Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand

Hide from undead enemies. Solve block puzzles and mathematical riddles. Shoot zombies with a solar-powered gun. Explore numerous dungeon corridors. Purify immortal demons with the power of the sun. Sound interesting? Welcome to the world of Boktai.

Masterminded by Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid fame), Boktai is one of the best games you've never played. It practically redefines innovation, and gathers together a variety of gameplay elements - only some of which will be familiar - to produce a nearly flawless masterpiece of a game.

The story is simple. You are solar boy Django, son of the famous vampire hunter Ringo. Formerly famous, that is - he recently died at the hands of the Count, an immortal demon wreaking havoc on the world. The undead are taking over; entire species are dying out, and the earth is changing for the worse. As his son, you are not only entitled to revenge, but also to his legacy: the Gun Del Sol, a potent weapon which uses the power of the sun to defeat undead foes. A solar sprite named Otenko is in on things too; for the good of the sun, he must help you save the world, which he does with advice and some other vital assistance. The plot gets a bit thicker later on, but not until near the end, so it doesn't affect a whole lot.

As far as gameplay goes, Boktai's claim to fame is the cartridge's most prominent feature: a solar sensor. The sensor picks up on solar light (typical artificial light won't fool it - it detects UV rays), which is used in the game for multiple purposes. The Gun Del Sol is charged by sunlight. The piledriver, which Otenko summons to purify immortal bosses (more on this later), is powered by sunlight. Many in-game events are affected by the amount of light hitting the sensor, such as traps, puzzles, even enemies. It's obvious that the sensor wasn't just a tacked-on gimmick. In a related (and nearly as deep) area, Boktai has an incredibly sophisticated timekeeping feature. After entering an initial time and date, and selecting the region where you live, the game will intelligently determine near-precise times for sunrise, sunset, and even full moons. This is reflected in-game with changing environments depending on time of day - for example, zombies won't go outside in the daytime, but other enemies may be more prevalent.

Boktai's gameplay is more than just a glossy polish, though. Kojima's influence is clear, as a major element of the game is stealth. Sure, you can run up to an enemy and blast him to smithereens, but more often than not this will make Django very dead very fast. The trick is to use your stealth techniques - looking around, wall-crawling, and wall-knocking - to distract and manipulate your enemies, making them easy to defeat or avoid entirely. Here's an example: a Bok (basic zombie) is walking towards you in a room with pillars. Hide behind a pillar and wall-knock on it to lure the Bok towards the sound. Run away from the pillar, and while the dimwitted Bok stands confused, you can run around him and blast him in the back with a solar spray. He'll never see it coming. These techniques can be used in more depth as well - for instance, a great way of getting rid of multiple golems is to attract the creatures' attention to a certain spot, then wait for them to ram headlong into one another, knocking them both out. You get graded on each dungeon you complete, and while there is a grade for avoiding detection, there is no grade for defeating enemies.

There are three types of areas to navigate in Boktai: world map sections, undead dungeons, and immortal dungeons. The world map sections are very tiny, mere paths connecting the other areas. Undead dungeons are small, usually consisting of a half-dozen or so rooms, with puzzles and enemies you need to get around to progress (undead dungeons typically do nothing but get in the way of a path). Immortal dungeons are the big, bad boss areas of the game, headed by an immortal entity that you must defeat in order to move on (magical blocks with the immortal's power block paths, and disappear when they're defeated). The immortal dungeons embody another fairly innovative element of Boktai, in the immortal fights. After completing an immortal dungeon's myriad chamber and puzzles, Django must do battle with the immortal guardian of the dungeon. Each battle offers up different strategies for evasion and attack. After this battle, the immortal is sealed in a coffin, which must be dragged out of the dungeon to be purified. It's not as much of a chore as it sounds, though - each dungeon has a shortcut for getting out, allowing for a relatively quick (though not puzzle-free) exit with the coffin in tow. When you get outside, you must place the coffin on the piledriver summoned by Otenko. With the power of the sun, and the Gun Del Sol, the piledriver charges up to carry out the second part of an immortal battle. The immortal fights the power of the piledriver, which you must continually defend with the Gun Del Sol, and also occasionally throws out an attack at Django. You must keep the piledriver powered-up and pummeling the immortal's coffin to achieve victory.

That's not all, though. The Gun Del Sol has interchangeable components (lenses for attack attributes, frames for attack types and power, batteries for charge capacity, and grenades for assorted capabilities), which you both find and earn throughout the game. There are disposable items for restoring health, recharging the Gun Del Sol, running faster, temporary invulnerability, even shrinking. The Solar Tree, which you unlock early in the game, can be used to generate new items from what's planted in its roots. A solar bank will store your unused solar charges and give you interest on them, and a dark bank offers high-interest solar loans with more than a bit of malice. Boktai will surprise you with its depth almost every step of the way.

Graphically, Boktai is shown from an overhead 3/4 viewpoint. The graphical style of the game is fairly unique, and very well done - Django's red scarf billows as he runs, and short cinematic scenes introducing immortal dungeons are beautifully imposing. The quality of the game's graphics is maintained consistently. Boktai's soundtrack is also well executed, with a number of dark, dank, mysterious ambient tunes to fit the dungeons. Sound effects are pulled off very well, from footsteps to enemy cries of alarm.

Much replay value is evident in Boktai as well. The game has a handful of unlockable emblems, which, when earned, can be used in a special dungeon for special prizes. More powerful items, and slightly different play modes, are available after completing the game a certain number of times (which isn't too difficult, considering the game is short but sweet, at a peak of about 12 hours if you take your time). There are even multiplayer modes where you can compete with your friends in ghoul-busting. There is, however, one great shortfall in Boktai: the game's key feature is also its greatest downfall.

Being tied to the sun in order to play is a bit too demanding and problematic. Foul weather, daytime schedules, where you live, even the time of year can make the task of finding a good time to play into a chore. And if you're in school or you've got a day job, it's almost necessary to wait until the weekend to play (especially in the Winter). That said, the solar element is definitely not something that should be condemned, for it is a fun feature of the game when you get the chance to use it. Don't let the inconvenience stop you from playing Boktai; poor weather is a poor excuse for missing out on this beauty of a game.

Progress: Complete