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Getsu Clan Estate
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GetsuFumaDen

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This article is about the 1987 Famicom game. For the entire franchise, see GetsuFumaDen (series).

GetsuFumaDen (月風魔伝 (げつふうまでん) ?, lit. "Legend of Fūma Getsu") is a 1987 action-adventure, role playing, platformer game by Konami for the Famicom console. It was released in July 7, 1987 in Japan only. The game stars starring Getsu Fūma on his journey to the depths of Hell to fight demons and avenge the deaths of his brothers.

While this game had no sequel for a long time, several GetsuFumaDen-based stages appeared in other Konami games. These stages are set in Hell and appear in Konami Wai Wai World, Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.

A sequel titled True GetsuFumaDen (真 (しん) ―月風魔伝 (げつふうまでん) Shin GetsuFūmaDen?) was trademarked in January of 2000 but was never formally announced, and was presumably cancelled.[2]

A sequel to this game was finally announced in 2021, 34 years after the original game, called GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch. The original GetsuFumaDen game (along with other perks) was included to users who bought the Early Access version, and was later included in the Deluxe Edition for Switch and PC.

Plot[]

Year 14672 A.D., first year from the Demon Age (魔暦元年 (まれきがんねん) Mareki Gan-nen?). From the depths of Hell the Demon Lord Ryukotsuki (龍骨鬼 Ryūkotsuki?) awakened, attempting to conquer the mortal realm governed by the three Getsu brothers (月氏三兄弟 Getsu-shi San Kyōdai?). With the knowledge passed down from generations, as well as the family Hadou katana (波動剣 Hadōken?) weapons, the Three Getsu Brothers faced Ryukotsuki.

Hadou katana - A spiritual blade which once swung, releases a wave of energy delivering damage to the enemies. With the three Hadou katanas together, they can release a much powerful attack called the Dainendōha (大念動波?, lit. "Great Will Aura").

However, Ryukotsuki attacked and killed the two eldest out of the three brothers, stole the three Hadou katanas and handed them over to the three Majins (Dokugandokuzu, Kyōkotsugyūgai and Ryūtōkibi) who ruled an island known as Kyōki-tō (狂鬼島?, lit. "Raging Demon Island"). Fuma, the youngest brother who survived, whose grief over the loss of his two older brothers eventually turned into rage, swore revenge against Ryukotsuki. Knowing he cannot defeat Ryukotsuki without the Hadou katanas, let alone without the powerful Dainendōha, he goes on a quest to Kyōki-tō, where Ryukotsuki and his three Majins reside, to take back the family treasures and defeat the Demon Lord.

Now, go Fuma; defeat Ryukotsuki, and bring peace to the souls of your brothers who died in vain!!!

Gameplay[]

The game is structurally similar to Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and The Goonies II; the player controls Fūma, whose goal is to locate the three Hadou katanas that have been stolen from his clan in order to gain access to Ryūkotsuki's lair. Each of the Hadou katanas have been hidden away in the three neighboring islands surrounding Raging Demon, which are Kigan-tō (鬼願島?, "Ogre Head Island"), Gokumon-tō (獄門島?, "Prison Gate Island") and Mitsukubi-tō (三首島?, "Three Necks Island"). Each of these islands requires Fūma to be in possession of a different Demon Face (鬼面符 Kimenfu?).

The game starts off from an overhead view where the player guides Fūma to his next destination. When Fūma enters torii (a gate), the game switches to a side-scrolling action scene where the player must go from one end of the area to the next while fending off enemies and avoiding pitfalls in order to return to the main field and proceed to the next scene. In addition to these action scenes, there are also small hokora (shrines) featuring villagers who will provide hints to Fūma (and some also heal him) and shops where he can purchase new items and weapons using the money he has accumulated from defeated enemies. The player switches items by pausing the game during an action sequence and then pressing A to select a defensive item or B to change weapons. Experience points are accumulated by defeating enemies, which will fill out Fūma's sword gauge, increasing the strength of his attacks.

When the player reaches the main dungeon in each of the islands, the game switches to a pseudo-3D perspective which follows Fūma from behind. The player must proceed through a labyrinth in order to reach the boss holding one of the Hadou katanas. Each labyrinth is filled with numerous enemies who will confront Fūma, along with allies who will provide him with hints and helpful items. A candle is required to light these labyrinths, as well as a compass which shows Fūma's current direction. When the player reaches the boss's lair, the game switches back to a side-scrolling perspective before the actual confrontation.

The game uses a lives system like most action games. The player loses a life when he runs out of health or falls into a pitfall. When the player runs out of lives, he can continue from where he left off or quit and resume at a later point using a password. The player is penalized by having his money reduced by half.

Development[]

GetsuFumaDen's box is rather unique, in that it features a lenticular panel on the front that displays two different images when held at different viewing angles.

GetsuFumaDenLenticularCovers

GetsuFumaDenʼs two lenticular cover images.

Main article: Konami Chara Cards

Like several other early Konami games released in the 1980s-1990s, GetsuFumaDen included a numbered collector card set, known in Japan as Konami Chara Cards. Each card featured an illustration or a snapshot of the game, and the back of each card showed a serial number, as well as the game's title. They were randomly included with the games.

Enemies[]

Side-scrolling areas[]

3D dungeons[]

Bosses[]

Ports and re-releases[]

The game was first released on Family Computer in 1987 in Japan. It was later ported for iRevo mobile phones on 2006 in Japan. The original game was then made available on the Wii Virtual Console on January 27, 2009, on 3DS Virtual Console on February 20, 2013 and on Wii U Virtual Console on April 8, 2015, all of them only in Japan.

The game was then included in the Early Access version of GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon for PC on May 13, 2021, and made available in the Deluxe Edition of the game which was released on Switch on February 10, 2022 and would later be released on PC on February 17, 2022 worldwide. Although this is the first time GetsuFumaDen would have a worldwide release, the game doesn't offer an official english translation yet, and the language remains in Japanese.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Dr. Cinnamon, from the TwinBee and Wai Wai series (also from Konami), appears in the instruction booklet of GetsuFumaDen explaining the care to be taken with Famicom's cartridges.
  • According to the commercial, the Famicom version was supposed to be released on June 26, 1987, but got postponed until July 7, 1987.[3]
  • Shinya Arino played the Famicom version of GetsuFumaDen in episode 327 of GameCenter-CX, aired on November 11, 2021.

Related products[]

See also[]

  • Devil Island - A port/sequel bootleg of GetsuFumaDen for the Game Boy Color.

References[]

  1. ↑ Bonus perk only available for buyers of the Early Access version of GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon. The original GetsuFumaDen game is also slated to be included on the "Deluxe Edition" of Undying Moon (which is available for both PC and Switch).
  2. ↑ Registration No. 4349453 in the Japanese Trademark lookup https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/t0000
  3. ↑ Release date

External links[]

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