BAKERU Review

Are you in the mood for a whimsical game full of Japanese culture? I have a title that will fill that need. Enter BAKERU, a 3D action-adventure game that was developed by Good-Feel Co. Ltd. and published by Spike Chunsoft Co. Ltd. The story takes place in an alternate Japan in which creatures and characters from folklore exist.

Our hero, Bakeru, who happens to be a tanuki, tells the story that begins on a stormy night where he meets a small character named Sun. She is a member of the Issun clan, known for their diminutive size. The elder of the Tanuki clan meets her and introduces her to Bakeru, the person who saved her, who is in raccoon form unlike when they had their first encounter. Being a tanuki, he has the power to switch between human and raccoon forms just by saying, “Henge!” Sun tells them that she was out that night to warn everyone that Japan, and the human world in general, is in trouble. A foe named Oracle Saitara and his Festival Troops are using a festival to take over Japan and brainwash their fairytale hero, Momotaro.

She plans to head to Kanagawa and seek out Kintaro the Red Typhoon, who is known for being one of the strongest heroes around. He is found on Mt. Ashigara. The Tanuki Elder tells Sun to take Bakeru along with her and gives him the task of protecting Sun on her journey to find the acclaimed hero. Though your journey together will last a lot longer than this! The Elder sends you off with the clan's treasured Haradaiko drum, which purifies evil spirits. You will use the drumsticks, known as bachi in Japanese, as weapons to attack your foes.

Your journey log is split up into the separate regions of Japan: the Shikoku, Kansai, Chubu, and the Kanto Regions. Each prefecture has multiple stages that you will challenge. The first location that you will visit is Tokushimma, located in the Shikoku Region. This is where the Tanuki Clan is based, and it’s Bakeru’s home village. This stage will act as a tutorial to teach you how to play.

The game lets you select from two choices which control type you want to use. Most of the controls are like in other action-adventure games you have played: the left thumbstick moves your character, while the right thumbstick moves the camera. On the Switch, the bottom face button is used for jumping, while the left face button is used to roll or dodge. One unique feature is that you use the left shoulder button to attack with the drumstick on that side, while the right shoulder handles the attack on the right side. Alternate between the two to get big combos, or hit them at the same time for a larger attack. If you really want to inflict damage, hold the shoulder buttons down to charge your attack so, when dispersed, it will hit all other enemies around you in a circle. The Type B option switches your attack buttons to be the left and top face buttons instead, with your dodge being moved to shoulder presses. I found that this second option made it easier to roll away from enemy attacks, which will be needed when you face off against the bosses that you encounter.

Enemies aren't the only thing you can hit with your bachi. Crates, lanterns, and boxes can be destroyed, giving you gold that you will spend with the travelling merchant, Uriko. You first meet this tanuki on the beach, where she will sell you handy items for your journey. There are instant items, like Speed Candy, that are used when you purchase them, or stock items that can be used whenever you want, but you are limited to carrying three at a time; to use them you will use the left, up, and right buttons on the Dpad. There are weapons like bombs, food to replenish health like Yakisoba noodles, or even a special item that is instant and permanent at the same time. A life cracker that increases your hearts by one costs $3000, so it will take a while to save up enough gold to purchase this handy item, but it will be worth it since Bakeru starts with only five hearts of health.

Each of the stages you play in BAKERU has hidden plastic souvenir orbs, with items like prefecture pennants for you to find or other cool relics like palm fibre brooms and golden koi statues. These aren’t required to be collected to complete the level, but it’s a lot of fun seeing what unique souvenirs you will find in each. Along with that, there is a character named Scoops who will tell you trivia that will teach you about different things you will find in Japan. One cool piece of knowledge that I didn’t previously know, was how sakura (cherry) blossoms produce a substance that is harmless to humans but keeps weeds at bay. I appreciate how they added little things like this to teach you all about Japan! In the top right corner of the screen, you can see how many plastic souvenir orbs you have found and the number of times you've talked to Scoops and learnt knowledge in that stage.

Your time in the stages isn’t just about finding souvenirs and learning trivia about Japan. Your goal is to destroy the Evil Energy Emitters that have sealed the festival towers. There are three in each area that you will need to destroy to break the seal and complete the stage. To help navigate the obstacles of the stage, Sun, the character you saved in the intro, gives you the power to use the Issun Henge. This power will make you tiny, so you can fit in little spaces that our “human” tanuki wouldn’t be able to get through. Also, because of your size and decreased weight, you can hover in the air, which is incredibly helpful for longer jumps that you can’t quite make. However, you can’t use this power for an unlimited amount of time. To keep this form, you’ll need Bakeru Energy. These look like little flames and can be found everywhere around the world, like in boxes or when you defeat enemies. If you run out of this special energy, you will turn back into your regular form.

The look and sound of BAKERU manages to be modern yet traditional at the same time. The visuals are brightly coloured and cartoony, and then when on the map you see textures in the water and grass that make it feel like it’s from an old painting. The music is energetic and upbeat, with the sounds of traditional string and percussion instruments that you would hear in folk music. The combination of the two creates a happy and whimsical atmosphere that is a joy to experience.

There isn't a huge variety of enemies, but the ones that you do encounter are fun, especially since they are based on classic characters from Japanese folklore. I wasn’t too bothered by the lack of variety, as each stage that you visit is very different, so it doesn't matter as much. You travel through stages set in a forest, the beach, a race track, a city where you are moving vertically up to the top of buildings, infiltrating a cruise ship, and even climbing mountains. To complete each stage, you won't always be performing the same actions, some require you to do things like complete a race in the top three or use your Issun Henge to get through an area full of enemies within a certain amount of time. I was never bored, and the game didn’t feel repetitive at all. Bosses you defeat will teach you other Henge attacks, giving you many special skills to use on your journey.

I have had a fantastic time playing BAKERU on the Switch; it manages to be educational and a lot of fun at the same time. This may look like it will be an easy game to complete once you complete the first few stages, but there are a few times where the enemies, especially bosses, will require a few attempts to defeat. Remember, that you will lose some of your precious gold upon death, and you will return to the last checkpoint you reached. If you have an interest in Japanese culture or mythology, this is a title that you should check out. Plus, besides having a fun time, you may learn something along the way! Next time I’m feeling sick, I may try to gargle with green tea, as the game tells me that it has antimicrobial properties, so it may be worth a shot!