Editor’s note: The following text was originally published in January 2024 as an import report by Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!!which was released in Japan in 2023. To coincide with Bakeru’s western release on September 3, 2024, we’re republishing our review with additional impressions of the localized version and an updated conclusion. You can find our updated thoughts easily above the conclusion.
Nintendo fans may be familiar with Good-Feel, a Japanese developer that has collaborated with Big N to produce titles such as Wario Land: Shake It!, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and Yoshi’s Woolly and Crafted Worlds. However, despite its collaboration with Nintendo, Good Feel is still an independent company and occasionally produces new games with its own IP, and in late November 2023, the studio released Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!! exclusively for Switch.
This new release takes heavy cues from the Ganbare Goemon games (Etsunobu Ebisu worked at Konami before founding Good-Feel in 2005, and was a key figure behind the Mystical Ninja series), mixing 3D platforming with some light beat-’em-up elements to create an impressively entertaining experience. The only catch is that it’s exclusive to Japan at the time of writing, but don’t let that stop you from trying out this worthwhile platformer.
The story of Mameda no Bakeru is… well, we don’t really know, because we don’t speak Japanese either. From what we know, the titular hero sets out to save Japan from some kind of demonic yokai force that’s been unleashed upon the land. Or something like that. The plot is told primarily through a series of well-animated, cartoon-like cutscenes, and while these story parts are literally incomprehensible to non-Japanese speakers, the art is still beautiful to look at. And when you’ve had enough, you can just skip the cutscenes and get straight into the action.
Gameplay is a sprawling, linear 3D platformer, similar to Super Mario 3D Land or Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Levels are accessed one at a time on the world map, and in each level you must find and destroy three rainbow lamps to unlock the drum at the end of the level. These lamps are usually placed prominently along the path, and there are often more than three of them in a level to account for players who might miss one along the way, so completing a level is usually a straightforward endeavor.
There are plenty of enemies and obstacles in your way along the way, and this is where the beat-’em-up elements come in. Bakeru has two drumsticks that he can use to hit his enemies just as hard as his drums, and the combat is surprisingly snappy. He usually locks on to the nearest enemy and has a small selection of combos and attacks he can rely on to take down the hordes. If the enemies get too aggressive, you have a dodge roll and a block, the latter of which can be triggered at the last moment for a parry that negates all damage and stuns the attacker. Skirmishes usually last just a few seconds, and most enemies go down with one or two hits, but there is a deeply satisfying Dynasty Warrior-like feeling of mowing down groups of enemies and collecting their loot.
To keep the combat from getting too boring, you also get a number of transformations when you defeat bosses in normal gameplay. These are subject to a cooldown controlled by an energy meter that you refill by picking up and defeating enemies. Each of these transformations greatly strengthens Bakeru in battle, and changes his movement in a few key ways. Our favorite transformation gives him a magical fishing rod – Bakeru can use the bait to defeat enemies from afar, and it absolutely shreds large groups. Our only complaint here is that the transformations can feel like overkill; this is already a very simple game clearly aimed at young players, and the alternate forms remove any trace of difficulty.
If you feel like you’re still struggling too much, most levels feature a cute character with an item shop where you can spend the coins that are generously scattered throughout each level. Most of the items on offer here are consumables that do things like replenish your health or increase your damage. While these things make a simple game seem even easier, it can still be fun to just go ahead and storm a level with a totally pumped-up Bakeru every now and then.
For those looking to complete everything, each level also hides a small set of collectibles that encourage you to search every corner and teleporter. The main collectibles are the three gachapon containers that contain various snacks and trinkets, and you can also find five small critters that give you a diary entry of sorts. Of course, this latter class of collectibles was less enticing to us since all the text is in Japanese, but they’re still fun to track down throughout each level, and some of them prove to be impressively well hidden.
We also liked how Good-Feel completely mixes up the gameplay every now and then by having a level centered around a new mini-game. You can take part in levels that task you with tasks like a water-ski race or a Space Harrier-style 3D shooter. None of these are too lengthy, and every few levels they offer a few fun palate cleansers.
Visually, Mameda no Bakeru follows an impressively sharp and colorful art style that makes each level a true delight. Whether you’re climbing an autumn-themed mountain full of fresh leaves and warm colors, or whizzing down a waterslide on a massive cruise ship filled with beach balls and dance routines, each level features a unique theme and just the right amount of graphical spectacle to remain engaging throughout.
The downside of these great graphics, however, is that they come at the expense of consistent performance. There are fleeting moments where Mameda no Bakeru hits the targeted 60 frames per second, and those moments are wonderful when they occur, but most of the time the frame rate hovers around 30 frames per second pretty heavily. The difficulty is low enough that this doesn’t really lead to unfair bugs, but it can still be tough when you pan the camera across a more open part of a level and watch everything instantly stutter.
We’d like to highlight that, despite being entirely in Japanese, Mameda no Bakeru is still a perfectly playable experience for the average English-speaking gamer if you choose to import it or download it from the Japanese Switch eShop. Of course, you’ll miss out on the story entirely, and navigating the menus can be a little tricky at first, but overall this is a very game-focused experience that’s all about getting you right into the action. We’d wager that this game has a very slim chance of getting a full official English localization (there is an ongoing translation effort by fans, however), but we’d still encourage you not to let the lack of English language support put you off, as the game is really enjoyable even without it.
UPDATE (Sat., August 24, 2024, 01:00 CEST)
Fortunately, Good-Feel has seen fit to finally release this game in English, so the game with the simpler title “BAKERU” can now be even more easily recommended to Western gamers.
The voice acting is still in Japanese, but the subtitles make the story obvious understandable now, and while the plot isn’t particularly gripping, the ability to interact with charming characters like Bakeru and Sun goes a long way to making this stylized version of Japan a lot more fun. We also appreciated the little things about this localization that give the game a fun and mischievous tone. The confirmation command you click when talking to a recurring character who spouts random little facts isn’t a simple “OK,” but an emphatic “I understand!”
For the English version, Good-Feel also made some (relatively small) changes to the general gameplay, mainly quality of life improvements and a few small content changes. For example, Bakeru had an attack in his moveset that the developers noticed that players in the first version didn’t use often, so it was replaced with some new moves that are more useful in battles. Then there are other smaller tweaks, such as making Bakeru run faster and changing the placement of enemies in some levels to light more challenging gameplay.
Language barriers aside, the adjustments for this English version don’t change enough to win you over if you didn’t like the original version. Still, we’re glad that Good-Feel wanted to give the foreign version something more than just a simple translation. The changes made here are all for the better, and make Bakeru feel a touch crisper.
Diploma
Bakeru is a nice, fast-paced and satisfying 3D linear platformer that feels like a wonderful throwback to a genre that isn’t as well represented these days. It’s Really easy (though the Western version increases the difficulty a bit) and has some performance issues, but the gameplay variety, fast-paced combat, tons of collectibles, and great art style all add up to an adventure you don’t want to miss.
