Performan: Difference between revisions

{{nihongo foot|'''''Performan'''''|パフォーマン|''Pafōman''||lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is an [[Action game|action]] [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[video game]] developed by [[Toaplan]] and published exclusively in Japan by [[Data East]] in April 1985. In the game, players assume the role of the titular [[robot]] in order to defeat enemies across multiple stages. The title is notable for being created by most of the same team that previously worked on several projects at Orca and Crux before both companies declared [[bankruptcy]],. after which aA group of employees from the two gaming divisions would go on to form Toaplan as a result,. asPerforman well as beingis one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official [[Porting#Porting in gaming|port]] to [[Home video game console|home console]]s.

[[File:ARC Performan.png|thumb|left|Gameplay screenshot.]]

''Performan''Up isto an action game where thetwo players control thea on-screen protagonistPerforman from a [[Video game graphics#Top-down perspective|top-down perspective]],. where theThe main objective on each screen is to eliminate enemies in order to progress further, while an [[cutscene|intermission]] animation plays between some stages.<ref name="PONjpf">''Performan'' arcade flyer (Data East, JP)</ref><ref name="POMhg101">{{cite web|last=Zverloff|first=Nick|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/toaplan/toaplan.htm|title=Toaplan Shooters (Page 1) - Performan|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|date=5 February 2011|access-date=2019-11-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224230422/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/toaplan/toaplan.htm|archive-date=24 February 2011|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Getting hit by an enemy will result in losing a livelife and once all lives are lost, the [[Game over|game is over]]ends unless the players insert more credits into the arcade machine to [[Glossary of video game terms#Continue|continue]] playing.

The player controls thea robot with a four-way joystick and two buttons to attack and dig. Players can dive into the ground to avoid enemies that can also perform the same action to chase the player's [[player character| character]].<ref name="PONjpf"/><ref name="POMhg101"/> Players can also attack enemies by throwing [[boomerang]]s, which can trigger the "meca-stones" placed on the playfield to explode and eliminatingeliminate any enemy caught within its [[blast radius]].<ref name="PONjpf"/><ref name="POMhg101"/> Players can also trigger the meca-stones under the ground to eliminate enemies as well. Eliminating many enemies at once with an exploding meca-stone grants a determined number of points, which is also crucial for reaching high scores, though playersPlayers can be paralyzed if the robot is caught with its blast radius. Meca-stones can also be pushed against enemies.<ref name="PONjpf"/>

After exploding a meca-stone, a [[gift]] [[Item (gaming)|item]] is spawned and after picking up the last gift before completing a stage, a "P" icon appears at the center of the playfield that turns into a colored ball.<ref name="PONjpf"/> Collecting four colored balls in a row grants an extra livelife.<ref name="PONjpf"/> After blowing up a meca-stone with enemies nearby, a [[ghost]] appears and after catching it, turns the players turn invincible for a brief time period to defeat enemies.<ref name="PONjpf"/><ref name="POMhg101"/>

''Performan'' was created by most of the same team that previously worked on several projects at Orca and Crux before both companies declared bankruptcy, after which a group of employees from the two gaming divisions would go on to form Toaplan and among them were [[Video game composer|composer]]s Masahiro Yuge and [[Tatsuya Uemura]], both of which recounted the project's development process and history between [[1990 in video gaming|1990]] and [[2012 in video gaming|2012]] through Japanese publications such as ''[[Gamest]]'' and ''Shooting Gameside''.<ref name="G49">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/gamest0049#page/69/mode/2up|title=東亜プラン|magazine=[[Gamest]]|issue=49|publisher=[[Shinseisha]]|date=September 1990|pages=68–69|lang=ja}} ([http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-gamest/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107033548/http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-gamest/|date=2019-11-07}}).</ref><ref name="TFf25v9">{{cite magazine|author1=Iona|author2=VHS|author3=K-HEX|title=東亜プラン FOREVER|magazine=Floor 25|volume=9|date=June 2009|pages=1–70|lang=ja}} ([https://www.gamengai.com/#/cmnt-info?id=2332 Translation] by Gamengai. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010170328/https://www.gamengai.com/#/cmnt-info?id=2332|date=2020-10-10}}).</ref><ref name="TSCa">{{cite web|url=https://sweeprecord.com/srin-1100/|title=東亜プラン シューティングクロニクル|work=SweepRecord|publisher=SuperSweep|date=14 November 2011|access-date=2020-02-15|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021030143/https://sweeprecord.com/srin-1100/|archive-date=2019-10-21|url-status=live}} ([http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-chronicle/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711134859/http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-chronicle/|date=2018-07-11}}).</ref><ref name="STGv4a">{{cite magazine|last1=Kiyoshi|first1=Tane|author2=hally (VORC)|last3=Yūsaku|first3=Yamamoto|title=東亜プラン特集 - 元・東亜プラン　 開発者インタビュー: 上村建也|magazine=Shooting Gameside|volume=4|publisher=Micro Magazine|date=3 February 2012|pages=33–40|lang=ja|ISBNisbn=978-4896373844}} ([http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-uemura1/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906023755/http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-uemura1/|date=2019-09-06}}).</ref><ref name="STGv4b">{{cite magazine|last1=Kiyoshi|first1=Tane|author2=hally (VORC)|last3=Yūsaku|first3=Yamamoto|title=東亜プラン特集 - 元・東亜プラン　 開発者インタビュー: 弓削雅稔|magazine=Shooting Gameside|volume=4|publisher=Micro Magazine|date=3 February 2012|pages=41–48|lang=ja|ISBNisbn=978-4896373844}} ([http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-yuge1/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906023744/http://shmuplations.com/toaplan-yuge1/|date=2019-09-06}}).</ref> Both Yuge and Uemura stated that the game was designed by Kenichi Takano and that their development environment at the time of the title's creation was done in the [[bedroom]] of an [[apartment]].<ref name="G49"/><ref name="TFf25v9"/> Uemura worked on the sound design for the game while he still formed part of Crux developing ''[[Repulse (arcade game)|Repulse]]'', howeverbut Yuge later assumed the sound design duties after Uemura had a motorcycle accident during development, in addition to programming as well.<ref name="G49"/><ref name="TFf25v9"/><ref name="TSCa"/><ref name="STGv4a"/><ref name="STGv4b"/> ''Performan'' was released only in arcades across Japan by Data East onin April 1985.<ref name="PONjpf"/> Uemura stated that the reason why the company was not credited for the title was due to contractual arrangements with Data East.<ref name="TSCa"/><ref name="STGv4a"/>

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Performan'' on their 1 June 1985 issue as being the twenty-second most-popular arcade game at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=261|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 June 1985|page=23|lang=ja}}</ref> ''Hardcore Gaming 101''{{'}}s Nick Zverloff gave positive remarks to the game in regards to the graphics, music and gameplay but criticized several aspects.<ref name="POMhg101"/> ''[[Den of Geek]]''{{'}}s Ryan Lambie noted it to be a "fairly low-key" title from Toaplan.<ref name="PONdog0">{{cite web|last=Lambie|first=Ryan|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/30116/why-1985-was-a-golden-year-for-videogaming|title=Why 1985 was a golden year for videogaming|work=[[Den of Geek]]|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|date=24 April 2014|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref><ref name="PONdog">{{cite web|last=Lambie|first=Ryan|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/games/58480/toaplan-the-rise-and-fall-of-japans-greatest-shooting-game-company|title=Toaplan: the rise and fall of Japan's greatest shooting game company|work=[[Den of Geek]]|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|date=21 June 2018|access-date=2019-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621073806/http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/games/58480/toaplan-the-rise-and-fall-of-japans-greatest-shooting-game-company|archive-date=21 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Category:Action video games]]

[[Category:Arcade video games]]

[[Category:Arcade-only video games]]