O
Federation	O
member	O
Captain	O
Lancer	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
CNCS1	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
in	O
a	O
surprise	O
attack	O
to	O
overthrow	O
the	O
enemies	O
with	O
the	O
fighter	O
craft	O
's	O
titular	O
weapon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conceived	O
by	O
Tatsuya	O
Uemura	O
during	O
his	O
time	O
working	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
developed	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Truxton	B-Application
,	O
Hellfire	B-Application
served	O
as	O
an	O
experiment	O
to	O
translate	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
gameplay	O
style	O
in	O
a	O
horizontal	O
format	O
but	O
faced	O
a	O
problematic	O
development	O
cycle	O
and	O
went	O
through	O
various	O
changes	O
before	O
its	O
eventual	O
launch	O
to	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
then	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
NCS	O
Corporation	O
and	O
published	O
worldwide	O
by	O
Masaya	O
,	O
Seismic	O
,	O
Tectoy	O
and	O
Sega	O
between	O
1990	O
and	O
1992	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
PC	O
Engine	O
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
conversion	O
by	O
NEC	O
Avenue	O
was	O
also	O
published	O
exclusively	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
12	O
April	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hellfire	B-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
video	O
game	O
magazines	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
though	O
some	O
critics	O
drew	O
comparison	O
with	O
Irem	O
's	O
R-Type	B-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
gameplay	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
port	O
was	O
also	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
response	O
from	O
reviewers	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
PC	O
Engine	O
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
was	O
received	O
with	O
similar	O
response	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
engine	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
repurposed	O
into	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
is	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>
Hellfire	B-Application
is	O
a	O
science	O
fiction-themed	O
horizontally	O
scrolling	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
game	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Captain	O
Lancer	O
taking	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
CNCS1	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
through	O
six	O
increasingly	O
difficult	O
levels	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
a	O
boss	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
that	O
must	O
be	O
fought	O
before	O
progressing	O
any	O
further	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
surprise	O
attack	O
effort	O
to	O
overthrow	O
Super	O
Mech	O
,	O
his	O
army	O
and	O
the	O
Black	O
Nebula	O
space	O
matter	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
introduces	O
the	O
titular	O
main	O
weapon	O
as	O
a	O
bomb	B-Device
capable	O
of	O
obliterating	O
any	O
enemy	O
caught	O
within	O
its	O
blast	B-Device
radius	I-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
shield	O
and	O
a	O
satellite	O
"	O
option	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
settings	O
in	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
uses	O
either	O
a	O
checkpoint	O
system	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
downed	O
single	O
player	O
will	O
start	O
off	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
checkpoint	O
they	O
managed	O
to	O
reach	O
before	O
dying	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
respawn	O
system	O
where	O
their	O
ship	O
immediately	O
starts	O
at	O
the	O
location	O
they	O
died	O
at	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
life	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
penalty	O
of	O
decreasing	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
firepower	O
and	O
speed	O
to	O
his	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
players	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>
Although	O
there	O
is	O
an	O
ending	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
as	O
with	O
previous	O
titles	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
one	O
increasing	O
the	O
difficulty	O
and	O
enemies	O
fire	O
denser	O
bullet	B-Application
patterns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
summary	O
of	O
Hellfire	B-Application
varies	O
between	O
each	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
2998	O
,	O
where	O
humankind	B-Application
has	O
reached	O
a	O
great	O
point	O
in	O
intergalactic	O
travel	O
and	O
space	O
colonization	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
a	O
peaceful	O
society	O
,	O
however	O
a	O
mysterious	O
space	O
matter	O
known	O
as	O
Black	O
Nebula	O
appeared	O
and	O
begins	O
engulfing	O
different	O
stars	O
before	O
reaching	O
latest	O
colonized	O
galaxy	B-Application
by	O
humans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
eventually	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
force	O
behind	O
this	O
matter	O
is	O
Super	O
Mech	O
,	O
a	O
mysterious	O
robot	B-Algorithm
dictator	O
from	O
the	O
farthest	O
regions	O
of	O
space	O
with	O
the	O
only	O
intention	O
to	O
destroy	O
any	O
resistance	O
that	O
it	O
and	O
its	O
massive	O
space	O
armada	O
faces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Space	O
Federation	O
member	O
,	O
Captain	O
Lancer	O
,	O
decides	O
to	O
initiate	O
a	O
surprise	O
attack	O
against	O
Super	O
Mech	O
by	O
piloting	O
the	O
only	O
available	O
space	O
fighter	O
craft	O
,	O
the	O
CNCS1	O
,	O
loaded	O
with	O
Hellfire	B-Application
,	O
the	O
strongest	O
weapon	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
galaxy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
and	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
versions	O
,	O
Lancer	O
returns	O
safely	O
to	O
Earth	O
after	O
having	O
defeated	O
the	O
Black	O
Nebula	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
PC	O
Engine	O
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
version	O
features	O
a	O
more	O
poignant	O
ending	O
where	O
the	O
character	O
Kaoru	O
takes	O
her	O
own	O
life	O
in	O
a	O
heroic	O
act	O
of	O
self-sacrifice	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
save	O
the	O
Earth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hellfires	B-Application
creation	O
was	O
helmed	O
by	O
Tatsuya	O
Uemura	O
,	O
former	O
video	O
game	O
composer	O
whose	O
previous	O
development	O
works	O
at	O
Toaplan	O
included	O
Tiger-Heli	B-Application
,	O
Flying	B-Application
Shark	I-Application
and	O
Twin	B-Application
Cobra	I-Application
,	O
becoming	O
his	O
first	O
original	O
project	O
under	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
both	O
producer	O
and	O
composer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Serving	O
as	O
their	O
first	O
horizontal	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Truxton	B-Application
as	O
an	O
experiment	O
to	O
translate	O
Toaplan	O
's	O
vertical	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
gameplay	O
in	O
a	O
Gradius-style	O
format	O
,	O
however	O
the	O
team	O
faced	O
several	O
issues	O
during	O
the	O
development	O
cycle	O
due	O
to	O
lack	O
of	O
experience	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
factors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Artist	O
Kōetsu	O
Iwabuchi	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Twin	B-Application
Cobra	I-Application
,	O
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
artwork	O
,	O
stating	O
in	O
a	O
1990	O
interview	O
with	O
Gamest	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
no	O
limitation	O
when	O
creating	O
the	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Hellfire	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
staff	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MegaDrive	B-Operating_System
,	O
designer	O
Yuko	O
Tataka	O
stated	O
that	O
working	O
with	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
proved	O
to	O
be	O
equally	O
difficult	O
due	O
to	O
restrictions	O
imposed	O
by	O
the	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hellfire	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
across	O
Japan	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
October	O
1989	O
by	O
Taito	O
and	O
U.S.A.	O
Games	O
,	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
first	O
releases	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
to	O
prominently	O
feature	O
their	O
name	O
in	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
28	O
September	O
1990	O
,	O
Hellfire	B-Application
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
NCS	O
Corporation	O
and	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Masaya	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
and	O
the	O
later	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
port	O
are	O
similar	O
but	O
have	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
key	O
differences	O
between	O
each	O
other	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
latter	O
having	O
a	O
smaller	O
color	O
palette	O
and	O
lower	O
screen	O
resolution	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
sprites	O
being	O
recolored	O
and	O
the	O
graphics	O
redrawn	O
in	O
different	O
ways	O
,	O
an	O
arranged	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
new	O
items	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
port	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
by	O
independent	O
publisher	O
Retro-Bit	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
12	O
April	O
1991	O
,	O
a	O
version	O
developed	O
by	O
NEC	O
Avenue	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
Engine	O
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
was	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Hellfire	B-Application
S	O
,	O
containing	O
notable	O
differences	O
from	O
the	O
other	O
versions	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
remixed	O
,	O
more	O
orchestral	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
animated	O
cutscenes	O
and	O
the	O
replacement	O
of	O
the	O
leading	O
male	O
character	O
Lancer	O
with	O
a	O
female	O
character	O
called	O
Kaoru	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
seiyū	O
Yumi	O
Tōma	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Hellfire	B-Application
on	O
their	O
June	O
15	O
,	O
1989	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
fourteenth	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
,	O
outperforming	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Wrestle	O
War	O
and	O
Strider	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
well	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
placed	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
#4	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
of	O
Hellfire	B-Application
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
Toaplan	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
their	O
second	O
and	O
last	O
horizontal	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
project	O
;	O
Zero	B-Application
Wing	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
during	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
and	O
shared	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
more	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
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	B-Application
's	O
Japanese	O
title	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
employee	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
now	O
affiliated	O
with	O
arcade	B-Application
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
