Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first thing Hana Tākadaka!? has going for it is how quickly it makes its silliness part of the action. You are flying through a fantasy world as a long-nosed sacred tengu, shooting at tanuki that only pretend to be harmless wildlife or scenery. That premise means you cannot lazily file every object on screen into “enemy” or “background hazard” and move on. A bird can be a threat, but so can a falling stone with a tanuki behind the trick.

As a horizontal shooter, it keeps your attention on the space ahead and the surprises drifting into your path. The power-ups matter because they strengthen the tengu, adding a welcome sense of momentum as you push through each colorful area. Hidden bonus stages are an especially nice touch for anyone who likes poking at a shooter’s edges instead of treating it as a straight shot from one boss to the next.

The drawback is also tied to the game’s central joke. Disguised enemies and traps can turn delight into irritation when you are trying to parse what is safe while also dodging incoming attacks. Still, that uncertainty is much more interesting than a routine formation shooter. Hana Tākadaka!? is worth your time if you want a challenging, offbeat shooter whose enemy design keeps you a little suspicious of everything around you.

Graphics

The game is boldly colorful in the way great early-1990s shooters often are. Hot pink skies, pale blue water, mint-green mountains, chunky clouds, and dark storm banks create sharp, playful backdrops for the tiny flying tengu. The tanuki disguises are visually amusing too, particularly the little bird-like enemies that reveal the joke without making every threat look identical.

Its stage-one boss stands out as a huge, cartoonish bald head looming beside wooden platforms, a wonderfully absurd sight against the bright landscape. The art is more goofy than majestic, but that is exactly the point: Hana Tākadaka!? looks like a fairy tale that has been handed over to a prankster.

Story

The setup is clean and appropriately mythic. Inari has been abducted by the evil tanuki lord Jikanda, and the sacred tengu sets off to bring her back. It is a simple rescue mission, which suits a shooter that wants to get you airborne quickly.

What gives the premise flavor is the enemy choice. Tanuki are not merely an army of monsters here. They impersonate birds, animals, and traps, turning Jikanda’s side into a collection of tricksters rather than generic fantasy fodder. That mischievous angle fits the game’s cartoonish action much better than a solemn battle between sacred beings and evil creatures would.

Do not come in expecting a densely developed fantasy tale. The story works as a light frame for the chase, and it succeeds because its oddball details carry directly into what you are fighting. Saving Inari is the reason to move forward, but catching the next tanuki trick is the more immediate pleasure.

Overall Experience

Hana Tākadaka!? feels like the kind of shooter that wins you over through personality first. Plenty of games let you fly sideways and fire at approaching enemies. Far fewer fill that familiar format with a sacred tengu, deceptive tanuki, and a boss that looks this cheerfully ridiculous.

The game asks you to enjoy being surprised, sometimes at your own expense. If you prefer shooters with enemies that are always instantly legible, the disguise theme may wear on you. If you like learning a game’s strange habits and finding the hidden extras tucked through its stages, that same quality gives it a stronger hook than its basic rescue plot suggests.

It is a good fit for a retro shooter fan looking for something more eccentric than another space war or military run-and-gun. Hana Tākadaka!? does not need to reinvent the scrolling shooter to leave an impression. Its combination of power-up chasing, secret bonus stages, and folklore-inspired nonsense makes the trip memorable.

Retro Replay Score

7/10