Takeshi no Chousenjou

Overview

Takeshi no Chousenjou (loosely translated to "Written Challenge of Takeshi", known in-game as Chousenjou FROM BEAT TAKESHI, and better known outside of Japan as Takeshi's Challenge) is a comedic action-adventure side-scrolling platformer developed and published by Taito for the Family Computer exclusively in Japan on December 10, 1986.

It was designed by Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (under his stage name Beat Takeshi) and is infamous for its masochistic design philosophies, as noted in the game's box artwork (where "common sense does not exist"). Normally progressing through the game requires much trial and error, forcing players to perform a specific yet ambiguous set of actions (with many chances of making the endgame unreachable).

Players control a simple salaryman in a fictional Japanese city. Through its open world sandbox gameplay structure (one of the earliest games to do so), players can freely roam around the city and let the salaryman interact with people (including his family and his boss) and places (including a pachinko parlor, a karaoke bar, and a bank). The game also includes the ability to attack pedestrians and other NPCs (triggering a police chase if the player murders an NPC). Through a certain set of actions, the salaryman can quit his daily routine and seek treasure in an island in the South Pacific. The game also has immersive sim elements and interactive environments.

The game was later digitally re-released in Japan for the Wii (via Virtual Console) on March 31, 2009.