Baraduke
A 1985 arcade run and gun with a female protagonist twist.
Baraduke (known in North America as *Alien Sector*) is a run and gun arcade game from 1985, created and released by Namco. Players control a spacewoman in a biohazard suit: Player 1 is Kissy, Player 2 is Takky. The goal is to clear eight increasingly difficult worlds, each made up of five regular floors and one boss floor, by blasting enemies with wave guns. Players also rescue one-eyed Paccets for bonus points and a chance to earn an extra shield during end-of-floor bonus games.
On each floor, enemies called Octy drop power-up capsules when defeated. Clearing all Octy on a floor opens a pipe at the bottom, which the player must find and enter to advance. Boss floors feature giant enemies: a Blue Worm in worlds 1, 3, 5, and 7; a Turning Eye in worlds 2, 4, and 6; and the Octy King in world 8. Defeating the boss moves the player to the next world.
In Japan, *Game Machine* listed Baraduke as the fifteenth most-successful table arcade unit in their September 1, 1985 issue. Clare Edgeley of *Computer and Video Games* reviewed the arcade version in October 1985, noting that while graphics and story were lacking, there was plenty of blasting material. She called it reasonably fast and mildly addictive, but said it lacked the qualities to break into the top ten arcade games. In a 2016 retrospective, Federico Tiraboschi of *Hardcore Gaming 101* compared Baraduke to Nintendo’s *Metroid* (1986), observing that both games feature a faceless space soldier in a bright suit exploring a complex of caves filled with alien creatures, and both later reveal the protagonist as female. However, he noted Baraduke focuses more on shooting than exploration. He also compared it to Capcom’s *Section Z* (1985), pointing out that both have free-range spacemen with jetpacks navigating scrolling sectors, but Baraduke’s characters are affected by gravity and gun recoil.
Ten years after its arcade debut, Baraduke was ported to the X68000 in 1995. It also appeared in the fifth volume of the *Namco Museum* series on PlayStation, and was re-released on *Namco Museum Virtual Arcade* for Xbox 360 in 2008, on the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2009, and by Hamster Corporation via their *Arcade Archives* series for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in November 2022. A sequel, *Baraduke II*, came out only in Japan in 1988.
Baraduke is recognized as an early example of a female game protagonist, with
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- Namco
- Release Year
- 1985
- Genre
- Run and gun
- Platform
- Arcade (original)
- Protagonist
- Kissy (Player 1) / Takky (Player 2)
- Notable For
- Early female protagonist with gender twist ending
Lore & Background
Baraduke was released in 1985 by Namco for arcades, with a home version for the X68000 in 1995. The player controls a spacewoman in a biohazard suit; Player 1 is Kissy and Player 2 is Takky. The goal is to clear eight worlds, each consisting of five regular floors and one boss floor, using wave guns to destroy enemies. Players must also save one-eyed Paccets for extra points and a chance at an extra shield in end-of-floor bonus games. On each floor, defeating all Octy enemies yields power-up capsules and opens a pipe to the next floor. Boss floors feature giant enemies: a Blue Worm in Worlds 1, 3, 5, and 7; a Turning Eye in Worlds 2, 4, and 6; and the Octy King in World 8.
Reader's Guide
Baraduke is significant for its early depiction of a female game protagonist, with the gender of the main character Kissy revealed only at the end, predating Metroid's Samus Aran by one year. The game has been compared to Metroid for shared elements such as a maze-like alien-filled complex and a surprise female reveal, though Baraduke focuses more on shooting than exploration. It also shares similarities with Capcom's Section Z, released later in 1985, in its free-range spaceman with a jetpack, but Baraduke features gravity and gun recoil. The game was ported to multiple platforms, including the X68000, PlayStation (Namco Museum volume 5), Xbox 360 (Namco Museum Virtual Arcade), Wii Virtual Console, and Nintendo Switch/PS4 via Arcade Archives. Its legacy includes a Japan-only sequel, Baraduke II (1988), and appearances of its characters in later Namco games such as the Mr. Driller series, Namco x Capcom, and cameos in Tales of Destiny and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
Did You Know?
- Baraduke was released in North America under the title Alien Sector.
- The player character Kissy's gender is revealed in a twist ending, predating Metroid's Samus Aran by one year.
- A sequel, Baraduke II, was released only in Japan in 1988.
- The one-eyed Paccet enemy appears as a cameo in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as part of Pac-Man's taunt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do you control in Baraduke?
Player 1 pilots Kissy and Player 2 pilots Takky, both spacewomen wearing biohazard suits who blast through alien-infested sectors with wave guns.
What is Baraduke and when was it released?
Baraduke is a 1985 arcade run-and-gun shooter developed and published by Namco. The campaign spans eight progressively harder worlds, each containing five standard floors followed by a boss encounter.
What is Baraduke called in North America?
The same title was localized under the name Alien Sector for its North American arcade release, though the core gameplay and characters remained unchanged.
What are Paccets and Octy in Baraduke?
Octy are the standard enemies that drop power-up capsules when destroyed, while Paccets are one-eyed creatures you collect for bonus points and a shot at earning an extra shield in the end-of-floor mini-game.
Why is Baraduke considered notable in arcade history?
For a 1985 run-and-gun, it stood out by giving players a female protagonist at the helm, a relatively rare choice in the genre at the time. It also helped cement Namco's reputation for tight arcade shooters alongside titles like Pac-Man and Xevious.
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