Konami’s
latest action game thrusts players into a violent dystopia where nanomachines
run rampant. It’s called Nano Breaker and it’s a Playstation2 exclusive title
from the well-known producer of the Castlevania series. Don’t get your hopes up
though; Nano Breaker is far below the quality standards set by Castlevania.
Nano Breaker
begins with an island built around nanomachine research. In an attempt to
perfect the science, every citizen of the island was injected with
self-replicating nanomachines. One day the main computer goes berserk and all
the nanomachines begin feeding off the iron in all their hosts’ blood and begin
self-replicating. Too many are created for the host bodies to handle and the
machines take over, turning everyone into killer cyborg robots of doom.
Enter Jack,
a cyborg ninja revived from a 7-year cold sleep. His duty is to aid a feisty,
independent and helpless scientist in stopping the vicious nanomachine breakout
by shutting down the main computer. The story is obviously the game’s weakest
point, as it sports all the major cliches of a low-budget action flick. The
scientist you are attempting to aid insists on doing everything alone, even
though every time you meet her, she is in deep trouble and needs your help. It
also features the revisiting rival – fleeing after defeat, only to revisit you
later on for a rematch. Repeat this randomly throughout the game until the final
confrontation, where he exclaims, “Last time I was holding back, but not this
time!”
Don’t worry,
the story is only a small part of the game. The actual gameplay is a very
arcade-like beat ‘em up. Each level is straightforward, spawning enemies as you
travel from point A to point B. This setup would get boring very quick, so a
customizable combo system was implemented. Players use two buttons for light and
heavy attack, and when holding the shift key those two buttons turn into a
thrust- and air-juggle command. On top of that, Jack also has a lasso attack and
super move, so combat is flexible with various branching combos.
In the
beginning combos are somewhat limited, but as you progress you acquire combo
chips that open up new paths along a visual track laying out the full combo
strings available. So towards the end of the game, level 5 chips will unlock
some devastating combos. These combos not only do good damage, but they are
pretty cool looking too – Jack’s sword changes shape, so in the midst of combos
you’ll see it turn into a scythe or hammer or giant blade. The only downside is
that between all the normal and shift attacks, combos can get long and slightly
complicated to remember, so get ready to refer to the combo chart often.
Aside from
these combos, Jack can use boosters. Boosters are special moves that improve
Jack in many different ways. The first booster available makes it easier for
players to nail the timing of the lasso-critical attack, which when perfected
can kill most enemies in one hit. Others include powerful area-of-effect attacks
or statistic upgrades. These boosters only work when activated, and last as long
as your booster gauge is full.
This
gameplay has a few flaws, the biggest one being the camera control. For the
action being as fast as it is in certain areas, the camera moves so slowly that
it can impede play. Another annoyance is how few health pick-ups you’ll find.
Beating on enemies grants a small amount of health, but it also risks your
current health. Other than these few complaints, the game is a lot like the old
hack-and-slash arcade games and provides the same level of entertainment.
Nano Breaker
doesn’t do the best job creating atmosphere. Level design is extremely bland.
Flat, square walls and floors create branching hallways that you follow to the
next unlocked door. The boring colors of the environments not only infect the
walls, but also wash over the enemies. Every enemy of the game is some color of
gray or brown (with the exception of “the rival”) and looks like the last
version of itself. It’s so unfortunate too, because the graphics are good. Lots
of detail can be seen in the main character and even in the enemy models, if
only more color was used to articulate it.
Nano Breaker
is one of those games with a limited audience. Fans of beat ‘em up action will
probably enjoy Nano Breaker, but the boring design and repetitive action is
likely to drive away gamers expecting more. Nano Breaker is a great rental, and
provides a short but fun arcade experience, but if you plan on buying it beware.
Make sure you know what you’re getting.
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Gameplay: 7.0
Some of the
platforming segments can get frustrating, and the camera controls aren’t the
best, but the deep combos and constant action provide an entertaining arcade
experience.
Graphics: 6.0
Fluid animation
and detailed character models are unfortunately overshadowed by bland colors and
unimaginative design. The levels and enemies are lacking their most important
trait: creativity.
Sound: 5.5
Some of the
gameplay music is good, but quickly becomes redundant when you realize it
doesn’t change often enough. The music during cutscenes is silly and out of
place, and the voice acting is sub par. Other than that it’s mostly slashing and
grunting sound effects.
Difficulty: Med/Hard
Nano Breaker
starts slow to allow the player to grasp the combo system and how combat works,
but later on enemies get stronger and come in bigger groups. Boss fights also
grow longer and at certain times can be very difficult.
Concept: 4.0
With a little
more energy put into believable environments and a solid story, Nano Breaker
could have been a pretty good game. However, with these faults it will only
appeal to the few.
Overall: 6.3
Nano Breaker is
the perfect example of the ideal rental game. It’s short and simple, there’s
almost no replay value, yet it’s still fun for a certain amount of time. There
are just too many faults that interfere with the core gameplay to appeal to the
masses.
