Kamen Rider for the Super Famicom is a glorious gem of a beat-'em-up that unfortunately never saw a worldwide release due to the Kamen Rider (Masked Rider in America) franchise being reserved in Japan. The game follows a brief story of the epilogues of Kamen Rider 1 & 2, Takeshi Hongo and Hayato Ichimonji, after they have left Japan for America (Hongo) and India (Ichimonji) to combat the remains of the terrorist organization Shocker, but returns after they hear word of Shocker's revival in Japan.
The controls are simple to pick up and use, and as an added bonus, there contains a combo system called the SSI system in the title screen, which allows one to pull off programmable combos using the L, R, or both buttons simultaneously. However, once programmed, the combos cannot be changed unless one sacrifices a status gaining opportunity, which I will explain later, and doing so is a let down and a waste of other possibilities. The combos themselves are also relatively useless as they leave the player vulnerable to assaults from behind, something the combat men in this game will constantly attempt to do.
On the note of the menu, this game has the worst menu I have ever seen in a game. Although it looks nice, and if one does not press anything, the "Let's Go! Kamen Rider!" Theme plays Karaoke, the controls are unresponsive and jerky, making navigation difficult. There is a difficulty setting and a option for the number of lives you get for each credit (maxing at 3), but don't even try "Easy", since it refuses to allow you to finish the final, sixth stage of the game. Also, once you set the SSI system, you are thrown into the game immediately, and then there is no time to change difficulty.
The game follows the style of "Ultra Seven" on the SFC with 16-bit images with scrolling text for the story, and long time fans of the franchise will be glad to see familiar faces like Tobei Tachibana and Kazuya Taki returning to aid the riders, albeit in cut scenes only. The music score in this game is a mixed bag, as it sounds almost nothing like the beautiful digitalized music in the show, with the exception of "Let's Go! Kamen Rider!" The graphics, however, are actually pretty good. The moves are definable, and the animation is smooth.
The difficulty of the game is actually a pretty big problem. The earlier stages start off easy enough, but the difficulty transition between stages 5 and 6 are too sharp. Stage 6 is like a torture round with no health pickups, while in 5 they are plentiful. The game's enemies are also recognizable, with the original Shocker Combat Men, to the Macho Lubre version. Kaijin are also present, but, like "Godzilla: Monster of Monsters", the same Kaijin repeat for each stage, adding one per stage (with the exception of 6, where you face 3 more Kaijin than before). The Kaijin includes: Spider Man (Kumo Ottoko), Saboteguron, Bee Woman (Hachi Onna), Zanjioh, and, depending on your path choices, Shocker Riders 1,2,and 6, or Shocker Riders 3,4, and 5. The bosses are also recognizable, starring Tokugeron, Werewolf, Garagaranda, Ikadevil, Hiruchameleon, and a unnameable thing as the final boss. The player can also move in different paths through each map depending on whether they transformed or not, and each Rider has a special technique: Rider Kick for 1, and Rider Punch for 2. However, the 1P is restricted as Rider 1, and the same for 2P.
Overall, this game is great. Not only does it bring back nostalgia from the Kamen Rider series, it also brings back the beat-'em-up genre pretty darn well. So, this is recommended to anyone who has loved the Riders, or beat-'em-ups.
Kamen Rider for the Super Famicom is a glorious gem of a beat-'em-up that unfortunately never saw a worldwide release due to the Kamen Rider (Masked Rider in America) franchise being reserved in Japan. The game follows a brief story of the epilogues of Kamen Rider 1 & 2, Takeshi Hongo and Hayato Ichimonji, after they have left Japan for America (Hongo) and India (Ichimonji) to combat the remains of the terrorist organization Shocker, but returns after they hear word of Shocker's revival in Japan.
The controls are simple to pick up and use, and as an added bonus, there contains a combo system called the SSI system in the title screen, which allows one to pull off programmable combos using the L, R, or both buttons simultaneously. However, once programmed, the combos cannot be changed unless one sacrifices a status gaining opportunity, which I will explain later, and doing so is a let down and a waste of other possibilities. The combos themselves are also relatively useless as they leave the player vulnerable to assaults from behind, something the combat men in this game will constantly attempt to do.
On the note of the menu, this game has the worst menu I have ever seen in a game. Although it looks nice, and if one does not press anything, the "Let's Go! Kamen Rider!" Theme plays Karaoke, the controls are unresponsive and jerky, making navigation difficult. There is a difficulty setting and a option for the number of lives you get for each credit (maxing at 3), but don't even try "Easy", since it refuses to allow you to finish the final, sixth stage of the game. Also, once you set the SSI system, you are thrown into the game immediately, and then there is no time to change difficulty.
The game follows the style of "Ultra Seven" on the SFC with 16-bit images with scrolling text for the story, and long time fans of the franchise will be glad to see familiar faces like Tobei Tachibana and Kazuya Taki returning to aid the riders, albeit in cut scenes only. The music score in this game is a mixed bag, as it sounds almost nothing like the beautiful digitalized music in the show, with the exception of "Let's Go! Kamen Rider!" The graphics, however, are actually pretty good. The moves are definable, and the animation is smooth.
The difficulty of the game is actually a pretty big problem. The earlier stages start off easy enough, but the difficulty transition between stages 5 and 6 are too sharp. Stage 6 is like a torture round with no health pickups, while in 5 they are plentiful. The game's enemies are also recognizable, with the original Shocker Combat Men, to the Macho Lubre version. Kaijin are also present, but, like "Godzilla: Monster of Monsters", the same Kaijin repeat for each stage, adding one per stage (with the exception of 6, where you face 3 more Kaijin than before). The Kaijin includes: Spider Man (Kumo Ottoko), Saboteguron, Bee Woman (Hachi Onna), Zanjioh, and, depending on your path choices, Shocker Riders 1,2,and 6, or Shocker Riders 3,4, and 5. The bosses are also recognizable, starring Tokugeron, Werewolf, Garagaranda, Ikadevil, Hiruchameleon, and a unnameable thing as the final boss. The player can also move in different paths through each map depending on whether they transformed or not, and each Rider has a special technique: Rider Kick for 1, and Rider Punch for 2. However, the 1P is restricted as Rider 1, and the same for 2P.
Overall, this game is great. Not only does it bring back nostalgia from the Kamen Rider series, it also brings back the beat-'em-up genre pretty darn well. So, this is recommended to anyone who has loved the Riders, or beat-'em-ups.
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