Game: Mizubaku Daibouken
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
System: PC Engine (HuCard)
Release date: 1992
One way to translate the Japanese title of this game into English, or so I've been told, is to call it Water Bomb Adventure. That's certainly an apt way to describe this quirky little platformer, which stars a platypus--yeah, I know the folks at Taito say he's a hippopotomus, but there's no way the paunchy protagonist is anything other than an Ornithorhynchus anatinus--who throws, you guessed it, giant balls of water at innumerable foes as he waddles through levels pulled from the pages Platformers for Dummies. His journey--to save his kidnapped girlfriend, naturally--begins easily enough, with straightforward stages filled to the brim with enemies who put up little to no resistance, but it rapidly rachets up in intensity. That's OK, though, because the Parasol Stars-esque sights you'll see and the hummable tunes you'll hear along the way help make it all worthwhile--assuming, of course, you didn't drop too much cash to procure your copy of the game (an unfortunately all-too-common occurrence given its Bubble Bobble connection).
See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts
Hm. I think I need to find a video of this one in action.
ReplyDeleteHere's a video of the PC Engine version, Justin -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKuiPuKVjiE
ReplyDeleteAnd here's a video of the Saturn version, which basically is a direct port of the arcade original -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpTg1ahel0c
Oh, and one more thing: My favorite part of the game is the thrill that comes with tossing the "water bombs" at enemies. For some reason it's quite enjoyable and addicting :)
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this one but it's worth buying for that cover alone :P
ReplyDeleteHm. I kind of see a hippo...but I'm looking REALLY hard.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun one, Simon. Not the best platformer ever, mind you, or even the best platformer on the PC Engine, but it's a nice, fun one all the same :)
ReplyDeleteJustin: I think you can see a hippo if you get drunk and then look at the game with your eyes crossed. Ha!
ReplyDelete