Super League 2021: Round 4 - Banshee

[Biscuit]

Banshee [lemon] [hol]
Time to take down the 'incredibly evil Styx Empire'. Good luck.

It may only have four levels but they are big long detailed ones. Unusually for this genre there are two endings, although they are not much different. And don't forget to use your loop-the-loop (spacebar).

A couple of words of warning. We are not using continues and I found it easy to accidentally use a credit when mashing the fire button.

Also ADF users be warned. Some cracks have a problem with disk 4, which means level 4 doesn't load and your game is over without a score. I checked the linked ADFs below and they worked for me on a basic A1200 set up in FS-UAE. Of course there is also the WHDLoad.


Round Ends: 23:59 (UK Time) on Saturday 3rd April 2021

Rules:
Get the best score you can, during this round.
Post screenshots of your score in this thread, and write the score nearby.
Scores to be achieved without save-states, trainers, passwords, and cheats.
No continues or infinite score leeching.
Finish the game and post a screenshot of the end for the completion star.
Full rules and info are HERE.

Special Rules:
Play on NORMAL difficulty.

Get the Game:
ADF 1 ADF 2 ADF 3 ADF 4
WHDLoad (direct link)



Extras:
EAB's Round 4 thread is HERE.
Round 11 2008 Banshee thread is HERE.
Super League Live Ladder.
Super League updates available via Twitter.
Check out the C64 Games Competition at our sister site Lemon64.

Live League Table:


All new players are welcome at any time. Join us!

[RuySan]

I was always curious about this game because it looked so amazing back in the day and I didn't have a A1200.

Tried it yesterday and expectedly it commits every sin of Western shmups. Bullet sponge enemies, life bar, loose controls (probably because of 25 fps).

It's a good game for the Amiga obviously, but nowadays with easy access to MAME and megadrive emulators, it's not as impressive as it might have been in 94.

[lifeschool]

Welcome everyone to Banshee - one of the finest SEU's on the platform I'd say.

For those new to the game, there are definitely some tricks you need to know, to get far with the game.

Of course, reading the manual helps.

You have to shoot the upgrade tokens many times until you find the upgrade you want.

By reading the old competition thread of this game, I discovered recently that if you collect the B bullet cluster token, it gives you an upgrade point - and a light with light up on the panel to the left. If you collect x3 bullet cluster icons, then your weapons wont be taken away when you die.

Speed is slow until you collect the rotor blade icons, and after 5 of those the game gets to feel more fluid and playable.

If you shoot the upgrade boxes a few times, you might find a Single Bullet token, get this to power up your firepower.

The health also gives you a shield (apparently), so save it until you need to.
Pressing Space Bar also does the same thing, giving a roll and maybe 5 seconds of shield.

I suspect that sometimes it might be possible to find extra lives if you shoot the boxes long enough, and veterans of SWIV might remember that idea.

Lastly, in one section towards the end of the game, you have to go back and shoot everything inside a base until it blows up. This can be annoying as you dont get any health, and you have to keep doing it in order to move on to the Space level.

[Mitch J. Frenzal]

Given that I played this in a compo not so long back (Which I lost.) If you can get the 3 way, and a bunch of the homing missles, That will very much work for you.

[Mitch J. Frenzal]

Before I forget.

https://cbm8bit.com/highscores/game/amiga/?game=Banshee

There's also a (Hard) version of the score, For you that dont get enough bullets coming from nowhere and planes appearing behind you.

[Mitch J. Frenzal]

Also, I don't think I've ever been offered the chance to continue, Is this a WHDLoad thing perhaps?

[Predseda]

Does the "i am exquisitely evil" cheat add to a score?

Here is my first attempt: 16370. The game is pretty hard to me.

[judolf]

27043

[aca0808]

Very irritating game from the very beginning !!! The first game I've ever played on any platform that forces you from the very beginning without mercy, a devilishly too difficult game for me personally (although perfectly done graphically) ... My first score for now ...



18.812

[Biscuit]

Also, I don't think I've ever been offered the chance to continue, Is this a WHDLoad thing perhaps?

It doesn't offer a continue. After your last life if you press fire it uses a credit. Otherwise it goes to game over after a short time. At least on ADFs. I didn't realise I was on my last life and expected to respawn so kept on mashing, then I noticed the score had zeroed and I had too many lives. There isn't anything on screen to tell you how many credits you have either.

[Predseda]

Yes and no chance to disable credits at the beginning

[Per-Ola Eriksson]

47199

BansheeHighScore.jpg (154.74 KiB) Viewed 691 times

[RuySan]

21039



I've grown to respect this game a lot more since my first impressions. It's different enough from japanese console/arcade games to be appreciated on its own terms. And the explosions are very satisfying, which is always mandatory in shmups.

[aca0808]

24.528

[lifeschool]

Does the "i am exquisitely evil" cheat add to a score?

Passwords aren't allowed. I think they probably do give a little score, but even if they dont, it is encouraging using passwords.

For some reason I found this game to be very difficult on my first trys yesterday. I havent upgraded my install since I made a 'my furthest ever go' video, where I got to the last level. And Im not playing the game on Easy mode, as you cant complete the game on Easy. So it must be either my pathetic skills or I used a D-pad when I made my highest score?

If you can get to the airplane bosses by avoiding the bullets, you get the health back and a free life, and same with the sub bosses I think. There is also a life in the first lighthouse I think?

One thing is for sure, the crane boss at the end of level 1 has always killed me many times, so this round I'm going to at least perfect the rolls so that thing can be beaten quickly.

In mean meantime, Im going to watch my play guide to see how I do it?