Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand

"Great Balls of Fire!"

This game is great! It uses the sun as a part of the game. The sun is your enemies worst enemy! The game takes the sun and uses it to power your gun. This makes this game very interesting. This game utilizes the sun in a way I used to only dream about. This game was made by the person who made Metal Gear Solid. You can tell! The gameplay has a feature used in Metal Gear Solid that makes everything a whole lot more interesting! This might come up quite often but, it is a great and interesting game!

Storyline: I give the storyline a 10/10. You are the son of a vampire hunter. You are out to avenge your father. This starts a journey where you get to indeed hunt vampires. You might think this makes the game like Castlevania but it doesn't. Your weapon is a gun called the ''Gun del Sol'' which means that the gun uses solar energy. You collect this energy and attack your enemies. The Gun del Sol is the only thing that harms your foes besides the occasional enemy that may be damaged with an object of some sort. I am talking about one of the bosses in this game that can be damaged without the use of your trusty Gun del Sol. The Gun del Sol fits the use of the weapon. Sol means sun and you utilize the sun as your ammo. I find this to be a nice, interesting, and cool touch.

Gameplay: I give it a 10/10. It is a great game on a Game Boy Advance and they make the controls work. Nothing is in your way when you play allowing you to see things clearly. Also, you can knock on walls to distract enemies! This makes the game have some stealth included. This comes from the creator of Metal Gear Solid. If you have played them, you can knock on walls to distract enemies. This makes Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand have an aspect of Metal Gear Solid. This means the game is a combination of Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and the original idea of a solar powered weapon and playing outside to beat certain enemies.

Graphics/Sound: This is a 10/10. The graphics are small but clear and you can see all that you need to. You can also tell when enemies approach. The sound is great and is making the Game Boy Advance have a better reputation.

Replay Value: I think I would give it a 8/10. There are many puzzles and the bosses are hard. You need solar energy to power your gun so in boss fights, you need to be near the light to beat them. The bosses are creative though. This game has done a nice job with many things but I personally don't favor the difficulty against the ''Immortals.'' The Immortals are the bosses you fight and they take a ton of solar energy before giving the ''bout'' to you. The puzzles can get on your nerves if you are impatient and you might need tons of solar power but this makes the game have a nice and interesting aspect.

Final Score: 9/10. If you like puzzles, going outside, and a challenge, this game is perfect. I recommend getting it. It has an interesting storyline and a cool idea for a weapon. Nice ideas combine to make a game very unique. This game is, simply put, awesome! I do think that the bosses could be made a little easier but it is great as it is! Remember, the sun is in your hand with Boktai!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/03