Oct 2017
Surprise! It’s not just another sequel—Bokosuka Wars II brings back the classic genre of strategy RPG infused with nostalgia and a sprinkle of modernity. Released by Pygmy Studio, this title resurrects the spirit of its 1983 predecessor while adding enough new features to make you wonder if your childhood was actually a fever dream.
Bokosuka Wars II follows the same premise as its retro ancestor: you control an army with King Suren at the helm—think of him as the mix of your favorite RPG hero and a lost puppy who forgot where he parked his car. The goal? Free your lads from their arboreal prisons, beat up some rocks (which are actually not as good as they sound), and head to King Ogereth’s castle to claim victory while hoping that your friends don’t judge your tactical skills too harshly. The game has a rhythm to it: march your phalanx of pixelated soldiers across varied landscapes with the D-Pad while you break through gates and avoid minefields like a dodgy matador. And yes, you can let the soldiers free from pesky entrapments, mainly by utilizing the knights in classic RPG flair. The battles that ensue? They operate in delightful randomness, computed by the game’s algorithms rather than your own tactical genius. This means your success rate largely depends on how lucky you are—go on, blame it on RNG. Alongside all this is a new co-op mode. Now you can drag your friend along for the ride, making it a ‘we’ll laugh together or cry together’ kind of experience as you both grapple with the strategy of being able to free soldiers while managing your own survival. Because if there’s one thing we know, it’s that shared misery makes for great memories.
The graphics pay an admirable homage to the earlier versions while also strutting its contemporary stuff. You can toggle between two graphics modes: one that looks like freshly polished nostalgia and another that has the gloss of modern gaming. I mean, it’s not going to rival a AAA title, but you can tell they put some effort into making it visually appealing. The character designs are just quirky enough to make you go, ‘Wait, why is that knight pink?’, and the most exciting part is seeing your units gradually evolve, giving you that quirky sense of accomplishment. Just don’t go expecting an Oscar-winning visual experience because you're still dealing with at least a few rectangles pretending to be characters. But we’re here for fun, not a Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
Bokosuka Wars II is a delightful nostalgia trip wrapped in a package that balances modern gaming tastes with retro charm. It's the kind of game that will have you chuckling and frowning in equal measure as you navigate your own states of utter confusion mixed with bliss. If you dive into this game thinking you'll be conquering kingdoms with your tactical genius, just remember—sometimes it’s just about that halting march towards an invisible horizon while occasionally breaking through gates and freeing soldiers instead. In summary, grab your best friend, some snacks, and prepare for a strategy RPG that will take you back to the days when battles were drawn out in charming pixellated fashion. There's enough heart here to remind you why you started gaming in the first place—all coupled with a whiff of absurdity so that you don’t take it all too seriously. And hey, a score of 7.5 out of 10 means that while Bokosuka Wars II might not win Game of the Year, it definitely deserves its moment in the spotlight, or at least a solid share of your gaming library. Who knows, it might just be the respite you didn’t know you needed from your heavy-hitting triple-A titles.
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