Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
It's time for Christmas and I'm required to play something festive...right? So here is my first clear of CAVE's Deathsmiles II (デススマイルズII 魔界のメリークリスマス), played on the original Arcade PCB, aka the "CAVE PC", software version 4.0 (final arcade version).
Stage Listing:
00:00 - Intro / Field A
03:02 - Field C
06:15 - Field B
08:57 - Field D
13:13 - Intermission
13:36 - Final Stage
18:25 - Final Boss + Ending
Deathsmiles II was CAVE's first and only attempt at creating a shmup with realtime 3D graphics as opposed to pre-rendered or sprite based work. It becomes apparent fairly quickly that they are not really up to the challenge from a graphical standpoint, as most of the models and animations are very crude, especially for a game that came out in the arcades in 2009.
Despite this drawback, the rest of the game is actually pretty good, with an excellent soundtrack and gameplay that is actually quite fun. This sequel is also on the easier side, probably even easier than the first Deathsmiles. Oh, and in keeping with the tradition of having ridiculous villain names ("Tyranosatan" from the first game is an all time classic), this one has "Satan Claws".
It seems most people play the Xbox 360 version called Deathsmiles IIX, which is supposedly a more refined game and also has more in common with the first Deathsmiles game such as being able to select the difficulty of each stage. Maybe I will tackle that version at a later time, but for now, here is the original version of Deathsmiles II, played with the actual arcade hardware.
On a final note, apparently Deathsmiles and Deathsmiles II are also getting a new release on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, so I guess it's kind of timely? I wonder how they will stack up compared to the original versions (and the xbox ports)?
It's time for Christmas and I'm required to play something festive...right? So here is my first clear of CAVE's Deathsmiles II (デススマイルズII 魔界のメリークリスマス), played on the original Arcade PCB, aka the "CAVE PC", software version 4.0 (final arcade version).
Stage Listing:
00:00 - Intro / Field A
03:02 - Field C
06:15 - Field B
08:57 - Field D
13:13 - Intermission
13:36 - Final Stage
18:25 - Final Boss + Ending
Deathsmiles II was CAVE's first and only attempt at creating a shmup with realtime 3D graphics as opposed to pre-rendered or sprite based work. It becomes apparent fairly quickly that they are not really up to the challenge from a graphical standpoint, as most of the models and animations are very crude, especially for a game that came out in the arcades in 2009.
Despite this drawback, the rest of the game is actually pretty good, with an excellent soundtrack and gameplay that is actually quite fun. This sequel is also on the easier side, probably even easier than the first Deathsmiles. Oh, and in keeping with the tradition of having ridiculous villain names ("Tyranosatan" from the first game is an all time classic), this one has "Satan Claws".
It seems most people play the Xbox 360 version called Deathsmiles IIX, which is supposedly a more refined game and also has more in common with the first Deathsmiles game such as being able to select the difficulty of each stage. Maybe I will tackle that version at a later time, but for now, here is the original version of Deathsmiles II, played with the actual arcade hardware.
On a final note, apparently Deathsmiles and Deathsmiles II are also getting a new release on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, so I guess it's kind of timely? I wonder how they will stack up compared to the original versions (and the xbox ports)?
