Cripes – DoDonPachi Resurrection Reignite turns bullet hell into a 10-player battle royale

This has got me excited. In my Shmup days DoDonPachi was my jam. I knew it inside out and couldn’t get enough of it. but apparently, dodging several thousand glowing projectiles at once wasn’t stressful enough. CAVE has now decided what DoDonPachi really needs is nine other human beings actively trying to ruin your day.

DoDonPachi Resurrection Reignite launches on Steam on August 26 in the US, bringing with it a frankly silly new 10-player multiplayer mode called Royale. The updated version of CAVE’s classic bullet-hell shooter also adds new stages, a new character, fresh music, and multiplayer interference mechanics.

In Royale, up to 10 players compete simultaneously in a bullet-hell fight for survival, using items to interfere with their opponents while attempting the already considerable task of not flying directly into an enormous wall of brightly coloured death.

CAVE describes it as the beginning of “a new age of bullet-hell shooters,” and multiplayer DoDonPachi certainly sounds like a particularly chaotic way of testing friendships.

The competitive elements aren’t limited to Royale either. The traditional Bullet-Hell Shooter mode will also allow players to use items to disrupt other players while watching rankings change in real time.

Those multiplayer additions aren’t included in the demo currently available on Steam, so anyone who has already tried Reignite’s free version hasn’t yet experienced the main event.

DoDonPachi Resurrection Reignite adds new stages, characters and music

Reignite isn’t simply Resurrection with multiplayer stapled to it.

CAVE says the Steam release is a fully upgraded version of the 2008 arcade shooter, retaining the ridiculous bullet patterns and precision play of the original while adding new stages and another Element Doll character.

The familiar Element Daughters are returning too, with character designer Takeshi Ogata — who worked on the original DoDonPachi Resurrection — back to handle the new designs.

There’s also an entirely new soundtrack from Ryu☆, best known for his work on Konami’s BEMANI rhythm games. A self-confessed shoot-’em-up fan himself, the composer has created a new main theme alongside remixed stage music for Reignite.

You can get a taste of the new soundtrack on

, while CAVE has also released a showing off the latest version of the game.

DoDonPachi Resurrection remains one of the defining names in bullet hell, a genre where learning to navigate what initially looks like an utterly impossible screen full of projectiles is basically the entire point. Turning that into a competitive 10-player game seems equal parts brilliant and completely irresponsible.

Naturally, I approve.

DoDonPachi Resurrection Reignite launches on Steam at 6pm PDT on August 26, which is 10am JST on August 27. It’ll cost $24.99 and supports English, Japanese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.

I’ll see you in there. I’ll be the one with the failing reflexes

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