Densetsu no Stafy 4

Densetsu no Stafy 4
Developer(s)	TOSE
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Release date(s)	JP April 13, 2006
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single-player, video game
Rating(s)	CERO: A (All Ages)
Media/distribution	Nintendo DS Game Card

Densetsu no Stafy 4 (伝説のスタフィー4, Densetsu no Sutafī Fō^?) is a platform video game developed by TOSE and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the fourth game in the The Legendary Starfy series, which first started on the Game Boy Advance. As with the other games in the series, Densetsu no Stafy 4 features Stafy, known as Starfy in Western regions, as the main character. He is joined by his sister Starly and his friend Moe the clam. The three of them help out other undersea creatures and fights numerous villains.

Plot

During the resting hours of Starfy and his family in the Pufftop Palace, a kingdom just several miles away known as the Amy Kingdom was under attack. The heart-shaped Monamool Stone held there has been stolen by an evil female snake named Dejeel. Materu, a princess from Amy Castle, has fled to seek Starfy's help. When Moe the clam saw Materu and heard about her, he rushed toward Pufftop Palace, bursts inside the front door of it and told everyone that Materu would like to speak with them about the Amy Kingdom tragedy. While Starfy dozed off, Moe told him to listen, then Starly petted Moe and talked to him about his love, Ruby the zebra turkeyfish, while Starfy sat and played with his handheld game console that resembles the original Nintendo DS. Later, after their relaxation, Starfy, Starly and Moe went with Materu to stop Dejeel from ruling the Amy Kingdom.

Gameplay

Screenshot of Densetsu no Stafy 4.

Gameplay in Densetsu no Stafy 4 is quite similar to the previous games in the series. New features were added in this game that make use of the Nintendo DS' advanced hardware. The visuals are still 2-D, albeit with completely redrawn sprites, while the backgrounds are 3-D. Densetsu no Stafy 4 takes advantage of the dual screens, using them to show both the main game and map of the level simultaneously, while it uses the touchscreen to activate special abilities and navigate menus. Some costumes in the costume collections of Densetsu no Stafy 2 and Densetsu no Stafy 3 return in fully rendered 3-D, which allows the player to manipulate the 3D models of Starfy and Starly to see more of their costumes.

Development

In order to give fans a chance to contribute to the development of Densetsu no Stafy 4, Nintendo and TOSE created a costume contest, and gave fans a picture of Starfy (in PDF format) to print, color, and send in. A picture of Starfy in a rocket suit was shown to the Starfy fans as an example on how to color over the coloring picture.^[1] The winning costumes also appear on the official Densetsu no Stafy 4 website.^[2] Most other artworks were featured in the first credits sequence of Densetsu no Stafy 4.

Reception

Densetsu no Stafy 4 was the fourth best-selling game in Japan during its week of release at 47,971 copies.^[3] Japanese sales totalled 167,136 copies during 2006.^[4] Famitsu scored the game a 33 out of 40 based on the opinions of four reviewers.^[5]

References

1. ^ "きせかえグッズ大募集！（受付は終了しました）" (in Japanese). Nintendo.co.jp. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/stafy4/. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
2. ^ "きせかえいろいろ" (in Japanese). Nintendo.co.jp. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/a4dj/kisekae/. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
3. ^ Jenkins, David (April 21, 2006). "Japanese Sales Charts, Week Ending April 16". Gamasutra.com. http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8993. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
4. ^ "GEIMIN.NET／2006年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP500（ファミ通版）" (in Japanese). Geimin.net. http://geimin.net/da/db/2006_ne_fa/index.php. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 
5. ^ Riley, Adam (April 6, 2006). "Nintendo Reviews | Famitsu Rates Odama & Legend of Stafi". Cubed3.com. http://www.cubed3.com/news/4880. Retrieved 2009-08-08. 

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Costume contest website (Japanese)