AFTER 7 HOURS streaming RENT-A-HERO No.1, my honest thoughts… its uh… FANTASTIC!

Story impressions so far, has the making of a cult classic. kind of crazy how much translation was required..

I just started streaming this game and I'm pretty impressed! You play as Taro Yamada, a guy who recently moved to a new town with his family. During a party, they ran out of food and Taro ordered more from a delivery service called Service Cafe, but got a superhero costume instead!

Taro used the costume to put on a show with his dad, who was dressed as a monster. He was a bit embarrassed at this prospect, but his dad was so into it, he couldnt help but oblige! To his surprise, he discovered that the costume actually gave him superpowers! He accidentally sent his dad flying with just a light tap - it's kind of crazy.

The costume is actually a powerful energy combat armor made by Seca, the delivery service. Taro decides to start a rental job under the name Rent a Hero, handing out flyers and taking requests from people who need help. He uses the money he earns to pay for the costume's rental fee and batteries.

The concept of playing as a hero who's building up their reputation is really unique and interesting. I'm excited to see how Taro's story develops and how he becomes an even more famous hero. This game is definitely insane in a good way!

GAMEPLAY STARTS SLOW, but man does it pick up as you progress!

From my first experience playing Rent-A-Hero No.1, the gameplay loop was a bit slow… As the game progressed though it quickly becomes addictive and rewarding. Starting with only basic moves, the battles quickly become more challenging, but never frustrating. It's satisfying to defeat bad guys and get rewarded with money that I can use to keep my RAH suit charged and to buy food for health points, and batteries to keep the suit running!

As stated, the odd jobs at the beginning are menial, but they gradually become more exciting as you progress. I even had the chance to meet the legendary Segata Sanshiro and improve my skills under his watchful eye. The game cleverly uses the Creamcast to give me access to various jobs needing a Rent-A-Hero, making it easy to always have a new challenge to tackle. And just like Shenmue, you will learn moves from him the more you spar with him, he will teach you the ways of ass-kickery.

The camera work is well-done, always staying in a convenient place that never interferes with the action. The game runs smoothly at a steady 60fps, giving it a nice feel compared to other Dreamcast games. The character animations are fluid, and while not as detailed as other games like Soul Calibur or Shenmue, the environments are breathtaking with unique designs and textures.

The soundtrack has a light and loungy feel that sets the mood, but it can become repetitive. Nevertheless, the game's sounds are perfectly adequate. I found the control handled exclusively by the digital pad, and not using the analog pad, to be a little strange, but it didn't impact the gameplay in any negative way.

Overall, RAH No.1 is an addictive and well-designed game that keeps me coming back for more. It's exciting to see my hero's reputation grow as I take on more challenging jobs and meet other RAH members. The gameplay loop is fantastic and keeps me engaged for hours on end.

The graphics still hold up! the base textures are amazing, Rent-a-modders also did great work modding them!

Rent-A-Hero No.1 features graphics that are quite impressive for its time. The game features a wide variety of environments, including suburban homes, city streets, and even a dojo. The texture quality of the environments is top-notch, with each location feeling unique and distinct. Some of the character animations could have been better, although the character models themselves are not quite on par with other Dreamcast games like Soul Calibur or Shenmue. The texture work is incredible and quite high fidelity for the time! The game runs at a steady 60 frames per second, which gives the gameplay a nice and fluid feel. The outdoor and indoor designs are breathtaking, and the level of detail is impressive. Overall, Rent-A-Hero No.1's graphics hold up well even today, and it's clear that the developers put a lot of effort into making the game look as good as possible on the Dreamcast hardware.

One last note is the texture work by Rent-A-Modders to make this game english, INCLUDING all stores, billboards, and signs, is significantly noteworthy. Like it all looks like it was always this way, theey really NAILED matching the style and texture quality of the original.

SOUND EFFECTS COULD HAVE had more variety, but still so much music to love!

For me personally, I found the music in the game is mostly a perfect fit, but definitely eccentric, ESPECIALLY the classic Rent-A-Hero theme that plays after the first scenario. During my stream i was JAMMIN out to the music!There is a whole-ass anime intro thats incredible to watch! The sound effects are functional but lack variety, and more effects would have made the overall experience more engaging. But the basics are definitely covered as far as ambient audio, cars driving by in cities, birds chirping in the suburb areas, PC beep boops in the lab settings at SECA HQ.

As a Dreamcast enthusiast, I must admit that the audio quality in Rent-A-Hero No. 1 is somewhat underwhelming. There is an absence of voice acting throughout the game, though given the translation we have recieved from the AMAZING Rent-A-Modders, im actually glad there was no voice acting, because of not having Japanese dialouge, it just straight up feel like a legit US release! I really had a great time overall streaming this game and highly reccomend it for ANYONE who likes obscure game for the Seca Creamcast!

TLDR;

Rent-A-Hero No. 1 is a unique and addictive game with an exciting gameplay loop that keeps players engaged. The concept of playing as a hero who's just starting out and building up their reputation is refreshing and the odd jobs that players undertake to earn money are varied and interesting. The battle mechanics are engaging, and the camera work and animations are fluid. The game's environments are beautifully designed, with unique and detailed suburban homes and neighborhoods to explore. The only downside seems to be the game's repetitive soundtrack. Overall, Rent-A-Hero No. 1 is a solid game that is definitely worth a try for anyone looking for a fresh and engaging gaming experience.