"KiKi KaiKai, which has a different meaning if you're a fan of drag." I only recently discovered your channel and you've already sold me! Keep up the great work!
This game is my childhood!! I used to have a SNES with that thing that read the floppy discs. Now that I think back of it, kinda sad not owning any hard copies of any snes game to put on my shelf now and missed out buying stuffs back then when they're everywhere. But I got to play almost every game back then and wouldn't wanna trade memories with anything. I wouldn't call something nostalgia if I haven't played it before no matter how old it is.
Yay! I wasn't aware of a new one. It's a bummer because these games have become quite expensive. Thank God I grabbed these before they got super expensive.
I have a lot of memories with these two games, I only owned the first one but I rented 2 a lot. 2 is my favorite, it does botch the co-op but it's the better single player experience for sure, I love the more open levels and the shops, the bosses are a blast and switching between all the different characters, taking advantage of their different abilities and being a jerk and throwing them to deal massive amounts of damage is so much fun. And the whole game nails that feudal Japanese folklore vibe where as the first game got a little more all over the place as it went on, throwing in Dracula and airships and what not. I also really love the music in both of these games.
HAHAHA what a blast from the past. I remember playing this game (the Japanese version) and had no idea what it was called. I rented it from a local vendor at the mall. We had to modify my SNES with a pair of needle nose pliers and breaking the tabs used to prevent Japanese carts from fitting. good times.
I never really played this as a kid, a game either had to be in the privileged class of one of the two games a year I picked out for my birthday/Christmas or it’d have to be available at my local rental place. It DOES remind a lot of Legend of The Mystical Ninja by Konami though, what with its bright colorful art and old Japan setting. That game turned me into such a history weeb for a time.
I am surprised you haven't mentioned the GBA sequel, "Pocky and Rocky with Becky." A worthy playthrough in the series, especially up on a television, if available to the player. Thank you for another great review, friend. Your calm narratives with fair ratings are a welcome reason to subscribe to your channel.
I completely agree with your assessment of the 2 original games. Wish I never traded in my copy of the 1st game back in the day. But I have the P&R Reshrined on pre-order! Can't wait to play this with my son! Cheers.
I loved playing this game as a kid. Your review makes me want to pick it up and play it through with my partner, which I likewise want to do with the Goeman series. Great review, as always.
Luckily I acquired both of these games some years ago, way before the retro boom and so escaped the price hikes. What I mostly like about these games is the Japanese-y vibe. The Mystical Ninja games are similar in this regard and also very fun. Incidentally, reproduction carts can be purchased for both Pocky games via Ali Express for about 10 bucks apiece.
I loved Pocky and Rocky 1 growing up! I remember borrowing the game from a classmate. Took a long time for me to return it back to them because I enjoyed the game so much. Sadly it's not a part of my collection these days due to it's high price tag, but I am glad you mentioned the remaster! I had no idea a remaster was coming to Switch and PS4. I love the fact that the Reshrined edition stays close to it's roots with the art design. Great review Pam!
Great review Pam, I definitely love the first game but haven't played the second. I think I saw a co-op run of it during a GDQ one year, and it was fully of strategic giant Rocky bombing? Yeah player 2 didn't do much else from what I recall. Also, on Genesis/Megadrive there's a somewhat similar style and good game called Twinkle Tale if you haven't tried it (never released in the west I think, but there is an english patch for the minimal story). Oh yeah, and any game that references Rocky Raccoon is already great just for that!
I never got a chance to play these growing up. In those days, if your local video rental did not have it then you were not playing it. That remake/reimagining does pique my interest. I think I will go check out that Zombies Ate My Neighbors review. Yet another great review from CNBT!
Hi Pam, now you're talking my language. I have both authentic copies of these games. Both are EXTREMELY tough to play, so good luck, but very rewarding when you beat each level. That raft level is the biggest PITMFA!! The games are beautiful, full of vibrant color, and controls are tight and fluent, and really show off the power and speed of the SNES. Amazing review, I love you!
Pocky and Rocky 1 & 2 are really good games. Legend of the Mystical Ninja is an underrated gem too, and art style wise i think it´s in the same level as Pocky and Rocky.
I never bothered checking to see what type of games the Pocky & Rocky games were, despite having heard about them so many times, so I'm glad I watched this review. I think I'll wait for the re-release (?) on PlayStation 4 or Switch, though, as I'm hopeful it'll improve upon the original game play, assuming it's a remake of the first game.
@@Cannotbetamed1 oh I’m sure I will! Thank you! Also I like your videos and the reason why I subscribed is that your easy to listen to and you’re pretty
The Pocky and Rocky remake is being developed by Tengo Project, who have also made remakes of Wild Guns and Ninja Warriors, which are both fantastic remakes. So I'm really looking forward to it. I actually own a P&R2 cart for SNES which is apparently super rare.
I need to explore more of the SNES library, it is is the only console aside from the NES that I didn't grow up with or play at a friends in the UK. I am aware of the main titles but the SNES library has passed me by. Thanks for the recommendation.
Hi! Nice to meet you and your channel! Pocky and Rocky was the first game i Played in my Super Nintendo! So nostalgic! I will replay it in the near future to finish it! I remeber that I couldn't pass the stage 3! Nice video by the way! See ya!
This is a nice discovery. I had never heard of these game, and I was a SNES boy in the early 90s. I read around 100 issues of Club Nintendo (the official Nintendo magazine in Mexico, licenced by Nintendo of Japan, not of America), between 1992 and 2000, but I don't remember this game was ever mentioned. I'm sure it was, I'm just probably was not interested, as I was more interested in RPGs and platformers.
I read Pocky & Rocky's review in my favourite video game magazine and the next morning, I had to buy it. The game had not been released in Europe yet but fortunately I got an American import. The game is as beautiful as difficult. I had a hard time finishing it even on easy mode. When I heard of a sequel, I purchased it as soon as it was available. It was a Japanese import this time. I surprize myself I managed to finish it without understanding anything. Pocky & Rocky 2 is even more beautiful than Pocky & Rocky and it was great to go through new levels but I must confess I don't like the different gameplay that much. But still, it's a nice effort from Natsume they tried to add some changes to renew the interest for the series.
A couple of things to add to a pretty good review of the series... There's a third game in the series that was released for the GBA and the Wii U Virtual Console called Pocky and Rocky with Becky. Then there's another game in the Kiki KaiKai series that was to be released as a Pocky and Rocky game but was for one reason or another lost the licensing rights and ended up releasing as Heavenly Guardian, which was released for the PS2 and later on received a port to the Wii. It even got a port for PC on steam called "Snow Battle Princess SAYUKI". There's also an NES port of the original Kiki KaiKai Arcade game called Kiki Kaikai: Dotō Hen, it was released for the Japanese exclusive Famicom Disk System. One of my favorite series growing up, I'm really looking forward to Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.
Thank you for sharing this, what a great find! I study about Japanese history and culture and am a big fan of yōkai lore, making it extra exciting watching all the characters and attention to details. This looks so cool to play on my raspberry pi arcade with friends. Looking foward to that new Switch version too. Your reviews are great, earned a sub. Keep it up!
I couldn't beat Pocky & Rocky 1 in single player mode. The only way I could beat the later levels was playing with a friend, dashing into each other, and taking advantage of the invincibility frames while both characters bounced about the screen.
These games look so fun. I'm glad that it's getting a new Switch game. It would be so nice if they released the original games on the Switch virtual console.
@@Cannotbetamed1 So far just Zelda: Breath of the Wild which is really good. The game world is huge! I also bought Mario Oddyssy, and I just ordered SMT 3 Nocturne. Looking forward to playing the last too fairly soon.
I remember discovering Kiki KaiKai in the games room of a restaurant/pub back in '89. Very folk-tale, mythological looking, with Japanese gods, demons etc. At the start, the "Seven Gods of Fortune" appear to the shrine-maiden in a flying sailboat, but then the boat is captured by a group of little bald men i.e. servants of the demon bosses you fight in the game. I'm not sure if the game was that common outside of Japan, I'm sure this one was a Japanese import as I remember thinking the game was called Taito, because it was the only part of the title screen I could read. We had arcade games here on which a legal warning would appear at the start i.e. "If you're playing this outside of Japan, you're breaking the law". Were these NZ businesses buying games on the black market or something? Pocky & Rocky was called KiKi KaiKai: Nazo no Kuro Manto in Japan(Kiki KaiKai:Riddle of the Black Mantle)
I love Pocky and Rocky, but honestly, I've never gotten past that final stage in the first SNES game. I've been meaning to go back to it (and the second SNES title) before the new one comes out, but I've yet to find the time.
This makes me wonder if you'd like Touhou Project... It's a series of mostly shmups with the very first game being like Breakout and the Windows games having side fighting entries. The main protagonist is also a miko that can use ofuda to attack.
I beat the first one on coop as a kid. My best friend at the time rented it and we played it for 3 days straight until we beat it. It was an awesome game for its time. Never got a chance to play number 2.
What envy when I was a kid and the snes twerp had these. I didn't remember they were called magic cards, as soon I saw them I was "ofuda!"...well, it was the 90s.
As always, thank you for the great content! I preordered Reshrined based on this review! Looking to play co-op, hopefully they improve the play mechanics.
The Rocky Raccoon reference made me chuckle and now I wonder what the pun in the original title is... these look like a lot of fun, a bit silly and a nice challenge. Some of the vertical scrolling levels, remind me a little of Elemental Master. Only a little though and maybe I'm just namedropping another cool game.
I played this so much back in the day...and it took em years to fidn out you could charge the melee attack ( I had no manual and the game was japanese)
This is so cool. I've heard of Pocky and Rocky, but never looked into either of them. I've enjoyed Ki Ki Kai Kai via the Hamster release on Switch. So thanks for connecting those dots. The new one looks beautiful and fun! I've been enjoying Esplaguda 2 on Switch. Always thought I don't prefer bullet hell, but Esplaguda is so fun in novice mode. I've also been enjoying Cruisn Blast and Warioware Get It Together, but have mostly been glued to my new Xbox series x. Rocket League, Psychonauts 2, Falconeer, Descenders, Dirt 4, and many others all look incredible at 120fps. Oh, and I've found I really like the way Grand Theft Auto 4 looks on XSX at 60fps. It's so weird how gamepass makes it so there's little I need/want to buy for the system. I really see why there's so many fewer physical releases for Xbox.
@@Cannotbetamed1 It's worth picking up for sure. I know Gran Tourismo is like the only racing game you've gotten into, but I also want to recommend Inertial Drift. Great little dialogue scenes, unique graphics like a Japan where everything is perfect pavement and shades of purple, really great music, and a totally new driving control system really make it stand out.
Hi Pam 😀 My sister and I love retro games as we played them as kids growing up. Even today we always have a "Retro Night" once a month and I go round to her house and we play retro games. Pocky and Rocky is one of our favourites. Thanks for reviewing, love the channel.
Pockey and Rockey (first one) Is such a difficult game even when playing alone. At least in the sequel you have an AI to help you But still a hard game. A game I'll will never get tired of playing. Also there is a PC Engine/Turbo Grafix version if anyone is aware of it.
I never gave the first game a chance, and only remember the name, and seeing the box at the places I would rent from. Can't even say that about the sequel, which was totally lost on me. So it's my first time seeing them in action.
One of the best and underrated gems ever made by Natsume along with Wild Guns. To me Pocky and Rocky is like Legend of the Mystical Ninja combined with Super Ghouls n Ghosts. I’m glad it’s getting the same remastered treatment as Wild Guns is.
I just recently got to play both games not too long ago. The little girl that my mom babysitts really got into part 1. So we played that one every time she comes to visit. I like part 2, but the multi player mode is kinda disappointing. Still both are awesome games and really enjoyed them.
I'm glad the recent sequel mostly stuck with the classic animation. I'm not a fan of reboots of classics looking like 3D modern games playing as 2D platformers. 16 bit pixel art has a beauty all on its own. Especially considering memory and hardware limitations of the time. Also I love the classic Japanese theme of tgese games. If they were any more Japanese your character would turn into a giant mech with seizure inducing background sprites.
