Bakeru (Nintendo Switch) Review

BAKERU will inevitably strike up comparisons to Goemon, especially since the team at Good-Feel is composed of many former Konami developers that have worked on the Mystical Ninja franchise at various points during its active years. With the heavy Japanese theming in terms of visuals, audio and even plot, the resemblance is apparent, but BAKERU is very much its own thing.

This 3D action platformer follows the titular Bakeru - a shapeshifting tanuki - in a quest to rid Japan of the evil Oracle Saitaro, who is spreading his brainwashing festival over the land. The folklore-driven adventure takes Bakeru, choosing to remain in his human form, across all 47 prefectures of Japan, making for a quest of considerable length with varying types of gameplay.

Predominantly, BAKERU is a 3D platformer with a strong focus on combat, of which the main form of attack is the taiko drum passed on to Bakeru by his tanuki elder. Using the L and R shoulder buttons to swipe with the left and right drumsticks, respectively, the idea when it comes to engaging enemies is to time button presses alternately so that Bakeru smoothly defeats foes one after the other when they are near each other. Holding either or both buttons can charge up stronger attacks that are useful in various situations.

The concept of assigning attack functions to the shoulder buttons is an unusual one, but not an impractical one, as it allows the right thumb to focus on camera control during the beatdowns. Indeed, the method for attacking is fine; it is the repetitiveness that is the problem, which will be raised further on.

Immediate impressions are positive after starting the game proper. Levels give off an old-school 3D platformer vibe, and the vibrant cartoon graphics remind greatly of Nintendo titles such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, as well as other previous Good-Feel works, particularly the Yoshi games. Stages can be large and open areas, or slightly more focused in their design, and they often feel reminiscent of platformers akin to Banjo-Kazooie in their appearance. Although there are various optional collectibles that can be acquired, there isn't a need to fully explore each area, as the necessary key items are usually found naturally on the way to the goal.

Three festival lanterns must be located in each stage - sometimes buried in the ground, sometimes being held by a strong enemy - and there are commonly more than three just to make sure players aren't stuck wandering around aimlessly, but once smashed open, the goal tower drum spreading its evil magic across the region will be able to be struck to complete the level.

The main collectible is coins that can be exchanged for health, strength or speed boosts, while a permanent health upgrade requires spending much more than those items cost. The only reason to pummel most foes is to acquire these coins; otherwise, it is quickly learned that the best thing to do is simply run past just about every enemy that is met, unless they pose severe problems or necessitate defeating them to progress.

This is where BAKERU very quickly becomes tedious in its gameplay. Levels are sometimes spread fairly large early on, with tons of tiny, weak enemies that encourage Bakeru to wail on them with his drumsticks, but there just isn't much fun to be had when the left and right shoulder buttons are constantly being mashed over and over after stopping for a moment every few steps, just to earn a little extra coin. With a high number of stages to complete, there is only so much beat 'em up action one can enjoy before things become tiring, which is only exacerbated by the repetitious music.

Sticking with BAKERU reveals that the game opens up a touch in terms of gameplay and freedom, however, with special abilities called Henge unlocked upon defeating certain folklore bosses, which mix up how Bakeru performs in combat, albeit for a limited time due to a draining meter. These generally involve the hero gaining superior strength, long-range attacking options, and being able to cross large gaps and enter tight spaces. With how quickly the meter drains, though, it is quickly back to pummelling on enemies with the drumsticks again.

Stage variety isn't always platforming and waving sticks around, however. A much-needed break is earned when road and boat racing levels, plus dogfight and mecha-robot battles, open up for a little gameplay diversity. They aren't exactly difficult, nor particularly exciting, but they serve a purpose that helps to keep the monotony away for a touch longer.

The original Japanese version of BAKERU released with issues of its own, and some work has been done to the international version to spruce up the performance and general feel of controlling Bakeru and his fighting mechanics. He moves much swifter with multiple chained drumstick attacks than he did previously, also gaining a couple of new moves, and the load times are better than before, so anyone that was put off by the earlier edition's complaints may find this one a bit more appealing.

That said, the frame rate is still a severe problem, particularly when rotating the camera around. Dodgy frame rates aren't usually a major hindrance, personally speaking, but on this occasion, BAKERU's hiccups in this area cause a bit of a headache with how choppy things move at times. It puts a real downer on a game that otherwise has a lovely Nintendo-like sheen to everything - no doubt Good-Feel's long-standing close relationship with the Super Mario developer having a positive influence on their designs. It is just a shame more couldn't have been done to spruce up the frame rate, or at least run things at a locked 30fps. One can only hope a patch or two is being worked on.

Despite the dissatisfaction, there is certainly plenty to like with BAKERU, particularly with regards to its distinct Japanese style. Although some stages, as mentioned earlier, aren't always explorable platforming areas, the vast majority are, and since the quest takes Bakeru across the islands of Japan and its variety of prefectures, it is incredibly interesting to see how levels adapt each region thematically.

BAKERU presents a pleasant mix of forest, seaside, city, snowy, autumnal, and a great deal more flavours that encompass locations such as Kyoto, Aichi, Shizuoka, Okinawa and Kanagawa to name but a few. The collectibles in each stage also represent famous and popular items from the area they are found in, and amusing regional facts are even taught by Scoop, a small guy tucked away in nooks and crannies of each stage that encourages exploration for those seeking to get the most out of BAKERU.