BREAKING the Famicom's LIMITS - The Story of Gimmick!

This, is the story of Gimmick!, a Famicom title which pushed boundaries in just about every conceivable way - only to be ignored and buried by the company that created it - mainly because it came to market just a little too late.

It’s a story of creativity run-wild in a mad dash to test the very limits of graphics, sound design, difficulty, and even of the Famicom hardware itself, and it would end in the creation of yet another one of the console’s most sought-after, and yet most misunderstood titles.

Fortunately, there’s a happy ending to this one, but there’s a lot to cover before we get there.

Research for this video came from the following interviews and articles:

Masashi Kageyama Shmupulations Interview

GlitterBerri Interview Translation

Hardcore Gaming 101 Summary:

Famicom World Forum

Special Thanks to Guest Voice Talent:
Kris @GameDadShow
Jay @SquarePegs
John @JohnRiggs

Thanks also to @clearrivergames and @BitwaveGames for providing a review code for Gimmick! 2.

Follow on Twitter:

[BittyKongsQuest]

Hey there folks! I just wanted to leave a note that I made a mistake at 3:39. The image shown is of Takahashi Meijin, NOT Tomomi Sakai. Totally my fault - I misunderstood a reference when doing my research, and I apologize! I'll try to do better in the future!

Thanks so much to @chrisng2746 for the catch!

[-Bit-Gamer]

Excellent video. Worth a mention if someone else hasn't already that Mr. Gimmick is on a SunSoft Evercade cart.

[KattKirsch]

Love this video! Quick note about the Sushi-X review. Sushi-X was an in-character reviewer that hid their identity as a "super elite secret video game ninja." The game being too easy was almost assuredly a reference to how hard the game was, because Sushi-X was "just that good" at games, lol. It was an obnoxious bit, but charming in retrospect. Any time they'd say a game was "too easy", I knew to expect Batttletoads-and-above. Thanks again for this one! :)

[GameDadShow]

Absolutely fantastic as always my friend!

[AFnord]

I remember that "Nintendo Magasinet" review that was shown in the video (the one that gave the game a 6). Despite the low score it really made me want the game.
I did not get it when it was still in stores, but a few years later I was able to trade a copy of Ice Climbers for Mr. Gimmick, with a box but no manual. Probably the best trade I ever made.

[DoYouNerd]

Loads of info here and very informative. Thank you for the effort put into this. Videos like these are perfect for me to listen to while at work and I come away having learned a thing or two as well. 😊

[tim_is_random]

1:22 That main gameplay music melody riff sounds exactly like the ending music for Bubble Bobble

[TheLegendOfRetro]

Instant sub, beautiful video! PAL Gimmick has been my holy grail for decades, so I jumped on the special edition re-release. It's the first and only game ever I actively use the rewind feature with. I never expected the game to be that brutally hard, and without dedicating all my waking hours to it, I don't see how I could ever finish the original!

[elblanco]

Excitement factor is crazy for Gimmick! 2!

[AnotherBaldNerd]

Awesome video! The soundtrack is what drew me to this game and I love it!

[llamaelitista]

I find this game somehow nostalgic, and I wasn't even born when it came out.

[Rosabel_Believe]

Another great video. Thanks for your effort.

[freddychopin]

I loved your video essay. Just one suggestion: it's a little ironic that you're uploading in 4K for what is largely retro gaming footage, but not 60fps, which is far more important than resolution for retro games.

[Bro]

9:55 that's actually a sample prototype of the Japanese Famicom game, not the US prototype and as of now the US prototype ROM has not been uploaded to Hidden Palace
you can find a copy of said US prototype over on The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF) on the page covering the differences to the retail Japanese game

[blackspiraldancer]

Watched Arcus play this yesterday. I had never seen it before, and I was pretty blown away by the game.

[z.a.k.e.n.]

more fun facts, the expansion chip used for gimmick is almost exactly the same as the MMC3 (or MMC5) except the soundchip was replaced with the Ricoh 2A03, alongside the YM2149F for the extra 3 square channels.

[Seabass_The_Bass]

Instantly subbed! This is "Gaming Historian" levels of production, can't wait to see your future video 😎

[AndrewLaughsOfficial]

Oooh awesome!! I think I found a new channel to sub to!

[theclovercross]

really good vide and whoaa~ Imma have my evenings set for atleast the coming week

[kevinclark]

"the Gimmick franchise" ....one title decades ago isn't a franchise.