Hercules (Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt)

Hercules (헤라클레스 Helakeulleseu), known in Japan as Gottsān, is a major antagonist and boss in Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt. The muscle of bandit group Skull and responsible for helping steal the titular treasure, he is the game’s first boss and is located at the port town Aden, with Alibabaroa and Duke Kupa as his subordinates. He later shows up as a regular enemy in the last stage alongside his fellow bosses.

Personality & Abilities
Hercules is a musclehead who is proud of his brawn, and always turns to it whenever a job needs to be done, be it stealing treasure (as seen in the game’s demo) or crushing his enemies. Like his companions, he loves riches, and is determined to keep the stolen treasure out of anyone else’s hands.

Hercules’ boss battle is a duel of strength to determine who can crush the other with a steel wall, which has been placed between him and the player. The player must rapidly tap a button (any button will do) to push Hercules into the flashing zone within 12 seconds. If the player runs out of time or gets crushed, they lose a life and the battle restarts with additional time added. After the battle, Hercules escapes in his monster truck, initiating the bonus stage.

Hercules returns in the last stage of the game as a normal enemy, and four games must be cleared to defeat him. In Original Mode, he will use his strength to shake the ground and speed up the game selection cursor, though after the first three games are cleared he becomes exhausted and the cursor slows down. He also makes an appearance in the background of the final boss battle, cheering on the King Shark.

Trivia

 * Hercules’ name is a reference to the mythical Greco-Roman hero of the same name, who is famous for his immense strength and many adventures.
 * Much like the other bosses of Puzzle & Action: Treasure Hunt, the design and personality of Hercules is a reference to a member of the Doronbo Gang from the popular anime series Yatterman. In Hercules’ case, he is modeled after Tonzura, as the two share a short and top-heavy body shape and are the brawn of their respective groups.