Overview
Kingdom Grandprix, known in Japan as Shippuu Mahou Daisakusen: Kingdom-Grandprix (loosely translated to "Hurricane Magic Warfare"), is a high-fantasy vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up developed by Raizing and released by Eighting for arcades on September 1994.
A sequel to the 1993 game Sorcer Striker, Kingdom Grandprix is named for the titular aerorace devised by the king to lift the spirits of its citizens after the fall of the Gobligan empire (with skirmishes from the remaining Gobligans causing unrest). With high stakes on the line, each racer participates for different purposes.
The game is unique for combining the previous game's shoot-'em-up gameplay with new elements from racing games. Players have to not only contend with standard enemies and bosses, but also deal with rival racers (by keeping their speed up and bumping their rivals back through bombs or well-placed collisions).
It later received a port for the Sega Saturn, released by GAGA Communcations exclusively in Japan on June 14, 1996. Along with the original game in its original display resolution (requiring players to rotate their monitor to display it correctly), it includes an arranged mode that is more optimized for standard 4:3 displays.
The original arcade version was later included in the Astro City Mini V miniconsole.
Ships & Pilots
Along with the four pilots from Sorcer Striker (Gain, Chitta, Miyamoto, and Bornnam), the game includes four new ones for a total of eight. Each ship has their own unique stats and weaponry.
- Gain - A wandering soldier in search for the ultimate weapon. He pilots the "Valhallyzer".
- Chitta - A local witch capable of strong magic. She pilots the "Gun-Dalf".
- Miyamoto - A gigantic samurai dragon from the north who searches for a potion for his mentor's daughter. He does not pilot any ship, instead flying himself.
- Bornnam - A necromancer who needs money to (supposedly) refine his black magic sorcery. He pilots the "Golgodian".
- Nirvana - The leader of a gigantic race of fairies, in search for a new home for her kind. She does not pilot any ship, instead flying herself.
- Kickle & Laycle - A child duo of in search of magic so that Kickle can return to modern times. They pilot the "Sorcer Striker".
- Honest John - A gigantic "automatic armor" who, despite his name, races for selfish purposes. He does not pilot any ship, instead flying himself.
- Bul-Gin - A goblin captain who seeks to revive the Gobligan empire. He pilots the "Great Gobligan-S".
Stages
The game includes 12 stages, with each loop in the playthrough allowing players to go through six stages in a branching path style.
- Basalna City
- Air Circus or Velmatic Ocean
- Outcast Castle or Cross Fire
- Deeply Dungeon or Cold Corridor
- Strato Storm or Forest of Dead
- Kingdom Grandprix or Yashiki of Ninja or Kobolds Tower
Each full playthrough can have two loops, with the second one obtainable by placing first on the first one. The second loop does not allow the player to choose stages they've played on the first loop (with the exception of the first stage).
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