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7:27 pm
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February 11, 2012
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Here’s another one of those under the radar gems that plenty of people may have missed out on. It’s a platformer that has a cutesy feel and is very Japanese. Check out this review and post your thoughts below.
9:44 am
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August 21, 2012
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So how’s the review, guys? The review felt a bit rushed IMO so I apologize for that.
Check out my deviantart! - http://marktheshark274.deviantart.com/
8:52 pm
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February 11, 2012
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I thought it was another good effort. It gave very informative tidbits about the Japanese version of the game I didn’t know about.
I would have liked to have seen more gameplay discussion; More of what it feels like to play this game. Giving personal examples of your experience with a game adds to the quality of a review, in my opinion.
But all in all, it’s a good review! Thank you for contributing to this website and helping it to grow. Not many people visit this little site yet, but as more and more people become aware of SNES Hub, the reviews you’ve donated will be invaluable to gamers looking for good games to play. 
5:41 am
July 27, 2012
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Dang, I love this game. I forked out the money to get the SFC version CIB (Kiki Kaikai), although the sequel goes for even more money than that. I also picked up the PC Engine version, which doesn’t go for very much money. The PCE version is a port of the arcade version, which I’ve had the opportunity to play once. I think it must’ve had the difficulty setting turned up, because it really kicked my butt and my 100 yen disappeared very fast.
Anyhow, the SNES/SFC version is so much of an improvement over the original arcade/PCE version. Although I wouldn’t call it a “shmup,” since shmups are defined as fixed scrolling shooters. Pocky & Rocky is more of a run-n-gun, like Commando or Ikari Warriors.
The game’s main character Sayo-chan (or Pocky in the English version) is a miko, or shrine maiden/shaman woman. I’m no expert on the Shinto religion, but I’d say that they are similar to nuns, as they are virgins consecrated to serving at a shrine. Wearing loose-fitting, flowing red pants and a white coat, miko are easily identifiable in so many anime and video games. Sakura in Urusei Yatsura, Rei in Sailor Moon, Kikyo in Inuyasha, the Hiiragi twins in Lucky Star, and Koyori in Sengoku Blade are popular examples. As typical of miko characters, Sayo-chan has two main weapons:
- Ofuda. are talisman papers with the name of a kami (“god”) written in kanji on one side. These are like incantations and are often pasted to walls to ward off evil spirits to prevent accidents, sickness, disease, bad luck, space herpes etc. I cannot claim to know much about the shinto religion, but I have seen these used as weapons in the various outlets of my otaku media intake. Rei from Sailor Moon will often toss these at her enemies, and maiko in video games tend to use ofuda as weapons when thrown as projectiles.
- Harai-gushi. This is commonly referred to as a “purification rod.” Harai means to drive away or cast out, and kushi/gushi is a stick. Harai-gushi are a rod with a bundle of zig-zag white papers tied together. These are shaken like a pom-pom and are used for purification ceremonies. Basically, the harai-gushi are used to exorcise evil spirits. Sayo-chan uses her purification rod to beat the crap out of her enemies for close combat.
6:09 pm
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February 11, 2012
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Thanks for those snippets of Japanese culture, Greg. I’m really fascinated by the Japanese way of life and considered moving and living there at one time.
I attempted learning the language before, but lose motivation each time. Perhaps SFC could rekindle my passion to learn Japanese.
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