Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble

Rating Teen Genre simulation Publisher Atlus External Links

You are a Bancho, a Badass, trained and breed by your father to be the greatest high-school fighter in all of Japan. While on a week long field trip to the city of Kyouto, you must follow your master’s instructions by challenging the reigning Bancho from each of Japan’s prefectures. But it won’t simply be a matter of showing up at an arena; these aren’t sanctioned fights after all. You must battle your way through the limitless army of wannabe’s to discover the locations of your enemies, and make them your black and blue followers. Don’t forget to keep your friends happy as well, after all, there’s no point to being the best if you’re alone at the top.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is a strange, wise-cracking fighter game that has players challenging high-school students from all over Japan in an attempt to take control of the Countries Teenage Population as the greatest Badass of all time. While the main premise of Kenka Bancho is clearly a brawler style game, role-playing and relationship simulation elements have been added in order to provide a more enjoyable story experience. Each day of your week long trip is separated into 3 different time periods (morning, evening, night), in traditional Japanese Simulation Fashion. Many of the events, besides the battles, occur at specific locations and times throughout the game and it is up to the player to decide on what kind of gaming experience they wish to enjoy. For those interested more in the dynamics of high-school life, there is a wide array of classmates that the player can interact and develop relationships with (Sorry, this is a non-hentai title) that help make Kenka Bancho a witty, comedic adventure. 

While the story elements, especially some of the dialogue with certain female classmates, can be quite entertaining, the bulk of the game is of course about kicking ass and taking names (literally in both cases). Controls are surprisignly simple, limited to light and heavy attacks that can be chained into a variety of 3 hit combo’s that are learned as the main character increases in levels. Combat is initiated by first completing a Menchi, which involves you and your enemy staring laser eyes at each other, with the traditional power sparks and dramatic camera movements they require. Once contact is made, players must memorize a quick phrase and then repeat the phrase by selecting each correct word within a set time limit, in order to gain the initiative in the fight.

Sadly, the most important aspect of this fighting game is poorly executed. Much like in real life, the winner is usually the one with the better weapons, and this is especially true in Kenka Bancho. Weapons are lying all over the place, or easily attainable from defeated foes. Once in your possession battles becomes a simple exercise in button mashing as few foes can take any sustainable damage from even the smallest of weapons. This fact turns what might have been an interesting fighter game into a simple bloodbath. Combined with a relatively lack luster array of graphics and a surprisingly missing soundtrack, and Kenka Bancho can quickly become less of a game and more of a chore.

But don’t think it’s all going to be a cake walk. Most of the Bancho you have to defeat are, like the main character, on School Field Trips, which means they themselves are often busy exploring the city of Kyouto as well. The player will first have to find a Bancho’s Itinerary, usually discovered randomly in fights or as trash on the street, in order to discover when and where their targets will be. Defeating Bancho will allow you to learn, and team up, with them in future battles, providing the player with a wider range of options as the game progresses. And while the game tries to confine everything to the one week time limit, once your week is up you’ll be able to return to continue your rise to power on your own schedule.

Bottom Line; While not the most impressive fighting game of all time, the witty dialogue and inter-personal relationships should satisfy most SIM players, at least for a little while.