Youkai Dochuuki/Gameplay

Controls

Arcade	PC Engine	Famicom	Wii	Description
/	/	/	/	Press left or right to make Tarosuke run or swim in either direction.
				Hold the joystick or pad down in order to charge up ki, but don't over charge. Hold the joystick or pad diagonally downward to walk while holding on to the current level of charge.
				Press the left action button to fire your ki. Press it after charging to release a larger blast.
				Press the right action button to jump into the air.
				Press the Start button to begin a new game. On home console versions, press the Start button to pause the action mid-game.
N/A	N/A			In the Famicom version, Monmotaro (see below) can be summoned at any time by pressing Select, but only if you have a talisman in your possession and Tarosuke is not swimming. Press it again to recall Monmotaro.

Players

Throughout the majority of the game, you control Tarosuke, shown to the left. He is a small boy who must journey through the land of the youkai (demons) in an effort to reach Buddha and make it to the afterlife. In order to do this, he must survive a gauntlet of challenges across five stages. He has one health meter with 16 bars, and only one life to accomplish this feat (although it's possible to continue from the beginning of the last stage you visited.)

Tarosuke attacks his opponents by shooting out blasts of ki, or energy, at them. If he stops to concentrate, he can channel a large amount of energy for a larger blast. However, if he channels for too long, he will tire out and lose the energy. At it's strongest level, a powerful blast of ki can slice through several enemies. If Tarosuke stops channeling ki, it will eventually disappear. However, it is possible to hold on to the stored ki and walk around without losing it by pressing down and to the left or to the right.

When Tarosuke reaches the bosses of the first two stages, he summons a spirit friend known as Monmotaro (shown to the right) to fight for him. While Monmotaro fights, Tarosuke prays at a statue of Buddha for Monmotaro's success and the boss's defeat. Monmotaro starts out with whatever energy Tarosuke has left, and the game will end if Monmotaro runs out of energy. Monmotaro attacks by shooting spirit fire which homes in on the nearest enemy. As a result, he may not necessarily hit the boss if another enemy is closer and luring his fire away. After Monmotaro successfully defeats a boss, he can collect the money that is left behind, and control returns to Tarosuke.

Note: In the Famicom version, Monmotaro does not appear automatically. Instead, he can be summoned at any time by pressing , but only if Tarosuke has at least one talisman in his inventory and is standing on land. At that time, Tarosuke will sit down and remain stationary while Monmotaro flies around and attacks enemies. Monmotaro shares Tarosuke's life meter, and Tarosuke is still vulnerable to attack while Monmotaro is present. To end Monmotaro's attack, press once more. Tarosuke starts the game with one talisman, and he can buy more for 5000 at shops. Each time Monmotaro is summoned, Tarosuke will lose one talisman.

Shopping

After the completing the first stage, Tarosuke will have several opportunities to visit Yorozu-Baba and her shop, where he can spend the money he has collected on useful items. The format of the shop varies from version to version, but the items are basically the same. Here are the items that Tarosuke can purchase.

10,000: Purchasing the first level Rensha upgrade allows Tarosuke to fire two ki bullets on the screen at one time	30,000 (20k in the PC Engine version}: The second level Rensha upgrade permits Tarosuker to fire three ki bullets at once.	50,000 (30k in the PC Engine version}: Tarosuke can fire up to four ki bullets at once if you purchase the strongest Rensha upgrade.
5000: Purchase the Yokai Jiru, or Demon Soup, to restore 4 lost bars of health to your meter.	8000: Purchase the Jigoku Don, or Hell Bowl, to restore 6 lost bars to your health meter.	10,000: If you pick up a Douchu Manju, or Journey Bun, you will automatically earn back 6 bars of health if your meter runs out.
5000 (10k in the Famicom version): The Tennyo no Fun, or Angel Poo, may sound gross, but it's the only cure against aging hundreds of years at once.	2000: Grab some Karu Ruisu, or Curl Sake, for a boost in your normal walking speed.	5000: Purchase the Kappa's foor to improve your swimming performance.
5000: Not for Famicom. For 5000, you can hire the aid of the cat Toraji. He will run into enemies for you, but he has a hard time keeping up with you, especially in vertical inclines.	8000: Not for Famicom. For 8000, you can hire Gonta the dog to fight alongside you. Like Toraji, it's difficult to keep him by your side when you move up to new heights.	5000: Famicom only. In order to use Monmotaro in the Famicom version, you must possess at least one of these talismans. Each time you summon Monmotaro, you use one talisman.