Gozonji: Yaji Kita Chin Douchuu

Gozonji: Yaji Kita Chindouchuu (“Acquaintance: Yaji and Kita’s Eventful Journey”, though Gozonji can also mean “Do You Know?”) is a 1989 Famicom adventure game that depicts an incident-filled journey along Japan’s famous Tokaido road by two idiotic and lustful protagonists, Yaji and Kita.

The game’s story is based on a 19th century “kokkeibon”, or comic novel, named Toukaidouchuu Hizakurige, usually translated as Shanks’ Mare. The two characters move between each of the 53 stops along the Tokaido road, getting into bizarre and humorous situations along the way, many of which are caused by their own ignorance or base impulses. The novel has also seen many movie adaptations over the years.

As with many Famicom adventure games, the player must select the correct options on a menu of commands in order to push the story forward. This can involve moving to new locations, investigating hotspots and talking to NPCs. Occasionally, the player will need to scroll down to find a hidden menu option to progress. It also takes some liberty with the source material, adding anachronistic elements like racecar drivers and biker gangs as well as supernatural touches like demons and kyonshi vampires.