We have some more formerly Japan-exclusive Switch Online action today, and I'm all for it. BACKGROUND:
Around the time I got into River City Ransom (also via Switch Online), I ended up reading more about it and was shocked to learn that those games were part of a much larger franchise centered around Kunio-kun (the main character of River City Ransom). Kunio-kun, as it turns out, stars in several other games outside of the beat-'em-ups I know him from, including Super Dodge Ball (which I also played via Switch Online) and this game. SUMMARY: This game is a series of four sports events that sees Kunio and his pals compete against three teams from other schools. I don't know if there's any more to that story since the cutscenes are in Japanese, but that's the basic gist. Gameplay is split into the aforementioned events: a race across town (which, amusingly, takes you through rooftops, the sewers, and someone's house), an obstacle course, an event where the participants race to climb a pole to break a party ball, and a free-for-all where all four members of each team try and beat the shit out of each other. The basic controls are the same throughout, and if you've played River City Ransom, it's pretty much the control scheme for that. There's no such thing as sportsmanship in these events, as you can take the time to kick the shit out of your opponents. This includes going out of your way to pick up weapons on the ground that you can use to your advantage. Violence is naturally the answer for the latter two events, but it's hilarious that you can wallop someone in the head so you can get ahead in the racing events. Prior to each event, you can switch between the various members of Kunio-kun's team. There's reason to do this, as their health carries over between events, and this is a good way to recover HP. You can certainly try to go the distance with just one person, but it might be an uphill battle as the damage stacks up. If you want to experience every event, you unfortunately have to win each one, which can be easier said than done against CPU players (who just seem to be faster than you either in terms of movement or attacking you). You also have to deal with quite a bit of screen flickering and lag, which makes wrestling with the controls much tougher than it already is. If you can gather a party of friends together, it's possible to play this with up to four players. I'm not sure how that affects the flow of the game, though I'd assume it just lets everyone play every event through to the end. VERDICT: Downtown Nekketsu March was amusing for what it was; while having to win every event just to experience them was not appealing, mixing in the beat-'em-up action I'm familiar with alongside otherwise unrelated sports events made for a fun diversion. I can't say I have any interest playing it again unless it's with other people, though. I feel like River City Ransom is the better entry point into the world of Kunio-kun since I think it's a more polished experience, but I think this game is worth trying at least once just to see how deep the rabbit hole goes for this franchise. My limited reading also tells me that this particular game is the most popular game in the series in Japan, so it kind of falls into "essential" territory for me based on that. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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