Who knows, maybe Konami will surprise us all with a new Bloody Roar game in the future, or they could do the obvious thing and just turn it into a new pachinko machine.Text in the Japanese release is messed up. Of course, revamping the gameplay is sorely needed as well, one that doesn’t allow for the beast transformations to be the dominant strategy for each match and something that opens up more strategic play in regards to each character’s moveset. If we could see a new reboot that gives a fresh start to the series as well as provides new characters that bring back the original’s sense of mystery in regards to each character’s transformation and moveset, then we might just have a hit game in our hands. While it may seem that fighting game fans are spoiled for choice in this day and age, Bloody Roar can still stand out as its core concept of character transformations is still something that no other fighting game has. From a father whose tag team partner was his daughter that could turn into a puppy to something called The Unborn, the further the franchise strayed from the core concept of turning into animals, the less interested fans became.Ī fresh reboot like 2009’s Mortal Kombat or 2013’s Killer Instinct could do wonders for Bloody Roar as the transformation mechanic and anime-inspired art style will definitely be a hit in 2022 and beyond. Though by the time the fourth game came around, it seemed that the dev team had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for some of the transformations. It lent an air of mystery to each fighter when players first boot up the game, wondering what cool transformation each character hid. Transforming into beast mode in the middle of a fight was always a highlight in every match, and was something that each combatant could look forward to.Įach game added in more and more unique fighters, with some highlights including Bakuryu the ninja mole, or Stun who turned into a giant insect. The main character of the franchise, Yugo, was like Kyo Kusanagi from King of Fighters, except for the fact that he is also a werewolf.įor the most part, that was the great balance that the developers had to strike between each game, where each character had to be viable fighters in both their human and bestial forms. Needless to say, with such a wild concept as Bloody Roar, great character designs had to be made to accommodate its central gameplay mechanics. Given that it was both companies’ first major push into the fighting game genre, the idea to have each character essentially has two modes of play was a great way to stand out from their competitors, who were more focused on reimagining fighting game mechanics in 3D space. Bloody Roar was the studio’s first fighting game, and they have since created notable fighting games like Ultimate Marvel vs. The co-developers, Eighting, on the other hand, is still around as a prominent third-party developer in Japan. Hudson Soft has since been acquired by Konami, who still holds the rights to the Bloody Roar franchise. Hudson Soft was known for their Bomberman and Adventure Island games, and Bloody Roar can be seen as their foray into the popular fighting game genre. These were the games that transformed the fighting game landscape into what it is today. Let the world once again battle it out as werewolves, werelions, and weremoles to see who among the roster was truly the king of beasts.Ĭreated by Eighting and Hudson Soft, Bloody Roar was part of the 3D fighting game revolution of the late 90s, being part of the same wave of games as Tekken and SoulCalibur. This is why we think that it is time for Bloody Roar to make its grand return into the world of video games. Whether it is a new entry in the series or a port of an all-time classic, a good game will always have a fighting chance in the market. Sadly, the last game in the series was in 2004 and the franchise has remained dormant ever since.įrom King of Fighters XV to Persona 4 Arena making a comeback, with enough fan support, any fighting game can be resurrected for a new audience. When it first debuted in 1997, Bloody Roar was unique as its central mechanic allowed their fighters to completely transform into animal hybrids with extended movesets.
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