This game is rated ESRB: Teen for Blood and Gore, Violence and Mild Language.
Guwange is a vertical-scrolling bullet hell shoot-em-up developed by CAVE Interactive, originally released in arcades in 1999 and later ported to Xbox 360 and legacy mobile devices. Set during Japan's Muromachi period with heavy fantasy elements, the game follows three heroes seeking to break a curse imposed by shikigami demons — spirits that grant great power but kill their hosts after exactly one year. To lift the curse, the protagonists must locate five elemental scrolls and ultimately destroy the evil deity Guwange. Unlike most shooters in the genre, characters move on foot rather than piloting aircraft, which means obstacles and rooftops physically restrict movement and lines of fire. Each of the three playable characters has a distinct attack style and can summon a shikigami to boost firepower. Players must navigate dense bullet patterns requiring precise movement and pattern recognition. The Xbox 360 version adds two extra modes: Arrange Blue, a harder variant, and Arrange Xbox 360, which introduces separate shikigami control via the right analog stick.
The story of Guwange is set during the Muromachi period of Japan. During this time, increasing numbers of people suffer possession by shikigami. Although the shikigami grant great spiritual powers, the strain inflicted on the host causes them to die exactly one year after possession. However, a legend has sprung up regarding Guwange, the malevolent god trapped in Mt. Gokumon (i.e. Hell Gate). If one possessed by a shikigami can gather talismans of the five Chinese elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, water—from five demons serving Guwange, then infiltrate Gokumon and slay Guwange, the shikigami will be destroyed and the one possessed will not suffer a premature death.
