Developer: CA Production Publisher: Hudson Soft Released: 08/04/95 Genre: Action
While westerners dreaded any and all licensed titles because they were usually terrible in Japan they dealt with a similar problem when it came to anime and manga. Most of these titles were from Bandai, who might as well have been the Acclaim of Japan. But like Goldeneye and Lord of the Rings every so often a great game would occasionally come from the unlikeliest source. Kishin Douji Zenki: Battle Raiden is an incredible game with a low profile that ranks among the best action games for the system in my opinion.
Part of its low key status would be its license. Kishin Douji Zenki never left Japan and the anime is all but forgotten. It’s been nearly two decades since I’ve seen the OVA and I barely remember anything about it. The story tells the tale of Zenki, a demon who fought evil alongside a priestess named Ozuno a thousand years ago. Once the deed was done Zenki was sealed in stone for a thousand years until he is awakened by Chiaki, the descendant of Ozuno in modern times to fight against Shiguma and his evil organization.
Although they are the same person both versions of Zenki play vastly different; they might as well be separate characters. In his chibi form Zenki is a gimp. Aside from a basic punch and jump kick he is helpless as befits his stature. Combat is less of a focus in these segments with an emphasis on platforming. The jumping controls aren’t the greatest but luckily you spend very little time in this state.
The majority of your time in game will be as Kishin Zenki and he is awesome. Full sized and packed with power Kishin Zenki has an array of powers and moves activated with simple button combinations. From fireballs, hurricane uppercuts, and even dashing strikes the variety in his move set means combat is rarely boring. This may not be a beat em up but I wish the majority of the genre had Zenki’s tool set.
The level design is pretty great throughout and provides plenty of opportunities to test your powers. However there is a nice dose of platforming thrown in occasionally to spice things up. No individual level is a straight path with plenty of secrets to discover. There is some annoying backtracking involved, importers beware. Once you reach the exit you need to backtrack and destroy a particular shrine or wall to advance. The layouts begin to change once this occurs which does soften the blow but it is annoying that the game leans on this so much. It is worth it however as the boss battles are very entertaining. The easy to recognize pattern still manage to test your reflexes and are immensely satisfying.
Honestly the only flaw with the game is that you’ll wish there were more of it. At five stages with multiple sub levels it could easily have done with one or two more and been perfect. With such great level design and art direction it will leave you wanting more.
Part of what seems to make the game fly by is the easy difficulty. Simply put Kishin Zenki is far too powerful. There is literally at least one special move designed to take out each enemy you encounter in a single attack. While the platforming isn’t as precise due to the wonky controls it is never really an issue and your generous life bar allows for plenty of mistakes. Even if you screw up constantly there are no shortage of health restoring seeds. The one tricky area, the boss battles, can be simplified by spamming the Ludra attack. Normally it isn’t worth it since it saps large chunks of health but you have nothing to lose in these encounters. The game could certainly have used some more teeth to go with its balanced gameplay.
Speaking of art Battle Raiden has fantastic production values atypical of an anime licensed game. While the PC-FX release Vajra Fight got all of the attention for its lavish visuals (and rightfully so, I drooled over those Gamefan shots) it should be noted that Battle Raiden is the more substantial game with far more diversity. The environments have an almost painterly look that is not only beautiful but unique for its time. Developer CA Production certainly seemed to have a visual style going in their SNES output as Zenki resembles Hagane, their prior release. The sprites are large and well animated, especially the bosses. This is light on special effects because it isn’t necessary; the great art is more than sufficient. Even the music is catchy but not awe inspiring.
Kishin Douji Zenki: Battle Raiden is one of the better action games for the SNES, import or otherwise. Outside of the Game Gear title this is the only pure platformer using the license. The rest of the games were weird side scrolling hybrids or middling brawlers. Outside of some minor confusion about backtracking to find an item it is very import friendly and well worth tracking down. Why can’t all licensed games be this great?
