Mushihimesama Maniac 1cc, Normal (STEAM), player JAM

This was my very first clear of Mushihimesama's Maniac mode using the excellent Steam port on PC. I had previously cleared the Original mode of Mushihimesama back in 2018, but I have always wanted to tackle the Maniac mode as well. Maniac mode features more dense bullet patterns, more hardware slowdown, and a different scoring system. This mode is a lot of fun! Despite failing to pick up the hidden extend in stage 3, I still managed to get the clear in this run.
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GAME BACKGROUND:
Mushihimesama (Bug Princess) was released in Japanese arcades in 2004. It was the first game released on Cave’s new CV1000B hardware. The new hardware allowed Cave to experiment with colourful aesthetics, and push the danmaku genre to its limits.
Previous games like Espgaluda, ESP Ra.De and Guwange also featured characters, but Reco the Bug Princess is probably their most iconic. Human life is rare in the world of Mushihimesama. The life force of the forest is called Miasma, and it is poisonous to humans. Reco’s village has been spared up until now, because they sacrifice a young girl every 200 years to the insect god. When Reco learns she will be the next human sacrifice, she refuses to accept her fate. Riding on a golden beetle called Kiniro, she leaves to confront the insect god.
The controls feature the standard shooting game conventions of a normal shot with an auto-fire option, plus a focused shot, and a stock of bombs. Reco is the only playable character in the game, but at the beginning you can choose from three shot types that affect your speed and shot width. You can also change your shot type via pickups during the game. Also available as pickups during the game are Reco's options. There are two option types: trace, which follows Reco, and formation, which spreads out either side of Reco.
One of the unique features of Mushihimesama is the three game modes you can choose to play. In order of difficulty they are Original, Maniac and Ultra mode. Each mode has its own scoring system and game play style. Original is the easiest mode that features sparse, but fast bullet patterns. Maniac mode offers a more traditional bullet hell experience featuring lots of bullets, and hardware slowdown. Ultra mode is renowned for its extreme difficulty and dense bullet patterns. Ultra mode even comes with a warning when you select it. The result is a game of great depth that will appeal to players of all skill levels.
The original arcade release was followed by a sequel in 2006 called Mushihimesama Futari. In 2011 Cave also released a limited arcade version of Mushihimesama called Matsuri mode, also known as version 1.5. Version 1.5 offered significantly different game play, and revised graphics and music.
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