-General Information-
Regions:   
Year: 1994 (JP, U.S., PAL)
Publisher: Natsume
Developer(s) and Others: Natsume
# of Players: 1 or 2
# of Saves: None (utilizes the password feature)
Estimated Market Value as of 11/29/2008:
* $?? - $?? (U.S. Dollars/USD, U.S. ver.)
* $?? - $?? (U.S. Dollars/USD, PAL ver.)
* $?? - $?? (U.S. Dollars/USD, JPN ver.)
Fan Translated: No
Wii Virtual Console Release: No
Other Info: Information on PS2 Kiki Kaikai found at Game Watch. Licensed by Taito Corp. This game is also known as "Kiki Kaikai Tsukiyozoushi" as well as "Kiki Kaikai: Tsukiyo Soushi". It it also called "Kiki KaiKai: Kayako" too. For those of you who have previously read this article, you will notice that I made a few changes. When the article was first written, the "rebirth" of Pocky & Rocky that was slated for the PS2 was canceled. However, sometime recently, The game was "redesigned" and released with the name of "Heavenly Guardian" in the U.S., "Legend of Saiyuki" in PAL territories, and "Yukinko Daisenpuu ~Sayuki to Koyuki no Hie- Hie Daisoudou~" in Japan. The Japanese only received the game on the Wii, but the game was also ported on the PS2 in the U.S. and PAL territories. The game was going to have the name of Kiki Kai World, but that name was changed to avoid any complications. You can find out more about the game at this link. There is supposed to be a "Nintendo Power" version in 1998. "Sayo" is the name of Pocky in Japan, while the name of Rocky was "Manuke".
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A lot of people think that the folks in Japan like to hold out on giving the U.S. the best of the best, but in actuality, they do try. While the first Pocky & Rocky game didn't see much success in the U.S., Natsume was kind enough to give the U.S. Pocky & Rocky 2. However, developers tend to learn from some of their mistakes and since the first game did not fare too well in the U.S., Natsume decided to release the game in limited quantities, making it sought after and rather expensive. This time around, the game starts during the harvest festival and Princess Luna is visiting from the moon to join the festivities. The entire village, including Pocky and her friends have also gathered in the festival square. When Princess Luna steps out to make her appearance, she is then kidnapped by a girl named Impy by order of her master! Pocky and her friends then consult the "seven wise people". They help to train Pocky and her friends and then you are sent on your way to rescue Luna.
If you played the first Pocky & Rocky game, then you know what to expect as far as graphics. The game is still rich and full of color, quirkiness, and excellent backdrops. However, if you look closely, the graphics are actually less detailed than the first game. Colors don't seem AS sharp and as a whole, the game still looks excellent, but there is a small but noticeable drop in the quality of the graphics as far as the backdrops. To balance this, the game has cooler special effects...huge flame pillars, green waves when using magic, a massive water geyser with fish flying into the air...great stuff! While I like the sound of the previous game more, Natsume still managed to provide me with excellent music...and more of it. The sound is still excellent and of high quality and now there are more BGMs. The previous game went up to 24 while P&R2 has 34. I also think that it's pretty cute when Pocky says "Magic!" so the graphics and the sound are still top notch as far as SNES games go.
The game is still two players, but there are many differences between Pocky & Rocky 2 and Pocky & Rocky. First, you have many more characters. You still have Pocky and Rocky, but you also have Little Ninja, Bomber Bob, Tengy, Scarecrow, Digger, and Ottobot, and they all have different abilities. You can't dash anymore and they changed the bomb system this time around. You only really use "bombs" on bosses and to use them, you must throw your partner at the boss. You get different types of bombs depending on which partner you have at the time and you will lose that partner momentarily (so you can't just keep tossing them) after you have thrown them. You only start the game with Little Ninja, Bomber Bob, and Rocky (You get the others as you progress through the game). The game also removed the charge attacks and heart based life system. Instead, you lose clothing each time you are hit. When Pocky is in her shorts, one more hit will finish her off. If you played games like Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts, it's no different from when Arthur gets hit really. There are two stages where the game cannot be played with two players and there are a total of 9 stages (though the first stage is for practice and can be skipped).
The game also features shops where you can buy items (with gold coins) such as armor to increase Pocky's life, shot power-ups, 1-ups, keys for locked boxes, and even books that give you tips on how to beat the boss of the level. Pocky can also use Magic that causes her to combine powers with her current partner to produce a number of different effects. Some examples include having Rocky find hidden "?" items, unlocking locked boxes with Little Ninja, Tossing huge boulders with Bomber Bob, and using Scarecrow as a pogo stick! Pocky can still knock certain projectiles away by swinging her wand and the game uses some cool gameplay elements that center around teamwork. You can also use passwords in this game to continue your progress (this was not previously available). The arcade style action is still intact and the game offers so much more diverse gameplay. Pocky & Rocky 2 is one game that no one should miss and I highly recommend it. NOTE: The image to the left (4th from the top) is a piece of artwork for a Kiki Kaikai game that was slated for release on the PS2 in Japan. However, in the PS2 game, though she looks like she could be a "new-age" version of Sayo, her name is actually Miko. Find out more in the other info section of this article.
- Written by Vyse the determined - |
