Skull Fang: Kuhga Gaiden

Skull Fang: Kuhga Gaiden

North American arcade flyer of Skull Fang.
Developer(s) Data East (arcade)
Aisystem Tokyo (Sega Saturn)
Publisher(s) Data East
Composer(s) Gamadelic
Platform(s) Arcade Game, Sega Saturn
Release date(s)
  • JP: 1996, 1997
Genre(s) Shooter
Mode(s) Single player, 2 player co-op
CPU Custom Data East "156" CPU @ 7 MHz
Sound Yamaha YMZ280B-F

Skull Fang: Kuhga Gaiden (スカルファング ～空牙外伝～) is a 1996 vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published by Data East. Skull Fang is the third and final entry in a loose trilogy of games beginning with the 1989 Kuhga.

Gameplay

Skull Fang is similar to the original Kuhga. Players choose one of four jets set among the flying aircraft carrier Skull Fang, as well as a pilot to fly the jet and attack enemy squadrons and battalions worldwide.

Jets

Players start the game by first selecting their jet, each jet containing a different bomb or special attack.

Pilots

Players then choose their pilot, all known only by each other's code names.

Weapons

The weapon pick-ups include the following.

Players also can pick up a weapon attachment that increases weapon strength and ability depending on the jet known as the S-Unit. The S-Unit can charge its strength and ultimately change its attack pattern when the players use the manual five-speed option whereupon reaching the jet's highest gear, the weapon will temporarily change to a homing weapon known as H-Unit mode. However, the S-Unit attachment can be removed and thus detonated once players hit the Bomb button.

Plot

Seven years have passed since the events of Wolf Fang in 2001, where the militant/terrorist organization Ragnarok was quelled. Though Oceania and the United States were successful in their efforts, a significant number of mechs had secretly escaped destruction and after the seven years of silence finally reappear. The strongest of the mechs appears and begins decimating American cities at random, signifying the Ragnarok's latest assault on society.

During those seven years however, an air force unit based on the success of Operation Vapor Trail had been assembled; known as the Skull Fang squadron, the unit was founded in case the organization ever re-appeared. Consisting of four talented pilots whose personal backgrounds and information are withheld from each other, the team is sent to deal with the latest threat and to protect the terrorist's suspected target, the headquarters that house their unit leaders.

Skull Fang was later ported by both Data East and Aisystem Tokyo to the Sega Saturn in 1997. This port adds several new features, such as a trial mode, a boss rush mode, a tutorial video and an additional speed mode which has two settings rather than five. Occasionally, the sprites suffer from flickering. Some arranged versions of songs from Kuhga are also included in the game disc as redbook audio.

On February 26, 1996, Pony Canyon and Scitron Label added the arcade version's background music of Skull Fang with the background music of another Data East MLC System title, Avengers in Galactic Storm, both into an album titled Skull Fang / Avengers in Galactic Storm, which was released exclusively in Japan. This version also includes two exclusive arranged versions of the songs "Skull Fang" (Stage 1 theme) and "Over Boost" (Stage 2 Boss theme). On July 21, 2010, TEAM Entertainment added the background music of the arcade version with the background music of the first two Kuhga games, plus three other Data East shooting games (Darwin 4078, SRD: Super Real Darwin, and Act-Fancer: Cybernetick Hyper Weapon), into one album titled Data East Retro Game Music Collection, which was distributed exclusively in Japan by Sony Music Distribution.

Arcade version
Home console version
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