Rakugakids

Rakugakids (らくがきっず, Rakugakizzu) is a 2.5D fighting video game created by Konami for the Nintendo 64, released in 1998. The name Rakugakids is a portmanteau of the Japanese word rakugaki (meaning "doodle"), and the English word "kids", a reflection of the visual style of the game which resembled children's drawings.[1] It, along with ClayFighter 63⅓ was one of the only 2D fighting games for the N64.

Rakugakids
European box art
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Koji Yoshida
Producer(s)Shigeharu Umezaki
Composer(s)Tomoya Tomita
Kozo Nakamura
Masahiro Kimura
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: July 23, 1998
  • EU: December 4, 1998
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay
A screenshot of Rakugakids gameplay.

The game is similar in play to a toned-down Street Fighter. The button layout is the six-buttons fighting game standard consisting primarily of three punches and three kicks, which combine with various directional commands to produce special secondary moves. All characters have a single-button attack that sends the opponent into the air, where they can then be pursued and aerially attacked. Perhaps to complement this, each character can perform an additional jump while in the air.

Super combos in this game are referred to as "Magic" and a player can have up to three levels of Magic which are represented by three crayons that appear at the bottom of the screen. Super Meter levels can be spent in three ways: offense, where an attack causes heavy damage with a few hits; defense, where an attack causes little damage, but sends the opponent far away; and counter, usable only while the character is blocking, causes medium damage and sends the opponent flying away.

Characters
  • Astronots (アストロノッツ) drawn by Andy (アンディ): A Buck Rogers-like astronaut and the game's protagonist. He fights using assorted pulp-era sci-fi devices like a raygun and rocket boots. He is like the typical Ryu of the game.
  • Captain. Cat. Kit (キャプテン・キャット・キット) drawn by DDJ: An anthropomorphic cat dressed in hip hop fashion. Fights using brass instruments, a basketball and breakdancing moves. Also has the ability to spontaneously combust at will.
  • Marsa (マーサ) drawn by Nola (ノーラ): A witch bearing a hat that acts like a chicken. Marsa is the only one who can triple jump, and her 'Marsa Jump' sends her far up off screen. Used strategically, you can avoid danger with it.
  • Robot C.H.O (ロボット C.H.O.) drawn by Jerry (ジェリー): The game's heavyweight grappler character. A robot who can transform into various metal objects, like a trashcan or a car. The spinning letters on its hand and head will change depending on its actions.
  • Beartank (ベアタンク) drawn by Clione (クリオネ): A green bear with tank guns on its head and back. It can change its body into a set of tank treads (Leaving only its head exposed.) and fire small copies of itself from either gun. For some reason, it is constantly sleeping. It is the speediest character, the second being Captain. Cat. Kit.
  • Cools. Roy (クールス・ロイ) drawn by Roy (ロイ): A cowboy-like character, who fights with honor (his taunt is a bow to the opponent).
  • Mamezo (マメゾ) drawn by Val (バル): a yellow boogeyman-style character with a green cape. His moves are mostly jelly-like transformations into various gadgets and tools (like a fork, an iron, scissors and more) or summon rockets and other things. He is introduced as the main villain in the intro.

Hidden Characters
  • Inuzo (イヌゾ) drawn by Mudgas: The game's sub-boss character. A palette-swap of Mamezo with a different idle and walking animation but otherwise identical moves.
  • Darkness (ダークネス) drawn by George: The game's boss character. A ghost dog with various moves involving morphing itself and spawning objects from its body.

Some references such as characters and music from Rakugakids were later added to other video games by Konami. In Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Nathan (protagonist of this Castlevania title) can transform into the Beartank character by equipping the Bear Ring and activating the Black Dog and Pluto cards (which normally transforms him into a Skeleton). Beartank makes an appearance in Goemon Mononoke Sugoroku. Beartank also appears as a secret character in Konami Krazy Racers. Music from the game also appears in some of Konami's Bemani games, namely Beatmania GB and Pop n' Music.

gollark: I said so, but epicbot didn't bridge it?
gollark: Yep!
gollark: Yes, maybe that was a bad decision.
gollark: Hmm, I thought we had contained that, oops.
gollark: +>insult

References
  1. IGN staff (March 2, 1998). "Rakuga Kids: PaRappa the Fighter?". IGN. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
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