Yam Yam [Model SHVC-AYMJ-JPN]

???? © 1995 Bandai
(Yam Yam)

Yam Yam is a 3-D shooter with a sprinkling of RPG-inspired elements developed by Pandora Box and published by Bandai. The game relates the adventures of a mole-boy called Magu Magu and his unusual pet Yam Yam. They both travel the country and undertake a sprawling adventure that spans 28 missions, all assigned to them by local townspeople. Interestingly, whereas villages can be visited en route following a traditional single-screen formula, traveling between them activates 3-D shooting phases where the boy, riding firmly on his pet's back, defeats waves of vicious monsters and other creatures. These phases are at the core of the gameplay, killed enemies award the player with experience points and additional gold bars or medicinal herbs can be collected along the way. The money can then be spent to purchase better weapons, stronger armors or special magical powers. Yam Yam has few more tricks up his sleeves - although he generally stays on the ground and jumps over obstacles, he can, in some occasions, use his tail as a spinning-blade and fly around the screen at ease. However, the RPG elements are not limited to gaining experience points and purchasing skills - missions can't be activated until a number of tasks in the villages have been completed. They range from talking to a specific person, giving them some money to gather more information or even carrying them around inside Yam Yam's large belly! Finally, the most unusual feature of Yam Yam is to reset the character's level and money after each mission - Magu Magu and Yam Yam both wake up underneath a tree and realize that it was all but a dream...