Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Gekisha Boy’s gameplay is a fresh twist on the classic 2D side-scroller. Instead of unlocking weapons or power-ups, your primary tool is a camera—complete with a movable shutter and zoom functionality. You navigate your cameraman across a bustling street, aiming to capture bizarre and attention-grabbing moments. The mechanics borrow from titles like Cabal, allowing you to pivot and fire the shutter in any direction while your character sidesteps obstacles and civilians.

Each stage challenges you to meet a target score by snapping photos of outrageous events. From crashing airplanes to Marilyn Monroe lookalikes, UFO abductions, and more, the variety of subjects ensures that you’re always scouting for the next oddball spectacle. Timing is everything: pressing the shutter at the perfect moment not only nets you higher points but can trigger combo bonuses. Miss the shot, and you risk losing hard-earned progress toward the stage quota.

The PlayStation port, The Cameraman: Gekisha Boy Omakefu, spices things up with an extra stage and an unlockable cooperative mode. Teaming up with a second player as Gekisha Girl doubles the chaos and the photographic possibilities. Cooperative play requires coordination—you can split tasks, with one player luring bizarre targets and the other snapping the camera—but it also raises the bar for communication and timing, making every stage feel like a collaborative puzzle.

Graphics

Visually, Gekisha Boy embraces a vibrant 2D sprite aesthetic reminiscent of mid-90s arcade titles. Character and object sprites are crisp, with bold outlines and exaggerated animations that highlight the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Backgrounds depict lively urban environments—from crowded downtown boulevards to desolate airfields—each teeming with interactive elements that can lead to unexpected photo ops.

Animation is surprisingly smooth for a budget title. NPCs react dynamically to your presence—running in panic when a UFO swoops down or gawking at a nearby car crash. Subtle particle effects, like smoke trails and dust clouds, bolster the visual feedback when you capture a high-value shot. The extra stage in the PlayStation version introduces a nighttime setting, complete with dynamic lighting and neon glows that add atmospheric flair.

While the color palette leans toward primary reds, blues, and yellows, the developers cleverly use contrast to make key photo targets pop off the background. This clarity is vital when you’re frantically lining up a shutter shot while enemies and obstacles close in. Though Gekisha Boy isn’t pushing any hardware boundaries, its artistic charm and clear visual language keep the action engaging from start to finish.

Story

Gekisha Boy’s narrative framework is delightfully minimalist. You play as a struggling freelance cameraman contracted to capture the weirdest, wildest, and most tragic scenes for a demanding publisher. There’s no deep plot to unravel—your motivation is simple: snap high-paying photos or risk losing your gig. This streamlined premise keeps the focus squarely on gameplay, allowing the humor and absurdity of each scene to shine through unencumbered by cutscenes or lengthy exposition.

Each stage is framed as a new assignment, with the contractor providing boisterous, often sarcastic commentary on what counts as a “saleable” shot. This off-hand dialogue adds personality to otherwise static environments, turning even a mundane street scene into a multimedia playground of comedic potential. The PlayStation port’s extra stage features a tongue-in-cheek spy theme, riffing on 1960s espionage films and giving the story a playful, if shallow, narrative twist.

Although Gekisha Boy doesn’t strive for emotional depth, it excels at delivering a cohesive, quirky premise that unites its varied stages. The lack of complex storytelling is a feature, not a flaw—it keeps the pacing brisk and ensures that players spend more time hunting down UFOs and less time watching cutscenes. For those who crave lighthearted challenges over melodrama, this approach is a welcome relief.

Overall Experience

Gekisha Boy stands out as one of the more inventive budget titles, marrying simple side-scrolling action with a photography mechanic that never grows stale. Each level’s eclectic cast of targets and the pressure of a points quota keep you on your toes, leading to many “just one more try” play sessions. The learning curve is smooth: early stages teach you the basics of framing and timing, while later stages demand quick reflexes and strategic target selection.

The addition of a cooperative mode on PlayStation elevates replayability, transforming solo photography into a shared spectacle. Coordinating with a second player to capture high-value shots adds a layer of strategy and chaos that fans of party-style gaming will appreciate. Unlocking the extra stage provides further incentive to delve back in, and the hidden challenges scattered across each level reward careful exploration.

While Gekisha Boy may not appeal to players seeking epic narratives or blockbuster visuals, it delivers a wholly unique and entertaining experience that punches above its weight. Its blend of humor, accessible controls, and addictive “score-chase” gameplay makes it an easy recommendation for anyone looking for an offbeat challenge. Whether you’re a solo shutterbug or partnering up as Gekisha Girl, you’ll find plenty to smile about in this whimsical side-scrolling adventure.

Retro Replay Score

7.3/10