As I’ve mentioned before, when I was a kid, there wasn’t much in the way of anime readily available. On TV there were only two anime programs: Sci-Fi channel’s Saturday anime, and Sailor Moon. So needless to say, I watched me a lot of Sailor Moon.
Yet even at that time, I didn’t pick up a Sailor Moon game that I can remember—perhaps I never ran across one or, if I did, never had the urge to get it. But the moment I saw my first screenshot of the fan-made Sailor Moon game Code Name: Sailor V last week, I knew I had to play it.
Code Name: Sailor V is the third game in the Sailor Moon: Destiny Revival game series. Like both previous titles, it is an arcade-style brawler built on the Beats of Rage game engine, and it uses many of the sprites from other games—like Streets of Rage and Street Fighter, for example.
The story follows the precursor to the Sailor Moon manga, a manga called—as you may have guessed—Codename: Sailor V. The game has static story cut scenes taken directly from the manga and a voice cast that perfectly fits with the old school Sailor Moon dub (for both better and worse).
As for the gameplay, it’s classic brawler fair—if generally difficult brawler fair. While you have dodge rolls, charge attacks, and even a ranged shot, many enemies are able to counter you mid combo. In fact, you will constantly be ganged up on a juggled into nothing, even on the easiest setting. Luckily the game features local two-player coop if you need a helping hand.
To see how the game looks in action, check out the video above.
Code Name: Sailor V was released on January 9, 2009. It’s downloadable for free at the game’s homepage (along with the other games in the Sailor Moon: Destiny Revival series). There are versions available for PC, Wii, Xbox, DS, PSP, and Dreamcast.
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