The Benza RPG

The Benza RPG is a 2020 role-playing video game that takes place in the world of the Japanese on demand comedy series "The Benza" and its spin-off series "Benza English". It was released in 148 countries via the iOS app store and shortly after on Steam and Android devices.  The plot takes place between "Benza English" and the second series of "The Benza". The story and dialog were entirely written by series creator Christopher McCombs.[2]

The Benza RPG
Developer(s)Guilherme Martins
Publisher(s)Tokyo Cowboys
Director(s)Guilherme Martins
Producer(s)Christopher McCombs
Programmer(s)Guilherme Martins
Christopher McCombs
Artist(s)Raito Nishizaka
Aver Hamilton II
Caterina Rocchi
Iris Benoit
Writer(s)Christopher McCombs
Composer(s)Takahiro Nomiya
Yonamine Akinori
Marcus L-Spade Johnson
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
macOS
Android (operating system)
iOS
Release
  • iOS
  • October 1, 2020
  • Windows and Mac
  • November 1, 2020
  • Android
  • November 12, 2020
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player[1]

Gameplay

The player primarily takes control of Chris and Kyle as they explore a retro-rpg version of Higashi Nakano. Many locations and characters from "The Benza" and "Benza English" are featured within the game. Gameplay is divided between story, battle, and exploration. The combat system is turn based and features an on screen turn counter. The player also has the ability to swap characters in and out of battle at any time via the “Switch” battle command.[3]

Plot

Chris (Christopher McCombs) and Kyle (Kyle Card) are about to head to the set for their first day of work on series 2 of "The Benza" when Inko Sensei (Haku Inko) appears. She uses a dark magic to turn all of Higashi Nakano into a retro RPG and kidnaps Lee. Chris and Kyle must battle through thirty floors of their Japanese school with their friends Alena (Janni Olsson), Stephanie (Hannah Grace), David (Alexander Hunter), and more to put a stop to Inko Sensei's evil plan.[4]

Development

"The Benza RPG" was developed by indie game creator Guilherme Martins in collaboration with "The Benza" and "Benza English"’s production company Tokyo Cowboys.[5] Development began in 2020. The Benza director Raito Nishizaka and cast member Aver Hamilton II (Hamilton) provided original art work along with Italian manga artist Caterina Rocchi and French artist Iris Benoit.[6]

Series creator Christopher McCombs provided the story and the game dialog. He is quoted on the gaming news site TheGG as saying, “We realized while making series one in 2018 that The Benza and it’s world were perfect to turn into a video game.” [7]

The game was formally announced in an article about "Benza English" on SoraNews by Christopher in June 2020.[8]

Though currently only available in English, a Japanese translation of the game is anticipated to be released in early 2021.[9]

Musical score

Twenty nine original songs were created for “The Benza RPG” by various artists, including Marcus L Spade Johnson and Yonamine Akinori. The Benza and Benza English Sound Producer - Takahiro Nomiya - oversaw sound production of the game. Six of the songs on the soundtrack were performed by the main cast.[7]

Voice cast

The main cast from the original series “The Benza” returned to provide voice acting for “The Benza RPG”. Over 280 original lines of dialog were recorded for the game.[10]

Character Cast
Chris Christopher McCombs
Kyle Kyle Card
Inko Sensei Haku Inko
Za Michiko Noguchi
Tamura Masahito Kawahata
Stephanie Hannah Grace
David Alexander Hunter
Alena Janni Olsson
Lee Min Lee Kuk

Reception

The game has been received positively, with 4.9 stars on the Apple App Store and 5 stars on the Amazon Android App Store. The Metacritic user review score is 10.[11] In regards to the game, pop-culture website SoraNews 24 said:

“Since this retro RPG is based on a comedy web series, there are also a ton of subtle and not-so-subtle jokes scattered throughout the characters’ dialogue. The quest is a serious one, but you'll have plenty of laughs along the way.”[12]

Tokyo based news site Tokyo Weekender also notes:

“Just as the show wants to be a place where people can come together to share a laugh, the game has been created so that all gamers, be they beginner or veteran, can pick up and enjoy this turn-based RPG.”[13]

See also

References
  1. "The Benza RPG on Steam". Steam.
  2. "The Benza (Prime Video) : interviews de l'équipe -". smallthings.fr (in French). July 3, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  3. Goodpastor, Joshua (December 30, 2020). "The Benza RPG Brings Free-To-Play Retro Action To PC and iOS Devices | Happy Gamer". HappyGamer. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  4. "The Benza RPG: Story". tokyo-cowboys (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. "Le RPG Benza apporte une action rétro gratuite aux appareils PC et iOS". 45secondes.fr (in French). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  6. "ArtStation: Iris Siri".
  7. thegg.net, The Gaming Ground (December 28, 2020). "The crazy F2P retro-like JRPG "The Benza RPG" is now available for PC and iOS". (TGG). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  8. "Exercise your English and your toilet humor with Benza English". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. June 1, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. 公開｜エンタメラッシュ編集部プレスリリース, 2020年12月15日 08時27分. "Amazonプライムビデオで配信中！便座が題材の語学番組パロディドラマ「Benza English」で主演を務めた池田香織が最優秀主演女優賞を受賞。". エンタメラッシュ (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  10. "The Benza RPG Credit Information - GameFAQs". gamefaqs.gamespot.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  11. "The Benza RPG". Metacritic. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  12. "Save your favorite characters and a small part of Tokyo in The Benza's free RPG". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. October 12, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  13. "The Benza Transformed Into A Free to Play Retro RPG". Tokyo Weekender. October 7, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.