Gaming Target - Game Boy: Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands

Written by Kyle Williams on June 06, 2003

First Impressions: Sunlight? What's sunlight?

What happens when Hideo Kojima takes some time off from the Metal Gear series? Boktai happens. As the latest brainchild of a videogame legend, Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands has a lot to live up to. Mister Kojima's MGS games have some of the best production values and leaps forward in gameplay mechanics. You can't make a Metal Gear Solid caliber title on the GBA, so what is Mister Kojima hoping to prove? That innovation is still more important than a pretty package.

As with many games, Boktai starts by telling the story of a boy. More specifically, a boy vampire hunter named Django. Delivered from an isometric viewpoint with a striking art style that is straight out of the 16-bit days, Boktai will rely on many action staples to keep things moving along. You will have to overcome traps, defeat enemies, and make your way through various dungeons in order to complete your quest. You might be asking, "What's so innovative about that?" Well, think about a vampire's main weakness. No, not garlic. Sunlight. Boktai is going to be the first game ever that will actually require players to go outside in order to progress through the game.

This may have you a little bit confused, so let me explain. Boktai's GameBoy Advance cartridge is going to incorporate a tiny little photocell that will pick up the wavelengths that are specific to sunlight. By tapping into the sun's light, Konami is broadening the idea of power-ups as Django's weapon will become stronger based on how much solar radiation is being picked up by the cell. Of course, you are fighting vampires so your enemies will also get weaker as the light gets stronger. Not only will this be a unique gimmick in the gameplay, but players will have to take advantage of the outdoors in order to beat certain bosses.

The ambiance of the game is also going to be affected by the time of day that you are playing. Boktai is also going to feature an internal clock that will keep track of when you are playing the game. Play at noon and light will come streaming in through a window whereas playing at midnight will leave the vampires free to roam about by candlelight. Other than the very minimal reference to the GameCube's clock in Rogue Leader, I can't think of any title that has ever attempted anything near this level of environmental immersion. Personally, I applaud Kojima for thinking outside of the cartridge.