Replicart

Famicom Disk System

Famicom Disk System

The game takes place at the end of the 21st century. A gigantic snake-like alien called Sonada invades Earth and constructs a base under the soil. Sonada attacks various locations, stealing precious resources, and appears invulnerable to all forms of modern offenses. Engineers regroup and constru...

Download

0/5 Votes: 0

Report

Developer
Dual

Released on
1988

Size
1 Player

Version
Famicom Disk System

Requirements
Nintendo Famicom Disk System

Downloads
Action

Publisher
Taito

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Report this app

Images

Description

The game takes place at the end of the 21st century. A gigantic snake-like alien called Sonada invades Earth and constructs a base under the soil. Sonada attacks various locations, stealing precious resources, and appears invulnerable to all forms of modern offenses. Engineers regroup and construct a base where a new weapon can be developed. They create the Replicart in the image of Sonada, and give it the power to convert resources into new material that can extend the Replicart and increase its strength until it reaches enough power to destroy the invader.

Replicart is to the original Snake game what Arkanoid is to Breakout; an upgrade that takes the core features of the game and expands upon them by adding enemies, power-ups and more elaborate play settings. In it you must move a robotic snake through mazes in an effort to collect a required number of pieces before the exit will open. The snake’s length extends by one unit for every piece collected. If the snake’s head touches any of the walls, enemies or its own body, it is destroyed and the player loses one life.

The conversion to the Famicom Disk System by Taito is quite different than the MSX2 original. The number of levels has been reduced to 100, but between every 10 levels, a boss battle occurs in which the player must chase a monster around the screen and blast it until the monster takes enough damage. A bonus level is provided for the player after each boss is defeated before they progress to the next level.

Replicart

Overview & History

Released exclusively in Japan in 1988 by Taito for the Famicom Disk System (FDS), Replicart is an obscure, highly atmospheric side-scrolling action-platformer that stands out for its unique blend of Greek mythology and sci-fi cloning themes. Taking advantage of the FDS's rewritable disk format and enhanced audio capabilities, the game casts players as a futuristic warrior navigating a labyrinthine mechanical realm populated by synthetic mythical beasts. Despite its inventive premise and striking visual design, the game remained a hidden gem of the era, largely overshadowed by Taito's more mainstream arcade ports, never receiving an official Western localization.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Replicart combines traditional platforming with metroidvania-style exploration and resource management. Players must traverse sprawling, bio-mechanical zones filled with hazardous terrain and aggressive artificial abominations. The core gameplay mechanic revolves around the "Replicart" system—collecting specific genetic data and energy crystals scattered across stages to synthesize essential upgrades, health refills, and temporary robotic clones to solve complex environmental puzzles. Combat relies heavily on timing and positioning; your protagonist wields an energy whip capable of striking in multiple directions, alongside a limited-ammo projectile sub-weapon system. Unlike standard linear platformers of 1988, stages are non-linear, requiring players to constantly backtrack once new traversal abilities are unlocked, all while managing a strict in-game timer tied to the disk's loading phases.