“DJ Boy” is certainly a “special” game to say the least. It’s one of those arcade games that was relatively popular in Japan, but never caught on with Western audiences. It just kind of…well, existed, before fading into obscurity after being overshadowed by more popular games from better-known developers. The game then remains in the shadows of the past for about 15 years until someone happens to stumble upon it years later and then tells the Internet all about it. Coming from Japan, it’s no great surprise that “DJ Boy” as offbeat as it is, which is probably why it never caught on outside Glorious Nippon. Released in 1989 by Kaneko, “DJ Boy” tries combines everything that was supposedly popular in American cities at the time, such as roller skating, fluorescent clothing, poofy hair, hip-hop, breakdancing, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency. In this review, I will break my tradition of reviewing everything in categories (graphics, sound, addictiveness, etc.), and instead just tell you all about it straight up.

            So what’s the plot? Well, your character(s)’ boom box is stolen and you must get it back. The two playable characters, Bob and Tom, work together in this co-op beat-‘em-up to get it back. Doing this involves travelling on roller skates while beating up other children on roller skates; some of them appear to be older than you and have an uncanny school-bully look to them, while others appear to be 4-year-olds dressed up like 1950s teenagers. At the end of each stage you’ll fight bosses such as a homeless man that turns into a male stripper, a 1980s hair metal band, policemen dressed in questionable attire, and - I’m not kidding here – an overweight, stereotypical African-American woman who farts a lot. “Eeek! How racially insensitive!” some of you are thinking. To that I reply, “It’s not racist. It’s Japanese”. Besides, I highly doubt racism was their intention.

            The gameplay isn’t the greatest, but it’s definitely playable. Hit detection can be slightly off at times, and you character’s slow movements can make things a little difficult. I understand the fact that he’s on roller skates, but so is 98% of the people you fight in this game, and they have no trouble moving around on skates at all. Your attacks utilize a punch, kick, and jump button, and pressing either the punch or kick button over and over again can result in some combos. There is no health bar here; falling down twice results in the loss of a life. When you fall down once, the head near your life counter will flash, indicating that another tumble will bring you one step closer to a Game Over. As the game progresses, enemies become much harder to kill, so you’ll find yourself getting a Game Over pretty often if you’re not an experienced player. Lucky for you, though, there are orange cats in some stages that grant you an extra life once they’re obtained. Also, if you want to make it easier for yourself, don’t try to plow past everyone to get to the end of the level. If you do, you’ll find yourself facing 8 guys who all gang up on you at once.

            The graphics are OK at best. They look a little too pixelated for my taste. At least they have a 16-bit look to them. The sound is fairly decent; the music and sound effects are reminiscent of the Sega Genesis. Speaking of the Genesis, the home port of “DJ Boy” is regarded as one of the worst arcade-to-home ports ever made, and one of the worst Genesis games ever made. The only redeeming quality of the Genesis version is the slightly improved graphics, while the rest of the game suffers from the always classic “hard-as-heck-plus-one-life-and-no-continues-lol” syndrome, not to mention if feels like a poorly made Flash version of the arcade game. Anyhoo, the soundtrack seems to stray a little too far from the hip-hop feel that the game presents. The music IS upbeat and catchy, and it goes so far as to add humor to some situations (the boss battle music is one of the goofiest things I’ve ever heard in my life). You’ll also hear occasional commentary from the late disc jockey Wolfman Jack (or Japanese musician and entertainer Demon Kogure, depending on which version you play).

            Strangely enough, as weird and sometimes frustrating as this game is, I find myself playing it quite often. It’s unlike anything I have ever played, and let me tell you, I’ve played some crazy stuff. I never thought I would play a beat-‘em-up that focused on roller skating and a colorful cast of strange characters. I am sorry to say that I beat this game in less than a half-hour, so it’s not very long. However, its difficulty make up for that, so I’d say it’s a decent balance. So in conclusion, “DJ Boy” is definitely worth a try. Its ridiculousness has made me come back for more again and again, and it’s sure to do the same for others. 

Graphics: 7

Sound: 8

Addictiveness: 7

Story: 3

Depth: 5

Difficulty: 7

Overall (NOT AVERAGE): 8