Tatakae! Konyanko [戦え！こにゃんこ 心] Game Sample - PC/Doujin
Whelp, here's an oddity for all of y'all today: Tatakae! Konyanko for short (also known as "Fight! PussyCats Heart" or "Tatakae! Konyanko Kokoro"). It's a Doujin game I purchased a long time ago by Nanneko (their whole name is "Nangoku Nekozakura", "Nanneko" is a portmanteau) from Rakuten that I finally got around to making a video for, and it's a rather old Doujin title at that. It was originally released for the Sharp X68000 under the title of "Tatakae! Konyanko / TKEX" in 1994/1995 and was first released as a short manga concept under the title of Puri-Puri Mimi Pon-Pon" (プレプレ みみぽんぽん), and featured six cat girl characters facing each other in head-to-head combat with great Midi music, respectable visuals and pretty good animation for a Doujin game. As Sharps were starting to get phased out in favor of the modern Windows PC, it would later receive a upgraded version simply titled "Tatakae Konyanko" August 14th, 1998 for Windows users (which is really TKEX, as the earliest version of the original had simple backgrounds, less defined characters and only a versus player mode).
This upgrade included a short opening cinematic, revamped artwork, more vivid color range, a Story Mode, and a new CD-quality soundtrack, and CD-based easter eggs and omake content (wallpapers, artwork, manga, max resolution opening, etc.). Unfortunately, the .wav audio and original midi files (the CD comes with both) is encoded in such a way that, like many old computer games, is hidden on the disc and won't play on many newer computers outside of a virtual environment. The music can be accessed off the disc from a program like VLC however. For the purpose of this video, I synced the tunes separately to the respective screens and stages so you can get an idea of how the game originally was, but they don't play normally. There are also a few minor graphical glitches, but other than that, the game surprisingly plays perfectly on modern computers, even Windows 10. We used the CD tracks since they are exclusive to this version (though the original tracks sound better, imo).
Tatakae Nyanko uses a simple free-flowing combo system where attacks can be chained freely and specials can be cancelled into supers, which can usually even be cancelled into other super moves. One unique mechanic is that characters can dash back, but not forward (in the ordinary sense). Instead, each character can get into a "Pouncing" stance by pressing down twice on the controller and then a button to do a unique action, such as a quick forward leap (avoid footsies), shoulder tackle, etc. Each of the six characters are generally close-quarters fighters, though some serve multiple roles such as characters who have more emphasis on projectiles, grappling, things of that nature, and (to the devs credit) are fairly original and fully voiced. There is no boss character, but there are endings and the game features Ecchi content. A sequel was planned but never released.
UPDATE (Nov 18th, 2020): We were reached on behalf of the developer and it was requested that the game be removed from Mediafire, so despite how old the game is, we have respectfully removed the game from Mediafire. This can mean a number of things, but hopefully, the dev plans to distribute the game independently, due to some interest, or has plans in the works for future content. Or, the dev simply does not want the game to be distributed. The preservation of obscure gaming material is important, as it is easy to be lost in the sands of time, and we link to games that are still being sold to the best of our ability. That said though, no matter how old the content is, if the developer does not wish for it to be distributed, that is important to us as well.
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