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サーカスライド
Unipost, 1991
Release : 1991-04-06 (¥5400)
Hucard (2 Mbits) JP91001
Action / Puzzle game
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Circus Lido is a quirky puzzle/action game by Uni Post Company
and Planning System. Like most action/puzzle games, the
goal of Circus Lido is both deceptively simple and dauntingly complex.
The star of the show is a green and cute chameleon-like creature called
"Leon" who must progress through devilish levels, killing all the
crawling (or flying) insects that populate them in order to reach the exit.
The levels are not timed though, and the core gameplay has an unique and
challenging twist - although the Chameleon can shoot his tongue to
capture enemies, he can't actually eat them... instead, he must carry the
captured foes in his mouth and spit them out into carnivorous plants
scattered around each level. This particular technique has also many other
useful applications, and the chameleon can spit an enemy at another in
order to stun them, or use a stunned bug as a temporary platform...
Additionally, the green lizard comes with another serious limitation - he
can't jump. So the only way for Leon to reach higher grounds is to
use his retractable tail and to shoot it upwards in an attempt to wrap it
around special logs/legdes. Once all the enemies are defeated, the exit
door unlocks and the chameleon can proceed to the next stage. Circus Lido
consists of forty levels and a password system allows the player to save
his progress.
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Circus Lido is notoriously known among classic game enthusiasts,
not for its (average at most) qualities as a puzzle game, but for the unusual
circumstances of its release. Although the game was (quietly) advertised in
several Japanese video game magazines at the time and officially released on
April 6 1991, it was nowhere to be found in stores and went completely
unnoticed. Because of this, Circus Lido was considered as one of
the rarest PC Engine HuCard in the late 1990s, and the few rare
copies that surfaced on the collectors' market snapped up for thousands
of dollars (some even argued that the game was never commercially released).
However, in 2000, this situation was about to change dramatically. For
what seemed like obscure reasons, an increasing number of Circus Lido
began to appear and the game's inflated
value started to melt away... And the truth, being finally revealed in 2001,
is one of the most memorable moment (and most painful for some) of
PC Engine collecting history. Although Circus Lido was virtually
impossible to find in the wild, several Japanese forums started to leak out
that the game was available for its original retail price (¥5400) on Amazon
Japan! To fully understand and explain this unexpected twist, we have to go
back to 1991 - in reality, Circus Lido did see a commercial release,
yes, but not in toy/game stores, but in libraries. It is not really clear as
to why Uni Post company decided to only release this game in libraries,
but this certainly explains why it went completely unnoticed and was nowhere
to be found... until 2000, when someone discovered that Amazon Japan still had a
large stock available at the original retail price. Circus Lido shows how
incredibly volatile the collectibles market can be, and how speculation can cause
the mighty to fall (and yet I feel for those who paid thousands of dollars for the
once-rare and elusive Circus Lido).
Interestingly, a special medal/key chain was made to commemorate the release of
Circus Lido (picture on the right). 500 were made and given away
to the first players (as long as they ordered it) who cleared the forty levels (see the Omake section for
more information). It is however hard to tell how many were actually
given away, considering how badly the game sold...
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Circus Lido comes with a outer cardboard box (similar to the ones which
came with SuperGrafx games). Each copy also includes a
numbered user's card which gives additional information
about the game:
A "CIRCUS LIDO" Card is a UNIPOST PC Engine game card. Can you
help the chameleon's "Leon" to escape. There are 40 mazes.
The enemy is formidable. keep trying until the day you help him escape.
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O
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Click on picture to enlarge |
S
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Level Passwords:
Level 01 - AAAA
Level 02 - DRMH
Level 03 - NEOT
Level 04 - ESCR
Level 05 - EETE
Level 06 - HRSY
Level 07 - TSOA
Level 08 - STPL
Level 09 - RHIP
Level 10 - EGND
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Level 11 - HIUO
Level 12 - TRTO
Level 13 - OLHG
Level 14 - ELGY
Level 15 - HAIR
Level 16 - TMLE
Level 17 - DEYV
Level 18 - NTPA
Level 19 - ASOE
Level 20 - AYCR
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Level 21 - SSGA
Level 22 - UGNU
Level 23 - GNIO
Level 24 - IIYY
Level 25 - ANA!
Level 26 - SNLS
Level 27 - AAPN
Level 28 - MLRO
Level 29 - IPUI
Level 30 - JDOT
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Level 31 - AEYA
Level 32 - TTRL
Level 33 - FIOU
Level 34 - FMFT
Level 35 - AIUA
Level 36 - TLOR
Level 37 - SYYG
Level 38 - DNDK
Level 39 - EANO
Level 40 - VPAC
Boss - ZYMA
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
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Circus Lido is such a strange game... at least the developers
tried to keep the player's interest piqued - there is no time limit,
no lives and a password system allows you to save your progress after
every level. I say it's a nice touch. However, the puzzles are brutally
hard and five levels in, you realize that it's going to be a long and
difficult road. Circus Lido is a tricky game with fiendishly-designed
levels, and I must warn you right here - the game is more oriented
towards puzzle solving than platform action, so don't go in expecting
another Bubble Bobble (levels are designed in a way that require
a lot of thought and reflection). All in all, Circus Lido is not
as bad as some people say - the graphics are correct, the controls
are generally ok (they are slightly clunky though, and Leon
often doesn't aim and shoot where you want him to) and the game
definitively has some intense "scratch your head" moments. Overall,
Circus Lido drops squarely into average territory.
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