TwinBee (ツインビー) is avideo game series composed primarily of cartoon-themed verticallyscrolling shooter games produced byKonami that were released primarily in Japan. The series originated as acoin-operated video game simply titledTwinBee in 1985, which was followed by several home versions and sequels. The character designs of almost every game in the series sinceDetana!! TwinBee in 1991 were provided by Japanese animator Shuzilow HA (Jujiro Hamakawa), who also planned and supervised most of the subsequent installments in theTwinBee series.[1] The series also inspired aradio drama adaptation that lasted three seasons in Japan, as well as ananime adaptation.
The series centers around a blue bee-shaped anthropomorphic spacecraft named TwinBee, who is usually accompanied by a pink "female" counterpart known as WinBee. In most games, the first player controls TwinBee while WinBee is controlled by the second player. A third ship also exists named GwinBee, a green counterpart to TwinBee and WinBee who in most games serves as a power-up, but in some instances also appear as a third playable spacecraft. In contrast to the serioussci-fi theme ofKonami'sGradius series, theTwinBee series is set in a cartoon-like world featuring several kinds of anthropomorphic creatures in addition to regular human characters. The player controls their spacecraft in most games shooting or punching at airborne enemies while throwing bombs at enemies on the ground, similarly toNamco'sXevious. The main power-ups in theTwinBee areyellow bells that the player can uncover by shooting at the floating clouds. The player must shoot these bells to keep them afloat and after shooting them a number of times, they will change colour, allowing the player to add new abilities to their spacecraft.
Despite being one of Konami's most prominent series in Japan during most of the 1990s, only a select few titles were localized for the foreign market, particularly the second console gameMoero! TwinBee (which was released in America under the changed titleStinger); the twoSNES installments,Pop'n TwinBee andPop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, in Europe andTwinBee Da!! forGame Boy, which was released in Europe as a standalone title with the namePop'n TwinBee and later in compilations. The second arcade game,Detana!! TwinBee, also had a limited international release under the name ofBells & Whistles. The original arcade game was featured in theNintendo DS compilationKonami Classics Series: Arcade Hits under the nameRainbowBell (the European compilation, however, uses the originalTwinBee name).
On June 6, 2025, Konami Amusement held theTwinBee Lottery, a lottery sale to commemorate the series' 40th anniversary. The lottery sale offered a chance to winTwinBee items featuring numerous original illustrations, as well as special E-amusement pass cards as bonus gifts.[2]
TwinBee, released on March 5, 1985: An original arcade vertical shooter,TwinBee plays similar toNamco'sXevious. Players use TwinBee or WinBee in a short string of six levels that repeats indefinitely, with a boss at the end of each. AFamily Computer (Famicom) and anMSX version were made in 1986. The Famicom version was re-released for theGame Boy Advance underNintendo's Famicom Mini label in Japan only. It was released in North America as part of an arcade compilation forNintendo DS in March 2007, where it was renamedRainbowBell; when the compilation was released in Europe, theTwinBee name was restored.
TwinBee Deluxe, released on February 25, 2004: The mobile version just like a WinBee in a Deluxe game.
Mini Famicom: TwinBee, released on May 21, 2004: The Famicom version was re-released for Game Boy Advance as part of the Mini Famicom line.
3D Classics: TwinBee, released on August 10, 2011: The game was also redone in 3D and released on theNintendo eShop under Nintendo's3D Classics line.
Stinger, released on November 21, 1986 and in 1987 in America, is the first game in theTwinBee series that was released inNorth America. Some enemy force kidnaps Dr. Cinnamon (creator of the TwinBee ships) and TwinBee, WinBee and GwinBee must rescue him. The Japanese version for theFamily Computer Disk System in 1986, this game allowed up to three players simultaneously. Unlike its predecessor,Stinger has horizontal shooter levels (likeGradius) in addition to the vertical ones. Since the Disk System extension was not released in North America, the American version was released as a cartridge, but it lost the three-player mode (only allowing for up to two players), the story scenes were removed and the difficulty was altered.Moero! TwinBee was re-released in cartridge format in 1993 with a new easy mode added.
TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō, released on September 29, 1989, is the last game in theTwinBee series for the Famicom to be released and the third game in the series. It ditchesStinger's horizontal levels, which makes this more in line with the first title.
Pop'n TwinBee, first released on October 12, 1990, in Japan and in autumn 1994 in Europe, the game is a sequel for theGame Boy to the originalTwinBee. In Japan, it is known asTwinBee Da!!. Despite the European title, the Japanese version actually predates the release of theSuper Famicom version ofPop'n TwinBee by three years. The game was re-released as part ofKonami GB Collection Vol.2 in Japan, while a colorized version was released as part ofKonami GB Collection Vol.3 in Europe. A fullremake is featured inTwinBee Portable forPlayStation Portable.
Detana!! TwinBee (also known asBells & Whistles outside Japan), first released on February 21, 1991: An arcade release, also ported to thePC Engine (which was ported toVirtual Console),Sharp X68000,PlayStation andSega Saturn (the latter two bundled withTwinBee Yahho!). It has no relation to the original and Famicom games. While not too different from its predecessors, gameplay-wise,Detana! improves vastly on graphics and audio. It also introduces the current character cast, like TwinBee's and WinBee's characters (Light and Pastel, respectively) and other characters that would remain in the subsequent games. It was the most popular game in the series in Japan and paved the way for some merchandise products (including audio dramas and anoriginal video animation). This also introduced cutscenes that played between stages, which usually showed Pastel and WinBee getting one up on Light and TwinBee.
Pop'n TwinBee, first released on March 26, 1993, and later in 1993 in Europe: A SNES game, it is one ofDetana!'s sequels, though they play differently.Pop uses a large energy bar, which results in game over if it depletes. When playing with two players, it is also possible to share energy.
Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures (TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventure in Japan), released on January 7, 1994, in Japan and also in Europe during the same year. This SNES game meant the first real departure in the series.Rainbow Bell Adventures is a side-scrolling platformer. The game was also released in Europe, though the level order, some dialogue and the back-up system (the European version usespasswords, while the Japanese one usesbattery) are different.
TwinBee Taisen Puzzle-Dama published on December 9, 1994, in Japan. It is a puzzle video game for PlayStation; simple mechanics are part of a series of puzzle gamesTaisen Puzzle-Dama and takes its theme the world ofTwinBee. The game was also planned to be released on the Sega Saturn in 1995 before it was cancelled.[3]
TwinBee Yahho!, released on April 19, 1995:, is another sequel forDetana!, originally released in arcades, and later ported to the PlayStation and Saturn (along withDetana! TwinBee). The game included a vocal theme song, among other vocals, with WinBee greeting the arcade owner each time it is booted, and various snatches of dialogue from most of the characters, all voiced by the cast ofTwinBee Paradise.
Detana TwinBee Yahho! Deluxe Pack, a compilation released on September 29, 1995, in Japan for the PlayStation and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn,[4] it containsDetana!! TwinBee andTwinBee Yahho!.[4]
TwinBee Paradise in Donburishima (ツインビーPARADISE in どんぶり島,Tsuinbī Paradaisu in Donburishima), released on February 26, 1998: More than a game, this is a CD-ROM with accessories inspired by the series (as a screensaver, etc.) forWindows 95.
TwinBee RPG, released on April 3, 1998: Featuring3D graphics and made for the PlayStation, this simplisticrole playing game, set in the complete universe of the series, was the last stand-alone retail release in the series.
Pastel Jan (パステルじゃん), released on 2002: Arock-paper-scissors video game for mobile phones.[5]
Konami Suzume 〜 TwinBee Taisen-ban 〜 (コナミ雀〜ツインビー対戦版〜), released on May 6, 2003: A mobile title that is part ofKonami Taisen Colosseum (コナミ雀〜ツインビー対戦版〜)[6]
TwinBee Dungeon, released on May 14, 2004, is aroguelike dungeonRPG for cell phones themed onTwinBee universe which is part of theMystery Dungeon series.[7]
TwinBee Portable, released on January 25, 2007 (Japan), is a PSP compilation featuringTwinBee,Detana!! TwinBee,Pop'n TwinBee,TwinBee Yahho!, and a remake of the Game Boy gameTwinBee Da!.
TwinBee JG Pachisuro, released in September 2007[8] (Japan): ATwinBee themedpachislot machine released by KPE, it is based onTwinBee Yahho! world.
TwinBee no Bell Migaki, released on 2008 (Japan):
Line GoGo! TwinBee, released on May 20, 2013, is a classicTwinBee shooter foriOS andAndroid developed by NAVER JAPAN and distributed by LINE GAME (LINE Corporation).[9][10][11][12][13]
In 2022, during theKonami Action & Shooting Contest hosted by the Shueisha Game Creator's Camp andTokyo Game Show, Ken Niimura won the rights from Konami to develop the game through the competition, and a game titledTwinBee Loop!: The Mystery of the Planet of Light and Darkness!! is in development.[14]
A radio drama version of the series was produced following the release ofPop'n TwinBee for the Super Famicom titledTwinBee Paradise (ツインビーPARADISE), which began airing on the radio stationNCB on October 10, 1993. The series lasted three seasons, with the third and final series concluding on March 30, 1997, comprising a total of 96 episodes, which were later released in drama CD collections.
TwinBee Paradise features the same cast of characters previously introduced inDetana!! TwinBee andPop'n TwinBee.TwinBee Paradise further developed the fictional universe of theTwinBee and many story elements introduced in the series, including the names of TwinBee's and WinBee's pilots, Light and Pastel (who were originally nameless characters in the games), who were canonized in later video games such asTwinBee Yahho! andTwinBee RPG.
Two short anime films and anOVA mini-series based on theTwinBee were produced:
The first wasTwinBee WinBee Hachibun-no-ichi Panic (ツインビー ウィンビーの1/8パニック,TwinBee and WinBee's1⁄8 Panic), a short film released in 1994 released as a promotional tie-in to the Super Famicom gameRainbow Bell Adventure. It is sometimes shortened toWinbee's1⁄8 Panic.
The second anime short,Tulip Kaigan Monogatari (チューリップ海岸物語,The Tulip Coast Story), was released in 1998 alongside the first short in a promotional tie-in to the subsequent OVA series. It is also alternatively titledTulip Beach Stories.
The OVA series is titledTwinBee Paradise and is based on the radio drama of the same name. The OVA comprises three episodes, which were released individually onVHS andLaserdisc in 1999:
"Venus' Smile" (ヴィーナスの微笑み "Venus no Hohoemi")
"Midsummer Mirage" (真夏の蜃気楼（そのままじゃん）"Manatsu no Shinkirō (Sono Mama Jan)")
Four 1993Comic Gamest supplements (volumes 85, 89, 93, and 97) containedmanga ofDetana! TwinBee drawn and written byMine Yoshizaki.[16] Between 1994 and 1996, an official manga, also by Yoshizaki, was published in three volumes in the collection Gamest Comics (numbers 011, 039 and 076).[17]
In theFamicom Rocky manga, the first two games are based on the said chapter such asTwinBee in chapter 16 andMoero! TwinBee: Cinnamon Hakushi wo Sukue! in chapter 29.
Famicom Ryu andNekketsu! Famicom Shounendan were released in 1986 by Comic CoroCoro, as were these video games based on each chapter of the manga, including TwinBee's Famicom version.
In the mangaWarera Hobby's Famicom Seminar,TwinBee andTwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō were adapted in each chapter, as this TwinBee character or enemies make a cameo in chapter 2, and Demon King Poko Poko appears in chapter 46.
Moero! TwinBee: Cinnamon-hakase o Sukue!, the second game in the series, was based on chapter 16 of the mangaFamitsu Comix: Shape of Happiness byTamakichi Sakura.
In theRock 'n Game Boy manga,TwinBee Da!! was adapted in chapter 13 in volume 3.
Konami Wai Wai World: TwinBee is one of two playable ships (Vic Viper being the other one) in the second to last stage, which is a generic vertical shooting stage.
Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Jō: TwinBee is a playable character in certain levels, but the levels in which he is playable are not just vertical shooting stages, but on-rails shooting stages in the vein ofSpace Harrier, as well.
Hexion has sound clips fromDetana!! Twinbee.
Parodius series: In most of the series, TwinBee and WinBee made an appearance as playable characters, while Shooting Star (the enemy red ship inTwinBee Yahho!) is playable inSexy Parodius. Also, whileParodius is more of a parody ofGradius, it features the bell powerup system in addition to the Gradius's bar system as well. Both systems works in parallel and give different powerups. Also, the bell system's powerups are temporary, while the bar system not.
Snatcher: In the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions, Light and Pastel appear as clients at the Outer Heaven nightclub among other Konami characters.
Konami Krazy Racers: Pastel is a playable character in this kart-racing game with Konami characters. Since Pastel is available from the beginning this game represents her first time as a primary-tier character. It is the second game released in United States with a TwinBee character. Also, different colored bells in this game have different powerups.
Quiz Magic Academy 5: Getting the correct answer shows a bunch of bells and Twinbees flying.
Bishi Bashi: One of the games in the series has Light and Pastel as playable characters.
New LovePlus+ features a shoot-'em-up mini game starring TwinBee and WinBee.
Kingdom Dragonion: TwinBee was a player character in this game.
VS! Bomberman: TwinBee Characters, Light and Pastel was Costumes by Bomberman.
Various entries in rhythm game franchises includingDance Dance Revolution,Beatmania IIDX,Pop'n Music,BeatStream, andMirai da Gakki features remixes of songs from the games inTwinbee series.
Super Bomberman R: One of the Dastardly Bombers eventually morphs into a Gwinbee boss.
Contra Returns: TwinBee and WinBee appear as a Pet Spotlight.
Power Pros: Pastel appears in the baseball 2014's mobile gameJikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu.
Monster Retsuden Oreca Battle 2: TwinBee and Winbee appears as included monsters, where their evolved form asPrototype Twin-Bee resembles this characters.
