Kattobi! Takuhai-kun

Kattobi! Takuhai-kun

Kattobi! Takuhai-kun is a unique top-down driving/action game developed by Advance Communications Company and Tonkin House, released exclusively in Japan for the PC Engine in 1990. You play as a delivery boy who must make a series of increasingly surreal deliveries across town, and even occasionally leaving the country, to complete various jobs and earn money.

The core gameplay involves driving your vehicle around a top-down map, navigating traffic and obstacles to deliver packages on time. Your earnings can be used to upgrade your delivery vehicle, starting from a pedal bike, to a moped, and eventually a state-of-the-art motorcycle. However, if you crash and lose a life, you are demoted back to the humble pedal bike.

A unique and quirky feature is the game's subversive sense of humor, which includes getting into trouble with drug trafficking, a stark contrast to the typical lighthearted gameplay of the era. This unpredictability and challenge, combined with the upgrade system, makes it a memorable and unique title on the PC Engine.

Kattobi! Takuhai-kun is perhaps best known to western audiences for its appearance on the Japanese video game TV show GameCenter CX. Its blend of driving, strategy, and dark humor has made it a cult classic among import gaming enthusiasts.