Keith Courage in Alpha Zones Game Sample -- TurboGrafx-16
0Original Air Date: May 21st, 2009
There are a lot of things that can be said about Keith Courage. Some call it too monotonous, others call it too easy, a couple of people say it's great, and some others just call it flat-out mediocre, and they are all probably right. Still, Keith Courage is an early video game with some surprising roots.
Keith Courage's Japanese counterpart, Mashin Eiyūden Wataru (Spirit Hero Wataru and Mashin also being representative of "Machine"), which was a very popular Japanese anime that dealt with a 9-year old boy named Wataru Ikusabe who is magically transported to a magical realm of the gods known as Sokaizan, which he ends up saving.
Throughout the show, which had a lot of emphasis of things found in video games like "RPGing" and platforming elements (which was used in this game), you could get a miniature mecha robot that would help him destroy evil. Of course, this game didn't want any references of gods and the like in the states, so the story and character names were completely changed, though the game surprisingly retains the characters and setting from the Japanese game. We own one or two other Wataru games.
The story for the U.S. version is so bad that it easily gives Bad Dudes a run for its money. While I could sum it up myself, I felt lazy and decided to copy and paste this:
"The player controls Keith Courage. Struck by a giant meteor, the world, in the game, has been invaded by creatures from another planet. Burrowing deep within the Earth's surface, the planet of B.A.D. (Beastly Alien Dudes) seeks to take over the world. As a member of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens for Earth), Keith's mission is to defeat B.A.D. and bring peace to the world. Armed with a sword, Keith must first defeat the outpost guards. Then, enter the Underworld. Here Keith activates the awesome Nova Suit. A secret force left to him by his fallen father, he is half man, half mechanical monster.
Nearly invincible, his sword cracks with the power of lightning, as you wreak havoc on the fearsome Dudes. His goal is to reach the Robo Zone (the seventh Alpha Zone), headquarters of B.A.D. Succeed here and the player will win the game, recapturing the Earth and restoring humanity's place in the universe. Four friends offer Keith advice, swords, bombs, and extra lives. The player's goal is to collect the stolen riches left behind by the invaders and buy your way out of trouble with money." - Wikipedia
Yeah...... anyway, the gameplay of the game is very straightforward. You play seven levels each broken into two parts: A town district and a robot segment. The town districts have minor pests that you can defeat for money, which you'll be doing A LOT later when things become very expensive to purchase. The other half is more dangerous. The enemies are stronger and evil looking, unlike the cute stuff in town. Keith Courage has an unusual health system. At first it will seem like you can't die. Enemies can hit you numerous times and it won't result in a decrease in energy. As you get further things will get a little tougher, but the real challenge comes from not being able to scope the area.
During the robot segments, you'll usually find yourself ascending and descending without knowing what's completely above or below, which is really bad, especially when you're descending onto some spikes that kill you instantly, making you restart the area with half your money.
Basic Format: Turbo Chip / HuCard