Gekido Advance: Kintaro's Revenge

"Classy retro fighter"

Ah, the good old days of Streets of Rage and Final Fight. Unanswered calls for new versions, disappointed fans.

Yes - the side scrolling beat 'em up if drawing its last breaths before being taken away to be placed in the mortuary. But whats this? A new side scroller fighter on the GBA?

The difficult to find, yet very new Gekido: Kintaro's Revenge is now available, yet despite being one of the best looking games you could imagine on the system and stirring up a bit of demand, it seems to have been something of a non-seller if GAME's sales are anything to go by.

What puzzles me is why that is so?

Firstly, as I mentioned, the game looks incredible. Large and incredibly detailed sprites combined with gorgeous scenery and cut scenes make Gekido possibly the best looking 2D game on the GBA. Yet the incredible looking screenshots simply don't do the game justice. Its the animation can only be described as gobsmacking that makes the game stand out. Think 32-bit versions of King Of Fighters and you're getting somewhere near. The lead character struts his stuff around the screen and you can't help but be impressed. Everything moves quick and there's no slowdown even when the screen becomes littered with enemies.

The in game sound also deserves a mention. Best listened to through earphones (as with many other GBA games), the music is some of the best quality and most original around on any system. It reminds me somewhat of the old Sega Saturn fighter Guardian Heroes. It changes in style depending on the situation - from calm and tranquil in the villages and countryside, moody and full of suspense for dungeons and caves, to jazzy and fast in action scenes. Its hard to explain but whoever was responsible deserves praise for both music design and getting it to sound so good on a GBA. Shame there isn't any different tracks later in the game though. Never mind.

The action harks back to the Streets of Rage series, Final Fight. Yet Gekido is different. As well as the action there is an adventure aspect to the game that makes it unlike any other. Keys must be found for doors, lanterns must be found to go underground, the player must converse with townfolk to find clues of where to go. The game couldn't be described as an RPG, but it does borrow certain elements.

While this makes the game unique and more taxing than simply defeating wave after wave of enemy, it was that reason I found games like this so appealing years ago. In introducing puzzle elements and much longer and more detailed levels, it limits the replay value by making the levels somewhat tedious to play through again if you die during them. A short, one-word password system ensures you don't need to repeat earlier levels.

All in all, its still a great game. Its not trying to be a Final Fight so look at it for what it is - a showcase of the GBA's ability and a really well designed, clever kung-fu adventure.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/03, Updated 02/04/03