Boktai
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Boktai is a video game series created by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld console. The title is an abbreviation of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō (ボクらの太陽) or Our Sun. (The term "Boktai" has come into regular fan use in Japan.) They are recognized for using a solar sensor that has a major part and a key element in gameplay. The Boktai games are produced by Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series, who also came up with the initial game design and concept.
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[edit] Games
There are currently three games in the series. Only the first two were released outside Japan:
- Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand (2003) (Japanese title: Bokura no Taiyou: Taiyou Akushon RPG)
- Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (2004) (Japanese title: Zoku-Bokura no Taiyou: Taiyou Shounen Jango)
- Boktai: Sabata's Counterattack (2005) (Japanese title: Shin-Bokura no Taiyou: Gyakushuu no Sabata)
- Lunar Knights (2006) (Japanese title: Bokura no Taiyou: Django and Sabata)
[edit] Game Series
When the games were released, Konami made abbreviations of the game titles for their websites, and articles too.
- The first game was abbreviated to Boktai.
- The second game was abbreviated to Zoktai.
- The third game was abbreviated to Shinbok at first, then changed by Konami to Shintai, then changed back to Shinbok shortly after.
[edit] Boktai
The first game, Boktai used a major attachment onto the GBA cartridge, a solar sensor. This has a major affect in gameplay, and a key element needed to progress further into the game. The amount of UV rays that the sensor is sensing currently is displayed on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The sunlight is measured in blocks, with a maximum of eight blocks.
The main character, Django's weapon, a solar gun known as Gun Del Sol, uses batteries which store energy (This is also displayed at the bottom right-hand corner). This is solar energy collected via the sensor or various methods in gameplay. This energy can be stored in Solar Stations which the player can withdraw and use when sunlight is not available, like at night time. But, the solar energy in a Solar Station is limited to how much the player has collected. The system of storage also uses the amount of energy in a Gun Del Sol battery.
Using stealth, and Django's solar gun the player can purify enemies known as 'Undead'. These enemies are found in various dungeons located in Istrakan; the City of Death, throughout the game.
Boktai has a built in clock, which enables the game to adjust to different times of the day, such as dawn, noon and evening. This also affects gameplay, which the environment changes with the clock, and different enemies may be active or dormant.
[edit] Zoktai
The second game, Zoktai continues to use a solar sensor and a built in clock, but this time the amount the sensor can detect was increased to ten blocks. Unlike the first game, Zoktai is more of an action RPG than stealth. Nevertheless, keeping the same qualities in Boktai, Hideo Kojima expanded characters and maps, enemies and weapons. They introduced a new feature, Solar Forging. This allows you to forge two weapons together, whether the same or different types of weapons, to create a totally new weapon. This way you can obtain stronger weapons, even with special abilities. Sometimes, unexpectedly you can end up with a very special weapon, known as a 'R-Rank' weapon.
During gameplay, the storyline requires you to play temporarily as another character, Sabata, who is Django's older brother.
[edit] Shinbok
A Japan-only sequel to Zoktai, Shinbok also uses the Solar Sensor, but it has changed its gameplay mechanics slightly. Your main weapon is still the Gun Del Sol, but instead of attaching different frames and lenses, batteries, etc. only lenses are changed; plus, hammers and spears have been removed from the game, using swords instead. It also does without the Overworld Map seen in Zoktai, replacing it with more of a stage-select theme. Also, the Casket Cycle has been introduced; this requires the player to go through a race-like event when you first go to a Dungeon, and also allows for Casket Cycle races between players over Link mode. Shinbok remains unreleased in English, even though almost hundreds of petitions have been made to Konami to bring it to America.
Shinbok also features a Crossover Battle 2 with RockMan EXE 6: Glaga/Falzer; however, this was removed from the US releases of the games, along with most other Boktai references.
[edit] Lunar Knights
A new series for the Nintendo DS inspired by the world of Boktai. For more information, see Lunar Knights.
[edit] Trivia
- The Boktai series contains several crossovers with Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network series.
- Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series appears in the second and third games, under the name of ???.
- Django and his rival and brother, Sabata, were named after the protagonists of Spaghetti Westerns. See Django and Sabata.
- The Azure Sky Tower in the first Boktai makes reference to the 1998 Konami game Azure Dreams with the tower that has 100 floors.
- The series uses names from Norse Mythology liberally throughout the series. Two examples are Ratatosk and Muspell, whose names derive from the Squirrel that lives in the Norse World Tree, and the city of fire Muspellheim, respectively.
