Kagirinaki Tatakai
A destructible-environment platformer/shooter for the Sharp X1.
Kagirinaki Tatakai is a platformer/shooter game developed by Hiroshi Ishikawa and published by Enix exclusively for the Sharp X1 in Japan. The player descends a vertical underground shaft using a jet pack, raygun, rocket launcher, and bombs, with the latter two able to destroy any part of the stage. It is notable for its fully destructible environments, a feature inspired by the science fiction novel Starship Troopers.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Hiroshi Ishikawa
- Publisher
- Enix
- Released
- October 1983 (JP)
- Genre
- Platformer, shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Sharp X1
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The player must descend a vertical underground shaft, avoiding enemies and projectiles, to reach and destroy a red core at 600 meters depth. A powered suit with a jet pack allows hovering and reaching platforms. Lives are limited; a game over occurs when they are depleted. Score increases with descent and defeating enemies. Hazards include aliens, infantrymen, turrets, flying saucers, and homing missiles. Three weapons are available: an infinite-ammo raygun, and limited rockets and bombs. Rockets and bombs can destroy any wall or floor, enabling cover creation or new paths.
Development
Hiroshi Ishikawa, aged 16 and entering high school, developed Kagirinaki Tatakai alone. He began programming on a VIC-1001 in March 1981 and bought a Sharp X1 in May 1983. The game was his first commercial product, inspired by a scene in Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers where powered-suit protagonists use grenades and rockets against spider-like aliens in tunnels. Player movements came from 1973's Moonlander, and homing missiles from Time Pilot. Ishikawa programmed the initial version in one month using a BASIC compiler from Hudson Soft. He entered it in Enix's 2nd Game/Hobby Program Contest under the title Assault V; Starship Troopers was unavailable due to a prior contest entry. The name Kagirinaki Tatakai was chosen for its similarity to Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. It received a third-place Selected Program Award and was released in October 1983. Sales were about 3,000 units. Enix requested a PC-8801 port, but Ishikawa could not scroll sprites effectively on that system; the conversion was cancelled and he went unpaid. His next game, Brain Breaker, was published by Enix on the X1 in 1985. Ishikawa later left game development to become a college professor of natural science.
Reception and legacy
The Japanese magazine LOGiN described Kagirinaki Tatakai as having a fantastic concept and screen layout. Hiroyuki Urakawa of Oh!X noted its unique action and eerie background music that stayed with him. John Szczepaniak, writing for Retro Gamer and Hardcore Gaming 101, called it a forgotten gem, praising its non-mirrored player sprite, three weapons, enemy variety, realistic physics, and innovative destructible environments, while criticizing the music, controls, and visual smoothness within hardware limits. The game remained obscure until 2008, when a translated interview with Treasure designer Mitsuru Yaida mentioned an unidentified Sharp X1 title as an influence on Bangai-O; sleuths initially guessed Kagirinaki Tatakai but later identified Hover Attack. Designer Derek Yu cited Kagirinaki Tatakai and NetHack as inspirations for destructible environments in his 2008 platformer Spelunky, though he had not played the older game.
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