Boktai

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Boktai is a video game series developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handheld consoles. The title is an abbreviation of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō (ボクらの太陽) or Our Sun. (The name "Boktai" has come into regular fan use in Japan, as it is a common abbreviation scheme to use the first two kana of the major terms in two-word titles.) They are recognized for using a solar sensor that is a key element of 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.

Contents

[edit] Games

There are currently four games in the series. Of these games, the first two and fourth titles were released outside Japan, while the third game was never localized:

[edit] Game series

When the games were released, Konami made abbreviations of the game titles for their websites and articles.

  • The first game was abbreviated to Boktai.
  • The second game was abbreviated to Zoktai.
  • The third game was abbreviated to Shinbok.

[edit] Boktai: The Sun is in your Hand

The first game, Boktai, used a major attachment onto the GBA cartridge, a solar sensor. This has major effects 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, fights with a solar-powered gun known as Gun Del Sol, which uses batteries which store energy (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. 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. Also, solar energy can be stored in the solar bank to gain interest and pay debt. The solar bank can store the same amount of energy as the solar stations, which doubles the sunlight you can have at one time.

Using stealth and Django's solar gun, the player can purify enemies known as boks, or undead. A shot from the back can stun them leaving them vulneruble to attack, or you can just sneak past. 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] Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django

The second game, Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django, 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, Boktai 2 is more of an Action RPG than a stealth game. Nevertheless, keeping the same qualities in Boktai, Hideo Kojima expanded characters and maps, enemies and weapons. A new feature, Solar Forging, allows the player to forge two weapons together to create a new, stronger weapon, sometimes with special abilities. The player may unexpectedly end up with a very special weapon, known as a 'R-Rank' weapon.

During gameplay, the storyline temporarily shifts the player character to Sabata, who is Django's twin brother.

[edit] Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack

A Japan-only sequel to Boktai 2, Boktai 3 also uses the solar sensor, but it has changed its gameplay mechanics slightly. The main weapon is still the Gun Del Sol, but instead of attaching different frames, lenses, batteries, and grenades only lenses and frames are changed; plus, hammers and spears have been removed from the game, using swords instead. It also does without the overworld map seen in Boktai and Boktai 2, replacing it with a stage-select theme. Also, the Casket Cycle was introduced; this requires the player to go through a race-like event when first going to a dungeon, and also allows for Casket Cycle races between players over link mode. Boktai 3 remains unreleased in English, despite numerous requests from the series' fanbase for a localization. Boktai 3 also features a "Crossover Battle 2" with the Japanese version of Mega Man Battle Network 6.

[edit] Lunar Knights

The newest entry in the series, set in an alternate future introduced in Boktai 3. In America, this was billed as a new series for the Nintendo DS inspired by the world of Boktai, but in Japan it still bears the Bokura no Taiyō name. For more information, see Lunar Knights.

[edit] Solar Boy Django manga

Main article: Solar Boy Django (Manga)

Solar Boy Django is a manga by Makoto Hijoka that is loosely based on the Boktai series. It does not follow the plot of the games, although it does include many of the characters, such as The Count & Sabata. An English version of the manga is currently available from a Singapore manga production company. In 2007, Elex Media Komputindo licensed the manga for the Indonesian market with the title Jango the Solar Boy.

[edit] External links

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