What is it to be bad? Is it because you do bad things? Do you have to intend to do bad? Is one only bad because they find themselves at ends with good? Is bad only just a constructed concept to begin with? NIS America brings you the tale of a frustrated bad guy, whose private life is in constant barrage of pesky noblemen sneaking into his dungeon. He comes to you, the player, to help him design a lair with solid enough foundations to put an end to his unusual pest problem. Through playing this title the player will discover a new sort of cruelty. It brings into question who is truly the villain. Could it be the bad guy, the hero, their politics, or the sadists who created this game?
The Playstation Portable seems to be the new ark for quirky Japanese titles. While I eagerly await my purchase of Half-Minute Hero, I am glad to see that Badman can satisfy my hunger in the meantime. The presentation is adowable. The dialogue charming. The Badman rambles on about your greatness, even when your decisions make him a little uneasy. The heroes all chant their battle cry before stepping into the fray, each being progressively weirder than the last. All is sprite rendered. The frantic, flute based soundtrack will keep you humming with a smirk. It’s not all original per se, but the overall effect feels cozy. Which is good, seeing as the game has you dealing with a lot of cramped spaces. Your evil monsters, all as itty-bitty sprites, live, die, and reproduce in the ant-farm-like environment you build for them. You need to create a layout that functions on two levels: One, complex and winding enough to busy and disorient the meddling heroes hunting for your Badman; and two, they also must be competent and structured in order to support the ecosystem of all the deadly monsters within. It’s not the first evil-dungeon sim by a long shot, but it’s definitely unlike any of the others that came before it.
