Black Tiger/Black Dragon (ブラックドラゴン) - Arcade

The later part of the '80s was an interesting time in video game sequels. Still developing as an entertainment medium and art form, rules were literally being written with every new game release. While cinema was stuck with the idea of sequels being more of the same but with more, video games hadn't really arrived at that conclusion yet. Nothing represents this better than the sequels in name only phenomenon of 1987.

In 1985 the world received Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda and in 1986, Castlevania. In 1987 these hits were followed with the very different Super Mario Brothers 2, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (yes, Super Mario Brothers 2 was a different game in Japan, but I think the concept is sound). There are other examples of this, but it seems that the zeitgeist among Japanese videogame developers in 1987 was that sequels should be larger in scope, feature different gameplay mechanics, emphasize exploration and in some cases the prevailing trend in Japanese game design, the insertion of RPG elements of various degrees.

1985 also saw the release of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins. This is the part where you ask what my point is since the official Ghosts 'n Goblins sequel, Ghouls'n Ghosts, came out in 1988 and definitely falls into the cinema style "more of the same but with more." However, if you squint a little, the 1987 Black Tiger/Black Dragon arcade release falls perfectly into the established oddball sequel pattern. I think it was probably intended as a sequel, but late in the development was branched off and disowned.

Compared to Ghosts 'n Goblins, the scope is expanded, RPG style elements have been introduced, the focus is more on exploration than just fighting, gameplay mechanics are different and the setting is a very similar horror theme - enemies even climb out of the ground. Black Tiger is often called a spiritual sequel to Ghosts 'n Goblins, but I think of it more as a direct sequel in the context of the times. The sad thing is that history has largely forgotten about this almost second act to Ghosts 'n Goblins; and Capcom acts like it never existed. It's too bad because this is an excellent arcade platformer.

One of the remarkable things about Black Tiger is how well it's aged. I remember walking into my local arcade, sometime in the mid-90s, and seeing it side-by-side with other games from the period and not thinking it looked dated or old in any way. In fact it looks and sounds as good as any 16-bit game from the period, except it was an 8-bit Z80 powered game from almost a decade earlier. Today it still holds up well to modern retro-style platformers in graphics, sound and design. That it hasn't been a template for more modern retro platformers is probably due to its semi-forgotton status.

Gameplay is arcade simple with tight and solid controls. You can walk up and have a good time with your first quarter. You run, jump, climb around and explore the level while beating a fairly wide variety of enemies with your mace and an infinite supply of throwing knives. Jumping feels a hair old fashioned with no in-air control (though you can change the direction you attack while jumping), but you get used to it fairly quickly. Traps spring on you from walls, boulders fall out of the sky, locked chests may contain treasure or booby traps. Each level contains a try-once dungeon you can enter to get more loot -- finish the dungeon or die and the entrance is sealed.

RPG elements come in the form of armor and mace upgrades, which you buy in-game from old men you rescue with the rather limited money you collect. Money is surprisingly scarce and items are often dauntingly expensive. Deciding to save your cash or buy now is a small bit resource management that becomes more important in later levels.

Levels are cleanly designed playgrounds, with loads of variety and large areas, encouraging lots of exploration. You don't ever get lost, but you do worry that you've missed a stash of gold somewhere or an enemy that provides a high payout upon defeat.

The Level 1 Map

Black Tiger's music is also somewhat notable. Each level features variations on the same core catchy theme song. A song that will slowly worm its way into your ears and you'll find yourself humming it long afterwords. Intro music and boss battles are different just to mix things up. But it's otherwise moody and well done.

Black Tiger is a rare thing, it's an arcade platformer in the style of a console platformer. They aren't unheard of, but they aren't exactly common either. Most of the really notable games of this sub-genre were made by Capcom: Willow, Midnight Wanderers: Quest for the Chariot (part of the Three Wonders collection), Bionic Commando and a small handful of others. Despite being wildly popular in the home market, for whatever reason, probably economic, but also the difficulty with making this type of game work in coin-ops, this genre really didn't last past the early 90s in Arcades. Yet, with few exceptions, Black Tiger feels like a home console platformer game.

Another notable thing about this game is that it's rather long. Most arcade games try to keep the player entertained for a few minutes in exchange for their quarter. Players willing to pump more into the machine get a few more minutes. But the entire experience is usually over in under a half-hour. As I noted in my review of Life-Force for the NES, the entire original arcade Salamander game lasts only about 15 minutes. Ghosts 'n Goblins runs for about 20 minutes and the "official" sequel, Ghouls'n Ghosts runs about 30 minutes or so. Black Tiger takes a virtuoso player almost a full hour.

In many ways, it seems like Black Tiger would have been an obvious direct-to-home console release. It did make an appearance on home computers of the time -- to varying levels of fidelity. But until the modern retrogaming scene, virtual console and all that, it never found its way to home consoles. It may have been a bit much of a game for the 8-bit consoles of the time, and felt to be too old once the SNES and Genesis reached critical mass a couple years later. It could have been poor reception of the home computer ports that waived Capcom off from porting it.

So where does that leave Black Tiger's legacy? Though it's a great game, it's also a weird step-child, not even acknowledged as part of the venerable Ghosts 'n Goblins family. Some say that the 1990 release "Magic Sword" is the follow up. But I don't agree with this. Magic Sword clearly paying homage to D&D (probably setting up Capcom for the eventual Dungeons & Dragons arcade games of the mid-90s) while Black Tiger feels more GnG. Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" gives it proper respect with characters in the book fighting through a 3D remake of the Black Tiger world. Cline even goes so far as to call Black Tiger his favorite arcade game. With some of the arcade cheapness cleaned up and a few minor control tweaks, Black Tiger could have been a premier home console platformer. It coulda been a contender.