Boktai
Encyclopedia
Boktai is a video game series developed by Konami
for the Game Boy Advance
and Nintendo DS
handheld consoles. The title is an abbreviation
of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō (ボクらの太陽) or Our Sun. They are recognized for using a solar sensor that is a key element of gameplay. The Boktai games are produced by Hideo Kojima
, creator of the Metal Gear
series, who also came up with the initial game design and concept.
The main character, Django, fights with a solar-powered gun known as Gun Del Sol (Solar Gun), which uses batteries which store energy, displayed at the bottom right-hand corner. This is solar energy collected via the sensor or various methods in gameplay. This energy can be stored in solar stations which the player can withdraw and use when sunlight is not available. The solar energy in a solar station is limited to how much the player has collected. The system of storage also uses the amount of energy in a battery. Also, solar energy can be stored in the solar bank to gain interest and pay debt. The solar bank can store the same amount of energy as the solar stations.
Using stealth and Django's solar gun, the player can purify enemies known as boks, or undead. These enemies are found in various dungeons located in Istrakan, the City of Death, throughout the game.
Boktai has a built in clock, which enables the game to adjust to different times of the day. This also affects gameplay, because the environment changes with the clock, and different enemies may be active or dormant.
two weapons together to create a new, stronger weapon, sometimes with special abilities. The player may unexpectedly end up with a very special weapon, known as a 'R-Rank' weapon.
During gameplay, the storyline temporarily shifts the player character
to Sabata, who is Django's older brother.
, also uses the solar sensor, but it has changed its gameplay mechanics slightly. The main weapon is still the Gun Del Sol, but instead of attaching different frames, lenses, batteries, and grenades, only lenses and frames are changed; plus, hammers and spears have been removed from the game, using swords instead. It also does without the overworld map seen in Boktai and Boktai 2, replacing it with a stage-select theme. Also, the Casket Cycle was introduced; this requires the player to go through a race-like event when first going to a dungeon, and also allows for Casket Cycle races between players over link mode. Shin Bokura no Taiyō also features a "Crossover Battle 2" with Rockman.EXE 6 (the Japanese version of Mega Man Battle Network 6
).
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld consoles. The title is an abbreviation
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō (ボクらの太陽) or Our Sun. They are recognized for using a solar sensor that is a key element of gameplay. The Boktai games are produced by Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese game director originally employed at Konami. He is currently the director of Kojima Productions and was promoted to Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment in early 2011...
, creator of the Metal Gear
Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a series of video games.Metal Gear may also refer to:*Metal Gear , bipedal tanks appearing in the Metal Gear series-Metal Gear video game series:...
series, who also came up with the initial game design and concept.
Games
There are currently four games in the series. Of these games, the first two and fourth titles were released outside Japan, while the third game was never localized, although fans of the series translated and hacked the game to create a patch that makes the main game fully playable in English.Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand
The first game uses a major attachment onto the game's cartridge, a solar sensor. This has major effects in gameplay, and is a key element needed to progress. The amount of ultra-violet rays that the sensor detects is displayed on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The sunlight is measured in blocks, with a maximum of eight blocks.The main character, Django, fights with a solar-powered gun known as Gun Del Sol (Solar Gun), which uses batteries which store energy, displayed at the bottom right-hand corner. This is solar energy collected via the sensor or various methods in gameplay. This energy can be stored in solar stations which the player can withdraw and use when sunlight is not available. The solar energy in a solar station is limited to how much the player has collected. The system of storage also uses the amount of energy in a battery. Also, solar energy can be stored in the solar bank to gain interest and pay debt. The solar bank can store the same amount of energy as the solar stations.
Using stealth and Django's solar gun, the player can purify enemies known as boks, or undead. These enemies are found in various dungeons located in Istrakan, the City of Death, throughout the game.
Boktai has a built in clock, which enables the game to adjust to different times of the day. This also affects gameplay, because the environment changes with the clock, and different enemies may be active or dormant.
Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django
The second game continues to use a solar sensor and a built in clock, but this time the amount the sensor can detect was increased to ten blocks. Unlike the first game, Boktai 2 is more of an Action RPG than a stealth game. Nevertheless, keeping the same qualities in Boktai, Hideo Kojima expanded characters and maps, enemies and weapons. A new feature, Solar Forging, allows the player to forgeForge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
two weapons together to create a new, stronger weapon, sometimes with special abilities. The player may unexpectedly end up with a very special weapon, known as a 'R-Rank' weapon.
During gameplay, the storyline temporarily shifts the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
to Sabata, who is Django's older brother.
Shin Bokura no Taiyō: Gyakushū no Sabata
The third game in the series, released only in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, also uses the solar sensor, but it has changed its gameplay mechanics slightly. The main weapon is still the Gun Del Sol, but instead of attaching different frames, lenses, batteries, and grenades, only lenses and frames are changed; plus, hammers and spears have been removed from the game, using swords instead. It also does without the overworld map seen in Boktai and Boktai 2, replacing it with a stage-select theme. Also, the Casket Cycle was introduced; this requires the player to go through a race-like event when first going to a dungeon, and also allows for Casket Cycle races between players over link mode. Shin Bokura no Taiyō also features a "Crossover Battle 2" with Rockman.EXE 6 (the Japanese version of Mega Man Battle Network 6
Mega Man Battle Network 6
MegaMan Battle Network 6, known as in Japan, is a video game developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. As with the previous three games, the Japanese edition was released in two separate versions: and . The North American releases are titled Cybeast Falzar and Cybeast...
).