Here’s an interesting
concept for a game: you play as a young boy who hunts vampires. He’s inferior
to his enemies, but will ultimately prevail in the end. His arsenal includes
swords and modern-day vampire blasters.
Here’s the interesting
part: vampires have always been written as frail creatures that cannot stand the
sun. I know – let’s summon a gigantic sun monster and fry the vampires! That’s
not possible, at least not in this game. Instead, let’s step into the sunlight.
As the rays fill your
Game Boy Advance screen, magically, your character is infused with greater
power. Time to take out those pesky vampires!
And so Boktai was born.
Boktai was the world’s first solar-enhanced game released in
North America.
Produced by Hideo Kojima, the mastermind who created the Metal Gear Solid
series, Boktai’s cartridge was designed with a tiny solar sensor that detects
the rays of the sun. By playing out in the open (not with a lamp and not by a
window – under direct sunlight), Boktai would gain energy that was needed to rid
the world of all blood-suckers.
Boktai 2 continues the
quest for Django the Solar Boy. If you think that sounds silly, you’re not
alone. The story is a little too cute and a little too happy for one that’s
filled with vampires.
What many of you may not
know, or what many of you may not realize is that Boktai and its sequel are
action/RPGs. The word action shouldn’t be taken too seriously though – the game
moves at a much slower pace than Alundra and Secret of Mana, or even Brave
Fencer Musashi.
Attacks are made in the
typical action/RPG fashion: run up, hit the enemy, and run away before it can
retaliate. It’s not too easy to do that though. This is where the game has a
chance at garnering serious attention from hardcore players. The isometric
view, strange world layout and difficult enemies make the game hard to rush
through. You could beat it quick, possibly in a day if you had enough
sunlight. But you’d be working your butt off to do it.
One very interesting
control element is Django’s ability to lean up against walls. He can lean up
and walk along them just as Solid Snake can in Metal Gear Solid. There isn’t a
huge incentive for doing so. The main point is to be less visible to your
enemies, or to cross thin ledges than you’d otherwise fall off of. The camera
angle can’t be changed (the game view is isometric from start to finish), but
you can shift it around to focus on different areas. It would’ve been cool to
be able to lean up against a wall, wait for an enemy to approach, then quickly
jump out and chop its head off. I guess we’ll have to wait for the Nintendo DS
for stuff like that — or stick with The Twin Snakes.
Everything but the solar
system considered, Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django is a better-than-average game.
It’s a bit slow, which will most certainly turn off gamers looking for something
with more action. I like a good challenge though, and the action/RPG genre
isn’t as prevalent as it used to be. I really couldn’t complain too much.
Then it was time to take
the game outside and gain enough solar power to actually finish it. You can’t
make just one trip outside though. That’s okay, I thought. The sun is my
friend, and we all could use a little vitamin E in our lives.
Using the Game Boy
Advance SP with Boktai 2 proves to be a royal pain. Cartridges are inserted in
the top of the standard GBA, but they’re hidden inside the bottom of the GBA
SP. Boktai 2 has sensors on both sides of the cartridge, but that doesn’t make
it any less frustrating. The manual says that you should make sure the sensor
is not in the shade. But with the bottom of the SP pointed at your chest, how
else are we expected to play? By holding your hands outward as shown by the
manual’s diagram (that gets tiring really fast). Or you could turn your body so
that the side of your face soaks up the UV rays, along with your SP, which may
or may not detect the sun’s existence.
Hideo Kojima is a
brilliant game developer, there’s no question of that. That’s not an issue.
What I take issue with is the danger of getting lost in a game while my skin is
at risk. Should we really have to stand directly in the sun, risking our
health, just to "enhance" our game? Even the game tells you not to stay in the
sun for too long! It’ll tell you if you do, and cause the main character to
pass out (as if from heat exhaustion). But who’s to say that a video game is
the best judge of when we should get in the shade? Who’s to say that gamers –
people who don’t bathe, eat or sleep in order to continue the game – will even
listen?
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Gameplay: 7.2
An action/RPG
with much action. Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django is a challenging game with a
puzzling world. The enemies will crush you, the puzzles will confuse you, and
the world will not be fully explored without going in circles at least once.
Graphics: 8
A cluster of
colorful, highly detailed backgrounds, wonderfully animated characters, and
giant boss battles that Game Boy Advance players rarely see.
Sound: 7
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Just ’cause
you’re a master at Zelda doesn’t mean you can defeat Boktai 2 in a day. The
difficulty isn’t as hard as Alundra, one of the hardest action/RPGs released on
the PSone, but there are definite similarities between the two.
Concept: 6.5
Technologically,
Boktai 2 doesn’t go far beyond the original. You still have to stand in the sun
to gain solar power. It’d be nice if you could use a desk lamp, or play in
front of a window so that only your hands and arms would get some sun, not your
face.
Multiplayer: 6.5
Collect the most
points to win. That’s all you’ll get out of this multiplayer mode, which
requires at least two GBAs, two cartridges and two link cables to play.
Overall: 7
Was Boktai 2:
Solar Boy Django designed for a specific type of gamer? No. It couldn’t have
been. There is no "type of gamer" who will enjoy it. You either will or you
won’t. No matter what I am pretty certain that the sun factor will drive you
nuts. Konami might have been wiser to release this game in the spring when the
days are getting longer, not in the fall when our days are the shortest. The
concept is a great idea, but the Game Boy Advance is not the best place to
implement. We need a game that can utilize solar power without putting gamers
at risk for any kind of sun damage. Call me paranoid, but I don’t want to have
to check the weather and put on sun-block every time I play a video game. Not
even Halo 2 is worth that.
