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Bujingai: The Forsaken City is one of the most unusual games in the action genre. The game was released in Japan a few months back. Bujingai tells the story of a man named Lau in a postapocalyptic world.
As some of you may have noticed, Bujingai’s main character was created from a famous Japanese rock star, Gackt. Now if you beat the game, the game features unlockables of some Gackt interviews about the game. The game mostly features eccentric colors and extreme combat, but in the end Bujingai is enjoyable even thou it doesn’t have that much of a storyline. Regardless, Bujingai is still a pretty good game.
As I have said before, Bunjingai puts you in the shoes of Lau, a master of martial arts and a demon slayer. The game takes place in the future where (According to the back of the box) it says that “The ancient technology that helped destroy much of humanity” which could mean a nuclear explosion of some sort. And by doing so it has opened up a gateway to hell unleashing demons upon the surface.
Bujingai’s cut scenes are very dull in some sort. The narrative is underdevelopment and Lau himself never speaks. The only real dialogue you’ll encounter is with the other characters in the story. Rei, a half man half demon, and a former friend of Lau’s which has turned evil. Yohfa, Rei’s ex girlfriend who usually tries to help you in the game. And Naguri, the former teacher of Rei and Lou. The connections between these characters, the crazy storyline, and the events that occur, doesn’t really help due to the low development on the narrative. But, the story isn’t really that important because Bujindai the game has something better to give you.
If you have ever had the opportunity to play last year's Otogi: Myth of Demons for the Xbox, Bujingai may seem pretty familiar to you. That's because Bujingai's style of action and combat is deeply rooted in the same sensibilities. As Lau, you'll wield a pair of swords, and by pressing one of the attack buttons, you'll begin what can ultimately become a very lengthy chain of slashes and strikes. Mechanically, you have a basic slash, a spin slash, and a jump/jump attack button to combine in any way you see fit to create your combos. A lot of the combo work is actually somewhat self-contained, in that just mashing the buttons together in any discernable pattern will almost always result in some heavy damage. However, there are better and more impressive moves available if you take the time to learn the specific combos.
Lau can also perform a number of different magical spells. You'll start off the game with only one magical fireball attack, but as you progress you'll earn new spells, such as a flying, energy-driven sword slash, or a whirlwind attack. Your magic ability is chained to a meter that drains with each attack performed, though you can build that meter back up by collecting power-ups or even just by cutting up random enemies. The magic attacks vary in their effectiveness, but they can be upgraded to ascending levels thanks to the game's upgrade system.
Bujingai's strongest asset is most definitely its visuals. Graphically, this isn't the most technically impressive game on the PS2, but it has more than enough flash and pizzazz to make up for that fact. Bujingai's character designs are the brainchild of Cowboy Bebop alum Toshihiro Kawamoto, and it definitely shows.
Lau himself, while definitely modeled after Gackt, also has a fair amount of original, colorful design. From his bright, unique costume to the huge wafts and waves of color that emanate from his swords, watching Lau in action is a big part of the game's appeal. The designs for the enemies in the game are mostly top notch, especially the boss characters.
The only real problem with them, however, is that during some of the computer-generated cutscenes that play before boss fights, the size scaling of the bosses is radically different between the scene and those in-game--so much so, that it's actually a little disconcerting. The one area that could have done with a little more visual attention is Bujingai's level designs.
While some of the dank, moody cityscapes and foggy, desolate bamboo forests are aesthetically cool, there isn't a lot of detail here, and nearly every level is so utterly linear that the game's directional radar almost seems like unnecessary overkill. Bujingai is technically just fine, with no frame rate hitches to break up the action. The free-moving 3D camera can be kind of a pain, but the inclusion of an auto-target lock button and a camera-snap button keep it from getting out of hand.
For what its worth, Bujingai is just another fine piece of work to show the fans that you really can make your favorite Japanese rock star into a game action hero.
Written By: DDA, some excerpts from Gamespot.
This post has been edited by Ðevine Ðark Angel: 31 July 2004 - 12:59 AM
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