Dororo Impressions

Playable for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show, Sega's Dororo is a 3D action adventure game based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka, the author of Astro Boy. The player takes the role of a young man named Hyakkimaru who lost most parts of his body as a baby, since they were stolen by demons. Hyakkimaru is accompanied by a small child named Dororo, who for some reason is the namesake of both the comic series and the new game.

Hyakkimaru has several artificial body parts, including swords hidden under his detachable arms as well as a number of other weapons, which he can use in the game. You control Hyakkimaru with the analog stick, and Dororo will constantly follow him, assisting him in defeating the demons that appear on the field. As Hyakkimaru, you can slash at the demons that attack you by pressing the square button; hitting the button rapidly will execute a combo. The L and R buttons let Hyakkimaru use other weapons hidden in his arms, such as a cannon, a machine gun, and additional swords. The X button is used for jumping.

One of the most important parts of Dororo's control scheme seems to be the triangle button. When pressed normally, the triangle button only executes a strong slash. But if you hold the button for a while and then let go, the attack launches into a combo mode that lets you attack your enemies for a sustained period of time, and finish them off with a special effect by pressing the triangle button once more. Enemies defeated through the combo mode turn into items, such as rice balls that replenish your health. Although the combo mode is convenient for acquiring items and defeating an enemy without getting damaged, Hyakkimaru can be interrupted if other enemies on the screen attack him. Dororo is scheduled for release in spring of 2004.