I believe that everyone has played the Famicom version of “The Magic Taoist”. Anyone who has played it will know that this game is actually an allusion to Lin Zhengying’s movie “Mr. Zombie”! Recently, a player changed this game back and created a culture, reconnecting it with the classic Hong Kong movie “Mr. Zombie”!
FC works that have been “deauthorized”
This game was first launched in Japan under the name “Phantom Taoist”. It was originally an officially authorized adaptation of the 1985 Hong Kong movie “Mr. Zombie”. The jumping zombies, Taoist priests and spell culture in the game are all from that classic horror comedy movie. Even the game poster features Lam Ching-ying.
However, when the game was launched, the authorization was removed, the character name, settings and related elements were all cleared, and it was finally renamed “Phantom Fighter” (US version). To players back then, it was just a “Chinese-style ghost-fighting game” and they had no idea that it was actually a movie adaptation.
Revised ROM hack to find your true identity
ROM hack launched this time It is based on the English translation of the Japanese version of “The Fantasy Taoist”, and replenishes the authorized elements that were removed back then, including character names, terms, logos and movie settings, all returning to the world view of “Mr. Vampire” (English Mr. Vampire).
To put it simply, players no longer just play a vague “ghost warrior”, but play the role of Lin Zhengying’s real Taoist priest against zombies, rediscovering the cultural background and atmosphere that should have existed!
It’s a pity that there is only an English version. I hope there will be a Chinese version based on this revision soon!
The gameplay remains the same, but the atmosphere is completely different.
In terms of gameplay, the ROM hack does not change the core content. The game is still a side-scrolling action format. Players shuttle between villages, enter houses to explore, and fight stiff and beating zombies. They can also advance by upgrading abilities and going to temples to restore their status.
What really changes is the overall context and presentation. The revised dialogue, character names and visual elements make the entire game closer to the horror comedy style of “Mr. Zombie”, rather than the vague and general “mysterious Eastern ghost” setting of the overseas version.
For players who have only played the Japanese version of “Spiritual Taoist”, this is almost like getting to know an old game again, only to suddenly realize that it was actually a movie adaptation all along, but the traces of it were deliberately removed!