Rave Master

An all out slugfest featuring allies, rivals, Rave and even Shadowstones!!

Rave Master (or The Groove Adventure Rave for a direct translation of the original Japanese name) is an anime all about a kid that saves an old man and inherits the powers of “Rave” and sets out on a journey to collect special sones. I’d never heard anything about it, but with all the music-related terms, I was expecting something a bit more musical – perhaps that’s something that was lost when adapting it into a game.

The game itself is an arena fighter, a trend started by Power Stone, and something that was a trend at this point in time. I’ve only played a few terrible ones (Tom & Jerry and Powerpuff Girls) so it was nice to find one that was quite enjoyable. What makes this work well are the items available, with you having weapons and three slot for powers (which, with the right combinations, allow for some powerful attacks). Each weapon has a very different feel to it, which really helps the basic two kinds of attacks and creates some much needed variety.

In story mode, you get text-based dialogue between each missions, enhanced by portraits and stills. The main character’s story (Rave Master Haru) is what seems to be an adaptation of the overall story of the show, while the other four are side adventures, such as Elie, who sets off on a humorous mission of trying to find out who took a photo of her while bathing. The graphics are also colourful and capture the 2D artwork quite well.

While it doesn’t take long to see everything, it’s all still good fun, and wonderfully frantic when four people are on the screen battling for their weapons of choice. Short and sweet.

Fun

Attacks are bolstered by the alarming array of weapons on offer. While your character will start off with their default or Groove weapon, there’s a wide variety to choose from, ranging from whips and hammers to swords and daggers, all of which can be swapped by tapping Z. Every weapon allows you to pull off a different Groove Attack, and so finding the right tool for the job is all part of the experience.

Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #69

Remake or remaster?

It’s fun, but I imagine there are better games in the genre.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Rave Master.

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anime arena fighter fighting gamecube Konami