 | |
| Genre(s) | Various |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Sunsoft Success |
| Publisher(s) | Sunsoft |
| Platform(s) | Family Computer, Arcade, Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, PlayStation |
| First release | Hebereke September 20, 1991 |
| Latest release | Hebereke 2 February 29, 2024 |
Hebereke[a] is a video game series developed by Sunsoft that was released primarily in Japan, with a few releases in Europe and one release in North America. It was one of the company's main franchises during the 1990s.
Hebe, the main character of the series, became Sunsoft's main mascot during this period, appearing on the company's logo in several games and commercials. The series features a comical, yet surreal setting and characters. The title of the series comes from a Japanese colloquialism for drunkenness. The series covers several different genres from platforming to puzzle, though they are all set in the same fictional universe. Although there are 9 games in the series, only 3 of them were released outside of Japan: Ufouria: The Saga for the NES, Hebereke's Popoon for the SNES, and Hebereke's Popoitto for the SNES, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. All three of these games were only released in Japan and Europe, with no North American release, although Ufouria: The Saga would be released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America almost 18 years later, and on the Wii U Virtual Console in North America almost 22 years later.
The first Hebereke game for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the PAL region under the title of Ufouria: The Saga, which changed the names of the main characters, while two of them had their looks changed. A North American release was planned, but canceled alongside Mr. Gimmick due to its quirky character design; however, the PAL region version was later added to the Wii Virtual Console in North America. A later set of games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were also released under the Hebereke title, which retained the original names and looks from the Japanese version.
Developer Sunsoft used the characters and world featured in Hebereke in a series of games for Family Computer, Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, coin-operated arcades and mobile phones.[1]
| Title | Developer | Platform(s) | Genre | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebereke (Ufouria: The Saga) |
FC/NESSunsoft
i-modeSpace Out |
NES/Famicom i-mode[1] |
Action-adventure | FCSeptember 20, 1991 |
Re-released on PlayStation with Rough WorldasSunsoft Memorial Vol.5, which itself, was later re-released on the PlayStation Network in Japan on November 24, 2010.[2][3]
Ufouria was originally planned to be released in America, but was cancelled alongside Mr. Gimmick due to its quirky character design, though David Siller, Sunsoft of America's former vice president of development, stated both would have been commercial successes.[4] In 2010, the game was released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in both the PAL region and North America, marking it the first Hebereke game to be released in the latter region.[5] |
| Hebereke's Popoon | SFC/SNESFalcon[6] ArcadeSuccess |
SFC/SNES i-mode[1] |
Puzzle | SFCDecember 22, 1993 |
This is the first Hebereke game to keep the Japanese character designs in PAL regions. |
| Sugoi Hebereke | SFCSunsoft, OLM
i-modeSpace Out |
SFC i-mode[1] |
Fighting | SFCMarch 11, 1994 i-mode2003 |
This is the only Hebereke game to be rereleased via the Nintendo Switch Online service.[7] |
| Hebereke no Oishii Puzzle wa Irimasen ka | SFCFalcon[6] | SFC | Puzzle | August 31, 1994 | This game is actually a port of Sunsoft's arcade game Oishii Puzzle wa Irimasen ka.
The title roughly translates to "Don't You Need Hebereke's Delicious Puzzle?". |
| Hashire Hebereke | Sunsoft | SFC | Foot-racing (racing sub-genre) |
December 22, 1994 | This is the only Hebereke geme to have isometric gameplay. |
| Popoitto Hebereke (Hebereke's Popoitto) |
PS1/SaturnSuccess |
PlayStation Saturn SFC/SNES i-mode[1] |
Puzzle | Saturn (JPN)March 3, 1995
Saturn (PAL)1995 |
The Japanese PlayStation version was titled Hebereke Station Popoitto, and was eventually re-released on June 3, 1999 and October 4, 2001 under the "SunKore Best" and "Value 1500" labels, respectively. |
| O-Chan no Oekaki Logic | Sunsoft[b] i-modeSpace Out |
PlayStation Saturn SFC/SNES Palm OS i-mode |
Puzzle | PS1September 9, 1995
SaturnNovember 17, 1995 |
Japanese PlayStation version re-released on October 1, 1998 and January 11, 2001 under the "SunKore Best" and "Value 1500" labels, respectively. |
| O-Chan no Oekaki Logic 2 | Sunsoft | PlayStation WonderSwan |
Puzzle | PS1September 27, 1996 WSJanuary 6, 2000 |
Japanese PlayStation version re-released on July 1, 1999 and January 11, 2001 under the "SunKore Best" and "Value 1500" labels, respectively.
The game was also released on the WonderSwan, albeit with the "2" being dropped from the title. |
| Hebereke no Pair Pair Wars | Sunsoft | Neo Geo | Puzzle | Unreleased (planned to release in 1996) |
This is the only Hebereke game to be cancelled.[8] |
| O-Chan no Oekaki Logic 3 | Sunsoft | PlayStation | Puzzle | January 11, 2001 | Unlike its predecessors, it was only re-released under the "Value 1500" label.
Despite it being the third in the series, it actually uses the first game's engine, lacking the additions from the second game. |
| O-Chan no Oekaki desu wa[9] | Space Out | i-mode[1] | Puzzle | 2004 | The game is a remake of the original O-Chan no Oekaki Logic. |
| Hebereke 2 (Ufouria: The Saga 2)[10][11] |
Sunsoft | Nintendo Switch PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S Windows |
Action-adventure | February 29, 2024 | First sequel to Hebereke, and the first game in the franchise in 25 years since Popoitto Hebereke. |
| Hebereke: Enjoy Edition | Sunsoft, City Connection | Nintendo Switch Windows |
Action adventure | March 28, 2024 | Enhanced rerelease of the first Hebereke game. |
Ryōji Uchimichi, the series' character designer, drew a yonkoma manga series based on the games that were serialized by Tokuma Shoten in the Japanese magazine Family Computer Magazine (also known as "Famimaga" for short) since September 6, 1991.[15] On September 3, 1993, the strip had its title changed to Sugoi Hebereke (すごい へべれけ), which was eventually used for a fighting game for the Super Famicom. On September 30, 1995, the first two years' worth of strips were reprinted in a collection titled Hebereke no Hon[c],[15][16] but the remaining strips were never republished. It was eventually christened Pemopemo (ぺもぺも) on April 21, 1997, before getting cancelled on March 20, 1998, following the discontinuation of Famimaga.[15]
Ayonkoma manga series based on the Hebereke games, titled Dai Eppyō[d], was released on August 12, 2013, being published by Comic Market in Japan.[17]
On June 25, 1994, a soundtrack titled Takusan Hebereke[e] was released, published by DATAM Polystar.[15] It featured original versions of the music from the first three Hebereke games: Hebereke, Hebereke's Popoon and Sugoi Hebereke. It also includes those from another Sunsoft game, Gimmick! (known in EuropeasMr. Gimmick). The soundtrack was composed by Naoki Kodaka, Phaseout & Mutec, and Masashi Kageyama, and was arranged by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
The series sports characters and graphics that are typically Japanese cuteness in design, done in the style of Bomberman, The New Zealand Story, and particularly Hello Kitty.
The series primarily involves a cast of four main characters: Hebe, O-Chan, Sukezaemon, and Jennifer. It also involves four notable minor characters: Bobodori, Pen-Chan, Utsujin, and Unyohn.
Hebe[18] (sometimes referred to as "Hebereke", Bop-Louie in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara
Hebe (へべ), known in Ufouria as Bop-Louie, is a small white albino penguin (a living snowmaninUfouria). He is seen wearing a blue knit cap with a white pom-pom in it. He is the fastest in terms of speed, but he doesn't jump as high, can't walk on ice, and also cannot swim.[18] He could extend his neck to attack enemies using the Kubidokkan attack.[18] He can also climb using a suction cup.[18] He usually end his sentences with "pyō" (ぴょー). His first-person pronoun in Japanese is "wachi" (わち)[f].
O-Chan (Freeon-Leon in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Mika Kanai
O-Chan (おーちゃん, Ōchan), known in Ufouria as Freeon-Leon, is a little girl dressed with a cat suit (a male lizard in Ufouria). Unlike Hebe, she[g] is able to swim in water and safely walk on ice without slipping.[18] She has a high-flying personality and has a high laugh.[18] Her first-person pronoun in Japanese is "watakushi" (わたくし)[h].
Sukezaemon (Shades in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
Sukezaemon (助左衛門), known in Ufouria as Shades, is a white ghost with black sunglasses and a red winged cap. With his light body, he can drift in the air for a long time.[18] He also has a serious personality and is moslty polite.[18] His first-person pronoun in Japanese is "sessha" (拙者).
Jennifer (Gil in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
Jennifer (ヂェニファー[i], Jenifā[j]), known in Ufouria as Gil, is a green anglerfish with a yellow antenna. He's an underwater expert, being able to walk underwater.[18] He speaks badly, but is kind-tempered.[18] His first-person pronoun in Japanese is "oira" (オイラ).[k][l]
Bobodori
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
Bobodori (ぼーぼーどり, Bōbōdori) is a male purple bird. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is "oira" (オイラ).[m][n]
Pen-Chan
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara
Pen-Chan (ぺんちゃん) is a little girl dressed with a penguin suit. She doesn't have a first person pronoun in Japanese, instead using her name.
Utsujin
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
Utsujin (うつーじん, Utsūjin) is a male orange cat wearing an alien suit, being part of the Muu Cat Brothers clan. He usually starts his sentences with "muū" (むうー). He doesn't have a first person pronoun in Japanese, instead using Utsū (うつー), an abbreviation of his name.
Unyohn
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
Unyohn (うにょーん, Unyōn) is an alien wearing a helmet. His color palette depends on the game. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is "washi" (わし).[o]
{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
Graphic designer [sic]: You-ri, Idaten, Hebereke, N. Habari, Masashi
Thanks for playing!! Here's a secret command!! The password is HEBE!!
|
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Franchises |
|
|
| Other games |
| |
| Related |
| |
