Takeshi's Challenge

Did You Know?

• The game placed first in Famitsu magazine's kusoge (shitty game) ranking.
• It was nominated for the 2007 Retro Game Award at the Tokyo Game Show.
• The iOS and Android version includes a new stage set in America.

Gameplay

The game presents itself as a side-scrolling action game, but the story advances through player choices like an adventure game, with shooter elements in certain areas. The player controls a poor salaryman in a decadent Japanese urban setting where he is frequently attacked by yakuza. Health can only be restored by drinking tequila at a bar in Japan or sleeping at a hotel on Hintabo Island; if health is depleted, the salaryman can be revived by tapping the A and B buttons three times quickly. Money is earned by beating pedestrians or completing objectives. The plot begins when the salaryman receives a treasure map, but before searching for the treasure he must beat the old man who gave him the map, divorce his wife, resign from his job, and acquire skills at the culture center. Failing to meet these conditions before reaching Hintabo Island results in the wife or company president forcibly returning him to Japan, or the old man intercepting the treasure, causing a game over. The second controller's microphone is used in several situations, notably in a karaoke bar. In one stage, the salaryman hang glides from Hintabo Island to the treasure island while firing bullets at birds and UFOs; he can only ascend using gusts of wind and fires one bullet at a time, and any enemy collision ends the game. A password-based save system is used, and the player can skip to the final stage by throwing 30,720 punches on the title screen.

Development and release

The plot, in which a despondent salaryman seeks hidden treasure on an island, was introduced as having been created by Kitano while drunk at a bar, though Kitano later said it resulted from an hour-long talk at a café near his production company. The ability to attack all characters resembles the Grand Theft Auto series, but many of Kitano's ideas were rejected due to Famicom limitations or unsuitability for children. Two later games bearing Kitano's name were developed, but Kitano was not involved in them. Although Kitano was involved in a scandal concerning the Japanese gossip magazine Friday on December 9, 1986, the game was released as scheduled the next day. Two television commercials were created: one showing Kitano singing karaoke while playing, and another where he yells "Come out!" into the microphone to reveal a treasure map; both contain hints for completing the game. A Taito source reported 800,000 copies sold. The game was rereleased on the Wii Virtual Console on March 31, 2009, and an iOS and Android version titled Chōsenjō From Beat Takeshi was released in Japan on August 15, 2017, adding widescreen support, a new American stage, and new music by Taito's Zuntata.