Bakugan: Defenders of the Core (Wii) Review

Most games based on a certain franchise are usually developed in a way that they appeal only to those who are fans of the original franchise. Bakugan: Defenders of the Core is the sequel to the previous game, Bakugan: Battle Brawlers. Despite having taken on a much more streamlined design principle, Defenders of the Core is still a pretty esoteric outing that many newcomers will find hard to understand properly. Which is a shame, since you would think an anime-adapted video game revolving around the capturing of monster-like pets would be successful… wouldn’t you?

Bakugan: Defenders of the Core takes place in a story arc that is apparently not explored in the anime series. The game follows The Resistance, a group of teenagers united to use the Bakugan for good. The Resistance must protect the earth from the invading Vexos, a group of corrupt royal members who are quickly taking over the planet in search for the fabled ’Perfect Core’. Fans of the series will recognise almost all of the characters although it’s pretty hard to harbour any interest for these characters if you’re not a fan of the original series, as hardly any explanations are given as to why these characters are in these positions or why they’re doing what they’re doing. It’s all very uninteresting and does no good jobs at grabbing your attention if you aren’t familiar with their back stories. Making the players play as an unnamed customisable protagonist doesn’t do the game’s character development any favours either.

Bakugan: Defenders of the Core utilises a rather cleverly put together graphical style, that manages to effectively emulate the style of the anime series. There’s quite a few things going on on-screen during some of the more intense battles and the game still manages to maintain a fairly decent frame rate. Creature and character designs are fairly run of the mill though, and won’t impress players that much. In addition, sometimes the detailed textures appear a bit muddy and not as clear as they could be.

The gameplay almost takes a multi-genre approach, allowing players to engage in two kinds of gameplay to reach their goals. The first sees players collecting materials and avoiding enemies in order to proceed onto battle scenarios. These segments are quite simplistic, requiring the player to get from Point A to Point B without being “spotted” and the pseudo-stealth approach means that players must avoid the enemies or be sent back to the beginning. It would make more sense to engage in battles with these enemies, but instead players have to start the stage from the onset. It’s just too repetitive and frustrating to be an enjoyable experience.

Items found can be utilised to upgrade the Bakugan and its abilities, with each Bakugan character having an ability that is unique to their own type. Of course, as you’d expect, there is an elemental system in place too. Managing your Bakugan to be of elements that are more effective when combating certain enemies is important in battle, although the system is still relatively shallow so it’s not that amazing in itself.

The second and much more enjoyable segment of gameplay is the battle segments themselves, in which players control their Bakugan to defeat other Bakugan as well as destroy valuable Vexos artifacts. Most of these battles use the Wii Remote motion controls rather well. However it’s still a pretty frustrating experience due to some rather cumbersome camera controls that come in between the player and their target, be it an objective or an enemy character. The biggest disappointment about these battles, however, is the fact that they are just simply too easy to get through. There are multiple abilities and multiple Bakugan to use, but it’s a bit annoying that each battle boils down to attacking, blocking and then countering.

The game does feature fully voiced cut scenes, but also like the original game before it, Defenders of the Core has some pretty downright awful voice work. Couple this with a pretty generic blend of techno electronica music with some random guitar riffs throughout and you’ve got the perfect formula for a contrived anime piece. This game will not be kind to your ears at all.

There is a multiplayer mode in which players can compete against each other in battle during the split-screen battles, and with around twenty Bakugan to compete with, the mode is quite well thought out – however it is not going to provide a lot of lasting value except for the most dedicated of fans. The campaign won’t last players very long, clocking in at around 5-6 hours, most probably due to its rather easy nature.

Bakugan: Defenders of the Core tries to introduce a few new concepts to the game but, despite being a little bit more interesting than the previously released Battle Brawlers, ultimately falls flat on its face. This is not a game that will draw you into the franchise, and it seems that a lot of nit-picks need to be fixed before this series can be considered interesting to everyone, not just the younger fans of the original anime franchise.

Graphics 7.5

An interesting blend of cel shading creates a rather unique experience true to the anime series. Some blurriness and muddiness can ruin it though.

Gameplay 5.5

The implementation of new, stealth-like segments are a nice idea but are implemented rather poorly. Camera issues really hamper the new battle system from reaching true greatness.

Sound 4.0

An awful mix of electronica with some random guitar riffs, coupled with some terrible voice work makes this a rather offensive sounding package.

Tilt 4.5

Despite having a well put together Versus mode, the short campaign and disappointing storyline creates little reason to continue on past the first couple of hours.

Value 4.0

I wont be completely harsh and say I didnt have any fun with this game. There was some fun in the battles, but ultimately it was a pretty disappointing experience that dragged out for way too long.