Bokosuka Wars

Lore & Background

Bokosuka Wars was originally developed in 1983 for the Sharp X1 computer, winning ASCII Entertainment's first 'Software Contest' and being sold boxed by them that year. An MSX port followed in 1984, and versions for the PC-6001mkII, PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-7, and Family Computer were released in 1985, with the Famicom version arriving on December 14, 1985. The game revolves around a leader who must lead an army in phalanx formation across a battlefield in real-time against overwhelming enemy forces, freeing and recruiting soldiers along the way. Each unit can gain experience and level up through battle, and the player must keep the leader alive until the army reaches the enemy castle to defeat the opposing leader.

A sequel for the X1, New Bokosuka Wars, was featured in LOGiN Magazine's November 1984 issue with source code included, featuring all-new enemy characters and redesigned items and traps for more balanced difficulty. It was included in Tape Login magazine's November 1984 issue but never sold in any other form. A later sequel, Bokosuka Wars II, was developed by Pygmy Studio and released in Japan on November 10, 2016, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a western release in 2017 and a Nintendo Switch version on March 19, 2020. The sequel offers two graphics modes and adds a third faction and co-op mode.

The Famicom version introduced a plot where King Suren's forces have been captured and turned into trees and rocks by King Ogreth, and King Suren must release them by bumping into objects. In the original computer versions, the player starts with a complete army and frees knights from prison cells. Gameplay involves controlling King, Knight, and Pawn units, with battles automatically resolved based on offensive strength. If King Suren dies, the game ends with 'WOW! YOU LOSE!'; defeating King Ogreth results in 'BRAVO! YOU WIN!'.

Reader's Guide

Bokosuka Wars is historically significant as the game that laid the foundations for the tactical role-playing game genre, blending role-playing elements such as experience and leveling with real-time strategy and formation-based combat. It has also been described as an early example of an action role-playing game, an early prototype real-time strategy game, and a unique reverse tower defense game. In its time, the game was considered a major success in Japan. The Famicom version was later released for the Wii Virtual Console on April 8, 2008, and by Hamster Corporation for their Console Archives series on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25, 2026. The PC-8801 version was sold as a download from Enterbrain and ported to i-Mode in 2004. The game's influence is seen in later tactical RPGs, and its unusual blend of genres continues to be noted by historians. The Japanese instruction manual contains lyrics written by the programmer himself to the game's music.

Did You Know?

• Bokosuka Wars won ASCII Entertainment's first 'Software Contest' in 1983.
• The Famicom version was released on December 14, 1985, and features soldiers turned into trees and rocks, unlike the original computer versions.
• A sequel, New Bokosuka Wars, was published in LOGiN Magazine's November 1984 issue with source code included but never sold separately.