Genpei ToumaDen
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Release date(s)	1986
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Platform(s)	Arcade game
Input	8-way Joystick; 2 buttons
Arcade cabinet	Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system(s)	Namco System 86

Genpei ToumaDen (源平討魔伝, Genpei ToumaDen^?) is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1986 only in Japan. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware. Over a decade later, the game was released in America as part of Namco Museum under the title The Genji and the Heike Clans. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen_title. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... 1986 1986 in games 1985 in video gaming 1987 in video gaming Notable events of 1986 in computer and video games. ... Computer and video games are generally and popularly categorised into genres. ... Computer and video games are generally and popularly categorised into genres. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... Joystick elements: 1. ... This arcade cabinet, containing Centipede, is an upright. ... An arcade system board is a standardized printed circuit board or group of printed circuit boards that are used as the basis for multiple arcade games with very similar hardware requirements. ... The Namco System 86 arcade system board was first used by Namco in 1986. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... Namco is a company based in Japan, best known for developing video games. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Namco System 86 arcade system board was first used by Namco in 1986. ... Namco Museum refers to the series of compilations released by Namco for various 32-bit and above consoles, containing releases of their games from the 1980s. ...

Gameplay

The player makes his way along a very strange landscape fighting enemies as they appear. The game offers three types of action: Small Mode (standard), Big Mode (standard, but with large characters and usually boss fights) and Plain Mode (viewed from an overhead perspective). Most stages have torii, which are used to transport the player to a different stage. On most stages featured in Side Mode and Plain Mode, there are multiple torii that can be entered which will lead to different routes on the map. In Big Mode, however, there is only one torii at the end of this type of stage. A famous floating torii at Itsukushima Shrine Multiple torii at Osaka shrine Torii are widespread in Japan, to the extent that modern architecture sometimes emulates their form. ...

The leading character is a real Japanese samurai called Taira no Kagekiyo (平景清), he died during the Battle of Dan-no-ura. In Genpei ToumaDen, he was resurrected and fights Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経) and Saito Musashibo Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶) over the Imperial Regalia of Japan, as well as to defeat his enemy Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝). (The characters mentioned above did exist in Japan.) Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... The Battle of Dan-no-ura, more commonly known as Dan-no-ura no Tatakai (壇ノ浦の戦い), was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan_no_ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshu. ... Yoshitsune by Kikuchi Yosai Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms, by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Minamoto no Yoshitsune () (1159 – June 15, 1189) was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. ... Benkei as portrayed in Kabuki plays. ... A representation of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. ... Portrait of Yoritomo (copy) Minamoto no Yoritomo May 9, 1147—February 9, 1199) was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan, who ruled from 1192 until 1199. ...

The game also involved "Sanzunokawa" (The Sanzu River; literally "Trifurcate Rivers") (三途川), a place mentioned Buddhism in Japan which was said to be separating "the current life" and "the afterlife", resembling the concept Underworld or Hell (The river is often identified with the River Styx in Greek Mythology). Therefore, some mythological characters like Emma-o (閻魔大王; litereally "Enma Dai-o"), god of the Underworld, and Sun Goddess Amaterasu (ja:天照大神) appear in the game. The Buddha in Kamakura (1252). ... // In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly dead souls go. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. ... For other uses, see Styx River (disambiguation) River In Greek mythology, Styx ([river of] hate) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between earth and the underworld, Hades. ... The Oricoli bust of Zeus, King of the Gods, in the collection of the Vatican Museum. ... Tibetan Dharmapala at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois Yama is the name of the Buddhist god and judge of the dead, who presides over the Buddhist Narakas (Pāli: Nirayas), Hells or Purgatories. Although ultimately based on the god Yama of the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Yama has developed... The Sun goddess emerging out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the universe. ...

Ports

The game's first port was released on October 21, 1988 for the Nintendo Famicom. The game, as it's title screen suggests, is a "computer boardgame" - another way of saying it is an RPG game. Instead of platforming action like its arcade counterpart, the game is completely overhead view, with turn-based fighting. October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System (North America, Europe, and Australia) NES redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Battle for Wesnoth, an example of a turn-based tactics game. ...

In 1988, the game was ported to the Japanese Sharp X68000 home computer. The game was also ported to the PC Engine (the Japanese TurboGrafx 16) and released on March 16, 1990. These ports remained faithful to the arcade game, unlike the Famicom port. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68K, was a home computer released only in Japan. ... The PC Engine was a video game console released by NEC, a Japanese company, in 1987. ... For information on the Japanese version of this console, see PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16 was a video game console released by NEC in 1989, for the North American market. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... This article is about the year. ...

Genpei ToumaDen was also featured on the Namco Museum Vol. 4 compilation game for the PlayStation game console, released in 1996 for Japan and 1997 for the U.S. and Europe. For the U.S. and European releases, the game was re-titled as The Genji and the Heike Clans. This would be the first time the original Genpei ToumaDen would make an appearance outside of Japan. Namco Museum refers to the series of compilations released by Namco for various 32-bit and above consoles, containing releases of their games from the 1980s. ... For other versions of PlayStation, please see PlayStation (disambiguation) The PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sequel

Genpei ToumaDen: Kannoni, a sequel to Genpei ToumaDen, was released on April 7, 1992 for the PC Engine. Surprisingly enough, this game also had an American release re-titled, Samurai Ghost, for the TurboGrafx 16. This would be the first time a Genpei ToumaDen game would be released to the U.S. market. April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Screenshot gallery

Map of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen1. ...	"Small" Mode Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen2. ...	One of several battles with Yoshitsune. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen3. ...	"Side" Mode Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen4. ...
Kagekiyo approaching a torii transport. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen5. ...	The game's intro Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen6. ...	One of the battles with Benkei. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen7. ...	Kagekiyo receiving powerups from Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Image File history File links Genpei_ToumaDen8. ...

Trivia

• The game's name translates from Japanese as "Genji and Heike Clans Defeat Demon Story".
• A Konami game called Getsufuu Maden, released for the Famicom in 1987, is often criticized for blatantly copying Genpei ToumaDen's "Underworld" concept, characters, and gameplay.
• Unlike most Japanese video games, Genpei ToumaDen's score display uses kanji rather than Arabic numerals. For example, "○二五○○○", would be read as "025000" (25,000 points). Mirai Ninja, another Namco game, also uses Kanji numerals, this time for the player's life meter.
• In the PS2 game Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, the roles were reversed, whereby Kagekiyo was one of the main villains, while Yoshitsune and Benkei were the main heroes. The game followed history more accurately; Yoshitsune was a true hero, historically.
• Kagekiyo also appears in the crossover game Namco X Capcom, whereas he teams up with Tarosuke, the child hero of Yokai Douchuuki. In addition, Yoshitsune, Benkei and Yoritomo also appeared in NxC as bosses.

Konami Corporation (コナミ) TYO: 9766 (NYSE: KNM) (SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling computer and video games. ... Getsufuu Maden (月風魔傳) is an action RPG game for the Nintendo Famicom by Konami, released in 1987. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System (U.S., Europe, and Australia) NES redirects here. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyogana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Kanji (Japanese: ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the arabic numerals. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Mirai Ninja (complete Japanese title: Keigumo Kinin Gaiden Mirai Ninja), is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1988. ... Namco x Capcom (ナムコ クロス カプコン) is a turn-based strategy game featuring characters from games produced by video game companies Namco and Capcom, and developed by Monolith Soft. ... Yokai Douchuuki is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1987. ...

External links

• A characters' collection of Genpei ToumaDen (Japanese)