is a video game series created by

Hideo Kojima is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and writer. He is regarded as an auteur of video games. He developed a strong passion for action/adventure cinema and literature during his childhood and adolescence. In 1986, he was hired ...

and published by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

. The series consists entirely of portable games for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

and

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

, and is notable for its unique inclusion of a built-in

solar sensor A photodiode is a light-sensitive semiconductor diode. It produces current when it absorbs photons. The package of a photodiode allows light (or infrared or ultraviolet radiation, or X-rays) to reach the sensitive part of the device. The packa ...

required for gameplay. The final game in the series made use of the solar sensor optional, and did not include one by default. The series revolves around vampire hunters who must use sunlight-based weaponry to combat evil

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...

creatures. Critics praised the games' unconventional design, although the requirement to play the game outdoors, in order to bring the most color out of the screen of the Game Boy Advance, ensured that it had only a niche audience, with the third game in the series not receiving a release outside of Japan.

Games

Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand

Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django

Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack

Lunar Knights

Reception

Jeremy Parish of ''

USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

'' called ''Boktai'' similar to a mash-up of ''

Metal Gear is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...

'' and ''

Castlevania ''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early system ...

'', although remarking that there was more to it than this, as the games also drew heavily on

spaghetti westerns The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

. He called the requirement to charge the player's gun using actual sunlight "baroque and complex", and an "extreme solution", but "perfectly fitting coming from Hideo Kojima, a man known for his love of manipulating audiences and breaking the fourth wall". Citing how he found memorable real-life places to play ''Boktai'', he stated that "the lengths to which I went to complete ''Boktai'' made it one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever enjoyed". Lean-Karlo Lemus of ''

Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...

'' called the ''Boktai'' series "ultimately a victim of Konami's fickle nature", citing their decision not to release ''Boktai 3'' outside of Japan. He also stated his wish for other games to use similar techniques, saying that while "the

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

Joy-Con and its powerful built-in infrared sensor puts ''Boktai'''s UV sensor to shame ..outside of ''Nintendo Labo'', precious few titles have used it in any meaningful capacity".

References

{{Boktai series Video game franchises introduced in 2003 Konami franchises Video games about vampires Boktai Video games produced by Hideo Kojima