Keitai Denjū Telefang
A Japanese RPG series where players call creatures via mobile phone.
Keitai Denjū Telefang is a series of role-playing video games developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. and published by Smilesoft, released exclusively in Japan on November 3, 2000 for the Game Boy Color. The series is notable for its unique mechanic of using a mobile phone-like device to contact creatures called Denjū for battle, and for being released in two versions: Power Version and Speed Version.
- Developer
- Natsume Co., Ltd.
- Publisher
- Smilesoft
- Platform
- Game Boy Color
- Release Date
- November 3, 2000
- Genre
- Role-playing video game
- Versions
- Power Version and Speed Version
- Sequel
- Keitai Denjū Telefang 2 (April 26, 2002, Game Boy Advance)
Lore & Background
The games take place in the year 2020, where special mobile phones called D-Shots allow teleportation through antenna trees. The protagonist of the first game, Shigeki, a 10-year-old boy, is accidentally transported to the Denjū world with another boy, Matsukiyo, after losing a baseball near an antenna tree. Shigeki becomes a T-Fanger and explores the Denjū world, becoming involved in plots involving evil Denjū and other humans. The sequel follows Kyō, a blue-haired 10-year-old T-Fanger, who travels to the Denjū world to find his missing father, accompanied by his friend Midori. Kyō must stop the Denjū Diablos from destroying all antenna trees, which would trap him in the Denjū world forever.
Reader's Guide
Keitai Denjū Telefang holds significance as a niche Japanese RPG that introduced a novel calling mechanic, where players collect phone numbers of Denjū to summon them in battle. Its two-version release (Power and Speed) with exclusive creatures mirrored the popular model of contemporary monster-collecting games. The series' gameplay features a top-down perspective, a vulnerability chain among habitat types (Mountain, Sky, Forest, Aquatic, Desert, Grassland), and a speed-based turn system where faster Denjū can act multiple times. Evolution occurs through natural training, modified evolution with items, or experimental evolution using DNA. The sequel refined mechanics by separating offensive and defensive types and introducing a DP meter for special attacks. Despite never being released outside Japan, the games gained a cult following through fan translations and are remembered for their unique premise and creature designs.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Telefang' combines 'keitai' (Japanese for mobile phone) and 'fang' to symbolize the beasts.
- Denjū from distant areas take longer to arrive in battle because they get lost, and may not show up at all.
- In Keitai Denjū Telefang, evolution is permanent, but in the sequel, non-natural evolution can be reversed.
- The vulnerability chain goes: Mountain to Sky, Sky to Forest, Forest to Aquatic, Aquatic to Desert, Desert to Grassland, Grassland to Mountain.
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