Publisher: Developer: ESRB Rating: Console: Genre: Koei Koei Teen PSone RPG/Strategy - Overall: 7.0 Graphics: 8.5 Sound: 7.5 Gameplay: Unspecified Durability: 5.0

While Koei is mostly known for complicated strategy games, the company has tried something unique and made a fighting game with some interesting touches. The end result is a fun game that is a little easy, but different from other fighters. The characters look pretty realistic, until the camera zooms in close.

The characters do look like people though, so it makes the game more impressive. However, when the camera zooms in during some points in the game you can see the polygons in the characters. This can make them look a little distorted and very strange. One thing that the game lacks is a replay mode. This is very disappointing considering almost every other fighting game on the market shows you a replay of what you did to beat the enemy. Unfortunately, Destrega does not include this.

The game also has a limited number of fighters, and no matter what character you use the game will throw the same fighters at you in the same exact order. This takes away some replay value, and makes Destrega a shorter game overall. The overall background music seems the same for most of the stages. While this is a little bad compared to other fighters, you’ll be too busy concentrating on the action of the fight to notice this small flaw. The characters actually sound like they took every hit they receive, and adds to the fun. The voice acting ranges from average to bad. Some character’s voices are bearable, while others are unbelievable. The old man in the game sounds like a twenty-year-old. Also, some of the characters tend to say some really stupid things after winning. In a serious fight, no one wants to hear a very lame taunt after winning. The sound detracts a little, but the gameplay makes up for it. The gameplay is different from any other fighting game.

The stages are multiple levels, which means that there are hills and other places to get the advantage on the enemy. When you are far away from the enemy or higher or lower than them, you can charge up and launch a projectile attack. It makes the game seem sort of like the Dragonball Z anime. When you are up close you use hand attacks, such as in Tekken. This part of the fighting engine is average, but it’s the projectile part that makes the engine unique. Included in the game is the real main part of the game, the Story mode. There are a lot of battles with many long story segments in between. The story is full of betrayal and action, and is very cool. This is the true meat of the game, and it is great. Rather than play one character all the way through, you play as different characters as the story advances. While the Story mode is the real meat, there are other modes such as Endurance and Practice. There is also a two-player mode, which adds more replay value. The game may seem short, but is still very fun and will have you coming back occasionally. In the end, the unique gameplay makes Destrega worth a look.

While it has a limited number of characters and modes and is a little short, Destrega will give you a new view on Koei. No longer are they a company who makes complicated games. They now make fun games as well. If you are tired of Tekken or another 3D fighter, give Destrega a try. It is an innovative game and should be checked out. Give it a try. You might be surprised when you pick up the controller to play it many times.

Review by dragonryu