Bravoman
Encyclopedia
Bravoman, known in Japan
as , sometimes referred to as Berabow Man is a 1988 platformer
/beat-em-up hybrid arcade game
developed and released by Namco
for the arcades
only in Japan
. It was later ported to the NEC TurboGrafx-16
in 1990. This version was also released outside of Japan simply as Bravoman. In 2007, this same version was released on the Wii
Virtual Console
.
The game described by Namco themselves as a "comical action game", which takes a light and humorous approach to an otherwise trite theme, by using a lot of humorous elements, both graphics, plot and sound-wise, usually ridiculing or parody
ing stereotypical elements of Japanese tokusatsu
and videogames
, in a manner similar to the Konami
game series Parodius
.
) encounters an alien name from Planet Alpha (misspelled as "Alfa" in the English TurboGrafx-16 version). Then Alpha Man tells Arnold that an evil scientist named Dr. Bomb (known in Japan as ) is planning to set an "End the World" weapon. Then Alpha Man gives Arnold an odd metal rod, a fork and a coin, which turns him into Bravoman, a bionic tokusatsu
hero who possesses telescopic limbs that can be used to fight against Dr. Bomb and his henchmen.
Most enemy projectiles can be blocked by Bravoman's attacks. Also, Bravoman can occasionally collect some bonuses giving him greater range, temporary invincibility, increased speed, powerful punches, the ability to fly through most of the level without being hurt or the ability to fire energy bolts for a short while. Bravoman can reach quite high when jumping. It essentially means performing an attack at the top of one's jump, which will cause Bravoman to stop for a while in mid-air. At that point, pressing the jump button again will result in a smaller, mid-air jump. This technique gives Bravoman a little extra jumping height, which is essential in some stages of the game. This can only be done once per jump. Bravoman has sufficient jumping power on the most powerful setting, and this technique is neither possible nor necessary. In underwater stages, Bravoman turns into a submarine, and the game then works like most horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up games. The attack buttons shoot torpedoes while the jump buttons drop depth charges. At the end of the game or after the player gives up, a scene showing Bravoman walking back to his home while morphing back into his true form telling his wife and two children he's home. After that, they walk outside and face the player.
Throughout the game, Bravoman's sort-of-partner name Lottery Man (known in Japan as ), will be aiding him with various bonuses during gameplay. Lottery Man is a yellow robot riding a fat unicycle
, and floats in the game's screen each time Bravoman collects a special bonus, offering him a random item, usually points, health or power ups. Also, during most stages, Bravoman can collect some special "lottery tickets" bonuses. After a stage's boss is defeated, Bravoman meets Lottery Man, who gives Bravoman some health bonuses which appear to be a popular Japanese food called onigiri
, depending on how many "tickets" he has collected during the stage. In one stage, Bravoman saves Lottery Man from a tragedy.
The arcade game was later ported to the NEC TurboGrafx-16
in 1990. Despite the arcade version being released exclusively in Japan, the TurboGrafx-16 version was also released outside of Japan simply as Bravoman. In 2007, this same version was released on the Wii
Virtual Console
. The arcade version was released for the Japanese Wii Virtual Console in October 2009, while there are no plans for this version to have a worldwide release. Some changes were added to the TurboGrafx-16 version compared to its arcade counterpart. Pressing on the fire button for a long time will result in a ranged but slow attack, while pressing it shortly results in a quicker, though less ranged attack. When walking normally, he can either attack frontally or perform a diagonal forward and upwards kick, by moving the joystick up plus sideways while attacking. When jumping in this version, some places require a slightly more advanced technique, the so-called "Bravo Jump". The TurboGrafx-16 version doesn't reveal the fact about the wife and children scene until the end of the game, while the arcade version shows it in the game's intro and after its "game over
" screen.
Two years later, a Japan-only arcade spin-off titled Pistol-Shogun - Pistol Daimyo no Bōken was released, which stars one of Bravoman's bosses, . Bravoman appeared in Namco x Capcom
alongside many enemies from his game. Two more notable characters from Bravoman, and also appeared in Namco X Capcom as bosses; however, later in the game, Waya-Hime joins the player's party and teams up with Taki from Namco's Soulcalibur series. In the same game, Bravoman is partnered with Wonder Momo
from the game of the same name. Along with numerous Namco characters, Bravoman also appeared in the Japan-only Bandai
Wonderswan
title, Namco Super Wars
. In Marvel Land
, another Namco arcade game, some rides featured in levels along with the bonus level parade floats contain popular Namco characters, including Bravoman. Yujin released a gashapon
figure of Waya-Hime as part of the "Namco Girls" collection. One of Taki's alternate costumes in Soulcalibur II is a cosplay
version of Waya-Hime's. Dr. Bomb and the damsel in distress of Bravoman made a cameo appearance in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 2
.
}
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , sometimes referred to as Berabow Man is a 1988 platformer
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
/beat-em-up hybrid arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
for the arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
only in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was later ported to the NEC TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
in 1990. This version was also released outside of Japan simply as Bravoman. In 2007, this same version was released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
.
The game described by Namco themselves as a "comical action game", which takes a light and humorous approach to an otherwise trite theme, by using a lot of humorous elements, both graphics, plot and sound-wise, usually ridiculing or parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
ing stereotypical elements of Japanese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
and videogames
VideoGames
VideoGames may refer to:*VideoGames, a mid-1990s magazine about video games.*Video games in general....
, in a manner similar to the Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
game series Parodius
Parodius
, or just Parodius, is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Konami for the MSX computer and was released in Japan. The game is notable for being the first title in the Parodius series, although it is often confused with its sequel Parodius Da! －Shinwa kara Owarai e－ in that respect, which...
.
Plot
The plot starts when Arnold (known in Japan as ), a typical insurance company salaryman (who is also a caricature of Namco's founder, Masaya NakamuraMasaya Nakamura (Namco)
is the founder of Namco, the third largest video game developing entity in Japan. The Japanese government awarded Nakamura the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette” in their Spring Conferment of Decorations for his contribution to Japanese industry...
) encounters an alien name from Planet Alpha (misspelled as "Alfa" in the English TurboGrafx-16 version). Then Alpha Man tells Arnold that an evil scientist named Dr. Bomb (known in Japan as ) is planning to set an "End the World" weapon. Then Alpha Man gives Arnold an odd metal rod, a fork and a coin, which turns him into Bravoman, a bionic tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
hero who possesses telescopic limbs that can be used to fight against Dr. Bomb and his henchmen.
Gameplay
Bravoman can mainly use his telescopic limbs to attack enemies. Depending on his position (jumping, crouching etc.) he will either use his arms, legs or head to attack. The arcade had 6 pressure sensitive buttons that allowed the player to control how strong an attack and how high a jump would be.Most enemy projectiles can be blocked by Bravoman's attacks. Also, Bravoman can occasionally collect some bonuses giving him greater range, temporary invincibility, increased speed, powerful punches, the ability to fly through most of the level without being hurt or the ability to fire energy bolts for a short while. Bravoman can reach quite high when jumping. It essentially means performing an attack at the top of one's jump, which will cause Bravoman to stop for a while in mid-air. At that point, pressing the jump button again will result in a smaller, mid-air jump. This technique gives Bravoman a little extra jumping height, which is essential in some stages of the game. This can only be done once per jump. Bravoman has sufficient jumping power on the most powerful setting, and this technique is neither possible nor necessary. In underwater stages, Bravoman turns into a submarine, and the game then works like most horizontal-scrolling shoot-em-up games. The attack buttons shoot torpedoes while the jump buttons drop depth charges. At the end of the game or after the player gives up, a scene showing Bravoman walking back to his home while morphing back into his true form telling his wife and two children he's home. After that, they walk outside and face the player.
Throughout the game, Bravoman's sort-of-partner name Lottery Man (known in Japan as ), will be aiding him with various bonuses during gameplay. Lottery Man is a yellow robot riding a fat unicycle
Unicycle
A unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.-History:One theory of the advent of the unicycle stems from the popularity of the penny-farthing during the late 19th century...
, and floats in the game's screen each time Bravoman collects a special bonus, offering him a random item, usually points, health or power ups. Also, during most stages, Bravoman can collect some special "lottery tickets" bonuses. After a stage's boss is defeated, Bravoman meets Lottery Man, who gives Bravoman some health bonuses which appear to be a popular Japanese food called onigiri
Onigiri
, also known as or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative...
, depending on how many "tickets" he has collected during the stage. In one stage, Bravoman saves Lottery Man from a tragedy.
Ports and related releases
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
in 1990. Despite the arcade version being released exclusively in Japan, the TurboGrafx-16 version was also released outside of Japan simply as Bravoman. In 2007, this same version was released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. The arcade version was released for the Japanese Wii Virtual Console in October 2009, while there are no plans for this version to have a worldwide release. Some changes were added to the TurboGrafx-16 version compared to its arcade counterpart. Pressing on the fire button for a long time will result in a ranged but slow attack, while pressing it shortly results in a quicker, though less ranged attack. When walking normally, he can either attack frontally or perform a diagonal forward and upwards kick, by moving the joystick up plus sideways while attacking. When jumping in this version, some places require a slightly more advanced technique, the so-called "Bravo Jump". The TurboGrafx-16 version doesn't reveal the fact about the wife and children scene until the end of the game, while the arcade version shows it in the game's intro and after its "game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
" screen.
Two years later, a Japan-only arcade spin-off titled Pistol-Shogun - Pistol Daimyo no Bōken was released, which stars one of Bravoman's bosses, . Bravoman appeared in Namco x Capcom
Namco x Capcom
is an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.- Storyline :...
alongside many enemies from his game. Two more notable characters from Bravoman, and also appeared in Namco X Capcom as bosses; however, later in the game, Waya-Hime joins the player's party and teams up with Taki from Namco's Soulcalibur series. In the same game, Bravoman is partnered with Wonder Momo
Wonder Momo
is a beat 'em up arcade game that was developed and published by Namco exclusively in Japan. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware This game was never released outside of Japan, due to its slightly questionable content.-Gameplay:...
from the game of the same name. Along with numerous Namco characters, Bravoman also appeared in the Japan-only Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
Wonderswan
WonderSwan
was a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
title, Namco Super Wars
Namco Super Wars
Namco Super Wars is a tactical role-playing game developed by Namco and published by Bandai for the Wonderswan Color. It is a crossover game, featuring characters from several classic Namco titles.-Gameplay:...
. In Marvel Land
Marvel Land
is a platform arcade game released by Namco in 1989.-Gameplay:In Marvel Land you play as Prince Paco , who is on a quest to save Princess Luxy from the evil Mole King . The gameplay was in the platformer style so popular at the time...
, another Namco arcade game, some rides featured in levels along with the bonus level parade floats contain popular Namco characters, including Bravoman. Yujin released a gashapon
Gashapon
is a Bandai brand trademark widely used throughout the world for their capsule toys. It is also referred to as ." Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy...
figure of Waya-Hime as part of the "Namco Girls" collection. One of Taki's alternate costumes in Soulcalibur II is a cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
version of Waya-Hime's. Dr. Bomb and the damsel in distress of Bravoman made a cameo appearance in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 2
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 2
is the sequel to Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. It was published by Namco in 1990 for the Family Computer and is the second video game in the Megami Tensei series...
.
External links
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