Santa Claus no Takarabako (Japan)
Inside Santa Claus no Takarabako (Japan)
Santa Claus no Takarabako is a Japan-only Famicom Disk System game that came out in 1987. It's a platformer where you guide Santa through a series of side-scrolling stages, collecting presents while avoiding various hazards. The publisher and developer aren't widely documented in English sources, which is common for many of the smaller FDS titles that never left Japan. The game uses the distinctive blue disk media of the FDS, and like many FDS releases, it loads data from both sides of the disk.
You control Santa as he moves left and right across platforms, jumping over gaps and onto ledges. The main objective is to gather all the hidden presents scattered around each stage. Enemies like snowmen or other holiday-themed obstacles try to block your progress, and you can stomp on some of them or simply avoid them. There's no health bar; a single touch from an enemy or falling into a pit sends you back to the start of the stage. The game keeps track of your score based on presents collected and time taken, giving it a simple arcade-like loop.
This title is worth trying if you're a collector of obscure FDS games or just curious about holiday-themed retro releases. It's a straightforward, no-frills platformer that doesn't reinvent the genre but does capture a certain silly charm. Compared to bigger FDS hits like Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic), it feels modest but sincere. If you can overlook the Japanese menus and the basic mechanics, it offers a brief, festive diversion that fits well into a broader Famicom library.
For a beginner, the core loop is simple: clear each stage by grabbing all presents, then move to the next. There is no save feature - this is a play-through in one sitting kind of game. If you get stuck, remember that some platforms are hidden or require precise jumps. The Japanese menu shows a title screen with options like 'START' and 'CONTINUE' (both in katakana), so hitting Start (Enter) usually kicks things off. Just keep moving and jumping, and you will make progress.
How to Play Santa Claus no Takarabako (Japan) Online
Section 2: Getting Started
When you first load the game, you will see the FDS title screen with the words 'Santa Claus no Takarabako' in Japanese. Press Enter (Start) to begin. The game immediately drops you into the first stage. There is no tutorial or story introduction, so just start moving right. Your goal is to collect every present (depicted as wrapped gift boxes) in the stage. Once you grab them all, a door or exit appears and you proceed to the next area.
Use the Arrow Keys to move Santa left or right and to climb ladders if present. Press X (A button) to jump over pits or onto platforms. Press S (B button) to perform a dash or attack. Some enemies can be defeated by jumping on them from above, similar to the classic platformer trope. If you touch an enemy or fall off the screen, you lose a life and restart the current stage from its beginning. The game has a limited number of lives, so running out means a game over and you have to start all over.
Because this is a Japanese-only title, all on-screen text is in Japanese. The only common menu you might see is the 'Continue' option after a game over. At that screen, press V (Select) to choose continue or not, then Enter to confirm. The core gameplay is straightforward: explore, jump, collect presents, avoid danger. There are no power-ups or hidden mechanics documented, so just focus on speed and precision. It is a short game, often completable in under 30 minutes once you learn the stages.
Santa Claus no Takarabako (Japan) Keyboard Controls
Controls
- Arrow Keys: D-Pad / Movement
- X: A button (jump / confirm)
- S: B button (run / attack / cancel)
- Enter: Start / Pause
- V: Select
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