Tanuki Justice (Switch)

Powah Dunk | December 23, 2020 | Review | No Comments

Remember the “Racoon” suit from Mario 3 that eventually everyone figured out it was a Tanuki and then everyone asked what on earth a Tanuki was?. Well that loveable Racoon like ninja creature is here to provide a slice of 8 bit justice!.

Tanuki Justice is developed by Wonderboy Bobi and published by Pixel Heart is the publishers latest retro throwback title and one that aims to rekindle the NES crowd with its mix of cutesy characters and tough as nails run and gun action.

Initially when I saw this title I assumed it was going to be a mascot platformer, instead what is on offer here is a trip down memory lane in the vein of titles like Contra and the original Shinobi.

Visually and aesthetically Tanuki Justice nails the look of a NES/SMS game to a tee, usually throwback titles try to emulate the look but do a little too much, Tanuki Justice on the other hand keeps the animation and graphics on par with the 8 bit systems, even if it is a little free on the amount colours on screen.

The gameplay in Tanuki Justice is that of run and gun, action platformer from the 8bit era, you’ll be constantly throwing shrunken, jumping an awful lot and chasing power ups to ensure justice is served.

The game is set across 6 stages which you can select from the menu when you have beaten them, there is no save feature so this is the only way to continue progress should you turn it off mid session.

The game is completely co-op and due to the lack of complex button combinations and simple arcade nature, anyone can realistically pick up and play this title, making it ideal for a nostalgia trip over the holidays. You have a jump button, a throw button, a button to keep you in place and aim your shots and a special to throw a much bigger and damaging attack.

There are 3 difficulty modes, Normal, Hard and Insane and the game will only run an hour or just over depending on deaths. The real rub here is getting the highest scores and playing it on the toughest difficulties, while I had few issues with game this is no doubt to the amount of Contra and Shadow Dancer I play, other people I’ve tried the game with weren’t as successful.

The levels are short, the graphics are retro, the bosses have patterns and I love Tanuki Justice. It’s challenging, reminds me of my favourite 8bit games, it isn’t too pricey and provides a fantastic bit of pick up and play co-op fun. Bravo Tanuki Boys, bravo!.