Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou: Black Label

Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou: Black Label is a revised version of the original Dodonpachi Dai-Ou-Jou, released only six months after the original version. It features remixed gameplay with a number of refinements. Players are given the option at the start of their game whether to play a one-loop or two-loop game, with the one-loop option always giving players the ability to face off against hidden boss Taisabachi and true final boss Hibachi. The first loop is made noticeably easier, and players are able to keep their lives and bombs when entering the second loop. Several other bugfixes and adjustments to the scoring system lead to an overall smoother difficulty curve. The board also includes a full copy of the original game; arcade operators can choose which game to boot at startup.

The most noteworthy bugfixes and balance enhancements involve the game's hyper gauge. In both versions, hyper powerups are spawned based on the player's performance. In the original version, a significant bug makes the player's progress towards earning hyper powerups slower than intended. If the player's progress towards the next powerup goes past 100%, the powerup is spawned and the meter is reset to 0; in Black Label, the player keeps whatever extra progress they'd made. For example, if the player makes it to 110% of the progress needed to spawn a powerup, in the original they're left with 0% progress towards the next powerup, and in Black Label they're left with 10% towards the next powerup. A second issue causes the game's rank mechanic to be harsher than intended. In both versions, a non-player-visible rank meter affects the game's difficulty; the more a player uses hyper attacks, the harder the game becomes. The meter is reset only when the player loses a life or uses a bomb. The original game features a steep increase in difficulty; as Spencer Johnson notes at Hardcore Gaming 101, the difficulty increase from using a level 2 or higher hyper at a boss results in such a steep increase in difficulty that it outweighs any benefit. Black Label smooths out this difficulty curve, significantly affecting the game's scoring strategy.