DANCING SWORD: SENKUO
Original Release: MTO, 2003, Game Boy Advance
An experimental beat-em-up that focuses on the rhythm of button presses, this one never made it out of Japan due to otherwise being kinda threadbare and the concept just not being very good
Dancing Sword Senkuo (GBA, MTO, 2003)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: coming soon!
Review by: C. M0use
Dancing Sword is a good-looking, generally good-playing game that's saddled with one of the dumbest combo systems I've ever seen. There aren't any Street Fighter style quarter-turns or whatever, every string of elite moves requires you tapping the two attack buttons with certain precise timing.
The game really doesn't help you out considering the system is so precise and finicky. It doesn't even bother telling you how the shorter combos work in-game, that's just up to you to randomly experiment and figure out I guess. It does share the most important combos with you, however - three elemental spells that do big damage (and are vital to damage certain bosses). A reminder is always available by pressing the select button, but even with instructions right there the timing is incredibly fussy and head-scratching to get right. There is a "training mode" but it's just the same screen you get in-game by pressing the select button, it just demonstrates the button presses without actually letting you practice them.
Anyway. The combos aren't totally necessary to progress, at least up to certain bosses, but they are necessary to make the game halfway interesting. It looks nice enough and plays smooth, but it's the same boring routine of limited moves with the same small passel of slow dumb enemies over and over and over otherwise. I really think the system's main purpose is to paper over the general lack of content.
The game stars a group of animu girls but doesn't have much salaciousness in store other than occasional panty flashing. Boy the hentai/ryona enthusiasts could probably have a field day ripping the game's sprites and taking them over to OpenBOR or something, though.
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