Proof that age doesn't make a great samurai!

Japanese Game Box Front

That Ghost Is History!

Hide And Yasu

A Sweet Picture Of Homuramaru
(Click To See Entire Picture)

You know what? The more obscure games I discover on Game Boy (As well as GBC), the more I realize that the Game Boy rocks in Japan. You wouldn't think so though. Nobody really talks much about Game Boy imports! Samurai Kid was yet another one of those "Japan Only" gems that eluded the American audience. Samurai Kid is published by Koei and developed by an odd company known as Biox. The story deals with a country known as Hinomoto that was once a normal place. However, one day, the peaceful country of Hinomoto found itself under attack by the cruel Demon King and his army of demons. The Demon King wanted to conquer the world and he figured that a small place like Hinomoto would be a perfect place to start... however, it's too bad he made one mistake in his plans. The prince of Hinomoto, Homura-maru/Homuramaru (your hero), with the aid of his friends Hide (a monkey) and Yasu (a raccoon), set off to defeat the Demon King and turn Hinomoto back into the peaceful place it once was.

The graphics for this game are outstanding. This is a shocker seeing as Koei published it. Koei isn't particularly known for good graphics and they also aren't exactly known for games that have little to no connection with anything in our ancient history. Okay, so maybe they just published it (Biox actually made it), but I was still pleasantly surprised. The backgrounds are very detailed and make excellent use of GBC's color palette, but the animation is even more impressive than the wonderful environments. The animation is so cool in fact that I love watching myself get killed. The animation of this kid's death is even great! Sure, he may be overdoing it, but I don't care. The enemies also animate quite well and the game moves along very smoothly. The music is also pretty decent. The some themes may remind you of Japan and the Feudal Era while others suit the area in which they are used. Some of the music is a little bit repetitive, but the sound is good nonetheless.

The gameplay is a bit odd and dubs itself a "Puzzle Action Game". When I first played this game, I couldn't help but think of how much it reminds me of "Hammerin' Harry" or Daikuno Gensan for Game Boy Color. I later found out that Biox is also responsible for Daikuno Gensan so it's no coincidence at all. Samurai Kid has you use three primary weapons. First is the "Hyoutan", a typical gourd that you might have seen in many old kung-fu movies. Usually, a drunken master might have one attached to his hip. You must use this to turn enemies into blocks and use them as stepping stones or to activate switches. You can charge this bad boy up to shoot out a wave that can hit distant switches if you can't reach them. Next, you have your trusty "Katana". What good samurai leaves home without one, eh? The katana is your main offense. When you come across some fishy looking rocks or something that looks destructible, charge up the katana and release a short distance shockwave that will destroy walls! Last, but not least, you have the "Ougi". The ougi is a war fan that angers enemies when they are hit with it. Use this to lure enemies to particular spots. When you charge the ougi up, it sends out a whirlwind that pushes objects.

Aside from your standard weapons, you can float with your cape, kick blocks, use your weapons to hit a wall and get an extra boost, find keys, find bombs, use drills, increase your maximum life...fun, fun, FUN! You will use all sorts of different skills to overcome the various puzzles you will face and the level design is rather clever and requires that you switch between your weapons (which can be done without opening a menu) and master their various uses. On top of that, you will fight bosses and get graded on your performance (I got a "D" on my test run! Ouch!). Another one of those games that's solid in all the categories that matter for this genre. Sure, there is no compelling story (or overly dramatic plot devices anyway), but I don't need one for this game and it still rocks. If you can manage to track down a copy, you should definitely get this game.

- Written by Vyse the determined -