Shikigami No Shiro II
Encyclopedia
Shikigami no Shiro II is a vertical scrolling shooter arcade
game which uses the Sega NAOMI arcade system board
. It was subsequently ported in Japan to the Nintendo GameCube
, and then later to Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and Windows PCs
. The game was also released in the U.S. on the PlayStation 2 by XS Games
as Castle Shikigami 2, and in Europe as Castle Shikigami 2: War of the Worlds. XS Games released its prequel as well, under the name of Mobile Light Force 2.
The game consists of five stages, each with two parts, with a boss at the end of each part. At the end of each stage, dialogue between the player character(s) and the bosses are shown in cut scenes; a unique sequence of dialogue is shown for every different character or combination of two characters.
Each character has a primary weapon, used by tapping or holding one firing button; holding the button for more than a few seconds, however, will switch to the character's secondary "Shikigami" weapon. This tends to be more powerful, but limited in range or utility, and also slows character movement. Each character's weapons are different, sometimes dramatically, in terms of pattern and power; in addition, each Shikigami weapon is available in one of two modes, chosen at the start of each new game. Bombs are also available, and each character's bombs function differently as well.
The leveling up
of weapons from the original game is the only mechanic eliminated in the sequel.
The player's weapons also play a part in the TBS; when the multiplier is at maximum, the primary weapon increases in power and range for as long as this is maintained. In addition, coins released by enemies destroyed with the Shikigami weapon are automatically collected.
s are available, for both the regular game and the "extreme mode", in which enemies release additional fire when destroyed.
An alternate soundtrack, "S2MIX", is also available. The original soundtrack has been completely replaced in the European PS2 release.
from the original has been removed.
The two new characters are:
The super deformed
Fumiko also exists as a secret character.
s (and even a telephone card
with direct orders from Sega), the limited edition of the PlayStation 2 port included a figurine of Fumiko, and the limited edition of the Nintendo GameCube port included a figurine of Niigi and Neko, her cat. The U.S. release used original cover artwork based on the Japanese character designs, while the European release used yet another original image depicting an aerial dogfight.
Within the game, new play modes were also introduced with new releases. New features added following the arcade version include story recollect mode, which allows cut scenes to be replayed, and gallery mode, a game artwork viewer. The Xbox port introduced practice mode, and, in a more significant addition, provided additional downloadable artwork and an online scoreboard, available through Xbox Live
; this was one of the first examples of Xbox Live content exclusive to Japan, rather than North America.
novels and manga volumes were produced, expanding the story of the game.
Novels
Manga anthologies
Magazine ZKC serialization compilations
Other products released, typical of Japanese video game franchises, include an art book, a standalone soundtrack CD, a set of illustrated telephone cards, plastic models of two of the characters, and the "Appreciate DVD", a disc of gameplay footage similar in concept to the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD.
dialogue, produced as a result of overly literal translation
combined with stilted and generally unemotional voice acting. The dialogue for every character and two-character combination was dubbed into English, though exclamations made by characters during gameplay were not translated. Dialogues are not available at all in the PS2 PAL release.
adventure game
in the visual novel
style with shooting elements, as well as the arcade release of the proper sequel, Castle of Shikigami III
, which expands the roster to nine or ten playable characters while removing two old characters.
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
game which uses the Sega NAOMI arcade system board
Arcade system board
An arcade system board is a dedicated computer system created for the purpose of running video arcade games. Arcade system boards typically consist of a main system board with any number of supporting boards...
. It was subsequently ported in Japan to the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, and then later to Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Windows PCs
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The game was also released in the U.S. on the PlayStation 2 by XS Games
XS Games
XS Games, LLC is a New York-based publisher of budget-priced video games, operating in North America and Europe. They are exclusively distributed by Take 2 Interactive and Jack of All Games in the U.S.-Sony Playstation games:*Jigsaw Madness...
as Castle Shikigami 2, and in Europe as Castle Shikigami 2: War of the Worlds. XS Games released its prequel as well, under the name of Mobile Light Force 2.
Story
In the beginning of the story, a giant castle appeared from above the city of Tokyo. At 40 km, the ship-shaped castle was known as Nejireta castle. The battle of mankind and gods is about to begin.Gameplay
The game mechanisms are generally carried over from the original Shikigami No Shiro, with the addition of more playable characters.The game consists of five stages, each with two parts, with a boss at the end of each part. At the end of each stage, dialogue between the player character(s) and the bosses are shown in cut scenes; a unique sequence of dialogue is shown for every different character or combination of two characters.
Each character has a primary weapon, used by tapping or holding one firing button; holding the button for more than a few seconds, however, will switch to the character's secondary "Shikigami" weapon. This tends to be more powerful, but limited in range or utility, and also slows character movement. Each character's weapons are different, sometimes dramatically, in terms of pattern and power; in addition, each Shikigami weapon is available in one of two modes, chosen at the start of each new game. Bombs are also available, and each character's bombs function differently as well.
The leveling up
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
of weapons from the original game is the only mechanic eliminated in the sequel.
Tension Bonus System
As with many shooters, the game places emphasis on obtaining high scores, which is facilitated by the Tension Bonus System (TBS). The TBS causes a player's score received to multiply, by factors of up to eight times, based on the player character's proximity to enemy bullets or enemies themselves; this is characteristic of the "grazing" mechanics found in games of the bullet hell genre. By staying close to hazardous objects, multipliers can be maintained for extended periods of time. In addition, destroyed enemies release coins that give extra points, which are also affected by the multiplier.The player's weapons also play a part in the TBS; when the multiplier is at maximum, the primary weapon increases in power and range for as long as this is maintained. In addition, coins released by enemies destroyed with the Shikigami weapon are automatically collected.
Options
Five difficulty levelDifficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s are available, for both the regular game and the "extreme mode", in which enemies release additional fire when destroyed.
An alternate soundtrack, "S2MIX", is also available. The original soundtrack has been completely replaced in the European PS2 release.
Story
The backstory has the events of the game set in December 2006, as the castle of the title appears in the sky above Tokyo.Characters
The game includes eight playable characters, including all five from the original; however, the secret characterSecret character
A secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
from the original has been removed.
- Kohtarou Kuga (玖珂 光太郎)
- Sayo Yuhki (結城 小夜)
- Gennojo Hyuga (日向 玄乃丈)
- Fumiko O.V. (Odette Vanstein) (ふみこ・オゼット・ヴァンシュタイン)
- Kim Dae-jeong (金 大正)
The two new characters are:
- Niigi G.B. (Gorgeous Blue) (ニーギ・ゴージャスブルー)
- Roger Sasuke (ロジャー・サスケ)
The super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
Fumiko also exists as a secret character.
Differences
Due to the disparity in publishers, as well as release times, each port of the game has different cover artwork, and some releases contained additional content as well. The limited edition of the Dreamcast port included a soundtrack CD and trading cardTrading card
A trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
s (and even a telephone card
Telephone card
A telephone card, calling card or phone card for short, is a small plastic card, sized and shaped like a credit card, used to pay for telephone services. It is not necessary to have the physical card except with a stored-value system; knowledge of the access telephone number to dial and the PIN is...
with direct orders from Sega), the limited edition of the PlayStation 2 port included a figurine of Fumiko, and the limited edition of the Nintendo GameCube port included a figurine of Niigi and Neko, her cat. The U.S. release used original cover artwork based on the Japanese character designs, while the European release used yet another original image depicting an aerial dogfight.
Within the game, new play modes were also introduced with new releases. New features added following the arcade version include story recollect mode, which allows cut scenes to be replayed, and gallery mode, a game artwork viewer. The Xbox port introduced practice mode, and, in a more significant addition, provided additional downloadable artwork and an online scoreboard, available through Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
; this was one of the first examples of Xbox Live content exclusive to Japan, rather than North America.
Merchandise
A number of tie-inTie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
novels and manga volumes were produced, expanding the story of the game.
Novels
- 玖珂家の秘密 (Secret of Kuga House) (2003, ISBN 4-8402-2532-X)
- 陽の巻 (Book of Light) (2003, ISBN 4-7577-1610-9)
- 陰の巻 (Book of Shade) (2003, ISBN 4-7577-1634-6)
- Paradise Typhoon (2004, ISBN 4-7577-1838-1)
Manga anthologies
- Anthology 1 (2003, ISBN 4-7577-1612-5)
- Anthology 2 (2004, ISBN 4-7577-1796-2)
Magazine ZKC serialization compilations
- Book 1, volume 1 (2004, ISBN 4-06-349165-X)
- Book 1, volume 2 (2004, ISBN 4-06-349182-X)
- Book 1, volume 3 (2005, ISBN 4-06-349194-3)
- Book 2, volume 1 (2005, ISBN 4-06-349204-4)
- Book 2, volume 2 (2005, ISBN 4-06-349223-0)
- Book 2, volume 3 (2006, ISBN 4-06-349235-4)
- Book 2, volume 4 (2006, ISBN 4-06-349249-4)
Other products released, typical of Japanese video game franchises, include an art book, a standalone soundtrack CD, a set of illustrated telephone cards, plastic models of two of the characters, and the "Appreciate DVD", a disc of gameplay footage similar in concept to the Ikaruga Appreciate DVD.
Translation
The American release, Castle Shikigami 2, was known for its EngrishEngrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
dialogue, produced as a result of overly literal translation
Literal translation
Literal translation, or direct translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another "word-for-word" rather than conveying the sense of the original...
combined with stilted and generally unemotional voice acting. The dialogue for every character and two-character combination was dubbed into English, though exclamations made by characters during gameplay were not translated. Dialogues are not available at all in the PS2 PAL release.
Reception
Castle Shikigami 2 was not well received in terms of sales due to lack of a marketing campaign. However, many general and specialized review websites have given it moderate approval for its gameplay and humorous translation.Sequels
2005 saw the release of Shikigami No Shiro: Nanayozuki Gensoukyoku, a spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
in the visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
style with shooting elements, as well as the arcade release of the proper sequel, Castle of Shikigami III
Castle of Shikigami III
Castle of Shikigami III is a manic shooter released in Japan in video arcades in 2005, the Windows platform in 2006 and for the Xbox 360 and Wii in 2007...
, which expands the roster to nine or ten playable characters while removing two old characters.
External links
- Official site by developer Alfa Systems
- Official site for GameCube and Xbox ports by publisher Kids Station
- Official site for Japanese PlayStation 2 port by publisher TaitoTaito CorporationThe is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
- Official site for PC port by publisher SourceNext
- PC demo download at 4gamer
- English game audio samples at AudioAtrocities.com
- Xbox page
- Shikigami no Shiro Wiki