cj_iwakura
Member
- Developer: Alfa System (Original) / Cosmo Machia (Port)
- Publisher: Degica
- Platform: PC (Steam)
- Genre: Shmup
- Price: $11.99 ($9.99 initial sale)
Castle Shikigami has a ... spotty localization history. This game, the original, was first 'localized' as Mobile Light Force 2... with all the story stripped out.
This was fine if you just cared about the gameplay(shmup story lol), but for a game that's driven by the characters and plot, it's kind of insulting, especially to not use the original art.
The same publishers would fix this the second time around... uh, sort of.
Shikigami 2 left both the original art and the dialogue intact. How accurate the translation was... well, that's up for debate.
(Not really; the translation is objectively awful.
But at least they tried.
Shikigami 3 was the lucky one.
It actually received a competent translation with solid voice acting, equally hilarious and serious as the story calls for it.
And now, somehow, we're back to square one; Degica have localized the first game, with the story intact.
July 2005, the "near future". A number of victims have been found murdered, all of them female, seemingly electrocuted. After the 32nd killing, the attention of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is finally gained.
They begin an investigation, as do a number of persons drawn by the case's strong ties to the occult. What's always set Shikigami apart are the variety of playable characters. The first game offered six to choose from. The players arrive to stop the killers, while the bosses are either the killers themselves, or ghostly figures serving them.
The characters are each psychic investigators called in to solve the murders, hopefully to succeed where the police have failed.
Kohtaro Kuga
Kohtaro is a detective with the Metropolitan Police, assigned to the case. His special attack uses a spiritual familiar named Zasae who accompanies him everywhere, whether he likes it or not.
Sayo Yuuki
A Shinto shrine maiden with designs on Kohtaro. Sayo appears to be investigating the murders at the request of another. She attacks with spiritual wards.
Gennojo Hyuga
A werewolf/detective, who assumes the form of an ancient wolf god when enraged. He's something of a cheapskate, investigating the murders on his free time.
Fumiko Odette Van Stein
A half-German half-Japanese witch. The rise of the Nazi Empire forced her family's movement to Japan, where she's resided ever since. Fumiko is also quite wealthy, and is usually accompanied by her butler, Munchausen. Munchausen's aerial bombings are the form of her special attack. He usually has a different costume with each appearance.
Kim Dae-Jeong
A Confucian Taoist from Korea who also teaches Tae Kwon Do to children in his spare time. One of his students was murdered by the killers, forcing his hand. His guitar case conceals a sword, which is used in his special attack.
??? (Tagami)
A sexless wanderer. Tagami first appeared in Alfa's PlayStation lightgun shooter, Elemental Gearbolt. She's a member of the Septentrion, the organization responsible for the murders. Tagami uses weak homing shots, and a special attack consisting of short-range solar flares.
Standard Attack
The normal pattern fire. Enemies release coins freely, which have to be gathered by the player. These attacks double in intensity if the player grazes enemy fire, meaning their shots are immediately next to the player's hitbox, similar to "buzzing" from Skonec's Psyvariar. This is called the Tension Bullet System, or "TBS".
The hitbox is usually the very center of the character sprite, and they can not die unless it is struck, making it possible to weave through insane amounts of oncoming shots. However, rather than this being the focus of the gameplay, like Psyvariar, it's something you can take advantage of to win boss battles quicker and reach for higher scores. It's a brilliant risk-reward system, even though it involves squinting at the screen to figure out exactly where your characters hitboxes are.
Shikigami Attack
Uses spiritual power to attack. Many of these have a short range or some other limitation, but the coins earned from killing enemies go automatically to the player. This is usually done by holding down the fire button, as there are alternate buttons which can be held down for continuous fire.
The closer the player is to enemy fire, the more coins they gain. If a player kills an enemy with a Shikigami attack while grazing, they'll gain up to eight times the resulting amount of coins. For scoring, it's best to use this against bosses.
Bomb
These are typical of bullet hell shooters. Some do high power destruction, some do more focused damage, but all briefly protect the player from enemy fire. The player gets anywhere from three to five... except for Tagami's, who's screen filling blast only gets one, but it can usually kill a boss in one shot.
(Steam Version)
(Original Version, Shikigami no Shiro EX / Fan Translation)
Special Thanks
Alfa System
Degica
Cosmo Machia
And to everyone "who actually reads that shit".
