The best PC Engine game manuals (I've seen)

NEC's PC Engine was and is beloved around the world for a lot of reasons, including the console's small footprint, its credit card-sized cartridges (called HuCards) and its eclectic library of games.

Another reason that should be added to that list, in my opinion: the drop-dead gorgeous instruction manuals that were packed inside many PC Engine game cases.

Speaking of which, I consider the manuals below to be among the system's best. Before you start scrolling through them, understand that this post shouldn't be considered exhaustive. I certainly haven't flipped through every PC Engine instruction manual in existence, after all. I have pored over a good number of them, though, so I'd say my thoughts on the matter are as valid as anyone's in this area.

With all that out of the way, here are my personal picks for "best PC Engine game manuals."



Don Doko Don--Something you need to know right off the bat when it comes to the instruction booklets produced for this system's games: the ones that accompanied Taito-made and Namco-made titles are the most impressive. I especially like Taito's PC Engine manuals. They're crude in a way that Namco's aren't, but I find that aspect to be surprisingly charming. Don Doko Don's is a perfect example of this. It's bursting with monochromatic depictions of this single-screen platformer's protagonists, enemies, bosses and items that are simple, yet captivating. To see the entirety of this HuCard's how-to pamphlet, by the way, check out my "Manual Stimulation" post devoted to it. You also may want to spend a few seconds or even minutes ogling The New Zealand Story's manual, which is similarly appealing.



Hany on the Road--It's a crying shame that this oddball platformer's instruction manual is so short. Not only is it full of vibrant color and adorable enemy illustrations, but it features a handful of wow-worthy clay models. A few more pages of the latter would've been warmly welcomed by yours truly. Still, the artists and designers at publisher FACE deserve kudos for offering up a booklet that's more beautiful than it has any right to be, regardless of its length. (FYI: the whole she-bang can be viewed here.)



Mizubaku Daibouken--In some ways, Mizubaku Daibouken's manual impresses me more than Don Doko Don's. As nice as the latter title's booklet is, the former's is a lot more adventurous. For starters, it kicks off with a multi-page comic that shares the game's backstory. It also uses eye-popping illustrations to introduce Mizubaku Daibouken's many worlds (see above) and explain its controls. That it wraps up with black-and-white doodles of some of this arcade port's enemy characters is the icing on the proverbial cake. Experience all of the above for yourself by perusing my "Manual Stimulation: Mizubaku Daibouken" write-up.



PC Genjin 2--Why did I choose PC Genjin 2's instruction booklet over those of the series' first or third entries? For me, the original PC Genjin's manual is a smidgen too safe. No one would use that word to describe the ambitious PC Genjin 3 manual, but I feel pretty comfortable calling it "a bit much." I love that it's bursting with color, and I appreciate its enemy illustrations, but taken as a whole it's nearly seizure-enducing. The PC Genjin 2 pamphlet provides some of the same thrills but without the headache that's sure to follow in their wake.



Pop'n Magic--I guess it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the manual made for a Bubble Bobble clone is as cute and colorful as can be. That said, the ones produced for genre mates Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars are flat-out duds, as far as I'm concerned, so I'm fine with expressing some shock at the verve showcased in this Riot release's how-to booklet. The spread above is my favorite of this pamphlet's many pages, but that's not to suggest the remainder are stinkers. Decide for yourself by taking a magnifying glass to my "Manual Stimulation: Pop'n Magic" post.



Valkyrie no Densetsu--As I've said before, Namco's PC Engine games haven't always been favorites of mine. Thankfully, I pulled my head out of my butt some time ago and realized the bulk of them are well worth owning and playing--even if they aren't perfect replicas of their arcade counterparts. In general that's due to their attractive graphics and gameplay, but it's also due to their beautiful manuals. Valkyrie no Densetsu's (see it in all its glory here) is the best of the bunch, if you ask me, but even turds like Barunba came with booklets capable of taking your breath away.

For more awesome PC Engine game manuals, check out these "Manual Stimulation" posts or head over to Video Game Den and peruse that site's HuCard and CD-ROM2 sections.

Five overlooked PC Engine games you need to play as soon as possible

Of all the old systems I still spend time playing (and still spend money on), the PC Engine probably is the one with the most picked-over game catalog.

What I mean by that is there aren't many "hidden gems" in its library. Very few of the lesser-known or oft-ignored HuCards and CDs released for the console are must-buy or must-try titles, in my opinion.

Still, I'd say the handful below fit that bill. So if you're looking for a new PC Engine game or two (or five) to pick up and play, you could do worse than try the following. (And if you're looking for five Japanese PlayStation games you've overlooked and need to play ASAP, erm, click the embedded link to the left.)

Gekisha Boy--OK, so this Irem-made side-scroller isn't exactly an unknown quantity. I'd definitely say it doesn't get as much love as it deserves, though. I mean, a game that looks and sounds as interesting as this one does really should have a higher profile. (Listen to an example of its soundtrack in this recent post.) Plus, Gekisha Boy's gameplay is unlike almost any other title--PC Engine or otherwise--I've experienced. For that reason alone, I'd highly recommend trying it if you have the means and the time.

Hany on the Road--This Arc-made and Face-published HuCard is far more overlooked than the one discussed above. Don't expect it to be quite the treasure Gekisha Boy is, however. In all honesty, Hany on the Road is an imperfect game. Although its gameplay (which recalls Capcom's SonSon) is unique, it could be argued that it's not exactly compelling. I don't agree with those critics, mind you, but even if I did I'd still suggest giving it a chance--especially if you've already experienced better-known PC Engine platformers like Mizubaku Daibouken, Parasol Stars and the PC Genjin titles--because it tries something different.

Obocchama-kun--Namco released a whole lot of games (some arcade ports, some original efforts) for the PC Engine back in the day, and many of them are now fondly remembered classics. A few examples: Dragon Spirit, Galaga '88, Marchen Maze, Pac-Land, Pro Tennis World Court, Splatterhouse, The Tower of Druaga and Valkyrie no Densetsu. Obocchama-kun isn't one of them. That surprises me, as I've always found it to be a nice (and silly) change of pace from the console's many other platformers. So, if you've played more than your fair share of Adventure Island and Bikkuriman World, check out Obocchama-kun. (Bonus: a complete-in-box copy shouldn't cost you more than about $20 these days.)

Pop'n Magic--Everybody likes a good Bubble Bobble clone, right? That's what I've always thought, at least, but you wouldn't know it based on this game's shockingly low profile. Most who are aware of Pop'n Magic, though, love it. In fact, one swears it's better than the mighty Parasol Stars. I wouldn't go that far, but I agree that Pop'n Magic is a stellar experience in its own right. Its protagonists are every bit as cute as you would expect from the genre and its backing tunes are honest-to-goodness bops. Most importantly, though, Pop'n Magic's gameplay differs just enough from its competitors to seem like a breath of fresh air--even if you've worn out your Don Doko Don HuCard and Rainbow Islands CD.

Tricky--I've got to be honest here: I long ignored this Alfa System-developed and IGS-published puzzler because of its Japanese cover art, which I considered to be sub-par. (Still, it's miles better than the North American counterpart.) I also wasn't much of a fan of Tricky's in-game graphics. For whatever reason, though, I eventually shoved those negative opinions aside and put a few minutes into the game. That's all I needed to change my tune. Hell, after playing Tricky for a bit, I've even come to like its spritework, which is no doubt rough but also displays plenty of charm. If only I could finish a few more of its levels. (Seriously, most of them stump me to the point that I wonder if my brain has stopped functioning.)

Note: all of the screenshots included in this post were taken from the wonderful Video Game Den

PC Engine game recommendations for #PlatforMonth

Before we get to the PC Engine game recommendations that are promised in the header above, how about we deal the question that's sure to be on some of your minds: what in the heck is #PlatforMonth?

The answer, my dear readers, is that #PlatforMonth is yet another of Anne "apricotsushi" Lee's monthly game-alongs, with this one focusing on--you guessed it--platformers.

So why'd I decide to focus on must-play (in my opinion, naturally) PC Engine platformers in this post? Well, my original plan was to cover a whole slew of systems, but when I got to the PC Engine portion of said post I couldn't stop coming up with titles to recommend. So, I decided to devote an entire post to NEC's "little white wonder," as I like to call it.

Don't worry, I'm going to publish a second post that offers up platformer recommendations for other consoles and handhelds in a couple of days. For the time being, through, let's keep our minds trained on PC Engine run-and-jumpers.

Speaking of which, I know I could wrap up this post right here and now by suggesting you play all three of Red Company's PC Genjin--or Bonk, if you're a TurboGrafx-16 kind of guy or gal--titles, but I'd rather introduce folks to some new experiences this time around, such as:

Hany on the Road--Admittedly, this probably isn't the best place to begin a post like this one. After all, Hany on the Road isn't exactly a textbook example of the genre. Still, there's a lot of running and jumping to be done if you want to beat it, so why not include it here? As for how it plays: if you've played Capcom's ancient arcade game, Son Son, you've basically played this one, too--although I think Hany looks better and is more challenging than its archaic predecessor.

Jigoku Meguri--One lesson I learned some time ago is that the people who used to develop games for Taito know how to produce a top-tier platformer. This game--an arcade conversion, actually--is a prime example. At first, it appears to be your average side-scrolling, run-and-jump title--except for the fact that the shiny-headed protagonist is able to launch human-sized beads of various colors at his demonic foes. That simple action single-handed makes Jigoku Meguri a joy to play, by the way. There's just something fun about running around and tossing as many beads or marbles or whatever they're supposed to be at anything and everything in your way.

Mizubaku Daibouken--If you took Jigoku Meguri and exchanged its underworld setting for a bright and cheery one that wouldn't seem out of place in Rainbow Islands or Parasol Stars (two more Taito joints, coincidentally enough) and switched out its monk-like protagonist for the most adorable pixelated platypus you're ever likely to see, you'd have Mizubaku Daibouken (aka Liquid Kids outside of Japan). The only real difference: in the latter, the character you control tosses water bubbles at baddies rather than multi-hued prayer beads. If you've only got the budget or attention span for one of these two games, I say go for this one, although both are well worth your time if you've got money and mindshare to spare.

The New Zealand Story--One slight problem with the bulk of the titles discussed here so far is that a good number of them are ports of arcade games. That's rarely, if ever, a bad thing when it comes to Taito, though, so I say go with it. Of course, I'd say "go with it" in the case of this game even if it were a bit subpar, as it stars a cute-as-buttons kiwi bird who utilizes an array of weapons (including arrows, bombs and laser guns) and vehicles (balloons, blimps and even UFOs among them) to battle and/or avoid a menagerie of surprisingly relentless foes. Another of The New Zealand Story's positive attributes, in my opinion: its sometimes-perplexing, maze-like stages. Just do your best to ignore this iteration's ear-splitting soundtrack.

Obocchama-kun--Finally, an original effort! And I mean "original" in every possible way in the case of this odd-as-a-duck platformer, which focuses on the bratty star of Yoshinori Kobayashi's satirical manga from the 1980s. Like The New Zealand Story, Obocchama-kun takes platformer fans to some strange and unique places--chief among them being the kooky cast of allies (my favorite being the crying teen who seemingly flings what appears to be hairbrushes at enemies) players can summon into action, although its eccentric bosses are pretty great, too. (For more on this HuCard, check out my "Great Gaymathon" review of it.)

You may have noticed that I've left a bunch of this system's single-screen platformers (aka Bubble Bobble clones) off this list. I made a concerted effort to do that, actually, as I could have filled this post with such games.

Should you prefer to play a single-screen platformer rather than a garden-variety one during #PlatforMonth, however, here are the PC Engine releases I'd most recommend: Don Doko Don, Parasol Stars, Pop'n Magic and Rainbow Islands.

Five favorites: non-Hudson, non-Konami, non-Namco, non-Taito PC Engine HuCards

I know, I know--the premise of this post is completely ridiculous. Why on earth would you limit such a list rather than open it up to include all of the PC Engine's non-CD games? Because I didn't want it to include the usual suspects (you know, like Galaga '88, Gunhed, Parasol Stars and PC Genjin), that's why.

As you read through this post, by the way, please keep in mind that the games mentioned here represent a selection of my personal favorites for the system in question. In other words, I don't necessarily think they are among the PC Engine's "best," although that may be the case when it comes to one or two of them.

1. Coryoon--The good news about this Naxat-made shmup: it's one of the cutest and most colorful examples of the genre. The bad news: it'll cost you a pretty penny if you want to get your hands on a copy. As such, it's hard to recommend unless you've got deep pockets and also consider yourself a huge fan of horizontal cute 'em ups in the vein of Parodius or, especially, PC Denjin (aka Air Zonk).

2. Gekisha Boy--It's no secret that the PC Engine was home to a lot of weird games. Unfortunately, a good number of them aren't worth more than a few minutes (if that) of your time. This "action photography" title, developed by Tomcat System and published by Irem, is quite the opposite thanks to its ably drawn graphics and its unique-even-today gameplay (that tasks players with snapping photos of interesting people and events while avoiding various obstacles).

3. Hany on the Road--Speaking of weird PC Engine games, this particular HuCard belongs in the "Weird PC Engine Game" Hall of Fame should one ever be created. That's due in part to the game's protagonist, a toddling haniwa figure that looks more than a bit like an anthropomorphic condom, but it's also due to its gameplay, which appealingly recalls (while also approving upon) the platforming antics of classic quarter-munchers like Capcom's SonSon and Konami's Mr. Goemon. (For more on this game, by the way, read my "Great Gaymathon" review of it here.)

Manual Stimulation: Hany on the Road (PC Engine)

After thinking about it for quite some time, I've come to the conclusion that the manual made for FACE's weirdo platformer, Hany on the Road, is, without question, among the best ever produced for the PC Engine.

That's due in large part to the game's awesomely colorful, clay-figure-populated cover:



Thankfully, those same clay figures (or at least I think they're clay figures) appear throughout Hany on the Road's manual, as is evident from the very first pages (such as the ones below).



Another thing I'm thankful for when it comes to Hany on the Road's instruction manual: It features (in the lower-right corner of the following page) a modeled-out-of-clay 10-ton weight. OK, so the crying dragon--also made out of clay, of course--is kind of cool, too.

Pixelated PC Engine

Anyone who has been coming to this blog for any amount of time knows that I'm a big fan of the 16-bit system called the PC Engine. (Hell, I even started a second blog--I Was a Teenage PC Engine Fan--dedicated to this awesome console, although I haven't updated it in ages.)

There are a ton of reasons I've been enamored with this "little system that could" since I was a teen, of course. The main one is that the console itself--which is the size of about three CD cases stacked on top of one another--is the definition of cool (and sleek). Another reason: Its games are packed onto credit-card-sized cartridges known as HuCards. Oh, and then there's the content of said HuCards: Colorful, quirky titles like Coryoon, Hany on the Road, Obocchama Kun and PC Genjin are the rule rather than the exception when it comes to the PC Engine catalog.

I bring all of this up in order to explain the illustration below, which otherwise may confuse some of you.

It was created by a German artist who calls himself (on Flickr, at least) bartotainment. It caught my attention while perusing Flickr recently because I could tell what the illustration was supposed to represent even before I saw its (rather straightforward) title.

To see more of bartotainment's work, check out his Flickr photostream or what I believe to be his blog, PIXELkitsch.

See also: Previous PC Engine posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #33: Hany on the Road (PC Engine)

Game: Hany on the Road

Genre: Platformer

Developer: FACE

Publisher: FACE

System: PC Engine

Release date: 1990

The titular protagonist in this game and in Hany in the Sky--a peculiar shoot 'em up that was released in 1989--takes a lot of crap these days for looking like an anthropomorphic prophylactic. Although understandable, such point-and-laugh attitudes cause a lot of people to overlook these  games in general and this unique platformer--honestly, I've never played anything like it--in particular. That's a shame, especially when it comes to Hany on the Road, which has players race through a series of scrolling, multi-planed (or maybe I should say "multi-roaded," given the game's title) stages in order to ... actually, I can't remember why you're supposed to race through this game. I'm guessing it's so you can rescue the protagonist's kidnapped girlfriend, Lemon? Whatever the reason, the journey is plenty pleasant thanks in large part to the game's attractive, colorful and delightfully varied graphics (each level pretty much has its own look) as well as its jaunty soundtrack. Hany's travels aren't without their travails, however; there are times when "the little condom that could," as I like to call him, feels a tad slippery, for instance, and there are other times when he's a bit too speedy. Also, his lone method of attack--a backflip kick--can be difficult to time, which likely prompts most people to play the game as I do: By jumping over or otherwise avoiding the game's baddies--a number of whom are depicted in the cover art above--rather than confronting them head-on.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts