Development
Heavenly Guardian was originally a PS2 sequel to Taito's Kiki KaiKai series (better known as Pocky & Rocky outside of Japan) called simply "Kiki KaiKai 2". The game was canceled, as Starfish SD lost the Kiki KaiKai license, but would later resurface as a Wii game entitled "Kiki Kai World". This version was mostly similar to the canceled PS2 game, but with the main character's miko outfit recolored from red to blue. Instead of being a direct sequel to the original, it was more of a spiritual successor, as to avoid legal issues with Taito and its parent company, Square Enix.
To further separate the game from Kiki KaiKai, the graphics and theme of the game were completely redone, replacing the miko heroine with a snow goddess named Sayuki. When approached about the subject, a company spokesperson said "To make a long story short, Taito, who is now owned by Square, had some issues with us and we had to let the title go," implying that Square Enix was the reason behind the initial cancellation.
Although Starfish chose to only release a Wii version in Japan, UFO released a PS2 version in North America, due to having control over the release platforms in the region. 505 Games is also releasing both versions in Europe.
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