Bloody Roar (1997)

Bloody Roar, known as Bloody Roar: Hyper Beast Duel in Europe and Japan, is a fighting video game originally developed by Raizing (now Eighting) as an arcade game. It was later adapted for the PlayStation by Hudson Soft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The arcade version was released on July 7, 1997 and was titled Beastorizer in North America. The PlayStation version was released in Japan on November 6, 1997, in North America (under the title Bloody Roar) on October 31, 1997 and in Europe on March 1998. Bloody Roar is the first game in the Bloody Roar video game series and was followed by four sequels on multiple platforms. The game's story centers on a group of warriors known as "zoanthropes", who have the power to transform into half-human half-animal "Beasts", and the Tylon Corporation, and underground organization that seeks to use zoanthropes as mind-controlled weapons. The game received generally positive reviews from critics for its originality and graphics, while the audio received mixed opinions. The game's success resulted in its re-release for The Best range on October 14, 1999. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Network in North America on August 20, 2009.

Storyline

There are people known as Zoanthropes that have the ability to transform themselves into animal hybrids at their will. Tylon, a bio-corporation, experiments on Zoanthropes in an attempt to turn them into military weapons. The multinational organization uses its creations as advanced troops in global military invasions. Yugo, a wolf Zoanthrope, is trying to avenge his father who was previously killed in a war against Tylon. In his journey, he meets Gado, an old comrade in the arms of his father. Together they promise to destroy Tylon, liberate all the hostages, and put an end to Tylon's brutal experiments. However, It's not counting on Uriko, the secret weapon of Tylon. Uriko is a young girl who was brainwashed by the corporation and with the power to transform herself into a powerful Zoanthrope, the Chimera. The battle against Uriko has proven difficult but Yugo was not only supported by Gado but, also, Alice, a previous hostage of Tylon who knew Uriko before her brainwashing, and Mitsuko, Uriko's mother. As they teamed up, Yugo, Gado, Mitsuko, and Alice succeed to restore Uriko's conscience and freeing her. Following this victory, Gado annihilates the Tylon HQ and reveals to the world their experiment but also the existence of the Zoanthropes, introducing the humanity into a new era.