ZatchBell! Electric Arena

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a game by Bandai
Genre: Arcade Classics
Platform: GBA
Editor Rating: 4/10, based on 1 review
User Rating: 8.0/10 - 15 votes
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See also: Download Fighting Games, Arcade Games
ZatchBell! Electric Arena
ZatchBell! Electric Arena
ZatchBell! Electric Arena

Licenced games are, as a whole, a very hit and miss set of titles. With love, care and attention to the subject matter, along with a set of refined mechanics, these games can be riveting. Though, equally they can be rotten attempts at cashing in on the popularity of the source material. With Zatchbell Electric Arena, it seems like there is an understanding of the show, a drive to make this game a success but alas, no real understanding of how to do that.

This game is a handheld title that presented itself in a 2D fighter style and plays similarly to games like Tekken, Soul Calibur, Dead And Alive or any other title in this wheelhouse. This is of course, rendered with more limitations due to the hardware but overall, this game still represents itself in this style in a familiar fashion.

Mamados on the go

This handheld fighter has it’s most unique offering through borrowing from the source material. Players will only be able to deal damage to other human characters. However, the way this title sets itself apart is through the Mamados. These allow you to attack through them or through your human avatar. Meaning you have two means of attacking. Something that is seldom seen in fighters on a 2D plain. Though where this falls down is the symbiotic controls that these characters share, meaning that this inclusion is more of a shallow inclusion than a game-changing mechanic. It’s a fun one for the fans and offers some positional advantages. Although it does seem like a wasted opportunity.

The balance is off

Why these games tend to succeed or fail relies on the tactics, functions and combos that are on offer. Plus the fairness and challenge that is present. This title fails on both fronts. The attacks are unvaried with only a handful of things that a character can do to win their bouts. Combos are rarely accessible and the frequency of counters to attacks present is slim to none.

Then to top this off, a number of attacks clearly offer easy wins if repeated. The overpowered nature of some attacks renders many others pointless. Making many players approach the game flawed, the action boring and repetitive and any challenge basically absent.

Faithful to the series

The one saving grace is the games aesthetic. This game even on the handheld hardware looks great in it’s pixel art style. It captures the cartoon essence perfectly and the character models are instantly recognisable. This is complemented by recognisable backgrounds and game modes that make reference to the shows content. Is it enough to make this game worth a shot? For fans of the show, maybe just about and no more.

Throw in the towel

If you come to this game as a super fan of the series, that is the only subsection of player I could recommend this title to. This team clearly found it important to represent the show respectably and accurately which has to be commended. However, this title is a poor fighting title that does little different from the rest on the market at the time.

4

This coupled with a poor musical score, a failure to refine mechanics, develop a USP through the Mamados and a unbalanced set of moves on show. Then what you are left with is a less than mediocre fighting game that we wouldn’t blame you for giving a miss.

Pros

  • True to the source material
  • Great arenas and character models
  • A variety of game modes

Cons

  • Fails to set itself apart from other fighters
  • Lack of combos, counters or other tactics
  • Unbalanced gameplay

Download ZatchBell! Electric Arena

GBA

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Snapshots and Media

GBA Screenshots