

Like I mentioned, I don’t remember beating the second stage as a child. The whole game is a challenge, and it ramps up quickly. Do you save your bomb until the boss? Will you even survive that long? It just constantly throws stuff at you until you’re worn down and finally blow it. Your continues aren’t limited and you have a health gauge. Well, my husband and I did that, can we have our bragging rights, Natsume? I don’t see an expiry date on your “Game Master Challenge” and I have video evidence. Natsume had a contest where you could send proof of completion and receive a t-shirt and certificate. Its traditional Shinto aesthetic is also a bit of a draw for anyone who digs Japanese folklore.ĭon’t get me wrong, however, Pocky & Rocky is tough as nails. The yokai that litter it are wacky and cute, and while there are definitely some darker designs within, there’s nothing too intimidating. In fact, it’s fair to say that nothing in Pocky & Rocky was very innovative, but it’s the application that counts here.

It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a solid foundation to build upon. There’s also the obligatory screen-clearing bomb. You’re also given the ability to slide on your belly to avoid attacks or sweep with your tail or heisoku to destroy projectiles. You can’t use both, so pick one and avoid the other. Red turns up the firepower while blue upgrades the spread.
#Pocky and rocky 2 hard upgrade#
You can upgrade your cards in two ways, red and blue. It’s not just a top-down shooter, it’s a top-down cuter, get it? It has all the intensity of Commando or Ikari Warriors, but most everything is smiling at you. The great thing about Pocky & Rocky is its bright, expressive visuals accompanied by cute, chirpy sound effects. No one can know about Rocky’s terrifying balls. Rocky isn’t even a raccoon, he’s a tanuki, but let’s not confuse the kids anymore than the pervasive Japanese visuals already do. It’s sort of a Ganbare Goemon Kid Ying and Dr. The biggest change is that there’s now co-op (though, the Famicom Disk System version of Kiki Kaikai also featured co-op), with Pocky being helped by the titular Rocky. It was also made 6 years later by a different company.
#Pocky and rocky 2 hard update#
It’s a sugar-fueled update that leaves the original in the dust. Pocky & Rocky or Kiki Kaikai: Nazo no Kuro Manto differs from the arcade original in that it’s more colorful and actually fun. A top-down shooter where you play as a Shinto Shrine Maiden (or Miko) that throws ofuda scrolls at various yokai and other monsters. I say “technically” because it’s one of those words that I overuse, but also because the games are fairly disparate. Pocky & Rocky is technically the sequel to an arcade game called Kiki Kaikai. We have our games together, but I think our biggest conquest was Pocky & Rocky. It would probably be difficult to convince her to jump back into it with me - we mostly stick to four-player family games like Mario Golf, Overcooked, Moving Out - so my husband has become my co-op partner. I also didn’t have a hope of understanding the game’s themes, but it was a lot of fun. We rented it a few times, but I don’t really remember getting past the second level. 3 (I made her play the hard levels, times have really changed), Donkey Kong Country, Stunt Racer FX, Paperboy 2, and on, and on, and on.īuried way back there in the games we shared was Pocky & Rocky. Really, though, we played Super Mario Bros. Ages ago, I spoke of our time together with Animal Crossing, but that’s just perhaps the more memorable games we shared. I am lucky enough to have a mother who will play video games with me. Why do the cute ones always play hard to get?
