May your dreams / always come true / I will cheer you on
Idol Hakkenden is a Visual Novel with Adventure Game elements developed by Natsume and published by Towa Chiki for the Famicom released in 1989.
Erika Saijonji's mother Tomiko is dying and decides that the most talented of her three daughters will receive inheritance. Erika is not confident as she lacks talent other than being a good singer, but she is told by her nanny that she should move the world with her songs and become a Super Idol. Master Ichiro Shinjitsu tells her that she will be the greatest idol in all of history, but for her talent to truly bloom, she needs to find seven comrades. The story is inspired by Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
The game's interface is split into four quarters, with the top left showing the current location, the top right has the speaking character's portrait, the bottom left is the text box, and the bottom right is the options menu. Erika can talk to people, take things, get things, or move from one location to the next. A unique feature is Erika's actions like singing, dancing, smiling, and acting dumb, which are sometimes necessary to progress. The structure is largely linear and there are very few bad endings. There are also six songs which are rendered as chiptunes due to obvious system limitations, but there are lyrics available so the player can follow the song.
This VN provides examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer: A nerdy-looking guy tries to get Erica to go with him to the fireworks. He's really stubborn, but she manages to make a lie that Misao's father used to be in the yakuza, scaring him off.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: A gang of hostile bikers shows up and starts messing with the fireworks, though Erika's song and smile stops them.
- Anti-Villain: Many of the villains, who are typically friendly to Erika or aren't serious about hurting her.
- Anything but That!: The president of Polynabe Pro begs "P-please, anything but that!" when Erika starts reading the notebook which is actually a love diary.
- Big Bad: The Kooky King, who causes most of the game's problems, has an evil plan to turn everyone into his Kookies, and is faced by Erika at the end.
- Bouncer: Zanshine Building's top floor has a burly guard blocking entrance to the show to those without a ticket. Erika tries to get past him by singing, which initially doesn't work, but she succeeds later on.
- Calling Your Attacks: When Kuwashi attacks Erika with his taser, he calls it "The-Spanish-Currency-is-Called-Peseta" Punch, "The-Aardvark-is-Native-to-Africa" Punch, and "Reagan-is-the-Fiftieth-U.S.-President" Punch.
- Catchphrase:
- Hoshimi usually starts her sentences with "If I may speak freely".
- Yayoi usually starts her sentences with "I'll say this much".
- Circling Birdies: After getting hit with a baseball bat, Hoshimi starts seeing stars. This is necessary for the spirit possession.
- Character Portrait: Every character has a portrait shown in the top-right corner. The major characters usually show their whole upper body, while less used ones only have mugshots.
- Chekhov's Gun: When Erika tries to look through a thicket, she notices nothing usual about it. Once she finds out how to deal with the Nurikabe, she can find a broom there.
- Compelling Voice: When Erika sings while asking other people to do something for her, they will listen, for example she sings to an otter so it could try breaking a nut for her.
- Cool Old Guy: Ichiro Shinjitsu, an old man who knows a lot about show business, acts as a fortune teller, and is supportive of Erika. Though it turns out he's actually the Kooky King later on.
- Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: Getting a Bad End in one of the two last acts just sends you back to the previous scene with no penalty.
- Disney Villain Death: Subverted with Ben Benson, who falls off the cliff after Erika tricks him, but swears that he'll be back and supposedly survives.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Kooky King does a takeover broadcast on TV telling Erika to come to his Kastle alone if she wants to rescue Hoshimi.
- Dreadful Musician: Gogawa in Studio 2 wants to become a famous baseball singer, but he's terrible at singing. He gets utterly outclassed by Erika's Miracle Voice.
- Dressed Like a Dominatrix: Erika's costume when she's turned into the Kooky Kueen resembles black BDSM gear and she's given a whip.
- Driven to Suicide: The songwriter of "You Are the Derpy Girl" commited suicide because a girl rejected him.
- Elite Four: The Kooky Kuartet, Kooky King's four generals who stand in Erika's way to him.
- Evil Laugh: Kooky King spouts out a "Mwahahahahah!" in the post-act I intermission.
- Eye Scream: Erika pours Tooru's sweat into Kooky King's eyes, causing him great pain.
- Fangirl: Momomi, who is a huge fan of idol culture and always asks for autographs. She's also Erika's last companion who joins.
- Faux Action Girl: Midori claims to be a Karate black belt and serves as a solid bodyguard for Erika during her visit to Polynabe Pro, but she falls before the flabberghasting might of the Kooky King's Kooky α Beam just as easily as the rest of Erika's party.
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences: When asking people in the Hard store, Erika starts the sentence "Excuse me, where is the..." Yayoi continues "...tournament..." and Hoshimi finishes "...being held?"
- Food as Bribe: Erika gives the diver woman a piece of candy so she could get her fortune slip from the water tank.
- Formerly Fit: Tooru Watanabe was known for his good looks once, but he put on too much weight and decided to become a Kooky Komedian. After seeing his reflection, Tooru sweats so much he turns back to normal.
- Gonk: The president of Polynabe Pro has a bulbous head, Big Ol' Eyebrows, semi-closed eyes, and Gag Lips, making him look off.
- Groin Attack: Erika uses the stun gun to zap Kooky King's nether regions.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Erika's hair is blond on the cover (in-game, it's more like bright orange), and she's kind and helps people (like stopping a man from commiting suicide).
- Happily Failed Suicide: A man in the Cyber Gong Show decided that he wants to die with a bang as he lived in obscurity by exploding on stage while wearing dynamite. Thanks to Erika's cheery song and smile, he regains his will to live and stops the attempt.
- Hellish Horse: The Kooky Gallop, who puts anyone who touches into its influences and turns them into the Kooky King.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Hoshimi jumps in to protect Erika from Kooky King's sword strike, taking the mortal wound, though Erika heals her with Tooru's sweat.
- Hidden Depths: Despite supposedly not having any talents other than singing, Erika points out to Kuwashi that Ronald Reagan is actually the fortieth president of the United States and not the fiftieth, since she's good at social studies.
- I Am Your Father: Kooky King admits that he is Erika's grandfather.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: For his vaudeville comedy troupe, the Kooky King seems to specifically target White Dwarf Starlets, Jaded Washouts and other C-listers who's careers in Japan's entertainment industry went nowhere. Any otherwise young and promising talent that finds themselves suckered into his stable will realize they've been damned into a career of Japanese variety show mediocrity.
- Idol Singer: Erika, whose main talent is singing and goal is becoming a Super Idol, which eventually happens.
- I'll Kill You!: Once he gets into the secret room, Musashi Tajiro screams "I'll kill you! I'm serious!!" and brandishes a knife, ready to stab Erika. This is also the only time a character resorts to a death threat.
- In-Universe Factoid Failure: Kuwashi at one point uses the "Reagan-is-the-Fiftieth-U.S.-President-Punch" which Erika corrects that he's actually the FORTIETH since she's good at social studies. This destroys Kuwashi's pride as the most informed columnist.
- I Surrender, Suckers: Erika decides to pretend that she gives up and wants to become the Kooky Kueen to lower Kooky King's guard. She later pretends to surrender to Ben Benson to also lower his guard and make him fall.
- Laughing at Your Own Jokes: Kuwashi tells Erika that she needs to chill out, then tells her that Oymyakon is the coldest town, then laughs at how he told a piece of cold trivia after using that expression.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The divine manju is known to make you forget things, including who you actually are. It's used to make Master Bekoichi forget how to use a keyboard properly during a computer tournament, netting a victory for Misao.
- Match In A Bombshack: In the post-Act II vignette, Midori decides to have a cigarette break, but she lights one next to fireworks and it triggers an explosion.
- Meanwhile Scene: The game shows a meanwhile scene after Act I with the Kooky King and Kuwashi talking about how they're going to manipulate Erika to take part in their dastardly plans.
- The Mole: It turns out that Hoshimi, the girl who supported Erika from the start, is a spy for the Kooky King.
- Nurikabe: Erika finds herself unable to go to Mt. Kakinabe for some reason. When she checks a poster in a village, she discovers a warning that the area is haunted by a Nurikabe ghost and freaks out. In Kakinabe Supermarket, she asks a girl about it and sings a song which gives a clue about how to deal with the ghost. When she returns, she sees the ghost which looks like a wall with eyes and gets rid of Nurikabe by using the broom to dust off its feet.
- Obfuscating Disability: The man in the village only pretends to not hear very well, though he finds Erika's dance as an attempt to communicate amusing.
- Password Save: You get a password after every act which can be inputted into the Continue menu so you can continue at the current act.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: After Kooky King's I Am Your Father moment, Erika exclaims this is "Idol Hakkenden's Big! Plot! TWIIIIIST!"
- Repetitive Name: Ben Benson, a foreigner and Kooky King's secret weapon.
- Secret Room: Erika finds a secret room full of mirrors after lifting a stone lantern in Kooky Kastle.
- Signature Move: Kooky King is known for his Kooky α Beam, a move that turns people sillier the more it hits them.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: If a character has glasses in the game, they're typically very smart. There's Reika, the smartest of Tomiko's three daughters with genius scholar with numerous patents and doctorates, Yayoi, the stock marketeer and advisor, and Misao, the computer wiz.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The intro, which has Tomiko on her death bed and having to decide which of the three daughters would inherit the business, has cheery music playing in the background.
- Speed Stripes: When the enraged Kooky King charges to attack, lines appear in the background.
- Suckiness Is Painful: Kooky King's pose is so idiotic it tends to make other characters fall to the floor.
- Sumo Wrestling: Five sumo wrestlers stand in Studio 3 and block Erika's way. They're shockingly good singers and claim to be unbeatable at endurance. They take so much oxygen and space due their fat that Erika has to use an oxygen cylinder until they pass out.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Erika tells Kooky King that she'll never forgive him for hurting Hoshimi.
- Time Skip: The game skips some days of Erika's harsh training under Karumi Miyako's supervision during which she acquires the Miracle Voice and matures as a person.
- Trap Door: Kooky King pulls a string and makes a door open underneath Erika and she falls.
- Verbal Tic: A guy with a mohawk in the "Hard" store ends him sentences with "Yeah!"
- Visible Silence: The Zanshine Building guard tends to respond with "......"
- We Can Rule Together: Kooky King gives an offer to Erika to join his army as the Kooky Kueen. She can accept it for a Bad End.
- We Will Meet Again: Ben Benson shouts "AHHH! I'LL BE BACK!" after falling off a cliff.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The game's epilogue has Erika's seven friends mostly telling what they plan to do, like Midori bringing her gang to Erika's concert or Momomi starting a fan club.
- Willing Channeler: Hoshimi willingly decides to have the Songwriter's ghost possess her (though she needs to be hit with a baseball bat to see stars first).
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Yayoi, who is only seventeen but is an expert stock trader who saved Tamashikaya from debt.
