Konami has long been one of the better developers/publishers in video games. Sure, they took a break for the business, but this is the company that put out mega-hits like Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Contra, and Silent Hill. Not to mention other great games like Bomberman, Suikoden, Gradius, Lode Runner, and Pro Evolution Soccer. It’s safe to say Konami is a heavy hitter in the gaming space, at least when it wants to be. That said, some of the company’s better games have largely gone under the radar for many fans, which is a shame considering the potential they had.
Here are five Konami games you probably forgot.
5) Sunset Riders
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, Konami was a major player in the arcades, which is why it put out Sunset Riders in 1991. This run-and-gun shooter takes place in the Wild West, letting players hop into the digital shoes of one of four bounty hunters: Steve, Bob, Billy Cool, and Cormano Wild. I’m not sure why Steve and Bob didn’t get rad nicknames, but I digress.
Sunset Riders is a neat spin-off for Contra-like gameplay. It wasn’t exactly breaking new ground, but the Wild West is a ripe genre for video games, especially in the ’90s. Sunset Riders eventually came to consoles after a year in the arcades, and those versions were solid. Thankfully, it’s easy to get your hands on these days, thanks to the Arcade Archives series.
4) Azure Dreams
Azure Dreams launched in 1997, making it an early roguelite from Konami. Players enter the Tower of Monsters as a character named Koh. Each time you begin a run, you start at the bottom level, and you will need to capture monster eggs that you can take outside of the tower.
You use the money earned in the tower to improve the town Koh lives in, giving him access to new abilities and characters he can potentially romance. You’ll also hatch the monster eggs you’ve acquired, which then turn into familiars you can use in the tower to progress to higher levels. Toss in a random map generator for the tower’s levels, and you have a great early example of what roguelites would become. Sadly, it was a little ahead of its time, and the most we got was a spiritual sequel called Tao’s Adventure: Curse of the Demon Steel for the DS in 2005.
3) Policenauts
Most players remember Hideo Kojima’s time with Konami fondly, thanks to the excellent Metal Gear Solid series. However, his early output wasn’t half-bad either. Snatcher is also worth a shout, but just look at the visual style for Policenauts in the image above. You can’t tell me that’s not a game you want to check out.
Policenauts is a point-and-click adventure game that plays more like a visual novel. You have a few ways to interact with the game, but the story is the main focus. You play as Jonathan Ingram, one of five Policenauts, who are police officers who also trained as astronauts. What follows is a hardboiled detective story featuring some of the best art of the era. A remaster to sharpen up those visuals for modern consoles would be a dream come true.
2) NeverDead
Let me be clear: NeverDead is a middling video game. Don’t rush out and buy it unless you go in knowing that it’s unpolished. Here’s the thing, though. NeverDead‘s gimmick is so inventive that it is a shame Konami hasn’t gone back to it. This one had boatloads of potential, but couldn’t quite reach the heights fans were hoping for.
See, NeverDead‘s protagonist, Bryce, is immortal. Nothing you do can kill this guy, but that doesn’t mean the demons he’s hunting won’t do everything they can to make things difficult. Any time Bryce takes damage, his limbs go flying. That’s important because you’ll need to use those limbs to solve NeverDead‘s many puzzles. Again, it’s not done well, but the idea of NeverDead deserves another look.
1) Shadow of Memories
Shadow of Memories is called Shadow of Destiny in North America, so you might know this one by another name. Regardless, this is another inventive game from Konami that never gets talked about these days. You play as a 22-year-old man who was stabbed to death one night. He then meets a genie who sends him back in time to try to find his killer.
You’ll explore four different eras, trying to solve this mystery. There isn’t much action in Shadow of Memories, but there is plenty of detective work. At the time, many reviewers were annoyed at the lack of gameplay, but it worked well for the story, playing more like a modern adventure game than much else at the time. Designer Junko Kawamo went back to the themes explored in Shadow of Memories with Time Hollow on the Nintendo DS, but we haven’t gotten anything else since.
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