# GBAtemp Recommends! Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand



## shaunj66 (Oct 29, 2008)

*GBAtemp Recommends! Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand*
G.R. Issue #2 (GBA)


Welcome back! This is the second issue of GBAtemp Recommends! - a weekly magazine feature in which we share our favourite Game Boy Advance titles. The games we recommend may be top titles from the GBA library, or they may be sleeper hits that missed the radar, but one thing's certain, they're all great games that are worthy of a play through!

This week, to tie in with Halloween, we've picked a great game that ties in with the horror theme quite nicely...

GBAtemp Recommends!

Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand












Spoiler: Gameplay Video



*Promotional Trailer:*


*Gameplay:*


Published by Konami and produced by Hideo Kojima, Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand created a lot of hype when it was originally announced. The original game cartridge included a built-in sensor that could measure the amount of sunlight the cartridge is exposed to. This played an important role in the game, as it was used to charge the Gun Del Sol - a weapon that fired bursts of sunlight at undead enemies. 
The game featured great stealth gameplay and an interesting story line to boot. During the game you are entertained by your side kick "Otenko" - a floating sunflower.

During E3 of 2003 a beta copy of Boktai was leaked online. This beta version only featured a short portion of the game. When the community got their hands on it, people soon realised that the game wasn't playable due to the light sensor requirement. Some time later, release group BATMAN released a patch for the ROM that allowed you to play the game on flash carts by manually specifying the amount of sunlight within the game by pressing a button combination. This patch was later re-released by the Independent when the final retail copies of Boktai were released. Many players of Boktai actually preferred using the sunlight patch rather than actually playing it from the retail cartridge because it made the game a lot less of a chore (allowing you to even play through on cloudy days!).

Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand is overall a very enjoyable and unique game. We definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good adventure game with a solid amount of action and stealth. 



			
				Game Synopsis said:
			
		

> In a place not too far from here and now... The End of the World approaches... The Undead appear, breaking the natural cycle of life and death. The evolution of species ceases... and one by one they become extinct. In the age of darkness in which people have forgotten the sun, the "Immortals" -- the beings of the dark -- have appeared and turned San Miguel, the City of the Sun, into a land of death. The dark curse has turned all species into the "undead". "Dark matter" has brought about the "undeadening" of all life. The man who was known as the strongest vampire hunter has fallen, and the people's hopes have been shattered. But one day, a boy who left San Miguel. This boy is Django -- the heir of the solar gun "Gun Del Sol" and the last hope for humanity. In him flows the blood of the greatest vampire hunter of all time. He heads for Istrakan -- the City of Death, to pursue his father's murderer. Can Django avenge his father's death with the use of sunlight as his weapon? Can he stop the undeadening that threatens the lives of all? Can he bring back Our Sun?
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## JPdensetsu (Oct 29, 2008)

Boktai 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I thought this will come. It's a very good game.


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## Maikel Steneker (Oct 29, 2008)

I remember buying this, just for the solar sensor 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I didn't really like it at the time, maybe I should play it again some day.


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## AXYPB (Oct 29, 2008)

I would have liked to play this when it was originally released because I live in a temperate zone so sunlight was never an issue for me.  I don't get how it could feel the same if the sunlight could be manually adjusted in-game.


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## Doomsday Forte (Oct 29, 2008)

All I have to say is FUCK YEAH BABY.

I actually have the cart.  Beat it once.  Yeah, it's difficult to play in the sun and all, but it was a pretty neat experience.  I wish we could've had the third localized here, it's a great series and it's so...sad that we got Lunar Knights the way we did.  

Metal Gear Solar.


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## mastermanna123 (Oct 29, 2008)

OMFG!!!
I loved this game when it first came out. 
In my opinion, it kinda seems underrated. 
Ive beaten the game several times just to get the 100% completion, and every new game produces a new set of parts, guns, accessories, enemies, and more!


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## pilotwangs (Oct 29, 2008)

Cool,I think I have the second one somewhere.


Still need to play this,actually.


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## DeMoN (Oct 29, 2008)

Heard of this game a lot but I've never actually gotten to playing it.  Now that it's a GBAtemp essential, I'll give it a shot on my new EZ-Flash 3 in 1.


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## raulpica (Oct 29, 2008)

This game is FREAKING awesome!

I played all the three games in a row... and they're awesome 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




The 2nd and the 3rd one are even better 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I didn't like Lunar Knights too much, tho... :/


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## Wabsta (Oct 29, 2008)

Does it really have a solar sensor? o.o


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## DeMoN (Oct 29, 2008)

wabsta said:
			
		

> Does it really have a solar sensor? o.o


The actual cartridge did have a light sensor built in to it.  As a result, the cartridge itself was clear rather than black.  It was one of the weirder GBA gimmicks.


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## Wabsta (Oct 29, 2008)

DeMoN said:
			
		

> wabsta said:
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Hmm, maybe I'll look for it on ebay or something someday..


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## layzieyez (Oct 29, 2008)

Is there a link to the patches?


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## shaunj66 (Oct 29, 2008)

layzieyez said:
			
		

> Is there a link to the patches?


I added a link to the first post


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## VatoLoco (Oct 29, 2008)

here  is another link to the patch


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## Hadrian (Oct 29, 2008)

I've entered bizzarro world because someone up there listened to me


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## Law (Oct 29, 2008)

I hope Megaman Zero gets some showtime soon.

Also, pretty fun game. Never completed it, though. Perhaps I'll get around to it again someday...


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## Psyfira (Oct 29, 2008)

I still haven't started it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Got a second hand copy dirt-cheap from GAME earlier this year. I'd planned to play it outside in the summer, but it kept raining!


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## jolanar (Oct 29, 2008)

Oh Yeah!!  this game is soooo amazing i've had hours of fun playing this, also on a few occasions i had gotten sun burnt whilst playing.


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## Toni Plutonij (Oct 29, 2008)

Hadrian said:
			
		

> I've entered bizzarro world because someone up there listened to me


Everybody listen to you Hadrian! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Besides, this is the great game, I think it really fits this period of the year, and it's really well presented in that article!


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## Law (Oct 29, 2008)

Psyfira said:
			
		

> I'd planned to play it outside in the summer, but it kept raining!



Sounds like a traditional British summer.


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## Man18 (Oct 30, 2008)

I loved Lunar Knights its one of my favorite games to date I am shocked I didnt know about the other Boktai games. WIll play the english games asap!!!


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## Mei-o (Oct 30, 2008)

Best. Handheld. Stealth. Game. Ever. I loved this so much! It's like a 3D MGS, only in a fantasy setting!


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## granville (Oct 30, 2008)

I've not played much of these, but do they get better as you move away from the beginnings? The beginning seems a bit slow.


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## lolzed (Oct 30, 2008)

lol,1st two G.R.has "Sun"in it...just saying


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## shaunj66 (Oct 30, 2008)

lolzed said:
			
		

> lol,1st two G.R.has "Sun"in it...just saying


Next week - Lets Ride - Sunshine Stables!!


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## lolzed (Oct 30, 2008)

hehe...


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## da_head (Oct 30, 2008)

woah a lunar knight prequel! is it just me, or do the graphics almost the same? o.O


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## Hadrian (Oct 30, 2008)

granville said:
			
		

> I've not played much of these, but do they get better as you move away from the beginnings? The beginning seems a bit slow.


I dunno I thought the beginning of this game was great, this for me is the best of the series.


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## Whizz (Oct 30, 2008)

Odd title. If the sun would be in my hand, it would burn it.


J/k. Looks interesting, I might try it out after I finish Mother 3. Recommends rules!


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## layzieyez (Oct 30, 2008)

Thanks all for the patch links.  I tried to play this without the patch and well. . .  Anyhow, it's on my to-do list since I still have my hand wrapped in a cast.


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## Gore (Oct 30, 2008)

Never liked Boktai.


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## DeMoN (Oct 31, 2008)

Just how much does the solar sensor matter in this game?  Will it be too easy if I use the patch the make it max brightness all the time?


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## Raven Darkheart (Oct 31, 2008)

this was another game i passed on but nice thread


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## Callmegary (Oct 31, 2008)

I dont post alot so you guys dont know me much  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




but i have to break my silence after this long 

GBAtemps reconmmendations are the best  I cant wait till you guys start doing nes/snes/pc engine ect recommends too...

BTW now gba is in retirement should we be called dstemp?

keep up the good work peace and love


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## Raika (Oct 31, 2008)

looks like lunar knights, plays like lunar knights, maybe a prequel to lunar knights....but golden sun is better


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## Jackreyes (Oct 31, 2008)

I think a Gamecube recommendation feature would also be cool.

Anyway, I'm gonna try and get this off Ebay.


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## Raika (Oct 31, 2008)

shaunj66 said:
			
		

> lolzed said:
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! It looks...wierd...


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## smurphyzeke (Nov 2, 2008)

Awesome game. 
I tried playing it a few weeks ago, but it wasn't patched right or something.


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## matrix121391 (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm having trouble patching. I am using GBATA and for some reason, when I load the ROM and .IPS file onto the IPS patcher, the patch button is still not working. Ideas?

EDIT: Never mind! Stupid mistake on my behalf!


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## HtheB (Nov 12, 2008)

Bokito? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Bokito: The world is in your hand 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokito_(gorilla)


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## layzieyez (Nov 28, 2008)

Since I got my cast off, I tried this out.  Seems the patch applied to the game alright, but when I try to play it on vba on my wii, game cuts out with a sensor broken message.  What is the button combo anyway?  Has anyone else run into this problem or is this patch for flashcart only (I know you can turn off RTS on the PC emu to play boktai but you can't do it in the VBA for wii).


-edit-
NVM Got it working on my M3 SD Perfect.


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## NDS_N00b (Jan 17, 2009)

Hy there everyone!

Has anyone tried to play an *original* cartridge of this game on a DS? Does it works well? I just saw a copy of that game for sale and got interested.

Thanks for the answer!


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## Canonbeat234 (Jan 17, 2009)

NDS_N00b said:
			
		

> Hy there everyone!
> 
> Has anyone tried to play an *original* cartridge of this game on a DS? Does it works well? I just saw a copy of that game for sale and got interested.
> 
> Thanks for the answer!



Well that's rare to find that game on sale, however it will be annoying to get your sunlight when its cloudy, rainy, and etc. I did play the game a few days ago on the EZ Flash with a patch for it, I like the game and its challenging. I didn't beat it yet though.


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## NDS_N00b (Jan 17, 2009)

Yeah, it's pretty rare, but i'm a collector so this woud be a great chance to get the game. Has anyone tried the original on a DS/DSL system?


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## Lluvia (Jan 19, 2009)

I didn't try it on the DS but on the GBA SP and since the slot position is the same, the problems should be the same too. Because the game was designed for the old GBA where the slot is on the upper side, when you use it on GBA SP / DS the solar sensor faces downwards. It's still playable this way, but the sun must hit the cartridge directly. This means sitting in the sun in the middle of the day in summer. That's not really fun. You get sunburned easily and have problems to see what's on the screen.
My recommendation is to buy the original game, but to play the rom with the sensor hack 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## TrafindCom (Jan 22, 2009)

i like this games. undefined


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## Big Green (Apr 6, 2009)

NDS_N00b said:
			
		

> Hy there everyone!
> 
> Has anyone tried to play an *original* cartridge of this game on a DS? Does it works well? I just saw a copy of that game for sale and got interested.
> 
> Thanks for the answer!



It worked on my DS. It's reported to work on the Lite as well.


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