Sometimes great games never reach our blister-ridden fingers over here in North Amuricatown. They might not fit the "standard" of what North American audiences really want (as per random focus groups from the 1960s, so it seems), they might dabble too much in the anime arts and feature excessive schoolgirlism, or they just might be terrible games that we wouldn't want anyhow. But believe it or not, there are so many awesome games from the Land of the Rising Sun that just never shuttle themselves across the ocean, I can't count them all, mostly because I have a limited supply of fingers. About twelve or so.
Which is a crying shame. More like a crying GAME... am I right? Y... no?
One of the lost souls of the game industry is Meikyuu Jiin Dababa, a game released only in Japan for the Famicom Disk System, a floppy-based add-on for the Famicom (the Japanese NES equivalent). Its name loosely translates to "Labyrinth Temple Dababa", if that helps at all. Dababa is actually an area within the country of Chad, though I'm not sure if that's directly related to this. Developed by Konami, the hipsters behind such NES classics as Castlevania, Contra, and the sweet, sweet Adventures of Bayou Billy, we follow the woeful tale of an Arabian hairless monk whose girlfriend/wife/fiancée/sister/??? is kidnapped by a devil, all the while being frozen in place while the creature of the night commits his crime. But you, a man of honour, will go out and rescue her, as was the style at the time.
Leap, great monk, and save your damsel in distress! (Couldn't he just walk?)
This monk has only two abilities: to jump and to shoot. That is all. For an action game on the Famicom, that was fairly standard. But what ISN'T standard is that he cannot walk. He's not physically challenged; his only means of movement is jumping, a feat that could definitely have its disadvantages in real life. Predating StarTropics by three years, you are placed in numerous levels where you have to hop across either a maze-like surface or singular tiles to progress. Some of the tiles are breakable and require you to jump on them three times to unlock whatever magic stunner is found within. Sometimes you'll find weapon upgrades, hearts to refill your life meter, special items to increase your life meter (along the same lines as Heart Containers from the Legend of Zelda series), or cause all the enemies on-screen to disappear. Cracking open tiles has another function, one even more relevant to your quest. In most areas, there are a certain number of hidden symbols that need to be uncovered; revealing them all triggers a flashing book. Collecting it will open up the door to the next level, so it's imperative that you find them all! Leave no stone unturned or else I'm stuck here forever, said the monk from Meikyuu Jiin Dababa.
Of course, your journey is not entirely safe. Did you expect that? Did you think Konami would let you by with a free pass? Nuh-uh. Nope. Double nope with a cherry on top. A variety of spiritual and colossal foes all want you dead. They suffer the same leaping limitation as you do, so they're easy to outsmart. Killing them isn't the end, though; they will repeatedly respawn until you get yourself out of that area entirely. Four different weapons will help you survive. You start out with a standard arrow, but by unearthing them, you can use fireballs, giant throwing balls (that have very little range, by the way — how utterly useless), and a scroll that separates into three projectiles. I was a big fan of that last one.
There are four different temples to explore, each with its own visual theme. At the end of each temple is a boss fight, and that's where things get a little weird for our froggy hero. Normally, the monk just hops around on giant tiles, and it's no big deal. But boss fights change the perspective to that of a side-scroller without changing your movement abilities. 
So you basically can hop left and right while trying to mutilate some beast that is mocking you in mid-air. You can perform a high-jump straight up, adding a little flexibility, but boss battles are rather awkward affairs overall. Plus, you really have to be amazingly precise with your hits; Konami does not accept grazing!
To make matters worse, Meikyuu Jiin Dababa tries to trick you sometimes. In later levels, you'll be cruising along without shoes, enjoying the scenery, and unlocking the door to the next level without a care in the world. Entering the door will then cause you to frown like a clown as the door takes you to a previous level, rather than the next one! Bah! What? Bah! Rock the cas—Bah! You'll need to look around for a different exit. In one instance, you'll have to find a special mirror before you can use the proper exit! Mirror, mirror on the wall, get me outta here!
And yet, I dig it. I really do. Meikyuu Jiin Dababa was a far more entertaining adventure than I had expected. Venturing through the temples is invigorating, even with that "hopping" gameplay style. The graphics suit the tone of the game; they aren't outstanding, but for 1987, they were fairly impressive. I like the Arabian-influenced soundtrack as well, just another ingredient to spice up the game's flavour. That's right: I eat video games for breakfast. And to add to the fun, Konami included a collectable card with each copy of the game sold (pictured left)! It's awesome!
It's a shame that Meikyuu Jiin Dababa didn't make its way overseas. Perhaps Konami did not believe that North American or European audiences would appreciate the Arabian theme, thinking they couldn't closely identify with it. (There were not many Arabian games on the NES; I'm particularly reminded of Prince of Persia and the Magic of Scheherazade as two notable titles.) There definitely was not a localization issue, as the very limited text in the game is entirely in English, except for the game's logo. Meikyuu Jiin Dababa is very unique and enjoyable; the difficulty level is moderate without causing extensive stress, and I think it would've been another cult hit under Konami's belt. Dababa!
