A platforming journey across Japan, though perhaps not beyond
Developer/ publisher Good-Feel
Format Switch
Origin Japan
Release Out now (Japan)
Sure, it might seem unwieldy to the uninitiated. But to give its full title, Otogi Katsugeki Mameda No Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou No Sainan is actually a straightforward summary of Good-Feel’s action platformer – a spiritual successor to the Ganbare Goemon games, with which studio president Etsunobu Ebisu has been involved for several decades. Literally translated, the first part denotes the genre, a fairytale action game, followed by the name of its mascot protagonist, Bakeru, a tanuki boy who can morph into human form. The subtitle, meanwhile, introduces Oracle Saitarou, a Joker-esque villain whose festivals have brainwashed the people of Japan.
Sent on a journey to restore order across each of the nation’s 47 prefectures, the immature tanuki boy fights with a taiko drum, using L and R to attack with a pair of bachi sticks while the drum itself can guard or parry attacks. His shape-shifting powers come in most useful of all, though you first have to meet and defeat other renowned heroes in order to acquire a licence that allows you to change form. That said, our initial transformation is distinctly underwhelming, as Bakeru simply shrinks down to the same size as his inch-high companion Sun (named after the Issun-boshi of Japanese folklore), leaving him defenceless, albeit with the ability to squeeze through small holes and even perform Yoshi-like flutters to grab extra air while leaping gaps.
That the game is structured as a whistle-stop tour of Japan is an appealing idea
Other forms, such as a shogun warrior with powerful melee attacks, see him changing costumes, while additional abilities grant greater attack range. Transformations can be switched by simply holding ZL and tapping the corresponding face button, but taking on these forms also gradually consumes a rainbowcoloured gauge. We’re initially cautious about when we transform, then, but with defeated enemies dropping a glut of resources, it’s possible to remain in this new guise for long stretches. In other words, if
