Review by Paolo M.
Kamen Rider: Climax Fighters is the latest fighting game in the Kamen Rider Climax series. The last game was released in 2012, and if there’s a new show every year, this means this will be the first appearance of some riders in a video game. (Gaim, Drive, Ghost, Ex-Aid and the currently-running one, Build)
DISCLAIMER: I have not seen a complete series since Kamen Rider Decade, which was 9 years ago.
The game features Heisei Riders and some secondary riders from select shows (No Kaixa?!) battling each other for … something.
Each year, there’s a Kamen Rider season with a different flavor -- technologically-powered/bio-engineered/lucky/magically-powered bug-eyed Rider, his motorcycle, his Rider Kick vs. evil group/corporation/consortium.
STORY
Since the first Kamen Rider show, there has always been more than one Rider -- they would either appear mysteriously as an antagonist at first, and somewhere between the season, they’d have made up a tense alliance with the main rider and the fans WILL NEVER get the answer of who will win between them.
The premise for Climax Fighters is similar -- it’s essentially giving gamers the chance to answer the simple question -- WHO WILL WIN? There’s no story to speak of, no reason why all the Riders are in the same universe, it’s just that they are.
GAMEPLAY
The game features 28 Riders in total, and the game does a great job of trying to differentiate one Rider from another. However, they all control essentially the same.
Light Attack - can be chained for a combo, modified when in air
Special Attack - rider-specific, modified with directional press, modified when in air
Guard - takes about 9 hits for a guard break (which is too much IMO)
Sprint - makes your Rider run, there’s a recharging sprint meter
Rider Skill - Rider-specific skill, can be used once meter fills up
Evolve - activates the Rider’s strongest form in the game, attack and speed goes up
Super Rider Arts - once in Evolve mode, Rider can use their ultimate ONCE per match. Very high damage.
High/Low Voltage - If a Rider spends too much time being defensive, they go Low Voltage, which decreases their speed/defense.
If the fighting mechanics don’t seem that deep, it’s only because they’re not. The game is very easy to master, and all the mechanics are well-detailed in the first Tutorial section of the game.
Each Rider differs, however, in their fighting style/moves. For example, some Riders can utilize speed as their Rider Skill (Kamen Rider Kabuto’s Clock Up) -- which slows everything down except for the Rider himself, giving him more opportunities to deal damage.
Wall bounds give the best opportunity for more damage, so a combo for every character is: light attack combo -> wall bound -> rider special attack or rider skill.
Precision is also thrown out the window -- trying to dodge (double tap left or right) is usually imprecise, and may trigger Special Attacks instead. The worst of these would be not knowing at which distance you’d have to launch the attack. Knowing how to play each character is essential if you don’t want a Rider Kick to be wasted by overshooting.
The single player modes in this game are Free Battle and Mission.
Missions pit Riders of a similar theme (travel, doctors, etc) and making them fight. A mission consists of 3-8 chapters -- and since the fights are done quick, you may finish several missions in less than an hour. (There are only 7 missions + 3 tutorials!) Completing “Treasure” missions gets you a specific Rider’s mask and belt for your avatar, as well as a character poster in-game.
The premise for fights is ridiculous. Check this exchange and tell us how this ended up in a fight:
Free Battle lets you create a custom battle scenario (2 to 4 players, stage, BGM, handicap, difficulty) -- which is fun for a few matches. This is also the only mode where Kamen Rider Black is available for play. (Not a Heisei Rider, but his inclusion coincides with the character’s 30th Anniversary)
There are only 6 stages, 8 if you count the sunset/evening version of the ruins/pier. Not that it makes much tactical difference, since the arenas are small -- the other levels simply have more areas to hide.
In this game, the opponents don’t let the enemy Rider finish yelling/announcing their move before attacking, a move every henchman should probably take note of.
The real meat of the game is multiplayer -- the game allows for hot seat couch gaming. Climax Fighters is also the first Kamen Rider game to support online play.
In hot seat multiplayer, the camera zooms out with each player’s Rider in view, it gets especially chaotic in 4P mode.
(DISCLAIMER: both modes haven’t been tried by the reviewer.)
GRAPHICS
The game runs at a steady 60 FPS -- even when there are 3 or 4 Riders each dishing out their special moves! But this comes at a cost -- the graphics look straight out of a PS3. Textures aren’t the sharpest, and each rider is seemingly made out of a shiny plastic material. (Consider Build’s matte black suit in the show to the game’s shiny black.)
SOUND
Since the game includes almost 20 years of Kamen Rider, some of them are noticeably not voiced by the actors that played them. Sound is all over the place with each Rider having their unique sounds go along with their unique moves. For example, Decade and Kabuto’s belt have a computer voice -- if they both use a special move, both computer voices will be heard playing.
Music is very generic for the SEA release. Japan has the exclusive Premium Rider Sound Edition, which features 38 songs from the different shows -- imagine playing as your favorite Rider, and hearing their theme song pump you up for a match.
A minor gripe for the SEA release as well is the subtitles -- menus are in English, but once the match starts, there are no subtitles for the Riders’ catchphrases. (But if you’re playing this, you’re bound to know some of them anyway.)
OVERALL
THIS IS PURELY FOR THE FANS. Get it if you love Kamen Rider -- better yet, if you have friends who are also into Kamen Rider -- this will give you hours and hours of fun.
If you have a passing interest in Kamen Rider, it’s hard to justify the $45 (PH pricing) you’ll be spending for this, especially if you’re looking for a single player experience.
For the hardcore fan, you might be better off getting the Premium Rider Sound Edition for the show OSTs -- it also features a different cover + posters.
If you want to get into Kamen Rider -- the latest show, Kamen Rider Build is still ongoing and has not, as of this writing, reached its mid-way point yet.
Climax Fighters is out now for the PS4.
6.4Overall7Gameplay6Graphics6Sound6Value7Fun factor
[DISCLAIMER: Bandai Namco sent a copy for review.]