"A treasure from Treasure"

To those who grew up in the 16 bit era (especially Sega fans like myself) the word "Treasure" surelly brings back good memories of action games with innovative (for the time) gameplay. Created in 1992 by former Konami employees, Treasure quickly set a name for themselves with games like Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Heady and Yu Yu Hakusho Makyoutoissento name a few.


Yu Yu Hakusho Makyoutoissen is based on the manga and anime series Yu Yu Hakusho, created by Yoshihiro Togashi. It tells the story of high school delinquent Yusuke Urameshi. One day, Yusuke has an unexpected act of heroism: while trying to save a kid from being hit by a speeding car Yusuke dies. However, after reaching the spirit world Yusuke is told that he wasn't expected to die yet. Yusuke is then proposed a deal: he will be resuscitate if he agrees to work as a spirit detective for the spirit world, hunting demons that manage to cross the barrier to the human world. Yu Yu Hakusho achieved success and spawned several games, including this one, Yu Yu Hakusho Makyoutoissen (from here on refered simply as YYH). Well, enough introduction, on to the review itself.


Sound: While not the best music available on Segas 16 bit console, YYH has a fast paced soundtrack that fits the mood perfectly. YYH also has voice acting straight from the anime series, characters scream while attacking (usually the name of the move they're using) and while being attacked (a scream of pain). Overall, the sound is very good and won't distract you. I wouldn't mind hearing more music from the series though.

Sound: 9/10



Graphics: Treasure knew how to push the Genesis/MegaDrive to it's limits, and it shows here: characters are detailed, and have plenty of animations (don't forget we're talking about a game released in 1994). No slowdowns here. The background are detailed and show the passage of time: you start a fight during a bright day and you'll see afternoon and night set in.

Graphics: 10/10



Story: None. Absolutelly none. Dragon Ball Z came out earlier in the same year and it featured an "what if" mode for vilains and minor characters. Beating the arcade mode in YYH will reward you with the credits (or fighting scenes if you beat the game in hard mode).

Story: 1/10




Gameplay: This is where the game truly shines. You have an arcade like mode where you pick a character and fight all the rest, a tournament mode and a free battle mode. After beating the arcade mode you'll get the credits (or fighting scenes, if you beat the game in hard mode). In the tournament mode losing a playoff doesn't mean "Game Over", the worst you can do is to lose all the matches and end up as 8th. The free for all mod features 1vs3 or 2vs2 battles. Yes, this game can be played up to 4 persons assuming you have the proper adapter. The game supports both 3 and 6 button control pads. The game has 2 different planes, you can move freely between them like in Fatal Fury. Each of the 11 characters available has 3-5 special available and a desperation move (only available if you're low on life and with maximum special bar). Specials are easy to do and having 2 planes of action add a little twist to gameplay: why would you block or jump over an energy ball when you can simply move to another plane and recharge your energy? Another nice feature is that you can cancel an attack with another: you opponent is trying to punch you? Just counter by hitting him with another punch. Or hit back with an attack that hits multiple times: you'll cancel his attack and hit him. If you're having trouble or trying to come up with combos just spend a little time in training mode. Overall, the game is incredibly fun to play, especially against another human.

Gameplay: 10/10





Final words: If you're a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho you'll surely like this game. If you like fighting games you'll enjoy it too. One of the best fighters available on 16-bit systems, the only drawback is the total absence of a storyline.


Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/08

Game Release: Yuu Yuu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen (JP, 09/30/94)