Chouzetsu Rinjin Bravoman
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
Clumsier than MegaMan and uglier than Bomberman, not quite
as resourceful as Pac Man and certainly not as charismatic
as the one and only ShubibinMan, Bravoman may not seem like
a particularly awe-inspiring superhero upon first making his
acquaintance. Don't write him off, however; this rather
silly looking fellow has a few tricks up his sleeve with
which he can defeat even the most diabolical of video game
villains. His most impressive power, of course, is his
ability to stretch out his limbs to absurd lengths - thus
allowing him to wallop evildoers that happen to be just a
few feet out of his normal range. Of course, most other
superheroes simply take a few steps forward in order to
solve this dilemma (either that or they pack a long-range
weapon which really makes their lives a lot easier), but the
courageous Bravoman still managed to nab a part in his very
own video game - despite his unimpressive powers.
Unfortunately, the game itself is just as mundane as its
not-so-super superhero, although some of its many flaws
actually contribute to the moderate level of enjoyability
that can be salvaged from it.
Bravoman is a relatively standard side-scrolling action
game. You assume the role of the spectacular Bravoman and
utilize his incredible stretching techniques to beat up
evildoers as you plod through one stage after another.
Bravoman was apparently called away from his home planet of
Alfa to thwart the malicious plans of the daunting Dr. Bomb,
who himself is a poor man's Dr. Wily with what looks like an
enormous mushroom growing out of the top of his head. As a
matter of fact, the entire game, with its cartoonish
appearance and robotic villains, is somewhat reminiscent of
Capcom's line of MegaMan games, although Bravoman clearly
lacks the depth and detail that can be found in any given
episode if that famous series.
Possibly because he realized his own limitations, Bravoman
decided to bring some friends along for his exhilarating
adventure. One of his pals is a slender, strange-looking
robot named Lottery Man. Despite his odd appearance, you'll
more than likely be quite happy when Lottery Man appears, as
he drops off random goodies for Bravoman to pick up,
including food that replenishes our hero's health meter.
Bravoman's other pal is an annoying fellow who swoops on in
every now and then to offer some useless commentary or ask
exceedingly stupid questions (Do you think that this
tremendous, angry-looking robot at the end of the level will
want to be our friend or not??). Among the game's most
amusing elements is the option to beat up on your two
friends whenever they appear. Especially entertaining are
the insults that Lottery Man hurls your way as you smack him
around. Interestingly enough, the beleaguered robot will
eventually refuse to give you food if you continue to pound on him.
While most of the stages in Bravoman simply require that you
stroll along from left to right beating up bad guys, you'll
occasionally need to take care of some business underwater.
For these particular levels, Bravoman shows off his other
impressive power - the ability to transform himself into a
submarine of sorts. The game play then drastically shifts
from beat 'em-up to shoot 'em-up, and the variety is quite
welcome, although the shooter stages in Bravoman are
anything but intense. If nothing else, they at least provide
a brief break from the tedious fighting action.
The controls for Bravoman are laid out quite well, although
it will probably take some time to get used to the ways in
which Bravo himself moves and acts. During the fighting
stages, Button I is used to make Bravoman jump, while Button
II causes our lanky hero to attack. Simple enough, although
the method of attack (or rather the limb that Bravo attacks
with) is dependent upon Bravo's positioning and your work
with the control pad. Pressing and releasing Button II will
throw a short jab, while holding the button down will cause
Bravo to throw a long, extended punch. Pressing up on the
control pad while attacking will result in a kick that is
aimed upwards, while ducking down and pushing Button II will
cause Bravo to extend his neck and actually attack with his
rock-solid cranium. For the underwater levels, Button II is
used to shoot missiles while Button I drops bombs (the feel
of these sequences is quite reminiscent of the classic
shooter, Fantasy Zone).
The graphics in Bravoman are extremely disappointing and do
absolutely nothing to elevate the mundane game play. The
beat ?em-up stages all look somewhat fuzzy and, although
colorful, the locales themselves are sparsely detailed.
Considering that the game was designed way back in the Video
Game Stone Age (1988), it's easy to understand why
Bravoman's visuals don't quite measure up to those in 16-bit
titles that were released a few years later. What is
unforgivable, however, is the blatant use of the exact same
nondescript backgrounds in different levels. After a while,
you'll realize that you're experiencing the same three or
four backdrops with tougher enemies (all of the underwater
levels look exactly the same), which has a severe effect on
the game's replay value. Who would ever want to come back
for more if you essentially experience every stage three or
four times in a single sitting anyway?
The enemy cast is also rather disappointing when you
consider that Bravoman is about three times bigger than
ninety percent of his foes. What kind of superhero picks on
villains that aren't even half his size? Bravo himself is
pretty big and carries himself well in his strange blue
outfit with its funny little cape, but it's difficult to
even make out what any of the enemy attackers actually are
due to their small size and fuzzy appearances. For the most
part, you'll be dealing with what appear to be tiny tanks,
flying toasters, and midget ninjas. It's interesting (and
somewhat curious) to note that Bravoman can only hit a
single enemy with any given technique, even though his
attack may extend through three or four villains at once.
It's a bit amusing to see the word ?Bang!? appear on the
screen when Bravo decks a troublesome evildoer; they should
have included a ?Pow!? or a ?Zap!? while they were at it, as
in those old Batman episodes.
Much like the visuals, the music in Bravoman is extremely
repetitive and not at all impressive. The same few tracks
play throughout the game, and none of them are particularly
pleasant to the ears. Most of the tunes are rather upbeat
and go well with the colorful, cartoonish appearance of the
game, although the 'jolly' atmosphere established by
Bravoman's superficials really doesn't benefit the game
play. Sound are limited to your typical shots and
explosions, although the designers did decide to include
some awfully muddled voice effects. Every single time that
Bravo uses an extended attack, he yells out the word
'Bravo!' Needless to say, this gets extremely irritating
before long. Also, in between each level, you are treated to
a portrait of handsome Dr. Bomb, while a voice proclaims 'I
am Dr. Bomb!' Why he feels the need to introduce himself
after each and every level is beyond me. Well, at least
those 16-bit capabilities are truly being put to good use in
this game...
Perhaps the area where this game needs the most work is its
dialogue. This may very well represent one of the absolute
worst translation jobs of all time. Thankfully, the many
textual goofs actually make the game a heck of a lot more
entertaining. Errors range from amusing little statements
like, 'HELLO I'm JAPANESE TELEPHONE BOX? to horrifying
abominations like, 'MY LOVERY FOLLOWERS... YOU... I WILL GET
EVEN WITH THEM IN TIME.'
Yes, that is an exact quote.
As repetitive and uninspired as it is, Bravoman is actually
a relatively enjoyable game... for a while. The translation
errors and the humorous remarks made by Lottery Man are
rather entertaining, but the game play is still unforgivably
tedious. You'd do well to give Bravoman a chance, as it will
probably give you a good laugh, if nothing else. However,
you?d be better off playing someone else's copy rather than
purchasing it yourself, as a silly superhero and his
unoriginal video game will probably only hold your interest
for so long before you are completely sick of them.
Overall: 5 out of 10
OR
Debt Help - Free Credit Report - Mortgages - Loans - Cheap Flights 