Thanks for checking out my guide. This isn't any sort of scoring guide, or comprehensive guide to every mode, since the achievements don't cover 100% of the game.

Thanks to Kiwi, who had a guide posted on the shmups forum that I found very helpful, explaining super shot and counter banking. He has much more detail than you'll see here[shmups.system11.org] on the scoring system, so take a look if you're interested in chasing high scores!

Thanks to the creators of the youtube videos I've included: Jaimers and again Kiwi.

Holding C (Full Auto) and the Rapid Shot button, when configured properly, will allow you to deal more damage than is normally possible. The Rapid Shot configuration is a little different for each shot type. Info is pulled from Kiwi's guide on shmups[shmups.system11.org].

Trigger Time 3 Interval 2

The increased damage from S Supershot works at any range.

Another setting will technically provide more damage, but requires a series of inputs rather than simply holding C and Rapid Shot. Check out Kiwi's guide for more information.

Trigger Time 1 Interval 2

The increased damage from W Supershot only works at point-blank range.

Trigger Time 1 Interval 5
According to Kiwi, you should hold Rapid Shot then C (Full Auto) with a small delay between your presses. M Power isn't very useful overall, so there's not a big reason to worry about this.

The increased damage from M Supershot only works at very close range.

Super Shot does not apply when in Arrange mode.


This technique is key to earning the high shot counter achievements, and given that it's the kind of mechanic you have to look up to know about it, that's why the two highest shot counter achievements are two of the rarest on the list.

When firing at a mid-boss (and some larger enemies) when you have options, you will notice multiple counters above their body. The large one is your overall shot counter, copied from the top left corner of the screen and placed above the enemy. The smaller ones above that are individual counters that your options build up as they fire upon the enemy.

When you briefly stop shooting, the main counter number will turn red and start to decrease. Every time you hit it while it is red, the values of the mini counters will be added to it. With some specific auto-fire options, you can hit it just frequently enough to maximize the number of times the small counters are added, and minimize the amount of time the main counter is red and decreasing.

Setting Rapid Full Auto to Trigger Time 1 Interval 3 is the perfect way to bank your small counters.

While building them up, you can either hold A (Shot) down, or either tap it rapidly (W-Power) or rapidly hold and release it (S-Power/M-Power) in order to minimize your damage and give yourself more time to build your smaller counters. The idea with this is that you will keep your options firing the whole time, while briefly not firing with your main shot.

This can only be performed on mid-bosses and some larger enemies. For mid-bosses, once they change phase around 1/4 of their remaining health bar, your smaller counters will be reset, so Counter Banking must be performed before this phase change occurs.


In Arrange Mode only, if you hold the A (Shot) button down, you get a focused shot with darker, blue projectiles. This shot is more for scoring, as it lets you build your shot counter more quickly than firing regularly.

In order to avoid this when you want to deal maximum damage, hold C (Full Auto) and then hold A (Shot). These shots will appear as the normal coloration.

You will earn these achievements naturally through playing. They are generally self-explanatory and should be easily earned by simply credit-feeding your way through the game, possibly on a specific mode.

To Shinju Forest
Play the game. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


TRACE
Obtain TRACE options. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


FORMATION
Obtain FORMATION options. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


Bomb berry
Obtain bomb berry. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


M-POWER
Start with M-POWER (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


W-POWER
Start with W-POWER (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


S-POWER
Start with S-POWER (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


Gigaszomu
Defeat boss in STAGE 1. (Normal, Novice only)


Zazoraiza
Defeat miniboss in STAGE 2. (Normal, Novice only)


Benihonogada
Defeat boss in STAGE 2. (Normal, Novice only)


Kyurionesu heddo
Defeat boss in STAGE 3. (Normal, Novice only)


Gengoramu & Gamuji
Defeat miniboss in STAGE 4. (Normal, Novice only)


Yamirosimabo
Defeat boss in STAGE 4. (Normal, Novice only)


Damaruriga
Defeat miniboss in STAGE 5. (Normal, Novice only)


Ruriigohon Kurisu
Defeat boss in STAGE 5. (Normal, Novice only)


Original Clear!
Complete Original mode. (Normal, Novice only)




Maniac Clear!
Complete Maniac mode. (Normal, Novice only)




Arrange 20%
Defeat boss in STAGE 1. (Arrange only)


Arrange 40%
Defeat boss in STAGE 2. (Arrange only)


Arrange 60%
Defeat boss in STAGE 3. (Arrange only)


Arrange 80%
Defeat boss in STAGE 4. (Arrange only)


Arrange 100%
Defeat boss in STAGE 5. (Arrange only)


Arrange Clear!
Complete Arrange mode. (Arrange only)




The brave one
Go to Novice or Original and select the Ultra mode, confirming that you'd like to play it.


Ultra Clear!
Complete Ultra mode! (Normal, Novice only)


Ultra is difficult, but like the other modes, you can credit feed your way through to the end to unlock this achievement.

FORMATION CHANGE
While equipped with the Trace option type, pick up a Formation option item.


TRACE CHANGE
While equipped with the Formation option type, pick up a Trace option item.


S-POWER CHANGE
While using another shot type, pick up an S shot type item.


W-POWER CHANGE
While using another shot type, pick up a W shot type item.


M-POWER CHANGE
While using another shot type, pick up an M shot type item.


For all of these, when an option or shot pickup spawns, if you leave it on-screen you will notice a circular gauge decreasing around the pickup. When this runs out, the pickup will change types. This will easily allow you to get the pickup type you want. Options will switch between formation and trace, while shots will cycle through the 3 types.


Broken legs
Break all of Benihonogada's legs. (Normal, Novice only)


On the stage 2 boss, in its first phase break all 6 of its legs, 3 on each side. For its second phase, the legs will retract and you won't be able to hit them.

Healthy legs
Defeat Benihonogada without breaking its legs. (Normal, Novice only)


Same as before, but keep the legs alive. Be sure to use your focus shot (hold A/Shoot), and try to stay close. You're allowed to die and use credits, so take advantage of your invincibility if you're having trouble staying close and avoiding fire. S-Shot is recommended thanks to its narrow spread, and you can even play through stages 1 and 2 while intentionally avoiding options if you find them accidentally hitting the legs.


Extend
Get a score extend. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


This should come naturally, but it requires you to get enough points to earn a 1-UP. Scores for this will be listed once you select a mode and look at the game options from the in-game menu. Easiest on novice original.

1UP
Obtain 1UP. (Normal, Novice, Arrange only)


There is a 1-UP pickup at the end of Stage 3- when you get to the final section before the boss, you have the back of the large background bug, with a center section, and then two large side sections that begin to shoot at you. The center section is what needs to be destroyed before moving on, but if you destroy all 4 pieces of each side section before you destroy the center one, then it will spawn a 1-UP pickup once destroyed.


Amber rush
Fire at Nanabusshi and obtain a lot of amber. (Normal, Novice only)


Nanabusshi are the circular plants in stage 2 that open and close. While closed, get up right next to one and focus your fire. When it opens, you should kill it before it can fire, producing a lot of Amber pieces and earning you this achievement.


UXO
Complete without using any bombs. (Normal, Novice only)


A bit tedious, but simple to do if you credit feed your way through it and just don't press the B button. Note that Arrange doesn't work for this, not that you'd want to play it when getting hit causes you to auto-bomb.


Arrange 120%
Defeat Aki and Akka. (Arrange only)


Not horribly difficult, but possible to miss when doing your arrange playthrough. After the stage 5 boss, the True Last Boss (TLB), Aki, will appear. His patterns are, believe it or not, simplified from his appearance in the Original Ultra mode. When you die or bomb, he will put up a shield that blocks all damage for a brief time.
You should be able to credit feed your way through this, but the boss is on a timer, and will leave if you do too bad of a job dodging and take too long to kill him. You will need to learn this boss for a 1cc on Arrange mode anyway, so look up a youtube video if you are completely clueless on how to approach his patterns. Make sure to manually use your bombs when you're in a rough position, since getting hit in Arrange mode when you have any bombs will automatically use all of them.

Look for more basic Arrange mode tips in the 1cc section.

These are easy, and just require selecting certain options or configuring things from the menu.


Attention to detail
Customize your screen layout in the Options menu. You may have to move a certain screen's XY position for this.

First training
Go to Original or Arrange mode and select the Training option. Begin with any options selected.

Sound mixer
Go into the sound options and change some levels around, and this should unlock.


First replay
You can go and download a replay and watch it, and this should unlock.

Beginner shooter
Go over 40,000 in fire count. (Normal, Novice only)


Pro shooter
Go over 70,000 in fire count. (Normal, Novice only)


Master shooter
Go over 150,000 in fire count. (Normal, Novice only)


Manic shooter
Go over 200,000 in fire count. (Normal, Novice only)


These must be done on Maniac difficulty in either Novice or Original mode. You will likely get the first two achievements naturally while playing through, unless you are dying very frequently.

The final two absolutely require the Counter Banking technique used at the start of the guide. The Stage 4 or Stage 5 mid-bosses are where you're going to have to get these achievements.

Unfortunately Novice mode doesn't have a practice mode, but you can practice on Original, and if you're able to dodge the patterns there, you can definitely dodge the simplified versions in a real Novice playthrough.

Load up practice mode for these bosses by navigating to stage 4 or 5, then pressing X on the controller to switch to the bosses or mid-bosses. Get your smaller options counters fairly high then switch to an auto-fire button to "bank" your counter values. Be sure to start banking before they switch phases towards the last 1/4 of their health bar. I personally got the 150,000 and 200,000 point ones on the Stage 4 mid-boss.

See the counter-banking section near the top of the guide for more info.

Original Master
Complete the Original mode with no continues. (Normal, Novice only)


The easiest 1cc, as it can be done on Novice mode. If you're still having some overall trouble with this, check out details on the other 1cc's below. In general, just keep playing through the game and this should come pretty easily, even if you're not great at shmups.


Maniac Master
Complete the Maniac mode with no continues. (Normal, Novice only)


This didn't take me long, and I'm definitely no shmup master even after 100%'ing this game. Again I would say the best way to practice is to just play from the start over and over. Note that this can also be done on Novice, which is why it's not so bad.

Remember to use your bombs intelligently, a death while holding onto bombs is always unfortunate. If you have a boss pattern that kills you most of the time, or end up in a sticky situation in a stage where you're pushed up the side of the screen, don't be afraid to bomb, it's much better than dying.

Ultra Mania
Complete the first three stages of the Ultra mode with no continues. (Normal, Novice only)


Debatably harder or easier than the Maniac 1cc. Even on Novice mode, Ultra difficulty is pretty crazy. Still, this didn't take me long either, and it's not a ton of content to clear in a row.

Arrange Master
Complete Arrange mode with no continues. (Arrange only)


Here's the hard one, the real 1cc achievement. Arrange mode is comparable to Normal Mode Maniac, so it's definitely a large step up from the three previous 1cc achievements that can be done on Novice.

Buffi has a great high-level general guide for approaching a shmup 1cc available here: https://buffis.com/strategy/how-i-approach-1cc-for-new-shmups/

For Mushihimesama in particular there's a couple things you'll need:

• Get all 3 available 1-UPs. These are the hidden one at the end of stage 3 (which has an associated achievement) and both score extends at 500 million and 1 billion points. If you are having trouble getting score extends, you may need to play the first 2 stages for score and be more aggressive than you would typically play stages 3-5. Arrange mode gives you more points the closer you are to an enemy when you kill it, combined with the chaining/hit counter mechanic. Don't forget the alternate shot where you just hold down A (shot), dealing less damage but increasing your chain quicker. For me, playing simply with the A focus shot for most of stages 1 and 2 got me to 600 million+ on the first stage, and over a billion before the end of stage 3.
  
• Don't waste bombs by getting hit. If you get hit in Arrange, you will automatically use any and all bombs in your reserve. My #1 issue was wasting all the bombs in my stock by being stingy and trying to dodge difficult patterns. When you are down to 1 bomb, never use it manually since it's effectively a free life, but when over that it's much better to use one you didn't quite need rather than risk wasting all of them.
  
• Practice Aki until you can beat him with 3 lives. Unfortunately the Arrange 1cc requires you to beat the normal stage 5 boss as well as the TLB Aki. It's possible that you'll be able to get to him with more resources than 3 lives, but reaching him at the end of a long run is a lot different than just booting him up in practice, and you're going to make more mistakes than you will in practice mode from nerves. You will need to use every single one of your bombs intelligently, especially for the final pattern, and you need to know your limitations. Then you'll finally get there with 4 or more lives and you don't want to blow it by being stingy.

I got this in less than a week of practice, just playing for a couple hours a day. It's not as bad as you might think! If you're starting to get the hang of things and can start beating stages 1 and 2 without taking a hit, you'll be able to push through faster than you'd think if you keep at it. My total playtime for this game is just over 20 hours, which I don't think is that crazy for a difficult 1cc even if I just got really lucky on my last successful run. Your mileage will of course vary though, so it could take much longer.

Aki and Akka
Defeat Aki and Akka. (Normal only)


Welcome to hell.

Aki can only be encountered while playing Ultra difficulty, and the achievement unfortunately requires you to be playing in Normal mode rather than Novice (he probably doesn't appear on Novice anyway).

Simply credit feed until you get to him, learning (most of) Ultra difficulty is not required for any other achievement. That's definitely not the hard part, though it will certainly be tedious.

The reason this is so difficult even when you can pump credits in, is because Aki will automatically die after a certain amount of time has passed. If Aki blows up on his own, you will not unlock the achievement, and you will have to run through all of Ultra again to get another chance to fight him. This, combined with his shield mechanic from Arrange (with the added bonus of spawning more bullets if you shoot at him while the shield is up) and infamous final pattern, makes him very difficult to kill properly.

When the music changes, super shot will allow you to skip the entirety of the second phase.

You have 2 potential techniques for the final pattern- Actually learning how to dodge it, or Exploiting the pattern spawn.




Looks like a lot of small staccato left and right movements. A save state for the final pattern in MAME will be your best friend if you want to try and practice this, though the earlier patterns are the same as what's in Arrange mode and need to be practiced anyways.



(Skip to 23:35)

The idea is to get Aki to aim one of the projectiles as far left or right as possible, move to the other side of the screen, and die. This will lock the projectile "cloud" on one side of the screen. After you respawn you want to quickly move to the opposite side of the screen to push the spawner as far off-screen as possible by scrolling it. Then hopefully you will get the sort of halved pattern you see in the video. You likely need to purposefully bomb to make sure Aki's shield lowers in time for you to shoot him a bit, as it lasts longer when respawning from a death than it does after bombing.

I never quite got this technique to work consistently, so there might be a better way to describe it. Please let me know!