Game: Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia
Genre: Action, Role-Playing
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer | Publisher: WayForward | Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment|WB Games
Age Rating: US E 10+| EU 7+
Price: US $49.99 | UK £39.99 | EU €49,99
Release Date: November 3rd (US), November 4th (EU)
Review Code provided with many thanks by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment/WB Games and MediaTornado!
Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is an Action Roleplaying game based on the Bakugan reboot named Bakugan: Battle Planet that is currently on-going as an anime and toyline. Developed by WayForward the studio behind the Shantae series and other various games like River City Girls. Is this game a good time for the fans of the anime? Let’s find out!
Stylish designs and graphics!
Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia‘s Graphics are pretty nice and the character models look pretty good, especially the ones for the Bakugan which have some really cool designs like Aquos Sairus pictured above. I will also note that the game runs really well on both the Switch Lite and Switch with some minor hiccups here and there.
In terms of sound, there isn’t much voice acting aside from when the Bakugan are in combat and the soundtrack does its job well. Though I will also note that when exploring the city it’s mainly ambient sound which is a bit odd in my opinion.
Finding your Bakugan and Solving Mysteries!
The story of the game is experienced through the eyes of your own created character that starts off as a talented soccer player. Customization can be a bit limited at the start of the game but you can get new clothes and hairstyles from the clothing stores and barber shops in-game.
After a soccer match that had gone well aside from one missed shot, your character and their friends Saida and Miguel decide to take a detour in the forest where they find a crater in the woods containing a Bakugan (which can be Pyrus Dragonoid, Aquos Hydorous, Haos Pegatrix, Darkus Howlkor or Ventus Trox, depending on your choice). From there, your main character takes their first steps in becoming a Bakugan Brawler and also gets wrapped up in many mysteries surrounding these alien creatures that are used to play a game.
The story is serviceable and brings your character to many places. It’s also fun to see them and their partner have banter and grow stronger. Exploring the city of San Barbaras feels like an Old school RPG in a lot of ways and I can enjoy that bit of nostalgia. You can find items like money, ability cards and Bakugan in a variety of random places and even get new Bakugan from clearing main quests and side quests.
I also have to note there are a good few sidequests while you explore San Barbaras and all the locations it has to offer. A few of them require you to find items but there isn’t an inventory menu of Key items for those quests. You do have Inventory for your Brawler Abilities and Ability cards for your Bakugan so the absence of an Inventory menu for quest items kind of baffles me. Some of these don’t even show you how many of these items you have collected so you may have to take notes. I do think that this could be fixed in an update and be of great help to those that play the game and especially the target audience. Some sidequests are also repeated in different places which may feel repetitive.
Bakugan Brawl!
Now for the meat and potatoes of this game: the battle system. Where the first game based on the Bakugan franchise from years ago had its gameplay based on the Toy and Cardgame. This game is based around the anime where you have your Brawler run around and collect these Bakucores that randomly appear on the Battlefield to fill up the energy for your Bakugan. You need to use their abilities to either damage the opponent, Buff and heal your Bakugan or debuff your opponents Bakugan. You can also save up the energy and Switch your Bakugan out for another that’s in your team of three. You can even perform a Team Attack when every Bakugan in your team has their energy filled up to the max, which allows you to instantly KO an opponent’s Bakugan. You can also get abilities for your Brawler to use that either give you an edge in collecting Bakucores or knock your opponent down a peg. The various Bakugan Factions also have strengths and weaknesses depending on the faction they face in Battle.
The Battle system, while simple, is also very fun to play around with. As is making fun teams of the Bakugan that you collect and get throughout the game. The game also has online multiplayer which is a good thing for those wanting to get online with a friend or play with people all around the world!
As someone that played the first game ten years ago, I am absolutely happy with the fact they brought back Leonidas which originally was the Bakugan used for the in-game protagonist for that game with a spiffy and cool new redesign.
Conclusion!
Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is a game that I enjoyed a good bit. There are definitely some things that can be improved like the sidequests that involve item collecting, getting a counter or a way to track how many you need to get and that some of the side quests feel repetitive. But on the other hand, I do enjoy the Old School RPG exploration. The Battle system is fun to play around with and I also appreciate the fanservice on display, especially for someone like me who enjoyed the original series of Bakugan a lot by bringing back Leonidas.
Final Rating: I Like It!
