Peace Keepers
Encyclopedia
The Peace Keepers, released in Japan
as . It is the third game in the Rushing Beat series
, following Rival Turf!
and Brawl Brothers
, although the three games were localized as unrelated titles in North America
. Presented in a ¾ perspective, the game is a beat 'em up
which was released for the Super Nintendo
.
Douglas Bild, known in Rival Turf as Oozie Nelson and in Brawl Brothers as Slash, makes an appearance in a short scene during game play but is not a playable or enemy character. His appearance has also thinned a lot from before.
Although the Western versions of the game sever all ties to the previous Rushing Beat games, a reference to Brawl Brothers is made at one point. A character that looks very similar to Lord J from Brawl Brothers can be fought at the Musashi Plaza. If he is defeated by Norton, Norton will ask if he's Lord J and the guy will say that he was once known by that name.
Many of the character and place names in the North American version are derived from esoteric real-world, literary, and cultural sources. This includes the villain Iago
(from Shakespeare
) and the weakest and most prolific enemy in the early stages of the game known as Fnord
(from Robert Anton Wilson
's books, The Illuminatus! Trilogy
).
Levels with these name conventions include the stage Stalag 17
which takes place in the ruined Deutschland Moldavia labs; the street level "Snake Plissken Ave." (from the Kurt Russell character
); and "Ozymandias Island" (from the Shelley
poem
). The "Roy D. Tutto Hospital" level features a misspelling of "Ray D. Tutto," Robin Williams
' pseudonym credit in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
. The Pirate Dock known as "Agrajag Cavern" is named for a minor character in the radio comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
.
Two poems are also referenced: The final stage "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!" is derived from Dante Alighieri
's epic poem The Divine Comedy
; and the text shown in Flynn's ending (if Norton is unavailable) is a quote from T. S. Eliot
's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as . It is the third game in the Rushing Beat series
Rushing Beat (series)
is a trilogy of beat 'em up video games released by Jaleco for the Super Famicom. Although all three games were released outside of Japan, localization resulted in various changes to the games' storylines and gameplay. While all three titles were released under the Rushing Beat name in Japan,...
, following Rival Turf!
Rival Turf!
Rival Turf!, released in Japan as , is a video game that was released by Jaleco in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and later on the Wii Virtual Console in the PAL region on October 8, 2010, in Japan on 7, December 2010 and in North America on May 2, 2011...
and Brawl Brothers
Brawl Brothers
Brawl Brothers, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game made by Jaleco in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System....
, although the three games were localized as unrelated titles in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Presented in a ¾ perspective, the game is a beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
which was released for the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
.
Story
The manual of the North American release details the localized story. The game takes place in the year 2015, after the "economic wars" of 2011. The Deutchland Moldavia (DM) corporation rules most of the world and its resources, conducting mysterious genetic experiments. Four people affected by DM's research- Flynn, Echo, Al and Prokop -seek revenge on the corporation for its wrongdoings.Characters
These are the names of the characters for the American game, with the Japanese names right next to them, followed by their back-stories in the Western version of the game. The first four characters are playable from the beginning; Norton and the M-Frame/Orbot must be encountered to be selectable. The "Special Moves" of the first four characters hit all enemies on-screen.- Flynn/Dick- A man used as an experiment for DM who can transform into muscle bound super being when injured severely. His mentor (and his best friend's surrogate father) Harry was beaten to death by a couple of DM thugs. Since then, Flynn has made it his mission to stop DM. Flynn is a balanced attacker whose throws are effective. His special move is the Dragon Wave (changed to an Electric Shock in the Western version).
- Echo/Elfin- As a young girl, she saw her grandfather (who was a scientist) murdered by a DM thug when he refused to enslave people with the help of science. Upon seeing this murder, Echo went into a fit and tried vainly to fight against the thug who then ordered her to be taken away and put in a prison. Fortunately, man named Harry came and rescued her and adopted her as his daughter from that point. Echo is quick but weak, but she can execute a Frankensteiner throw. Her special move is the Bird Storm (changed to a Yaaaay! scream)
- Al/Kythring- A military man. While on a mission, he noticed one of his men who had just previously did a DM job was acting erratic and very aggressive. His brother tried to explain it as something was wrong with him because of it. After killing a man in front of him, he and his brother disappeared after the incident. Al decided to check out the DM Corporation to see what was wrong. Al has a bazooka on his back to shoot enemies, and uses mostly grabbing moves such as piledrivers. His Special Move is the Assault Tiger.
- Prokop/Jimmy- A very strong (albeit slow) muscular man who wears a red band around his arm that was left behind from when his sister was kidnapped by the DM Corporation. After they took her, Prokop set off to DM to try to get her back. Prokop can channel the power of electricity and do wrestling throws more powerful than Al's. His special move is the Thunder Edge.
- Rick Norton- one of the main characters of the Rushing Beat Series. His quest in this game is to help get back his kidnapped sister, although it really isn't explored in the American version of the game like it is the Japanese version. In the prequel, Brawl BrothersBrawl BrothersBrawl Brothers, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game made by Jaleco in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System....
, this character was called Hack, and in Rival Turf, Jack Flak. In this game, Norton has lost the shin bandages but his German suplex now hits twice in a row, and his multiple punch now ends in a "Dragon Punch" uppercut.
- Orbot/Metal Frame (M-Frame)- A yellow-painted combat robot designed and manufactured by the DM Corporation that was built and programmed by a defecting scientist, who assembled him with spare pieces that were smuggled out, to help take down the DM Corporation. Orbot can grab enemies more easily due to its long arms, and can burn them with a blue flame. Like Al, he can also shoot bullets at enemies. Other Orbots will appear as mini-bosses throughout the game.
Douglas Bild, known in Rival Turf as Oozie Nelson and in Brawl Brothers as Slash, makes an appearance in a short scene during game play but is not a playable or enemy character. His appearance has also thinned a lot from before.
Gameplay
There are six selectable characters in the game; up to four players can play the main game mode simultaneously if the Super Multitap is connected. The game is a standard beat'em up game in which players face a slew of enemies, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The controls are the standard punch, special attack, taunt, jump and block. There are also super moves. The Peace Keepers has multiple endings with multiple branching paths, each path with its own boss fights and cut scenes. A versus mode is also available, in which two to four players can face each other.Localization
The USA version of the game modified several things from the original Japanese version such as removing most of the music and simplifying the special moves' animation. The story was also changed entirely from the original version.Although the Western versions of the game sever all ties to the previous Rushing Beat games, a reference to Brawl Brothers is made at one point. A character that looks very similar to Lord J from Brawl Brothers can be fought at the Musashi Plaza. If he is defeated by Norton, Norton will ask if he's Lord J and the guy will say that he was once known by that name.
Many of the character and place names in the North American version are derived from esoteric real-world, literary, and cultural sources. This includes the villain Iago
Iago
Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
(from Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
) and the weakest and most prolific enemy in the early stages of the game known as Fnord
Fnord
Fnord is the typographic representation of disinformation or irrelevant information intending to misdirect, with the implication of a worldwide conspiracy....
(from Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
's books, The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex-, and magick-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both...
).
Levels with these name conventions include the stage Stalag 17
Stalag 17
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
which takes place in the ruined Deutschland Moldavia labs; the street level "Snake Plissken Ave." (from the Kurt Russell character
Snake Plissken
S.D. Bob "Snake" Plissken is a fictional character in John Carpenter's films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., played by Kurt Russell. He is an ex-special forces commando/war hero in World War III turned criminal...
); and "Ozymandias Island" (from the Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
poem
Ozymandias
"Ozymandias" is a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, published in 1818 in the January 11 issue of The Examiner in London. It is frequently anthologised and is probably Shelley's most famous short poem...
). The "Roy D. Tutto Hospital" level features a misspelling of "Ray D. Tutto," Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
' pseudonym credit in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 British adventure comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams.-Plot:...
. The Pirate Dock known as "Agrajag Cavern" is named for a minor character in the radio comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
.
Two poems are also referenced: The final stage "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!" is derived from Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
's epic poem The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
; and the text shown in Flynn's ending (if Norton is unavailable) is a quote from T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, commonly known as Prufrock, is a poem by T. S. Eliot, begun in February 1910 and published in Chicago in June 1915. Described as a "drama of literary anguish," it presents a stream of consciousness in the form of a dramatic monologue, and marked the beginning of...
.