Right from the start, Bakeru being a spiritual sequel to Goemon is plain to see but there is much more to this title than just its roots. Bakeru stars the titular hero, a mischievous Tanuki who must save Japan ( or rather an alternate Japan from the one we know), using a powerful drum and several skills. There is a threat of a takeover by the evil Oracle Saitaro using nefarious festival magic, and so Bakeru will team up with the tiny spirit Sun and go make things right.
As mentioned, Bakeru uses an enchanted Taiko drum to defeat enemies by using the drumsticks as weapons and the drum itself as a shield. There is a wide variety of attacks and defensive options you can take with the drum and learning to use everything is key. That is not all though, as along the way, Bakeru will receive the blessings of other folk legends in the form of Henge licenses which will allow him to transform into incarnations of fairy tale heroes.
The stages in Bakeru follow a pattern that sees you destroy three barriers to reach your goal, but the stages themselves are extremely diverse. From stages set on beaches, cities and feudal landscapes, to out there sections such as racing levels reminiscent of Mario kart, Bakeru has some of the most creative level design seen in a recent video game. Bakeru feels like a throwback in this regard, and I mean that in a good way as the title calls to mind the best of early 2000s 3D platformers that all tried new things.
Combat, a s mentioned, is satisfying and the enemies are perfectly cartoonish. As you fight enemies, you will gain coins that can be used for purchases, energy to charge up your Henge license to let you transform, and occasionally health items as well. Henge transformations really help the game stand out and unlocking the transformations into various folkloric heroes is both fun and satisfying, as it allows you to get more done in the game. For instance, some transformations let you explore more areas, while some are just great for combat, which is always a good thing, and Bakeru implements it well. This new western release adds new moves and a new boss fight to the game as well, and the new moves will come in handy if you find yourself being overwhelmed at times by enemies.
One major draw for 3D platformers is the collectables you will find and Bakeru is full of them. Each stage sees our heroic Tanuki get the chance to find three souvenirs that range from a pennant to something like souvenirs of fruit from areas of Japan, and can be a blast to track down. This is not the only form of collecting in the game though, as there is also the trivia to collect.
Each stage contains five golden trivia notes that give details about Japan and finding them can test your skill to the max. One thing I really love about Bakeru is that if you replay a level to get something you missed, you can collect the souvenir or trivia and then just quit without finishing the level again and still have the collectable. It is a great quality of life feature and reduces the amount of grinding and backtracking that needs to be done.
One thing that really needs to be said about Bakeru is that it is a gorgeous game with a beautiful visual style. When the game was first released in Japan, many were quick to note that there were frame rate issues among other problems. Well I am glad to say that these technical hiccups have been fixed for the localization and Bakeru looks better than ever. The framerate is solid and improved, and Bakeru stands out as one of the best looking Nintendo Switch games, right up there with Nintendo’s own titles ( which makes sense as Good Feel has made multiple games for Nintendo using its first party IP.)
The only complaint I have about Bakeru is that sometimes the camera is a bit wonk and sometimes I wish I could move faster, but otherwise this feels perfect. I suspect this is due to the aforementioned fact that it is improved over the original Japanese release, but in addition, the excellent music goes well with the visuals to create an unforgettable experience. And how often will you have a game that sees you enter a boxcar dog that is sentient and do a Mario Kart style race in one level, aerial combat in another, while taking on aspects of Japanese folklore?
There was a large demand for Bakeru to come west after it was first announced, and Good Feel and Spike Chunsoft did not disappoint fans with this release. Bakeru is easily one of the best Switch game release of the year and I would say one of the best video game releases of the year overall ( well, at least so far as the time this review was written). Bakeru is an easy game to recommend and whether you play it on Switch or on PC, you will have hours of enjoyment from the experience. Let the legend of the Tanuki continue, as hopefully this game will become a series of its own in the future.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
