Wizball

Wizball is a scrolling shooter, similar to Gradius, with an added collecting dynamic. It's a horizontally scrolling game that spans eight levels in which you navigate through a landscape and shoot at sprites. However, the aim of the game is to collect colorful paint drops to color the level. Each level begins monochromatic, drawn in three shades of gray, and must be colored with three colors (red, blue and green) to complete it. The player, a wizard who has taken the form of a green ball, can navigate through portals between the levels. Initially, the wizard only has access to the first three levels, but by completing levels he gains access to further levels. In each level there are bouncing balls in different colors, which, when shot, release droplets that can be collected. At the same time, a different color must be added to each level, which can be assembled by collecting sufficient quantities of the correct colors. In later levels, the color balls shoot spheres, which adds to the challenge. The wizard himself is not able to collect drops of color and can only move in a very limited way at the beginning. He bounces up and down at a fixed speed, with the player only controlling the speed of rotation and therefore how fast he moves horizontally after the next time he touches the ground. By collecting green pearls (which appear when some sprites have been shot), the player receives tokens that can be used to buy upgrades, such as better movement control and stronger firepower, as well as a companion called Catellite. Catellite (supposedly the wizard's cat) also has a spherical shape. It normally follows the wizard, but it can also be moved independently of him by holding down the fire button while moving the joystick (which also makes the wizard uncontrollable). Only Catellite is able to pick up paint drops; the player must use him to do so. In two-player mode, Catellite is controlled by the second player. In addition to color droplets, droplets of other colors sometimes appear, which have various effects. These include Light blue - triggers a "dirt attack", in which a wave of fast-moving enemies appear, firing bullets at the player. Gray - turns Catellite into an "Indestructacat" that becomes invulnerable to enemies. White - gives an extra life. Purple - turns Catellite into a "mutant cat" that defies the player's commands. Black - causes "crazy bits" that turn most of the landscape black.