Gynoug

Infobox VG
title = Gynoug / Wings of Wor


caption = Gynoug - European box art
developer = Masaya
released = vgrelease|JP=January 25, 1991|NA=1991|EU=1991
genre = Scrolling shooter
publisher = ^JP NCS Corporation ^NA DreamWorks ^EU Sega
platforms = Sega Mega Drive
modes = Single player
media = Cartridge

"Gynoug" (suggested pronunciation: /IPA|'dʒaɪnʌg/ [ [http://www.genesisproject-online.com/Genesis/G-h/Gynoug.html "Gynoug" at the Genesis Project] ] ), also known as "Wings of Wor" in North America, is a video game for the Sega Mega Drive, developed by Masaya and published by NCS Corporation in 1991. The game sprites were designed by the sprite designer of legendary shooting title "Cho Aniki".clarifyme "Mean Machines" magazine reviewed the title, giving it 88%. [cite web|url=http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/100/gynoug.php|author=Julian Rignall, Matt Regan|title=Mean Machines review - Gynoug|publisher=Mean Machines|date=1991|accessdate=2008-03-22] It had four levels of difficulty: easy, medium, hard and "hyper". It is a side scrolling shooter title, in the same vein as "R-Type", "Gradius" or "Darius".

Plot

The heavens are being attacked by the demons of Iccus, led by a being known only as the Destroyer. The angel Wor must bring the fight to Iccus itself and put an end to the Destroyer's dark plans.

Levels

Boss names are from the instruction manual.

Round 1

The game begins in some caves with deep, dark passageways and a river in the background. Mid-round boss: Dragoon, a grey, seemingly fossilised tortoise with an elongated neck ending in a toothy skeletal head. It shoots orange spores out of its neck.

End-of-round boss: Locomotive Breath, a locomotive engine with a man's face which spits out missiles.

Round 2

An overground level, with Wor flying through the open air over water and birds (among other enemies) dropping missiles. Eventually the round moves underwater to an encounter with a mini-Oglithan (see below) before meeting the real thing.

Mid-round boss: Oglithan, a conical shell which floats around turning itself inside-out, revealing a fleshy inside and emitting a spray of spores, as well as larger missiles.

End-of-round boss: Masseboth, a wooden ship with a bearded man's face as a figurehead, spitting spores. After a while, the ship sinks before rising up to reveal a much larger face underneath the ship, wearing the ship on its head. Spores are emitted from the rudder as well as from the face's mouth. "Masseboth" is also Hebrew (מצּבה, "matz-tsay-baw") for "standing stones" or "column" but this seems to have little to do with this boss itself.

Round 3

A quasi-gothic city, with spitting gargoyles and other enemies.

Mid-round boss: Peeble, a segmented serpentine creature which zooms away from and into the screen to collide with Wor.

End-of-round boss: Gark, an huge engine with a face like Locomotive Breath, which emits a serpentine whip of spores from its eyes. Its lower "jaw", a plough, drops away at times to reveal its "tongue", a fiery sword emitting fireballs.

Round 4

A entirely mechanised level, with engines and pipes in the background.

Mid-round boss: Monotrog, a set of floating heads around a machine with a propeller and missiles.

End-of-round boss: Orrpus, a disembodied human upper body, half-mechanised and half-flesh, with machinery on its shoulder/back. It shoots out red discs (like red blood cells) from its mouth and lower side.

Round 5

A bizarre world with floating aberrations, reminiscent of inside the human body (especially the eye).

Mid-round boss: Slog, a cross-legged grey humanoid orbitted by fast-moving spheres, spitting blue spores. In English, to slog is to hit or strike, possibly referring to the creature's missiles, or else simply an attempt to create a primitive, bestial name (cf. "ug").

End-of-round boss: Perfidy, a bizarre grey individual with an inactive lower body ressembling a whole octopus stretched across the bottom of the screen, joined to the upper body, an armless grey torso and head, by a flexible muscle joint. The upper body moves wildly, emitting red missiles. In English, perfidy is treachery or a betrayal.

Round 6

Another sky-like level, with clouds above and below and rays of light in the background.

Mid-round boss(es): All of the previous mid-bosses one after another: Dragoon, Oglithan, Peeble, Monotrog and Slog.

End-of-round boss(es): Orrpus (Round 4) appears first. Afterwards, the final boss appears: a previously unencountered turquoise humanoid with an exposed rib cage and a jellyfish-like creature on its back, all while curled up in a foetal position but ending in a large clawed hand instead of legs. It shoots white spores from its midsection, which float around slowly and do not disappear until the boss's defeat. The instruction manual gives the last boss no name, simply exhorting the player to "PREPARE FOR THE WORST!".

Notes

External links

* [http://gamespot.com/genesis/action/gynoug/index.html "Gynoug / Wings of Wor"] at GameSpot
*MobyGames|id=/wings-of-wor|name="Gynoug / Wings of Wor"