Console: | Arcade |
TV Standard: | Region Not Set |
Developer(s): | Allumer, Ltd. |
Publisher(s): | Banpresto Co., Ltd. |
Release Date: | 1993-01-01 |
Players: | 2 |
Co-op: | No |
Type: | Action, Racing |
Masked Riders Club: Battle Race is a top-down action racing game based on the Kamen Rider television franchise. The game consists of nine vertically-scrolling levels that need to be completed before time runs out, with themes such as an industrial environment, a beach, a snowy environment etc., each with its own enemies. At the start the player chooses one of ten superhero Kamen Riders (Rider 1, Rider 2, Rider V3, Riderman, Rider X, Amazon, Stronger, Super1, Rider 2X or Black RX). The riders are grasshopper-themed altered humans and each come with his own motorcycle rated in three different statistics as well as a unique weapon such as a blade, a hook, a short burst of fire, or a pole.
The single-player game is only played on the left side of the screen. The middle part shows progress through the level map and the right map the global map of the nine levels. The rider moves forward automatically at a constant speed. The game is fast-paced and the rider needs to dodge obstacles that slow him down, while using a close-ranged melee weapon to take out enemies to earn points or clear the way. There are bottlenecks and large horizontal obstacles such as passing traffic or a shark lying on a beach. Dash patches provide boosts and there are jumps to pass through the air for a few seconds. Both of these provide a permanent speed boost over the default speed and last until there is contact with an obstacle or a surface that slows down the rider. Contact with enemies or obstacles depletes a horizontal fuel meter at the bottom of the left screen. The bottom left corner of the screen holds the speed meter. At the end of each level a score is calculated based on the remaining time and fuel, and a bonus for not missing anything.
The game supports competitive one-on-one multiplayer where the second player is in the same level using the right side of the screen and can hinder the other player. To progress to the next level one of the two riders needs to finish the level.