Developer: Tanuki Creative Studio
Publisher: Tanuki Creative Studio, ININ Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: Switch
Jitsu Squad – Review
With releases such as Samurai Riot and Mayhem Brawler, it’s clear that the side-scrolling beat ’em up genre is not dead. While we are no longer in the golden age when games such as Streets of Rage and Final Fight topped the charts, it’s still quite amusing when one of these games is released with fun and engaging gameplay. The aforementioned Samurai Riot and Mayhem Brawler both had the right elements to become succesful, but sadly in both cases the gameplay fell a bit flat. Now, Jitsu Squad comes in swinging with its action-packed gameplay, cartoony visuals, and explosive soundtrack. We were very entertained by this furry beat ’em up title.
Story
The story of Jitsu Squad is quite simple. An evil wizard is trying to resurrect an all-powerful demon, and to do so he is summoning ancient warriors to do his bidding. A good sorcerer, however, saved four souls, and they are now the only ones who can fight the wizard. Of course, the story is a bit meatier than this, but it could basically be summarized in those two lines. The overall presentation is done via still images with narration. This works well for the cartoony visuals, and we quite enjoyed seeing how the story evolved.
Graphics
Jitsu Squad is an amazing-looking game, and we absolutely loved the over-the-top hardcore action. The main characters are all nicely animated, and even though you’ll constantly be executing the same moves over and over again, we didn’t get bored of the animations. The game has very clever enemy designs that match all the different planets you’ll be battling on. You’ll start off on a planet that resembles a traditional Japanese setting to progress onto sillier themes such as mobsters in an arcade hall or frost trolls on a snow-covered planet. On top of that, the game has a lot of references and subtle nods to other franchises, and it’s just fun to try and spot them.
We didn’t have too many issues with the game’s performance, but during very hectic battles we did experience a few drops in the framerate. These drops never became too annoying, but they were rather noticeable and did somewhat hamper the overall flow of the game. Other than that, we sometimes found it difficult to see if certain characters were aligned with the enemies to actually be able to hit them.
Sound
The sound design of Jitsu Squad is superbly handled. The extremely upbeat metal soundtrack does get the blood pumping to kick some ass. The soundtrack is varied enough to remain interesting, and the sound effects pack a proper punch. During cutscenes, you’ll be treated to fairly decent voice acting but we do regret that the few in-game dialogues are not voiced. It would have added even more charm to the equation if the developers opted for a fully voiced game.
Gameplay
Jitsu Squad is a fairly traditional and straightforward side-scrolling beat ’em up. From start to finish you’ll plow through different levels bashing skulls and dismembering your opponents. You can opt to play the game alone or locally with friends. with up to four players in total. You can choose different difficulty levels, and after that, you’re good to go. The game is very easy to learn, as you’ll only have a few basic attack combos, weapons you can find and utilize, and a special move. The further you progress, the more moves you’ll unlock by collecting scrolls from your fallen foes.
Truth be told, there isn’t much more to tell than what we just did. The game has very responsive controls, the different characters are fun to play with, and you can see a clear progression the further you play through the game. We did find it a shame that when starting a multiplayer game you cannot continue solo afterward, as the game will still require the number of players that started the session.
We found the game a bit too short, as you can probably see the credits roll within the two-hour mark. This is a shame, as we truly enjoyed playing through the different wacky levels, and we hoped there would be a few more. That being said, for a game in this genre, it’s not necessarily a short game. Older titles often were shorter but didn’t include difficulty options, thus making them harder to beat. With the different difficulty setting here, you can always up the challenge and see if you can still beat the game.
Conclusion
Jitsu Squad is a very amusing beat ’em up title, albeit a bit short. We very much enjoyed pulverizing our opponents alone and with friends. We did appreciate that the game could host up to four players playing together, which is certainly a perfect recipe for a fun evening. The game has a fun, albeit simple story, responsive controls, a great soundtrack, and overall interesting mechanics. We can only hope a sequel will be made in the future, or that more content is released. If you’re a fan of titles such as Streets of Rage or Final Fight, picking this one up is a no-brainer.
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