Originally released as "Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun," this title was massively influential on the beat 'em up genre. It introduced staples such as belt scrolling, a bigger focus on combos, and urban environments. The reason I'm playing it, however, is because it is the first in the long line of Kunio-kun games, the birthplace of a favorite game of mine, River City Ransom.
...well, sort of. This is the home version, freshly translated for the Double Dragon & Kunio-kun: Retro Brawler Bundle. This port makes some changes from the original, namely having less enemies on screen at a time and dividing levels into multiple segments. However, the aspects that made the original famous are still here.
Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun uses a two button attack system based on Kunio's current direction. B always makes you attack to the left while A always makes you attack to the right. Depending on where Kunio is facing, this means either a quick forward punch you can mash or a slower, longer ranged backwards kick. This also affects some of the other moves you can pull off. You can grab a stunned enemy, hitting them for more damage with the forward attack and throwing then with the back attack. You can pummel grounded enemies by pressing down and using the forward attack. You can dash forward and knock enemies down with a running punch. It takes time to get used to remembering the directional aspect of these moves. I initially struggled with crowds and bosses, relying heavily on save states in between levels and before bosses to survive. But with some time and practice, you can master spacing and crowd control, and I can more reliably get through the rest of the game without help.
There is one move I neglected to mention: the jumping kick, pulled off by pressing both buttons at the same time. This move is kinda busted. It stuns enemies in one hit, letting you go in for a grab. It knocks enemies down in two, letting you focus on another enemy or pummel the now grounded foe. It is the only attack to deal with motorcycle enemies in stages 2 and 4, and it is the best attack for dealing with bosses assuming your timing and spacing is good. Sure, enemies can duck sometimes, but most times, you can just...do it again to hit an enemy. Master this move, and the game can become a lot easier.
To further even the playing field, there are hidden power ups you can find by performing specific techniques. Bust open a wall at the right time to get health. Defeat the third enemy of each room with a pummel when the timer is even to get an extra life. Jump kick an enemy at the right time to get a power boost that lets you send your enemies flying in a single punch. A good reason to check the manual of any retro game you play - you get to learn stuff that isn't necessarily communicated by the game itself.
You'll need a bit of broken stuff, however, since these bosses are devious. Jump kicks are enough for the first two, but they're much tougher without it. The third boss can easily grab and drain tons of health quickly, requiring good spacing on your attacks. That final boss is the smartest brawler boss, bringing a gun to a fist fight that can instantly kill you, though good timing with jump kicks can leave him unable to use his weapon. It is these tougher fights and need for timing, alongside the maze in the final level, that help to maintain the difficulty even with the jump kick at your disposal. This challenge goes even higher in the second and third difficulty levels, which add more weapon wielding enemies and make the final level maze even tougher. I tried with level 2, but having to fight multiples of the third stage boss in just two minutes was extremely frustrating and I had to tap out.
If you're not interested in the history of the beat 'em up, you can skip Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun. This is a super short game with awkward controls and wild endgame difficulty spikes. But the nuances in mechanics that shined in the 80s still have merit today.
...well, sort of. This is the home version, freshly translated for the Double Dragon & Kunio-kun: Retro Brawler Bundle. This port makes some changes from the original, namely having less enemies on screen at a time and dividing levels into multiple segments. However, the aspects that made the original famous are still here.
Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun uses a two button attack system based on Kunio's current direction. B always makes you attack to the left while A always makes you attack to the right. Depending on where Kunio is facing, this means either a quick forward punch you can mash or a slower, longer ranged backwards kick. This also affects some of the other moves you can pull off. You can grab a stunned enemy, hitting them for more damage with the forward attack and throwing then with the back attack. You can pummel grounded enemies by pressing down and using the forward attack. You can dash forward and knock enemies down with a running punch. It takes time to get used to remembering the directional aspect of these moves. I initially struggled with crowds and bosses, relying heavily on save states in between levels and before bosses to survive. But with some time and practice, you can master spacing and crowd control, and I can more reliably get through the rest of the game without help.
There is one move I neglected to mention: the jumping kick, pulled off by pressing both buttons at the same time. This move is kinda busted. It stuns enemies in one hit, letting you go in for a grab. It knocks enemies down in two, letting you focus on another enemy or pummel the now grounded foe. It is the only attack to deal with motorcycle enemies in stages 2 and 4, and it is the best attack for dealing with bosses assuming your timing and spacing is good. Sure, enemies can duck sometimes, but most times, you can just...do it again to hit an enemy. Master this move, and the game can become a lot easier.
To further even the playing field, there are hidden power ups you can find by performing specific techniques. Bust open a wall at the right time to get health. Defeat the third enemy of each room with a pummel when the timer is even to get an extra life. Jump kick an enemy at the right time to get a power boost that lets you send your enemies flying in a single punch. A good reason to check the manual of any retro game you play - you get to learn stuff that isn't necessarily communicated by the game itself.
You'll need a bit of broken stuff, however, since these bosses are devious. Jump kicks are enough for the first two, but they're much tougher without it. The third boss can easily grab and drain tons of health quickly, requiring good spacing on your attacks. That final boss is the smartest brawler boss, bringing a gun to a fist fight that can instantly kill you, though good timing with jump kicks can leave him unable to use his weapon. It is these tougher fights and need for timing, alongside the maze in the final level, that help to maintain the difficulty even with the jump kick at your disposal. This challenge goes even higher in the second and third difficulty levels, which add more weapon wielding enemies and make the final level maze even tougher. I tried with level 2, but having to fight multiples of the third stage boss in just two minutes was extremely frustrating and I had to tap out.
If you're not interested in the history of the beat 'em up, you can skip Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun. This is a super short game with awkward controls and wild endgame difficulty spikes. But the nuances in mechanics that shined in the 80s still have merit today.
Surpreendentemente descente? Diferente da versão de arcade, este jogo lançado para o NES ainda consegue se manter bem firme hoje em dia, é tudo mais polido e até mesmo melhor balanceado. Enquanto no arcade você tinha apenas uma vida, 2 minutos por fase e pau no seu cu, aqui as fases não só tem continuidade, como cada sala que você entra irá resetar sua barra de vida e o seu tempo, além de você também ter 3 CONTINUES. Essas simples coisinhas já fazem esse jogo ser bem competente e pouco frustante, e o desafio em geral até que também não é nada abusivo. A maioria dos inimigos são macetáveis com voadora neutra ou investida, e os que apresentam maior resistência a isso ainda assim não são invulneráveis.
Mantiveram as mesmas fases que haviam no Arcade, mas otimizaram muito bem tudo aqui. Na primeira fase na estação tem uma parte que você entra no próprio metrô como todo bom beat 'em up faria a partir de então, e só após uma mini seção de capangas você vai para o boss. Na 2° fase você enfrenta uma gangue de bosozoku (motoqueiros) e então rouba uma moto com direito a uma sequência inteira de perseguição que é extremamente bem executada, e só após isso você chega ao Boss. É notável o cuidado a mais que botaram nessa versão caseira do jogo original, realmente digno do primeiro beat 'em up em oito direções. A única coisa que deixa um mal gosto na boca acaba sendo a última fase, que foi onde perceberam que o jogo era muito curto e muito mais fácil, aí inventaram de fazer uma fase final que você começa do lado de fora até liberar dois prédios, e ambos são labirintos que você pode ficar completamente preso em um looping insuportável, e a pior parte é que o chefe final só vai estar em um dos prédios. Sem falar que o chefe em si também pode facilmente te matar com apenas um tiro de sua arma, mas essa parte é perdoável porque vale lembrar que tudo aqui é macetável com voadora neutra. Enfim, foi uma maneira bem tosca e barata de alongar o jogo, típico da época, mas ao menos ainda dá pra relevar um pouquinho isso por resetarem a vida e o tempo a cada sala, apesar que os inimigos nesse labirinto são levemente mais difíceis também.
No fim, um jogo muito mais sólido do que tinha qualquer direito de ser, substitui totalmente a versão de Arcade e mostra como ainda nos primórdios deste gênero já conseguiam fazer um pouco de tudo que veríamos no futuro. Apenas lembrem-se, na última fase vão pelo prédio esquerdo, e na sequência de portas peguem direita -> esquerda -> esquerda -> meio -> direita. Só essa noção básica já salva um bom tempo seu.
Mantiveram as mesmas fases que haviam no Arcade, mas otimizaram muito bem tudo aqui. Na primeira fase na estação tem uma parte que você entra no próprio metrô como todo bom beat 'em up faria a partir de então, e só após uma mini seção de capangas você vai para o boss. Na 2° fase você enfrenta uma gangue de bosozoku (motoqueiros) e então rouba uma moto com direito a uma sequência inteira de perseguição que é extremamente bem executada, e só após isso você chega ao Boss. É notável o cuidado a mais que botaram nessa versão caseira do jogo original, realmente digno do primeiro beat 'em up em oito direções. A única coisa que deixa um mal gosto na boca acaba sendo a última fase, que foi onde perceberam que o jogo era muito curto e muito mais fácil, aí inventaram de fazer uma fase final que você começa do lado de fora até liberar dois prédios, e ambos são labirintos que você pode ficar completamente preso em um looping insuportável, e a pior parte é que o chefe final só vai estar em um dos prédios. Sem falar que o chefe em si também pode facilmente te matar com apenas um tiro de sua arma, mas essa parte é perdoável porque vale lembrar que tudo aqui é macetável com voadora neutra. Enfim, foi uma maneira bem tosca e barata de alongar o jogo, típico da época, mas ao menos ainda dá pra relevar um pouquinho isso por resetarem a vida e o tempo a cada sala, apesar que os inimigos nesse labirinto são levemente mais difíceis também.
No fim, um jogo muito mais sólido do que tinha qualquer direito de ser, substitui totalmente a versão de Arcade e mostra como ainda nos primórdios deste gênero já conseguiam fazer um pouco de tudo que veríamos no futuro. Apenas lembrem-se, na última fase vão pelo prédio esquerdo, e na sequência de portas peguem direita -> esquerda -> esquerda -> meio -> direita. Só essa noção básica já salva um bom tempo seu.
Kunio-kun at home, literally. Only 3 enemies on stage at a time and the combat is not as smooth as the arcade version, but they managed to port all the moves, and expanded the game with extra stages to make it a better fit for a home console.
The combat does feel a lot more clunky tho - front punches aren't really effective, so you really need to abuse jump kicks and dash punches a lot.
The bike chase part is extra cool, and the stage 4 was an interesting way to extend the gameplay. Some find it annoying, but I enjoyed it, even made a text map.
There are 3 difficulty levels you can choose, and although usually I don't mind the challenge, in this game level 1 makes the most sense. On 2 and 3 combat gets even more broken, so you have to spam the same moves even more. Also, the final maze becomes ridiculously hard - making it longer and more twisted would be one thing, but outright spamming bosses from the previous stages is just stupid and not fun. I spent a lot of time to beat the game on levels 1 and 2 without using save states or guides, but had it enough on level 3. Watched the playthrough on YouTube - multiple rooms with 3 to 6 bosses in one run + the final boss appears 3 times - it's just not worth it.
Overall it's a flawed, but decent port, considering the platform. The arcade version is clearly better, but this one is different enough to have its own value.
The combat does feel a lot more clunky tho - front punches aren't really effective, so you really need to abuse jump kicks and dash punches a lot.
The bike chase part is extra cool, and the stage 4 was an interesting way to extend the gameplay. Some find it annoying, but I enjoyed it, even made a text map.
There are 3 difficulty levels you can choose, and although usually I don't mind the challenge, in this game level 1 makes the most sense. On 2 and 3 combat gets even more broken, so you have to spam the same moves even more. Also, the final maze becomes ridiculously hard - making it longer and more twisted would be one thing, but outright spamming bosses from the previous stages is just stupid and not fun. I spent a lot of time to beat the game on levels 1 and 2 without using save states or guides, but had it enough on level 3. Watched the playthrough on YouTube - multiple rooms with 3 to 6 bosses in one run + the final boss appears 3 times - it's just not worth it.
Overall it's a flawed, but decent port, considering the platform. The arcade version is clearly better, but this one is different enough to have its own value.
I don't know if this game was the first one of the beat them up genre, but it is certainly the first one on my list. For one of the first, it's not too bad of a game, but it still have many flaws.
First of all, the controls are a lttile bit clunky. It's not consistent on what attack you wanna do. You will also abuse the hell out of the flying kick attack. If you try any other attacks, your butt will get kicked. So the flying attack is the only attack that you cannot get abuse by other enemies.
The hit box aren't that great too. Trying to be aligned to hit someone is really hard to do. You need to be perfectly aligned to do so. There's an enemy that what really annoying because of the hit box : the motorcycle guys. When on foot, you need to do a diving kick to hit them without getting hit. However, the alignment and the timing is really hard to execute. You will get hurt by them and you will also be mad at them.
Except that, it's always pleasant to beat some random goons. There's also some cool parts like the one on the motorcyle that you kick people off of their own bike.
The game was pleasant, but I wouldn't recommand for someone to get out of his way to play it since it's not that accessible.
Game #31 of my challenge
First of all, the controls are a lttile bit clunky. It's not consistent on what attack you wanna do. You will also abuse the hell out of the flying kick attack. If you try any other attacks, your butt will get kicked. So the flying attack is the only attack that you cannot get abuse by other enemies.
The hit box aren't that great too. Trying to be aligned to hit someone is really hard to do. You need to be perfectly aligned to do so. There's an enemy that what really annoying because of the hit box : the motorcycle guys. When on foot, you need to do a diving kick to hit them without getting hit. However, the alignment and the timing is really hard to execute. You will get hurt by them and you will also be mad at them.
Except that, it's always pleasant to beat some random goons. There's also some cool parts like the one on the motorcyle that you kick people off of their own bike.
The game was pleasant, but I wouldn't recommand for someone to get out of his way to play it since it's not that accessible.
Game #31 of my challenge