Great video as always! This is my first time leaving a comment, but discovering your channel earlier this year rekindled my love for shmups, and i really appreciate that! Nice to see you covering SDOJ too, since no one seems to talk about it for some reason. I have a couple of questions about the game: First: How hard is it compared to DOJ? I've heard people say that they are similar difficulty wise, but as someone who can consistently clear DOJ, SDOJ looks crazy Second: I usually don't care about score, but there's something addicting about scoring in DOJ that always keeps me going back to improve. Is that the case with SDOJ? Third: How well does it run in MAME? sadly, i'm a keyboard player, so emulation is the way to go for me (Still buying it on Switch to show support tho!)
1. it's much harder. it's probably the hardest "easiest clear" in a cave game if that makes any sense 3. xenia vs mame performance is basically a tradeoff of slowdown accuracy vs lower input lag respectively. its very much a pick your poison since there is little, if any, slowdown via mame but via xenia the latency makes the game nigh unplayable given its demand for precision
@@spade1444 Thanks for the answears! 1. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I guess i'm asking cuz i've heard a lot of people say that Espgaluda 2/Ketsui 1 all are the hardest Cave 1 loop clears, but SDOJ looks harder to me (I'm yet to clear Espgaluda 2 tho) 3. That's intresting. I thought that you could get the slowdown to be at least somewhat accurate by tinkering with some blitter settings. Either way, seems like Mame is the way to go for me
Super glad to hear that, thanks for watching and leaving a comment! 1. Its harder than DOJ or Ketsui. If you're comfortable with clearing those, you're ready to take on SDOJ. 2. I've only played this one for survival, but I can see how maximizing star items and hypers could be satisfying. 3. Afaik you can't get the slowdown to be accurate (even with blitter) and the audio quality sucks, but I played it this way and enjoyed it nonetheless :)
So excited to check this whole video out! Nice to hear the positive things you have to say about SDOJ, I feel like it gets a bad rap in the west for some reason (mostly by people who seemingly have never played it). Excited to build my skills with your tips and try for a new ship clear!
Thanks for the enthusiasm as always! The video is geared towards new players and I'm not an expert on this game, but hopefully it's still a fun watch for you even if you've already cleared it :) and yeah, I have no idea why sdoj is so looked down upon! Imo it's S-tier bullet hell.
Should I ever go for the arcade mode, this is going to be a really helpful resource! For now the regular novice mode (not expert) is keeping me on edge, but I am confident I get my 1cc this week :)
I was never able to get into SDOJ because it feels so much harder than it looks like it should be, and for me a cornerstone of ideal shmup design is the opposite effect where the game makes you feel like a million bucks for getting through something of the same effective difficulty. I wonder if that sort of thing is where Yagawa's perspective comes from as well. This definitely convinced me to give it another chance though, if the Switch port has good input lag numbers I'll for sure pick it up!
I can understand that, and iirc Ikeda said they erred on the side of it being too difficult (since they felt like it would be their last game and they wanted it to feel "ultimate"). As I say in the video, there's definitely a hump that you have to overcome. If you like other Cave stuff, I'd say it's worth it giving it a second look! But if it's just not for you, that's okay too :)
@@hazylevels Yeah it seems like the kind of game where you need to get a feel for how it wants you to play and then it starts to click and feel really rewarding. I look forward to digging into it
Sweet clear with Knuckles! SDOJ is like DOJ in a neon edm concert with a faster pace lol. I absolutely love the presentation, the music, and more laxed scoring system. But holy hell it's scary AF. I never owned 360 so my first time playing it was on the hack. I'm so excited to finally properly play it on Switch.
@@hazylevels I always use Dinosaur (Type B) just because I like green 😂. But I'll have to try Type A some time since I mostly see clears with that ship.
Have this one on Xbox but never really got into it. Idk why… maybe it was the input lag, maybe because I’m a casual shmupper. My favorite cave games are deathsmiles and futari. Love your haircut btw 😀
I’m so looking forward to the Switch release. Another incredible run, Hazy! Also…the creator of Battle Garegga called SDOJ too hard?! That’s intimidating haha :)
@ oh hah I’ve played it. The last time I gave it a go I played it for a period of maybe 2 nights and was making it to the stage 5 boss and I got so destroyed it sorta chased me away. I don’t think I really understand how to manage the rank. See, I’ve been playing shmups a long time but I always had a bad habit of playing a game for a night or two, thinking it’s impossible for me, and then moving on to a different game. I have to actually really focus on one game for some weeks to even stand a chance. But BG just feels like…more complex? Like honestly now that the bullets color can be changed I’d love to give it another try at some point but idk. The Saturn version was a straight no go for me I had such a hard time seeing the bullets.
I really never thought I could do any of these like for real until I actually started making progress when I really got into DOJ. And when I forced myself to focus on that one I guess things finally clicked. But I had to focus on it for two months. That’s why I didn’t wanna take a long break from Ketsui.
I wasn't all that excited initially, but the closer the release date gets the more hype I am. Not the biggest fan of DDP overall, but I love the clean, futuristic look of this one. Hopefully, it's not as hard as DOJ.
From what I understand, Live Wire just ports over the Xbox 360 versions that were originally done by others. I haven't had issues with their results so far (Mushi, DDP Resurrection and Espgaluda II), though I would prefer save states over practice modes. M2 would be ideal of course.
a-s is good in doj. it bullies everything in its path with its shots and can easily macro. it only suffers in the last two stages which is compensated for with how many bombs you get cave and character design: name a worse duo
Switch only and no physical, boooooo. I don't understand why publishers would only release a bullet hell on Switch when it has the highest input lag of any modern console. Definitely nice to see it making it off the 360 but would be much better off being ported to other platforms
From what I understand, the popularity of Switch in Japan is what makes these niche ports even remotely financially viable. But yes, it is unfortunate...
Hazy, I've got questions! Does this version of the game have accurate slowdown? Also were you able to use it in the Retroarch MAME or FBNeo cores? If so it's probably the optimal way to play since PS4 and definitely Switch ports always have more input lag.
I don't think it does, though I've only played it on vanilla mame with tweaked blitter/cpu. Not ideal, but then no way of playing this game seems to be, sadly... Still fun and clearable :)
this is an amazing way of finding out that sdoj is gonna get a switch port, god bless it won't be stuck on the 360 anymore
It's crazy to think this came out *after* Crimzon Clover
Reminds me of how Jill from Resident Evil has a 2D sprite in MvC2. Feels weirdly anachronistic
I can't believe we're finally getting a port
Awesome content! Thanks a lot for explaining all the details on how to play, I always get a little bit confused on this game.
Your 1cc of Daioujou helped me 1cc that game too. Looking forward to SaiDaioujou!
Thank youuuuu! We need more cave shmup tutorials!
Great video as always! This is my first time leaving a comment, but discovering your channel earlier this year rekindled my love for shmups, and i really appreciate that! Nice to see you covering SDOJ too, since no one seems to talk about it for some reason. I have a couple of questions about the game:
First: How hard is it compared to DOJ? I've heard people say that they are similar difficulty wise, but as someone who can consistently clear DOJ, SDOJ looks crazy
Second: I usually don't care about score, but there's something addicting about scoring in DOJ that always keeps me going back to improve. Is that the case with SDOJ?
Third: How well does it run in MAME? sadly, i'm a keyboard player, so emulation is the way to go for me (Still buying it on Switch to show support tho!)
1. it's much harder. it's probably the hardest "easiest clear" in a cave game if that makes any sense
3. xenia vs mame performance is basically a tradeoff of slowdown accuracy vs lower input lag respectively. its very much a pick your poison since there is little, if any, slowdown via mame but via xenia the latency makes the game nigh unplayable given its demand for precision
@@spade1444 Thanks for the answears!
1. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I guess i'm asking cuz i've heard a lot of people say that Espgaluda 2/Ketsui 1 all are the hardest Cave 1 loop clears, but SDOJ looks harder to me (I'm yet to clear Espgaluda 2 tho)
3. That's intresting. I thought that you could get the slowdown to be at least somewhat accurate by tinkering with some blitter settings. Either way, seems like Mame is the way to go for me
Super glad to hear that, thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
1. Its harder than DOJ or Ketsui. If you're comfortable with clearing those, you're ready to take on SDOJ.
2. I've only played this one for survival, but I can see how maximizing star items and hypers could be satisfying.
3. Afaik you can't get the slowdown to be accurate (even with blitter) and the audio quality sucks, but I played it this way and enjoyed it nonetheless :)
that's a very intense haircut, but i kinda love it
Great clear!
So excited to check this whole video out! Nice to hear the positive things you have to say about SDOJ, I feel like it gets a bad rap in the west for some reason (mostly by people who seemingly have never played it). Excited to build my skills with your tips and try for a new ship clear!
Thanks for the enthusiasm as always! The video is geared towards new players and I'm not an expert on this game, but hopefully it's still a fun watch for you even if you've already cleared it :) and yeah, I have no idea why sdoj is so looked down upon! Imo it's S-tier bullet hell.
Should I ever go for the arcade mode, this is going to be a really helpful resource! For now the regular novice mode (not expert) is keeping me on edge, but I am confident I get my 1cc this week :)
Nice, good luck with your clear!
Hope it turns out well... Great video as always, hazylevels
Thanks for the breaking news hazy! 😭😍
That's my viewing lined up for tonight's dinner. Nice one. 👍🏼
I don't have a Switch yet but my body is ready!
I was never able to get into SDOJ because it feels so much harder than it looks like it should be, and for me a cornerstone of ideal shmup design is the opposite effect where the game makes you feel like a million bucks for getting through something of the same effective difficulty. I wonder if that sort of thing is where Yagawa's perspective comes from as well. This definitely convinced me to give it another chance though, if the Switch port has good input lag numbers I'll for sure pick it up!
I can understand that, and iirc Ikeda said they erred on the side of it being too difficult (since they felt like it would be their last game and they wanted it to feel "ultimate"). As I say in the video, there's definitely a hump that you have to overcome. If you like other Cave stuff, I'd say it's worth it giving it a second look! But if it's just not for you, that's okay too :)
@@hazylevels Yeah it seems like the kind of game where you need to get a feel for how it wants you to play and then it starts to click and feel really rewarding. I look forward to digging into it
Thanks, Hazy, and great news as I play shmups only on Switch 😊
Nice vid- they have been warned!! How do you emulate the slowdown in the ROM?
You fiddle with blitter/cpu settings, but afaik there is no way of getting it perfect, unfortunately.
I've been waiting for this one for a while, but, damn, does it look intimidating.
It's easy
It's not easy, but very rewarding!
Sweet clear with Knuckles!
SDOJ is like DOJ in a neon edm concert with a faster pace lol. I absolutely love the presentation, the music, and more laxed scoring system. But holy hell it's scary AF. I never owned 360 so my first time playing it was on the hack. I'm so excited to finally properly play it on Switch.
Looove your description of Saidaioujou. It's scary for sure, but planning bombs and hyper bullet cancels helps a ton. Good luck and Knuckles ftw!
@@hazylevels I always use Dinosaur (Type B) just because I like green 😂. But I'll have to try Type A some time since I mostly see clears with that ship.
I'm glad my room isn't hacked. I play the 360 port on Xenia canary though at 480i like markmsx said was better.
Have this one on Xbox but never really got into it. Idk why… maybe it was the input lag, maybe because I’m a casual shmupper. My favorite cave games are deathsmiles and futari.
Love your haircut btw 😀
I’m so looking forward to the Switch release. Another incredible run, Hazy! Also…the creator of Battle Garegga called SDOJ too hard?! That’s intimidating haha :)
Makes sense considering it's like the opposite of Yagawa games in design :)
@ Well I hope that’s why he thought so, cause I think Battle Garegga is out of my league. Hah!
Just curious, have you tried getting into Garegga or are you going by reputation alone?
@ oh hah I’ve played it. The last time I gave it a go I played it for a period of maybe 2 nights and was making it to the stage 5 boss and I got so destroyed it sorta chased me away. I don’t think I really understand how to manage the rank. See, I’ve been playing shmups a long time but I always had a bad habit of playing a game for a night or two, thinking it’s impossible for me, and then moving on to a different game. I have to actually really focus on one game for some weeks to even stand a chance. But BG just feels like…more complex? Like honestly now that the bullets color can be changed I’d love to give it another try at some point but idk. The Saturn version was a straight no go for me I had such a hard time seeing the bullets.
I really never thought I could do any of these like for real until I actually started making progress when I really got into DOJ. And when I forced myself to focus on that one I guess things finally clicked. But I had to focus on it for two months. That’s why I didn’t wanna take a long break from Ketsui.
Really wish all of these ports came onto PC.....
I wasn't all that excited initially, but the closer the release date gets the more hype I am. Not the biggest fan of DDP overall, but I love the clean, futuristic look of this one. Hopefully, it's not as hard as DOJ.
It's harder, but also super satisfying once you get into the groove!
if yagawa says "its way too hard", then something is WAY TOO HARD!
Tbh he shouldn't be saying that after all the games he developed 🤠 but I guess straight up danmaku is harder for him than Garegga style shenanigans...
Ryo Nagi is very well known and beloved, ultra experienced character designer in japan. Literally what's the issue? Seriously..
Too sexualized, too young, and you undress them in expert mode.
Wished M2 was making the port. How’s the live wire ports for shooters so far? I haven’t picked up any of their ports.
From what I understand, Live Wire just ports over the Xbox 360 versions that were originally done by others. I haven't had issues with their results so far (Mushi, DDP Resurrection and Espgaluda II), though I would prefer save states over practice modes. M2 would be ideal of course.
How is the input lag? Improved over the xbox 360 Port?
The Switch version isn't out yet, this is just a general 1cc oriented guide video :)
@@hazylevels lol, yeah your absolutely right. Did not think before writing :D
Day 1 !
Why do Japanese devs hate Steam 🤣
I hope a physical release will happen
You can bet there will be one. All the other Cave games have had a physical on Switch, so It's a safe bet to say this will very likely have one too.
a-s is good in doj. it bullies everything in its path with its shots and can easily macro. it only suffers in the last two stages which is compensated for with how many bombs you get
cave and character design: name a worse duo
where steam release do they not want money
Switch only and no physical, boooooo. I don't understand why publishers would only release a bullet hell on Switch when it has the highest input lag of any modern console. Definitely nice to see it making it off the 360 but would be much better off being ported to other platforms
From what I understand, the popularity of Switch in Japan is what makes these niche ports even remotely financially viable. But yes, it is unfortunate...
@@hazylevels That makes sense, with any luck the Switch 2 will have reduced input lag and all these games should be playable on there
I'm glad somebody else feels uncomfortable with the creepbait character designs of SDOJ.
It's literally normal character design though. Maybe stop being the creep.
@astrea555 Saya is clearly a sexualized child. I'm just calling a spoon a spoon.
It's such a shame with how good everything else is.
@@astrea555 it’s really basic and generic, even leaving aside any questions of creepiness.
Hazy, I've got questions! Does this version of the game have accurate slowdown? Also were you able to use it in the Retroarch MAME or FBNeo cores? If so it's probably the optimal way to play since PS4 and definitely Switch ports always have more input lag.
I don't think it does, though I've only played it on vanilla mame with tweaked blitter/cpu. Not ideal, but then no way of playing this game seems to be, sadly... Still fun and clearable :)
You look like you lost a bet