GDC2018, INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL, NUOVO AWARD category Finalist !

TAROTICA VOO DOO was selected as a finalist of the NUOVO AWARD category for the 2018 INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL(at GDC2018). Of ~600 games entered, only 8 finalists were selected by the ~300 judges! (more info - announce site)

About the Game

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In development since 1993, with 5 years of development and 4 years of adjustment, TAROTICA VOO DOO is an uncategorized Japanese adventure game with fully hand-drawn animation (with a mouse!). With its simple controls and interface, the game overturns the modern logic for how a video game can play.

Overview:
・ Explore a haunted mansion while solving puzzles and fighting monsters to cook dinner and save the family before an airplane crashes into the mansion!
・ Engage in combat against a variety of weird foes. Learn the enemies' timing and attack patterns in order to win.
・ There are no items or leveling up. Combat is entirely skill-based, and you can quickly retry if you fail.

How to play:
・ Use the cursor to explore a map of the mansion for enemies, clues, and other interactive objects. Your current room is highlighted in red and you can use doors to move to other locations.
・ Selected objects appear in the upper-right corner where you can interact with and operate them up-close.
・ Manually operate your sword and shield to fight against monsters in the original and intuitive combat system.
・ As you solve puzzles and defeat enemies, you will become able to interact with new objects and gradually reveal new areas of the mansion to explore.


The creator of this game, Ikushi Togo, has been making games for the MSX since the 1980s, and he never stopped. He is responsible for all music composition, programming, and hand-drawn artwork for the game. Retro to a fault, he does things by hand and never takes the automated route. Japan was a tech mecca in the 1980s, and was also the innovation hub of gaming as we know it. Still actively using the distinguished technology of the era, Togo-san keeps that old-school spark alive with TAROTICA VOO DOO among his many other games.


“CHRONICLES OF TAROTICA VOO DOO” is included as a free pdf with the game, and it is far more than a simple manual. This lengthy document, translated from its original hand-written Japanese booklet and once again hand-written in English by the creator, details both the story behind the making of TAROTICA VOO DOO as well as a full technical walkthrough of the game’s programming.

・ Note: A second edition of this document is planned for release (for free) in 2018, detailing the problems leading up to the final version of the game, and the processes and methods by which they were solved.




HELL MODE is a finely-tuned ultra-hard mode designed as a special challenge for players who have completed TAROTICA VOO DOO. And it is included as a free DLC with the game! Do you dare to challenge HELL MODE without saving or loading?


All the tools used to create this game are also included for free, including the game’s source code in BASIC, as well as a licensed version of the official MSX Emulator. This is essentially a virtual MSX computer inside your computer.

With these tools and the full capabilities of the MSX, you will have unlimited power to modify and edit the game, or even create new games from the ground up.


The MSX is a super old-school home computer which reached peak popularity in the 1980s. It was designed to be a universal platform with compatibility across manufacturers. As the predecessor to the far more popular Nintendo Entertainment System, the MSX was essentially a game system with the full power of a personal computer.

The creator of this game pushed the limits for what was possible on the MSX. With data compression, dynamic data loading, and many other modern techniques in play, this is likely the most technologically advanced MSX game in existence. All the tools and systems were created from scratch, for the sole purpose of realizing his vision for the game.

TAROTICA VOO DOO runs on the official MSX Emulator, so even though the game was programmed in BASIC and machine language, it will still run on your Windows PC.

The included MSX Emulator contains save-state functionality and multiple speed settings. Additionally, it is possible to pause execution and run arbitrary BASIC code at any time.


・ MEDIA AWARD Nominee by 'Weekly Famitsu' Magazine - Tokyo Game Show 2014
・ 'NUOVO AWARD' Award Finalist - 2018 INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL
・ 'Excellence In Experimental' Award Finalist - Busan Indie Connect 2016
・ MEDIA AWARD Nominee by 'Weekly Famitsu' Magazine - Tokyo Game Show 2014


・ Tokyo Game Show 2018 Indie Area
・ BitSummit 6th, 2018 (Kyoto)
・ IGF Pavilion (GDC 2018, San Francisco)
・ WePlayExpo 2017(Shanghi)
・ GamesCom 2017
・ Tokyo Indie Fest 2017
・ Taipei Game Show 2017
・ Global Game Exhibition G-STAR 2016 / BIC showcase (Busan)
・ Busan Indie Connect 2016 (Busan)
・ BitSummit 4th (2016) (Kyoto)
・ Taipei Game Show 2016 Indie Festa / Indie House
・ Tokyo Game Show 2015 Indie Area
・ BitSummit 2015 (Kyoto)
・ Tokyo Game Show 2014 Indie Area
・ BitSummit 2014 (Kyoto)


・ Busan Indie Connect Summit 2017 (As Speaker)