Fighting Run

~ FIGHTING RUN ~

Nichibutsu

HuCard

1991

There have been times when a developer's best efforts didn't work out but warranted commendation nonetheless, when brave designers came up with a fresh idea and gave their concept a shot. And there have been times when it seemed obvious from the get-go that a developer had impending disaster on their hands and should've discarded their clearly flawed blueprint at once. Fighting Run never could've worked because its premise is too fucking stupid; it really makes you wonder what the hell Nichibutsu were thinking when they came up with it (though, with Nichibutsu, nothing should really come as a surprise...). So two robots are going to clash; why in the world must they dash down a speed tunnel while doing so? When my brother Duomitri and I have a dispute to settle, we square off like men; we don't go frolicking down the street side by side.

Well, in the Fighting Run universe, there are quite a few goofballs who enjoy this ridiculous brand of "competition," enough to fill the ranks of numerous circuits you can advance through. As you proceed, you earn power points to improve your robot's speed, strength, and defense, along with a few weapons that, for the most part, aren't all that useful (though there's a cool chain thing that lets you harpoon an opponent stationed behind you and hurl him into perfect position for a beating).

How well does it play? Well... how well do you think it plays? Is there any strategy involved? Oh, sure. I like the strategy of sitting in a corner while my dumb computer-controlled foe stumbles suicidally into crap littered about the track.

Oh, there's "variety" too, as the corridor designs go from one type of ugly to another. There are some "funny" intermission scenes as well.

Zoom through the entire goofy gauntlet and you'll be treated to jovial end-game celebration screens. I was certainly happy at that point--happy to have gotten it all over with. But, funnily enough, I didn't mind experiencing Fighting Run. It is indeed a unique form of, uh, "robo gladiation." And it does feel good to deal the final blow to an opponent and watch the ensuing explosion. However, the game certainly isn't novel enough (or nearly enjoyable enough) to make its many flaws forgivable. Anyone who does go ahead and purchase it is making a "what the hell are you thinking?" sort of move, just like Nichibutsu when they went ahead and designed the damn thing.