Densetsu no Stafy

Densetsu no Stafy

Original title	伝説のスタフィー
transcription	Densetsu no Sutafī
developer	TOSE
Publisher	Nintendo
First title	Densetsu no Stafy (2002)
Last title	Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan (2008)
Platform (s)	Game Boy Advance , Nintendo DS
Genre (s)	Jump 'n' run

Densetsu no Stafy ( Japanese 伝説のスタフィー , Densetsu no Sutafī , Eng . "Legendary Stafy" or "Stafy from the legend") is a video game series developed by TOSE and distributed by Nintendo . The first four games in the series have so far only appeared in Japan , but on June 8, 2009, the fifth part was released in North America under the name The Legendary Starfy . The first game was released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance . All games are jump 'n' runs . The eponymous protagonist, Stafy, appears in the form of a five-pointed yellow star, possibly a starfish , and experiences numerous underwater adventures with his friends.

chronology

The following Stafy titles have appeared so far:

Release	Sys.	title
Japan September 6, 2002	GBA	Densetsu no Stafy (伝説のスタフィー)
Japan September 5, 2003	GBA	Densetsu no Stafy 2 (伝説のスタフィー 2)
Japan August 5, 2004	GBA	Densetsu no Stafy 3 (伝説のスタフィー 3)
Japan April 13, 2006	NDS	Densetsu no Stafy 4 (伝説のスタフィー 4)
JapanJuly 10, 2008 June 8, 2009 United States	NDS	Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan (伝説のスタフィーたいけつ！ダイール海賊団) / The Legendary Starfy

Gameplay

The Stafy games are a somewhat more unusual type of 2D jump 'n' run. Unlike in most genre representatives, the game takes place primarily underwater and accordingly the character swims more than running and jumping. On land, however, the controls correspond to the typical jump 'n' run.

The player controls the star Stafy. In the water, this is mainly moved with the control pad . By pressing certain buttons, Stafy can swim faster or carry out special actions, although these are often only learned in the course of the game. The most common is a spin attack, in which Stafy quickly spins around itself to defeat opponents and remove obstacles from the way. Depending on the game, this attack can be improved if necessary. In another technique, Stafy directs the upper prong of his body downward while jumping and shoots down to ram it into opponents or obstacles. From the third part on, Stafy's sister Stapy can also be played. This sometimes has other capabilities, such as jumping into a wall, crawling through narrow spaces or creating a protective shield. On land, the character usually moves running and jumping, as is usual in a typical jump 'n' run.

If the character is hit by an opponent, it suffers damage and loses energy in the heart display visible on the screen . If you lose all of your energy you have to start all over again at the current level. It is possible, however, in the Mermaid Mermaid can save that can be found at various points in a game level, so that started again at this point. The mermaid also regenerates the character's lost energy. Lost energy can also be regained by collecting pearls that are scattered around the place. The pearls are quasi the currency in the Stafy universe and can be used to purchase items .

As a rule, there are several worlds in a Stafy game, each of which consists of several sections, whereby at the end of a world an end boss has to be defeated. In a level , the goal is usually to help one or more animals. Usually either a lost or stolen object has to be found and brought back, or certain opponents have to be removed from the animals. The tasks are partly connected with more or less extensive puzzles, for example a key for a door has to be found first or blocks have to be moved correctly. In the case of the final bosses, you have to understand the tactics they have used in order to defeat them.

The use of special items or direct support from animals also plays an important role here and there. In the first part, for example, Stafy can use special means of transport such as parachutes , drills or witch brooms , which make places accessible that would otherwise be inaccessible. In addition, the character can transform itself under certain circumstances, whereby the transformations give new skills. Underneath in the fourth part is a dragon that can spit fire, or the star turns into a ghost and can soar.

Furthermore, Stafy and Stapy receive support from various animals, including from Stafy's best friend Kyorosuke , the clam , who gives him advice or supports him directly in the action, as in the fourth part. In this, together with Kyorosuke, Stafy can use a special turning technique, in which Stafy holds onto the shell and both turn at high speed, which allows them to move very quickly for a short time, defeat opponents and overcome heights. Another companion is the wise Cancer Lobjii-san , who advises Stafy and his friends. Many other water dwellers, such as Amur catfish , frogfish or seahorses , give the stars a helping hand.

Another play element from the second part on are the collectable costumes to dress up Stafy and Stapy, it's a kind of Kisekae set system . The costumes are often pieces of clothing that are known from everyday (Japanese) culture. For example, the two stars can slip into a Santa suit , police uniform , yukata , school uniform or cheerleader outfit .

Compared to many other 2D platformer games that are in a similar style , such as the Kirby series, the Densetsu-no-Stafy games use a relatively large amount of text to advance the plot. Many of the characters appearing have something to tell, with dialogues between Kyorosuke, Stapy and the other characters often emerging. Stafy himself remains silent. In order to make reading the Japanese texts easier for young players, the use of Kanji is largely avoided. The games can also be played without knowledge of Japanese, but so many details of the plot escape.

Games

precursor

GBC version logo

The first Stafy game was supposed to be released in 2000. The Game Boy Color game Densetsu no Stafy was presented at Nintendo's in-house trade fair Space World in 2000 , and it was due to hit the market in December of the same year. However, since the introduction of the Game Boy Advance in Japan was planned for March 2001, the game no longer appeared for the older Game Boy model; instead, a GBA version was now being worked on. This was presented at Space World 2001.

Densetsu no Stafy

The first part of the series was finally released in September 2002. Stafy is the son of his royal parents Mama Sta and Papa Sta , who rule over the Kingdom of Tenkai , and lives with them in the Tenkai Palace high up in the clouds. While Prince Stafy is playing, a mishap happens to him and he drops the magic jar that falls straight towards the ocean. The vicious eel Ogura was held captive in this vessel, who can now escape and immediately ignites a storm that sweeps Stafy down from the palace and also transports him into the ocean. At the end of the opening credits, the viewer sees Stafy literally falling towards himself due to the (symbolic) camera position. This is a distinctive feature of most of the opening credits of the Stafy Games, towards the end of one opening credits Stafy (from Part 2 onwards also at least one of his friends) rushes out of the clouds towards the ocean towards the viewer.

Underwater, Stafy is discovered by the old crab Lobjii-san, who tells Stafy about the vessel and Ogura. Lobjii-san decides to help Stafy get home and is available to him with his wisdom and knowledge.

In the individual levels of the game, Stafy has to help various animals. Among the water dwellers he meets, Stafy makes a special friendship with the cheeky clam Kyorosuke, who becomes his best friend.

The Japanese video game magazine Famitsu rated Densetsu no Stafy with 30 out of 40 points.

Densetsu no Stafy 2

In September 2003 the second part appeared almost exactly one year after the first. Ogura was locked in a magical vessel the last time, which is again in the Tenkai Palace. However, the latter wants nothing more than to escape from the vessel again. After some deliberation, he comes up with the idea of creating ten children of himself who are small enough to get out of the jar without any problems (they will act as bosses later in the game). After he has done this and his descendants have left the vessel, they attack the palace with a hurricane. The vessel falls out of the palace towards the ocean and Ogura is released again. He immediately kidnaps Stafy's mother, Mama Sta, and disappears with her. Without much hesitation, Stafy plunges into the depths, and rather involuntarily also Kyorosuke, who was visiting Stafy at the time. Stafy has to defeat Ogura one more time.

From Famitsu, Densetsu no Stafy 2 , like its predecessor, received a rating of 30 out of a maximum of 40 points.

Densetsu no Stafy 3

In the third part, which was published less than a year after its predecessor in August 2004, Ogura is freed once more. In this case, however, from an unknown force, which later in the game turns out to be the villain Evil . This causes a terrible storm over the palace, in which the magic vessel is destroyed by lightning and Ogura can act again unhindered, he flees the palace. Papa Sta asks his son and Kyorosuke to go after Ogura, but the latter has no desire to do so for the third time. Stafy's energetic sister Stapy, who is now on the scene for the first time, ensures that Kyorosuke also sets herself in motion.

Depending on the course of action, either Stafy or his sister Stapy can be played, the change is usually predetermined. Since both can use different techniques, the sections to be mastered with the respective character are often tailored to their abilities. After defeating Ogura for the first time, all previous levels can be revisited and you can switch between the two stars at will. In the newly unlocked levels, the player then has to assess for himself which character is best suited for which situation. In addition to the Stapy character, mini-games that can be played by up to four players are another novelty.

The well-known Nintendo character Wario has a guest appearance in this game, with particular reference to the game Wario Land 4 . In the eighth world, Wario is promoted into Stafy's world through a kind of wormhole , as is often seen in the game mentioned. As always, Wario is on the hunt for treasure, and to achieve his goal he teams up with Stafy and his friends. The player has to interact with Wario, for example by Stafy protecting the Wario ("Bubble Wario") trapped in a bubble and rising up in the water from prickly obstacles by moving the bubble. Another time Stafy has to get to the top of a tower with the help of the flying "balloon warrior". As a reward for success, Wario gives Stafy things like a Wario hat and a copy of the game Made in Wario ( WarioWare ).

Densetsu no Stafy 4

Until the fourth part of the series passed more time than between its predecessors, in April 2006 Densetsu no Stafy 4 for the Nintendo DS was launched. After Ogura has been defeated for the third time, peace has returned to the kingdom of Tenkai. The kingdom of Amy is different . This was until recently under the protection of the Monamour Stone , but the evil creature Dejiru attacked the kingdom, stole the stone to harness its power and left a trail of devastation. The fish girl Materu , who comes from the Amy kingdom, travels to the Tenkai Palace, reports on the events and asks Stafy and his friends for help, who of course consent.

3D graphics are used for the first time in a Stafy game. The backgrounds and bosses are partially displayed in three dimensions, but the foreground graphics including the sprites are still usually in 2D. The Nintendo DS touchscreen is used to navigate menus and activate special abilities.

The cladding system for the two stars is now shown completely three-dimensional, Stafy and Stapy can be viewed from all sides in their costumes and are also animated. A costume design competition for Stafy fans was held beforehand. They could send in their self-designed costumes drawn on paper. Based on the winners' designs, six of these costumes were incorporated into the game.

Famitsu gave the fourth Stafy game a rating of 33 out of 40 possible points.

Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan

In July 2008, another Stafy title was released for the Nintendo DS. In this case, the numbering was not continued and the title of the game was instead subtitled. The full title is Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan ( 伝説のスタフィーたいけつ！ダイール海賊団 , Densetsu no Sutafī: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan , dt. "Legendary Stafy: Confrontation! Daīru Pirate Gang").

Rampa , a kind of rabbit or hare , is on the run from the Daīru pirates . These are after Rampa's mysterious gem . On his escape, Rampa ends up in the Tenkai Palace directly in Stafy's room. Shortly afterwards, the Daīru pirates appear and want to take Rampa with them, but Stafy has a fight with them. Rampa uses the moment to leave, but after the argument with Stafy is over, the pirates go back in pursuit. Stafy decides to get to the bottom of things and embarks on another adventure.

A novelty in the game is a co-op mode that requires two Nintendo DSs. One player controls Stafy, the other Stapy.

The appearance of Stafy was changed with the fifth part. His mouth is now much larger and wider, and the five prongs of his body are much more rounded. The same changes apply to Stapy's appearance.

In late February 2009, Nintendo of America announced that it would be releasing the game under the name The Legendary Starfy on June 8, 2009 in North America. Instead of the previously common spelling “Stafy”, the English or international name of the title character changes to “Starfy”.

For this game title Famitsu awarded 31 out of a maximum of 40 points.

characters

Stafy (スタフィーSutafī ): Stafy is shaped like a five-pointed yellow star. On the star-shaped body is a face with elliptical eyes and a mostly smiling, wide mouth. He is Prince of the Kingdom of Tenkai (テンカイ) and lives with his royal family in the clouds in the Kentai Palace. Stafy is a rather carefree, friendly fellow. It is never made clear whether it is a starfish or any other type of star.
Starly (スタピーSutapī ): Starly is Stafy's sister. Outwardly she looks very similar to him, but is a little smaller, pink in color, wears a bow, and her eyes are more circular than elliptical. Compared to her brother, she is very energetic and can also get very rude. Stapy first appeared in Densetsu no Stafy 3 and has since been playable in this and all subsequent parts and has many independent skills.
Mama Sta (ママスタMama Suta ) and Papa Sta (パパスタPapa Suta ): Mama Sta and Papa Sta are the parents of Stafy and Stapy. You rule over the Kingdom of Tenkai. Outwardly, they are shaped similarly to their children, but wear royal robes.
Moe (キョロスケ, Kyorosuke): Moe is an orange shell with a black soft body. Moe has three younger siblings and is Stafy's best friend, but he is very different in character. He is easily irritable, loudmouthed, arrogant and rude. He often gives his friends advice and sometimes intervenes directly in what is happening, but he still likes to let others do the work. Moe has fallen in love with the fish lady HadeHirari and suddenly becomes rather shy and overly polite towards her.
HadeHirari (ハデヒラリ)

marketing

To market the games, elaborate commercials and trailers in the anime style are produced, which mostly retell certain passages from the games, sometimes in a modified form. In it, Stafy is spoken by Satomi Kōrogi , who also lends her voice to other Nintendo characters, such as the Pokémon Togepi . Kyorosuke gets his vote from Kappei Yamaguchi .

A whole range of merchandising is also launched, including plush figures , writing materials, stickers , playing cards and gummy candies .

In addition, songs for the games that are sung by well-known Japanese artists will be recorded for promotional purposes. For the first game, the entertainer Becky sang several songs that were also available on CD . Kazuki Saya sang songs for the second part, a CD was also released in this case. The J-Pop group Perfume sang for Densetsu no Stafy 3 . ° C-ute , another J-pop group, recorded a song to promote the fourth Stafy game.

Manga

In cooperation between Nintendo, TOSE and the publisher Shogakukan , a manga series was produced, also with the title Densetsu no Stafy . The draftsman was Yumiko Suto . The manga were printed in CoroCoro Comic magazine from June 2002 to October 2005 . The stories, which are based on the games, were summarized in two anthologies and published again. The first volume was published in October 2003, the second followed in September 2005.

Another manga series titled Densetsu no Stafy R , drawn by Suzuo Yataka , appeared in CoroCoro Comic from April 2006 to April 2008. The accompanying anthology came onto the market in July 2008. This series is based primarily on the fourth part of the video game series, which will also be released in April 2006.

Guest appearances

Stafy has guest appearances in a few games, which are usually released outside of Japan as well. A first cameo can be found in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003). In the Yoshi Theater , one of the movie posters shows Stafy.

In Donkey Konga (2003), Stafy is not visible, but in the Japanese version of the game, the title theme from the first Stafy game is one of the available songs. Western versions contain different music.

Another guest appearance is Super Princess Peach (2005). A particularly seldom encountered opponent by the name of “starfish” looks very similar to Stafy and also performs the same movements, but wears sunglasses . Like the Stafy games, this game was developed by TOSE. In addition, the description of the opponent says "They say he is a prince."

Stafy's last guest appearance to date is featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008). Stafy is one of the so-called helper trophies and uses his well-known rotary attack against opponents. There is also a Stafy and Stapy trophy as well as a number of stickers that show different characters from the Stafy universe.

There are references to other Nintendo series in the Stafy games themselves. In the first part, one of the collectable treasures is Luigi's hat ( Super Mario ). As already described, the third game contains numerous references to Wario. In the fourth part, one of the costumes for Stapy Princess Peach is modeled on, also from the Super Mario series. In addition, Stapy Perry (Japanese Kassā ) holds the speaking umbrella from Super Princess Peach . This costume is one of the submissions for the competition at the time.

Individual evidence

↑ Densetsu-no-Stafy-3 website : Stafys and Stapys techniques

↑ ^a ^b Densetsu-no-Stafy-4 website : Stafys and Stapys techniques

↑ ^a ^b Densetsu-no-Stafy website : Means of transport

^ Densetsu-no-Stafy-5 website : Metamorphoses

^ Densetsu-no-Stafy-4 website : Means of transport

↑ Densetsu-no-Stafy-3 website : Costumes for Stafy and Stapy

↑ Space World 2000 ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Densetsu no Stafy for Game Boy Color

↑ Nintendo Database ( Memento from August 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ): Densetsu no Stafy for Game Boy Color

↑ Space World 2001 ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Densetsu no Stafy for Game Boy Advance

↑ Gamekult : Press review for Densetsu no Stafy

↑ Gamekult : Press reviews for Densetsu no Stafy 2

↑ The Mushroom Kingdom : Warrior's appearance in Densetsu no Stafy 3

↑ Nintendo Database ( Memento from June 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ): Wario's appearance in Densetsu no Stafy 3

↑ Costume design competition for Densetsu no Stafy 4

↑ ^a ^b Densetsu-no-Stafy-4 website : Winner of the costume design competition

↑ Gamekult : Press review for Densetsu no Stafy 4 (French)

↑ Densetsu-no-Stafy-5 website : Co-op mode

↑ Nintendo Press Room ( Memento from March 3rd, 2009 in the web archive archive.today ): New game releases, February 26th, 2009

↑ Gamekult : Press review for Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daīru Kaizokudan

↑ video game ads : Stafy commercials

↑ Internet Movie Database : roles of Satomi Kōrogi

↑ Densetsu-no-Stafy website ( memento of the original from March 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Merchandising for the first Stafy game

^ Densetsu-no-Stafy website : Playing cards

↑ Densetsu-no-Stafy website ( memento of the original from March 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : CD with songs sung by Becky

↑ Amazon.co.jp : CD for Densetsu no Stafy 2 with songs sung by Kazuki Saya

↑ video game ads : Commercial for Densetsu no Stafy 3 with Perfume

↑ Gametrailers.com : Trailer for Densetsu no Stafy 4 with ° C-ute

↑ Shogakukan Online : Manga Densetsu no Stafy anthology 1

↑ Shogakukan Online : Manga Densetsu no Stafy anthology 2

↑ Shogakukan Online : Manga Densetsu no Stafy R anthology

↑ Nintendo Database ( Memento from July 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ): Cameos in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

↑ Donkey Konga website : Songs in Japanese version

↑ Nintendo Database ( Memento from June 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ): Cameo in Super Princess Peach

↑ Super Princess Peach : Description of the opponent starfish in the glossary is "Star-shaped opponent. They say he's a prince. " (German version)

↑ Smash Bros. DOJO !! ( Memento of the original from September 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Stafy helper trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

↑ Smash Bros. DOJO !! ( Memento of the original from September 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : List of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

↑ Smash Bros. DOJO !! ( Memento of the original from September 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : List of stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

^ Nintendo Database ( Memento from June 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ): Cameo in Densetsu no Stafy

↑ Nintendo Database ( Memento from January 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ): Cameo in Densetsu no Stafy 4

Web links

Densetsu no Stafy at MobyGames (English)
Stafy games at Nintendo Database ( Memento from December 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
Interview with the developers of Densetsu no Stafy 2 (Japanese)

Official website of each game (Japanese):

[1] Densetsu-no-Stafy-3 website : Stafys and Stapys techniques

[stafy4_techniken-2] Densetsu-no-Stafy-4 website : Stafys and Stapys techniques