Genpei Tōma Den
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| Genpei Tōma Den | |
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 Arcade flyer of Genpei Tōma Den. |
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| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sharp X68000, PC Engine, Virtual Console |
| Release date |  1986 |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick; 2 buttons |
| Cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
| Arcade system | Namco System 86 |
| Display | Horizontal orientation, Raster |
Genpei Tōma Den (源平討魔伝, literally "Genji and Heike Clans Defeat Demon Story"?) is a beat 'em up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1986 in Japan and in Europe with an English translated version. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware. Over a decade later, the game was released in America as part of Namco Museum under the title The Genji and the Heike Clans.
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[edit] Gameplay
The player makes his way along a very strange landscape fighting enemies as they appear. The game offers three types of action: Small Mode (standard), Big Mode (standard, but with large characters and usually boss fights) and Plain Mode (viewed from an overhead perspective). Most stages have torii, which are used to transport the player to a different stage. On most stages featured in Side Mode and Plain Mode, there are multiple torii that can be entered which will lead to different routes on the map. In Big Mode, however, there is only one torii at the end of this type of stage.
The leading character is a historical Japanese samurai called Taira no Kagekiyo who fell in the Battle of Dan-no-ura. In Genpei Tōma Den, he was resurrected and fights Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Saito Musashibo Benkei over the Imperial Regalia of Japan, as well as to defeat his enemy Minamoto no Yoritomo.
The game also features the Sanzu River, a place believed in Japanese Buddhism to separate "the current life" and "the afterlife", resembling the concept of Underworld or Hell (The river is often identified with the River Styx in Greek Mythology). Therefore, some mythological characters like Emma-o (閻魔大王; literally "Enma Dai-o"), god of the Underworld, and Sun Goddess Amaterasu appear in the game.
[edit] Ports
The game's first port was released in 1988 for the Japanese Sharp X68000 home computer. The game was also ported to the PC Engine (the Japanese TurboGrafx-16) and released on March 16, 1990.
Genpei Tōma Den was also featured on the Namco Museum Vol. 4 compilation game for the PlayStation game console, released in 1996 for Japan and 1997 for the U.S. and Europe. For the U.S. and European releases, the game was re-titled as The Genji and the Heike Clans. This would be the first time the original Genpei Tōma Den would make an appearance outside of Japan.
[edit] Sequel
Genpei Tōma Den: Kannoni, a sequel to Genpei Tōma Den, was released on April 7, 1992 exclusively for the PC Engine. Surprisingly enough, this game also had an American release re-titled, Samurai Ghost, for the TurboGrafx-16. This would be the first time a Genpei Tōma Den game would be released to the U.S. market.
[edit] Board game
Shortly after the release of the original arcade game, Namco released an RPG-style board game version of Genpei Tōma Den. Then later in October 21, 1988 Namco released a Famicom version of the board game called Genpei Toumaden: Computer Board Game.
[edit] Other appearances
- Kagekiyo also appears in the crossover game Namco X Capcom, whereas he teams up with Tarosuke, the child hero of Yokai Douchuuki. In addition, Yoshitsune, Benkei and Yoritomo also appeared in NxC as bosses.
- Kagekiyo also makes an appearance in Tales of Eternia (also known as Tales of Destiny 2 in the U.S.). He, along with Rick Taylor, appear in the Aifread's Tomb dungeon to bar the player from advancing through certain doorways.
