is a 1987

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

developed and released by

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

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 In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

, to reach

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, 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 is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called is focused on rereleasing Neo Geo ...

release includes both versions.

Gameplay

In ''Yokai Dochuki'', the player controls Tarosuke, a boy who was banished to "jigoku" for causing mischief in the world of the living. Tarosuke must venture through the monster-infested world of jigoku to reach

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...

, the Buddhist deity that judges the dead, who determines his final fate. 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). Tarosuke must reach the end of these levels while defeating enemies and jumping onto platforms. 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. Enemies drop bags of money when killed which is used to purchase useful items at stores. Tarosuke has a life bar that depletes when he is inflicted with damage; the game ends when the meter is empty. The first four stages conclude in a boss fight with an

oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...

that guards the entrance to the next stage. At the beginning of these, Tarosuke kneels at a shrine and summons a spirit named Monmotaro to defeat the oni. The player controls Monmotaro in these fights, being able to fly around and shoot powerful energy pellets. 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. 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. The

Family Computer The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...

version of the game adds a "

pious Pious may refer to: * Farshad Pious (born 1962), Iranian retired footballer * Minerva Pious (1903–1979), American actress * Pious (novel), ''Pious'' (novel), a 2010 novel by Kenn Bivins See also

* List of people known as the Pious * Piety * ...

" meter, which is filled when Tarosuke performs good deeds such as complete specific objectives in some levels. The pious meter also helps determine the ending received at the end of the game.

Release

The game was later ported to the

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...

, and

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 A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...

. The game was also followed by a Japan-only spin-off in 1990 named ''

Kyūkai Dōchūki is a baseball arcade game that was released by Namco in 1990 in Japan; it runs on Namco System 2 hardware, and is a spin-off of ''Yokai Dochuki''. The gameplay is similar to that for Namco's own ''World Stadium'' series - except that both player ...

'', which is a "yakyū" (

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

) video game that plays similar to the entirety of Namco's own ''

World Stadium ''World Stadium'' (full title: ), is a series of baseball arcade games that were released by Namco in the late 1980s and 1990s; they were spin-offs of the ''Family Stadium'' franchise, inspired by the 1986 Famicom game '' Pro Yakyū Family Stadi ...

'' series. Tarosuke also appears as a playable character in the Japan-only

role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

game ''

Namco X Capcom was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, a ...

'', where he is teamed up with Taira no Kagekiyo from ''Genpei Tōma Den''. He also makes a cameo appearance in ''

Project X Zone 2 ''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to ''Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the event ...

'' for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

Reception

''Game Machine'' reported that ''Yokai Dokuchi'' was the most-popular arcade game in the month of April 1987. It went on to be the fifth highest-grossing table arcade game of 1987 in Japan.alternate url
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Notes

References

External links

Official Wii U Virtual Console website
*{{KLOV game, id=9502 1987 video games Arcade video games Bandai Namco Entertainment franchises Japan-exclusive video games Namco arcade games Now Production games Nintendo Entertainment System games TurboGrafx-16 games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Wii U Single-player video games