Lost In Translation/Liquid Kids

From ExoticA
Out Run (Arcade version)
Out Run (Sinclair ZX Spectrum version)

This page is a stub for arcade games that are part of the Lost In Translation series using information based on MAME (version 0.113u2).
For an example of preferred content and layout please refer to Out Run or The Ninja Warriors.


Liquid Kids
Liquid Kids marquee.
No screen shot.
Manufacturer Taito Corporation Japan
Released 1990
Control
Method
8-way Joystick
2 Button(s)
Main CPU 68000 (@ 12.000 MHz)
Z80 (@ 4.000 MHz)
Sound CPU Stereo
YM2610 (@ 8.000 MHz)
Video
Details
Raster (Horizontal)
320 x 224 pixels
60.00 Hz
4,096 Palette colours
Screens 1
ROM Info 9 ROMs
2,686,976 bytes (2.56 MiB)
MAME ID liquidk · liquidku · mizubaku

About The Game

Liquid Kids is an incredibly cute and colourful single player platform game from the same stable that brought the classic "Bubble Bobble", "New Zealand Story" and "Rainbow Islands" to the gaming world.

Liquid Kids features 'Hipopo the Hippo', a Hippopotamus who must fight his way through a large number of enemy-packed levels in search of his missing girlfriend - rescuing other hippo-like creatures along the way. Hipopo is armed with magical water globes which can be thrown at enemies to freeze and damage them. Once frozen, the enemies can then be kicked and destroyed completely. The water attack works in a very similar fashion to the water attack bubbles of another Taito classic, 1986's "Bubble Bobble".

The level design is superb and makes full use of the game's water theme; with moving platforms, collapsible floors, boats and water-wheels all making an appearance. Small plants also appear on certain levels which can be watered, causing them to grow and creating new platforms.

Trivia

This game is known in Japan as "Mizubaku Daibouken".

Hipopo, the main character, appears in "Bubble Symphony" as a special character and in "Bubble Memories" as a giant bonus item. One of the secret rooms is built in the image of Tiki, the kiwi bird from "The New Zealand Story".

A port of Liquid Kids was planned for release on the Commodore Amiga by Manchester's 'Ocean Software', but despite the game being completed, the publishers decided that Liquid Kids would fail at retail and its release was cancelled. The Amiga version's lead programmer finally released the code to the Amiga community in 2003, allowing gamers to enjoy what was a very accomplished conversion.

As with many Taito games, Liquid Kids forbids the initials 'SEX' being entered on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed to 'H'.

Zuntata Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Zuntata History L'ab-normal 1st - ZTTL-0038) on 01/04/1999.

Updates

The US version is slightly different, it has the "Winners Don't Use Drugs" screen.

Tips and tricks

Teddy Bear Cheat

In the demo mode during the attract mode, press 20 times the bubble button and a cute picture of a bear will appear in the right bottom of the screen.

Cabinet and Artwork

Ports

Consoles
NEC PC-Engine (1992)
Sega Saturn (1998)
Microsoft XBOX (2006, "Taito Legends 2")
Sony PlayStation 2 (2006, "Taito Legends 2")
Computers
Commodore Amiga ("Liquid Kids", Unpublished, Ocean)
PC [CD-ROM] (2006, "Taito Legends 2")


The contents of this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
The sources used include MAME (version 0.113u2) and history.dat (revision 1.28 - 2008-10-18).
Please see http://www.arcade-history.com for credits.