(11/7/2015 - 11/13/2015) Game of the Week: Genpei Toumaden

[SamIAm]

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November 7 - November 13 : Genpei Toumaden
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(chosen by VenomMacbeth)

Just in time to still make Saturday on this one. Phew! And now, to turn things over to VenomMacbeth, who wrote up a very nice blurb for us.

Ahem.

Ah, this game.  I'm not exactly sure when or how I actually discovered it, but it ended up on my PSP one day in the PS1 Namco Museum port.  I remember playing it at my friend's house, as my antisocial ass often did, but this game caught his attention.  "This game looks crazy..." I can remember him saying.  It is crazy.

In Genpei Toumaden, you play as the fabulously red-haired undead samurai Taira no Kagekiyo, returned from the afterlife by a cackling witch in order to exact revenge on his clan's mortal nemeses, the Minamoto, who sold their souls to demons in exchange for the power to conquer Japan.  All this is deeply rooted in The Tale of the Heike, a sort of pseudo-fictional Japanese novel which chronicled the historical Genpei war, albeit with fantastical embellishments.

Now that the history lesson is out of the way, where does that leave the game itself?  At first glance, it doesn't look like much.  You begin the game in small mode, which plays similarly to platforming games like Ninja Gaiden, which it predates (I think...Genpei Toumaden was released in 86, not sure about NG) wherein you run forward, navigate some platforms (some of which can move right out from under you), collecting money and power-ups, and performing spectacular jumps which can be prolonged by rapidly tapping the jump button, or by using a turbo switch.  An odd mechanic, but it does add a feel of frantic intensity to the game.  If you're unlucky enough to slip into a pitfall, you'll be sent to hell where you can either buy your way out in the pool of blood ("even hell depends on money") or you can take a gamble & see if the gods will allow you to continue your game.  The next game type, big mode, is the most impressive of the three.  The sprites are huge, and Kagekiyo even features some rotation in his attack animation.  You'd be forgiven for dismissing these portions as goofy-looking, but in 1986, graphics like this just weren't commonplace.  The whole thing gives off a sort of Yamato-e-meets-Monty-Python-cut-out-animation vibe that I absolutely love.  Controls here are, again, somewhat awkward, but if you think of the D-pad as controlling not only yourself, but also your sword, that'll help you to wrap your head around it.  These segments are usually culminated in a boss fight, or a character encounter of some sort, like the chanting biwa player who's melodies become frolicking creatures intent on your demise.

The third mode of gameplay, plane mode, is similar to Gauntlet or Dungeon Explorer in that the viewpoint is overhead & enemies usually spawn from "generators", although many enemies do this in the small mode as well.  The main object of the game is collecting three sacred artifacts: a jewel (which renders you invulnerable to poison), the sword of kusanagi (stops your sword from taking damage) and a mirror (invulnerability to electricity).  All of these are necessary to defeat the final boss, leader of the Minimoto clan, Yoritomo.

The PC Engine version of this game makes a couple of sacrifices to fit on the Hucard format, but everything that matters is still there.  Some areas lack the parallax layers of the arcade version, but that's to be expected.  Music sounds different, but it's pretty faithful considering the non-FM sound hardware.  This game has possibly more voice samples than I've ever heard on one hucard, carrying over most if not all samples from the arcade version (in lower-quality, of course).  There's also a hidden options menu which allows you to adjust the difficulty (highly recommended; the game is quite punishing in the default setting.)  This is one where you'll benefit from watching a longplay before going into it, so you know where to find the treasures.  Alternatively, when you reach the last plane-mode level, there is a set of gates that'll allow you to backtrack to earlier levels.  However, the game is pretty challenging & the latter portion of the game has some platforming sections that'll utterly destroy your patience.  All these knocks aside, though, there's something about the game that really draws me in.  Maybe it's all the historical Japanese themes?  Maybe it's the colorful, vibrant artwork?  The unrelenting pace & difficulty?  Shit, the game sends death birds after you if you dawdle too long in a level.  Then there are those rare epic moments of overcoming overwhelming odds, like running up the back of a dragon & slashing it in the head, or navigating a particularly precarious set of moving platforms.  The whole thing almost feels like a dream, or like a visual version of some fantastic, epic tale...which it basically is.  If you can get past the soul-crushing difficulty, awkward controls, and unorthodox sprite work, then hopefully you'll find an experience that you'll enjoy as much as I did. 

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GOTW Schedule:
1. 8/22/2015 - 8/28/2015: Override (lukester)
2. 8/29/2015 - 9/4/2015: Rondo of Blood (o.pwuaioc)
3. 9/5/2015 - 9/11/2015: Street Fighter 2 (Nec.Game.head)
4. 9/12/2015 - 9/18/2015: Bloody Wolf (Gentlegamer)
5. 9/19/2015 - 9/25/2015: Kabuki Itoryodan (Sadler)
6. 9/26/2015 - 10/2/2015: R-Type (crazydean)
7. 10/3/2015 - 10/9/2015: Fray CD: Xak Gaiden (nullity)
8. 10/10/2015 - 10/16/2015: Wizardry 3&4 (BigusSchmuck)
9. 10/17/2015 - 10/23/2015: Lords of Thunder (SamIAm)
10. 10/24/2015 - 10/30/2015: TV Sports Hockey (gredler)
11. 10/31/2015 - 11/6/2015: Blazing Lazers (escarioth)
12. 11/7/2015 - 11/13/2015: Genpei Toumaden (VenomMacbeth)
13. 11/14/2015 - 11/20/2015: Hyper Wars (_joshuaTurbo)
14. 11/21/2015 - 11/27/2015: Drop Off (turboswimbz)
15. 11/28/2015 - 12/4/2015: World Court Tennis (grolt)
16. 12/5/2015 - 12/11/2015: Atlantean (jtucci331)
17. 12/12/2015 - 12/18/2015: SideArms (Punch)
18. 12/19/2015 - 12/25/2015: Galaxy Dekka Gayvan (tknjin)
19. 12/26/2015 - 12/31/2015: Asuka 120% Burning Fest Maxima (Sarumaru)
20. OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!!

Rules:
-All members are allowed one submission. When there are no further submissions, we will have a reset and everyone will be able to submit another game.
-Each game may only be submitted once.
-If you wish to retract your submission, please do so at least two weeks before your game is due. Your next submission will go to the back of the cue.
-Please don't submit games that have a high language barrier or will take too long to complete (particularly RPGs).

[lukester]

I like the sequel, Samurai Ghost. It's worth it for the visuals alone.

Genpei toumaden is something I cannot get into though. I've given it a few honest tries, but the gameplay is too messy and unfocused.

[VenomMacbeth]

I like the sequel, Samurai Ghost. It's worth it for the visuals alone.

Genpei toumaden is something I cannot get into though. I've given it a few honest tries, but the gameplay is too messy and unfocused.

I've beaten Samurai Ghost more times than I have its predecessor, and I agree that it is a far more accessible and visually appealing game.  I love the bosses' entrance animations.  Samurai Ghost is a perfectly logical console transition for the series, as a lot of the frustrating arcade-like difficulties that were present in the first game were ironed out.

[Punch]

Recommended watch:

[johnnykonami]

I haven't spent a lot of time with the sequel, but I prefer the original game at least as far as presentation goes.  There's something about all the different scales and viewpoints that makes the whole experience great to me.  It's almost the same sort of feeling I got from Blaster Master - One minute you're driving Sophia the 3rd, then all the sudden you can pop out and go for a walk and you're tiny in comparison to your vehicle.  Then if you go into a cave or something, you've got the same character scaled up to fit the action.  Genpei Toumaden has some of those same characteristics.  I just love that they scale the game out and give you a smaller sprite to give a sense of how large some of the creatures you fight are.  I am not sure about Samurai Ghost, so correct me if wrong (as I have been many times on this forum!) but I think they distilled it down to just the large character view only.  And since it was released in NA, I saw it long before I knew what it's predecessor was.  When I was a kid, I thought it looked kinda dorky with the long red hair and the weird puppet-esque limbs.  I can appreciate it more for what it is nowadays though, and I mean to give it some real effort one day.

[grolt]

Great write-up, Venom.  I've played and enjoyed Samurai Ghost but had no idea the predecessor was a much different game.  I love games that work in different play modes and perspectives (johnnykonami's mention of Blaster Master is apropos, and I'd add the great NES Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to that list too).  Went out and ordered this one straight away, and to my surprise it was one of the least expensive PC Engine games I've come across.  Excited to play it soon.

[shawnji]

I only remember this from watching Arino try to clear it on Game Center CX.  The fact that dying after the mid-way point of the game always sends you back to Kyoto is probably one reason I never got around to playing it.  It seemed like a harsh punishment that late in the game.

[VenomMacbeth]

Great write-up, Venom.  I've played and enjoyed Samurai Ghost but had no idea the predecessor was a much different game.  I love games that work in different play modes and perspectives (johnnykonami's mention of Blaster Master is apropos, and I'd add the great NES Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to that list too).  Went out and ordered this one straight away, and to my surprise it was one of the least expensive PC Engine games I've come across.  Excited to play it soon.

I, too, love a game that uses several different gameplay types. At least Genpei Toumaden is better than Bayou Billy!

I only remember this from watching Arino try to clear it on Game Center CX.  The fact that dying after the mid-way point of the game always sends you back to Kyoto is probably one reason I never got around to playing it.  It seemed like a harsh punishment that late in the game.

It is indeed, and to make matters worse, one of the items is found before you get to Kyoto I think, so dying is even more of an inconvenience.  I chalk it up to typical ball-wrenching arcade quarter-munchiness, and can understand how that doesn't necessarily make for a good console experience, but the addition of turbo switches & a difficulty setting make it much more palatable.  I'd still start over/stop playing entirely if I died though...

[martinine]

I just picked this up due to the review. I love it! Thanks for giving a solid review. It is "ball-munching" arcade hard though!

[VenomMacbeth]

I just picked this up due to the review. I love it! Thanks for giving a solid review. It is "ball-munching" arcade hard though!

Super glad you dig it!  This game needs a bigger audience, though I fear it may only appeal to weeaboos like myself... -.-'

[csgx1]

I finally had a chance to play through this game. Interesting game and I like almost everything about it except the difficulty. Definitely "soul crushing difficulty" as I died so many times, especially the stage with the flying dragon.

Almost gave up until I lowered the difficulty in the hidden menu.  Anyone know what the third setting in the menu does?

Not for everyone, but it's cheap and I enjoyed playing through it.

[VenomMacbeth]

I finally had a chance to play through this game. Interesting game and I like almost everything about it except the difficulty. Definitely "soul crushing difficulty" as I died so many times, especially the stage with the flying dragon.

Almost gave up until I lowered the difficulty in the hidden menu.  Anyone know what the third setting in the menu does?

Not for everyone, but it's cheap and I enjoyed playing through it.

I believe the third setting toggled the intermissions where Andaba talks to you on/off.  Not quite sure why that's an option, it's not like the sequences are long.

Lowering the difficulty really saves the game for me.  I can't beat it otherwise.  The game does get much easier after you find the three treasures, until you come to the final fight with Benkei with all the bouncing spike balls everywhere.  Getting through that is an exercise in dumb luck.

[Spooky]

Not a fan of the PCE port, but that's mainly due to the butchered soundtrack. Absolutely love Genpei Toumaden on the PS1 and X68000, though.

I first played the PS1 version of it a few years back, after reading an interview where George Kamitani mentioned it being an influence on Muramasa. Though I came away not liking it (being sent all the way back to Kyoto for the 274th time does that to a person,) there was a certain something about the game that made it stand out to me. A surreal, kind of 'disorienting' quality to it that few games possess. Probably a combination of the things that Sam mentioned, plus the constant genre-hopping and seemingly illogical design choices (Kagekiyo has to move along with platforms manually? Getting out of Yomi alive depends on a game of chance? What is this sorcery?!)

I revisited the game a while back after looking up a guide, and since then it's become quite possibly my favorite Namco game of all time (although Legend of Valkyrie does give it a run for its money)

In regards to its console-exclusive sequel Samurai Ghost, I understand why many prefer it over its predecessor, but I couldn't disagree with the sentiment more. Yes, Genpei Toumaden is extremely cryptic, controls awkwardly, and can be very punishing if you walk into the game blind. Yes, Samurai Ghost is less confusing, more visually appealing, and infinitely more welcoming to newcomers. I'll still take Genpei (idiosyncrasies and all) over the more accessible Samurai Ghost any day of the week. Genpei has an actual spark to it that made me want to learn to play by its rules, and overcome the awkwardness of the system. SG's polished up controls (especially the 'parry' maneuver) trivialized the game's difficulty, the removal of Small Mode and Overhead Mode made it more monotonous, and the replay value (not to mention initial playtime) is greatly diminished in comparison to Genpei. Not a bad game by any means... just can't hold a candle to the original, is all.

Sorry about the rant, I tend to get defensive when SG is touted as the superior game. Carry on! 

[esteban]

I tried playing the Famicom and PCE version of Genpei Toumaden years ago (15?) and I made a little headway before crying and shrugging my shoulders in failure.

After reading this thread, and other favorable posts from the past decade, I am curious to see if if I can actually enjoy the damn game.