Developer: Vap Inc. Publisher: Vap Inc. Release: 12/22/95 Genre: Beat em up
One element of licensed video games from Japan that I lament is that there are scores of titles based on manga and anime that never saw a Western release and as such will stay in Japan. There are games where the anime did finally release decades later like Gundam which is unfortunate as there are legions of titles spanning every genre and console that we will never see. Then there are the ones based on obscure manga that sometimes look interesting. Kōuryū no Mimi has the makings of a lost SNES classic. It looks great, has an in depth combat system, and lots of story. But the game is too complex and frustrating for its own good which is its undoing.
Natsume Kiraemon was raised in an Italian monastery when he was young. But on his father’s death in Japan he becomes the 45th head of the family and assumes the name Natsume Kiraemon. Natsume also inherits the Kouryu no Mimi, an earring that grants him access to wealth and power over women. Upon his return to Japan he saves and falls in love with Kanako, a woman from the rival Mina clan. Unfortunately this sets in motion a string of events that will change his fate and that of his clan.
Kōuryū no Mimi is based on the manga of the same name. The fifteen volume series never left Japan and only now has a slight fan translation. There was a two volume OVA that condenses the story in a more palatable manner. The game seemingly tries to cram in a novel’s worth of content between levels which is admirable. Aside from the game releasing at the tail end of 1995 this much text is also probably why no one picked this one up. The fan translation makes the game more accessible even though you could probably figure out what’s going on by context alone.
Mechanically Kōuryū no Mimi has one of the most in-depth battle systems in a brawler. Natsume controls more like a fighting game character than a beat em up protagonist. You have a number of basic attacks that use simple button combos. Speaking of combos you can string multiple attacks together to perform combos that end in a finisher. All moves hit either high or low which is critical as certain moves are launchers that let you juggle enemies for more damage. Juggling is simple: once they are airborne it is fair game. This also applies to you. Defensively you block automatically by doing nothing, can dodge roll and back step and even have a large number of recovery moves. Even temporary weapons have special moves! Lastly you have a power meter that builds as you attack that recovers health and boosts attack and defense.
As you can see you have a lot of tools at your disposal, so many that it will take time to remember it all. Kōuryū no Mimi is a single plane brawler which should make things simpler. However the game suffers under its pacing and high difficulty. Levels are split into multiple short segments with little side scrolling. They feel more like arenas than levels. You face wave after wave of repetitive enemies that are aggressive and deal massive damage. They will juggle you and have no problem trapping you in a corner or attacking off screen.
It only gets worse from there. You have a single life and are sent back to a checkpoint upon death. To make matters worse your power meter is the only way to heal! This occurs once per level at best which is stupid. The levels are long and capped off with boss battles that are massive difficulty spikes, even on the first level! The whole thing feels cheap and it only gets worse as you progress. As it is it feels like you are thrown to the wolves and left to fend for yourself.
With better pacing and fewer enemies you could adjust to the controls and the game’s depth. You have so many options but most of the time your attacks feel random. This had the potential to rival Denjin Makai in terms of gameplay but they botch it. What a damn shame as the production values are pretty high quality befitting a game released in late 1995.
In Closing
My feelings on Kōuryū no Mimi are conflicted. The gameplay has depth and when it comes together it can be fun. But the crushing difficulty and relentless AI make it a frustrating experience. This is a niche title with a very specific appeal that some will love or hate. Those looking to explore the Super Famicom library can certainly do worse. But I will not outright recommend it either.
