Hanging Tough- Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble Review

If only my senior class trip was as exciting as Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble. Pitifully, my pugilistic catharsis was limited to dropping a handful of quarters down the coin slots of Double Dragon and Final Fight machines. On the contrary, the youth of the aforementioned title participate in a bare-knuckled battle for supremacy across Japan’s prefectures; an infinitely cooler scenario. Thanks to Atlus USA’s recent localization, now I can vicariously enjoy this bastard child of Battle Royale and Rebel Without a Cause.

At the commencement of Badass Rumble, the protagonist arrives in Kyuoto (the game inexplicably alters city names) hell-bent on kicking ass, rather than engaging in the activities more customary among tourists. Our hero’s ambitions are not unique- it seems there’s a considerable amount of teenagers who share the same aspirations. It’s up to the player to conquer a rival from each prefecture before the title’s seven day time span expires.

The title’s charms emanate from a spirited translation and a careful preservation of the game’s setting. Whereas many publishers might have tried to transplant the street struggles to American soil, Atlus successfully captured the game’s Japanese quirkiness. Part of the fun is learning the game’s lingo: a ‘bancho’ is a tough guy or leader, while ‘Kenka’ is a word that means fighting. Each of the title’s loading screens present flash card-like tutorials, which brilliantly mask any pauses in the action.

Once players take to the city streets, heated stares are initiated with the right shoulder button, which shoot sparkling laser beams out of the player’s eyes. Gazes upon wandering tourists may initiate a money drop, or if focused against local goons, instigate a battle of words. Trash talking is a timed mini-game where players must piece together fragments of a put-down which correspond to each of the PSP’s face buttons. If gamers are successful they get to land the first punch, while a miscalculation results in the antagonists knocking the player down. It’s an amusing diversion that can be skipped entirely with a zealous strike.

The principal problem with most beat-‘em-ups, is the inevitable fatigue derived from using the same sets of kicks, punches, and grapples. Kenka Bancho overcomes this quandary by adding a light role-playing framework on top of the skirmishes. Vanquishing foes allows players to level up- not only augmenting their characters stats, but allowing them to add new fighting moves to their repertoire. Sadly, the actual fighting is not as precise as it should be. Although not a deal breaker, players will be thrashing their CPU protégés nearly as often as their opponents, and sporadically missing targets wildly. When you do connect, beating foes into a lifeless pulp is pleasing thanks to the game’s uncomplicated control scheme.

Graphically, Badass Rumble is competent with expressive face textures, and proficient animation. Seeing banchos sulk about with their hand in their pockets skillfully conveys the title’s rebellious vibe. Being able to customize the protagonist’s attire and hairstyle might add a bit of appeal to some, especially since your customized appearance is maintained in the game’s plentiful cutscenes. It’s difficult to not enjoy a game that let player don a giant banana suit.