Developer: NEC Avenue Publisher: NEC Avenue Release: 02/24/95 Genre: Action
Delinquents and beat ‘em ups go together like peanut butter and jelly. In Japan it is the go to when you want to pound some faces in the dirt. From Kunio Kun to Kenka Bancho these games have been exemplary. But up until recently they rarely explored the genre from the female perspective. Ane-San is probably the most unique brawler from the 16-bit era as it stars tough young ladies taking on female Yakuza. It certainly has the looks of a winner. The game has fantastic art direction and absolutely nails the seedy underbelly of Japan and has a phenomenal soundtrack to boot. Sadly outside of its premise and production values the game is strictly average.
Ane-San stars Ai, Chika, and Makoto, members of a gang out to expand their territory and rescue their mentor Yuko. They do not plan on doing it through diplomacy either. Instead you travel the country and take out rival gangs to expand your reach and hopefully find Yuko along the way. Depending on your actions your gang can expand significantly although sadly it is mostly fluff.
The three characters you start with all fit neatly in to the established beat ‘em up tropes. Ai is your well rounder, Chika is quick with the hands but lacks power and Makoto is your lumbering giant. The first two bosses you beat will also join your entourage and add a little variety. Hirame is the unfortunate butt of the game’s jokes about her weight and appearance while Ruri is an idol who is not as cool as she was as a boss. Depending on your actions such as possessing certain items or beating a boss with a specific character you can further expand the roster to ten characters. Some like Isami and Soushi use weapons for longer reach but unfortunately while their designs are cool gameplay wise Ane-San is a letdown.
The gameplay is where Ane-San suffers. The mechanics are rudimentary even by beat ‘em up standards. Your move set is extremely limited regardless of which character you pick. Aside from a punch combo you can jump kick, hair pull and throw characters. Your techniques never expand and it grows tiresome quickly. On top of that the game has a small set of enemies. There are only five enemies total and their AI is dumber than a sack of bricks. Despite their numbers you practically have to cajole them in to attacking. There are only a few stages total but each is very long and by the end of the first level you will have seen everything the game has to offer outside of its bosses.
There is some attempt at giving the game depth through its shop system. Between levels you can buy a plethora of items to decorate Ai’s room with. The list is pretty extensive, from jackets, boots and knives to brass knuckles and posters. Certain items offer stat boosts such as damage reduction or increased attack speed. It sounds cool in theory but the game is so brain dead easy you will not notice the difference. To recruit certain characters you need to purchase particular items beforehand. But once again since everyone plays near identically it loses its value.
Unlike the majority of brawlers Ane-San has next to no challenge. I have already mentioned the lacking AI. Even when they attack in groups they seem hesitant to attack. Regardless of the character you use every enemy will go down in a single combo flurry. As unbelievable as it sounds the bosses die even faster! Although each level is full of repetitive waves life restoring food is paced evenly. Each party member is essentially an extra life. When one dies they are unavailable until you clear another stage. However I never died once because the game is so easy. I have no doubt Ane-San is simple to be accessible but it hurts the game overall as it makes many of its features worthless.
In Closing
Ane-San could have been a winner. It has stellar production values and the shop system could have given it depth. But it seems the developers focused on the graphics instead of gameplay and it shows. A little work on the mechanics and this could have at least been decent. Ane-San is a game that is better appreciated in screenshots than with controller in hand. What a god damn shame.
