The gaming world has been wishing for a part two for Rockstars’ Bully and even more of The Warriors. Publisher Freedom Games and developer Gamecom Team came together to fill that void with Troublemaker Raise Your Gang. School, gangs, and a fighting tournament to decide which class will be financially covered is a quick way to summarize this surprisingly fun game. Let’s dive into more of the details on this action-adventure beat ’em up, Troublemaker.
Story
You take on the role of an Indonesian teen named Budi who solves his problems with his fist. He gets into a big fight with a local gang (of course beats the crap of them). Then gets caught by the police and is forced to go to a different town and school. In a very emotional cutscene, he makes a promise to his mom to never fight again. That promise was going to be impossible to keep because the school he transferred to is built around fighting. The vocational or trade school he ends up going to have created a tournament to decide which class gets money to help them transition into adulthood.
Now along the journey, you make friends and plenty of enemies. Your gang is called Parakacuk and is made up of your class’s leader Rani who can be described as a social media influencer. A large kid who is known for fighting like Budi named Zaenal. And last but not least the comic relief and best friend Boby. You spend the rest of your school year fighting for pride and supremacy. This game has a lot of heart and will randomly have you in your feelings. It is clear the developers were inspired by anime and even Resident Evil 4.
Audio
The music for Troublemaker is top tier the main menu kicks off with some epic garage band music. Also, it instantly reminded me of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World soundtrack. One slight negative was sometimes the sporadic voice actors’ audio was too loud as if they needed to lower the gain on their mic. And the language spoken in the game is Indonesian with full English subtitles. They sprinkle in a couple of hilarious English phrases and curse words. Overall the soundtrack fits perfectly with the game but the voice actors would have benefited greatly from better microphones.
Graphics
Firstly there are two layers to Troublemaker, you have the cartoonish style animation that is used during cutscenes and dialogue. Then you have the actual gameplay shows a realistic world that is far from the cartoonish cutscenes. The character designs outside of the main characters are not that varied. The game looks good but is not a groundbreaking design. The true details of each character shine during cutscenes. I ran into a few bugs with the camera that forced me to restart the game a few times outside of that the game ran smoothly on my PC.
Gameplay
Troublemaker is a beat ’em up at its core even on Reddit the developers mentioned taking inspiration from the Yakuza series. There are mini-games you can play throughout the campus and one sneak mission that I did not like but was not impossible to get through. Overall you are walking around interacting with your classmates and most importantly fighting. The combat instantly reminded me of The Warriors the blocking and special abilities you can choose from create a variety of ways to take down your competition. Even though this is a PC game I recommend playing this with a controller. It feels a lot smoother and makes the combat a tad bit easier.
RPG Elements Are Also In Troublemaker
Troublemaker has a few open-world moments, but the story moves quickly. Outside of the main story missions, there are only a few open-world (Campus) fights to engage in. You earn money by beating up other gang members, and you spend it on improving your stats and purchasing various items. Healing and stat-boosting items are available in the form of liquor and food, which can be purchased from Gamecom Team’s version of Resident Evil 4’s The Merchant. He is also the person you go to when you want to improve your skills. This is where Troublemaker’s RPG elements come into play. Health, energy, damage, energy recovery, energy attack, energy avoidance, energy block, and finally a sick move level are all available as stats to potentially increase.
Troublemakers’ combat is Yakuza-esque. There is an energy or stamina system that is not particularly punishing but can be beneficial if mastered. Blocking and dodging are skills that you are going to gain. Each boss has a unique fighting style and special abilities, but the regular enemies are all the same. It’s a more in-depth experience than your average beat ’em up, but you’ll have a good time regardless.
Final Thoughts
Troublemaker is one heck of an experience that was made with love and care. I experienced a few bugs but nothing game-breaking. The combat and ability to unlock different specials kept me entertained while looking forward to the next cutscene. A nice blend of violence, vulgarity, and heartwarming storytelling. After rolling credits, I give Troublemaker Raise Your Gang an 8.3 out of 10.
PC Code Was Provided by the Publisher
Played on PC with Xbox Controller
Troublemaker
$19.99
Pros
- Fun Story
- Fast Paced Combat
- Great Soundtrack
Cons
- Needs More Open World Combat
