Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen
A four-player fighting game based on the Yu Yu Hakusho manga.
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen is a 1994 fighting game developed by Treasure and published by Sega for the Mega Drive, based on the manga series Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi. It is notable for allowing up to four players to compete simultaneously and for its use of dual horizontal planes, a mechanic similar to the Fatal Fury series. Despite never being localized in North America or Europe, it has been praised by several publications as one of the best 16-bit fighting games.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Treasure
- Publisher
- Sega (JP); Tectoy (BR)
- Director
- Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
- Artist
- Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
- Makoto Ogino
- Hiroshi Iuchi
- Programmer
- Masaki Ukyo, Mitsuru Yaida
- Composer
- Satoshi Murata
- Katsuhiko Suzuki
- Aki Hata
- Norio Hanzawa
- Platforms
- Mega Drive
- Series
- Yu Yu Hakusho
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen is a fighting game based on the supernatural manga series Yu Yu Hakusho. The player chooses one of 11 key characters from the manga: Urameshi, Kurama, Hiei, Kazuma Kuwabara, Genkai, the Toguro brothers, Chū, Jin, Shinobu Sensui and Itsuki. The game has no story mode and does not adapt the plot of its source material. It follows a versus fighting game template similar to the Street Fighter series, where the objective is to deplete opponents' health gauges using short and long-ranged attacks. Fighters move horizontally on 2D battlefields and can jump toward or over opponents. Up to four characters can battle simultaneously in a single match. Each stage includes a second layer, allowing players to leap onto a separate horizontal plane in the background, similar to the Fatal Fury series. Matches have no time limit.
Development and release
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen came from Treasure, with backing from the manga's creator Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Studio Pierrot, and Fuji TV. The early 1990s saw a fighting game boom on home consoles, sparked by titles like Street Fighter II, and the popularity of Yu Yu Hakusho in Japan meant several games in that style appeared across different systems. After Treasure's first Mega Drive release, Gunstar Heroes, Makyō Tōitsusen was one of four games the studio worked on at the same time for that console, with Sega handling publishing. It marked Treasure's first attempt at a fighting game and their second project based on an existing license, following McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure. The game started life as an original concept called Axion before being turned into a Yu Yu Hakusho title. Tetsuhiko Kikuchi directed it, while Treasure's founder and president Masato Maegawa oversaw the work. Kikuchi said Axion was thought up in 1993 because the company saw few unique fighting games for the Mega Drive, but progress stopped when another game with a similar setting looked like it would come out first. Maegawa noted that the controls and gameplay features, including the multiplanar stages, were built for Axion before the lengthy process of swapping in Yu Yu Hakusho elements. Sega put Yoichi Shimosato on the project to help, but Maegawa claimed the publisher communicated poorly and gave Treasure no real support during development.
Reception and legacy
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen initially earned middling scores from review panels in major Japanese magazines like Famitsu and Beep! MegaDrive. While it never received an official release outside South America, North American and European publications imported it and gave it much warmer reception. Nick Des Barres of GameFan called it the best 16-bit fighting game ever in a 1994 review, and Tom Stratton of Gamer's Republic later described it as easily one of the best 16-bit fighters. Retro Gamer has praised it repeatedly, calling it possibly the best Yu Yu Hakusho game and one of the best Mega Drive and fighting games of its era. Kurt Kulata of Hardcore Gaming 101 said it became one of the best anime-licensed games, able to stand alongside other tournament fighters. Reviewers often highlighted the gameplay and multiplayer options. Retro Gamer found it highly enjoyable in single-player and praised the multiplayer. Stratton, Kulata, and Electronic Gaming Monthly all considered the gameplay well-balanced. Stratton pointed to the dual-layer stages as an example of tactical balance, where players could parry by switching planes or charge attacks against jumping opponents. Kulata credited the plane-shifting mechanic for balancing offense and defense, noting that projectiles were weaker than standard strikes, unlike in many contemporary fighters. Mean Machines Sega writers Gus Swan and Steve Merrett, along with Anime News Network's Todd Ciolek, liked the variety of extra game modes. However, Swan and Merrett criticized the sluggish pace and simple computer AI, saying the game fell short of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat II. EGM admitted difficulty following the action when multiple characters fought at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen released?
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen was released on September 30, 1994 in Japan and in 1999 in Brazil.
Who composed the music for Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen?
The music for Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen was composed by Satoshi Murata, Katsuhiko Suzuki, Aki Hata and Norio Hanzawa.
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