MASHIN EIYŪDEN WATARU
( Keith Courage in Alpha Zones )
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魔神英雄伝ワタル
©1988 Hudson Soft / vol.12
©Sunrise.R.NAS.NTV
Release : 1988-08-30 (¥4900)
HuCard (2 Mbits) HC63012
Action / Platform game
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Released in America as
KEITH COURAGE IN ALPHA ZONES
( TGX020001 )
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Mashin Eiyūden Wataru is a side-scrolling action game by
Hudson Soft based on a Japanese animation series created by Sunrise.
The player takes control of Wataru Ikusabe, a young boy who finds himself
transported to the magical world of Sōkaizan. There, the evil Makai
king has risen to power and domination and Wataru, helped with the powerful
Ryūjinmaru suit of armor, must liberate the land. Each level in the game
is split into two phases. In the overworld, Wataru (in his human form
and armed with short knife) visits villages, fights minor enemies for money or
purchases new equipment (such as better swords, bombs or health items). When ready,
he can then travel to the underworld through rainbow shrines - there
he activates his battle suit and fights hordes of demons and other lethal foes in
an attempt to find and defeat the level's guardian. Mashin Eiyūden Wataru
consists of seven levels, features infinite continues (the only penalty is for
Wataru to lose half of his money and bombs) and is single-player only.
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Mashin Eiyūden Wataru was a japanese animation series created by Sunrise
and first aired from 1988 (picture on the right). It tells the story of Wataru Isukabe, a young boy who
ends up transported to the magical world of Sōkaizan by a mysterious dragon.
There, he is given the mission to protect the gods from an invasion of fierce demons.
Part of the original creator team is Hajime Yatate who is, apparently, a group
of unnamed Sunrise artists (Their names are also associated to other popular
Japanese animes such as Mobile Suit Gundam, Coboy Bebop,
Escaflowne The movie and Big O). As you would probably have guessed,
Wataru was a pretty popular franchise in Japan and spawned countless games,
such as Mashin Eiyūden Wataru Gaiden (Famicom),
Chō Mashin Eiyūden: Wataru Mazekko Monster (GameBoy, 1997),
Chou Majin Eiyuuden: Wataru Mazekko Monster 2 (GameBoy, 1998) and
Chou Majin Eiyuuden Wataru: Another Step (Playstation, 1998),
and even a LCD game.
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The American version of the game was renamed Keith Courage in alpha zones
and was the official packed-in game for the initial release of the TurboGrafx-16
video game system. This was a rather interesting choice - back in 1989, Nintendo's
NES had Super Mario Bros and Sega's Genesis had
Altered Beast, so it is anyone's guess as to why NEC didn't pick
another one of their flagship hits, such as PC Genjin (which became the
pack-in game in 1991) or Legendary Axe to promote their TurboGrafx-16
system in North America. A better pack-in game would have certainly boosted the
initial sales of the system. The Japanese and American versions are identical
though - only the story, promotional/packaging art and names were localized.
Wataru Ikusabe was renamed Keith Courage - he is a member of the
N.I.C.E (Nations of International Citizens for Earth) organization who
embarks on a journey to defeat the B.A.D (Beastly Alien Dudes), creatures
from another planet who invaded Earth after it was struck by a giant meteor.
Helped by the Nova Suit (called the Ryūjinmaru in the Japanese version),
a weapon created by his defunct father, Keith infiltrates the Alpha Zone,
treacherous hideout of the B.A.D. Keith Courage in alpha zones even came
with its own mini comic book setting the story for the game (see the omake section).
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Teaser text from the American version (copied form the game's manual):
You are Keith Courage. Struck by a giant meteor, the world has been invaded
by strange creatures from another planet. Burrowing deep within the Earth's surface,
the Planet of B.A.D. (Beastly Alien Dudes) seeks to take over the world. As a member
of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens for Earth), your mission is to defeat
B.A.D. and bring peace back to the world.
Armed only with a sword, you must first defeat the outpost guards. Then, enter the
Underworld. Here you activate the awesome Nova Suit. A secret force left to you by
your fallen father, you are half man, half mechanical monster. Nearly invincible,
your sword cracks with the power of lightning, as you wreak havoc on the fearsome
Dudes. Your goal is to reach the Robo Zone (the seventh Alpha Zone), headquarters
of B.A.D. Succeed here and you will have won the game, recapturing the Earth and
restoring humanity's place in the universe. You have help along the way. Four
friends offer you advice, swords, bombs, and extra lives. Collect the stolen
riches left behind by the invaders and buy your way out of trouble with money.
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Add your Pov here !
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Mashin Eiyūden Wataru is a really average affair. Let's start with
the good - the game has decent graphics and the overall ambiance is rather
pleasant with a correct soundtrack and cool looking enemies. The concept of
under/over world is fairly neat and the seven stages offer a lot to explore
(although very repetitive). Now let's talk about the bad - the gameplay is terrible and
the controls are very messy, especially in the underworld. The suit handles
poorly, jumping is a chore and the boss battles are a mess. Enemies also
constantly respawn. This is not much of a problem in the overworld - just
sit down, activate auto-fire and kill a constant flow of monsters to fill
up your wallet, which is a good thing as new weapons get expensive, very
expensive. It however becomes exasperating frustration in the underworld.
All in all, Mashin Eiyūden Wataru had potential but it feels
unfinished, unpolished and totally unbalanced. To this day, I still
wonder why NEC decided to pick this game to promote their
TurboGrafx-16 system in North America, what about Dungeon Explorer or
Legendary Axe? And I'm not even talking about the game's atrocious
localization work (the Beastly Alien Dudes, really?). This is
bad marketing at its finest.
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