*Pi Nuo Cao De Fu Su*, more widely recognized by its translated title *The Resurrection of Pinocchio*, stands as a fascinating relic of the Taiwanese unlicensed development scene, specifically crafted by the prolific studio NTDEC. Unlike many bootleg titles of the 8-bit era that were mere asset flips or simple hacks, this platformer attempts a unique, albeit surreal, expansion of the classic fairy tale. The translated version allows international players to finally navigate the surprisingly coherent story beats, revealing a game that leans heavily on the mechanical foundations of early 8-bit giants while injecting a level of "kusoge" charm that only a gray-market developer could provide.
The gameplay loop involves Pinocchio navigating through varied environments, utilizing a bubble-projectile attack to dispatch enemies ranging from standard forest creatures to truly nightmarish original sprites. Control-wise, the game suffers from the floaty physics and imprecise collision detection common in non-standard Famicom releases, requiring a significant amount of "input-compensation" and patience from the player. Despite these technical shortcomings, the level design shows a degree of ambition, featuring multi-layered stages and boss encounters that, while frequently frustrating, demonstrate a clear effort to move beyond a simple Mario or Megaman clone.
Visually, the title is a mixed bag of vibrant, potentially "borrowed" palettes and original, albeit amateurish, sprite work that gives the game a dreamlike, unsettling quality. The music is perhaps the most divisive element, characterized by high-pitched, repetitive loops that test the limits of the NES's sound chip and the player’s nerves alike. However, for enthusiasts of obscure hardware history, the translated patch breathes new life into a title that was once a mysterious curiosity, transforming it into a playable, if deeply flawed, window into the 1990s Asian gaming black market.
