Castle Shikigami article [1/2/3/etc., fin. - NSFDSL]

[cj iwakura]

Hi all, I'm working on an Shikigami no Shiro/Castle Shikigami article for HG101.

The first two parts are done, so I figure the experts on the genre should have a look and let me know if I missed anything.

The Shiki series seems to need some extra love here, so hopefully this'll give the unfamiliar a reason to track the games down.

No one seems to have much idea about what's going on in these games, so I made the plots my focus, at least as much as I could figure.


Critiques welcome, especially if there's some history to the two games I should know about.

Thanks in advance.




Castle Shikigami / 'Mobile Light Force 2'
(PS2/PC/Xbox)

/ / | / /

[US Revised / JP PS2 / JP Xbox(two alternate covers) / JP PC]


Shikigami no Shiro, which translates to Castle (of) Shikigami, was developed by Alfa System, also known for the occasional PS1 gem like Elemental Gearbolt and Project Horned Owl. They also went on to develop some Tales games and Phantasy Star Portable, among other things.

For the most part, Castle Shikigami is their flagship series. It has two sequels, has appeared on almost every console from the PS1 to the Dreamcast to the Gamecube to the PS2 to the Wii to the 360, and a massive cast reaching into the dozens, with a convoluted plot that even their staff are unlikely to fully comprehend.



Not that this really matters, as Castle Shikigami is a shmup, and nonsensical plots are practically the norm for the genre.

Shikigami 1 takes place in the July 2005, the 'near future'.

A number of victims have been found murdered. All the victims were female, and seemingly electrocuted.

After the 32nd killing, the attention of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is finally gained. They begin an investigation, as do a number of persons drawn by the case's strong ties to the occult.



What's always set Shikigami apart are the variety of playable characters. The first game offered six to choose from.

The players arrive to stop the killers, while the bosses are either the killers themselves, or ghostly figures serving them.


Cast


Kohtaro Kuga & Zasae



Kohtaro is a detective with the Metropolitan Police, assigned to the case. His special attack uses a spiritual familiar named Zasae who accompanies him everywhere, whether he likes it or not. She homes in on enemies, inflicting continual close range damage until they are destroyed.


Sayo Yuuki



A Shinto shrine maiden with designs on Kohtaro. Sayo appears to be investigating the murders at the request of another. She attacks with spiritual wards. Her guardian is used in her special attack, flying around her in a circular barrier to kill oncoming enemies.


Gennojo Hyuga



A werewolf/detective, who assumes the form of an ancient wolf god when enraged. He's something of a cheapskate, investigating the murders on his free time. His special attack is short-range lightning.


Fumiko Ozette Van Stein



A half-German half-Japanese witch. The rise of the Nazi Empire forced her family's movement to Japan, where she's resided ever since. Fumiko is also quite wealthy, and is usually accompanied by her butler, Munchausen. Munchausen's aerial bombings are the form of her special attack. He usually has a different costume with each appearance.


Kim De John



A Confucian Taoist from Korea who also teaches Tae Kwon Do to children in his spare time. One of his students was murdered by the killers, forcing his hand. His guitar case conceals a sword. His special attack consists of swords launched in all directions.


Tagami



A sexless being who wanders at will. Tagami first appeared in Alfa's PS1 lightgun shooter, Elemental Gearbolt. Tagami uses weak homing shots, and a special attack consisting of short-range solar flares.



Tagami's bombs are limited, but devastating.



Bosses


Miyoko



A child actor murdered by the Yakuza, she became a homicidal ogre hell-bent on revenge.


Fujishima



A self-defense officer who attempted to summon a God to Tokyo. This specter values the defense of his country above all else, fighting with a sea of flame.


Hiroshi



A man whose wife's murderer got away with a seven year sentence. This drove Hiroshi into a blind rage, and he killed the criminal upon his release. Soon after, he became an ogre unsatisfied with merely the blood of his wife's killer.


Baumann




A ghostly Samurai of Justice who continues to perform homicides without remorse.


Shoujo
(Final Boss)



An arachnid woman responsible for the killings, who takes the form of a gigantic spider, and then a ghastly spirit.






Each of Shikigami 1's players have three different attacks.




Standard Attack



Normal pattern fire. Enemies release coins freely, which have to be gathered by the player.

These attacks double in intensity if the player grazes enemy fire, meaning their shots are immediately next to the player's hitbox. The hitbox is usually the very center of the character sprite, and they can not die unless it is struck, making it possible to weave through insane amounts of oncoming shots.

If the player can stay alive long enough, the standard attack gets stronger with higher scores, at a maximum of Level 4. This is exclusive to the first game.


Special Attack, 'Shikigami'



Uses spiritual power to bombard enemies. When killed, the coins go automatically to the player. This is usually done by holding down the fire button, as there are alternate buttons which can be held down for continuous fire.



The closer the player is to enemy fire, the more coins they gain. If a player kills an enemy with a Shikigami attack while grazing, they'll gain up to eight times the resulting amount of coins.

For scoring, it's best to use this against bosses.


Bombs



Some do high power destruction, some do more focused damage, but all briefly protect the player from enemy fire.




A player gets anywhere from three to five.



Each stage in Shikigami 1 has two sections. After the first are two mini-bosses, each regarded as a section(2-2, 2-3) and at the end is the main boss.

Before the beginning of each stage and during the boss fight, the characters either have a monologue or a dialogue, depending if they're alone or not. Everyone's dialogue is different.

Shikigami 1 has no voice acting during the story segments, but there is mild spoken dialogue used in-game.


XS Games were the ones to localize Castle Shikigami in the US as 'Mobile Light Force 2', removing almost everything that gave the game personality.

Adding insult to injury, it used the same cover as Mobile Light Force on the PS1, showing a trio of girls with guns that has nothing to do with the actual game(Gunbird in the original case).



There were no dialogue or story segments, and any sign of there being unique characters outside of the sprites were removed.

The game also includes an art gallery, a feature not found in the PS2 localization.





Sayo's ending artwork:



Some extra images(the main article will have LOTS more, at Kurt's request)

[cj iwakura]

Castle Shikigami 2
(PS2(US/PAL) /Gamecube/Dreamcast/PC/Arcade(JP Only) )


/ /







Two years after the first game's release, Alfa System created a sequel that brings back the investigators from the first game, with a few new faces. It originated in arcades, and was eventually ported to just about every popular console at the time.

It was Japanese exclusive until 2004, when XS Games(publishers of the infamous Mobile Light Force 2) decided to localize the sequel as well.

Except this time, they practically left it unchanged.

Shikigami no Shiro 2 was localized with a proper title('Castle Shikigami 2'), unchanged content(all the portraits and dialogue included), and even packaging that advertises the game for what it is: a shmup with anime-influenced characters blowing up stuff.


(From the rumored US Xbox version, unreleased)


However, the result of XS Games giving Shikigami 2 a 'proper' localization became infamous for a completely different reason.

Unlike its predecessor, Castle Shikigami 2 included full voice acting in the Japanese version. All the mid-stage dialogue is completely spoken.

Surprisingly, XS Games opted to dub most of it. (The battle and gameplay comments are still in Japanese.)


This wasn't exactly a blessing.

http://www.audioatrocities.com/games/ca ... index.html

Castle Shikigami 2 received some of the most awful voice work ever.

A few choice adages:

"...I like girls, but now, it's about justice.”

"You have two choices: beaten then caught, or caught then beaten."

"Beat 'em down then jump. I just started now."


What might come as surprising is that the dialogue itself is not a bad translation at all. Quite the opposite.

The Japanese version's dialogue was just as senseless, if not more so.

XS Games was just a little too literal in their translation treatment. If they even bothered to do anything but take the result and replace the Japanese text with it.





(C/O Julie Miyamoto & Charles Mugg, from this website and their efforts to retranslate Shikigami 2, found here: http://www.sgppresents.com/gallery/sns2)

In the US version:



(Or better yet, see it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLE7cM2ZI7w)


So it wasn't so much a bad localization, but laziness, especially if you factor in how untalented (most of) the cast was.

There is the occasional actor who seems to have some talent at reading their lines, but you have to wonder how aimless their direction was, if they even had any.


The dialogue wasn't the only aspect of Shikigami 2 that received a weak treatment. Even the instruction book looks like it came from the result of a literal translation.



It still manages to be informative, but you have to wonder if anyone at XS Games knows how to proofread their products before they go to publication.


Fortunately, despite their lackluster efforts, XS deserve credit for bringing over the second game mostly untouched.

Especially since Shikigami 2 vastly improves on the original game, and almost sets the standard for the series.

What gives Shikigami 2 extra replay value is that every single character has a unique storyline path with every other one, offering incentive to take on the game with a friend, if you want to see how crazy the shared stories can get(very).


Each character also has their own gameplay style, offering a player seven different possible strategies for getting a top score.



Much of the core gameplay is unchanged. The Tension Bullet System(TBS) where grazing bullets earns you extra points and firepower is still intact, as are the Shikigami and bomb attacks.


Each of the playable characters no longer have upgradable firepower, but to make up for it, they each have two varieties of special(Shikigami) attacks to choose from. The returning characters' normal attacks are unchanged, aside from that they can no longer be powered up like in Shikigami 1.



In shmup tradition, there's also a story behind the madness, if you can piece it together.



2006, the 'distant' future(keep in mind this was made in 2004).

Another castle populated by demon gods has appeared in the skies over Tokyo, and so the same group of investigators sets out to put a stop to a new group of evil spirits.


That's basically the gist of it.


Here's the faces, both familiar and new:


Kohtaro Kuga



The principal character of the series, a private detective of H&K Detective Agency, returns. His Shikigami, Sazae, is still in tow.



Each form determines the nature of Sazae's attacks. She can either target the enemies closest to Kuga, or the ones closest to the point at which she was summoned.


Sayo Yuuki



A shrine maiden from a strong religious home, she has never gone to school due to her upbringing. The new incidents have caused her to leave by train, and come to Tokyo.



Sayo's special still consists of Phoenix familiar. It can either attack in a wide, slow radius(shown) or with a narrower(and faster) one.


Gennojo Hyuga




A freelance detective serving the same agency as Kohtaro, Hyuga & Kuga. (Who owns the agency is anyone's guess.) He's working on the case at the request of a young client,and also has access to black market contacts. Due to having the blood of a wolf god, he becomes a werewolf when enraged.




His Shikigami attack can either be used in the form of three lightning spheres with a long frontal reach, or six used forward and back, with a shorter reach.



Fumiko Ozette Van Stein



The witch with the golden gun returns, and she still intends to marry Kohtaro. A German who migrated to Japan, she follows Kuga's trail to put a stop to the events before they can harm her would-be husband.



Her Shikigami attack consists of orbital bombardments summoned by Munchausen, her butler. He can either bring down one massive blast, or a smaller assortment of five connected blasts.


'Chibi' Fumiko



Fumiko in a younger form, supposedly the result of a spell gone badly awry.



'Chibi' Fumiko has the same attacks, and almost the exact same dialogue, just with a younger voice. She can be selected by moving the cursor continually to the right while highlighting Fumiko.

Her normal shot is weaker, however, her Shikigami attack is much more powerful to compensate.


Kim De John




A Korean Tae Kwon Do instructor, he closed his dojo and left his country to avenge the murder of one of his students.




His Shikigami attack can either be used as two controllable swords(which can be aimed anywhere from forward to back), or three swords which spin at fixed points.


Niigi G.B. (Gorgeous Blue)



One of the two new characters, a mysterious girl seeking an unknown man. Her Shikigami attacks utilize her cat as a barrier, which then fires back at enemies with the charged up energy.

Her normal fire pattern consists of static lasers fired from two spheres at her sides.



She can either use a shield which remains up for a set amount of time(with greater firepower), or a shield which lasts as long as it isn't overloaded, with weaker retaliation.


Roger Sasuke



The other new character. An American ninja, formerly a friend of Kohtaro, he now considers him his rival. He loves Japan.

He uses a very fast string of shuriken attacks for his normal shots.




His Shikigami attack is very powerful, but also unpredictable. A spirit can either summon a collection of mines to fire in the direction Roger moves, or directly ahead of him before spreading out in random directions.


Bosses

According to the few bits of the translation that make sense, the bosses are all members of a group called the 'New World Order'.


Arala Cran
(Stage 1)




A ghost of a warrior. Flirtatious to a fault, she seems to have bad blood with Fumiko.




Anolegos Dundeon
(Stage 2)




A guardian of a shrine, he now guards the submerged part of the castle. He knows Sayo from somewhere, possibly her work as a shrine maiden.




The Aja Brothers
(Stage 3)



An older and younger brother, strong soldiers who gained immortality by guarding the castle. They will never stop fighting.




Yukari Horiguchi
(Stage 4)



The last guardian of the castle, she is actually hospitalized in the real world. She attacks with (lots of) cards. If she is defeated, maybe she'll wake up in the real world.




Shintaro Kuga
(Final Boss)



The head of the New World Order, and Kohtaro's older brother. He believes his way is just, and should be the one to rule the world.



After his demise, he takes another form, presumably the core of the New World Order.





Castle Shikigami 2 has a lot going on in its story, but the bad translation work doesn't help much in the way of making any sense of it.


Still, it has a lot to offer for series vets. A wide variety of stages and bosses alike, even more difficulty, and some nice music to go along with it.


The home versions includes a very nice art gallery, complete with high-res artwork.



This was also included in the US PS2 version with translated captions; some of the few texts in the game that weren't lost in translation.



It also included new modes of play with extra enemies and an 'Extreme' Mode in which enemies leave behind bullets after dying, for even more difficulty. There's also an arrange BGM option with remixes of Castle Shikigami 1's OST used in place of Shikigami 2's.



I can't speak on how popular the Shikigami series is in Japan, but the game seemed well received enough for it to get ported to just about everything, and get a lot of extra goodies for Eastern players.



An appreciate DVD, for one.


Fortunately for Shikigami fans, Alfa System still had more bullet hell in store for their community, and had no plans on stopping with the sequel.

Even better for the US fans, this would be XS Games' last Shikigami endeavor in the states. A more deserving publisher would be the ones to get the rights to the next game in the series.



[to be continued in Part 3]

[Kaspal]

wow!... what a thread man!... kep it up!.

[BER]

Hey cj,

Thanks for putting up this article. It's nice to see the Shikigami series getting a little more attention these days. The article, however, doesn't give me a good reason to track down these games if I was unfamiliar with the series. All I'm seeing is information about each of the game's mechanics and the odd treatment of the localization of these games (which might even be off-putting for the unfamiliar). I've been playing Shikigami no Shiro II for about 400 hours, so I'll describe where the replay value of this particular game comes from. Perhaps this will give the unfamiliar a better reason to track down this game. I'll also remark on some of the errors and omissions about the game's mechanics in this article.

What gives Shikigami 2 extra replay value is that every single character has a unique storyline path with every other one, offering incentive to take on the game with a friend, if you want to see how crazy the shared stories can get(very).

This is not true for me at all. I didn't care much about the storylines. Let me tell you where the replay value for me came from.

About a year ago, I learned that I could play PS2 games during my break time at work. I considered a few American ports of arcade shmups, but I decided on Shikigami 2 because I read that it is easy to clear and has an interesting scoring gimmick. Indeed, clearing the game was easy -- it took me about 25 hours with Kim 2 to do so -- but I wondered whether he was really a good character to use for scoring. Everyone else seemed to be using Kuga, and the other characters seemed interesting too. Since the magazine Arcadia kept track of high scores for each of the eight characters, I decided to try them all out.

Part of the replay value comes from the wildly different and unique strategies that each character must use. It's not like in Dodonpachi in which you can just fire your laser at a boss until it dies regardless of your fighter type. For example, Kim 2 can just sit on the dress of the stage 4-2 boss and defeat the boss quickly for a high time bonus. But for Chibi Fumiko 2, she could get more points by milking the cards on the boss's second form than by defeating the boss quickly. The strategies are also wildly different in the stage trips, like in one part of stage 5-1 in which small enemies race up the left and right edges of the screen and bigger enemies shoot lasers and aimed purple bullets downwards. For Kim 2, this is easy: just be at the bottom portion of the screen and lay out your swords horizontally, and use the aimed purple bullets to get the coins at x8. But for Kuga 2, he needs to make sure that his shikigami is attacking the tough enemy on the left so he can get all the little enemies there, and he has to dodge plenty of randomly-aimed bullets too. These wildly different strategies made me curious which character I'm most comfortable scoring with, so I wanted to try out all the characters.

I could've stopped at just clearing the game with all of the characters, but this game is rather forgiving in how I can improve my scores. And that's where another part of the replay value comes from. It's not like in Dodonpachi in which you can't skip the early hard bits by bombing or letting a chain lapse without hurting your score. In Shikigami 2, the things you do in one part of the game won't strongly affect other parts of the game. For example, in stage 5-1, part of the stage is basically raining with small enemies that fire green and purple bullets everywhere. It's hard to score well here, so I just shoot them down with my shot. All this means is that I get fewer coins. The other parts of the stage are relatively easy, so I learn how to get lots of coins there. Overall, I end up with a decent stage score, and I can pick any part of the stage to improve upon as my skills improve.

So basically, the replay value in this game mainly comes from two things: (1) the characters having wildly different attacks, which require wildly different scoring strategies and (2) the game having lots of small independent scoring sections so that the player can skip any hard section and still make decent score progress. Perhaps you can ask the players in the Shikigami 2 high score tables about what makes this game so replayable for them.

Much of the core gameplay is unchanged. The Tension Bullet System(TBS) where grazing bullets earns you extra points and firepower is still intact, as are the Shikigami and bomb attacks.

[main storyline stuff]

Each of the playable characters no longer have upgradable firepower, but to make up for it, they each have two varieties of special(Shikigami) attacks to choose from. The returning characters' normal attacks are unchanged, aside from that they can no longer be powered up like in Shikigami 1.

I think you should move the "Much of the core gameplay..." paragraph to just before the "Each of the playable characters..." paragraph. That way, you can more tightly compare and contrast the game mechanics of the two Shikigami games. Furthermore, I don't think having a choice of two shikigami attack modes "makes up" for the lack of upgradeable firepower. Consider rewording this paragraph to something like this:

But unlike Shikigami 1, each of the playable characters no longer have upgradable firepower. Each now has two varieties of special (Shikigami) attacks to choose from. ...

Kohtaro Kuga

The principle character of the series, a private detective of H&K Detective Agency, returns. His Shikigami, Sazae, is still in tow.

Each form determines the nature of Sazae's attacks. She can either target enemies at random, or focus on a specific target, with greater damage.

First off, "principle" should be "principal".

As for his shikigami attacks, neither attack type target enemies at random nor have different attack powers. Type 1 locks onto the enemy closest to Kuga, and Type 2 locks onto the one closest to wherever the shikigami was first summoned (indicated by a circled glyph).

Fumiko Ozette Van Stein

Her Shikigami attack consists of orbital bombardments summoned by Munchausen, her butler. He can either bring down one massive blast, or smaller linear ones.

Type 2 doesn't have to be linear. In this type, you control a large reticule and smaller reticules trail it like a snake. You could describe it as a series of five smaller blasts.

'Chibi' Fumiko

'Chibi' Fumiko has the same attacks, and almost the exact same dialogue, just with a younger voice. She can be selected by moving the cursor continually to the right while highlighting Fumiko.

Your readers might be interested in the differences in the attack powers between the two Fumikos -- the differences between the characters aren't just aesthetic. Compared to the regular Fumiko, Chibi Fumiko has a stronger shikigami attack and a weaker shot. But her shikigami attack is so powerful, she can mow down bosses before they fire anything interesting. The regular Fumiko can't do this.

Niigi G.B. (Gorgeous Blue)

She can either use a temporary shield with greater firepower, or a longer lasting one that can't return fire as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by "greater firepower". The shield certainly has the potential of generating more firepower than even Niigi's hi-tension shot, but it all depends on the number of bullets you absorb.

Also, Type 2's shield lasts as long as it's not overloaded with bullets. Furthermore, if you let go of the shot button before it's overloaded, it will return fire.

Roger Sasuke

His Shikigami attack is very powerful, but also unpredictable. A spirit can either summon mines to explode directly ahead of Roger, who around him in a random pattern.

I don't understand this description. Type 1's mines move in the direction Roger is moving (if he's standing still, then they move up). Type 2's mines are placed in front of Roger and spread out a little afterwards. (The arrangement of Type 2's mines once they're placed is indeed random, though, and has made me frustrated whenever the mine cloud does not expand wide enough to touch certain enemies.)

Still, it has a lot to offer for series vets. A wide variety of stages and bosses alike, even more difficulty, and some nice music to go along with it.

Actually, I find Shikigami 2 easier than Shikigami 1 as far as survival goes. But the game still offers a rewarding scoring system for staying close to danger, and that's what makes the game difficult.

Please let me know whether all of this helped you, cj. Again, I do appreciate the extra love you're giving for the Shikigami series!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

And have you 1CC Castle of Shikigami III on the Wii, BER? Or are you just concentrating on 1CC'ing Castle of Shikigami II for the time being? ^_~

I'd like hear your upcoming impressions of Shikigami No Shiro 3, cj. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[honorless]

I have to agree with BER about replayability. Even if you're not really working hard at score—like me and the vast majority of people this article is going to reach—the interesting part of Shiki's large cast is the variety and flexibility it gives the game, not just the cutscenes. Even people who don't have an iota of interest in "modern" shooters would probably give the series points for this. (My fiancé does, at any rate.)

Though I wouldn't remove the bit about the whacked-out story and mistranslation-induced laughs. While shmupsforum may not be so into it, that and the pretty drawings will most likely result in a number of anime/manga fans giving the games a try.

Maybe it's in your conclusion, but I'd probably put in something about how the series is a solid introduction to bullet-hell shooters, and how it's relatively easy to find and quite inexpensive. (At least if you're in the US or Canada? I don't know about PAL regions.)

Oh, and IIRC, tate was removed from the NTSC-U/C version of Shiki 1. Definitely worth noting, I'd say. (If no one else can confirm or deny this before then, I'll check my copy when I get home to be sure I'm not lying to you.)

Edit: I wasn't. Unless it wasn't available in the JP version...which I doubt.

[third_strike]

I love Shiki, but seems you love it more than me .
Great job, would be nice get more scores and characters for my table: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=17924
Cool!

[cj iwakura]

Thanks for putting up this article. It's nice to see the Shikigami series getting a little more attention these days. The article, however, doesn't give me a good reason to track down these games if I was unfamiliar with the series. All I'm seeing is information about each of the game's mechanics and the odd treatment of the localization of these games (which might even be off-putting for the unfamiliar). I've been playing Shikigami no Shiro II for about 400 hours, so I'll describe where the replay value of this particular game comes from. Perhaps this will give the unfamiliar a better reason to track down this game. I'll also remark on some of the errors and omissions about the game's mechanics in this article.

What gives Shikigami 2 extra replay value is that every single character has a unique storyline path with every other one, offering incentive to take on the game with a friend, if you want to see how crazy the shared stories can get(very).

This is not true for me at all. I didn't care much about the storylines. Let me tell you where the replay value for me came from.

About a year ago, I learned that I could play PS2 games during my break time at work. I considered a few American ports of arcade shmups, but I decided on Shikigami 2 because I read that it is easy to clear and has an interesting scoring gimmick. Indeed, clearing the game was easy -- it took me about 25 hours with Kim 2 to do so -- but I wondered whether he was really a good character to use for scoring. Everyone else seemed to be using Kuga, and the other characters seemed interesting too. Since the magazine Arcadia kept track of high scores for each of the eight characters, I decided to try them all out.

Part of the replay value comes from the wildly different and unique strategies that each character must use. It's not like in Dodonpachi in which you can just fire your laser at a boss until it dies regardless of your fighter type. For example, Kim 2 can just sit on the dress of the stage 4-2 boss and defeat the boss quickly for a high time bonus. But for Chibi Fumiko 2, she could get more points by milking the cards on the boss's second form than by defeating the boss quickly. The strategies are also wildly different in the stage trips, like in one part of stage 5-1 in which small enemies race up the left and right edges of the screen and bigger enemies shoot lasers and aimed purple bullets downwards. For Kim 2, this is easy: just be at the bottom portion of the screen and lay out your swords horizontally, and use the aimed purple bullets to get the coins at x8. But for Kuga 2, he needs to make sure that his shikigami is attacking the tough enemy on the left so he can get all the little enemies there, and he has to dodge plenty of randomly-aimed bullets too. These wildly different strategies made me curious which character I'm most comfortable scoring with, so I wanted to try out all the characters.

I could've stopped at just clearing the game with all of the characters, but this game is rather forgiving in how I can improve my scores. And that's where another part of the replay value comes from. It's not like in Dodonpachi in which you can't skip the early hard bits by bombing or letting a chain lapse without hurting your score. In Shikigami 2, the things you do in one part of the game won't strongly affect other parts of the game. For example, in stage 5-1, part of the stage is basically raining with small enemies that fire green and purple bullets everywhere. It's hard to score well here, so I just shoot them down with my shot. All this means is that I get fewer coins. The other parts of the stage are relatively easy, so I learn how to get lots of coins there. Overall, I end up with a decent stage score, and I can pick any part of the stage to improve upon as my skills improve.

So basically, the replay value in this game mainly comes from two things: (1) the characters having wildly different attacks, which require wildly different scoring strategies and (2) the game having lots of small independent scoring sections so that the player can skip any hard section and still make decent score progress. Perhaps you can ask the players in the Shikigami 2 high score tables about what makes this game so replayable for them.

This is a very good point, and I'll make sure to address it in some form. I mostly play with Fumiko and Kim, so I'm not as familiar with the other players' strategies, but I appreciate how the others require different playstyles.

Much of the core gameplay is unchanged. The Tension Bullet System(TBS) where grazing bullets earns you extra points and firepower is still intact, as are the Shikigami and bomb attacks.

[main storyline stuff]

Each of the playable characters no longer have upgradable firepower, but to make up for it, they each have two varieties of special(Shikigami) attacks to choose from. The returning characters' normal attacks are unchanged, aside from that they can no longer be powered up like in Shikigami 1.

I think you should move the "Much of the core gameplay..." paragraph to just before the "Each of the playable characters..." paragraph. That way, you can more tightly compare and contrast the game mechanics of the two Shikigami games. Furthermore, I don't think having a choice of two shikigami attack modes "makes up" for the lack of upgradeable firepower. Consider rewording this paragraph to something like this:

But unlike Shikigami 1, each of the playable characters no longer have upgradable firepower. Each now has two varieties of special (Shikigami) attacks to choose from. ...

Good to know, I'll keep this in mind.

Kohtaro Kuga

The principle character of the series, a private detective of H&K Detective Agency, returns. His Shikigami, Sazae, is still in tow.

Each form determines the nature of Sazae's attacks. She can either target enemies at random, or focus on a specific target, with greater damage.

First off, "principle" should be "principal".

As for his shikigami attacks, neither attack type target enemies at random nor have different attack powers. Type 1 locks onto the enemy closest to Kuga, and Type 2 locks onto the one closest to wherever the shikigami was first summoned (indicated by a circled glyph).

I had a hard time determining what the differences were from the character select(I don't use Kuga often), so I'll be sure to note this.

Fumiko Ozette Van Stein

Her Shikigami attack consists of orbital bombardments summoned by Munchausen, her butler. He can either bring down one massive blast, or smaller linear ones.

Type 2 doesn't have to be linear. In this type, you control a large reticule and smaller reticules trail it like a snake. You could describe it as a series of five smaller blasts.

'Chibi' Fumiko

'Chibi' Fumiko has the same attacks, and almost the exact same dialogue, just with a younger voice. She can be selected by moving the cursor continually to the right while highlighting Fumiko.

Your readers might be interested in the differences in the attack powers between the two Fumikos -- the differences between the characters aren't just aesthetic. Compared to the regular Fumiko, Chibi Fumiko has a stronger shikigami attack and a weaker shot. But her shikigami attack is so powerful, she can mow down bosses before they fire anything interesting. The regular Fumiko can't do this.

Very good to know, I've been meaning to use Chibi Fumiko more, but I wasn't familiar with her attacks(and I always use Fumiko proper's Shikigami 1, so I'm not as familiar with Type 2).

Niigi G.B. (Gorgeous Blue)

She can either use a temporary shield with greater firepower, or a longer lasting one that can't return fire as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by "greater firepower". The shield certainly has the potential of generating more firepower than even Niigi's hi-tension shot, but it all depends on the number of bullets you absorb.

Also, Type 2's shield lasts as long as it's not overloaded with bullets. Furthermore, if you let go of the shot button before it's overloaded, it will return fire.

Another result of ignorance; I'm not that familiar with Niigi. I'll update it accordingly before starting on Part 3.

Roger Sasuke

His Shikigami attack is very powerful, but also unpredictable. A spirit can either summon mines to explode directly ahead of Roger, who around him in a random pattern.

I don't understand this description. Type 1's mines move in the direction Roger is moving (if he's standing still, then they move up). Type 2's mines are placed in front of Roger and spread out a little afterwards. (The arrangement of Type 2's mines once they're placed is indeed random, though, and has made me frustrated whenever the mine cloud does not expand wide enough to touch certain enemies.)

That was the impression I got from the character select demo, I'll update it accordingly. His attack was devastating to bosses, but I couldn't get used to his normal fire at all.

Still, it has a lot to offer for series vets. A wide variety of stages and bosses alike, even more difficulty, and some nice music to go along with it.

Actually, I find Shikigami 2 easier than Shikigami 1 as far as survival goes. But the game still offers a rewarding scoring system for staying close to danger, and that's what makes the game difficult.

Shiki 2 was my first experience, so maybe backtracking to Shiki 1 wasn't as difficult, but it was much harder than I expected. The only stage that gave me any real trouble was the very last one, especially that nightmarish boss.

Please let me know whether all of this helped you, cj. Again, I do appreciate the extra love you're giving for the Shikigami series!

Absolutely! Thanks for the feedback, good to know there's other Shiki fans out there.

]I'd like hear your upcoming impressions of Shikigami No Shiro 3, cj. ^_~

I bought a Wii just for Shikigami 3, and wasn't disappointed. I'll have mostly positive things to say. The game itself isn't quite up to Shiki 2's standards, but if anything, it's merely good as opposed to great. And the localization makes up for it in spades. Aksys did a fantastic job, IMO.

On the other hand, the story to Shiki 3 is a convoluted mess. That might be the toughest part about writing that up.


Shiki 2 was my introduction to bullet hell shmups because of the artwork and the insane story, hence that being my focus, but I'll make sure to make better mention of the flexibility in the cast and gameplay as well in the final version.

Thanks all.

[BER]

And have you 1CC Castle of Shikigami III on the Wii, BER? Or are you just concentrating on 1CC'ing Castle of Shikigami II for the time being? ^_~

I haven't cleared Shikigami III yet.

I've already cleared Shikigami II with all of the characters about a year ago, and I'm currently researching which character I'm most comfortable with for high scores. I'm making the fastest progress with Kuga 2, but I still like Kim 2, Hyuga 2, Fumiko 1, and Chibi Fumiko 2.

[cj iwakura]

Okay, I'm about to work on Shikigami 3, BUT, there's a fly in the ointment.



This mystery text adventure game? It's apparently substantial.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9MtRhr5ANI

It has shmup levels and everything.

If there's anyone on this board with knowledge of Japanese to help me figure out what this game is about, I would greatly appreciate it.

[professor ganson]

What's going on here-- people are talking about my favorite games!? I'll have to read this all over carefully when I can find a few spare minutes.

[GaijinPunch]

Worth noting is that Sayo is at least a nod to Sayo from the Kiki Kaikai series...if not her herself.

[Enhasa]

Also TIME GAL REIKA but you probably knew that already.

[cj iwakura]

Oh yes, I know all about Time Gal.

Incoming!




Three years after the arcade release of the second Shikigami game, the third episode made its debut in 2006.


Castle (of) Shikigami III
(Arcade/PC/Xbox 360 [JP Only] / Wii (US & JP)





For a series known for having convoluted and even incomprehensible plots, Shikigami 3 takes it up a notch higher.

Rather than Japan, Castle of Shikigami 3(as the US version is known) takes place in the fictional Middle European country of Alcaland.

Alcaland commonly handles its own business, and prefers to operate away from the outside world. As it has little economic worth and is widely desolate, few other governments have any interest in theirs.

While Alcaland has its own borders, it must thrive on electricity and support from neighboring countries to operate.

When a rash of disappearances and comatose victims begin occuring, Alcaland is forced to cease their isolation and seek outside assistance.

After consulting some 20-year-old documents showing their talent for investigations, the Princess of Alcaland came to the conclusion that Japan would be the right country to turn to.

She also considers this to be an appropriate move on Japan's part, to replay Alcaland for their services in the past. (Reportedly consisting of a single armed yacht sent to Japan's 'aid' during the Russo-Japanese war.)

Although it was a matter of much contention in the government, Japan eventually agreed on allowing The Association for Psychic Studies to organize a group to solve Alcaland's troubles.

It isn't long before the organization recognizes the cause of the disturbances: the return of the infamous Castle of Nightmares.


Castle Shikigami 3 changes little from its predecessors, at a glance.

The Tension System is unchanged, as are the normal shot/shikigami/bomb attack methods.

Shikigami 3 does include a few new gameplay mechanics.



The Tension Max System allows a player to shoot at a High Tension rate of fire for a limited amount of time, at the cost of one bomb. Their attacks will then have the same amount of firepower as they would when grazing bullets. Additionally, all coins received during the Max Tension phase will be at the maximum multiplier(X8).


For single players wanting to experience the two player story modes, Alfa System added a 'Dramatic Change' feature.

This allows one player to use two different characters, experiencing a two player story mode, with the ability to switch between the two players at will.


Another welcome positive for Castle Shikigami 3 is that it finally received a proper localization, or at least the best a shmup can hope for. The Wii version was published in the US by Aksys Games, also known for publishing the later Guilty Gear and Blaz Blue games in the US.

They had planned to release the Xbox 360 version here as well, but were reportedly turned down by Microsoft.

Aksys made the best of it, and localized Shikigami 3's dialogue and voice acting with an appropriate mix of seriousness and outright insanity.

According to their staff, the original version's dialogue was similar in tone, and didn't always make a lot of sense.


Still, it wouldn't be a Shikigami game without a varied and eclectic cast.

It is this group from which the playable characters can be chosen.

All screencaps in this article are from the PC version. As far as I can tell, the PC version does not include a gallery or Munchausen as a selectable character, unless they're hidden.


Playable Characters


Kohtaro Kuga (with Sayo Yuuki)



"I'll just punch you out as usual." /
"Please call me by my name. Not someone else's."

Yes, the hinge pin lead is back yet again. However, unknown circumstances resulted in the death of Kohtaro's former Shikigami, Sazae.

To fill the void, the shrine maiden Sayo Yuuki has taken her place.

While Sayo's new look is the result of her merger with Sazae, Kohtaro's comes courtesy of Fumiko Odette Van Stein, who designed the outfit for her (self-professed) betrothed.

Though both are skilled investigators, Kohtaro and Sayo spend more time mired in lover's quarrels than doing much crime solving.

It's also possible to use Sayo with her original shrine maiden look from Shikigami 1 & 2.





Gennojo Hyuga



"You can't talk to a person like her.
In cases like this, it's best to defer to proper authority."


Times have been hard for Hyuga. Not only is money tight, making him more desperate than usual, but his landlord is none other than the infamous witch, Fumiko. And when the rent is due, she expects her pay.

Much to Gennojo's ongoing terror, Fumiko expects payment in currency other than money.


Fumiko Odette Van Stein



"All the men in this world belong to me.
You have some nerve thinking you're an exception."

Fumiko's gained an (even more) fearful reputation in the years since the last incident. Still accompanied by her faithful butler, this witch practically has something to hold over every cast member in the game. And she always gets her dues.

In the meantime, she enjoys trampling on falling foes, claiming men, and destroying women she regards as a threat.


Roger Sasuke



"I feel a little embarrassed about my first trip abroad."


A long-term friend of Kohtaro's, Roger insists on heading overseas to assist in the incident. Roger operates on his own dime, without the support(or likely the permission) of the Japanese government.

Despite his questionable motives, his genuine ninja skills make him a talented investigator.


Emilio Stanburke



"Was it wrong for me to have been born?"


At the age of 10, Emilio is a member of one of the noblest families in Alcaland. He detests involvement in foreign matters.

Emilio has the means to call demons to his side, a gift that runs in his family. Though he has a good personality at heart, he tends to look down on commoners.





Emilio uses one of the completely new playing styles. His normal shot automatically homes in on enemies.

For his Shikigami attack, he can generate a laser at any fixed point and direct its path by moving, or create one in a straight line, which will follow his movement.


Batu Hirai



"It's a nice fairy tale, but it makes me uneasy."


A brooding exorcist hired by Emilio. Batu simply wants to get in, get the job done, and go, and tires of Emilio's nationalism.

He enjoys hard liquor.

Batu's normal shot is similar to Roger's, though with a wider radius. In addition, they circle around him before firing.




His Shikigami attacks must both be charged up. One takes the form of a focused forward blast, while the other uses his staff in a circular manner.


Mihee Kim



"I'm going to end this quickly."

A travelling doctor from Korea, Mihee's reasons for visiting Alcaland are less than noble. As gifted with ending lives as she is with saving them, Mihee takes sadistic pleasure in killing. She is also seeking her cousin, Kim De John, for reasons unknown.

Her attacks are the same as those of Kim's from the previous two games.


Reika "Time Gal" Kirishima



"Aww man, I failed the mission."

A police officer from the distant future, Reika has traveled to the past at the request of her boss(none other than Fumiko) to help solve the mysteries of Alcaland.

Known to most as "Time Gal", Reika is as careless as she is carefree, and tends to cause more problems than she solves.

If her name sounds familiar, it should.



She is the exact same Time Gal as from the Sega CD game, officially licensed for her appearance in Castle Shikigami 3. I figure the developers of the original game had no reason to object.

Reika has one of the most beginner-friendly firing patterns in the game.



Her normal shot has a wide radius, and her Shikigami attack consists of constantly firing lasers. They're fairly weak, but fast and effective.

Type 1 always fires directly ahead, while Type 2 can be aimed in alternate directions based on Reika's movement.

To compensate, her bomb isn't really a bomb at all, but a time stop. It temporarily freezes all action on screen. In addition, this gives Reika an ability no other player has: she can destroy frozen shots of all kinds during her time stop ability.


Nagino Ise



"You can surrender of get trampled on. It's your privilege as the loser to choose one."


A fairly enigmatic girl, Nagino appears to be a carefree elementary school student investigating Alcaland for fun. She enjoys toying with Kohtaro and Gennojo's relationships, and calls them both 'papa'. (She addresses both Sayo and Fumiko as 'mama'.)

Her rabbit is known as Strider, and goes everywhere Nagino does.


Nagino is related to Niigi G.B. from Shikigami 2, and uses the same shot and shikigami attacks.



Munchausen



"Yes, m'lady."

The ever loyal butler of Fumiko finally gets his chance to shine. Courteous and proper to no end, Munchausen proves he's just as much a force to be reckoned with as the rest of the investigators.
His noble appearance conceals a fiery nature.

Munchausen's attack pattern is very similar to Fumiko's, except she provides the bombardments of his Shikigami attack.

He continues to have a variety of crazy outfits when summoned by her.




Munchausen is either hidden or unavailable in the PC version, while he is available immediately on the US Wii version.



Bosses

It's been said that the adversaries found in the Castle are generated based on the memories of its visitors.

This proves especially true with Shikigami 3's bosses.



Stage 1

Yukari Horiguchi (Version 2)



"The flower shop gig wasn't enough to pay for my videogames."



Yukari's the first Shikigami boss to ever live to make a second appearance, and with a much different look. Her personality is much flightier this time around, and as she was 'promoted' to being the first stage boss, she's the easiest to defeat.



Stage 2

Shikou Mibuya



"Can you carry on my will?"



The guardian of the second level's waterways, Mibuya is a devout warrior who has ties to Sayo; much like Dundeon from Shikigami 2.



Stage 3

Freedom Wind



"A sky-blue wind is blowing."



A mysterious woman who, according to Fumiko, can be nothing more than a ghost; as she died by Fumiko's hand. She was Fumiko's stepmother, and killed by her in a conflict over a man.


Stage 4


Kagachi



"You can't bluff your way through this one. Die."



A violent werewolf, with a fighting style reminiscent of Gennojo's.

One of the toughest bosses in not just the third game, but the entire series.

He sounds a lot like Seth from Street Fighter IV.


Final Boss

Tsukiko Johjima



"Welcome to the Castle of Nightmares.
I'm your greatest nightmare."



A childhood friend of Kohtaro's, betrothed to him at an early age. She has been bedridden in a hospital for many years.

Tsukiko also has a key role in the PS2 text adventure based on the series, though she acts much colder here.

If it isn't truly her, then something truly nightmarish has taken her form.

The final fight in Shikigami 3 is a thorough affair. Tsukiko has not one, not two, not three, but four final forms.



The third form takes the longest by far. It consists of a lengthy firefight with the exterior of what's best described as a massive living battleship.





In addition to the traditional art gallery, Aksys went a little further and included several pages of fan art exclusive to the US version, likely submitted by fans before the game's release.



Shikigami 3 includes the same modes as its predecessor, and then some. There's even additional Extreme difficulties if the standard Extreme isn't sadistic enough.

If the player is unsure of how well their skills measure, Shikigami 3 includes the grading system found in the first two games.



Overall, it isn't quite as enjoyable as Shikigami 2, but it is still well polished, and lots of fun to play.

Additionally, the amount of effort put into the localization(and many, many possible pairings of characters) ensures it has just as much replay value as its predecessor, especially if you factor in the new players to master the gameplay of.


Will the third episode mean an end to the series, like so many other works? Or will Alfa not be content with just a trilogy, and keep the games coming as long as there's more ghosts to slay?

If that's the case, I look forward to seeing where else they can take the series, because they've certainly come a long way thus far.



The full article will have LOTS more images.

[cj iwakura]

The final draft of Part 3 is posted above.


And here's the final(bonus) section. Enjoy.

Castle Shikigami: Nanayozuki Gensoukyoku (Fantasy of the Seven Moon Night) [PS2, Japan only]



This is something of an unique mixture of genres. Nanoyozuki isn't a shmup, but a visual novel/text adventure with shmup elements.


Information on the game is limited, but it appears to take place between Shikigami 2 and 3, as it was released in 2005.



The main character is Kohtaro Kuga, and the game focuses on his relationship with Sayo Yuuki and none other than Tsukiko Johjima; the final boss of the third game.



Unlike Shikigami 3, Tsukiko is more down to earth here, suggesting that this is her true self.

There's a handful of cameos from the Shikigami series along the way.



Fumiko, Kim, and Gennojo appear, along with some new faces.



The main setting seems to be the H&K Detective Agency at which Kohtaro and Gennojo work.




As for the shmup elements, there seem to be branching paths based on who you choose to focus on; Sayo or Tsukiko.



The gameplay is basically Shikigami light. Kohtaro doesn't appear to have a Shikigami attack, only bombs. In its place, he can call on other cast members as support.



The actual bosses are nothing to be taken lightly, at least.

It's basically Shikigami fan service, for a series that's already full of it.

Extra images:
















Bonus Content



The appreciate DVDs, something of a bonus content tradition in Japan, showcase talented players taking on the Shikigami games with different characters, and racking up maximum scores.


Goods

Shikigami seems to have a cult following in the east, what with all the resin figures and manga based on the series.






(Another Tsukiko appearance)





There's even a replica of Kohtaro's shirt:



More:
http://www.alfasystem.net/game/shiki2/G ... ation.html


The only thing the series lacks is an anime adaptation, but who knows what the future will bring?



Links

Castle Shikigami 1 webpage:
http://www.alfasystem.net/game/shiki/main.html

Shikigami 2:
http://www.alfasystem.net/game/shiki2/

Shikigami 3:
http://www.alfasystem.net/game/shiki3/

Aksys webpage for Shikigami 3:
http://aksysgames.com/shikigami/

[Chiaroscuro]

The Xbox versions of Shikigami no Shiro part I you posted are actually the two colors of the rearranged Shikigami no Shiro Evolution. There is also a release of the original game on the Xbox:



It is also missing an image for the Japanese release of part II. I have the Collection Edition of this release, which includes a calendar. If you wish I can take a photo.

And I completely forgot that there was a planned Xbox US release of part II!

And good work in this research/text! Thanks a lot!

[cj iwakura]

Good to know, awesome cover. The Evo ones are cool, but I'd love to have that one.

I've always wanted to get the import of Shiki 2 PS2 and switch its cover with the crappy XS one.


And sure, I'd love to see the calendar.


Also, Kurt at HG101 was kind enough to send me a Shikigami manga. If anyone's interested, I can post some images from it.

The antagonists are Alara Cran(Shiki 2) and Shoujo(Shiki 1) for some reason.


Almost forgot, if anyone's curious about Tagami(the blonde from Shiki 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWqTXnq4D-I

That was her/its first appearance.

[Hydeux]

As I've found nothing about it (but I may have missed it !) in your review : during staff roll in Shikigami III, as I can remember, there's a thank you/reference to trizeal/triangle service, would you know why ?
(but actually, I've not played the game - or turned on my Wii -for months, I'm not even sure it was in Shiki III...)

[third_strike]

One more time great job.

Almost forgot, if anyone's curious about Tagami(the blonde from Shiki 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWqTXnq4D-I

That was her/its first appearance.

Cool!

[Kiken]

As I've found nothing about it (but I may have missed it !) in your review : during staff roll in Shikigami III, as I can remember, there's a thank you/reference to trizeal/triangle service, would you know why ?
(but actually, I've not played the game - or turned on my Wii -for months, I'm not even sure it was in Shiki III...)

It is in Shiki 3. As you fly out of the castle at the beginning of stage 1-1, you'll pass over a cliff on the left side of the screen, the Triangle Service rock mech (from stage 2 in Trizeal and stages 3 and 6 in Exzeal) is sitting up against a wall.

[Hydeux]

It is in Shiki 3. As you fly out of the castle at the beginning of stage 1-1, you'll pass over a cliff on the left side of the screen, the Triangle Service rock mech (from stage 2 in Trizeal and stages 3 and 6 in Exzeal) is sitting up against a wall.

???
'been playing the game for weeks, never paid attention !
Thanx for your answer !

[lgb]

PC version: press down while highlighting Fumiko, Manchausen's portrait should replace hers

[ZOM]

This bit might interest you... http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/1 ... ami_tieup/

[Mero]

Even though the articles finished heres a quick point about the PAL version of Shiki 2 - for some reason it has a completely different soundtrack

[cj iwakura]

This bit might interest you... http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/1 ... ami_tieup/

Oh yes, it does. Thanks!


Also, it's been posted at HG101 now:

http://hardcoregaming101.net/shikigami/shikigami.htm

Kurt made some changes, but they're mostly for the better. You can always view the ridiculous versions here.