Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand

by Star Dingo
July 25, 2003 00:00 AM PST

�and in your pocket! Hands-on impressions of Hideo Kojima�s little sun-sensing GBA game.

GamePro recently got its hands on Hideo Kojima�s guilt trip incarnate, the brilliant little action/RPG Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand. In case you haven�t heard, this is the game that uses a regular ol� solar cell embedded in the cartridge to detect natural sunlight, the presence of which actually affects the gameplay. When the idea first came to light, it seemed like a stroke of miniature genius, but it was still only potential energy�now that we�ve gotten our hands on it, we�re pleased to report that it�s shaping to be every bit as brilliant as its massive life-giving power source.

In Boktai, you play as Django the �Solar Boy,� a kid in some weird vampire-apocalypse future. He�s on a quest to defeat an army of Immortal vampires and ghouls, armed only with a gun that harnesses the power of the sun�literally. The gameplay in Boktai is sort of Landstalker (a classic 3D isometric Genesis action/RPG) meets Metal Gear Solid. The world is set up in a pseudo non-linear fashion, with an overworld that connects the game�s many Immortal castles. The castles, once entered, play out like traditional action/RPG dungeons, with switches to throw, number-based riddles, and lots and lots of block-pushing.

If you�re wondering how important it is to play the game in the sun, the answer is very much--Kojima wasn�t just messing with you when he said the game would require you to go outdoors. The game�s sun-sensing gimmick limits the use of your primary weapons pretty significantly, especially in the game�s castles, where light only creeps in through windows even during the day. Django�s solar gun (�Gun Del Sol�) comes with a �battery� meter that drains as you shoot it. Another meter in the lower right corner of the screen reflects how much sun is hitting the game�s sensor. As long as you have even one bar showing (i.e., as long as you�re outdoors during the day), you can press and hold the A button to hold your gun up to the sun and recharge it. If you�re playing at night, you�ll hardly be able to use it at all, something that makes the game far, far more challenging. As you play through, you get new lenses to attach to your gun, with different spreads (a wide beam, a beam that behaves sort of like a sword) and different Attack and Stun ratings. There are even lenses that store energy in the game�s �solar reserve� thanks, and one that uses the power of the moon (i.e. darkness) instead of the sun.

Stealth plays a huge role when the sun is restricted�and not surprisingly, Boktai�s stealth moments play a lot like Metal Gear. Django hugs against walls to avoid being detected; he can knock on walls to get enemies attention and lure them into traps; and certain enemies respond to line of sight, while others respond to sound.

While you can technically play almost any time if you�ve managed to charge up your solar reserve enough, there are a few moments that absolutely require the sun�s presence, no matter what. After making your way through a castle, you fight the castle�s leader in a pretty traditional Konami-style boss battle. Afterward, you seal the Immortal in a coffin and drag it slowly back to the entrance of the castle (yes, back through all the traps and enemies) and place it in a �Pile Driver�, or a giant circle where the sun shines exceedingly bright. You must then burn the Immortal until it dies by firing up several generators, keeping them powered-up with a near-constant stream of light from your solar gun�sort of like spinning plates with solar energy.

The sensor in the Boktai prototypes seems pretty unfoolable, able to tell the difference between a flashlight and the actual ball of fire in the sky�so if you don�t plan on going outside, don�t plan on playing Boktai. It�s not �portable� in the way other GBA games are�you can�t just pick it up and play it and put it down whenever you want like Wario Ware. Still, Boktai is shaping up to be an absolutely essential GBA title�fun, unique, and displaying one of the most creative uses of a handheld system yet. Go outside and play.