Platform : Nintendo Famicom/Wii Virtual Console
Developer : Konami
Release : 1987
In Getsu Fuuma Den, you take on the role of a samurai, Fuuma, whose 3 brothers were slaughtered by the evil Dragon Master. The next natural thing for a samurai to do is to destroy the Dragon Master and get rid of all its evil minions for sweet revenge. Unfortunately for him, the Dragon Master can only be defeated by the 3 Wave Swords that were lost when his 3 brothers were killed. The search for the Wave Swords thus begun and that is also where the game begins.
The game plays mainly like an Action Role Playing Game. You get thrown into a huge overworld with multiple paths and levels to explore. The game also features an inventory system, which is used to manage the items and weapons found throughout the game. Shops and tents scattering throughout the overworld not only provide essential items to aid through your quests but also as a mean to continue the game’s narrative through conversations that happened inside them.
What sets Getsu Fuuma Den apart from the other games of its time is the clever idea of having multiple viewpoints in different situations throughout the game. The game is presented in a top down perspective during exploration mode in the overworld. Once upon entering a level marked by a Japanese Torii gate, it switches to a side scrolling action platformer similar to Castlevania. And then there are the dungeons. They are presented in glorious ‘3D’ over-the-shoulder viewpoint and plays like a restricted version of Wolfenstein 3D.
Controls of the game are simple. One button is used for attack and the other for jumping. The inventory system also allows for weapon and item change and they will be mapped to the same attack button. The directional pad is used to move the character around the screen. They are very responsive which makes jumping over platforms a breeze. Yet, this does not mean that the game is easy. In fact, this is an incredibly hard game to beat. The game features a Sword meter which denotes the damage you will be unleashing to the enemies and the meter will fill up as you progress through the game defeating multitude of enemies and bosses much like leveling up in any RPG. The game starts with the meter empty, making you very weak. The enemies and bosses are also very unforgiving in this game with some of their attacks almost impossible to dodge. You would think that these 2 frustrating factors will be enough for you to pull out your hair. You are wrong as the designers have to go one step further. Apparently, they thought that it will be fun to respawn the enemies if you decide to back track a few steps in the levels. And then there are the dungeons again. The dungeons are really just huge mazes with enemies scattered inside them. The game does not provide maps for the dungeons and the player is expected to map them out with pen and paper or he will soon realize that he was moving in circles for the past hour. The game also does not contain a save game feature and instead uses a password, that will only be generated if you decide to waste all your lives and quit, to track your progress in the game.
The character design in the game is fantastic. There are a number of memorable enemies and bosses. Graphics are also very good for an 8-bit game and are displayed smoothly throughout the entire game. The sound works well in the game with some catchy tunes.
Getsu Fuuma Den is a great game for its time. The awesome and challenging boss fights overcomes the frustration that plagues the beginning portion of the game when your character is still weak. The characters in the game are also interesting and well designed. Downsides to the game are the unforgiving difficulty and no proper save feature.
Rating : 7/10
Author
Weiwen
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