
The Game Boy Advance generation was a magnificent time for Nintendo in terms of first and third-party software releases. One of the quirkier and perhaps more innovative games released on the system during this period was Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand. It was developed and published by Konami and produced by the one and only Hideo Kojima before he was working on weirder titles like Death Stranding.
The Sun Is In Your Hand was a direct reference to the fact the game cartridge had a built-in photometric light sensor that could detect the sun's rays in real life. This unique feature was used to charge in-game solar weapons and meant the protagonist had the upper-hand against vampires during the daytime. It ended up being developed into a series, and to this day remains a one-of-a-kind concept.

Going back to the year of this game's release, the website Shmuplations recently translated a 2003 Nintendo Dream interview featuring the game's producer. In it, Kojima reveals how he actually wanted to include a sensor to measure the player's breath, but the rest of the team "hated" the idea.
Sometime last year, I think, I approached Shigeru Miyamoto at Nintendo and gave a presentation pitch. In the beginning then, it wasn’t just a sunlight sensor—I actually had wanted to include a sensor that measured how your breath smelled too! I *really* wanted to add that! The enemies are vampires, right? So if you ate something garlic-y and breathed on the mic, they’d all die. (laughs)
Guys, we have to do this!!” But the rest of the staff all hated the idea.
—I could see it being interesting. After you eat gyoza, you get a power boost. (laughs)
Kojima has certainly had some crazy ideas over the years, but this one might have just been the strangest of the lot. As neat as the sunlight sensor is, it's probably a good thing that the sensor measuring the player's breath wasn't incorporated.
Did you ever get the chance to play the first entry in this series? Leave a comment down below.
[source shmuplations.com]
Comments 25
I miss this game, it was interesting even though I eventually started cheating with a black light. lol
Wished they would find a way to bring it back, maybe it could use the Joycon's IR sensor?...I dunno.
Ahh, the one time often forgetting to brush my teeth would have actually had a benefit.
I loved this game. Would love to see the series continue.
Ha! Garlic is my jam, so I'd have been playing on Easy Mode!
Guess I would have beaten the game in an hour. I'm smelly like that.
"...produced by the one and only Hideo Kojima before he was working on obscure titles like Death Stranding."
I'm not sure Death Stranding qualifies as obscure.
Loved the series though the need for sunlight made things frustrating at times, needing garlic breath would’ve just been to much. Hope they’ll revive the series one day minus needing garlic breath.
@Elvie or that Boktai isn’t obscure, hahah. Boktai is up there with my all time favorites, but that light sensor really drove people away from it.
@Elvie Changed, to avoid further confusion.
Holy sh*t. I hate garlic. Could have been my only game with an "impossible" difficulty. :/
I remember when the Boktai series was referenced more than once in the Mega Man Battle Network games. I didn't learn until years later that it was a crossover. I only thought it was a popular thing in that series's universe. XD
This was one of my favorite games at the time. I was waiting for a sequel. Boktai and Golden Sun are two game series that had so much potential on Game Boy Advance. They could still be revived on Switch.
This seems like the type of gimmick Nintendo would attempt. It's a shame Kojima is in the Sony camp, he should be joining Nintendo and making weird games.
I will admit - I've been drinking tonight. Heavily. But this doesn't make a like of sense. And i don't think it would if I were sober.
@bert0503 it had two sequels on the GBA and at least one more on the DS, Lunar Knights. It's just that only the first was broadly marketed (even though Solid Snake shows up in the second one).
This is not surprising coming from the man who wants to create a game which if lost will have the disk eject itself from the system and catch on fire. A game that can only be played once, with one life, and knowing Kojima he will one day make that dream a reality.
Broke: Zelda Breath of the Wild
Woke: Wow, Zelda's breath is wild
@patbacknitro18 what are you talking about?
If there's one thing that can be said for certain about Kojima, it's that he's a highly creative fellow with a wild imagination.
Stupid idea only fit for a quack like Kojima
Such a Kojima idea.
I never knew this was a Kojima game, but that totally makes sense.
@m8e3point1415 Yeah he is truly the George Lucas of gaming.
Kojima, NO. Kojima, just because you have an OUT THERE idea doesn't mean it will be fun or good in a game. It's just OUT THERE. That's refreshing in a developer but damn can it be so ridiculous often.
I would've loved that!
That's a whole new level of immersion (didn't know there was a gba title with a light sensor)!
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