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Sweeping Ghosts on the Super FamicomPost 00033 | March 15th 2023
As I wrote about in my previous post, I have been gradually been getting more and more into emulation. As a result of this, I find myself playing a lot a greater variety of games than I usually would. One of these games is "GS Mikami - Joreishi wa Nice Body" which was released for the Super Famicom in 1993. It is based on the anime series that follows Reiko Mikami, an exorcist or "ghost sweeper", who has found financial success clearing out haunted houses during the Japanese housing market bubble which suits her well as she is incorrigibly avaricious. She has two people working for her, both severely underpaid: The first one is Yokoshima, a high school student who's driven by an overwhelming horniness. In fact, Mikami's attractiveness is the main reason that keeps him working for her despite the starvation wages. The second employee is Okinu, the ghost of a young girl who was sacrificed to a mountain three centuries ago. She's working to save up for her own exorcism, but has very limited understanding of money which Mikami is happy to take advantage of.  The game itself is a Japan-exclusive, with no English patch released - Nor is it really required to enjoy the game. In the game Mikami receives a mysterious statue of a goddess as a gift from from Yakuchin, a merchant of magical items who's also a series regular. The statue will grant the wishes of anyone who brings it seven jewels which of course makes Mikami see dollar-signs and head off on adventure.   The game itself is a bright and colourful 16-bit platformer with a couple of special stages thrown in for variation. After the first two levels, taking place on a ghost train and a haunted spa resort respectively, Mikami gets ambushed in her office by an evil spirit that shrinks her and runs off. Mikami then gives over the rooftops riding a startled cat!   Level four takes place in a greenhouse, level five sees Mikami take flight on a magical broom whist the two last levels take place on a building site and inside Yokoshima's dreams. All in all there's quite a bit variation when it comes to the level design.   I would be amiss if I didn't mention the soundtrack which is composed by Kinuyo Yamashita of Castlevania fame. She did a fantasitic job on the soundtrack to the point where I was ready to replay the game after completing it just to listen to it again. Fans of the series will be happy see appearances from friends and foes of Mikami alike. Most, if not all of the bosses are taken from the anime and the levels themselves contain multiple references to other characters, such as posters of Emi, Mikami's ghost sweeping rival, to a cameo of Meiko, a friend who is able to summon monsters |