Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury
A fighting game based on the Zatch Bell! franchise.
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury is a fighting game for the PlayStation 2, drawing from the Zatch Bell! series. Bandai put out the initial Japanese version in late 2004, following its merger with Namco but before Namco Bandai Games was created. Namco Bandai Games handled the international launch and the GameCube editions.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Mechanic Arms
- Publisher
- Bandai (JP); Namco Bandai Games (NA)
- Genre
- Fighting
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2, GameCube
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Every 1,000 years, 100 mamodo children are sent to earth, each with a spellbook that unleashes powers when read by a human partner. The mamodo and human battle others for the title of Mamodo King; if the spellbook is destroyed, the mamodo returns to the Mamodo World forever. Kiyo Takamine, a 14-year-old Japanese boy genius bullied for his intellect, receives a young boy named Zatch Bell from his father, a professor in England. Zatch, found dying in a forest with no memory except his name, is a mamodo competing for King. After seeing a kind mamodo named Kolulu fight against her will, Zatch vows to become a benevolent Mamodo King and stop the fighting. Months later, only 40 mamodo remain as an evil mamodo named Zofis rises. Zofis revives ancient mamodo turned to stone by the legendary Goren of the Stone using the stone of moonlight, brainwashing humans to read their spellbooks and creating an army. Zatch and Kiyo battle through this army and confront Zofis. After Zofis is sent back to the Mamodo World, a mysterious mamodo child who looks like Zatch, named Zeno, appears with his partner Dufort. Zeno claims to hate Zatch and declares he will leave them alone for now, wanting Zatch to suffer a living nightmare before defeating him. Kiyo encourages Zatch, and they proceed prepared for another adventure.
Game modes
Story Mode consists of 40 levels with different opponents, often requiring special conditions such as defeating an opponent with Bao Zakeruga. A series of mini games called Zatch's Diary follows everyday situations in Zatch's life. Previously played levels can be reselected to improve rating or on higher difficulties. Arcade Mode lets the player choose a character and fight eight opponents; after completion, a special cut-scene with dialogue between the mamodo and partner plays, followed by match statistics that determine the chance of becoming King. A 100% rating requires all matches won with an A rating. VS. Mode is a traditional one-on-one battle against CPU or another player via two controllers, with a ranking system and Mamodo Points awarded after matches based on the ranking (A best, E worst). 4P Battle is a party mode with mini games such as Burn the Spell Book, where players try to kick another's spell book into a campfire. Mini-Games mode contains seven mini games, including one requiring the player to find 30 lollipops and give them to Kanchome within 80 seconds. The Gallery includes Model Gallery (character models with descriptions), Visual Gallery (cut scenes from Story Mode), Stage Gallery (allowing the player to control Suzy Mizuno and roam multiplayer stages), and Sound Gallery (all music from the game).
Changes to the US version
The US version has cosmetic HUD changes: mamodo icons are removed, with indicators showing only character names. In the Japanese version's Story Mode, character reactions appear in both up-right and down-left corners during battle; in the US version they do not appear, though some dialogue remains. Certain story mode levels have different objectives in the US version, such as knocking out the opponent's spell book or surviving until time runs out, whereas the Japanese version simply requires fighting. Graphically, the Japanese version gives character models thick outlinings and slightly brighter coloration, with minor differences in how certain spells look and sound, especially for strongest spells. The Japanese version has much higher sound quality for voices; the US version's voices are low quality and grainy. Lip syncing does not match the characters' voices in the US version because the voices were replaced without changing the lip syncing. The Japanese version has three exclusive songs (intro, credits, and one battle theme); the US version replaces two with its own exclusive songs (intro and credits), while the exclusive battle theme is replaced with an existing song. The missing song can be heard in the Meadows stage of the Japanese version and was put back in on the GameCube port. The Japanese version contains the US version's credits songs in its files, unused except in the Audio Gallery. The Japanese version has lines not in the US version, such as Zatch yelling No at the end of the first battle against Robnos; one such line was added back in the GameCube port.
Reception
The game received generally unfavorable reviews on both platforms according to Metacritic. Famitsu gave the PlayStation 2 version a score of 26 out of 40. GamePro said the game does not have enough going for it to justify a purchase unless the player is a dedicated Zatch Bell fan.
More in Bandai Namco Games of the 2000s
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