Game:

Keio Flying Squadron (1993)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 1:31:54

2,461 views

48

There are a few things that most people know about us by now: That we're die-hard collectors / gamers, and that we don't let language barriers get in the way of playing games. While there are a fairly small set of games that are import-friendly and pretty good for most platforms (which often translates into large price tags for games of particular genres like action, shooting, etc.), the reality is that if you wanna experience ALL the best, you're gonna need to break down the barriers -- there are plenty of good games that never have and likely never will get translated. Sometimes though, the games in question aren't so much amazing as they are a curiosity... take, for example, the last game in a bizarre trilogy with a bit of an identity crisis known colloquially as "Keio".

The series is best known for the hori-shmup that started it all, "Keio Flying Squadron", which was released for the Sega / Mega CD in 1993/94. Released Internationally in extremely limited quantities, it was an unapologetically Japanese game through and through during a time when games that wore their Japanese influences on their sleeves were exceptionally rare (in the sense that they were over-the-top in their cultural weirdness, some examples of the era being games like "Parodius", "Pocky & Rocky", "Musya", etc.) and over the years it has transformed into a bit of a phenomenon and holy grail for the platform.

It would get a sequel more than two years later for the Sega Saturn in 1996 (KFS2) that was mostly a side-scrolling action / platformer (a few segments break up the monotony including shooting segments). This game took place a year after the first game plot-wise and was never released in the U.S., though a few PAL areas were lucky enough to get a few copies. The last game would not get an English release at all and didn't even stick to Sega's platforms -- it's a board game for PlayStation whose full name is "Rami-chan no Ōedo Sugoroku ~Keiō Yūgekitai Gaiden~" (蘭未ちゃんの大江戸すごろく慶応遊撃隊外伝).

While being a "Gaiden", it still moves the story forward, taking place a year after Keio 2. After the first two battles with Dr. Pon that did cataclysmic damage to Edo, Japan, things are starting to look normal again and Rami, Pochi (Spot) and the gang go to the beach to have some "fun". What they're really doing is following a hot lead on more sacred treasures and swim off the beaten path to an abandoned shrine. After blowing up the ground and reaching the disclosed location, they reach a door with a powerful seal they can't open. Just when they think they're empty- handed, Pochi finds a ring with the same seal as the one on the locked door. It turns out that it's one of King Solomon's treasures, and the rest are hidden somewhere around Japan. Rami now travels around Japan to go through all the leads on the rest of Solomon's treasures, and Dr. Pon is tracking her every move. For whatever reason, the best way to gather information is to raise more money than everyone else in a game similar to Monopoly where you build food stalls for different festivals... it's really not explained why, but Keio's worldview never made much sense anyway.

That being said, if you've played Monopoly or any of its derivatives, you know the game's general flow; buy properties, increase your capital, dabble in chance, be lucky, etc. While the game looks pretty sharp in an emulator (smoothed out videos, ultra sharp graphics, less jaggy polygons, etc.), the actual game is a bit low budget -- there's little voice acting, some images are grainy or lack focus, the framerate is kinda choppy, the game uses very simple 3D graphics with characters with floating limbs like Rayman, and the game recycles a few music tracks from both Keio AND Keio 2. However, before you go off thinking the game is bad, I must say that the game has some nice 2D art, the original music is pretty neat, and the game, most importantly, is fun.

Yes, it is kinda rigged like many computerized board games before it (in this case, the computer is almost impossible to beat in certain mini-games, almost always gets "lucky" and finds items constantly, has a penchant for somehow avoiding whole zones of occupied property, etc.), but there's actually several exploits too that make the game one of the easier computerized board games (special powers to reach "Go", A.I.'s mismanagement of stamina, some mini-games where you have control like Sumo Wrestling are pretty easy, etc.). The game also has a lot of underlying mechanics that I won't get into here, but they're fun to play with and I will pin a comprehensive guide in the comments of tips from playing. All in all, as the last Keio game, it could've been better, but it's a decent time sink nonetheless. This is a video of assorted KYG footage. Enjoy.

- ADDITION -

Like Us On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegamingsanctuary/

Follow Us On Twitter: https://twitter.com/GS_Vyse_and_Bel

Visit Us At: http://www.gamingsanctuary.com