Bloody Roar, A Lost Konami Gem That Never Resurfaced

Fighting games have been more popular than ever these days with the release of the new Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1, and the behemoth of an esports title, Tekken 8. Among all these big-name fighting games, Bloody Roar’s name got lost in history.

With several games including Soul Calibur, KOF, and Persona 4 Arena getting revived due to immense support from fans, Bloody Roar fans were left longing for a sequel or a remake of their beloved franchise.

But since Konami is trying to set their record straight by reviving Silent Hill, it’s time they also start thinking about making a sequel to the Bloody Roar franchise, or a reboot.

What’s So Unique About Bloody Roar?

Released back in 1997, Bloody Roar (originally named Beastorizer) debuted as a 2-D fighting by Hudson Soft, a subsidiary of Konami. It rode in on the same wave as Tekken 3, making its way to the original PlayStation. Bloody Roar Extreme, or Primal Fury was the first one to release on Xbox consoles. 

Now on the surface, the game looked like just another fighting title. However, with the press of a button, the character could turn into a beast that took gameplay to another level and gave players a new set of moves to inflict on opponents. 

As time passed, Bloody Roar spawned sequels that added more fighting mechanics that kept things fresh, most notably, the Beast Drives that were introduced in Bloody Roar 2. These are ultimate attacks that players could pull off while in their beast transformations that looked cool.

Bloody Roar 4, the last sequel to the series added a strategic element to the beast transformation and super attacks. Now players had to balance their HP bar and beast transformation gauge simultaneously to get the upper hand on their opponents. 

Considering the amount of unique elements the series had, It left fans in anguish when Hudson Soft was shut down in 2012. Since 2003, the game has been dormant with no hopes of a sequel aside from that one huge internet hoax.

Bloody Roar 5 – The Cancelled Sequel

After 8 years of radio silence, it was revealed that the new Bloody Roar sequel that was in production was also scrapped when Hudson Soft closed down. 

Lack of financial push and marketing were the primary factors that led to the game’s development getting shut down alongside the studio that was working on it.

Morgan Haro, the former Hudson Entertainment Manager explained the Bloody Roar 5 situation in his blog and I quote,

A special note goes to the fans demanding a return of the Bloody Roar series. It was something I personally pushed for in the company, despite the crowded fighting game market. With digital distribution channels like XBLA and PSN, I felt there was a chance, if done right, to re-invigorate the series. There were some game design documents sent around internally of some spin-offs of the series, but it didn’t seem like it was the right direction. There was a chance for something to happen in late 2011, or early 2012; but clearly, we won’t see what was to be. To the Bloody Roar fans out there, I read every single one of your messages, petitions, and calls for the series to be brought back. You guys are awesome, and perhaps someday, a developer and a publisher will pick it up, and do it justice. Until then, just know, you guys rock.

So this meant that any hopes fans held for a Bloody Roar sequel were crushed. But that didn’t stop them from raising their voices to the internet.

The Voice Of The Fans

Fans want a sequel and they’re not shying away from letting the internet hear their voice. There are various ways they’re pleading for a Bloody Roar sequel, from forums like Reddit.

Bloody Roar Remake?
byu/Xu_Lin ingaming

There are also several posts from fans on ResetEra that basically demand a sequel to the beloved franchise.

All posts have one thing in common, the revival of their favorite series with either a sequel or a proper reboot. The games weren’t even ported to PC or future consoles like other classic games were like an “HD” edition. 

There is also a petition set up by a fan exclaiming that we need a sequel now more than ever. It doesn’t have many signatures right now (only 2144), but it also adds up to the fact that it’s about time Konami gave the fans a sequel.

Even if Hudson Soft is not in the picture anymore, Konami still has the resources and an awaiting playerbase to successfully revive the series. With the game’s popularity shrouded in the sands of time, a squeal could bring its lost fans from the woodwork and bring the series back into the spotlight with ease. 

Ending Note

Since the Bloody Roar series was never ported to any other platform except the original PlayStation and Xbox, reviving the game is also a matter of game preservation. Gamers today should be able to enjoy this unique fighting game.

The only way to play the Bloody Roar series today is either owning the original consoles with the game discs or emulation. Now, the emulation road often leads towards piracy but acquiring original consoles and discs for a premium price is definitely out of the question for most players out there as much as we did at the time.

The only solution left is for Konami to pull another W in their redemption arc and finally give us a Bloody Roar sequel or at least a reboot of the series.