A Japanese action-platformer starring a tengu. Mechanics are solid and the Japanese folkloric atmosphere is well captured. Little known outside Japan but genuinely enjoyable.
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Category
Action1 player7+
Description
Action platformer featuring a warrior tengu battling demons in a fantastical medieval Japan. Published by Taiyo Kikaku, released in Japan in 1990. Tengu in side-scrolling view with wind attacks and projectiles and demonic bosses. An original Japanese-themed action platformer on Famicom.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Released by Meldac in 1990, this Famicom cart is best known abroad as 'Zombie Nation'. The Japanese version is paradoxically cheaper than the US one, yet stays in demand for anyone closing out a Meldac NES collection. The absurd premise, a floating samurai head fighting an alien invader over Manhattan, makes it more of a conversation piece than a real investment.
Is Abarenbou Tengu still worth playing in 2026?
Abarenbou Tengu is a Japanese action platformer starring a tengu hero. Solid combat mechanics, folkloric atmosphere translated cleanly into pixels and stages that vary their situations with real care. Overlooked outside Japan, the title flies under the radar but rewards curiosity. For Famicom obscurity hunters and retro platformer fans with a taste for Japanese flavour, a genuinely pleasant detour today, still very playable via emulation or reproduction carts. A small curiosity worth tasting without hesitation, especially for collectors.
