One-on-one fighting games were all the rage in the 90s. Most of these releases saw few to no unique elements to make them stand out from the pack. We were basically swimming in a sea of copycats. That’s why any fighter that highlights something unique generally was able to stand out. This is why I’m surprised Be-Bop Bout isn’t more often mentioned. This is likely to due with the fact that it was released only on the Japanese MSX computer which was never localized. It’s now freeware, and I decided to give the game a look. I was surprised to discover that it’s less of a fighter and more of a reflexes based card game. Let’s jump in and give it a look shall we?
I wasn’t actually able to determine if there is or isn’t a story here. Either way, it’s a fighting game (or at least set up like one) so it’s not like it’s going to make or break Be-Bop Bout either way. You select a character (from a miniscule roster of just four) and then are thrown into a one-on-one fight. In typical fighting game style of this time the action is strictly two dimensional and you view the action from the side. The character sprites are actually pretty large and compare favorably to the likes of Street Fighter II. I was actually really surprised this was an MSX2 release to be honest because it looks really detailed in screenshots.
When the action starts however you see that it’s not really that impressive. For one thing your characters don’t move in real-time. They’re stuck in the same standing position throughout each match. That is because you don’t directly control them. You select cards with symbols and numbers on them, and they carry out the attack from the picture. This includes blocks, punches, kicks, and special moves. Unfortunately the combat system is a little technical, and without any instructions for the game Be-Bop Bout just looks random at first. It look me a bit to get the hang of it, and was only able to do it just by watching the CPU opponent pulverize my character time after time.
Okay so let’s get down to the nitty gritty. You can’t just use any cards willy nilly. Instead you’ll find three displayed on the top of the interface at the bottom of the screen. There’s one in the middle (which can be used by both players) and one specific to each player on opposite sides of the screen. On each card is both a symbol and a number. You have to choose a card that has a number either one higher or one lower than that of the cards either in the middle or your side of the screen. When you are able to place one your character attacks the opponent and part of their life bar is drained. It mirrors real life card games like Speed, but you’re using a keyboard instead of placing actual cards. It’s extremely counter-intuitive and it’s extremely difficult to go fast.
While you’re struggling to select cards the CPU opponent will be moving like greased lightning. Battling against the computer controlled opponent is a practice in futility. To make matters worse the block function never seems to work in your favor. By selecting block cards as they come up you can fill a meter and each hit will instead drain your block bar instead of health. That’s all fine and dandy but your opponent always seems to have blocks on reserve. This makes actually damaging them tough as nails. The CPU selects and uses cards far too quickly and doesn’t make any errors unlike a human player. It makes Be-Bop Bout not very fun to play.
Be-Bop Bout is pretty light on content. You’ve only got four characters with which to select. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of differences between them. They have different special moves (performed by selecting cards with a special symbol) but they pretty much all have the same effect. It’s just the graphics that are different. You also have different stages on which you battle but again, there’s no functional difference between any of them. The only actual gameplay options you have are story mode and multiplayer. The latter of the two is limited to just one other human player, and it’s the only way I imagine you’ll be able to get any enjoyment out of this one.
From screenshots Be-Bop Bout looks incredible. Seriously, this looks like an MSX version of Street Fighter II which is the highest compliment I can give to an 8-bit fighting game. Unfortunately it loses most of its fidelity when in motion. The characters are not only stationary, but when they throw punches, kicks, and use special moves the number of frames of animation is just pathetic. The action moves like you’re watching a slideshow, and it’s not a good look for a game like this. It’s pretty terrible. At least the cards are easy to discern from one another as well as the numbers on them. The music is decent but nothing special. I enjoyed some of the tracks while playing but it’s nothing I would care to listen to outside of the game.
Be-Bop Bout looked like it was going to be one of the best games for the MSX. Unfortunately that really wasn’t the case. The MSX was sorely lacking in fighting games, and while it can’t really support them (not even the MSX2 could properly render them smoothly enough) this doesn’t make up for it. Be-Bop Bout is pretty terrible. Odds are if you’re in the mood for a reflex based card game you’re not going to want one that follows a fighting motif, and with a hard as nails opponent. Just buy a deck of cards and pass on this one. Be-Bop Bout is pretty terrible by any standards.
