Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
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| Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa | |
|---|---|
 Title screenshot from the Famicom re-release |
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| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Platform(s) | Famicom Disk System, Nintendo Famicom, Wii Virtual Console |
| Release date | JPN April 22, 1988 (FDS) JPN February 26, 1993 (FC) |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | FDS disk, cartridge |
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (バイオミラクル ぼくってウパ Baio Mirakuru Bokutte Upa?, lit. "Bio Miracle - My Name is Upa") is a Konami game that was first released on the Japanese market in 1988 for the Famicom Disk System. It was later released as a cartridge in 1993 for the Famicom.
Although Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa had actually been slated for a U.S. release in 1989, Howard Lincoln of Nintendo turned it down, saying that it wasn't good enough for the American market. On June 9th, 2008 it was finally released in North America for Wii's Virtual Console service.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Story
"Upa is the prince of a magical kingdom and the most recent in a line of brave fighters. One day, though, he broke an urn containing the spirit of Zai, an incredibly evil goatish demon who takes the life force of the kingdom's adults and kidnaps all the babies - except for Upa, who is given a magical rattle by a fairy who was trapped in the urn along with Zai. And so, in order to save his kingdom, Upa crawls into action..."[1]
[edit] Game description
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa's main character is a baby called Upa that uses a rattle to attack his enemies. When injured by the rattle, the enemy inflates and floats away. These inflated enemies can then be used as temporary floating platforms to climb to higher places or they can also be used as weapons if pushed in any direction. If used as a platform, Upa must not stay on top for too long or otherwise it will explode. But if used as a weapon, Upa has to pounce or use his rattle on the inflated enemy to cause it to careen. The enemy will then ricochet off objects and potentially cause damage to both the protagonist and other enemies if it comes in contact with them.
The game uses a health meter to monitor the player's remaining life which can be replenished by obtaining bottles of milk scattered throughout the levels. A heart icon can also be obtained, increasing the maximum health by one unit for the duration of the current level.
Most items, including the milk bottles and hearts, can be collected by striking special blocks which feature Upa's face. Other items include: Apples, which increase the player's score; hourglasses, which temporarily freeze enemies in place; bells, which give Upa temporary invincibility and the ability to run; and scorpion blocks, which kills all enemies on screen when it is pushed off a platform and hits the ground.
[edit] Famicom re-release
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In 1993, it was released as a cartridge for the Famicom. While it is practically identical to the Famicom Disk System version of the game, there are a few differences. The most notable difference is in the game's sound. The Famicom Disk System contained an extra audio channel not available in the Famicom/NES games. To compensate for the missing audio channel, the music in the Famicom cartridge version had to be remixed. Also, added to the Famicom version was a difficulty option. Now, the player is given a choice between an "Easy" or a "Normal" mode. Finally, among the smallest of alterations to the game is the title screen, which no longer contains a large image of Upa when it is first displayed.
[edit] Pirated version
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is not part of the Mario series, but it is nicknamed "Mario Baby" and even "Baby Mario" by players because a pirated version of the game, named "Mario Baby", was created for the Famicom/NES. The label on the cartridge is actually the artwork for the original game but there is a small paper label glued to the top of the cart which says "Mario Baby". This pirated version is what North Americans have been playing since the game never was officially released in North America. Other than some title screen alterations and a dropped sound channel, removing the main melody track from the game, the game is practically identical to the original.[2]
[edit] Virtual Console re-release
On June 3rd, 2008, the Famicom Disk System version of Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa was made available in Japan for Wii's Virtual Console download service. The same version was also released in North America on June 9th, 2008, as an import, sold at a price of 600 Wii Points.
