Keio Flying Squadron series
Encyclopedia
Comprising three separate games, the Keio Flying Squadron series of games (known as "Keio Yuugekitai" in Japan) were released for the Sega Mega-CD
, Sega Saturn
and PlayStation consoles in chronological order respectively. Developed and published by Victor Entertainment
, Inc., each game was primarily a different genre
- 2D shooter, platformer, and "party" dice game. Players assumed the role of Rami Nana-Hikari, a young 14-year-old girl and newly appointed Keeper of the Secret Treasure, a sphere that unlocks a gold reserve set deep in a mountain. The games reference Japanese culture, both ancient and modern simultaneously, and feature frenetic and non-sensical gameplay.
----
In Europe, a demo of the first level of this game was provided by Sega Pro
Magazine. The game ended after the first level, but it turned out that the whole game was actually on the disc, accessible by using a level-select cheat to skip to the second level, and the continuing through the game.
In the second installation of the series the story of Rami's adventures as the Keeper of the Secret Treasure (a sphere passed down through generations of Rami's family) is continued as she races Dr. Pon and a new rival Himiko Yamatai for an ancient treasure that can be unlocked with six spheres. Two of the stages retained the shoot-'em-up style of the first game, however the lesser dragons could be obtained as bonuses only.
Mainly the stages consisted of sidescrolling platformer type stages. They scrolled from right to left on the Japanese version and left to right on all other versions. Several bonuses could be collected including three weapons.
Rami could also bounce on enemies' heads to defeat them.
Besides the platformer and shoot-'em-up stages, there were vertically scrolling special stages, an underwater stage and a rollercoaster stage making the game a multi-genre platformer.
Points spheres could be collect throughout the game and a reward system accessed from the main menu unlocked helpful hints and behind the scenes extras depending on the highest and lowest scores achieved through playing.
- a Keio Yuugekitai Sidestory-" (note that Edo
is the old name of Tokyo
) - no official English title is available, as the game was a Japan-only release.
Rami Nana-hikari
Grandchild of an ancient family with the mission of guarding the key that opens the Ark, Rami wears the traditional Kimono at the beginning of the first game, and later changes into the "Super Ultra Cute Battle Suit" that is nothing more than a bunny girl
costume, complete with bunny ears and tail. In the English version of the games she is said to be an adult perhaps to avoid controversy over the attire that the protagonist wears. Since her birthday is known and the Keio
era ends in 1868, it is impossible for her to be an adult.
Pochi
Rami's pet, always loyal but as lazy as its owner. Pochi has no problems with flying and Shooting fireballs.
Pochi is called Spot in English releases of the series
Himiko Yamatai
Rami's rival, first appearing in Keio Flying Squadron 2, is a princess who claims the spheres rightfully belong to her royal family. She pilots robots called Psy-vee. Himiko is a year younger than Rami according to the English manual of Keio Flying Squadron 2 which would make her 13.
Dr. Pon Eho
A super intelligent racoon that stole Rami's sphere from her. His IQ is 1400. Strangely, he is a member of Greenpeace
.
Sega Mega-CD
The is an add-on device for the Mega Drive video game console, designed and produced by Sega and released in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The device was also released in North America under the name Sega CD, for the Sega Genesis...
, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and PlayStation consoles in chronological order respectively. Developed and published by Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
, Inc., each game was primarily a different genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
- 2D shooter, platformer, and "party" dice game. Players assumed the role of Rami Nana-Hikari, a young 14-year-old girl and newly appointed Keeper of the Secret Treasure, a sphere that unlocks a gold reserve set deep in a mountain. The games reference Japanese culture, both ancient and modern simultaneously, and feature frenetic and non-sensical gameplay.
Games
- Keio Yuugekitai (慶応遊撃隊)\ Keio Flying Squadron (1994 - Sega CD \ Sega Mega CD - Released in Europe, Japan and the United States)
- Keio Yuugekitai Katsugekihen (慶応遊撃隊 活劇編)\ Keio Flying Squadron 2 (1996 - Sega Saturn - Released in Europe and Japan)
- Keio Yuugekitai Okiraku Tamatebako (慶応遊撃隊 お気楽玉手箱) (1996 - Sega Saturn - Japan only omake/demo cd)
- Rami-chan no Oedo Sugoroku -Keio Yuugekitai Gaiden- (蘭未ちゃんの大江戸すごろく慶応遊撃隊外伝) (1998 - Sony PlayStation - Released in Japan)
----
Keio Flying Squadron \ Keio Yuugekitai
Released in 1994 for the Sega CD (Mega CD in Japan), the first game of the series had a simple shoot-'em-up style of play. The game consisted of Rami riding on top of Pochi, who could shoot fireballs at enemies. While Pochi was not firing, two smaller dragons, (Companion fighters), appeared one after another to assist Rami and Spot. The lesser dragons shot smaller fireballs and could be sacrificed to do large damage, only to reappear while Pochi ceased to shoot.In Europe, a demo of the first level of this game was provided by Sega Pro
Sega Pro
Sega Pro was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive...
Magazine. The game ended after the first level, but it turned out that the whole game was actually on the disc, accessible by using a level-select cheat to skip to the second level, and the continuing through the game.
Keio Flying Squadron 2 \ Keio Yuugekitai Katsugekihen
Keio Flying Squadron 2 was released in Japan, Europe and Australia and was critically regarded as a fantastic example of Sega Saturn platform games and is generally considered the highest-acclaimed game to have come out of the Keio Flying Squadron series.In the second installation of the series the story of Rami's adventures as the Keeper of the Secret Treasure (a sphere passed down through generations of Rami's family) is continued as she races Dr. Pon and a new rival Himiko Yamatai for an ancient treasure that can be unlocked with six spheres. Two of the stages retained the shoot-'em-up style of the first game, however the lesser dragons could be obtained as bonuses only.
Mainly the stages consisted of sidescrolling platformer type stages. They scrolled from right to left on the Japanese version and left to right on all other versions. Several bonuses could be collected including three weapons.
- A large malletMalletA mallet is a kind of hammer, usually of rubber,or sometimes wood smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head.-Tools:Tool mallets come in different types, the most common of which are:...
, used only for hitting enemies - An umbrellaUmbrellaAn umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
, used to hit enemies, float and deflect overhead obstacles - A bow, used to arc arrows at enemies
Rami could also bounce on enemies' heads to defeat them.
Besides the platformer and shoot-'em-up stages, there were vertically scrolling special stages, an underwater stage and a rollercoaster stage making the game a multi-genre platformer.
Points spheres could be collect throughout the game and a reward system accessed from the main menu unlocked helpful hints and behind the scenes extras depending on the highest and lowest scores achieved through playing.
Keio Yuugekitai Okiraku Tamatebako
Not actually a part of the game series, this game was a "not for resale" Saturn disc available in Japan (serial number: 610-6321-01). This item had higher quality versions of both the opening FMV and ending movies of the first game, and also featured demo levels from the second episode as well as an art gallery being available both ingame and separately accessible on the CD via a personal computer.Rami-chan no Oedo Sugoroku -Keio Yuugekitai Gaiden-
The final game at this point in the Keio Flying Squadron series was a party game that was released on the Sony PlayStation on 17 September 1998. The title roughly translates to "Rami-chan's Big Edo SugorokuSugoroku
refers to two different forms of Japanese board game, one similar to western backgammon and the other similar to western Snakes and ladders.Sugoroku plays identically to backgammon , except for the following differences:...
- a Keio Yuugekitai Sidestory-" (note that Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
is the old name of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) - no official English title is available, as the game was a Japan-only release.
Characters
- Japanese names are given in the western order, given name first.
Rami Nana-hikari
Grandchild of an ancient family with the mission of guarding the key that opens the Ark, Rami wears the traditional Kimono at the beginning of the first game, and later changes into the "Super Ultra Cute Battle Suit" that is nothing more than a bunny girl
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
costume, complete with bunny ears and tail. In the English version of the games she is said to be an adult perhaps to avoid controversy over the attire that the protagonist wears. Since her birthday is known and the Keio
Keio
was a after Genji and before Meiji. The period spanned the years from April 1865 to September 1868. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
era ends in 1868, it is impossible for her to be an adult.
- Voiced by Miho KannoMiho Kannois a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is Kanchan . She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan.- Biography :In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called Sakurakko Kurabu Sakura Gumi after passing the orientation for the TV variety show Sakurakko Kurabu...
Pochi
Rami's pet, always loyal but as lazy as its owner. Pochi has no problems with flying and Shooting fireballs.
Pochi is called Spot in English releases of the series
Himiko Yamatai
Rami's rival, first appearing in Keio Flying Squadron 2, is a princess who claims the spheres rightfully belong to her royal family. She pilots robots called Psy-vee. Himiko is a year younger than Rami according to the English manual of Keio Flying Squadron 2 which would make her 13.
- Voiced by Kanai Mika
Dr. Pon Eho
A super intelligent racoon that stole Rami's sphere from her. His IQ is 1400. Strangely, he is a member of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
.
- Voiced by Yanami Jôji
External links
- soaringrabbit.com - Encyclopedic website full of Keio Flying Squadron facts.