Buddy Mission Bond | Preview | Switch

 by Danny Bivens

Find out everything you need to know about this new IP from Nintendo and Koei Tecmo. 

Compared to previous eras in gaming, gamers have been fortunate to get titles more or less day and date around the globe. Of course there are some exceptions here, but the days of having to wait for the latest and greatest from Japan, or to simply just not get select games at all, are almost a thing of the past. I say almost, because in some instances, it’s still a thing. Look no further than Nintendo and Koei Tecmo’s upcoming new IP Buddy Mission Bond. This adventure game is set to hit Japan on January 29, 2021. But what is it all about? That’s what I’m here to talk about.

Buddy Mission Bond was unveiled to the public during the Japanese October 2020 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. Koei Tecmo is developing the game while Nintendo is taking on the publishing duties for Japan. In terms of the story, our titular hero, Luke, a police officer, is looking into a mysterious bruise on the neck of his recently deceased adopted father. Taking place on Mikagura Island, a renowned location for the show business scene, our hero eventually finds himself working with others in an attempt to uncover and fight against the criminal organization “DISCARD.” 

Four different characters are introduced here - the aforementioned Luke, Aaron, Mokuma and Chesley. Just to break them down here. Luke is a police officer who really believes in justice. In memory of his deceased adopted father, Luke really wants to become a hero. Unfortunately, he’s a bit unaware of how things work in the elite leaning ways of the national police force. Eventually, he winds up meeting and teaming up with Aaron. Aaron is a world renowned thief who specializes in lifting high end jewelry. His excellent physical condition makes him super good at doing what he does. Through fate and chance, he meets up with Luke. 

Mokuma is a friendly and mischievous former ninja. Being quite the showman, he currently appears on a program called “Ninja Jan” putting his talents to good use. He’s also a bit of a boozer, a guy who will never say no to a drink. Chestley is a schemer who has driven many high profile people to complete financial ruin over the years. He is a master of disguise and a very intellectual criminal. He’s also known as a merciless perfectionist. These four form an undercover investigative team called “Bond” in an effort to snuff out what DISCARD’s criminal ambitions. 

At this point, there really isn’t a lot of information about the gameplay. However, from the reveal trailer and the “adventure” genre tag, players will be spending a lot of their time working through the story, investigating incidents and more. Players will be able to choose up to two characters, or “buddies,” at a time. Each character brings their own skills to the table that help with the investigations. Changing between the buddies and matching their skillsets with the problems at hand will uncover what is happening on Mikiagura Island. With all of this said, Buddy Mission Bond is extremely text heavy, so it might be inaccessible for gamers who can’t speak Japanese. From the reveal trailer, other gameplay elements include quick-time events and a game board like element that looks like it equates with movement in the various locations on the island. 

One big draw to the game is the art. Known for the manga One Punch Man and the American football focused Eyeshield 21, Yusuke Murata has lent his hand to the design of the characters in Buddy Mission. It gives the game a whole digital comic kind of a feel as you can see in some of the footage being shown here. The game also features a slew of voice work from well known voice actors in Japan, including Daisuke Namikawa (who is the official dub voice for Elijah Wood and Hayden Christensen. Toshiyuki Morikawa, the Japanese voice actor for Sephiroth, and many others joining the cast.

Buddy Mission Bond hits the Nintendo Switch on January 29, 2021. It will be available ONLY in Japanese as either a 6.5 GB download or available physically. At this point it’s really hard to say whether or not the game will see life outside of Japan given it being Japanese as hell. High profile Japanese artist, voice actors and more all play a part here. Still, the demand for Japanese games and games based in Japan has been on the rise over the years, so who knows with this one. If it does eventually make the trek to the West, you’ll probably have some waiting to do. So what do you think? Is Buddy Mission Bond a game you’re looking forward to? Are you planning to pick it up? Is this game destined to be confined to Japan? Sound off in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.