Pocky and Rocky is a folkloric Natsume top down shooter, two player friendly. Wacky, demanding, colorful, a SFC coop peak.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player7+
Co-op
Description
Action-adventure featuring shrine maiden Pocky and tanuki Rocky defending Japanese temples against evil spirits. Published by Natsume, released in the USA in 1993. Two-player cooperative top-down view, projectile and spell attacks, levels in traditional Japanese environments and yokai bosses. Western version of Kiki Kaikai Nazo no Kuro Manteau on Super Nintendo.
Pocky & Rocky review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Japanese folklore reinvented as a colourful cartoon, adorable heroines and zany yokai: the game unfurls a top-down action of sparkling charm. The roundness of the design and the vividness of the hues overflow with good cheer. This art direction, polished and joyful, stands as a cult gem of the 16-bit run-and-gun.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Throwing magic cards and sweeping away waves of yokai in a colourful folkloric Japan: this Shinto-themed run'n'gun overflows with charm and snappiness. Two-player co-op multiplies the fun and the stiff difficulty spices up every level. Colourful, demanding and bursting with personality, a little action gem from Natsume, ideal to savour in tandem.
The North American NTSC SNES edition of Pocky & Rocky by Natsume/Taito from 1993, a top-down Japanese-folklore shooter released on its main Western market. Common in US circulation, its appeal rests chiefly on clean CIB and coherence with Pocky & Rocky 2 in NTSC. The US cardboard box warps, raising the value of intact flaps. The franchise gained cult stature via the modern Tengo Project reissues, which sustains steady North American demand.
An underrated gem
Mixing multidirectional shooting with good-natured Japanese folklore, this adventure follows a priestess and her tanuki companion through temples and haunted villages. Fairly tough and long confined to a narrow audience, it remains little known. Its colorful charm and snappy two-player co-op make it a gem for fans of convivial run-and-gun.
Is Pocky & Rocky still worth playing in 2026?
Pocky & Rocky is the Western adaptation of Kiki Kaikai by Natsume, namely a top down folklore shooter very demanding on reflexes. The shrine maiden Pocky and the tanuki Rocky advance together through stages full of Japanese spirits, throwing ofuda and fireballs. The handling is precise, the local co op gleeful and the aesthetic still charming today. Recommended to fans of demanding top down shooting, Japanese folklore lovers and retro duos hunting for an instantly enjoyable shared cartridge.
