Momotaro Katsugeki (1990)

A platformer starring Hudson Soft's take on the famous Momotaro of Japanese folklore. The same concept would later be seen in the Momotaro Thunderbolt games for Game Boy. Momotaro Katsugeki ("Momotaro Action Movie") is a side-scrolling action-platformer from Hudson that uses their Momotaro character who is better known as the star of the Momotaro Dentetsu and Momotaro Densetsu series. It is a PC Engine exclusive and never saw international releases. Momotaro Katsugeki seems influenced by and plays similarly to Westone's Wonder Boy in Monster Land and the sequels that followed: the goal is to move across a set of 2D stages, and the player can talk to NPCs for hints and to purchase better equipment with the money they find. There is also a world map that links the various stages together. The concept of a 2D side-scrolling action game featuring Momotaro would be further explored by Hudson with the two Game Boy Momotaro Dengeki/Thunderbolt games.