Platform: Sega Genesis

Developer: Capcom and Visco

Publisher: Sega

Release Date (NA): 1990 Arcade / 1992 Genesis

Genre: Platformer

Nerd Rating: 6.25 out of 10

Reviewed by NerdBerry

Chiki Chiki Boys, or better known as the Mega Twins in Japan on the arcade, is a platforming game running with the pack of other platformers gracing your home console systems in the 80s and 90s. A platforming game is perhaps one of the easiest kinds of games to make, but to compete with the insane quantity of other platformers out there (including the gold standard Super Mario Bros.) is no easy feat. So what does Capcom, the king of fighting, have to offer in this arcade port?

Nasty monsters have escaped from the Monster Palace and have completely annihilated the peaceful land of Alurea. The Alurean people were having a quiet peaceful day when this attack happened. The grimy creatures swarmed over the land killing everyone… everyone except the king’s infant twins, the Chiki Chiki Boys. Now that they have grown up, they will use swords and magic to fight their way through the land and restore Alurea back to its status as the most peaceful land around.

Not such a terrible story but certainly not the most unique one I have ever heard. Regardless, one thing is for certain, these twins got some serious battles ahead of them! There were two things that popped out at me when I first began playing this game. 1. The upbeat hero action chiptunes (which were very awesome and really made me reminisce on retro gaming… although they did grow somewhat annoying after a while). And 2. The beautiful animation with its energetic colors. Although the level layouts remind me of a combination of Kirby, Mario, and maybe something that came out at the end of the NES’s life, it is still a very vibrant world in which Capcom has created.

The original Chiki Chiki Boys in the arcade (and for the various other systems on which it was ported) allows for 2 player mode. I find it strikingly odd how a game about twin fighters would ever be made into a 1-player only game, but Visco has given us only one option for the Genesis port.

Chiki Boy 1 is the elder of the twins. He is the best fencing master in all of Alurea (maybe because only he and his brother live there now). If you are more of a traditional fighter then Chiki Boy 1 is definitely the one you will want to play with as Chiki Boy 2 requires a little more magic and finesse. Chiki Boy 2 is the younger of the twins. He has good command of magical powers. Chiki Boy 2’s magical abilities make him very useful in sticky situations where a sword might now work as well. Both carry swords, but Chiki Boy 1 is much stronger than his twin. In traditional arcade fashion, you can input your name prior to playing the game (well, I guess most arcades you enter your name after, but in this sense, we do it before).

One of the wonders of the home version of Chiki Chiki Boys is the ability to choose which land you want to start on. You will not be able to beat the game until you beat all 3 rounds in the Chiki Boys world map.

In Round One, you play on Earth. If you start on the Earth, you have to pass through a forest and a cavern of magma.

In Round Two, you play in the heavens. In the heavens you can fly. Look for the legendary phantom castle.

In Round Three, you fight underwater. Rumor has it that a ghost pirate ship can be found under the sea.

In any level in any round / world, you will be tasked with traditional platforming mayhem which includes running, jumping on platforms, destroying enemies, avoiding enemies, avoiding dangers (such as spikes), collecting coins, and more. The variety in Chiki Chiki Boys is really nice and a welcome feature to the game. Most older platforming games don’t provide anything more than a different looking background for each level, but Chiki Chiki Boys gives its gamers a really unique way of playing via land, air, and sea.

No matter what the differences are per world, one thing is for certain… Chiki Chiki Boys is one hell of a hard game at times. Being a near identical arcade port, it plays like one too as you only have 2 lives before you get a game over! The deeper I dig into this game, the more I’m delighted to stumble across its distinctive game features. Collecting coins throughout the game seemed entirely pointless at first. I had 3,690 coins in the first stage on Earth but I wasn’t getting any extra lives or anything. I assumed it was a thing for points. As it turns out, once you beat a boss, you can use your coins to purchase powerups such as continues, a magical orb, a power shield, a power sword, a red capsule (a little pill which raises your vitality… hm…), or a blue capsule (which also raises your vitality) – insert Matrix joke here. I opted to save my coins for a later purchase (for example, a power shield that costs 6000 coins).

For all of Chiki Chiki Boys’ shortcomings, it’s still an alright platforming game amidst the dozens and dozens of other platformers. In a head-to-head match against platforming giants Sonic and Mario, Chiki Chiki Boys does not even compare. But in its own respect, it does offer some quality attributes unlike any other platformer I’ve ever played. The animation is superb and offers up some of the best use of colors I’ve seen on a Sega Genesis. I wish there was more to say about Chiki Chiki Boys but unfortunately I don’t find it to be particularly inventive or intuitive, despite the handful of fun features it offers such as being able to cling onto walls or exchanging collected coins for powerups. I’ve been holding onto this game for about 3 years and just dug into it a few days ago. Been on and off with Chiki Chiki Boys for 3 days now and I just can’t move past the fact that it feels too much like too many other games. The sword battling is pretty fun and the controls are very responsive, which is nice. But there’s just not enough meat in this game to warrant too much further consideration. Play it if you must. But definitely play it if you love Japanese platformers! It’s a little wacky.

Nerd Rating: 6.25 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry