TATAKAI NO BANKA
( Trojan )
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闘いの挽歌
©Capcom 1986
Release: 1986-12-24 (¥5500)
Cartdridge CAP-TA
Action game
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Released in America as
TROJAN
( NES-TJ-USA )
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Released in Europe as
TROJAN
( NES-TJ-XXX )
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Tatakai no Banka (known as Trojan in the rest of the world) is
a side scrolling action game by Capcom, and conversion of an arcade game
of the same name originally released in 1986. The game is set in the near future
where human civilization has been lost - warlords from enchant times have risen
from the dead and plunged the world into a dreadful war and into darkness. In this
post-apocalyptic wasteland, it's up to a small group of resistance fighters to
protect humanity from total annihilation. The player takes control of Ryu,
a lone warrior who sets on a journey to infiltrate the enemy's hideout and to defeat
the enemy's leader - the evil Akiresu (aka 'Achilles'). He comes equipped with a lethal
sword and a shield - this weapon combination is at the core of the gameplay, and
the player must strategically block attacks and projectiles before inflicting any
damage in order to survive. A sharp blow can also send both weapons flying out of
his grasp, forcing him to fight with his bare hands and feet until he recovers
them. Various items are hidden throughout the game, such as winged hearts
(health), shoes (high jumps), keys (unlock doors) and the extremely rare power icons
(upgrade the sword) and speed icon (increases running speed). Some are
dropped by defeated enemies, whereas other are hidden inside underground rooms or booby-trapped bonus urns.
Tatakai no Banka features seven stages (the first six are divided into two sections each), a two-alternating player
mode and an one-on-one two players versus mode.
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Tatakai no Banka (which translates as 'The elegy of battle') was
an arcade game originally released in 1986 (picture on the right). The game is better known in the west
as Trojan. The Famicom version tested here seems to be the only
home conversion ever made until the original arcade game was eventually included in
the Capcom Classics Collection released for the Playstation 2
in 2006. As a side note, it seems that the NES port of Trojan was also part of
Nintendo Vs. System arcade series.
However, the 8-bit port shows significant differences - the arcade game
featured special tiles (such as high jumps) which were replaced by traditional
powerups, and secret underground rooms were also scattered around the game.
Finally, the progress-map and the two-player versus mode are exclusive to the Famicom port.
Interestingly, Ryu's alter ego is called Trojan in the Japanese
version, which also became the name of the main character in the American and
European versions of the game, where he is simply described as the 'Trojan Warrior'.
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Teaser text copied from the American version:
Prepare yourself for the exciting confrontation
with the ancient evil army.
You are at the controls. The fate of
throngs of suffering people held
hostageby the brutal king's troops
await freedom by Trojan!
Release your imagination. Grab
hold of the controls. For you are
Trojan. Happy. Light-hearted.
Spirited. Yet, often considered
irresponsible.
But Trojan...you are a
superb physical being who's
mastered the martial arts.
Fated with relentless energy and
determination, you muster courage,
embarking on the challenge
of invading the enemy's territory to
rescue the captives from the army
of the evil empire.
You manipulate the controls, creating
movement of Trojan's protective
armored shield and the
wielding of his shining sword.
As Trojan, you battle knife
throwing enemy troops. But watch
out, for if you are hit with your
opponent's weapons, you would lose
your shield and sword, and
would fight with your bare hands.
Can Trojan and you successfully defeat
the enemy and rescue the people of the world?
You control their destiny!
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G
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Japanese Guidebook
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Japanese Guidebook
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Click on picture to enlarge |
S
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Continues:
After getting a Game Over, wait until the game
returns to the title screen. There, hold up and press
start to continue where you died.
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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In truth, this Famicom port of Tatakai no Banka is overall
better balanced than the original arcade game - the difficulty feels fair
and the rate of enemies was reduced to manageable levels. But I'm not a big
fan of games that use 'up' to jump - well, Famicom controllers only
have two action buttons, so Capcom didn't have much choice. But this
results in one cheap death after another, and makes the controls
feel really stiff. Tatakai no Banka is definitively a game you
can't beat in a hurry, and this is especially true in later stages - you will
be dead meat if you don't huddle behind your shield and block enemy attacks
before striking them with your sword. Tatakai no Banka features a compelling
level design with a wide variety of locations, but you'll have to be
dedicated and show patience to master the fiddly controls.
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