Developer/Publisher: Atlus
Genre: Action/Fighting
Price: $39.99 (Also Available on PSN November 12th)
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: Buy It. Now.
Pros: Quirky humor and style in spades, Japanese culture abounds
Cons: Glorifies violence
Kenka Bancho will beat your ass and you will like it. Well, not really. It won’t actually beat your ass, and it’s not a difficult game to play, by any means. But you WILL like it. This is a fascinating game, full of odd touches (giant banana suit, anyone?) and incomprehensible Japanese cultural references that are JUST out of reach of my own experience, lending this whole game an air of surreality mixed with a little hyperreatlity. When’s the last time you grabbed a pork dumpling (which functions as a health potion) from a mini mart and had the clerk bow to you when you purchase it? For me, the answer is never. Until now.
Laced with humor and a sly, almost self-deprecating irony, Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble purports to be a game about masculinity. I feel that it’s much much more. Almost satirical in its treatment of the subject of Banchos, the local badasses, this PSP game is one that really intrigues and beckons me to play it.
The story is this: players take on the role of Takashi Sakamoto, a tough James Dean-esque loner who speaks with grunts and fists, who is on a school trip to famous Japanese temples. The teens check into a local inn and are scheduled to see all sorts of historical and cultural sights. What does Takashi want to do? Beat everyone’s ass and become the baddest Bancho of them all. The “gotta beat them all” is reminiscent of No More Heroes’ plotline of top assassin, brought to a younger generation. Did I say reminiscent? I meant to say, completely borrowed from, as our protagonist is a lone male, staying in a hotel, and rising to the top of a violent sub-culture within an urban setting. All jokes aside, that’s where the similarities end. In Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble, the main storyline involves moving from boss battle to boss battle, keeping out of trouble with the law and the school chaperones, and trying to figure out why that cute chick just really likes you, regardless of what a punk ass fool you act like.
The fighting mechanic plays out in three parts: the stare down (complete with plasma energy shooting from each combatant’s eyes), the trash talking, and then the beat down. The stare down is activated with the right shoulder button, and is the way to challenge non-boss fighters you may pass on the street. If you have already beaten the boss that matches the henchmen, they’ll bow to you, or fall down in humiliation. If not, they’ll fight. Which takes the player to the next stage of each fight: trash talk. These are fun sayings like “Taste my fist,” or “Your mother fights better than you.” Read the saying, then hit the corresponding button as it flashes on the screen. It’s like an odd multiple choice test with consequences: choose all three phrases correctly and Takashi will get the first punch. Miss one (and the time given to pick each phrase speeds up over the game), and the opponent will get the first punch. The time given to hit the right button decreases as players move up in rank, and the number of items to choose from on each screen increases.
The beat down is the fighting mechanic. The square and triangle buttons are used for punching and kicking, with a number of combos and upgrades to fighting style available. Slaps, elbows, flying kicks and other fancy fighting moves leave me feeling, well, like a badass. Fighting styles get upgraded in each region, allowing you to learn different moves with which you can kick even more ass. As the game continues, Bancho Soul points are granted, and the character levels up, allowing players to add skill points to attack, speed, defense, stamina, etc. All of these have a bearing on the outcome of a fight, and the higher bosses tend to need higher stats. Players getting beat down by boss banchos will need to strategize their upgrades.
The game also plays like a mini-Japanese cultural ambassador: loading screens and shops are full of Japanese foods and cultural references. Terms like Uma are described in the loading screens while the heath and energy potions are in the form of Japanese delicacies and sweets. Red bean paste, anyone? It’s a lovingly-crafted ode to the Japanese culture, in all its quirkiness and style, history and newness.
Moving from area to area happens with taxis, buses, and subways, not to mention just plain old running (watch your stamina!) from place to place. There are so many places to explore, that I find myself just hopping on the subway or bus to see new areas. There are plenty of fights to be had in each area, guaranteeing a plethora of dropped Yen and power-up items. There are gift, snack, and clothing stores to keep you healthy and stylish, while your inn room functions as your sleep/save/load/change clothes hub. In-game messages are communicated via email on your cell phone, which can also double as a lifeline when you get into a bad scrape. All the banchos that you have defeated will give you their number, allowing you to call on them when needed. They show up, beat down the current baddies with you, and stick around until they themselves are defeated. Build yourself a mini posse!
And, if that’s not enough to warrant your $40, there’s a great storyline with love interests, teen angst, and plenty of hormonal male adolescent taunting and attitude. Now, given all that praise, what’s not to like about Kenka Bancho? Well, the graphics are a bit basic, though the animations are fluid. The character models tend to all look the same, both henchmen and city dwellers. The music is competent, but not compelling, and only plays during fights. The movements, especially at first, before Takashi’s speed is upgraded, are slow and stiff, and players used to quick fighting response will be disappointed. None of this is a deal-breaker, however.
Bottom line? This game is well worth your time and money. It’s full of interesting and fun gameplay, a funky storyline and a fully Japanese cultural outlook. It’s well-appreciated in small, on the go bursts of gameplay, which the PSP and PSP Go excel at, especially with the simple sleep function of these devices. If you’re looking for a unique game for your portable device, you’ll not go wrong picking this game up, either via UMD or the PSN, starting November 10 (11/12/09 for the PSN version).
Popularity: unranked [?]
