Pirate Ship Higemaru

Like the other games in the Capcom Generations titles, it was included in the 2005 compilation Capcom Classics Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and in the PlayStation Portable version Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded, which was the first time the game was released for home consoles in North America.

• Title — Pirate Ship Higemaru • Developer — Capcom • Publisher — Capcom • Designer — Tokuro Fujiwara • Programmer — Toshio Arima • Composer — Tamayo Kawamoto • Released — Arcade September 1984 • Genre — Maze • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Arcade, Saturn, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox • Arcade System — Capcom Z80-based

• Illustration — Gameplay of Higemaru The player controls a sailor, by the name of Momotaru, who must use barrels to defeat the titular pirate crew. Momotaru has no attacks of his own, but he has the ability to grab barrels, drums, large bags, and various other items which he can throw (either horizontally or vertically) across the screen. Any pirate who stands in the way of a barrel or other object will be hurled off the screen. Barrels that impact the walls of a stage or other barrels or objects will shatter and produce points, while other objects are invulnerable (but do not produce points). Each successive enemy that is hit by a barrel will yield additional points once the barrel is destroyed. In addition, there are also various items hidden beneath barrels in each level which will give Momotaru bonus points. Every floor of the ship has a set number of pirates to be destroyed, as well as a single "Bows", a special pirate that regenerates each time it is defeated. Every fourth level in the game yields a bonus level in which the barrels are worth an increased number of points, and a group of enemies entirely made up of Bows (which do not regenerate in this case). With each successive floor, the speed and intelligence of the pirates increases. For every sixteen barrels Momotaru destroys, he will be rewarded with an item that grants invincibility for a limited amount of time, allowing him to defeat enemies by simply touching them. Momotaru's enemies do not have attacks, but a single touch from an enemy will cause him to die and be revived, costing the player one extra life; the game ends when the player runs out of lives. When a player has scored more than 1 million points, the game will stop awarding the player with bonus lives. The game has no ending and loops indefinitely after level sixteen. The enemy patterns and color will reset to level one but the game will not reset the deck counter. The layout of the barrels on the stages will continue to change, however, and the enemy count per level will not reset to level one counts.

• Momotaru: a sailor, Momotaru is on his own against the Higemaru pirates, only receiving help from various items laden throughout each floor. • Higemaru: a bearded pirate wearing a bandana and striped shirt, and lacking arms and legs (propelled only by a pair of large feet). He comes in a wide assortment of colors. They tend to stay near areas where they spawn, then move cautiously about the level, stopping every so often. Later on, however, they will actively chase Momotaru and attempt to trap him. • Bows: presumably, the captain of the Higemaru pirates he sports a beard, a hat with a skull and crossbones emblazoned on it, a hook, and a wooden leg. He wanders aimlessly around the deck.