The great footprints left behind by “Ikki”, which was ridiculed as a crap game – now is the time for parents and children to play the latest work “Ikki Dango”

Works that are so-called “kusogames” often enjoy cult popularity.

Also, several decades after its release, a review may be carried out asking, “Is this really a shitty game? Isn’t it actually a good game?”

I myself once wrote an article in which I countered a work that many critics called “this is a crap game” by saying “No, I can never say that it is.” There are as many human personalities as there are stars, and there are certainly works that can be considered masterpieces depending on how you look at them.

This time, I would like to explain about the Famicom software “Ikki” released by Sunsoft in November 1985. Was this work really a shitty game…?

◆Uprising of just two people
As the title suggests, “Ikki” is a work based on the uprising, a popular resistance movement in Japan.

However, uprisings from the Edo period onwards were not just simple riots, but also used the method of “osso.” This is a way to go beyond the local government office and appeal to a higher level government office.

In Japan, which is still a “country of deliberation” in which negotiations do not proceed without a formal approval document, evangelism is an extremely effective card.

That being said, when we ordinary people hear the word “uprising,” we probably think of “a riot of peasants armed with sickles and bamboo spears.” The worldview of “Ikki” is exactly like that, where the main character, Gonbe, throws an infinite number of sickles while expelling the ruler’s assassins.

However, looking around, the only characters from the Ikki side that appear are Gonbe and 2P Tago. The uprising is supposed to be a phenomenon that occurred due to the explosion of dissatisfaction among the local residents, but there were actually only two people fighting! ?

For some reason, the enemies that appeared were ninjas and wild boars, and I got a lot of comments like, “They have nothing to do with the uprising!?” As a result of these factors, “Ikki” came to be called a “shit game.”

But was that evaluation appropriate?

◆One of the few softwares that allowed two-player cooperative play
The arcade version of “Ikki” was released in July 1985, and was later ported to the Famicom.

At that time, porting a game from an arcade to a home game console was akin to “omitting features.” Since home game consoles have lower specs, they have to make compromises such as reducing the number of characters and stages. “Ikki” is no exception, and when porting from the arcade to the Famicom, there are omissions such as a reduction in the number of stages.

However, the fact that it still allows two-player cooperative play should be highly praised!

During this time, there were titles such as Super Mario Bros. in which two players could take turns playing, but titles that allowed two players to play at the same time were still rare. “Ikki” was successful in carefully selecting “parts that cannot be omitted,” and was able to realize the children’s long-cherished desire to “play multiplayer games while staying at home.”

With this alone, it can be said that “Ikki” left a great footprint.

It has become common knowledge in modern times that even the strange worldview of “just two people leading an uprising” is not enough to damage a work’s reputation. The arcade game “Guevara”, released by SNK two years after “Ikki”, is about two people, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, overthrowing the Batista regime. Although “Guevara” is by far the largest in terms of scale, it has been passed down as a “good work.”

◆Let’s have fun during Golden Week!
“Ikki” has tended to be unnecessarily underrated, but in the 21st century, this work is being reevaluated.

“Ikki Solidarity”, which was released for PC in February of last year and for Nintendo Switch in April of this year, can be said to be an authentic evolution of the previous “Ikki”.

There are 16 playable characters, and it is a monster that allows 16 people to play cooperatively at the same time!

Sun Electronics’ official website for “Ikki Unite” has the following information:

In autumn, they were supposed to be happy with the bountiful harvest, but they were in a panic due to an outbreak of locusts!

A village in crisis, yet an official who collects annual tax…

In order to protect the village, start a revolt and take back the rice!

This time it’s not just a one-man uprising! Let’s “unite” with up to 16 people!

The “most casual” “online cooperative play” is easy to operate and exhilarating!

Avoid the barrage and work together to defeat the enemies, collect items and aim for the magistrate’s mansion!

This is a united roguelike action!
There is an explanatory text. When he writes, “This time, it’s not just a one-man uprising!”, it seems like he’s digesting the many things that have been said about him in a positive way.

I believe that this initiative will be a great opportunity to convey to the next generation the existence of mysterious works that have continued to be viewed in a negative light.

For gamers with children, Golden Week is a valuable time to communicate with them. Play “Ikki,” which mothers and fathers used to play, with the children.

I am convinced that this is what computer games should be.

Thanks to Sun Electronics’ development and release of “Ikki Dango”, those of us born in the 1980s can now convey the appeal of “Ikki” to our children born in the 2010s. Just as the achievements of great historical figures are passed down from generation to generation, and just as great inventions become better products through repeated improvements, the Famicom software that captivated people will continue to live by our side. must.

So, during Golden Week in 2024, the whole family will have a peasant uprising!