Psychic 5 (World) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 37 years ago:

Psychic 5 © 1987 Jaleco.

TECHNICAL
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 6 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 6 Mhz)
Sound Chips: (2x) Yamaha YM2203 (@ 1.5 Mhz)

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2

TRIVIA
Psychic 5 was released in January 1987 in Japan.

A little game (the third developed by Nihon Maicom Kaihatsu (NMK) for Jaleco, after "Argus" and "Valtric") which did not have huge success, it nevertheless became a 'cult game' for many players thanks to the brilliant gameplay, hard-to-find secret bonuses and anime-like plot. The inspiration for the design of the five ESPers comes from several Japanese cartoons of the '70s where the physical aspect of main characters was strongly stereotyped to suit their psychological profile/fighting ability.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Secret Bonus: There is a secret bonus in every round. To get them, you must hit the right [?] (question mark box) when your score fits a certain qualification.

1) The first level 'secret' is near the first phone. You should jump on the wall between the two bowls, then jump up and to the left. You'll land near a [?]. If you are in the right place, a walking clock should appear within 2/3 seconds. You can get a secret bonus from this box if you hit it when the thousands digit of your score is zero. (e.g.: 00000, 10500, 20900). The first secret is worth 10000 points.

2) The second level 'secret' is near the first phone, like the first one. There are 2 [?]s on the lower-left corner of your screen (when you are near the phone); the upper one is a 'normal' [?], but you have to destroy it in order to reach the other one. You can get the secret bonus by hitting it when the thousands digit of your score is 1. This is worth 50000 points.

3) The third one is near a phone, again, and near the fishbowl too. When you can reach the upper-right corner of the screen, and 2 umbrellas are floating above you, THAT is the right phone. There is also an extra bonus somewhere near that. You should use the short boy or the little girl to reach the secret bonus - it's at the end of the "small corridor" where the other 2 guys (the tall one and the fat one) can't enter. To get it you should hit the [?] when the thousands digit is 2. This should be worth 100000 points.

4) If you miss a bonus, the thousands counter for the next bonus is modified accordingly. In other words, the thousands digit of your score must always be equal to the number of times you have previously gotten the secret bonus. Thus the tips above are correct only if you are getting every secret bonus without missing any - otherwise, deduct the number you've missed from the thousandth digit needed.

5) The 'ALL GOLD' bonus. Very simple to explain, but hard to do: When you break a bowl, the item you find in it is the same as the previous bowl, if you don't use your hammer after you hit the first and before the second. If you do, instead, the item "shifts", and you find the "next" in the order. If you go on hammering, the "rotation" can bring the first item back again. The first level has 4 items, so if you 'shoot' 0/4/8/12/16... times after breaking the first bowl, you find the same item in the second one. This is true unless you already 'finished' an item, otherwise you should "shoot" 0/3/6/9/12... times to find the item twice.

• Get Espers Sooner: Normally you get Makoto in scene 3 and Genzoh in scene 5, but you can get the espers sooner.

1) Get the 'All Gold' bonus in scene 1 and you'll find Makoto in scene 2.
2) Get Makoto in scene 2 and get the Secret Bonus in scene 3 and you'll find Genzoh in scene 3.
3) Get the 'All Gold' bonus in scene 3 and you'll find Genzoh in scene 4 (if you have not gotten him in scene 3).

• Developers' portrait, family name and age: On the starting character stats screen slowly press in sequence Down, Down, Up, Right, Right, Right, Left, Left.

STAFF
Hardware planned by: Yousuke Maki (Lovely Yohsuke)
Software created by: Naoki Hoshizaki (Ultra Man Naoki), Kazuhiro Ayabe (Lonely Kazuhiro)
Character designed by: Taeko Suzuki (Italiano Taeko), Naoko Nagamine (Donchi Naoko)
Music composed by: Shinichi Sakamoto (Cheabow)
Sound effects & the 'Time Stop' theme by: Shinichi Sakamoto, Taeko Suzuki
Sound & music data entry by: Taeko Suzuki
Overseas revision (2.00): Tamio Nakasato

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

Nintendo Famicom (1987) "Esper Boukentai"

CONTRIBUTE
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