LAST HOPE - PINK BULLETS (UNOFFICIAL VERSION / NEO GEO HACK)
Background
Pink Bullets, the reworked re‑release of Last Hope published on Dreamcast in 2009 and Neo Geo in 2011, has never been dumped, and physical copies are rare and extremely expensive, making the game inaccessible for most players. This revision offers an unofficial Neo Geo conversion of Last Hope – Pink Bullets, providing a playable alternative: the original remains superior thanks to its respawn system and dual multiplier, while this adaptation recreates several of its core sensations and delivers a noticeably less punishing gameplay experience.
Features
- Enemy bullets recolored to the signature pink hue of Pink Bullets.
- Spinning enemy projectile recolored with its own bright pink palette.
- Spider‑web shots now use a violet tint. These small star‑shaped projectiles were gray on gray backgrounds, causing unavoidable hits.
- New "Pink Bullets" subtitle added to the title screen.
- Copyright date changed from 2005 to 2011 to match the release year of the Neo Geo version. The label 2026 UNOFFICIAL VERSION instead of the NGDEV.TEAM website ensuring this ROM can never be mistaken for the official version.
- Score and multiplier recolored in pale blue.
- Rotary Protection Unit active from the beginning of every life.
- Module automatically restored after death.
- Module can damage and destroy enemies on contact.
- Purple-pink impact flash when the module inflicts damage.
- Implemented a new invincibility cheat routine exclusive to this hack : On the title screen, hold B + C + D: INVINCIBILITY ENABLED appears in red and you play invincible. Same press to switch it off, again on the title screen. Nothing is saved. It clears on every return to the title.
Gameplay Changes
- Slight improvements to weapon characteristics through increased firing speed.
- Ship speed increased.
- Contact damage added to the Rotary Protection Unit.
- Ship HP has been increased : 7 / 6 / 5 /4 depending on difficulty (very easy/easy/noraml/hard) instead of 3/ 2 / 1 / 1 .
- LIVES setting: now 3 to 9 in the OPTIONS menu, default 6 previously 1 to 7 with default 3.
- Extra lives: more frequent in very easy and easy: the first at 25 000 points instead of 50 000, then one every 30 000. The two higher difficulties remain unchanged.
Not Implemented
- Respawn-in-place system : I would have liked to implement this feature, but I wasn’t able to get a satisfactory result
. - Full Dreamcast title screen recreation. This version is instead inspired by the Neo Geo title screen.
- Additional difficulty levels : Very Hard was not implemented.
- The multiplier system remains strictly identical to the original release of Last Hope and does not implement the enhanced Pink Bullets scoring mechanics, including the Bullet Absorb Multiplier and Beam Chain Multiplier.
- Separate score and multiplier colors.
Disclaimer
This is my humble unofficial fan-made modification and is not affiliated with NGDEV.TEAM. It contains no data extracted from the original Neo Geo Pink Bullets release and is intended as a tribute to an otherwise inaccessible version of the game. The original Last Hope – Pink Bullets remains the superior and more enjoyable build thanks to its respawn system and dual multiplier, while this revision provides a closer‑to‑original variant through targeted gameplay adjustments that make the overall experience noticeably less punishing.
Credits
Programming, research, and implementation: LoW
Development assistance: Claude AI (Anthropic)
Download Pre-Patched ROM (v1.20)
pinkbullets.zip -> https://mega.nz/file/jYpTlDxS#ov6bQU2QuWR--3aEGY9soxTGlqLHRS1t2UB9fL0Hw9E
pinkbullets.neo -> https://mega.nz/file/DFBTwCYL#iKVF6lCltoPt-BJm4a3rEjgGbw9BgyTfB_UxuTFnfY4
ENJOY !
== Released by LoW ==
Attachments
Last edited:
