Customer Reviews

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand stands out as perhaps one of the most complex games for the GBA to date. Sometimes we get games where a unique addition to the gameplay can sometimes ruin it or isn't really needed. Boktai is different. The gimmick in this game doesn't ruin it, and actually is needed.

You play as Django, a vampire hunter who battle vampires called the Immortal and must rid of the world of them. The only way to actually do this is by Sunlight. Boktai actually has a sensor on its cartridge that detects the amount of sunlight received.

As far as graphics go, for the GBA they're great! Not exactly 3D graphics but from what I've seen on the GBA these graphics stand above several other games on the handheld console.

The gameplay in this game really stands out! I think you'll be impressed with the majority of it. The game incorporates the sun, the real sun, into the gameplay. Some could find this a problem but even the sun shining in through the window is good enough to fill the sun meter on your weapon, the Del Sol, a gun that uses the sunlight to dispatch enemies.

I'm sure many of you have heard of Hideo Kojima and his critically acclaimed Metal Gear Series. Apparently the game uses stealth at times like the Metal Gear Series. For example you can stick to the wall and trek across. Not helpful in some areas but from time o time you find monsters that are blind and can't see you, but HEAR really well and so you'll have to stick to the wall and make your way across.

The puzzles can sometimes be real mindbenders and the game will sometimes trick you by making you think you'll need sunlight for a puzzle but you won't. Some puzzle require that you don't use ANY sunlight at all.

The gameplay does have its disadvantages. Example is that your gun can actually overheat if it absorbs too much sunlight. In other words, don't play outside if you live in a really sunny place. It'll help but you'll need to get out of there at some point and back into some Shade. The problem with being in the shade is that all sunlight is lost and while you'll still have sunlight stored, you'll find yourself wanting and not wanting sunlight. Still, this device makes it enjoyable. You shouldn't have to move around too much unlessyou just LOVE being outside. Those who play indoors and use the lighting fromt he windows should have no problem. Also, don't think that you can just turn on a really bright desk lamp or a flashlight, that doesn't work!

The other problem is that the whole stealth approach incorporated into this game doesn't really FEEL like Metal Gear Solid. It actually makes the game go by very slowly and it takes the fun out of the gameplay.

Another thing I found unique about the gameplay is once you defeat a boss, you have to take the coffin outside and release it into the sun to permanently destroy it. This adds a lot to the gameplay. You'll have to take the coffin back with you. This doesn't slow down the progress at all. You'll be able to access some areas by leaving the coffin on a pressure sensative floor panel. Sometimes the coffin will try to escape but shot from your gun will easily take care of that. Once out in daylight you fight this boss again as he tries to repel the sun. So for me the gameplay was very exciting.

The music and sound effects in this game are nothing special really. There are some tunes you'll enjoy and others that you just won't care for. But even on the GBA the sound stands out a lot.

The reason the game was given a five is because of the originality the game has. The GBA has made it so that this type of game actually works! Imagine if Boktai was on a GCN or an XBOX?

Overall, any gamer could get a lot out of Boktai and should be wildly impressed by its addictive gameplay.

Boktai's plot is integrated around its one key gimmick: as Django, you hunt vampires, and you need sunshine (that's right! Real sunshine!) to do it. Game environments even alter themselves depending on whether it is day or night. Perfect. But other aspects of gameplay are remarkable, as well: in keeping with the Metal Gear design, you are urged to sneak around and strategize. In fact, limited sun-power during nighttime gameplay actually necessitates it.

It's true that this a new way of playing. Still, sometimes the gameplay and puzzles are a little dull and repetitive--which is heartbreakingly disappointing given the attention paid to all other aspects of game design. Boktai is conceptually thrilling, but the actual game is just sort of... not. Gameplay simply isn't quite what it should have been.

Still, sheer innovation tops Boktai's design flaws. And absolutely nothing is more exciting than going to the park on a sunny day, finding a bench in a nice patch of light, turning on my GBA, and hearing it say to me, "Today is one great Boktai day!" I can't help but think to myself, "Isn't it?"

I've been a fan of Vampire games for quite some time. Having had a fascination with them for a good portion of my life, You'd probably agree. Yet, instead of this being a game where you play as the vampire, you play as the Vampire Hunter. Enter Django, a vampire hunter armed with the gun del sol--a weapon that uses the power of sunlight to thwart evil. Aided by Otenko, a little sunflower-like character; Django must rid the world of powerful undead creatures known as immortals. Together, Django and Otenko must flush out these bad guys and purify them with sun rays. By now, after reading everyone else's reviews on the game, you know that Boktai features a built-in sun sensor that stores real sunlight power to defeat the immortals. Some may find this a gimmick, but the way it's used within the game is actually innovative. Without going into detail about it, let's just say you'll be quite surprised at how the developers utilized it witin the game. Boktai is a game quite in the same vein as The Legend of Zelda but more dramatic and with a deeper storyline than you'd expect for a Gameboy Advance game. Played in an isometric environment(much like that in the GBA Spyro games), Boktai is filled with challenging puzzles and memorable boss battles at every turn. It's definitely a Triple-A action-adventure title worthy of any GBA owners time.

Depending on how you play the game, the game itself lasts anywhere from 10 to 15 hours. So, if you're expecting it to be a long experience, it won't be. That's my only gripe with the game. In the end you'll be left wanting more. Which is where Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django comes in.

Otherwise, Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand is a first-rate game brought to you by Hideo Kojima(Creator of the Metal Gear Solid games)and the fine folks at Konami. One game you'll be glad to have in your favorites collection, like me.

The word gimmick is usually used negatively, as gimmicks are often used to try and save a terrible game. Well, in Boktai, the sun sensor only adds even more depth and innovation to the game.

You play as Django, the youngest in a family of vampire-hunters. Your weapon? The ''Gun Del Sol'', a pistol that fires beams of light. Your gun is very customizible, with many different lenses, batteries, grenades, and frames. However, your ammo is limited. Need more? Get outside in the sun and hold A! For cloudy days, you can used stored energy you put in the bank. And don't worry, its not at all a hassle, it just takes a minute.

You go through the game encountering dungeons and castles, each castle containing a vampire-boss. These bosses can only be fought in the sun, and once defeated, must be dragged to a nearby purification piledriver. Then, you must fight to purify the vampire once and for all.

The game also knows the time, the date, and where you live. After entering it at the beggining, the game uses YOUR time to decide whether its day or night in the game. It also tells you when events such as dawn, nightfall, and full moons occur.

All in all, this is a great game with a very innovative premis. AND IT ACTUALLY GETS GAMERS TO GO OUTSIDE!!!

Okay some people diss this game cus its to hard to get sunlight or to charge your gun, or it overheats or things like that but its really not true, heck I live in Eugene Oregon and I manage to get more than enough light to play, I've beaten the game on normal and hard modes, and even here, in cloud country I had almost a full solar meter! and even when I did have a full meter, it took nearly two hours to overheat my gun. Another thing people seem to dislike it the gameplay, personally I think its amazing, and the sneaking doesnt dull the game in the least bit! It makes it more chalenging, I have a feeling people say its bad because its HARD not bad. So unless your not big on READING MANUALS or are incompetant im sure this game is for you!

I was surprised to read some reviews for this game. Do gamers have something against the sun? We're not vampires are we? The creativity portraid through this games gameplay and graphics are some of the finest I've experienced playing Gameboy Advanced games.

As you've probably read through other reviews, this game has a built in light sensor. Depending on the amount of light recieved through the sensor determines the way you play the game. One example: The main character of the game has a light gun that you have to charge with sun light. Thats just one example but the whole game is built around the idea of sun light. There's many other great features to the game as well, including an internal clock.

This game is fun to just pick up and play anytime. I've enjoyed it, and would recomend it to any one! The gameplay is so much fun, it's not easy to put down your GBA.

I got this game about a week ago. I am totally addicted to it already! Now my favorite Gameboy Advance game, Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand uses solar power to manipulate the gameplay. In the beginning, you set the time and the region in which you live. There are a lot of cities, so if you are close to them it really helps the gameplay! Also, how much sunlight you have affects the world in the game. In smaller levels and in Immortals' (the big boss guys) castles there are skylights to give you the advantage. BUT, they only appear if there is sun going into the solar sensor! Don't worry about nighttime playing! You can store the solar energy you get into solar stations for later use. You get power-ups for your gun like bigger batteries for more solar storage and lenses to use different attacks (The Luna Lens doesn't use ANY energy!). Also there are secrets only unlockable when there is sunlight. Some examples are the green, red, and gold apples.

Green: says- Sour!

Red: says- Sweet!
Gold: says- Mmm!

How much sunlight is going into the sensor determines how visible the words or secrets are. To conclude this review I will say one very, very, important thing...

YOU NEED SUNLIGHT TO BEAT THE BOSSES! OTHERWISE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT THEM AND THEY WILL DESTROY YOU JUST THE SAME!

Thank you for your time. ^_^

the game to some seems stupid because you really do need the power of the sun to complete the game, but having a gun really powered by the sun gives the game a curtain charm and difficulty level that some game players may actually enjoy. the music in the game isn't the kind that'll drive you nuts either, it is actually well planned. you'll notice that the music in some way replicates music from metal gear solid. batlle music is just about the same as the chase music in sons of liberty, and the normal dungeon music is an advance version of metal gear solid for gameboy color. gameplay is good but can get annoying when the things the ghouls shoot out end up following you into the next room. overall the game can keep you entertained as long as you're patient to be able to get through a dungeon by sneaking instead of blasting every "undead" you see. think of it as metal gear solid with vampires instead of russians and a solar gun in place of your socom. if given to someone as a gift, do it later in the year when the sun is out longer...would make the game easier.

Not a bad game. I have been playing gameboy games since I was 6 and I am now a teenager (i didn't feel like using the adult thing). This game out of all my experience is pretty unique. It has a built-in solar sensor that gets gamers off their lazy buts and gives them fresh air. The gameplay isn't the best but if you love to be outside there is finally a game for you. Also if you like this game I suggest you try MegaMan Battle Network 4 Red Sun or Blue Moon because they feature Django and Sunlight in a mini mission to get GunSol chips and you can even get the Pile Driver (if you are a megaman fan the p.driver is the best program advance!) I hope you like this game because it is a neccesity to any gamer's collection.

This is a cult classic game it has a unique game play that uses the sun and has a good story also the main character is a vampire hunter that hunts Vamps using a solar gun. Sun light is a must but you can cheat with a black light.

Stay safe and wear sunscreen when paying outdoors sun burn happens fast when you lose track of time