Title : Chiki Chiki Boys (Mega Twins)
Publisher : Sega
Developer : Visco
Genre : Action Platformer
Players : 1 Player
Release Date : 1990
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $30 - $40
How can you not love anime-styled platforming games like this? Heck, it's like I'm watching some sort of saturday morning anime cartoon special on FOX KIDS from back in the 90's. You remember that, right? Or was it WB11? I'm trying to think of what station had all the anime in the morning. Kicking it off with Sailor Moon, and then moving on to Dragon Ball Z. I even think they had Ranma 1/2 or something as well.
Anyway, just looking at this cutsey stylized box art suckered me in immediately. Even the title. CHIKI CHIKI BOYS! They certainly do look cheeky, ha! Well, it's called CHIKI CHIKI boys everywhere but the states where it's actually known as MEGA TWINS for other systems. Meh, give me CHIKI CHIKI any day, and thankfully Sega did just that. Capcom was the one in charge releasing this for the good 'ol Arcade, but it was left to Sega and Visco to bring this port over to the Sega Genesis. I have to say, they did a pretty damn good job of it too. In fact, this game reminded me a bit of a long lost sequel to the Wonder Boy series for the Master System.
You would think I'd be bored of platformers already, and I somewhat am, but I'm always willing to take a look at one with such a happy-go-lucky rag tam team of fighters who are basically five-year-olds.
Fingers crossed it's a good one, because I've got other games to play and unfortunately not many people have even HEARD of this one.
The title screen just screams "this game is going to be AWESOME!" EXPLOSIVE!!!! Stars!! It's turning into Kirby's Adventure, isn't it? Here we go, standard platformer fanfare with a story to match. You probably could have guessed without me having to even tell you, but this of course follows the Chiki Chiki Boys on their quest to rid the land of evil. The funny part, is that these kids are supposed to be around 15-years-old in the game.
15....really.......
I'm not buying it.
You'll start off by choosing one of the Chiki twins. The blue twin, who is an expert sword-fighter is your main melee-styled character. Amazing with the sword, but lacking in the magic department. Therefore, you've got your counterpart, the red twin, a superior magic user who can mop the floor with enemies with a casting of a spell. It really comes down to what you're more comfortable playing with. Do you like to get up close and personal with foes? Or kill them from afar? Choose wisely, as you'll be stuck with your chiki boy for the rest of the game. Me? Give me a tank....
I'll tell you this much, the blue twin is a bit more balanced and can take more hits than his red counterpart. Consider the BLUE TWIN easy mode, and the RED TWIN hard mode. Think about that when you make your decision.
Here comes the fun part. This game has some of the most brilliant level, and character design that I've seen in a sega platformer. I'm talking vibrant colors, hilarious enemies, grand scaled bosses, and fluid animation. Seriously, it felt like playing through a cartoon. Of course, it's not as "anime-themed" as the box art made it appear to be, but you know what they tended to do that with video games. It's like a video game-themed-anime-style. Whatever, it works!
There are a whopping nine levels in this game, each with a different theme ranging from grasslands, to underground caverns, jungles and of course monstrous castles. And of course...a water level....what game would be complete without a water level...
Monsters are catered to each level design, and each level ends with a boss fight that can end up being quite difficult. Bosses take a boat load of hits to defeat and have the tendency to cover the entire screen with their body as well as their attacks making it difficult to avoid. Then again, who said platformers are easy? Don't worry, there are more than enough magic chests to fall on your head and provide you with power ups up and health items to make your quest a tad bit easier.
Defeat each boss, and you'll be granted mystical items that will allow you eventually teleport to the main antagonists abode where you will of course deliver a vile case of kick-ass.
After playing through this game, it's even more disappointing that more people don't know about it. Then again, it's always a pleasure to discover hidden gems such as this that really remind me why I loved old school games so much. Not to mention, it's been awhile since I played a decent platformer on the genesis, so there's that.
Controls are fluid, and easy to master, and while the game proves to be difficult at some point with tricky jumps and overwhelming enemies and bosses, it never poses to be so hard that it's frustrating. It teeters right on the edge.
The true bliss of this game lies in it's spectacular design. The music is brilliant, and of course I can go on and on about the visuals. It's a breath of fresh air in my eyes with an atmosphere that just brings a smile to my face. Funny how just a fresh palette can work wonders. Games don't always have to be dark and gloomy. Just look at Legend of the Mystical Ninja? Holy cow did I love the design scheme of that game, and I can't help but think a bit about that when I played through CHIKI CHIKI BOYS.
CHIKI CHIKI BOYS may be hard to find to add to your collection, but it's worth the pick up if you ever see it staring you in the face. Glad to have been able to mark this one off my list.
Final Score (out of 5)
Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming
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