The review of this product is based on a re-released version of the game. Because of this change of medium and the passage of time, it is possible that there are slight factual differences between the original retail product and the version reviewed. The following review should be used as a reference for how well the game stood up over time rather than an evaluation of how it would have scored based on its original release date.
I don't know what this is, but I think I like its premise. Some of the best and most memorable gaming experiences over the past few decades have simply defied classification. Games like Katamari Damacy or Mr. Mosquito. Games that are just so ridiculously odd that you can't help but smile at the preposterousness of it all -- Bravoman is one such game. This side-scrolling 2D fighter from the TurboGrafx is one of the weirdest and wackiest games of its day, and it's almost worth a try just to see how purely insane it really is.
Bravoman is a super-suited superhero, some kind of costumed avenger like the Power Rangers. In place of a Megazord, though, Bravo's gifted with a more extendable type of crime-fighting tech -- his own stretching appendages. This game plays something like a Street Fighter II spin-off would, if Dhalsim were given the starring role. Bravoman attacks his enemies by stretching out his arms, his legs, and even his neck for limb-elongating action.
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That would be enough weirdness in itself, but Bravoman's nonsense extends beyond the self-extending hero and touches the rest of the game as well. His world is a parodical take on modern Japan. His enemies are spinning, grinning totem poles, robots, and knife-throwing dancer girls. His arch-nemesis is a man named Dr. Bomb, whose hairstyle looks like something out of your local organic food store's cauliflower section.
Add on to all of this a heaping of classic poorly-translated Japanese dialogue, and the stage is set for a winning experience. Bravoman's gameplay capitalizes on the presentation, too. It's not revolutionary, but it is sometimes entertaining -- you run and jump through side-scrolling levels, scoring points and eating rice balls to recover health. You can also collect "Luck Symbols" to redeem for power boosts with sidekick character Lottery Man at the end of certain stages. And, mixing things up, Bravoman occasionally goes underwater, transforming himself into a submarine. These stages alter the gameplay into something more similar to a spaceship shooter like Gradius.
The icing on this kooky cake comes in assaulting the help. When loyal, friendly characters appear onscreen to offer you aid, you can relentlessly punch or kick them without warning. They'll be insulted at the offense and verbally retaliate, threatening not to help you if you keep it up. And, if you keep it up, they'll make good on their threats -- Lottery Man, for example, will stop supplying life-replenishing rice balls if you smack him around one time too many. It's an extra touch of detail that rounds out the wacky adventure, but it doesn't push the gameplay much of anywhere.
The Verdict
The TG-16 has previously seen a few other side-scrolling brawlers from the likes of Vigilante and Splatterhouse. Bravoman proves to be a good companion to these titles, as together they form a picture of what a staple the genre was back in the early '90s. Given the choice between the three, I'd likely give a slight nod to Bravo (even if it doesn't do anything particularly well beyond its kookiness). But it's worth considering a purchase of any one of them to get a sense of that part of Hudson company history.
