Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 2, 2026

Karous

Karous is a vertical-scrolling shooter video game developed by MileStone Inc. for the Sega NAOMI platform and released in Japanese arcades on November 15, 2006. The game was later ported to the Sega Dreamcast, becoming the system's last officially licensed title when it was released in Japan on March 8, 2007.

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Jul 2, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Karous
DeveloperMileStone Inc.
PublishersSega (arcade)
MileStone Inc. (DC)
PlatformsArcade
Dreamcast
Nintendo Wii
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
ReleaseArcade
  • JP: November 15, 2006
Dreamcast
  • JP: March 8, 2007
GenreVertical-scrolling shooter
ModeSingle-player
Arcade systemSega NAOMI

Karous (カラス, karasu, "crows") is a vertical-scrolling shooter video game developed by MileStone Inc. for the Sega NAOMI platform and released in Japanese arcades on November 15, 2006. The game was later ported to the Sega Dreamcast, becoming the system's last officially licensed title when it was released in Japan on March 8, 2007.

Gameplay

The weapon system is based on Radio Allergy, but it uses a unique D.F.S. bomb system.

Bombs can be used when SP gauge is full. When a bomb is activated, a barrier surrounds the player, which can damage enemies within the barrier. For the duration of bomb activation, the player is invulnerable. Enemies destroyed by the barrier provide more experience points to the player.

The player's shot, sword, shield can be upgraded by using experience items dropped from enemies, with a maximum of 100 levels. Weapon levels also act as score multipliers.

Characters

  • Karous (カラス) – Player's ship pilot
  • Shigi (シギ) – Navigator
  • Akahara (アカハラ(赤原))
  • Hakugan (ハクガン(剥眼))

Release

On April 8, 2008, a Nintendo Wii version of the game was released in Japan, titled MileStone Shooting Collection: Karous Wii. The collection includes both Radirgy and Chaos Field as extras.1 This collection was released in the United States in February 2009 by UFO Interactive Games under the name Ultimate Shooting Collection.2

Ports of the game to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch were released on November 27, 2025, exclusively in Japan.3 This version was later released worldwide for Microsoft Windows on Steam on January 22, 2026.4

Reception

Famitsu gave the Dreamcast version a review of 6, 6, 6, 7, while Edge gave it 6 out of 10.5 The game marks the last official third-party release for the Dreamcast platform.

References

References

  1. "Video Game Reviews & Features - Switch, 3DS, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC - Cubed3". Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  2. https://shootthecore.blogspot.com/2008/07/ultimate-shooting-collection-for-wii.html
  3. Romano, Sal (July 24, 2025). "Karous for PS5, PS4, and Switch launches November 27 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  4. Romano, Sal (January 19, 2026). "Karous for PC launches January 22". Gematsu. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  5. Edge issue 175, dated May 2007
External links