Ikki (video game)
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese arcade game
originally released by Sunsoft in 1985. The game was released for the Famicom
(Nintendo Entertainment System
) on November 28 of the same year, and is a multi-directional scrolling action game which contains some elements of a top-down shooter
. The game is known outside of Japan as Boomerang and Farmers Rebellion.
The game has been ported to numerous other platforms, including the Microsoft Windows
operating system as part of the Ultra2000 Sunsoft Classic games compilation, which was released on June 29, 2001. The game has also been coupled with Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi
and Yūyū Sunsoft kessaku-sen 2 (released July 2, 2004), and was coupled with Super Arabian for the PlayStation
compilation Memorial Series
Sunsoft Vol. 1. This compilation was also released for the PlayStation Network download service for the PlayStation 3
, and also became available on Nintendo
's Virtual Console
for 500 Wii Points
in January, 2007.
The game was released as an i-appli java mobile phone application on September 19, 2003. A renewed version titled was released over the SoftBank Mobile and EZweb networks in July, 2006
.
films.
The character's movement is controlled with an 8-way joystick, and pressing the single button allows the player to attack by throwing a sickle
. The direction in which the sickle is thrown cannot be determined by the player, and the weapon will automatically head towards the closest enemy. This forces an emphasis on avoiding attacks rather than attacking aggressively. The right side of the screen displays the player's points, along with a map of the level. The location of koban
coins is displayed on this map, but players must circumvent walls and other barriers to go to those locations. This map is not included in the Famicom version of the game.
Enemy characters include a black or red ninja, bomber ninja, and wild boar (some of these enemies do not appear in the Famicom version). Red ninjas move faster than all of the other characters and are harder to hit, but yield twice as many points. The player loses a life when they come in contact with any of the enemy characters or projectiles. The game ends when the player loses with no lives remaining.
A ghost (or yōkai
) will also appear on occasion, and the player will be unable to throw their sickle if they come in contact with it. The ghost's effect will dissipate if the player touches the jizō or komainu statues which are present on some levels. A grotesque handmaiden may also appear on some levels, and coming in contact with this handmaiden will prevent the player from moving for a short period of time. Though the player can still attack with the sickle in this condition, it becomes impossible to dodge enemy projectiles, making it very difficult to progress. The handmaiden character does not appear in the i-appli mobile phone version.
A level is completed when the player picks up all 8 gold koban coins which are spread throughout the map, or if they capture the daikan (Japanese feudal lord) that can randomly appear during the level. There are 8 levels included in the original game, and the Famicom version contains 4 levels, with 4 more secret levels where the location of the coins is changed. The player returns to the first level after all 8 levels are completed. Completing the cycle twice ends the game in the i-appli version, but the player can continue the game indefinitely in the Famicom version by choosing to ignore the coins and concentrate on fending off the enemies.
(Japanese radish) increase the player's speed, and obtaining a makimono
(Japanese scroll) gives the player an additional life. The leaf item allows the player to duplicate and become invincible, but their attack power remains the same. The smoke item allows the player to advance to the bonus level after completing the current level.
A senryōbako (Japanese treasure chest) appears in non-Famicom versions of the game, and the character's animated expression changes to laughter when it is obtained. However, the player cannot move while this animation lasts, making them very vulnerable to projectile attacks. Like the bamboo spear in the Famicom version, the treasure chest can actually hinder the player's progress. However, the bamboo spear awards the player bonus points when obtained, and the number of points gained by killing enemies increases while the player is in possession of the spear.
. In the Famicom version, the bonus level is accessed by obtaining the smoke item from the jizō statues. The bonus level is played by catching onigiri thrown in random trajectories by a sennin
. The player gains bonus points for every onigiri that they manage to catch, and an extra life is awarded if the player successfully catches all 10 onigiri. However, the character's slow movement makes it difficult to catch all 10 onigiri unless the players cooperate in the multiplayer mode.
In the i-appli version, the narrower width of the game screen makes it easier for the player to catch all 10 onigiri, but the onigiri are thrown at a noticeably faster speed. This type of bonus game became a fixture for SunSoft products, and appears in other games like Dead Zone
(1986
) and Mito Kōmon (1987
).
A "secret letter" appears on-screen after each of the first 8 levels in the Famicom version. The secret letters displayed are E, R, A, W, T, F, O, S, in order, and if the letters are read backwards as indicated in the game's instruction manual, they form the word "SOFTWARE." This code word was required for the gift campaign that was conducted during the game's initial release.
The game's main character, Gonbe, makes a cameo appearance in Atlantis no Nazo
, another SunSoft game.
s and a moe drawing trading card series
, which can be purchased using the coins collected in the main game. The mobile version consists of 7 different levels, and several changes were made to the characters and graphics. The handmaiden character was revived from the i-appli version, and the bamboo spear has the added effect of deflecting enemy projectiles. The ghost enemy is no longer invincible, and the ninja and handmaiden change to kunoichi
and princesses, respectively, as the game progresses.
game, where up to 3 coins can be bet at one time. The second is a concentration game
that requires 10 coins to play. Up to 5 mistakes are allowed per game, and picking the lucky card gives the player 10 bonus coins. The third game is a frog derby game, where the player bets up to 10 coins on the winning frog. The last minigame is the onigiri catching game that was the bonus level in the Famicom version. It also requires 10 coins to play. Though the content is mostly the same, it is impossible to catch all 10 onigiri, as some are thrown off the borders of the game screen. Small and large gold coins are thrown in addition to the onigiri, and 5 onigiri count for 1 gold coin, and 5 small gold coins count for 1 large gold coin.
can be downloaded after a short survey.
Japan
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...
ese arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
originally released by Sunsoft in 1985. The game was released for the Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
) on November 28 of the same year, and is a multi-directional scrolling action game which contains some elements of a top-down shooter
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
. The game is known outside of Japan as Boomerang and Farmers Rebellion.
The game has been ported to numerous other platforms, including the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system as part of the Ultra2000 Sunsoft Classic games compilation, which was released on June 29, 2001. The game has also been coupled with Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi
Tokaido Gojusan-tsugi (video game)
is a side-scrolling action-adventure game developed and published by Sunsoft. The game's full title is . The game was released in Japan on July 3, 1986 for the Family Computer , and has been re-released for several other platforms in video game compilations.The first re-release was made on June 29,...
and Yūyū Sunsoft kessaku-sen 2 (released July 2, 2004), and was coupled with Super Arabian for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
compilation Memorial Series
Memorial Series
The is a series of re-released Famicom video game titles for the Sony PlayStation game console by Japanese developer Sunsoft. Each volume cost 1575 yen .Even Volume 3 is delivered in the game archives as of September 27, 2007.- SunSoft Vol...
Sunsoft Vol. 1. This compilation was also released for the PlayStation Network download service for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and also became available on Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
for 500 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
in January, 2007.
The game was released as an i-appli java mobile phone application on September 19, 2003. A renewed version titled was released over the SoftBank Mobile and EZweb networks in July, 2006
2006 in video gaming
-Events:* January 26, 2006 -- Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.* January 26, 2006 -- Konami Corp...
.
History
Japanese essayist Jun Miura coined the term after playing the Famicom version of Ikki. Regardless, the game still sold reasonably well, and was one of SunSoft's most popular products at the time. The opening animation was not included and the number of levels was decreased to half the original number in the Famicom version. The total game memory of the Famicom version is about 20 kilobytes, which is roughly half that of Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
Gameplay
The game is set in medieval Japan, where a poor farming village is planning an insurrection to overthrow their feudal overlord. However, the only participants in the revolt are the player's character, , and the optional second-player character, , and the player battles against an army of ninjas instead of samurai and foot soldiers. The game displays text in the vertical direction, which was very unusual for a game of the period, and all in-game messages use speech reminiscent of jidaigekiJidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
films.
The character's movement is controlled with an 8-way joystick, and pressing the single button allows the player to attack by throwing a sickle
Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock . Sickles have also been used as weapons, either in their original form or in various derivations.The diversity of sickles that...
. The direction in which the sickle is thrown cannot be determined by the player, and the weapon will automatically head towards the closest enemy. This forces an emphasis on avoiding attacks rather than attacking aggressively. The right side of the screen displays the player's points, along with a map of the level. The location of koban
Koban (Japanese gold coin)
The was a Japanese oval gold coin in Edo period feudal Japan, equal to one ryō, another early Japanese monetary unit. It was a central part of Tokugawa coinage....
coins is displayed on this map, but players must circumvent walls and other barriers to go to those locations. This map is not included in the Famicom version of the game.
Enemy characters include a black or red ninja, bomber ninja, and wild boar (some of these enemies do not appear in the Famicom version). Red ninjas move faster than all of the other characters and are harder to hit, but yield twice as many points. The player loses a life when they come in contact with any of the enemy characters or projectiles. The game ends when the player loses with no lives remaining.
A ghost (or yōkai
Yōkai
are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...
) will also appear on occasion, and the player will be unable to throw their sickle if they come in contact with it. The ghost's effect will dissipate if the player touches the jizō or komainu statues which are present on some levels. A grotesque handmaiden may also appear on some levels, and coming in contact with this handmaiden will prevent the player from moving for a short period of time. Though the player can still attack with the sickle in this condition, it becomes impossible to dodge enemy projectiles, making it very difficult to progress. The handmaiden character does not appear in the i-appli mobile phone version.
A level is completed when the player picks up all 8 gold koban coins which are spread throughout the map, or if they capture the daikan (Japanese feudal lord) that can randomly appear during the level. There are 8 levels included in the original game, and the Famicom version contains 4 levels, with 4 more secret levels where the location of the coins is changed. The player returns to the first level after all 8 levels are completed. Completing the cycle twice ends the game in the i-appli version, but the player can continue the game indefinitely in the Famicom version by choosing to ignore the coins and concentrate on fending off the enemies.
Items
Several new items were made available in the Famicom version. The bamboo spear allows the player to attack by thrusting the spear forwards, but players cannot throw the sickle or attack in other directions during this time. This becomes a disadvantage against enemies that use projectiles, so it is advantageous to ignore the item on some levels. Eating a daikonDaikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
(Japanese radish) increase the player's speed, and obtaining a makimono
Makimono
A Makimono is a Japanese hand scroll, an ink-and-brush painting or calligraphy which is supposed to be held in the hand and unrolls horizontally....
(Japanese scroll) gives the player an additional life. The leaf item allows the player to duplicate and become invincible, but their attack power remains the same. The smoke item allows the player to advance to the bonus level after completing the current level.
A senryōbako (Japanese treasure chest) appears in non-Famicom versions of the game, and the character's animated expression changes to laughter when it is obtained. However, the player cannot move while this animation lasts, making them very vulnerable to projectile attacks. Like the bamboo spear in the Famicom version, the treasure chest can actually hinder the player's progress. However, the bamboo spear awards the player bonus points when obtained, and the number of points gained by killing enemies increases while the player is in possession of the spear.
Bonus level
Players can advance to the bonus level if they obtain an onigiriOnigiri
, also known as or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative...
. In the Famicom version, the bonus level is accessed by obtaining the smoke item from the jizō statues. The bonus level is played by catching onigiri thrown in random trajectories by a sennin
Sennin
The Japanese term sennin is a loanword from Chinese xiānrén 仙人 "immortal person", known also as xian "immortal; transcendent; genie; mage; djinn; sage; hermit" in Daoism....
. The player gains bonus points for every onigiri that they manage to catch, and an extra life is awarded if the player successfully catches all 10 onigiri. However, the character's slow movement makes it difficult to catch all 10 onigiri unless the players cooperate in the multiplayer mode.
In the i-appli version, the narrower width of the game screen makes it easier for the player to catch all 10 onigiri, but the onigiri are thrown at a noticeably faster speed. This type of bonus game became a fixture for SunSoft products, and appears in other games like Dead Zone
Dead Zone (video game)
is a video game developed and published by Sunsoft. It was released only in Japan for the Famicom Disk System on November 20, 1986.-Plot:In the space calendar 0385, the Earth suffers from overpopulation and humans started to build space colonies. Kirk, the protagonist of Dead Zone, works for the...
(1986
1986 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:*Namco releases Sky Kid Deluxe, Hopping Mappy, Toy Pop, The Return of Ishtar, which is the sequel to Tower of Druaga, Genpei Tōma Den, and Rolling Thunder....
) and Mito Kōmon (1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
).
Secrets
The Famicom version consists of 4 different levels, with the fifth level being an alternate version of the first, the sixth being an alternate version of the second, and so on. The difficulty gradually increases as the game progresses, and the game levels loop infinitely. There is no ending screen for the game, and completion of level 99 brings the player to level 00, which is an alternate version of the fourth level. The player returns to level 01 after completing level 00.A "secret letter" appears on-screen after each of the first 8 levels in the Famicom version. The secret letters displayed are E, R, A, W, T, F, O, S, in order, and if the letters are read backwards as indicated in the game's instruction manual, they form the word "SOFTWARE." This code word was required for the gift campaign that was conducted during the game's initial release.
The game's main character, Gonbe, makes a cameo appearance in Atlantis no Nazo
Atlantis no Nazo
is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Sunsoft and released for the Family Computer in 1986. Though the game was never released outside of Japan, a partially translated version titled Super Pitfall 2 was under development by Activision for release in North America...
, another SunSoft game.
Ikki Mobile
The mobile version of Ikki, titled was released by SunSoft in July, 2006, for the SoftBank Mobile and EZweb mobile phone networks. Though the content is identical to that of the previous versions, Ikki Mobile contains a series of minigameMinigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s and a moe drawing trading card series
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
, which can be purchased using the coins collected in the main game. The mobile version consists of 7 different levels, and several changes were made to the characters and graphics. The handmaiden character was revived from the i-appli version, and the bamboo spear has the added effect of deflecting enemy projectiles. The ghost enemy is no longer invincible, and the ninja and handmaiden change to kunoichi
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
and princesses, respectively, as the game progresses.
Minigames
The 4 minigames become available after the player has completed the 7-level cycle at least once. The first is a slot machineSlot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
game, where up to 3 coins can be bet at one time. The second is a concentration game
Concentration (game)
Concentration, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, Shinkei-suijaku, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards...
that requires 10 coins to play. Up to 5 mistakes are allowed per game, and picking the lucky card gives the player 10 bonus coins. The third game is a frog derby game, where the player bets up to 10 coins on the winning frog. The last minigame is the onigiri catching game that was the bonus level in the Famicom version. It also requires 10 coins to play. Though the content is mostly the same, it is impossible to catch all 10 onigiri, as some are thrown off the borders of the game screen. Small and large gold coins are thrown in addition to the onigiri, and 5 onigiri count for 1 gold coin, and 5 small gold coins count for 1 large gold coin.
Trading card series
The gold coins collected during the game can also be used to buy packages of the in-game trading card series (capturing a feudal lord in the mobile version yields a bonus of 10 gold coins). Three random cards are included in each card package, and a set of card consists of 16 different cards. Each set of cards creates a single illustration, and the main game's difficulty increases every 48 cards collected. Completing two sets allows the player to access a special webpage from the title screen, where mobile wallpaperMobile wallpaper
A mobile wallpaper is a computer wallpaper sized to fit a mobile device such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant or digital audio player. Screens range in size from 128x128 to 640x360 and the height is often greater than or equal to the width...
can be downloaded after a short survey.