Takeshi no Chousenjou

Takeshi no Chousenjou
Also known as: Takeshi's Challenge Developer: Nova Publisher: Taito Platform: NES Released in JP: December 10, 1986 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has unused graphics.

Oh dear, I do believe I have the vapors. This page contains content that is not safe for work or other locations with the potential for personal embarrassment. Such as: Nude women.

Takeshi no Chousenjou (たけしの挑戦状) sees comedian Takeshi Kitano, famous for the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle, take on the world of video games in the most sadistic way possible. It's probably one of the most infamous and difficult games for the Famicom; not even having both of the official strategy guides was enough to help you because of its unorthodox ways of beating the game.

Unused Graphics

(Note: Palettes may not be correct.)

A leg, present near the tiles used for when the salaryman is sitting in the movie theater. In-game, it uses an incorrect tile instead.

Another walking animation for the salaryman, except he's covering his crotch this time.

More unused sprites in the salaryman's graphic banks: the first has him face toward the screen, but the second is even weirder – either this is the salaryman in different clothing, or some kind of bystander. Either way, there's no graphics for the lower body.

One of the salaryman's graphic banks contains the holy stone near the tiles with his original suit on. Unless you use a password, it's impossible to have him wear the suit while still having the holy stone. When you do obtain it in-game, the holy stone tile comes from the graphic bank with his explorer gear on.

Unused (possibly an earlier sprite?) tiles for the kid's body. The head doesn't match up with this body, however.

An unused bystander. Although he appears to have no unique tiles for the body, his head is located near another bystander's, suggesting they used the same body.

Alternate upper body for an existing bystander, but there's no lower body tiles that match up with it.

Another head that could have been used for the ending or a cutscene.

A woman with a bikini, as well as a nude variant. These are present along with the sprites used for scenes, so it's possible that some sort of cutscene (or ending?) was planned to use them.

At one point in development, it seems like there were items that could be picked up in the cave.

This enemy's tiles are present in the same graphics bank as the Japanese soldier, suggesting that this was another enemy meant to appear on the island.

Alternate tiles exist for the boss' head, where he seems to be laughing. These tiles fit both sprites of when he's sitting down and when he catches you on the island if you didn't quit your job.

Several unused sprites with an unknown purpose, although the fact they are present near the tiles for the bullets and money suggests they were meant to be usable weapons or items. The sprite on the left resembles a chicken leg.

Unused Tilemaps

Unused Title

The original title screen tilemap actually has only Taito's copyright. The visible copyrights are just printed via quick patch function over the displayed tilemap. Since all static and dynamic screens in the game are drawn using the same level drawing engine (even the in-game menu), it's not so trivial to redraw a title screen easily. This was probably added very late in development.

Unused Game Over Screen (location $02)

An alternate game over screen depicting a couple of jail cells, one of which presumably hold the salaryman. Obviously meant to be used when doing things that would realistically land you in the slammer (stuff like, you know, punching random people on the street to death, which according to the game is totally okay). The used game over screen (depicting a Japanese funeral) uses location $01.

Secret Island Hut Teleporter

If you enter any of the huts on the island (except for the chief's hut), you'll notice it's impossible to exit. However, if you stand in the spot seen in the image at left and press Up, you'll teleport back to the resort center.

Secret Heart

To do: There are a total of four secret hearts, including one in the treasure cave. Check if any hints, be it strategy guide, commercial or NPC text mention them (similar to the "the 23rd..." hint)

Pressing Up while in front of the first tree in the forest reveals a heart. This is the only way to replenish health on the island before entering the cave.

Secret Ending Message

At the ending screen, after the two initial messages disappear, wait for about 5 minutes without pressing any buttons and another message will appear: こんな げーむに まじに なっちゃって どうするの. It translates to "Why did you take this game so seriously?"

Map Easter Egg

While the incorrect options for revealing the map destroy said map right away, staring at the map ("じっとみつめる", "Stare") is the only one that doesn't. This is also the only option that will disable your controls. However, if you wait about an hour a TV sign-off message will appear ("きょうのほうそうは これでしゅうリょうします", "That brings us to the end of today's broadcast."). The map itself will then disappear, leaving you with only a black screen. If you wait three more hours, a TV test pattern appears on the screen. One more hour later, another message appears ("おはようございます", "Good Morning") and then the game goes back to the karaoke bar. Of course, the map is not considered to be revealed and you will have to redo the karaoke to re-obtain the map.

4 Hours In	5 Hours In

Special Messages

You can speak with almost every bystander or enemy character in the game, except some special cases, either by using the microphone or pressing A on Controller 2 with the in-game speech activated with Down + A on Controller 2 (you can deactivate it with Up + A on Controller 2).

There are only 16 different messages. The messages are selected one by one from $001 to $015, then wrapping back to $000 and then continuing from $001 again. The message index is global and increases every time you speak with someone, regardless of whether or not it is to a single person, or to many people. For example, if you speak with one person 16 times, you'll see the same 16 different messages as if you'd spoken to 16 different people in the game.

However, there is a special option: "Speech Style" (on the inventory screen, the third option from the left "はなしかた"), which switches the salaryman's tone of voice. Default value is the normal tone, and it can be switched to a threatening tone and back again. This option is used to diversify the character dialogue a little.

Every regular character in this game has two special parameters. The first one is some kind of "temper". There are four different tempers. The second one is the additional message index, which this character will pull dialogue from in addition to the regular 16-message sequence. To force a particular character to speak its additional message, you must speak to it a particular number of times with a particular tone of voice (depending on its temper type). If your tone of voice does not affect the character's temper, you won't see any additional messages. An additional message will appear if all conditions are met, but only once for every single character on the screen, unlike how it reappears after death or a location is revisited.

Here is the table for every possible combination:

• Temper 1 - talk 4 times with the threatening tone
• Temper 2 - talk 8 times with the threatening tone
• Temper 3 - talk 2 times with the normal tone
• Temper 4 - talk 4 times with the normal tone

For example, to make the character with temper 3 speak its additional message, you must set the normal tone of voice and speak with him twice. However, there are no visible indications of the type of temper, Characters that look the same may have different tempers, but usually they're from the same group (1-2 or 3-4 according to tone affecting it). Also, every character has fixed special parameters according to the table for a particular location.

Most of the regular characters use their additional message indexes from the regular set of 16 messages, but they only use the indexes from $000-$00A, rarely from $001-$005, and most frequently from $006-$00A. There are a number of unique characters who have unique messages, mostly hints about the game and some Easter eggs. There are a total of 24 unique messages, with indexes from $0FF-$116 (the latter being the last possible message index in the game).

The following is a list of the unique characters and their messages.

To do: Complete the list.

Message $0FF

Talk to the policeman in front of the Pachinko parlor with the threatening tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "ごーるどには　とびきりの　さけがあるんだぜ"　("In Gold, they have the choicest sake!"). "Gold" refers to the BAR GOLD at the end of the bars lane, and is a hint to a life refill method: every tequila drink in this bar adds one life. There are no refills in any of the other drink bars or fast food bars in the game.

Message $100

Talk to one of two blue men in the location with your home with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the special message "かねが　ねえなあ　たからの　ちず　どっかに　ない？" ("I don't have any money. Isn't there a treasure map somewhere?"). The hint for the main goal to the game, to find the treasure map.

Message $101

Talk to the red man in front of the first private house in the location with your home with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "ぱちんこやでは　おとなしく　していなさい" ("Be quiet in the pachinko parlor"), an obvious hint.

Message $102

Talk to the men in front of the flower store in the Pachinko Parlor location with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the message "だいこん　やすいよー" ("The daikon root is cheap!"). Probably a hint to the final part of the game on the island with the cauldron and cannibals.

Message $103

Talk to the man in red just to the left from the starting building with your boss with the threatening tone of voice eight times to reveal the special message "しんだら　３かい"　("If you die, then three times"), a not-so-obvious hint to the reviving cheat (press A + B three times after running out of health).

Message $104

When on the island, go right a little, then go back to the airport. Talk to the woman in pink with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message: "ちょばりんとうの　どじんは　ししゅうを　たからだと　おもっているんだ" ("The natives of Choparin Island treat embroidery as a treasure"). One of the hints for finding the specific island with the treasures.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $105

Talk to the second man in hat in front of Bank on the Island with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the special message: "かっそうろが　ないと　ひこうきは　つかえないねー" ("You can't do anything with a plane without a runway."). A hint to help in selecting the transport that can actually land on the island with treasures.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $106

If you stand after the 23rd tree from the left in the forest location and press Up, you'll teleport to what appears to be a Japanese base in the South Pacific with soldiers attacking you. Talking to one of the soldiers with the normal tone of voice twice reveals the special message "It feels good to take a dump at the top of a mountain." Most likely a hint for the exact location of the entrance to the treasure caves.

Message $107

Talk to one of your kids at home with the normal tone of voice four times (this may be tricky, because it's hard to trigger the speech with any of the little jumping kids), he'll say "The 23rd..." (the literal translation implies counting 23 skinny things), which is a hint for finding the secret location described in the above section.

Message $108

Talk to the woman in front of the Bank (yellow building to the right of the starting location) with the threatening tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "からおけ　だいすきよ" ("I love Karaoke"). A hint meant to guide you to an important location in order to beat the game.

Message $109

Talk to the policeman in front of BAR GOLD in the karaoke and bars location with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the special message "きみ　５ふんが　しょうぶだ" ("Five minutes is short"), which probably refers to the Easter egg that appears if you wait five minutes after the end credits have stopped.

Message $10A

Talk to the very first man in the airport valley location with the threatening tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "おとこなら　げいを　みにつけろ" ("If you're a man, then learn art").

Message $10B

Talk to the woman next to the first man in the airport valley with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "かぜに　のるなんて　すてき" ("Things like riding on the wind are just splendid"). Yet another hint to aid with selecting a proper form of transport to the island.

Message $10C

Talk to the woman in pink in front of Hotel on the Island with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "せいなる　いしを　てにいれろ" ("Go find the sacred stone!").

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $10D

Talk to the woman in pink in front of Casino on the Island with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the special message "うんこは　ちかへの　みちびき" ("Shit is your guide to the underground"). This is obviously a reference to message $106.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $10E

Talk to the man in hat just right to the woman in pink in front of Casino on the Island with the threatening tone of voice eight times to reveal the special message "１かいは　おおいわの　うえ" ("The first time is above the big rock."), a hint for finding the warp from the first to the second cave.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $10F

Talk to the second man in a hat just right of the woman in pink after the Casino on the Island with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "２かいは　３ぼんいわの　した" ("The second level is below the third rock."), a hint for finding the warp from the second to the third cave.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $110

Talk to the woman in pink inside the Miyage store with the normal tone of voice two times to reveal the special message "３かいは じ しゃくいわのてまえ" (From the English Fan Translation: "Third, in front of compass rock."), a hint for finding the warp from the third to the fourth cave.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $111

This message reads, "ちょばりんとうでは しゅうちょうだけが にんげんだ" (From the English Fan Translation: "Only the chief of Chabarin Island is a human."), perhaps a hint to speak to the chief on the island. It is currently unknown where Message $111 can be accessed (the textbox in the screenshot was pulled using hacks).

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $112

Talk to the woman in pink inside the Equipment store with the normal tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "しまには にっぽ んへいが かくれて いるらしい" (From the English Fan Translation: "There are imperial Japanese soldiers hiding on the island."), a hint that the Japanese base referred to in Message $106 exists somewhere on the island.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $113

Talk to the first man in hat right to the airport on the island with the threatening tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "うみの　むこうに　あかい　くにが　ある" ("There's a red country on the other side of the sea."). If you fly past the fourth and the fifth islands and don't land, you can see a big land with red flags and a portrait of some person that looks like a fusion of Soviet and fascist symbols.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $114

On the street with the airport, you'll run across this man who just stands there and appears to have no purpose. Speak to him using the normal tone of voice twice, and a special message that translates to "Hey Yoshikawa, I got married too" will be displayed. This might be a reference to one of the developers, as well as a hint for the wife problem in the game.

Message $115

Talk to the third man in hat in front of Hotel on the Island with the normal tone of voice twice to reveal the special message "どじんの　いえに　はいったら　もう　にげられないんだ" ("If you enter a native's house, you won't be able to escape.")...though as already noted above, this isn't exactly true.

Note that you need to learn the foreign language Hintabo to see this properly, otherwise the hint text will be garbled.

Message $116

Talk to the green man at the dead end to the left of the location with your home with the threatening tone of voice four times to reveal the special message "からおけすなっくに　へんな　ろうじんがいるぞ" ("There's a strange old man at the Karaoke Snack"). "Karaoke Snack" is the name of the karaoke bar in the game, where you obtain the treasure map from the old man.

(Translations: Bast)