Publisher - Konami
Developer - KCEO
Platform - N64
Release Date - January 1999
Fighting - Drawing

With an art style that is made to look as if everything is drawn with crayons, Konami's Rakuga Kids actually looks more like PaRappa the Rapper than a fighting game.

Like Interplay's Clayfigher 63 1/3, the game stars 2D, shape-changing characters in one-on-one combat, but there's a special twist to the "graffiti" element alluded to in the title (Rakuga means graffiti).

The characters aren't real. They are drawings made by a bunch of cartoon kids -- introduced during the game's intro cinemas. As the character fights, a special attack gauge begins filling up on the lower portion of the screen. Once it is completely full, the character will receive one crayon and begin filling up a second and subsequent levels. Once you have enough power, you can unleash a special attack, which usually involves the character drawing some sort of contraption around his opponent. For example, the dancing alley cat will draw a boombox with huge speakers that blare out music at dangerous levels. Another character draws a cranethat grabs his opponent, hoists him off the top of the screen and then drops him with great force.

From what we have seen so far, character animations are far beyond what Interplay managed in its attempt at a 2D fighter and the art direction is distinctive to say the least. But as imaginative it is in its presentation, the fighting system mostly copies the old Capcom 2D fighters from the Super NES days.

Rakuga Kids' strange 2D presentation will probably keep it from ever coming to the US. So far, the game is only available in Japan and Konami has no plans for an international release.

Look for a full review of the quirky title soon.