Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 07/07/87 Genre: Action
Konami were one of the most versatile publishers of the 8-bit era. In some form or fashion they touched every genre, from sports games to shooters and especially action. Even though the West received the lion’s share of their output a good few of their games never left Japan. We missed out on some gems like Wai Wai World and its phenomenal sequel and Gradius II. One of the most curious is Getsu Fuma Den, possibly one of their most obscure releases. Like Goemon it is heavily Japanese which is probably why it stayed in Japan. I have been meaning to get to this one for a long time and now that I have played it I see that it is a flawed gem like the Goonies II and Simon’s Quest. But this one is better than those games and a treat.
In the year 14672 AD the demon lord Ryūkotsuki escapes from hell and plans to conquer the surface world. The land above is ruled by the three Getsu brothers who fight against Ryūkotsuki wielding the Pulse Blades passed down in their clan. Unfortunately the brothers lose and only the youngest, Fuma survives. Fuma travels to Mad Demon Island to recover the three Pulse Blades and to take revenge on Ryūkotsuki.
Getsu Fuma Den is a melting pot of genres. It combines elements of side-scrolling action, overhead exploration, and RPG progression to offer a diverse experience. You can see the DNA of multiple titles in every facet of its gameplay. Primarily Getsu Fuma Den is an action RPG along the lines of Zelda II. It has the same style of overworld map. Unlike that game the map presents itself as a series of connecting paths rather than allowing free form exploration. Only a few areas have “random battles” like the aforementioned title. There are action stages along each path at which point the game resembles Castlevania in a Japanese setting. In addition there are first person mazes on the way to each boss to acquire one of the Pulse Blades. It resembles the Goonies II but largely avoids some of the frustrating elements from that game.
The side scrolling action is the most prominent. Fuma is an agile protagonist with tremendous leaps and midair control like the best of them. Unfortunately the controls are slippery as he moves fast, slides a bit and has floaty jumps. Together with the short attack range of his sword you will take many cheap hits. This is in addition to no hit stun so enemies keep coming after you attack. To offset this most enemies drop souls that restore health frequently. So even though you take a lot of damage in less than a minute you get it back. The gold you acquire is used to purchase many sub items like screen clearing talismans and life restoring orbs but there are a few weapons too. Shuriken attack from long range while the devilish top lets you spin like a top. It is not as extensive as Castlevania but they help.
The first person mazes are an odd inclusion. While I like them to an extent I wish they were better. Each maze is massive in scope and requires mapping. The only aid is a compass that indicates direction which is all but useless. While technically first person Fuma is visible as you navigate each maze. That is due to the combat in these situations. At set points you fight demons and frankly the combat is terrible. You cannot judge depth and it is hard to avoid attacks due to the sprite size. Most of the time it devolves in to jumping and attacking and hoping you reach the hit box. Unfortunately there is a lot of combat due to the length of each maze. The one saving grace is that there are only three of them.
As you can see Getsu Fuma Den is doing a lot for one title. Usually multi-genre mashups buckle under the stress of combining so many different gameplay styles. To a certain extent that applies here. All of the disparate elements of Getsu Fuma Den are not as tight as they should be. However they are good enough that the sum of its parts is greater than the whole. Each part of the game is done well enough that while you wish they were executed better they do not detract from the experience overall. Once you progress a little further it hits a groove as you get stronger and acquire items that make its flaws more tolerable. The overworld is large and the backtracking is tedious. But it is simple to find the right path for progression. The password feature and moderate difficulty makes this lengthy adventure bearable as well.
I mentioned that Getsu Fuma Den is heavily Japanese and that shows in its art direction. There are very few NES games that draw so heavily on Japanese folklore and the game looks stunning. Throughout its dozens of side scrolling levels few games on the system exhibit this much variety in terms of tiles and enemies. Right up until its conclusion the game delivers new and interesting locations and enemies for a visual treat. And this is a game from 1987 that uses a smaller cartridge! The only thing holding it back is the repetitive color palette but that is an unavoidable limitation of the hardware. Sadly the music does not rise to the same level as there are few tracks. But I suppose they had to make a sacrifice somewhere.
In Closing
Getsu Fuma Den is a solid game that offers a diverse range of gameplay elements to create one of the more unique titles on the NES. It almost has something for everyone and while it has its flaws they are not enough to ruin the experience. There are not many titles on the NES with this much gameplay variety so it is a shame Konami left this one in Japan while wasting their time with crap like Laser Invasion. You can see the foundation of the first TMNT game here, from the overworld map to sound effects and even animations. Thankfully this is a much better game than that disappointing train wreck. Grab the fan translation to discover a hidden gem from Konami’s extensive library.
