Attack Joker Kingdom is a shmup that was made as a tribute to the classic arcade game Space Harrier. It sees us take control of an ordinary girl named Risa, who is suddenly awakened by what seems to be an alien invasion. Naturally, this causes her to take up an energy gun and sprint right towards those extraterrestrials, weapons blazing. It then cuts to a tutorial screen explaining the basics of the game. This has not been translated from Japanese, so there is not much we can garner here if we don’t understand the language. We’ll have to dive right into the first stage and figure it out as we go.
If you’ve ever played Space Harrier, you’ll know exactly what to expect here. Your character can fly to any part of the screen and must frequently avoid obstacles as she runs nonstop. A key difference here is that the enemies you are battling against do not aim their projectiles at you. This causes them to become less of a threat needed to be shot down and more of a risk-based way to increase your score. You can simply run on the ground throughout the entire level without much of a threat to you aside from running face-first into a tree. That sounds easy, and for the first stage, it is. The other four levels will throw their own unique quirks to keep your heart pounding, as this is not an easy game.
A unique component of Attack Joker are the cakes randomly found floating around in a stage. Picking one up will massively power up your shots, and if you collect more, you’ll have additional streams of projectiles shooting out. You can flood the screen with your bullets given that you manage to collect enough. The catch here is that you’ll revert to your regular non-powered projectiles if you take any damage. Whether you dash into a lamp post or get struck by an enemy, it’s back to amassing your firepower again. This can racket up a ton of tension since the last thing you want to do is accidentally lose your offensive capabilities before a boss, of which there are two of for every level aside from the last.
Another interesting aspect of the cakes, which I don’t know whether to call a flaw, is that they appear from an extremely long distance. This sounds innocent enough until you realize that the obstacles have a much shorter draw distance before they spawn in. You know where the item you want is, but you can’t just blindly reposition yourself to where you can catch it before it flies past. It is unknown what could spawn between you and it. With how fast-paced this game is, you’re more than likely to lose both a heart and your amassed firepower if you get too eager or desperate. I’m unsure if this was by design, but if it was, this is an accidental genius gameplay mechanic that keeps us from simply running on the ground where it’s safe. You’ll constantly be risking life and limb as you try to get in a position for the cake you can see from miles away.
Each stage is partitioned into two parts and contains a boss at the end of both. We must get through them using a single life-bar, of which there are only three hearts. This is easier said than done. It isn’t as difficult as Space Harrier, yet will punish you if you so much as look away for half a second. Three mistakes and it boots you back to the stage selection screen. This brings in another unique feature to Attack Joker. If you haven’t noticed yet, there are several coins scattered throughout. Collecting them will net you currency to spend inside of an in-game shop, where you can buy either more overall hearts or different outfits for your character. Becoming rich enough will see you with up to a whopping eight hearts, making overcoming any stage significantly easier.
It is worth remembering that taking damage will reset you to your basic projectile. You’ll have more chances for mistakes, yet it doesn’t allow one to easily power through it. Of much higher significance are the previously mentioned costumes. They are unlocked for purchase after beating a stage and are not just cosmetic. It will replace your default attack with a powered-up version. With the fourth and final costume, you have a stream of three projectiles as a default. Getting hit does not reset them, so it will be a far better investment than ever-increasing hearts for players that are struggling. It is a rather overpowered addition and by picking up additional cakes, you’ll essentially be a harbinger of destruction.
As broken as that sounds, it is optional. You can tune the game’s challenge to your liking without the need for multiple difficulty settings. The playtime will vary wildly from person to person because of that. It is longer than Space Harrier, though does lack as many environments. This may be nostalgia talking, but I love the way Attack Joker looks. It very much captures the feel of its inspiration and is far more detailed in the five stages it offers. I particularly like how seamlessly they balanced the increasing challenge. For instance, let’s look at the obstacles. The second stage introduces straight vertical columns, the third a lamp post containing an additional angle of danger to it, and finally the fourth has full-blown Torii gates allowing little in the way of error.
Said obstacles are the primary danger of boss fights. Given that they don’t aim your projectiles at you, running on the ground is always a safe spot from them. The peril comes from the stage not ending until you defeat it. This means you are avoiding obstacles the entire time, all while risking to lose your powered shots before you can put them to good use. It is not a good idea playing too defensively against bosses even while wearing later costumes. I’ve considered not spoiling it, but I told a slight fib when it comes to bosses. The last two, in fact, do target you. If your eyes weren’t glued to the screen before that, they certainly will be then. It was one of those balancing decisions to keep you on your toes just when you think you’ve got the game figured.
One of the technical setbacks of Attack Joker is that there isn’t a fullscreen option. If you have a high-res monitor, that will make it more difficult than intended as you squint at the low-res window. It darn near feels like I’m shilling for this product with how often I bring it up in reviews, but I’d suggest getting a program like Lossless Scaling to simulate a fullscreen experience. While on the topic of negatives, it is unfortunate that some bosses do repeat, and that there isn’t controller support. The only controls needed are the cursor arrows and the Z key, so not that big of a deal unless you really dislike playing on a keyboard. Finally, and possibly the most disrupting flaw, is that the game will freeze up for a few seconds while a boss loads in. It ruins the flow and might lead to you running into a hazard, as control is suddenly given back to you after that hang-up.
If you haven’t noticed the R18+ tag on the title, do note that this is an Adult game. The hentai element comes into play after defeating a level. It will show a unique sexual scene involving your character at the end of each. You can switch between a few animations during the act and can freely view it as long as you like. It’s not until you choose to ejaculate that the scene will end. There is also a toggle to fully remove her clothes. The animations are incredibly short and compressed as all heck, yet are serviceable enough. With how out of the blue they come from, I’m surprised there isn’t an all-ages version of this game. It would be all too simple to remove the hentai aspect and open it up to a bigger audience. Outside of those scenes, there is no nudity or anything lewd unless you consider being able to see our character’s panties as such.
Still, the lewd content does add value for us hentai connoisseurs. I certainly wouldn’t consider it a selling point or of enough quality to solely buy this for, however. Attack Joker Kingdom is more focused on the gameplay experience than anything else. There aren’t many Space Harrier-type games out there and I feel this title is better than its inspiration in some regards. This should tell you all you need to know about Attack Joker. It isn’t just trying to riff off a classic for nostalgia bait, but adding their own flavor to something they clearly enjoyed. Heck, if you’ve never played Space Harrier before, this would be a good place to start since it’s ultimately easier and more adjustable to various skill levels. If you’re looking for some good arcade fun with some H thrown in, look no further.
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