Shadow Land (video Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

The player controls a boy named Tarosuke who travels through "Jigoku" (the Japanese concept of Hell) fighting "yokai" (mythical Japanese monsters) on his way to his final fate, as determined by Buddha. He destroys his enemies by firing small Ki bullets, which can be charged to increase their power, though if overcharged, he is left unable to move or fight for a few seconds. During boss battles, Tarosuke kneels at a shrine to Buddha and prays, summoning "Monmotaro" (not to be confused with "Momotarō") a spirit which floats in the air and drops energy balls on the boss and any lackeys he has.

Like Dragon Buster and Wonder Momo, Tarosuke has a life meter (labeled as "POWER"), but only one life; if the meter is empty, the game is over (unless he has a certain item). There is no score counter, but the game utilizes currency (only referred to as "MONEY"), which is used to buy items, among other things.

There are a total of 5 stages:

• "Jigoku Iriguchi" (Gateway to Hell)
• "Kugyou no Michi" (Path of Penance)
• "Yuukai" (Ghost Sea)
• "Sabaki no Tani" (Valley of Judgment)
• "Rinnekai" (Land of Transmigration)

There are multiple paths which can be taken in many stages, which may influence which of the five endings the player gets. One of the paths leads the player to a fairly racy dance hall show, after which they are given a box. If they open the box, they might get 10,000 in money, or might be turned into an old man until they buy a particular item in a shop (this is based on the tale of Urashima Tarō).

There are 5 different endings depending on what you do during the game:

1. you go to Hell
2. you go to Hungry Ghost World
3. you go to Beast World
4. you return to Human World
5. you go to Heaven

The endings are listed in ascending order of difficulty.