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Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker Remix [どきどきアイドルスターシーカーRemix] Game Sample - Dreamcast

4,323 views · Published 16 December 2018 · 31:06 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: Vysethedetermined2 · 2018 · Gaming

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G.Revolution!!! Y'all know these folks? Well, if you don't, it's not too surprising; G.Rev is a small studio that was spun off from former Taito employees who almost exclusively dabble in the old-school shoot-em-up, but where did they begin? The story behind this one is that G.Rev needed some money to fund their first project, but they didn't have enough to create the shooting game that they wanted, so they sought Sega's help. Sega was a little less than accommodating and pretty much said "We got this great thing called NAOMI that's easy to develop games for and we think a fledgling group like you would benefit from it". Of course, it didn't go down quite like that, but G.Rev did post a humorous retrospective about their struggles to get started and their dream of funding their shmup with diminished borders (*cough*Border Down*cough*). 

Shy of their ten million yen mark, the studio had to compromise and release the puzzle game,  "Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker", in Arcades in 2001 with the NAOMI Arcade board to establish confidence and coup some of the initial costs. Being a simple game in the vein of Minesweeper and later titles like the Doujin game, "Mana Collect", the game used sound principles and generous fan-service to attract the public (as the Arcade game had mild nudity). The title was successful enough to be upgraded the following year and ported to the Sega Dreamcast in a "remixed" version with a wealth of new content. Not bad for their first official / independent game.

The goal of the game is to search panels using a series of numbers surrounding the players cursor to find all the hidden stars on a level to advance to the next level. The hexagonal shapes of the panels and distinction of flipping panels in the proper corresponding order are the main gameplay distinctions from Minesweeper, but there are several other nuances to elevate the gameplay. The first, and most important, is the ability to find all the stars to reveal artwork of the characters. The game uses a (often strict) time limit that locks you out of receiving CGs if you can't stay within it. Second, players can flip tiles manually or set "markers" to snag multiple spots in a chain reaction -- if you can predict multiple locations, you'll create combos that give you more time. The game was designed for mainly two and three chains (as they have the greatest return in time investment), but advanced players can create a great score attack session by seeking the higher chains and no-miss bonus. A few levels are also engineered with "Secret Bonuses" which give massive points if you eliminate only the stars and none of the surrounding panels (an almost impossible task ordinarily). 

Two penalties can affect the player. The first penalty is if a player places a marker on the wrong spot -- they will lose some time. The second, and arguably worse penalty, is if they flip the wrong panel without a marker; while the player doesn't lose time, a negative explosion will occur that covers up panels that were previously exposed. What's worse, you won't get time for unearthing stars you already found. Time moves awfully fast either way, so you gotta "git guud". This would be fine, if the game wasn't so incredibly difficult, which probably accounts for the usually low score the game nets.

At a glance, the game appears impossible due to the "remixed" nature of the game. G.Rev made many additions to the game by adding a secret character, story modes, Arcade modes, many unlockable goods,  additional options, enhanced graphics and sound (with edited CGs), and mouse support (which is frankly the only way to stand a chance in the long haul outside of tweaked controller support). The problem? They removed the ability to continue, creating an absurdly high learning curve. The uninitiated will quit long before coming to terms with the mechanics... OH NO!!! 

The reality however, is that the game does, in fact, have continues, and most of the content can be unlocked by even beginners who persevere long enough. G.Rev, as if hearing player's pleas, put unlocking conditions on their site. Some features are unlocked through play time and others through losing, and players can unlock 3, 9, or 99 credits in time. Once you unlock at least 9 credits, you will have ample time to practice with less frustrations and become a competent player (clearing most modes using only a credit or two), but it doesn't change that some stages are unreasonably difficult due to their random nature and absurdly strict time limit.

The best unlockables are locked out to all but the most skilled players (or people willing to put in the time to create codes with a cheat device like the Game Shark), which I feel is a good incentive overall. I like it, even if it's kinda unfair and unbalanced. Enjoy.

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