Bujingai

Bujingai, released in North America as *Bujingai: The Forsaken City* and in Europe as *Bujingai: Swordmaster*, is an action game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by Taito alongside Red Entertainment, published in Japan by Taito on December 25, 2003, and later brought to North America by BAM! Entertainment on July 22, 2004, and to Europe by 505 Games on February 18, 2005.

The story takes place in the 23rd century, roughly a century after a global disaster wiped out most of Earth’s population and all governments. Survivors gained magical abilities drawn from the planet’s energies. Players follow Lau Wong, a sword-wielding exile who returns to Earth to stop a former ally, Rei Jenron, now possessed by an evil spirit. Rei has kidnapped the soul of his beloved Yohfa and opened portals that let demons overrun the Asian city of Bujingai. The game’s visuals and combat draw inspiration from Hong Kong martial arts (Wuxia) films. It is a third-person beat ’em up and hack-and-slash title where players control Lau, explore open environments, solve simple puzzles, and fight enemies and bosses. A counterattack mechanic is included, and players can chain sword slashes into combos exceeding 1,000 hits.

Bujingai served as Taito’s 50th anniversary release, taking two years to develop. The team included Taito veteran Hiroshi Aoki as director, Taito’s in-house band Zuntata composing the music, and external contributors: Toshihiro Kawamoto, character designer for *Cowboy Bebop*, and Yōsuke Kuroda, scenario writer for *Trigun*. The protagonist Lau Wong was modeled after Japanese pop icon Gackt, who also helped promote the game before launch. Critics gave the game above-average reviews, praising its combat, visual style, and character designs, but faulted its poor jumping mechanics, dull level designs, and weak plot.

The plot begins in the 23rd century, 100 years after an accident with an eco-friendly energy source killed 70 percent of the world’s population and all governments. Survivors developed magical abilities from Earth’s energies, which they refined into a discipline of magic and swordsmanship. The exile Lau Wong returns to battle his former friend and training partner Rei Jenron, now possessed by an evil spirit. Rei has stolen the soul of his once-beloved Yohfa and opened portals that allow demons to overrun Bujingai. Lau is the only one who can stop him and save the remaining humans.

In gameplay, Bujingai is a third-person beat ’em up and hack-and-slash title. Players control Lau, exploring environments, completing minor objectives, and fighting enemies and bosses. Attacks include dual-wielded swords, jumps, spins, magical abilities, and combinations of these. Many combo attacks can be chained into over 1,000 hits on a single enemy. During combat, Lau automatically blocks strikes if facing the attacker, but a defense meter for both Lau and his enemy depletes with each blow; real damage only occurs once the meter is empty. Players can counterattack by timing their own strike, which triggers a fixed camera shot of Lau before dealing heavy damage. Some tougher enemies, like mid-stage bosses, can counter Lau similarly. Magic spells range from a basic fireball to a powerful whirlwind, and are fueled by a magic meter that refills via pick-ups or defeating enemies.

The game’s visual style mimics Hong Kong martial arts films, with colorful sword slashes, spinning aerial jousts, and gliding. Beyond jumping, players can tap a button to glide through the air or run along walls, which helps solve puzzles and navigate levels. Defeating enemies and breaking objects yields blue orbs, which can be traded at the end of each stage to upgrade Lau’s health, defense, magic meter, or magic attacks. Bonuses depend on performance factors like completion time, damage taken, continues used, and “stylized action points.” Hidden coins in stages provide extra bonuses.

Development was a joint effort between Taito and Red Entertainment, marking Taito’s 50th anniversary. Hiroshi Aoki directed and chiefly designed the game. Character designs came from Toshihiro Kawamoto, known for *Cowboy Bebop* and *Wolf’s Rain*. Scenario writer Yōsuke Kuroda had worked on *Please Teacher!*, *s-CRY-ed*, and *Trigun*. Music was composed by Zuntata members: Katsuhisa Ishikawa served as sound director and created sound effects, while Hideki Takahagi composed the background music. The protagonist’s likeness was based on Japanese pop star Gackt, who also helped promote the game before its launch.