Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pocky & Rocky, or Kiki Kaikai, is a free-scrolling shoot 'em up from 1987, developed for arcades by Taito.
The game follows the adventures of "Sayo-chan", a young Shinto shrine maiden living in Feudal Japan. One night, while Sayo-chan is fanning a ceremonial fire, she is visited by the Seven Lucky Gods, who warn her of a great, impending danger. Suddenly, a band of mischievous youkai appear and kidnap the gods, quickly retreating to a faraway mountain range. Sayo-chan, determined to help the gods, sets off on a journey across the countryside, where she confronts a number of strange creatures from Japanese mythology, including obake, and yurei. After defeating several powerful youkai leaders, Sayo must battle their leader, the ancient serpent Orochi.
(credit: wikipedia)
A new Pocky & Rocky is being released in a couple of months, so I thought it was a good time to go through the original games. I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected to - the balance between the random and preset elements is really good, and helps keep every credit interesting.
I was really surprised by the lack of English info about this game on the internet. It's so old, but I couldn't find anything documenting the essential tricks for clearing it. That made me want to try making a "guide" that explains some of it. I don't think I did a particularly good job to be honest, but I at least covered the two most important things you'll need to know: how to manipulate 1UP spawns, and farming powerups from the enemy spawners. And I wanted to show how to complete the final stage without using the freeze glitch (as well as explaining how that works), since dying after the last blue orb means you won't be able to use it.
Anyway, I definitely recommend giving this game a shot, it's more fun than it looks. I played the PS4 Arcade Archives release on my PS5, but it's also available on the Switch.
PS4: store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0571-CUSA03721_00-HAMPRDC000000001
Switch: nintendo.com/store/products/arcade-archives-kiki-kaikai-switch
Chapters:
0:00 Stage 1
1:39 Stage 2
3:01 Stage 3
4:37 Stage 4
6:57 Stage 5
8:54 Stage 6
11:44 Stage 7
14:07 Stage 8
15:18 Ending & Credits
16:01 Extra 1UP (Stage 3)
16:34 Extra 1UP (Stage 4)
17:13 Extra 1UP (Stage 6)
17:41 Stage 8 Freeze Bug
-----
Beat 'em Ups (e.g. Final Fight): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvMhpG1GR9sk8OYiWQMZZTgl
2D Action (e.g. Metal Slug): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvNFjpnJ59Th6N0IU1PSpD3d
STG/Shmups (e.g. Dodonpachi): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFE6B3779BE759F71
Pocky & Rocky, or Kiki Kaikai, is a free-scrolling shoot 'em up from 1987, developed for arcades by Taito.
The game follows the adventures of "Sayo-chan", a young Shinto shrine maiden living in Feudal Japan. One night, while Sayo-chan is fanning a ceremonial fire, she is visited by the Seven Lucky Gods, who warn her of a great, impending danger. Suddenly, a band of mischievous youkai appear and kidnap the gods, quickly retreating to a faraway mountain range. Sayo-chan, determined to help the gods, sets off on a journey across the countryside, where she confronts a number of strange creatures from Japanese mythology, including obake, and yurei. After defeating several powerful youkai leaders, Sayo must battle their leader, the ancient serpent Orochi.
(credit: wikipedia)
A new Pocky & Rocky is being released in a couple of months, so I thought it was a good time to go through the original games. I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected to - the balance between the random and preset elements is really good, and helps keep every credit interesting.
I was really surprised by the lack of English info about this game on the internet. It's so old, but I couldn't find anything documenting the essential tricks for clearing it. That made me want to try making a "guide" that explains some of it. I don't think I did a particularly good job to be honest, but I at least covered the two most important things you'll need to know: how to manipulate 1UP spawns, and farming powerups from the enemy spawners. And I wanted to show how to complete the final stage without using the freeze glitch (as well as explaining how that works), since dying after the last blue orb means you won't be able to use it.
Anyway, I definitely recommend giving this game a shot, it's more fun than it looks. I played the PS4 Arcade Archives release on my PS5, but it's also available on the Switch.
PS4: store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0571-CUSA03721_00-HAMPRDC000000001
Switch: nintendo.com/store/products/arcade-archives-kiki-kaikai-switch
Chapters:
0:00 Stage 1
1:39 Stage 2
3:01 Stage 3
4:37 Stage 4
6:57 Stage 5
8:54 Stage 6
11:44 Stage 7
14:07 Stage 8
15:18 Ending & Credits
16:01 Extra 1UP (Stage 3)
16:34 Extra 1UP (Stage 4)
17:13 Extra 1UP (Stage 6)
17:41 Stage 8 Freeze Bug
-----
Beat 'em Ups (e.g. Final Fight): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvMhpG1GR9sk8OYiWQMZZTgl
2D Action (e.g. Metal Slug): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvNFjpnJ59Th6N0IU1PSpD3d
STG/Shmups (e.g. Dodonpachi): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFE6B3779BE759F71
