Video Game Review #501: Pepsiman

Pepsiman

PlayStation

Nostalgia Factor:

Pepsiman came out in Japan in 1999, but never made its way over to the United States. I didn't even hear about this game until just a few years ago, around 2020, after I had joined some retro gaming groups on Facebook. Every once in a while someone would mention this game, and it would start a big discussion about how it was surprisingly good and how it was a shame it never made it to the US.

I didn't really give the game much thought. How good could a game called Pepsiman be? I mean, I liked Cool Spot and everything, but Pepsiman? What a ridiculous concept.

Despite this, I continued to constantly encounter online discussion threads about this game. What was it about Pepsiman that I went from never hearing about it for 20 years to not being able to avoid it online? It was like some higher power was trying to get me to play it. I finally caved in and told myself: if I ever have the means to play it, sure I'll check this game out.

Well, thanks to the power of my RetroPie, I now have the means to play it. I just finished my 500th game review, and I don't really have any big plans for any games I want to play in the near future. I am kind of at an in-between point in what I want to play right now. Seems like a perfect time to give Pepsiman a shot.

Let's check it out.

Story:

This is one wild game. Story sequences are told through live action cutscenes. A man (one who makes me very uncomfortable for some reason) drinks a Pepsi on the street corner and every time he takes a sip, the Pepsiman theme song plays. He buys a shit ton of Pepsi and potato chips, goes home, and plops down in front of the TV. It appears he is watching the TV show Pepsiman.

Pepsiman is a superhero who saves people from catastrophes, such as earthquakes, fire, and running out of Pepsi. The world of Pepsiman seems to be some kind of dystopian future where people are hooked on Pepsi like it is some kind of drug. If they don't have it, there is rioting in the streets. Flaming cars, businesses on fire. Biker gangs running wild. These people take their Pepsi seriously.

Each time a level is complete, the game returns to live action, where the man who makes me uncomfortable is parked in front of the TV. He gets more and more excited as he watches the TV and guzzles can after can of Pepsi. He poses for the camera and says weird little catchphrases that I think have to be the result of bad Japanese translation. Here are some examples:

"Pepsi for TV game."

"Pepsi for pizza."

"Everybody Pepsi."

"Pepsi only my choice."

After you've made it through all four of the game's levels, the game ends with the man getting up and going to the bathroom to go pee. The end.

A tale as old as time.

Gameplay:

It's hard to compare the gameplay of Pepsiman to anything else, but it is almost like a racing game with platformer mechanics. Action takes place from a behind the back perspective. There is a timer that counts down as you move forward through the game's stages. The goal of the game is to make it to the end of the stage before the timer runs out, collecting as many Pepsi cans as you can. Everything runs on-rails fashion on a predetermined track. You can't really pick which direction you go, but you can move your character around on the screen to react accordingly. You can go left and right. You can jump, you can duck, and you can dash forward with a special speed boost.

The biggest trick of the game is staying alive. Everything is trying to kill you. Pedestrians, crazy drivers, falling signs, trains, barricades, everything. You can suffer a number of hits before your health icon (the Pepsi symbol) disappears. You have to collect 10 Pepsi cans to restore your health. Not only can you die from taking damage, Pepsiman is also very slow to recover when he gets hit. If you don't make it to the end of the stage before the timer runs out, guess what? You die.

This game is surprisingly difficult. I found myself dying left and right. This is one of those games where things pop out at you seemingly at random. Gotcha! The only way to beat the game is through trial and error, memorizing when things come out at you and how to avoid them. So much relies on muscle memory, almost like a rhythm game. I just said the same thing about Punch-Out, the last game I reviewed - and I am saying the same thing here. In this regard these two games share a bit of similarity. There you have it - the first and only video game review in the world to compare Pepsiman to Punch Out.

The game does have an "NES hard" old school feel to it, though. Trial and error, unlimited lives to keep powering through no matter the cost. I thought this game was so tough my first time through it. I had to resort to using save states to beat the game. I hate having to do that. It seems like I've been doing it too much for my retro game reviews lately. It's just so hard not to do it. The tool is right there. Why not make the game less frustrating?

I waited a few days after beating the game and then came back to it to play it "the right way" the second time through. I still found that the game was a ton of fun, and not as mind-numbingly hard as I had originally thought. It just takes some practice. It actually becomes easy after a while. I bet if I came back to this game a year or two down the road, I'd be able to jump right back into it with no problem. It's like learning how to ride a bike. Once you "figure out" Pepsiman, you never forget it.

My biggest complaint about the game? The final stage of each level. Each of the four levels is broken into three stages. The first two stages are standard behind-the-back stages where you have to make it to the end before the timer runs out. The third stage is the one I hate. They flip things around and you have to run towards the camera as something chases after you. Think of the infamous boulder scene from Crash Bandicoot. These levels are like that, except a thousand times harder. You can't see where you are going, you can't react quickly enough to avoid things, and getting hit three times means you die and have to start the whole thing over again. Ugh. I lost so many lives on these stages. Easily the worst part of the game for me.

All in all, however, I enjoyed the game and had fun with it. 

Graphics:

I like the way this game looks. It is oozing that classic PS1 charm. It may be a little blocky or jagged around the edges, but I don't care. It's colorful, and the stages are full of energy and personality. It actually feels like it should have been made by Sega. It has that "Virtua" vibe to it. Super cheesy, super Japanese. Any fan of late 90s/early 2000s Sega should know what I mean. This game would be right at home alongside Die Hard Arcade, Sonic R, Daytona USA, and Virtua Cop.  

Sound:

I said it before and I'll say it again: this feels like a Sega game. Not only in the graphics, but in the music too. Remember the cheesy singing in games like Sonic R and Daytona USA? It's present here, as well. It's so over the top and so very Japanese. Pepsimaaaaannn! It may be annoying at first, but trust me: the more you play, the more you'll start to dig it. You'll be singing along yourself before you know it.

Voice acting is terrible, and very reminiscent of the Resident Evil games. In fact, the little briefing scenes that take place before each stage are very RE reminiscent. First I compare Pepsiman to Punch Out, now I am comparing it to Resident Evil. We really are breaking new ground here, huh?

Overall:

I am not ashamed to say that I like this game. It's challenging, fun, addicting, and the bizarre theme gives it an added appeal and quirkiness that makes it so unique. It really does remind me of an NES game in a way. It takes about two hours to beat (if you know what you are doing), it's tough, you learn through trial and error, and it can be frustrating at times. But it is a load of fun, too! I can easily see this game sneaking its way into my rotation of games that I throw on for a little while when I have nothing better to do. Contra, Castlevania, Punch-Out, Pepsiman. Why not?

I'm not going to say this is a world beating game, and I'm not going to run around calling it some kind of all-time amazing classic. But it is enjoyable. If you are like me and you are interested in the concept of the game, but think it will be rubbish, take the plunge! It is definitely worth it. 

THE GRADE:

B+

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