## Description
In the Nara period in Japan (720-752 AD), there lived a sculptor named Gaou,
descended from the mad scientist Dr. Saruta. At a young age, he lost an arm
and eye, and was soon ridiculed by his peers for it. Eventually, it proved to
be too much, and Gaou became a thief. In spite of his corrupt lifestyle,
however, he was able to settle down with a wife – for a while, at least. It
all came crashing to a halt over one little disagreement, as Gaou cussed her
out… and then killed her!
Filled with remorse, Gaou chose to repent his wicked deeds, and turned to a
Buddhist monk for help. The monk’s teachings eventually led him to pursue his
passion for sculpting, which led to a series of powerful works renowned for
the raw emotions pent up inside him that were expressed therein. But it wasn’t
enough – Gaou needed to be completely reborn! Hearing about the mystical
phoenix, who grants those who drink its blood eternal life, from a fellow
sculptor named Akanemaru, Gaou set out on a journey to find the great bird of
fire… and hopefully to be reincarnated…
Based on the “Hō-ō” (or “Karma” volume) of Osamu Tezuka’s famous manga
_Hinotori_ (or “Phoenix”), “Hinotori” is a vertically-scrolling shooting game
where Gaou’s goal is to locate the mystical phoenix across 6 stages of
labyrinths, enemies and various other obstacles. As the game progresses, Gaou
can power up by obtaining phoenix plumes to activate special weapons and other
items to help him gain abilities such as invulnerability and special shots. In
order to reach the final boss and pay a visit to the phoenix, Gaou must obtain
a series of keys scattered across the stages – and must even backtrack to find
others. The game is over when all three lives are gone – or when Gaou has
reached the phoenix’s lair.
Hinotori