Batsugun represented both an end and a new beginning for the shoot-em-up genre – it was the last game produced by genre innovator Toaplan, but it is considered to be the beginning of the "bullet hell" or manic style of shoot-em-ups, filling screens with mazes of deadly projectiles. Like a number of games that followed it, Batsugun features a cast of characters that each have unique strengths and attack styles, but its key differentiator is an RPG-like level system that makes your weapons increasingly powerful. The game's finely tuned challenge, flashy visuals and ability to upgrade your weapons to absurd levels make it an excellent stepping stone between earlier, simpler shoot-em-ups and the more complex games that followed from Cave and others.