Written: 10.20.06 Acquired: 9.14.06 Status: Cart only Price: $18.64
Publisher: Bullet-Proof Software
Released: 10.28.94
Developer: Genki
Scarcity: 4
Ever since I saw Dochers featured in an EGM issue in late '94, I've been semi-curious about it. It took me several months to find, and when I finally spotted a copy for $18.64, I jumped over it. Maybe I overpaid a little, but it was worth it to finally play the game... or was it??
Unfortunately, the game was very disappointing
Bomberman, meet Dodgeball. Dodgeball, Bomberman. Sounds mighty promising, but it plays awkwardly and the gameplay doesn't have a smooth feel to it at all. I can't put my finger on it, but it just doesn't feel right
Select from 8 animals, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There's a 1P mode and a battle mode where up to 4 human players can duke it out. You throw a ball that has limited range, and strewn about the courses, there are bumpers. When bounced off these bumpers, they redirect your ball; some even deflect. Each player can withstand 3 hits, and by destroying blocks power up's (or down's) can be unveiled
This game reminds me heavily of a very obscure Saturn import called Hansha de Spark!
Pick from 5 different worlds as your battle ground, with each consisting of 4 different stages, making a total of 20 maps. It's great there are 20 maps, right? Sadly, they all look same-y and lack a great deal of variety. This coupled with the awkward gameplay really turned me off
Even in the battle mode, there are baddies wandering around on the playing field, which is a nice feature, admittedly. It's a shame the rest of the game isn't as nice, then
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I really wanted to like Bakuto! Dochers -- a lot. I kept playing hoping I'd discover something I maybe didn't see before. But the sloppy-feeling gameplay remained, and I came to the conclusion it is what it is.
It feels a bit clunky and some times, battles end in 20 seconds, even though everyone needs THREE hits to die. You can imagine what a mess the gameplay is...
Bakuto! Dochers is not all bad, though, but it needed much fine tuning. Something's just missing with the game(play). I walk away from it feeling "That's it?"
An acquired taste, for sure
For far more competent Bomberman clones check out:
