Kato-chan & Ken-chan
カトちゃんケンちゃん1987Kato-chan & Ken-chan
カトちゃんケンちゃんALSO KNOWN AS J.J. & JEFF
Two bungling detectives hunt for a kidnapped man in a hard platformer.
Katochan Kenchan is a side-scrolling platform game that Hudson Soft released in Japan in 1987. In Japan it stars two comedians from a TBS variety show. The Western release calls its heroes J.J. and Jeff, two invented characters.
| RELEASED IN JAPAN | 30 November 1987 |
|---|---|
| DEVELOPER | Hudson Soft |
| JAPANESE PUBLISHER | Hudson Soft |
| PLAYERS | One |
| ORIGIN | Licensed talent game based on a comedy show |
You pick either J.J. or Jeff, and the other one appears only as a background figure. Each hero kicks, jumps and uses a spray can. A health bar, called Vitality, drains when you get hurt.
Food hidden in each level refills it. Money you find can be spent on a slot machine in a hidden room in each level. Extra lives come at 70,000, 150,000, 300,000 and 500,000 points.
The game is very hard, with many hidden paths. Falls from narrow ledges cause many of the deaths.
Two bungling detectives are hired to find a kidnapped wealthy man. In Japan the game is loosely based on the detective segment of the show.
The game was made as a talent title, with the comedians' permission. It had no formal tie-in with the show. The Western version replaced the Japanese fart attack with a spray, and it removed much of the toilet humour.
Critics gave the game mixed reviews. In a 1993 PC Engine Fan reader poll it scored 19.95 out of 30. The game returned on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, and the PC Engine mini later included it.
It is one of the early Hudson games, released in the console's first months. It shows how a licensed comedy show could become a platform game.
- Its stage layouts recall Super Mario Bros., and its feel recalls Wonder Boy.
- Kicking objects can produce money and food.
- Each level hides a slot machine room, so every level has one.
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