The term "jank" has embedded itself deeper within the gaming lexicon in recent years, becoming a universal term to describe bad games, and many would argue it does a disservice to the distinct and wholly unique titles outside the mainstream. Eurojank is one of the more known types of games within this particular subsection of gaming, having become synonymous with gamers seeking out a unique experience originating from European studios. They remain games that tend to leave an indelible impression amidst the multitude of flaws and design quirks.
But what of other regions? Well, despite it not being official, there is such a thing as Japan-Jank. These can sometimes be Japanese games that can fall into Kusoge, the Japanese equivalent of a bad game. Deadly Premonition is probably the most famous example and one which has a slew of admirers the world over. Here are a few others that are worth trying if SWERY, aka Hidetaka Suehiro’s peculiar style, is up one's street.
6 Gungrave: G.O.R.E
The third entry in the Gungrave franchise and the first to be released in over 20 years, with Gungrave: Overdose being released as a budget title way back on the Playstation 2 in 2002. Modern gamers might struggle to get anything out of Gungrave G.O.R.E, as from a mechanics and level design point of view, it feels very much stuck in the early 2000s. For those that want an explosive slice of Japanese madness, Gungrave G.O.R.E will not disappoint.
With an ear-shattering soundtrack that gets the blood-pumping, over-the-top combos and AOE moves, its dated foibles can be forgiven. Even with its dated elements, there’s something wholly entertaining and retro about its presentation. Once players start unlocking more characters, better special moves, and can sweep aside its budgetary issues, it almost becomes a violent rhythm game. It's possibly the most enjoyable Japan-Jank entry in recent memory.
5 Earth Defense Force Series
Potentially the most well-known entry on this list and rightly so, the Earth Defense Force series is the granddaddy of Japan-Jank and Kusoge gaming. Bad voice-overs which clip into each other? Check. Dated visuals and cheesy dialogue? Check. Giant Kaiju battles, destructible buildings, Mecha battles, and aerial combat? Check, check, and double-check. The Earth Defense Force games, or EDF as it's colloquially referred to by fans, are the very definition of playable B-Movies. Even with their slightly drawn-out campaigns and repetitive gameplay, it's hard not to have the biggest grin on one's face while blasting hordes of the alien menaces in various locations with gleeful abandon and wanton destruction.
Developer Sandlot and publisher D3 know exactly what they are creating, and thankfully gamers are in on the ludicrous as well. Fans would be hard-pressed to find another game series like Earth Defense Force for sheer entertainment value at a budget price. With a sixth mainline entry now released in Japan and several other titles available to play either via Xbox’s backwards compatibility or Playstation 4 / Playstation 5, there are multiple ways to enjoy the majority of the western-released entries.
4 Way Of The Samurai 4
Far too many games these days try to be sprawling epics in the hope of parting fans from their hard-earned cash. Length doesn’t necessarily justify the quality of a game, and as some recent titles have proven, not every long and drawn-out game is created equal, often leading to bloated open worlds and tedium. The beauty of the shorter game lies in its replayability and titles like Resident Evil and Dead Rising understand this. On the budget end of the spectrum, the Way of the Samurai series, more specifically Way of the Samurai 4, manages to create an engaging and replayable experience on a meager budget despite technical and gameplay issues that can sometimes hamper the experience.
The small-scale locations and time restriction add a sense of claustrophobic urgency to proceedings, while its short game length and the ability to replay the game with various divergent paths help break the repetitious cycle and stop it from becoming stale. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny in places and while everything else is of the budget variety, it's still infinitely more rewarding than a 100-hour modern AAA title.
3 Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is not a good game, not by a long shot. Like other entries on this list, the game feels dated in several key areas and suffered from a stagnated development time. But it's hard not to admire what the developers tried to achieve, particularly when it feels unlike anything else fans might have played before. Essentially, it is a survival simulator with enough perilous moments of tension through an earthquake-ridden city, that would give the king of blockbuster disasters, Roland Emmerich, nightmares.
What follows is the player trying to desperately flee the ruined city, all while encountering other survivors and their stories. Although it was lambasted on release due to being a poorly optimized game, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories has a lot to offer players willing to ignore the technical issues. One of its trump cards is the inclusion of a strong, character-driven story with some heavy moments of melancholy thrown in for good measure. Yes, it's a bit of a rough gem, so if one can ignore the flaws, there lies a rewarding and distinctive experience.
2 Onechanbara Series
This long-running hack-&-slash series originally began life as part of D3’s Simple 2000s series and has been developed by Tamsoft since its initial entry. Like a handful of other titles from that label and developer, they can veer into slightly risqué and mature territory. In the case of the Onechanbara series, it's aiming for a specific demographic, the otaku crowd with a penchant for zombie-slaying samurai who solely wear cowboy hats & bikinis. Devil May Cry this is not. Much like Earth Defense Force, Onechanbara plays into the schlocky B-Movie aesthetic, only instead of sci-fi, its horror as our fearless demon zombie slayers slice and dice their way through arena stages.
Graphically and technically, the Onechanbara series is nothing to write home about. The series is filled with fun mechanics though, such as swords that are splattered with blood ultimately becoming less sharp and dulling their effectiveness against the zombie slaughter. This does lead to a minor strategy element at picking the right moment to wipe the blood off the blade during an intense combat encounter. The series has garnered enough of a fanbase to have two live-action films made, Chanbara Beauty and Chanbara Beauty: The Movie – Vortex. A fun series, but just don’t play it with the family.
1 Left Alive
Despite the high caliber of talent behind Left Alive, including co-creator of the Kingdom Hearts series Shinji Hashimoto, Metal Gear Solid character designer and artist Yoji Shinkawa, and supposedly Hideo Kojima who was consulted during development, this is a budget title through and through. Nothing feels polished, and it's clear, based on countless negative reviews, just how sorely lacking and fundamentally broken various aspects of Left Alive remain. Even with the patch, playing Left Alive can often feel like a war of attrition, leading to anger-inducing frustration due to poorly explained mechanics, survival or otherwise.
The shooting is clunky and dated, and the environmental sound is sorely lacking, particularly when gigantic Mechs are around. And yet, even with these glaring shortcomings, there are the occasional nuggets of joy to be found. Be it the bizarre story and characters or the European-inspired setting and aesthetic. It's often glitchy and terrible to play, but has a certain charm, despite never reaching the lofty so-bad-its-good heights of say Earth Defense Force or Onechanbara.