Harmful Park

Harmful Park[lower-alpha 1] is a 1997 side scrolling shooting game developed by Sky Think Systems for the PlayStation. It has not been released outside of Japan. Set in a theme park, the game has been described as a "cute em up", and resembles Konami's Parodius games.

Harmful Park
Developer(s)Sky Think Systems
Publisher(s)Sky Think Systems
Director(s)Kenichi Fujita
Producer(s)Junji Ōura
Masahiro Kubota
Designer(s)Hisato Igami
Programmer(s)Tomohisa Yamagata
Artist(s)Chinatsu Shibata
Eiji Kuroda
Hideki Nishimura
Composer(s)Hitoshi Sawa
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: 14 February 1997
Genre(s)Horizontally scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (up to two players)

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot.

Harmful Park is a horizontal scrolling 2D shooting game.[1][2] Enemies in the game include gorillas, inflatable dinosaurs, and a gigantic woman.[3] The game also features exotic weapons, including jellybeans and icecream.[4]

The game has six stages in total.[5]

There are four kinds of shots that the player's ship can fire, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. "Pie spread" for example fires continuously, while "Jelly Boomerang" tracks enemies, but has low attack power.[5]

Three additional minigames are available as well.[5]

Plot

The game is set in a theme park, after a scientist named Dr. Tequila makes the rides and machines of the park go berserk.[1] Another scientist orders her daughters to reclaim the park, using flying machines.[1] The park has now been converted into a fortified base.[5]

Development

It was developed by Japanese game developer Sky Think Systems, and it was the final game they developed.[2][6] The developer intended the game to have comedic elements, and to be enjoyable for a wide variety of gamers of all ages and both genders.[7][8]

The game is a sub-genre of shoot em ups called "cute em ups", which include elements such as humor, cute enemies, and strange power-ups. Other games in the genre include Konami's Parodius and Success's Cotton.[9]

Release

The game was released in Japan on February 14, 1997.[7] The game has become somewhat of a collector's item, and one of the rarest shooters on the PlayStation.[10] A 2005 guide listed the game as costing between £80-£100,[10] while a 2014 guide listed it as costing £100 in the United Kingdom in 2014.[6]

In 2012, it was re-released for the PlayStation Network in Japan.[5][11]

Reception

Upon release, Famitsu gave it a score of 26 out of 40.[12]

Multiple reviewers noted the similarities between Harmful Park, and the Parodius series and described the game as a "cute em up".[2][6]

In 2014, Eurogamer listed the game among gaming's "most valuable treasures", praising the graphics, humor, and noting that while not difficult, it has personality.[6] GamesTM described it as a cross between Parodius, and Coryoon.[10] Retro Gamer listed it as number 6 on their list of "The 20 Greatest PlayStation Games You've Never Played".[2]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ハームフルパーク Hepburn: Hāmufuru Pāku

References
  1. "It Came from Japan! Harmful Park". destructoid. Archived from the original on 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  2. "Top 20 Greatest PlayStation Games You've Never Played". Retro Gamer (137): 40. January 2015.
  3. The PlayStation Book. United Kingdom: Imagine Publishing. 2015. p. 74. ISBN 978 1785 461 064.
  4. Sullivan 2013-03-29T22:00:00.87ZFeature, Lucas. "RadarPlays - Harmful Park". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. 電撃オンライン. "『ハームフルパーク』ポップな世界観と遊び心に富んだ演出が印象的な昔ながらの2Dシューティング【電撃PS×PS Store】". 電撃オンライン (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  6. "A guide to gaming's most valuable treasures". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  7. "ハームフルパーク". www.skysea-games.jp. Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  8. "ハームフルパーク | ソフトウェアカタログ | プレイステーション® オフィシャルサイト". www.jp.playstation.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-15. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  9. "The Complete Guide... Shoot Em Ups". Retro Gamer. No. 42. September 2007. p. 52.
  10. "Classic Console Quick Reference Buyers Guide". Games TM (32): 159. May 2005.
  11. 株式会社インプレス (2012-02-29). "週刊 ダウンロードソフトウェアカタログ 2012年3月第2週分". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  12. "ハームフルパーク [PS] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
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