Keith Courage in Alpha Zones
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| Keith Courage in Alpha Zones | |
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| Developer(s) | Hudson Soft |
| Publisher(s) | Hudson Soft, NEC |
| Release date(s) |  August 30, 1988 August 29, 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | TurboGrafx-16 |
| Input | 8-way joystick, 2 buttons |
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones is a game by Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx-16, and was included in the box with the North American version of the system. The game was originally released in Japan on August 30, 1988 for the PC Engine (The TG-16's Japanese counterpart), under the title 魔神英雄伝ワタル (Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru), which is adapted from the anime television series of the same name (Spirit Hero Wataru).
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[edit] Story
You are Keith Courage. Struck by a giant meteor, the world has been invaded by strange creatures from another planet. Burrowing deep within the Earth's surface, the planet of B.A.D. (Beastly Alien Dudes) seeks to take over the world. As a member of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens for Earth), your mission is to defeat B.A.D. and bring peace back to the world. Armed only with a sword, you must first defeat the outpost guards. Then, enter the Underworld. Here you activate the awesome Nova Suit. A secret force left to you by your fallen father, you are half man, half mechanical monster. Nearly invincible, your sword cracks with the power of lightning, as you wreak havoc on the fearsome Dudes. Your goal is to reach the Robo Zone (the seventh Alpha Zone), headquarters of B.A.D. Succeed here and you will have won the game, recapturing the Earth and restoring humanity's place in the universe. You have help along the way. Four friends offer you advice, swords, bombs, and extra lives. Collect the stolen riches left behind by the invaders and buy your way out of trouble with money.
[edit] Gameplay
The game is a platformer action-adventure game, but it sports two different styles of play depending on whether the player is above (overworld) or below ground (underworld). There are a total of seven levels in the game, each of which is broken into two areas, the overworld and underworld. Overworld areas consist of simple rightward travel and platform hopping. In the overworld, one controls Keith Courage in his human form, using a dagger to fend off enemies which take the form of birds, moles, and even cats that drop from the sky. Upon reaching the end of the overworld level, Keith is transported via rainbow to the underworld, whereupon he adopts the Nova Suit. The underworld levels are more complex and menacing than the colorful overworld, with aggressive nightmare creatures and a larger landscape to travel with more of a focus on navigating not only horizontally but also vertically. At the end of each underworld level is a boss.
[edit] Overworld Gameplay
In the overworld, Keith is a simple adventurous human with a short sword and three heart containers. The overworld, while simple, is where Keith will collect coins and spend those coins to obtain "bolt bombs," health regeneration, and better equipment for the underworld.
[edit] Underworld Gameplay
Transporting to the underworld places Keith in the Nova Suit, a suit of armor that grants him extra hearts on his health bar and a better sword depending on what was purchased in the overworld. Additionally, Keith is now able to use the "bolt bombs." When used, bolt bombs are similar to bullets that are fired in the eight cardinal directions depending on how many are left.
[edit] Differences between the Japanese version and the North American version
The gameplay of the two versions is the same but the story is different. For example, the main character's name is "Ikusabe Wataru" (戦部ワタル), who is a primary school student in grade 4 in the Japanese version. The Nova Suit is called "Ryuujinmaru" (龍神丸) in the Japanese version, and is beckoned by Wataru with his sword. Ryuujinmaru is the embodiment of a dragon.
The stage of the Japanese version is called "Soukaizan" (創界山), which has been occupied by the king of Makai (魔界, which means "World of devil"); it is a seven-leveled mountain that is a different place from the real world, and Wataru is the "Kyuuseishu" (救世主, the Savior) to liberate Soukaizan from the devils.
[edit] Screenshots
 Nova Suit Transformation |
 Underworld |
 Overworld |
