Even though they were very standard shooters overall, I always found a lot of appeal in Dragon Spirit and its sequel, though the latter is a little too hard imo
The gradual buildup in tempo for the music as you progress through stage is kinda confusing. By the time you get to the boss, it sounds like the stage music is about to properly start after a sort of... I want to say dream-like start up? But then reach the end, and it just feels like you've been left hanging.
I had this same question. Although I'd wager it's a separate button, as there's multiple points where the player here is holding a charged shot, but still attacking ground targets without losing said charge. Neither played nor heard of this game until this video, so I'm just going off what I see.
Abd what is exactly wrong with this music? And look at the sprite work im this game, especially the shifting backgrounds. I grew up in the arcades, and this is when namco was at their best