It took me a while to find this game - the box/cover is entirely in Japanese so thanks to the Wikipedia page that lists all Japanese DS games, the publisher (Bandai Namco) and the copyright year (2010), and Google image search - I was able to track it down!
For my own reference, it's this game:
https://www.video-games-museum.com/en/game/Do-Konjou-Shougakussei-Bon-Bita-Hadaka-no-Choujou-Ketsusen-Bita-vs-Dokuro-Dei/81/5/41776
(the link shouldn't work, but you can cut-paste into a browser).
It's kind of fun to play a crazy, funny game and not understand ANY of the context! (is this based on some manga/anime show? probably - but I have no idea) The game is a clever and fun platformer that I wish I could play more - I completed maybe 4 levels? There's lots of text (which I think are perhaps tutorials?) and through a little bit of trial and error I made progress..
The game has a cast of characters but, from what I played, the protagonist is a "little kid" (may not be a kid) who is greedy/poor(?) and you spend the game chasing after one yen coins (one yen is like one cent) - but he can sometimes transform into another(same?) character who looks like a black character (afro) and does crazy things like cry alot (creating water that powers little windmills). The art direction is super fun, crisp and bright.
Oh, there's also birds that poop pink turds - with a word on top (smelly?). Oh, the end of the levels are also a word (no idea what) that you smash into to clear the level.
There's all kinds of zaniness that I kind of want to what the show (assuming it exists) because what the hell is this all about?
Huh. This is way more interesting than I expected. I guess I'll get the "bad" things out of the way first to then write about what I thought was kind of neat...
The graphics are kind of dark and muddy and it made it hard for me to tell who was friend/foe such that my attacks could be effective. Also, the touch controls were too finnicky for my taste.
Ok.
I've been thinking about this game in terms of characterizing what kind of game it is - where does it sit in relation to other games.
So, it's a 3D sort of isometric action/brawler type game. You can pick from different character types (archer, warrior, wizard) and run around in an environment killing monsters. The environments are relatively small and constrained.
BUT, there's a larger map (for the environment you're in) and there are objectives you need to meet. Hold a point, defeat a bad guy, etc.
The points (I'll call them command points) are key - when they're held by an enemy it's bad, so you can them over by standing next to a banner until it changes to your flag. At the banners you can also change character type "for free".
BUT, there are also NPCs that spawn - good ones that help, but also bad ones (enemies.
So, the game feels sort of like a MOBA in the advancing on the map towards control points (they also serve as spawn points here), but there's story and changing objectives as you play a mission, but there's the NPCs. So, it's sort of MOBA like but also sort of like musou games - they also have large maps with objectives and NPC characters that fight along side you. BUT, there aren't that many NPCs (technical challenges?) so, it doesn't have the overwhelming masses that make musou games interesting.
So, it's sort of a mix of all these? It's interesting just for that reason tbh. (which might be more interesting because it's an old game - so perhaps it anticipates some later games in that way?)
I'm also reminded of the Earth Defense Force Games - it has a similar vibe in terms of the chaos, even though completely different in theme/setting of course.
Oh, another thing - in a given level after a certain amount of time (or some other thing that's being measured?) you can swap your character for a named character from the movies! (the game is based on the movie IP for LoTR) So, you can switch into Gimli or an Ent, and so on. You can also play as good or bad guys! (different campaigns).
This is a strange game. You have a character, it exists in a flat environment (sort of iso-2D), there are other characters, you make friends with them by gifting stuff (I think), you can play games with them and - hopefully/eventually unlock more games and new environments. I only saw the first environment, played tag (the first game) and unlocked fox and geese.
What's strangest is thinking that, perhaps, for some kids, they might have learned about traditional children's playground games from this videogame? (not tag, but fox and geese?). Isn't that weird?
The games most notable features are probably that it allowed for multi-play across different DS devices? Another surprisingly under-rated feature of the DS in my opinion.
I had fun playing this - well, as far as I made it (level 42 from a total of 80 or 81? Going from the game's title). Yes, it's a Jules Verne-inspired match-3 game. There's a story, that sort of unfolds between levels, each level takes a day and you're essentially travelling around the world (9 locations - I only got to see 5, England, Paris, Cairo, India, China). Each day you're trying to collect some object by getting all the pieces that are on the gameboard and must drop through the bottom (they fall off automatically when they reach the lowest row).
It's pretty standard for a match-3 game, there are tiles that are frozen, locked so you can't move them (but will drop) and a very limited number of power ups (score and time and lives). As you make matches you fill up a super-meter that lets you detonate one tile or, if you fill it twice, detonates all the tiles of a color. There might be a 3rd level super, but I never got close to filling up the meter a third time without using it. Levels are time-limited and I only lost twice. And, I mostly used the super to clear a level - as a last-resort sort of thing.
I was surprised by how "conservative" the game is in its power ups and variations. It really plays it quite straight, and it works - is fun, even though the tune for each location got tiring really fast.
As an added bonus, you play the game holding your DS sideways (like a book) so you get the benefit of a taller screen. This is a constant reminder of how cool a platform the DS is - and how many ways people found to use it for (better) gameplay experiences...
Last thing, the copy I have is German and I bought it in Poland. I'm not sure it ever saw release in the US?
