Written: 10.9.06 Acquired: 9.14.06 Status: Cart only Price: $13.50
Publisher: Takara
Released: 10.22.93
Developer: Takara
Scarcity: 3.5
Based on the famous Japanese TV anime, you pick Tomomi or Mikage (twin girls with supernatural powers) and traverse platforming stages with mini-games thrown in for good measure. You begin with 3 hearts and up to 5 can be stored by collecting fruit. The levels are so colorful you just may go blind
Like Ashibe there's only 2 buttons: jump and throw candy. Likewise you won't find any killings here. Instead you toss candies around, and while the enemies are occupied chewing, you can advance to go and collect 200. They chomp for approximately 5 seconds and cannot harm you in this altered state. Otherwise, contact with them deducts 1 heart
While they're busy chewing, you can stand on their heads to collect otherwise unreachable items and powerup's
There are also mini-games during the story mode and a mini-game mode on its own so you can practice, as well as a 2 player mode for the mini-games
After level 1 you play Water Tag with a bubblebee. It's a classic look -- overhead action similar to Bomberman. My advice here is to hit him ONCE and then RUN LIKE HELL. You can shoot (which will need to recharge before you can fire again) and there's an umbrella cover defense that lasts for half a second
Halfway through, bubbles begin to roam. Anyone it touches, that person will lose 1 point off their score. It prevents a certain level of "babysitting" (a term we old kids used to use)
At the end, whoever has the most points win
One thing that stood out besides the bright colorful graphics was the aid of your twin. Before a danger spot there's an icon which allows the twin to magically appear on screen
The twin guides you through the next perilous section with helpful tips. Her speech is in Japanese but thankfully there's only two voices: one indicating orange, the other white. Before long you'll learn two Japanese words! Whichever color she yaps -- that's the flower color you want to hop on. The other will drop, sending you to an early grave
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Like Ashibe, it's solid, way too cute for its own good and not a bad game to acquire once the big-hitters are procured. Muscially, it's pretty damn good too. Not bad, TAKARA. Too many games of this nature end up being a disgrace and total farce, so I give the big T much props for making two competent ones