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 [Thanks to my good friend Square for the banner image!] Hakaiou: King of Crusher (lit. “Destruction King: King of Crusher”) is a Japanese-exclusive action game released in 1998 for the PlayStation by budget developer FAB Communication. Described as a “rage simulator”, the game tells the story of an unnamed Japanese salaryman who, after being bitten by a space bug, finds himself free of his inhibitions and begins a march of mayhem through his home and beyond. The gameplay loop of Hakaiou is similar to that of Rampage, where you stomp your way through various maps in order to smash everything you see. Causing enough destruction in each level will not only allow you to progress through the game, but will also grant the player more power, eventually building to a finale of gargantuan scale with a showdown against the embodiment of liberty itself. However, underneath the rampant chaos and destruction lies a story about the ways in which we cope with our feelings of societal vs personal freedom and lashing out against the oppressive systems that control us. Mostly though it’s about smashing things and having a good time. Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “A living being wants above all else to release its strength; life itself is the will to power”. Hakaiou: King of Crusher bestows this sense of raw aggression to the player, creating a world made out of destructible items to punch and kick into oblivion. However, power comes with a price, and that price is control. Even though the game released midway through the PlayStation’s life cycle, Hakaiou shows all of the growing pains of 3D at once. Your character controls like a car and takes turns poorly, which can cause a lot of trouble in the cramped maps. Judging distance to objects and hitboxes is a hit-or-miss affair, and the moveset’s basic reach and power is constantly being redefined throughout the game, causing growing pains between level sets. Still, it’s not so much about the details as it is about the destination, and Hakaiou: King of Crusher still delivers a fun and entertaining, if mildly frustrating, experience. "Right or wrong, it’s very pleasant to break something from time to time." -Fyodor Dostoevsky  I’m the great terror of Let’s Play ChorpSaway and I will be giving you a guided tour through this sordid story of anger and mayhem. Joining me are my fellow delinquents TheJayOfSpade, FutureFriend, and Taoc, who have never seen this game but love meaningless violence as much as anyone else. Together we’ll journey across the world as we follow the trail of destruction left by the King of Crusher himself. Hakaiou was never released in English, but thanks to my good friend Jupi, I have added subtitles for the dialogue into the videos so that everyone can follow along with this tragic tale. “It's just one of those days/When you don't wanna wake up/Everything is hosed/Everybody sucks/You don't really know why/But you wanna justify/Rippin' someone's head off” -Fred Durst     
ChorpSaway fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Nov 15, 2020 |
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Oct 25, 2020 18:32
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 13:06 |
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Oh gently caress yes. I remember seeing someone stream this for a very brief time years ago. We're in for a treat. Someday someone will LP that weird bomb defusing game.
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Oct 25, 2020 19:33
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What the gently caress is this I need to see more
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Oct 25, 2020 22:12
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Oh my god. I love how he leans into his turns like a banking airplane.
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Oct 25, 2020 23:59
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EasilyConfused posted:Oh my god. He runs the way I picture myself running in a dream.
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Oct 26, 2020 02:12
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So if the cops destroy something while shooting at you, do you get credit for it?
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Oct 29, 2020 01:09
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Yes, I saw the Destruction Bar go up even when he wasn't blowing things up with his attacks, so I presume anything being destroyed counts for that bar. But on the other hand, things blown up by the cops or other things don't increase the protagonist's life meter.
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Oct 29, 2020 04:40
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FeyerbrandX posted:Someday someone will LP that weird bomb defusing game. Suzuki Bakuhatsu? That was the first game by that description to come to mind. I’d love to see an LP of that!
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Oct 29, 2020 07:17
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 UPDATE TIME! Today, the king finishes his destruction of the city and heads out into the countryside. His anger begins to dissipate as the calming power of nature overtakes him, eventually passing out by a river. However, this world is chaotic, and even one random occurrence is enough to upset the balance of nature... Commander Keene posted:So if the cops destroy something while shooting at you, do you get credit for it? The king does not discriminate over who does the crushing, only that things are appropriately crushed.
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Nov 1, 2020 18:10
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AweStriker posted:Suzuki Bakuhatsu? That was the first game by that description to come to mind. I’d love to see an LP of that! With a name to go by rather than just remembering the what types of bombs show up, yes, that's the one.
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Nov 1, 2020 18:30
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"I told you guys, the mysteries of the universe will be revealed if you break stuff!" -Coop, Megas XLR
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Nov 2, 2020 15:25
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UPDATE TIME! Today, we find ourselves facing the everyman's most common foe: infrastructure! As we dismantle the systems that keep our society complacent, we continue to grow in strength and head back into the heart of civilization to begin destruction of the objects we hold most dear: national monuments. Can anything stop this incredible force?
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Nov 8, 2020 19:25
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FINAL UPDATE TIME! The King of Crusher has broken the shackles of humanity and ascended to the final evolution of man. With the ruins of industrialization in his wake, the King sets his sights on the last thing holding society up: the very concept of freedom. He makes his way to the United States, ready to become the leader of the truly free world... Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed this short but sweet game! Until next time!
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Nov 15, 2020 18:30
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What a fuckin weird game.
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Nov 16, 2020 16:36
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It seems like the actual gameplay would've worn out its welcome and gotten kinda dull after like level 3. The weird rear end cutscenes and DESTROY bug isn't really engaging enough to carry through the longer "walk in a straight line and destroy a million things" levels. At least you get to be a dragon for a bit, and everything after the first dragon level is amazing 
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Nov 16, 2020 17:27
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