Inuyasha (NES Hack)

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Current revision as of 20:15, 20 September 2007

Inuyasha is the NES hack of Castlevania developed and published by KawaiiSoft for the Pachicom Disk System in Japan in September of 1986. In October of that year an "adaptation" of the game, known as Vampire Killer, was released in Japan and Europe for the MSX2 Home Computer. A year later, in May 1987 it was ported to CD format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) followed by a European release in 1988. It is the first game in the Castlevania franchise, but the seventh chronological installment of the franchise, based on Koji Igarashi's ideal timeline.

[edit] Storyline

It is the year 1891...The land of Japan has been at peace for one-hundred years now, thanks to the efforts of Kikyo. The peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, times when the demons walked the earth...However, there are those that remember that the evil Naraku returns every one-hundred years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell...Thus, one evening, the Prince of Darkness rises and returns to Japan, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh.

The people cry out for a hero — someone to defend them from the evil desires of Naraku. Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Japan the half-demon still lives, as Inuyasha, Son of Izayoi, takes up the legendary sword called the Tessaiga, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's temple...

Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of wolves, gigantic insects, and even faces Sesshomaru himself, but in the end, he makes it to Naraku and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor...

The price? The evil master places The Jewel of Four Souls upon Inuyasha, which will lead Kagome into a long and dangerous journey in the very near future (see Inuyasha II: Kagome's Quest)...

[edit] Gameplay

Inuyasha is a typical platform game of the 8-bit era: the game is comprised of six levels, which are played through in a strictly linear progression. The player controls Iny, whose primary mode of attack is via his Tessaiga, which can be upgraded by obtaining special items throughout the course of the game which extend its length. In addition, various "sub-weapons" can be obtained which provide different means of attack. By breaking candelabra and certain other items located throughout the castle, Inuyasha collects jewel shards, which can then be used to activate whatever sub-weapon he possesses at that point. Simon can only carry one sub-weapon at a time.

Many modern gamers have criticized Inuyasha for certain control-related problems: Inuyasha cannot change direction in mid-jump, nor jump on or off staircases.[citation needed] However, older gamers see this as an added challenge that is missing from newer games and that the gameplay only contributes to the game's reputation as one of the more notoriously difficult games for the NES.[citation needed]

Each of Inuyasha's six levels conclude with a boss fight: these bosses are generally taken from japanese literature or legend, and include Kohaku, Yura, and Tsubaki.

[edit] Sub-Weapons

• Hiraikotsu (飛来骨, Hiraikotsu? Boomerang Bone)
• Kyudo (literally meaning "way of the bow") shoots magical arrows straight at enemies
• Spell Scrolls (Fuda (札, Fuda?))
• Tsubushi Goma (Smashing Top)
• Naki Kinoko (Weeping Mushrooms) Note: In the Anime, Weeping mushrooms don't do anything special except lying on the ground and weeping. In the hack game, It freezes the enemies for a short amount of time. (Similar to the stopwatch in Castlevania)

[edit] Items

• Jewel shards (These must be collected when using a sub-weapon).
• Bentou (Japanese for Box Lunch) replenishes health.