BAKERU review for Nintendo Switch, PC

When I first laid eyes on BAKERU a couple of weeks ago, I saw the titular character’s blue pompadour, the colorful world that he runs around in and the robot battles. I had to ask myself, why does this remind me of the Goemon/Mystical Ninja franchise? Well after some internet sleuthing it turns out the title was developed by Good-Feel. What’s Good-Feel you might ask? Well you might be more familiar with their work than you think, as this studio went unadvertised as the developer for titles such as Yoshi’s Woolly World, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Wario Land: Shake It! and even most recently Princess Peach: Showtime! The company was founded by Etsunobu Ebisu, a former Konami employee who is also the namesake of Goemon’s accomplice in his adventures…so that would explain why there’s such an impression of the Goemon titles on Bakeru.

BAKERU or Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!! as it was known in the East when it was released there late last year is about the adventure of a reluctant hero who has been tasked with saving the nation of Japan. On a rainy night, a young tanuki named Bakeru (Whose voice sounds oddly like another plucky hero) runs across an unconscious Sun of the Issun clan. The diminutive fellow was looking for a hero to save Japan from Oracle Saitaro and his festival troops. Due to his rudeness, the Elder of the Tanuki clan volunteers Bakeru to aid Sun in her quest to find a hero who can save Japan. Armed with the Tanuki Clan’s Haradaiko drum, Bakeru sets off on a journey across Japan to find heroes who can save it.

The game’s levels are expansive and reflect the region of Japan they are situated in. With over 50 stages it was rare to see the environment repeated and honestly that’s quite an amazing feat. Each stage will require Bakeru to destroy 3 energy emitters that will break the barrier on the broadcast tower which is broadcasting Saitaro’s signal. Along the way the festival troops will do their best to impede your progress, defeating them will net you coins which you can use to buy items from the Uriko the shopkeeper. Most stages will also include 8 “collectibles” for you to find, 3 are souvenirs which usually involve a pennant and 2 items which best represents the regional specialties of where you are adventuring and 5 are just little nuggets of knowledge from our well bound golden friends Scoop (Those of you who played The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild might see an analog to a certain item you can attain if you gave Hestu all the Korok seeds…), there is also another type of collectible but that reveals itself mid game and isn’t applicable to all stages.

For a trek across all of Japan in these dangerous times, Bakeru surely must have a vast arsenal to ensure his well being amongst all the festival troops he will encounter and the evil dispelling Haradaiko Drum certainly is well suited for the job. With the two drumsticks Bakeru can pummel enemies until they give up the ghost. Charging the two drumsticks will allow him to jump up and strike down hard…sending a shockwave which will injure any enemy which is caught in it’s path. New to the western port of the game is the ability to charge a single drum stick, charging the left will allow Bakeru to barrel forward in a wheel like motion, hitting grounded as well as airborne enemies. The charged right drumstick attack will allow Bakeru to do a lightning quick charge that will usually put you behind the enemy, however recovery time will often not allow you to do anything to follow up. Defensive is where the actual drum shines. Holding it in front of himself the drum can absorb hits as well as projectiles. Blocking with perfect timing will parry the attack rendering the attacker dizzy and reflect any projectile back to their sender giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Being a Tanuki means Bakeru can transform, however in this world transformations can be done when you have a license as well as Henge Energy. The first license Bakeru receives will be from Sun and it grants him the ability to turn into an Issun. In this small state Bakeru can fit into small openings and when he jumps he can extend the distance by shuffling his feet. The heroes the duo meet will have licenses as well granted Bakeru amazing powers…as long as he has the Henge Energy to sustain its use.

The game’s boss encounters are no joke, usually testing a player’s ability to vacillate between offense and defense. For those who need just a little bit assistance thankfully Bakeru can stock up to 3 assistive items that can be purchased from Uriko the shopkeeper, these range from firecrackers that deal massive damage, a charm which can take a hit on your behalf, a gummy shield which nullifies damage for 30 seconds as well as candies which can boost attack power or speed. After a certain point in your adventure, Oracle Saitaro realizes Bakeru is a force to be reckoned with and will send towering enemies to confront the adventures once they have cleared a region of Saitaro’s vile influence. These larger enemies can’t be beat by the pair alone, thankfully the Tanuki Clan’s flying kettle ship Bunbuku can transform into a mighty robot and be your vector in taking down these giant foes. The controls are rather simple in these giant robot fights, the left and right hand attacks of your regular controls still apply…motion is a bit stilted as being a colossal robot doesn’t equate massive speed. But throwing lefts and rights against a giant squid robot with takoyaki fists just triggers something inside me beams with joy.

For its colorful presentation, varied gameplay I do have to say the one thing that constantly irked me during my playthrough is the camera’s inability to pan upwards. Given the game’s emphasis on exploring each of these massive stages it’s odd that I can’t survey what is above me. My second gripe is that the hidden tanukis, which is what you’ll need to upgrade your ship’s capabilities, are TOO well hidden. During my playthrough I was only able to find a third of game’s eighteen hidden Tanuki’s, the game does eventually give you hints on how you can spot where your your fellow wayward kinsmen are hiding…but it doesn’t really amount to much if your eyes aren’t glued to your screen. My third gripe is the game’s economy…the game throws a lot for you to buy, but not a lot of ways to earn money unless you really enjoy grinding. Yes, you can speed things up by buying an item that temporarily doubles coin output, but you will be certain stages in hopes of finally having enough to buy an extra heart, a mask or Bunbuku’s next upgrade.

That said, I had a fantastic time journeying through this fictitious Japan. While we might just be getting acquainted with Bakeru, back in his native land, he’s already received a manga adaptation, so I can definitely expect further adventures of this blue coiffed tanuki, let’s hope the title sells well in the West to warrant another romp here as well. If you enjoy platformers and you have an inkling of interest in learning more about Japan, BAKERU might be the perfect package for you!

Note: Spike Chunsoft provided us with a BAKERU code for review purposes.