Time to Beat: 7 Hours
In 2017 the small indie developer Smac
Games released its first game, Tokyo 42,
a game set in Tokyo in the year 2042. In the future people live in
skyscrapers above the clouds, travel on flying cars, and take a
nano-medication resurrects them when they die. The designers don't
explore this idea, but instead use it as an excuse to easily
repopulate the rooftops and open air malls of Tokyo when the player
and enemies engage in a chaotic gun fight. The story begins with an
assassination, which results in the permanent death of its targets,
and the protagonist, a nobody, is framed for the murder.
Desperate for a solution, a friend
recommends the protagonist seek revenge by becoming an assassin,
murdering people until they find the responsible party.
Tokyo 42 is divided into
three types of missions. Story missions are assigned by quest givers
scattered across the map. Side quests are given by another
collection of assigners. The first are marked by faces with red
backgrounds, while the latter are faces on blue backgrounds. Tokyo
42 also includes a series of terminals which dispense quests.
While there are roughly ten of these, they all provide different
quests. Their problem is that there's no visual cue as to whether
the player has completed them. Checking requires manually activating
them.
These story missions feature two
different styles of gameplay. A few are racing missions, either on a
motorcycle, but more commonly they are parkour style runs around the
roofs and concourses. While Tokyo 42 has no falling
damage (unless one falls into the clouds below), the walls,
differences in heights, and areas between roofs, make running them a
fair challenge. What disrupts the experience is the camera. The
city can be viewed from four angles, which can be rotated by the
player. The player looks from north, south, east, and west, but when
rotating the screen for a better perspective, the heights of
different objects blocks the view.
It's bad enough running the streets,
but the camera problems are accentuated during combat. Tokyo
42's rules of fighting are simple enough. One shot kills all
but the deadliest enemies, and one shot slays the protagonist as
well. The player's weakness makes Tokyo difficult. While the
enemy perish easily they are many of them, a rampaging horde,
compounding the difficulty. These problems are balanced by the foes'
inane tactics, which involve running toward the player while firing.
The player has walls to hide behind, and can shoot over them while
avoiding enemy fire from the same elevation or lower. The one skill
enemies have is they are skilled at throwing grenades over walls.
While it may be possible to run and gun
through most missions, it's easier to win by stealthy strategy. The
player can use elevation and walls to avoid the sight of enemies.
Sneaking up to stab them with a katana avoids a hail of bullets.
Though the protagonist uses a pistol, machine gun, sniper rifle,
bazooka, and grenades, only the katana is silent. All other weapons
alert the enemy to the protagonist's presence. They'll also notice
the player if they are close to one another. Once alerted the enemy
searches for the player, but if the protagonist hides for an extended
period of time they'll revert to their normal inattention. Unlike
some stealth games, where trying to figure out if the player is
safely in shadow, is as difficult as a college calculus problem for a
political science major, the boundaries are very clear in Tokyo
42. Certain areas are marked with red flashing lights to
indicate that enemies will search for the player. In those areas, if
the player wanders too close to an enemy, a marker will appear,
informing the player and allowing them to retreat or attack. While
enemies are observant, they will never attempt to follow the
protagonist, until they have determined he is a threat. They are not
disturbed by dead bodies of fallen comrades. Nor will they raise the
alarm if they see the protagonist kill someone. They only attack if
the player remains in their line of vision too long.
The player earns a medal depending on
how they complete a mission. A Ninja award is given when the
protagonist isn't seen, and are awarded the title of Ronin when they
kill every enemy in the mission area. True masters of stealth and
murder, those who complete a mission without being seen while killing
everyone are Roninja.
Upon accepting or completing a mission
the game auto saves. This is sufficient, because everything else is
immaterial. The player can fast travel across the map by activating
nodes when they visit the first time, though they can't fast travel
during a mission. If the player wants to save on their own, they can
do so at vending machines scattered around Tokyo 42.
The player can't save when enemies are altered to their presence, but
can save when enemies stop looking. This is another reason
completing missions with stealth is easier than combat. After
knifing a few enemies in the back, the player can find a vending
machine and save their progress. This progress remains even if the
player is discovered later in the mission.
One feature that shouldn't be
overlooked is the vast quantity of collectibles in Tokyo 42.
In addition to the initial weapons the player can purchase upgrades
for each type, aside from the Katakana. The game has additional
coats, collectible cats, portals, and weapon colors. The player can
visit tourist sights around Tokyo as well. Reading online it's clear
there's even more secret stuff that isn't listed, and between the
side missions and collectibles it's possible to double the amount of
time I spent playing the game.
While the locations feel varied for the
main story, the ending does a few double takes. After visiting a
factory to assassinate a worker, Tokyo 42 forces the
player revisit it two missions later and bomb the building. The only
two boss fights in the game, are separated by only two missions, and
are both at the same location, though on is on top of the temple, and
the other inside. The final fight is tough, but fair, and for this
reason, fun.
In conclusion,
Tokyo 42 is a mayhem
shooter, or a stealthy assassination game: it's up to you. It's set on the vibrant
rooftops and pathways of Tokyo in the year 2042. The rules are
simple, one hit kills; you or the enemy. Its distinct use of
elevation and walls is hampered by a camera which often leaves the
player unable to see their hero, their target, or the next part of
their parkour run. While Tokyo 42 is packed with
additional missions, collectibles, and secrets, and features a eye
popping palette of colors, the game's levels become increasingly
repetitive; navigating through hordes of idiotic guards to
assassinate some big shot at the top of a building.
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