Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou - Wacky Fights

HAZ CLIC AQUÍ PARA LEER ESTA ENTRADA EN ESPAÑOL.

Hello everyone! So did you try already Oceanhorn, the “love letter” the indie Finnish team Cornfox & Bros dedicated to the Zelda series? If you love the Zelda series as much as the Finnish team seems to do, you should definitely give it a try. In this new entry I’m going to go back to the 2D fighting genre with a game that can be found among the catalogue of Sony’s legendary PlayStation 2. The game is called (catch your breath) Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou. Let’s see what this wacky game hidden in the endless sea of titles available for Sony’s multimillion-selling machine has to offer.

Developed in 2006 exclusively for the PlayStation 2 by Noise Factory, a Japanese team who has collaborated several times with SNK over the years, and released only in Japan, Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou is one of the latest entries in Atlus long running Power Instinct series, a 2D fighting series which humble beginnings date back to 1993, and that has always remained in the shadows in the west despite being relatively popular among Japanese 2D fighting fans. In fact, Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku is the direct sequel to Shin Gouketsuji Ichizoku: Toukon Matrimelee, one of the last titles to be released for SNK’s legendary Neo Geo. However, since the PS2 game uses most of the characters, stages and gameplay mechanics we could find in the Neo Geo title, it is often considered more of an updated version than an actual new game. For those that don’t know this series, it is important to mention that if there is something this veteran series has always been known for, that is for its hilarious sense of humor, something that is reflected on every single aspect of the game, starting by its unique “story”. The king of an unspecified kingdom is worried about his little baby princess Sissy, who recently seems to be always all sad and gloomy, so daddy decides to organize a fighting tournament to cheer up his little princess. I mean, what else could cheer up a princess? A pony? A new dress? Really guys, sometimes you are all so predictable… In order to attract the participants, the king states that winner of the tournament will be rewarded with anything they want (aside of the throne), and so the best fighters gather in order to compete for the prize. Well the best… and also the weirdest. I already warn you that, if you are looking for your typical cool karate man or sexy ninja chick, you will struggle to find a character you like. Now, if you have a thing for “things that are different”, you are going to love Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku’s roster, for it includes one of the most… “unique” rosters you might ever come around in a fighting game, be it because of the characters behavior, appearance or a combination of both. The game includes 16 playable characters. The characters are:

                                                               Angela                                                               Anny

                                       Chinnen                                                               Clara

Jomon                                               Kanji

Keith                                                                       Kintaro

Buntaro                                                      Shintaro

Olof                                            Reiji

                                                       White Buffalo                                     Saizou

Bobby Strong

(final boss)

As a curiosity, it is worth to mention that the last boss of the game, known as Bonny Strong, is in fact the parody version of Bobby Ologun, a real Nigerian mixed martial artist turned comedian that resides in Japan and that appears often as a guest in several Japanese TV variety programs, and for all of you who have ever watched a Japanese TV program, you know what that could imply. However, with Atlus series being what it is, good Bobby will perform all kind of wacky attacks that have nothing to do with mixed martial arts, for, as I mentioned before, in this series there is only place for the most eccentric characters (yes, I’m looking at you Guilty Gear). Luckily (or perhaps unfortunately depending on how you look at it), Noise Factory title’s gameplay is much more mundane that it’s unique characters. The game makes use of a four button layout, with two buttons assigned to the weak and strong punches, and another two used for the weak and strong kicks. Of course, the game will also allow us to perform all the typical actions we can often find in the genre, such as throws, running or double jumps. The game includes also the typical power gauge, this time known as Stress Gauge, which will fill up during the combats, allowing us to stock up to three gauges that will allow us to perform the strongest attacks of each character. Every time we fill up one of our Stress Gauge levels, the character will release an energy aura ala Dragon Ball that will make the character invincible for a few seconds on top of damaging the rivals if they are too close. Characters will also be able to transform for a few seconds, which will allow them to boost their powers. Finally, the game includes also a card system that will allow us to equip the characters with the cards we will obtain in the game, thus allowing us to add new skills to the characters.

Regarding the game modes, the game includes all the modes you could expect from a game back at its time, which means there aren’t actually that many. Therefore, once we are in the main menu of the game, we will find the typical Single Mode in which we will face a series of characters controlled by the CPU till we finally face Bobby, a Versus Mode that will allow us to fight against other players via local multiplayer matches or against characters controlled by the CPU, a Mission Mode in which we will have to defeat our rivals while fulfilling certain conditions, and finally we have the Multiplayer Mode, which was only available in Japan and has now been discontinued, so actually is like there is no online multiplayer at all.


As for the game’s presentation, Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku is still a rather flashy game for a 2006 title, however, it is obvious it is one step (or two) behind the giants of the genre, especially when compared to the most recent titles, which makes complete sense if we keep in mind that the game is reusing most of the graphic material from SNK’s 2003 original title, although the game does include certain graphics enhancements. The characters models are all well crafted, displaying a fair amount of detail and fluid animations, however, when it comes to the stages where the combats will take place, this is probably one of the weakest points in the game, for they are rather scarce, although the ones included feature unique places such a Japanese idol concert or a shop in Akihabara (otakus queuing to play included). One of the things that stand out the most from the game’s presentation is its soundtrack, full of vocal tracks that seem taken directly from a Japanese anime series or the background music in any shop in Akihabara.

Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou is definitely a different game, a title that never takes itself too seriously, but that is precisely the strongest point of Noise Factory’s game, for its bizarre humor sense is what helps it to set itself apart from the rest, giving as a result a game that, although it does not innovate, it will surely please the fans of the genre that decide to give it a chance with its solid system (on top of provoking a few laughs). So, if you are looking for a new 2D fighting game, Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou could definitely be the perfect chance to dust off your PlayStation 2. It might not be a perfect game, but it surely has a lot of personality, even if it’s a strange one. Have fun (literally)!


GAMEPLAY VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yV75SWsmHY