Geki Dokei-- 100 Oku Kaupaa No Onna Senshi Tachi -

If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. Released exclusively in Japan in 1997 by the now-defunct studio , Geki Dokei is part visual novel, part real-time strategy, and part surrealist fever dream. What’s in a Name? Let’s address the elephant in the room: the title. Geki Dokei translates to "Drama Clock" or "Striking Clock," referencing the game’s central mechanic – a ticking timer that dictates battle phases and emotional states. "100 Oku Kaupaa" means "10 Billion Coupar," the name of the game’s fictional currency/resource. And "Onna Senshi Tachi"? "The Female Warriors." Yes, the game is led by an all-female cast of time-manipulating soldiers. The Premise: Time is Money, and Money is Bullets The year is 2097. Earth’s governments have collapsed, replaced by chrono-corporations that harvest "Kairo Energy" from human emotional resonance. You play as Lilia C. Shard , a young commander in the all-female mercenary unit "Tempest Crown." Your mission: overthrow the tyrannical "Clockwork Regime" by mastering the art of Chrono Combat .

This system is deep, punishing, and rewarding. Do you keep your healer in a neutral state for balance, or push her into sorrow to unlock a resurrection spell? Every decision feels heavy because Coupar is finite, and the clock never stops. The character designs are by Takumi Ishimoto (known for his work on obscure OVAs like Gear Fighter Dendoh ). Expect flowing hair, impractical battle heels, and mechanical hourglasses embedded in their armor. The game’s art style mixes pre-rendered CGI backgrounds with hand-drawn sprites – a jarring but charming Saturn staple. Geki Dokei-- 100 Oku Kaupaa no Onna Senshi Tachi

But for those who dug in, it became a cult legend. The story – which involves time loops, cloning, and the true cost of "10 billion lives" – is genuinely moving. The final battle requires you to synchronize all five warriors’ emotions into a single "Resonance Strike," a moment of pure gaming catharsis. Original Saturn copies are rare (expect to pay ¥15,000–¥30,000 on Japanese auction sites). No official English translation exists, but fan translator group Shirokuma Translations released a 95% complete patch in 2022. Play it on an emulator (Beetle Saturn works best) or a modded console. Final Verdict Geki Dokei: 100 Oku Kaupaa no Onna Senshi Tachi is not for everyone. It’s obtuse, unforgiving, and proudly weird. But if you love hidden gems that reward patience with emotional depth and mechanical ingenuity, this clock is worth winding up. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone

– A masterpiece lost in time. Tick tock, commander. The 10 billion Coupar await. Let’s address the elephant in the room: the title

In the mid-1990s, the Sega Saturn was a haven for eccentric, experimental Japanese games. But even among classics like Sakura Wars and Panzer Dragoon , one title stands out as a truly bizarre, brilliant anomaly: Geki Dokei – 100 Oku Kaupaa no Onna Senshi Tachi (literally "Striking Clock – The 10 Billion Coupar Female Warriors" ).

The soundtrack, composed by (yes, that Yoko Kanno – before Cowboy Bebop made her famous), is a haunting blend of orchestral sweeps, jazzy interludes, and digital clocks ticking. The main battle theme, "Tick of Fate," is widely considered one of the most underrated VGM tracks of the era. Why It Failed (And Why You Should Play It) Geki Dokei was a commercial disaster. It released two weeks before Final Fantasy VII in Japan. The complex mechanics scared casual players. The all-female cast turned off certain demographics (their loss). And the manual was 80 pages long, with a foldout flowchart just to explain the Emotion Gauge.