Armana no Kiseki is one of the more interesting games released for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System in Japan. Not only did this one not get repackaged for a different platform (and thus never came out in English) but it didn’t spawn a sequel, a franchise, or even a nod. Armana no Kiseki has been completely abandoned by and large, and it’s not tough to see why it has been mostly forgotten. I admit that with this one I was attracted to the cover art, but all Konami games had amazing boxart back in the day. When I popped Armana no Kiseki into my system I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was left pleasantly surprised. It might be one of the better FDS exclusives even. Let’s take a look.
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Armana no Kiseki was heavily inspired by Indiana Jones. The main character could be a shoe in for Indy, and his trademark grappling hook could easily be mistaken for a whip. I say this not because it’s a bad thing, but rather, because it’s good. You play as an adventurer named Kaito. He is called upon when a magical jewel is stolen from a village thus turning it’s citizens into stone. Kaito has to fight his way through six different stages to retrieve the magical talisman, but standing in his way are hundreds of enemies and traps.
Armana no Kiseki is a side scrolling action platformer. You control Kaito and guide him through the cavernous ruins of the game. The action is viewed from the side as Kaito can move left and right, and also jump in the air. He’ll be dealing with a myriad of thugs on his quest but he’s not completely defenseless. Kaito can use a variety of different weapons, all of which are projectiles but have different trajectories. You have a throwing knife, hand gun, bomb, and a few others. All enemies (except for the boss characters) are destroyed with just one hit. Armana no Kiseki evens the odds however by allowing them to spawn endlessly from specific areas.
Sitting and defeating enemies endlessly is not an option. You see, Kaito’s weapons are limited. You have to pick up the power-ups and stockpile your tools because without them you have no way to dispatch foes. When you run out you’re defenseless, and they’ll still come at you draining your life bar. There’s a good chance you’ll get stuck, and Kaito’s shorter than usual jump makes dodging them difficult. Your stockpile is something you’ll have to pay constant attention to or risk having no means of progressing. This is pretty daunting and means you’ll have to go out of your way to get absolutely everything you come across.
Now for the main gimmick of the game. In Armana no Kiseki you are armed with a grappling hook ala Bionic Commando. It can only be fired diagonally upward, and is the only tool of yours that isn’t limited. You’ll need to get used to it’s nuances because it’ll be required of you in order to progress. Armana no Kiseki isn’t entirely based around it like Bionic Commando is, but it’s certainly a major aspect of gameplay. The game introduces this element of the game and then throws you into increasingly more complex scenarios involving it. It’s sink or swim because the learning curve is a little unforgiving. The physics are a little off which is confusing. At some points you need to start the throw in the beginning of your jump or it won’t get high enough for you to make it.
Armana no Kiseki is a Konami game from the 80s, and boy does it have the difficulty to prove it. This game is no cakewalk, that’s for sure. You have the endless number of enemies coming at you as well as traps that often have no warning before being triggered. You’ll have to stay on your toes. In addition recovery items and tools often require you to step into harms way to retrieve them. Armana no Kiseki also has its fair share of secrets. One of the items you have breaks holes in the environment, but this relies on trial and error and with limited items you’re not going to want to squander them. In addition there were many moments when I had to try multiple times to land the grappling hook just where I wanted it. All the while I was forced to deal with spawning enemies.
The game manages to be entertaining from start to finish. This is due mostly to the level designs that have a lot to offer by 8-bit standards. The fact that most stages are vertical in progression (thanks to the grappling hook) makes moments where you’re moving from left to right refreshing. In addition the game throws a few curve balls at you. There are a few areas of the game where you’ll be riding on a raft. You can guide it in all directions and these moments feel more like a beat ’em up to be honest. One boss encounter even takes place on the water. One of the later stages introduces a mine cart (again with the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom references). It’s short lived but as a late game introduction keeps things fresh. The boss encounters are also very well done and distinct.
Armana no Kiseki is a decent, but not amazing looking game by NES standards. The character models are a little on the simple side with the characteristic ‘no face’ style Konami had going for it back then. The real highlight is in the backgrounds. These are chock full of detail, and while they lack parallax scrolling they’re a fair bit above and beyond what most games of the era had. In addition there’s very little flicker and slowdown. Armana no Kiseki is a wonderful looking game. The soundtrack is also pretty good. The music is distinct and doesn’t quite sound like anything else on the platform. I’m particularly fond of the trumpet effect in the later stages.
The game is a pretty fun one granted you’re willing to deal with the high difficulty and unforgiving mechanics. Armana no Kiseki emulates the Indiana Jones motif pretty well, and it’s even better than the real licensed games of the era. It’s a shame that this one is forever stuck on the Famicom Disk System because it’s pretty enjoyable. The experience is ultimately rewarding as you master the mechanics and are able to grapple on to the environments with ease. It’s good, but not amazing.
