As someone who has loved games that take a walk on the weird side since forever ago, I’ve been happy to see plenty of oddballs, both old and new, released on the Switch over the past few years. I’ll admit that I tend to think more highly of the newer class of quirky titles, since older ones with a weird streak tended to be spotty when it came to quality more often than not. But there are still some great old titles that blazed a trail for modern developers to follow in, so they’re appreciated.

In the case of Feudal Bros - Tonosama #1, I’m not so sure that it blazed a trail that others would follow, but it certainly felt free to simply do things its own way, for better or worse. Played in a very arcade-like style, but with some undeniably unusual flair, you’ll choose one of two heroes to tackle a pretty challenging adventure with. If your preference is up-close brawling play, you’ll want to go with Lord Baka, but if you’d like to tackle enemies from afar you’ll want to choose the very interesting Prince Bouffon instead. Both are amusingly odd, without a doubt, and absolutely fly in the face of your typical ‘roided-out macho dudes you’d traditionally play with.

The problem is that, overall, the gameplay itself is pretty ordinary and forgettable. Even though it’s a console title, there’s a certain quarter pumping sensibility to its degree of challenge, not so much designed to be beaten through skill, as endured. The fact that it isn’t a brawlers-only affair at least helps to make it stand out a little better, but given the limits of your shots and the fact that with tougher enemies they don’t seem to do much damage, that’s a tough road to choose as well. Worse, occasional platforming sections really do the game no favors, and in general it isn’t hard to start thinking of other classic games you’d much rather revisit than sticking it out with this one. While it has an undeniable preservationist value, and may be a great curiosity for people who enjoy oddball imports from that era, it’s absolutely a niche offering.