Kiki Kaikai
1986 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Kiki Kaikai (1986) is Taito's overhead shooter set in feudal Japan, in which the shrine maiden Sayo-chan fights yokai with paper charms and a purification rod.
Deep Dive
Sayo throws o-fuda in eight directions or swings her rod at close range, and slips of paper left by defeated enemies power up both attacks. Each level ends with a boss. Its mythological setting was unusual for a genre then full of science fiction.
Developer Story
Taito released it in Japan in October 1986, and it was one of Japan's ten highest-grossing table arcade games of 1987. Versions followed on the MSX2, Famicom Disk System and PC Engine. Later reviewers were harsher, with GameSpot calling it one of Taito's sleepier titles.
Did You Know?
- Taito later licensed it to Natsume, which made Pocky & Rocky (1992).
- Hisayoshi Ogura's music gives Japanese folk tunes a chiptune sound.
Sources & further reading
- Kiki Kaikai — Wikipedia
