Kamen Rider 555

"A simple fighting game for the fans."

Kamen Rider is among the oldest of Japanese Tokusatsu (that'd be superhero action shows, for those not familiar with the term.) Like any popular franchise, Kamen Rider has seen a slew of video games. Some good, and some...not so good. This entry, a fighting game based on one of the newer Rider series, falls somewhere in the middle.

The bulk of the game lies in Challenge Mode, which is essentially the same as most fighting games' Arcade Modes, by pitting you against a series of the games characters. Speaking of characters, there aren't a whole lot to choose from. Despite having a massive roster of Orphenochs (monsters) in the series, we see only seven of them, along with several variations of the three Kamen Riders in the series.

The actual combat is rather simple. Circle and X are your two basic attack buttons. Square is a throw, and Triangle will allow you to use a special attack, equipment or a desperation move. Your special gauge rises with each hit you manage to land. When using a special attack, a struggle occurs between the two fighters. The player(s) must tap a randomly assigned face button repeatedly to win the struggle.

There isn't much beyond that. The fighting system offers little in the way for truly advanced things like long strings of combos or juggles. The fighting arenas themselves are wide-open (a 3D plane situated within a 2D background) and offer no interaction at all. The Riders and Orphenochs however, look very nice, and some of the stage backgrounds look rather impressive. The music of course, for the most part, is taken right from the show. Overall, the presentation is very solid.

Beating Challenge Mode with different characters will unlock new ones, and earn points that can be used in Slot Machine Mode. This isn't hard to accomplish, as the enemy AI is rarely challenging. By playing the slots, you can unlock portions of pictures that, when completed, may unlock even more characters.

The game also features the standard VS. Modes and the like, but little else. Final verdict? Any fan of Kamen Rider, or 555 specifically, should look into the game, but casual Toku fans may have more fun with the Ultraman Fighting Evolution series, or Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/31/07