Gimmick!

Gimmick!
Japanese Family Computer box art
Developer(s)	Sunsoft
Publisher(s)	Sunsoft
Director(s)	Tomomi Sakai
Programmer(s)	Tomomi Sakai
Artist(s)	Hiroyuki Kagoya
Composer(s)	Masashi Kageyama
Platform(s)	Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	Family Computer JP: January 31, 1992 Nintendo Entertainment System SCN: May 19, 1993
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gimmick!^[a], released in Scandinavia as Mr. Gimmick, is a platform video game developed and published by Sunsoft, and originally released in Japan for the Family Computer in 1992. The story follows a small green yōkai named Yumetaro who was mistakenly gifted as a toy to a young girl. After the girl's toys come to life and whisk the girl away to another dimension, Yumetaro gives chase to save her. Playing as Yumetaro, the player must maneuver through a variety of levels, using the protagonist's star-shooting power to defeat enemies and progress through the game.

In order for Gimmick! to rival the quality of games on the then-new Super Famicom, director Tomomi Sakai required a large staff and used innovative techniques to create high-quality graphics and sound. The graphics were handled using advanced tileset algorithms which freed processing power so more detailed graphics could be drawn on the screen. The game uses an expanded sound chip which provided more sound channels than a standard Famicom game cartridge. With this special chip, composer Masashi Kageyama was able to create a more advanced score. The soundtrack crosses multiple genres, with Kageyama describing it as a "compilation of game music".

Gimmick! received mixed reviews and a lack of interest at release. Distributors were more interested in games for the new 16-bit systems, so Sakai found difficulty in getting the game localized outside Japan. Sunsoft of America did not approve of the game for a North American release due to its quirky character design. Ultimately, the only distributor that imported the game was Swedish distributor Bergsala, which released it in 1993 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in small quantities across the Scandinavian market. Critics both praised and criticized the game for its difficulty, and some thought the game was designed exclusively for children due to its character design. In retrospective reviews, Gimmick! has received more praise. It was re-released in Japan in 2002 for the PlayStation, and a remake developed by exA-Arcadia was released for the exA-Arcadia arcade system in late 2020. A remaster of the game was released on July 6, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.

On June 20, 2024, a sequel was announced titled Gimmick! 2. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on September 5th.^[1]

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