Kishin Douji Zenki (rettou raiden) full sprite gallery

Kishin Douji Zenki - Rettou Raiden

Kishin Douji Zenki is, from what I gather, an extremely generic anime series about yet another team-up between a cute, magical schoolgirl and pretty-boy, temperamental demon. Probably dinking around in medieval japan, or something, with, I dunno, romantic tension and comic relief and maybe some sort of comical sidekick.

There are three Zenki games on the SNES, and this is the action/adventure one. Like several other anime-based games (and the more mainstream flop, "Super Godzilla") significant boss battles are fought via interactive cutscenes; as the characters fight, you press buttons at key moments to aim, attack, and dodge. It's actually much, much more fun than it sounds.

Between these battles, the game shifts to platform-jumping mode. As the girl, you will battle your way through incredibly brief, easy, empty little stages collecting fairly useless powerups until you reach a miniboss and take control of the stubby, action-mode Zenki.

It is during these fairly unimpressive action stages, however, that the game earns my approval. Most of the boss battles are against humans, but the enemies are delightfully crawly and the minibosses come in four fun flavors of giant eyeball. More on that later.

Enemies (info on mouseover)

Bosses & Minibosses

Goura

As soon as you begin the game, you're challenged by some Jerk named Goura. Goura is an old man. He has a beard and a BIG hat. His name is Goura. He punches you, and stuff. Unfortunately, he runs off before you can kill him.

Gagara

When Goura is defeated, you're thrust into another, far more interesting battle with the demon beast, GAGARA! When not attacking with his claws, he attacks with his obligatory tentacle-demon-tongue.

FIRST MINIBOSS

At the end of the first platforming stage, you'll battle this gnarly, snaggly demon head controlled by an eyeball that's going to become quite familiar. It can only be damaged when the eye is exposed (as if you hadn't guessed) and drifts about the screen shooting little balls of light when it opens.

Hiruda

After miniboss 2, Zenki is challenged by this scary-ass demoness who attacks with fireballs and bounces around at you. RUN!!!

SECOND MINIBOSS

Simplistic, but very interesting. This miniboss is nothing but a chain of eyeballs (usually shut) that flies rapidly up and down the walls of a flesh-lined well. Zenki can swing back and forth on the pail to dodge the boss and its projectiles. Sometimes it rains down smaller spheres. This one, too, can only be damaged when the eyes are open.

Guren

No sooner have you escaped the well of giant eyeballs than you are confronted by some jerk named Guren. He attacks with either his fist or his twinkling, light-up finger. One might go so far as to call it some manner of "shining" finger, even.

SHININNNNG FINGAHHH!

THIRD MINIBOSS

The miniboss of a watery forest stage, this pulsating, flailing worm protrudes from a fleshy purple base (make your own jokes) and spits the game's universal enemy energy shots. It sometimes sends it body flying around the screen while its head floats in place and sends heat-seaking green flames after you.

If you need to be told where its weak point is, there's probably a lot more than that you need help with.

Goura II

This time, you can kill his ass.

FOURTH MINIBOSS

Miniboss 4 is just a battle with Guren in action mode. ALL he does is hover in place (in the above pose), fire a spread of energy, then float off-screen to drop a pattern of fireballs and rolling green flames on Zenki. Meh.

Karuma

Apparently the main villain, Karuma is some sort of evil empress with an EVEN BIGGER HAT THAN GOURA! I bet he felt really emasculated. No wonder he was grumpy. And you up and killed his ass, like an insensitive bastard. I hate you.

FIFTH MINIBOSS

The final miniboss goes right back to the good stuff with the biggest monster eyeball of them all! It hangs from the ceiling of a dark, spooky chamber, periodically floating forward to ram you or opening up to fire. After taking some damage, it will raise itself off-screen while lots of smaller eyes materialize all ghosty-like and fly toward you. Halfway through the battle, it will start calling forth pairs of these eyes that explode like deadly fireworks when hit by foolish, foolish Zenki.

Hyouinomi

Identical to the eyes sent out by miniboss 5, the core of miniboss 1, and even the eye on Gagara's chest. Are all the other giant eyes incarnations of the same being? Or is Karuma just as big a fan of eyeballs as I am? Whatever the case, this guy is the next-to-last actual boss. He has only one pose until you defeat him, and fights with spike-shaped energy bursts.

Karuma II

Fought immediately after Hyouinomi. She's exactly the same as before, only blue, and this time, you can kill her ass. Then you have some cutscenes and the credits roll.

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