Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade
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| Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade | |
|---|---|
 Japanese boxart | |
| Developer(s) | Banpresto |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade (カウボーイビバップ 追憶の夜曲, Kaubōi Bibappu: Tsuioku no Serenāde, lit. "Cowboy Bebop: Serenade of Reminiscence") is a PlayStation 2 action/beat 'em up video game from Bandai, released exclusively in Japan on August 25, 2005. It has an original story based on the anime series Cowboy Bebop.
Story
The game follows an original story set in the Cowboy Bebop universe. Its events center around a search for a space pirate's treasure, a mysterious song called Diamonds and a mysterious organization that stands in the way of the Bebop crew.
The Bebop crew, consisting of Spike, Faye, Ed, and Jet, get sucked into an alternative dimension. After landing on a nearby planet, they are hit by an unknown enemy while on their spaceship. The player must use Spike Spiegel, one of the main characters in the video game and leader of the Bebop crew, to attack the enemy that hit Spike's crew. Eventually, the player destroys the enemy's launch facility. After the attack, Spike's crew evaluates what attacked them earlier, and they soon get into communication with a woman who seeks help. The group of bounty hunters then travel to a nearby city, and the player must use characters from the Bebop crew to destroy multiple enemy ships in their path, as well as a large tank. They eventually rescue the woman who sought help from the Bebop crew and learn she is part of a resistance group trying to defeat the mysterious organization. Realizing they can't really escape until this situation is dealt with, the Bebop crew decides to help the young woman defeat this opposing force. For the next part of the game, the player is taken into outer space, where they must destroy incoming enemy ships. Upon defeating them, the crew tries to make their final escape by heading for a hyperspace gate; however, it is blocked by more enemy ships. The player must defeat the ships blocking their path to freedom, and once they are all destroyed, Spike must head to the hyperspace gate to try and make a final run for it. He is able to do so with the help of Edward, who uses a virus to make it possible to pass through the hyperspace gate without any issues. The player is then given 90 seconds to escape while enemy forces are in direct pursuit. Once the player escapes, the game ends with a cutscene showing the Bebop crew arriving back into their dimension safely before heading out to collect their next bounty.
Gameplay
Playable characters include Spike, Faye and Jet, each of whom are voiced by their respective voice actors from the anime series, while Ed provides objectives, advice and moral support. Ein appears alongside Ed as well. Action occurs on foot with both hand-to-hand and shooting segments, often with small puzzles to solve, as well as items to search for (either essential to the plot or bonus items that appear in the gallery). Certain sections of the game require piloting spacecraft and, in one section, a boat. Gameplay is punctuated by long cutscenes that develop the story. There is also a blackjack mini-game featuring Spike and Jet as rotating dealers; this provides a way to earn additional money to unlock bonuses, such as songs for the music player and character profiles.
Music
The soundtrack was composed by Yoko Kanno, famous for her music in the series. Three new songs, performed by Italian vocalist Ilaria Graziano, were composed for the game and released on the Tank! THE! BEST! album.
References
- ^ IGN Staff (June 11, 2005). "Japanese Release Dates Update". IGN. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)