Gals Panic
{{Short description|Video game series}}
{{For|the 1990s ska-punk band from Austin, Texas|Gals Panic (band)}}
{{Infobox VG series
| title = Gals Panic
| image = Gals Panic.jpg
| caption =Japanese arcade flyer of the first game
| developer =
| publisher = {{vgrelease|WW|Kaneko}}{{vgrelease|JP|Taito|TW|Saint-Fun{{cite web | url=http://www.saintfun.com.tw/products/ta0/ta-main03.htm | title=姿瑩企業有限公司-產品介紹 }}}}
| platforms = Arcade
| first release version = Gals Panic
| first release date = November 1990
| latest release version = Gals Panic S3
| latest release date = July 18, 2002
| genre = Puzzle
| spinoffs =
}}
{{nihongo|Gals Panic|ギャルズパニック|Gyaruzu Panikku}} is a series of Japanese eroge (adult video games) by Kaneko for the arcades. The gameplay in the Gals Panic series is similar to Taito's classic puzzle game Qix; the objective is to control a marker on a board and uncover backgrounds, which depict women in a sexual nature who progressively strip to nudity.{{cite magazine |date=January 1991 |url=https://archive.org/details/Aktueller_Software_Markt_-_Ausgabe_1991.01/page/n169 |magazine=Aktueller Software Markt |page=169 |title=Aktueller Software Markt - Ausgabe 1991/01 }} Many clones of Gals Panic were made after the original game achieved popularity in the 1990s.
''Gals Panic''
In the first game, the round is over when the at least 80% of the silhouette is uncovered. The Japanese girls in the background, which are photographs or drawings, undresses in the filled-in areas, while on the playing area one large and several small enemies hinder the undressing process. There are various symbols as bonuses. In addition to useful effects such as the asteroid storm that is used for defeating enemy sprites, there are also loser symbols that can transform the girl into a frog or octopus. There is also a bonus game.
The six models that appear in the game are: Marina Matsumoto, Ayami Kida, Nami Ozawa, Yuki Miho, Emi Nakahara, and Shiori Asano.{{Cite news |last=稲波 |date=2018-02-19 |title=ゲーセン店員の懐古主義で行こう 第１７回：ギャルズパニック |url=https://maedahiroyuki.com/20180220-%E3%82%AE%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA%E3%83%91%E3%83%8B%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=電脳世界のひみつ基地 |language=ja}}
Gals Panic was released in November 1990 published by Taito and was released by Kaneko USA in America in March 1991.{{Cite book |last=Masumi Akagi |url=https://archive.org/stream/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/2005%20Arcade%20List%2072-05_djvu.txt |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |date=2005}} The U.S. version has some censorship such as placing bras on the girl during round three instead of being topless.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
''Gals Panic II''
File:Gals Panic II gameplay.png
Gals Panic II was released in 1993 with a number of enhancements,{{cite magazine |date=1992 |magazine=Play Meter |volume=18 |issue=10}} including an eight-way joystick, stereo audio and the Card Dispenser option. The gauge is now changed to a time-based one.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-31 |title=Gals Panic II |url=https://kotaku.com/games/gals-panic-ii |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} An alternate version was also released subtitled Quiz Mode{{Cite web |title=Gals Panic II Quiz Version - Kaneko (Video Game, 1993) - EU |url=https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/videogames/show/5533 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Museum of the Game |language=en-US}} which features an additional gameplay element of a quiz presented by each girl. A Special Version was later released with improved graphics and other changes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Mainichi Communications released a Windows 95 and PC-98 version for Japanese home computers in December 1996, distributed via bookstores, under the name Gal Pani II.{{cite book | isbn=4-89563-701-8 | title=ギャルパニIi: 美少女ゲームの決定版 | date=1986 }}
''Gals Panic 3''
Gals Panic 3 was released in October 1995 and runs on the Super Kaneko Nova System hardware, on which all future arcade Gals Panic games would be built on. The drawings of the girls are more realistic than before.{{Cite web |date=2016-10-24 |title=Gals Panic 3 |url=https://kotaku.com/games/gals-panic-3 |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}
''Gals Panic 4, SS,'' and ''Silhouette Stories''
Gals Panic 4, also known as Gals Panic for you, was released in 1996{{Efn|Re-released in 2001 as Gals Panic DX in Taiwan{{cite web | url=http://gcis.nat.gov.tw/download_3_3_2_66.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929231610/http://gcis.nat.gov.tw/download_3_3_2_66.htm | archive-date=29 September 2011 | title=評鑑通過電子遊戲機名錄 }}}} on the Super Kaneko Nova System. From this title onwards, the girls that appear in Gals Panic games are in manga or anime style, although this game is tamer and there are no topless girls in it. The same year came Gals Panic SS, an expanded port of the fourth game released for the Sega Saturn home console in Japan in 1996. Famitsu scored the game 25/40.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-23 |title=ギャルズパニックSS まとめ [セガサターン] / ファミ通.com |url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14913&redirect=no |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Famitsu (archive)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723141155/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14913&redirect=no |archive-date=2020-07-23 }} On the very same day, Kaneko released Silhouette Stories on PlayStation,{{Cite web |date=2014-11-05 |title=『ぽけかの』シリーズ＆『シルエット☆ストーリィズ』が"プレイステーションゲームアーカイブス"で復活！ |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201411/05065086.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=ファミ通.com |language=ja}} which does not contain any stripping or explicit elements, but does have a story mode;{{Cite web |title=SILHOUETTE STORIES - (NTSC-J) |url=https://psxdatacenter.com/games/J/S/SLPS-00374.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=psxdatacenter.com}} Famitsu rated this game 23/40.{{Cite web |date=2014-12-23 |title=シルエット☆ストーリィズ [PS] / ファミ通.com |url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=16339 |access-date=2024-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223113644/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=16339 |archive-date=2014-12-23 }}
''Gals Panic S, S2, S3''
File:Gals Panic S2 gameplay.jpg
The "S" series had key differences in gameplay and was intended for a different market than before. Gals Panic S: Special Edition (1997){{Efn|Released as Gals Panic EX in Taiwan, in {{circa|2000}}{{cite web | url=http://gcis.nat.gov.tw/download_3_3_2_64.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716104213/http://gcis.nat.gov.tw/download_3_3_2_64.htm | archive-date=16 July 2011 | title=評鑑通過電子遊戲機名錄 }}}} restored topless characters, adds scrolling screens and has more powerful bosses. It was followed by Gals Panic S 2 (1999), as well as a non-explicit version called Panic Street (1999).{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} As Kaneko was struggling financially and exited the market, the follow-up and final official game, Gals Panic S 3 (2002), was published by Able Corporation.{{cite web | url=http://www.able-corp.com/galspanics3.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227172018/http://www.able-corp.com/galspanics3.htm | archive-date=27 December 2005 | title=新商品情報-ギャルズパニックＳ３ }}
Clones and similar games
Games by other companies that itself cloned or at least imitated Gals Panic include Namco's Dancing Eyes, Lady Killer by Mitchell Corporation,{{Cite web |last=Davison |first=Pete |date=2021-05-27 |title=The History of Lewd: Lady Killer - Rice Digital |url=https://ricedigital.co.uk/the-history-of-lewd-lady-killer/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=ricedigital.co.uk |language=en-US}} numerous titles from South Korean Comad such as Gals Pinball and Miss World,{{Cite web |title=Gals Pinball - Videogame by Comad |url=https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/gals-pinball |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Museum of the Game |language=en-US}} Gal Pani X by To Heart,{{Cite web |title=Gal Pani X |url=https://kotaku.com/games/gal-pani-x--1 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} and in more recent times, Pretty Girls Panic!.