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Despite its reputation as the
undisputed king of 2D games, the Saturn has never had a
side-scrolling action platform title that you could truly call
a classic. Games like Rayman and Astal certainly
looked nice, but they lacked the charm
and nuanced gameplay that kept players so faithful to the
Super Mario Bros. series. despite its dated
appearance.
 As you'd
expect from the sequel to the wacky Sega CD shooter Keio
Flying Squadron, Keio Yuugekitai definitely has the
personality that those other Saturn side-scrollers were
missing. The full-motion video introduction alone is a riot...
when the diabolical raccoon dog Dr. Pon threatens Rami's
family, her GRANDFATHER springs into action and dons her
famous Playboy bunny outfit! Things just get weirder
from there, as Rami faces off against everything from
head-poppin' priests to jet-propelled pagodas. Even the
game's lead programmer gets a crack at our kinkily dressed
heroine, hidden behind a series of increasingly bizarre
masks.
All this is brought to you in
glorious Nihon-o-vision™, so you know the graphics and sound
are top-notch. The animation ranks up there as some of
the best you'll find on the
Saturn, with Rami putting boundless enthusiasm
into every step and swing of her massive pink mallet.
There's plenty going on in the background too, with
each level set alight with lush colors and special
effects once thought impossible on Sega's
notoriously stubborn hardware. The spectacular
visuals are paired with a soundtrack that adds a
gentle touch of comedy to the somber rhythm of
traditional Japanese
instruments. Ambient sounds like the
chirping of birds and bubbles escaping from the ocean
floor strengthen the bond between stage and song, making
the music a key part of the experience. The combination
of dreamy wave effects and a soothing lullaby in the
underwater level is so mesmerizing that you'll never want to come up for air!
There's just one thing missing
from Keio Yugekitai... technique. Hidden areas are a
rarity, and Rami doesn't have many options when fighting Dr.
Pon and his legions; just a close-quarters weapon and the
usual head stomp you've come to expect from platformers since
the first Super Mario Bros. Just
like Nintendo's plump plumber, Rami is a two hit
wonder... once she's stripped of her weapon, the bunny-eared
bimbo is easy pickins for her opponents. Rami can pick
up most of the clutter in each level and toss it at enemies,
but that leads us to another complaint... the scoring system
is arbitrary to the point of total confusion. You'll
earn points for picking off tanukis, only to lose them for
killing the same enemies three seconds later. Even the
English version of Keio Yugekitai doesn't offer an adequate
explanation for the seemingly random scoring, making it a
frustrating process of trial and error to unlock all the
exhibits in the game's keen art gallery.
When all is said and done, Keio
Yugekitai will only hold your attention for a couple of
days... it's short, and the linear level design makes
it hard to come back for seconds.
However, the game's hilariously inscrutable comedy
and a presentation that puts even recent platformers to shame
guarantees that those two days will be memorable
ones. |
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Keio
Yuugekitai
Victor
Side-Scrolling Action
  
The scoring system seems entirely
at the whim of the designers, but there is one constant...
pair the RCA dog with his phonograph in a later stage and
you'll earn a big point bonus!
Everything's in Japanese, and I
mean everything... even the numbers are spelled out in
Kanji! However, if you've had prior experience with
games like Super Mario Bros., you can still easily play
this. Alternately, you can grab the European version,
which features English text and (horrible) voice
acting.
You'll wait several seconds before
each round- or a section of one- begins. However, the
length of each stage makes access time a non-issue.
The lead villains in this game are
tanukis, an odd Japanese species of dog that mimics the
appearance and behavior of American raccoons.
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