Yokai Dochuki

Yokai Dochuki[lower-alpha 1], also known as Shadowland,[1] is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and released by Namco in Japan and other parts of Asia. The player controls a young boy named Tarosuke as he must make his way through Jigoku, the Japanese concept of Hell, to reach Buddha, who will determine his fate. Tarosuke can fire small "ki" bullets at enemies to defeat them; he can also charge them to increase their power. Enemies will drop money when defeated, which can be used to purchase weapons and other items in stores. Two versions of the arcade original were released: a Japanese version and an English version which was released in other Asian countries outside Japan. The Arcade Archives release includes both versions.

Yokai Dochuki
Promotional flyer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Designer(s)Kazumi Mizuno
Composer(s)Hiroyuki Kawada
SeriesYokai Dochuki
Platform(s)Arcade, Family Computer, PC Engine, mobile phone, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release
  • JP: April 1987
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Tarosuke jumping onto a cloud to avoid the enemies below

In Yokai Dochuki, the player controls Tarosuke, a boy who was banished to "jigoku" for causing mischief in the world of the living.[2] Tarosuke must venture through the monster-infested world of jigoku to reach Yama, the Buddhist deity that judges the dead, who determines his final fate.[3][4] The game is divided into five levels, each taking place in specific regions of jigoku, such as "Jigoku Iriguchi" (The Gateway to Hell) and "Yuukai" (The Ghost Sea).[3] Tarosuke must reach the end of these levels while defeating enemies and jumping onto platforms.[2] He can defeat enemies by shooting small "ki" bullets; these can be charged to increase their power by holding down on the joystick or directional pad.[4][5] Enemies drop bags of money when killed which is used to purchase useful items at stores.[3][2] Tarosuke has a life bar that depletes when he is inflicted with damage; the game ends when the meter is empty.[3]

The first four stages conclude in a boss fight with an oni that guards the entrance to the next stage.[3] At the beginning of these, Tarosuke kneels at a shrine and summons a spirit named Monmotaro to defeat the oni.[3] The player controls Monmotaro in these fights, being able to fly around and shoot powerful energy pellets.[3][4] The game increases in difficulty as Tarosuke progresses, with some levels requiring him to find three secret items in order to unlock the way to the next area and search for hidden pathways.[4] The amount of money collected and enemies killed in the final level determines which of five endings the player receives, with the best showing Tarosuke traveling to heaven, and the worst ending showing Tarosuke sent back to Hell.[3][4] The Family Computer version of the game adds a "pious" meter, which is filled when Tarosuke performs good deeds such as complete specific objectives in some levels.[3] The pious meter also helps determine the ending received at the end of the game.[4]

Release

The game was later ported to the PC Engine, and Family Computer consoles with several additions and different level design; the PC Engine version and the arcade version were both later re-released for the Japanese Virtual Console. The game was also followed by a Japan-only spin-off in 1990 named Kyūkai Dōchūki, which is a "yakyū" (baseball) video game that plays similar to the entirety of Namco's own World Stadium series.

Tarosuke also appears as a playable character in the Japan-only role-playing PlayStation 2 game Namco X Capcom, where he is teamed up with Taira no Kagekiyo from Genpei Tōma Den. He also makes a cameo appearance in Project X Zone 2 for the Nintendo 3DS.

Reception

Game Machine reported that Yokai Dokuchi was the most-popular arcade game in the month of April 1987.[9] It went on to be the fifth highest-grossing table arcade game of 1987 in Japan.[10]

Notes
  1. Japanese: 妖怪道中記, Hepburn: Yōkai Dōchūki, Phantom Travel Journal

References
  1. "Namco's Yokai Dochuki, Renamed 'Shadowland', Is The Next Arcade Archives Game On Switch". Nintendo Life. 27 April 2022.
  2. GAMEST MOOK Vol.112 ザ・ベストゲーム2 アーケードビデオゲーム26年の歴史 (in Japanese). Gamest. January 17, 1998. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9784881994290.
  3. 懐かしファミコンパーフェクトガイド (in Japanese). Magazine Box. April 21, 2016. p. 55. ISBN 978-4906735891.
  4. Kalata, Kurt (November 26, 2019). Hardcore Gaming 101 Digest Vol. 6: Namco Arcade Classics. Hardcore Gaming 101. pp. 60–63. ISBN 978-1691254194.
  5. "Youkai Douchuuki - Videogame by Namco". Killer List of Videogames. International Arcade Museum. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  6. "妖怪道中記 (FC)". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  7. "5月10日号特別付録 ファミコン ロムカセット オールカタログ" (in Japanese). Vol. 7, no. 9. Tokuma Shoten. Family Computer Magazine. May 10, 1991. p. 59.
  8. HF (September 1989). "Tale of a Monsterpath" (in German). Power Play. p. 54.
  9. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 306. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 April 1987. p. 21.
  10. "87' ゲーメスト大賞 〜 ベストインカム" [87' Gamest Awards – Best Income]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 17 (February 1988). December 28, 1987. pp. 25-38 (36-7). alternate url
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