Kishin Douji Zenki FX: Vajura Fight (PC-FX)

This is the first time I've played a PC-FX game, and I'm curious to see what this system can do.

Well it can definitely play anime clips. The game starts like the opening of a tv series, showing off all the characters doing stuff with a cheesy song in the background. Maybe this was actually based on an anime series, I have no clue.

Okay, now I've reached the actual intro. Don't you hate it when evil birds gather on a tree and just stare at you?

Excellent, I've found a protagonist. Someone's on the phone, and she's apparently in danger!

Monkey boy... to action!

I can choose either of these characters to play as. I'll start with the red haired guy, he looks ready to hit something.

We come to the rescue just slightly after the nick of time! She took one or two kicks to the face but we're putting a stop to all that now.

I wish I understood a word of what the characters are saying, but they're all speaking Japanese. It feels like everyone was invited to the story except me.

I've figured out enough of the plot to know that this guy needs punching.

That's interesting, it's a one on one fighting game, but it seems I've only got three buttons: guard, attack and jump. If the guy's got any special moves, then I haven't found them yet.

Damn, everything was going so well. I'd defeated the wolf monster, stolen his eyeball... for some reason, and I was about to head back home when this guy showed up and turned everything psychedelic in an overly long unskippable cutscene.

I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this. But the dialogue's still all in Japanese so I can't understand it. And I'm not learning Japanese just so I can figure out a game where I punch anime wolf monsters.

It seems like the warp effect didn't take me far. Everyone else is gone, but I'm in the same room. Maybe that was his plan, or maybe I broke his spell by being awesome, I don't know.

Purple monsters though, these I understand. Purple monsters get a kick.

The bastard mocked me and ran away! Still, he left me with these guys to fight. Hey, this has suddenly turned into a scrolling beat 'em up. Maybe those guys earlier were just boss fights.

After I walked to the far right of the level, I reached a dead end. The arrow said go up, but no matter how much I double jumped I couldn't get onto the roof.

And then after watching a youtube video, I learned you could get up there by jumping onto a big obvious rock in the background. Duh.

Endoku, we meet agai... ow, he just spat some acid or whatever at me.

I've been trying to use the guard button to block his attacks, but I'm doing a crappy job of it. Plus it seems that even if I time it right I still take damage.

Okay, new approach... I'm going to grow a foot or two in height, get a chunk of my health bar back, and then kick the shit out of him.

Ew, I really did beat the crap out of him. He's got an eye out.

Is the day saved yet? Can I go home?

What the hell? There was minding my own business, when suddenly this guy grabs me and flies me a few miles up. It seems like I'm popular today, everyone wants a piece of me. I'll autograph his face with my boot print.

Is that bird carrying a ninja underneath or does it just have two heads? Either way it's very well animated.

The detachable bird ninja is able to inflict a severe amount of hurt with each hit and kicked poor Zenki's ass, so Chiaki's been tagged into the ring. It seems that she fights with ranged attacks, firing energy bolts from her hand.

Huh, the enemy has bird feet. And the bird has no feet. It's like these two were made for each other.

I've given it some thought, and I've decided that I should probably switch back to Zenki. Just as soon as I get killed again. Shouldn't take long.

Stuff happened, and now I'm fighting skeletons on a haunted train.

Ah, this must be the guy what caused all those skeletons. I keep hitting him, but he just dissipates and comes back.

I've reworked my skeleton theory a little. This guy looks even creepier than the grim reaper guy so he must be the culprit.

Or maybe they're the same guy? Hey, he's doing my transformation thing!

He ripped off my transform move, I'll rip his damn legs off. Or maybe just hit him until they fall off.

And now, a sewer level? It's lucky the gameplay in this is so good or else I'd turn it off right now in protest. And then I'd sit here and, uh... boycott it.

You know what's worse than sewer levels? Sewer boss fights. Especially as half of sewer bosses seem to jump up out of the sewage.

Damn, another innocent is getting mugged by monsters. Not on my watch!

You better run off somewhere safe now... HOLY SHIT THAT CAR JUST STOOD UP AND NOW IT'S A MONSTER!


SOME EPIC ACTION LATER.

There's nothing to do in this lift but watch the city get smaller as you go up. I was expecting enemies to pour in, but nope, all this art was created for an empty room I'll spend a few seconds in, then leave.

The whole game is like this, small detailed scenes with unique charm instead of sprawling levels with repeated content.

Damn, this guy just stripped away a huge piece of my health bar with that whirlwind attack. And that was my final credit. Game Over.

But it has a level select! I can go back to anywhere I've been, or continue right where I left off. I love this game.


Yeah I can easily recommend this one. I liked playing it, I want to play more of it, and I'm not even a big fan of this genre. Plus it's got two player co-op, and I later found out you can use the mode switches to access three special moves, which would have been nice to know earlier. Not a bad first impression for the PC-FX really, it's definitely proven it can throw some sprites around the screen.