Lupin the 3rd: Pandora's Legacy is a platformer for Japan's Nintendo Family Computer/Famicom from Namco. It was only released in Japan on November 6 1987[1] and was never released anywhere else.
A fan translation of the game done by Vice Translations is available on the website Romhacking.net for English players.
Gameplay[]
In the very start of the game, the player is greeted with a cry for help from Clarisse de Cagliostro, who has apparently been kidnapped.
When the player presses START, they are brought to a character select screen where they can choose to play as Lupin III, Daisuke Jigen or Goemon Ishikawa XIII. Lupin and Jigen can both shoot, with Lupin being able to shoot short distances and Jigen being able to shoot far distances[2], while Goemon can slash enemies with his Zantetsuken. The game has 4 levels all in all, with a boss room in the end.
The player can move their selected character with the D-pad. They can shoot (or slice if they play as Goemon) at enemies with B and jump with A. To jump higher, the player must press UP on the D-pad and press A. Unlike in other platformers released on the Famicom in its time like Super Mario Bros. and Metroid, the player cannot change the direction of their jump, which can lead to accidental deaths if the player is not careful.
If the player does die, they have to pick another character to progress through the game. And as the player progresses through the game, the "dialogue" the Lupin gang blurts out in the character select screen changes.
As with most Famicom/NES titles during the late 1980's, the game can be notoriously difficult; Lupin, Jigen and Goemon can easily be "killed" in one go, and once the player gets a game over, they get brought back all the way to the start of the game. The levels can also get very maze-like in layout, and the amount of enemies on the screen can easily overwhelm the player.
Sometimes, in seemingly any room at any point in the game, Koichi Zenigata will appear as an enemy. He will run at the player and throw handcuffs at him; getting caught by his handcuffs or by simply touching him results in a "death" and the player will be forced to pick another character. Fujiko Mine in her Cagliostro design also appears in the game too; in the end of the game, it's revealed that Fujiko was using Lupin to get her hands on yet another fabulous treasure, while Clarisse had fully cooperated with her for the chance to meet Lupin once again.
Notes[]
- By entering a specific combination of buttons on the main menu, the player can start on Stage 2, 3 or 4. For example, entering UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, B and A can allow the player to start on Stage 2.[3]
Gallery[]
.png "Lupin Sansei - Pandora no Isan (J).png (3 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ Family Computer 1983-1994. Ohta Publishing. p. 46.
- ↑ https://www.romhacking.net/translations/773/
- ↑ Lupin Sansei: Pandora no Isan, The Cutting Room Floor.