A Zaphael Production
** Constantly Updated **

* * * * * Welcome to The Bad Dudes Enigma. For those unfamilliar, Bad Dudes was a game made by a company called Data East. In a nutshell, Bad Dudes is the story of two individuals, Blade and Striker, who travel from one side of the earth to other in a desperate attempt to rescue the kidnapped US President from ninjas.

* * * * * After playing through Bad Dudes several times, I began thinking about it in depth. I began to notice events which took place throughout the story that seemed somewhat spurious. Upon further research and meditation on the subject, I realised the probably truth behind Bad Dudes - a truth concealed so well behind its engrossing story and non-stop ninja action that one could be exposed to it repeatedly and never fully grasp its complexity.

* * * * * What, you obviously ask as you are an ignorant simpleton, am I talking about? Biblical symbolism. Come with me, as we explore The Bad Dudes Enigma.

WARNING! THIS SITE ANALYZES ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF 'BAD DUDES'. IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED BAD DUDES, AND DO NOT WISH TO HAVE ITS PLOT REVEALED, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

 

 

 

Unknown Man
Symbolic Identity: God, the creator

 

Perhaps the greatest mystery of Bad Dudes lies in the identity of this man. He begins the game by informing Blade and Striker that 'The President has been kidnapped by ninjas', and asks them if they are 'bad enough dude[s] to rescue the president'. He is never heard from again. This paralells the biblical depiction of God, as he rarely interacts with his creation, choosing to instead influence individuals to do His work.

It is also God who is worried about mankind (the President) being clouded by sin (kidnapped by ninjas), and so sends His son Jesus (Blade and Striker) to redeem them (rescue the President). This cannot be ignored as simply a coincidence.

 

The President
Symbolic Identity: Mankind, the creation of God

 

Just as mankind was clouded by sin and needed to be resuced by Christ, the President in Bad Dudes has been kidnapped by ninjas and must be saved by Blade and Striker.

Mankind was hidden from God by the evils of the devil and the Pharisees. The President is hidden by the ninjas, and only after a long and arduous quest can he be rescued.

Man was unable to fight back against sin alone and needed the help of Christ, just as the President cannot escape from the ninjas without help from Blade and Striker.

 

Ninjas
Symbolic Identity: Sin, the Pharisees

 

The Pharisees were selfish priests who corrupted the church and used it to manipulate mankind and turn prevent Christ from reaching them. The ninjas in Bad Dudes have taken over much of the USA, as they are ready to ambush Blade and Striker from trucks, buildings, sewers and even a train, to prevent them from reaching the President. The connection is undeniable.

Just as mankind could not escape from sin alone, the President cannot escape from the ninjas alone.

The ninjas use many powers which could be considered Satanic. For instance; one ninja can produce copies of itself while another can breath fire.

Perhaps the biggest clue is revealed at the end of the game. The leader of the ninjas attempts to escape in a hellicopter, but is thwarted by Blade and Striker. Could be representative of anything if not Lucifer (lord of Sin) attempting to return to Heaven, but being thwarted by the powers of God?

 

Blade and Striker
Symbolic Identity: Christ, the redeemer of mankind

"I am he who is living, and was dead. Behold, I live evermore!"

 

Both Blade and Striker exhibit many Christlike traits. While a few may be stretching it a bit, there is certainly enough evidence to support the claim without official confirmation from Data East.

First and foremost, Blade and Striker sacrifice their lives to save mankind (the President), and then rise from the dead to continue the fight, as did Christ.

Both Blade and Striker can fire balls of light from their hands - certainly a heavenly trait. These possibly represent the sulfur balls which were used to destroy cities in the Bible, but most definitely represent the light of God breaking down the barriers of sin (killing ninjas).

Christ once returned to a place of worship, and was sickened to see it overtaken by the Pharisees. He ran through the temple and purged it of sin. If you recall the first level of Bad Dudes, Blade and Striker purge a peaceful American city of ninjas. As the Pharisees were clouding mankind's mind, just as the ninjas have kidnapped the president, this makes the purging quite similar.

The dagger held by Blade and Striker looks uncannily like a crucifix, the symbol of Christ.

 

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MORE TO COME!
** Constantly Updated **

 

GENRE:	Shitty beat 'em up with overexposed, retarded introductory text
GRAPHICS:	NESticle screws them up. But those are definitely ninjas if I ever did see 'em, and really, they don't need to convey more than that.
SOUND:	They actually say "I'm bad!" when you finish a level, which is hilarious in a pathetic sort of way.
GAMEPLAY:	It's like Double Dragon, only without the things that made it good. Whatever those were; the only Beat 'em Up I ever liked was that Ninja Turtles game. They still have it at the 'enteratinment complex' a few blocks from my house.
OBLIGATORY DATA EAST KARNOV CAMEO:	First level boss, no less. Though he looks relatively slim, so prepare for dissapointment.
OVERALL:	The intro never reached All Your Base preportions, but it came fairly close. Standard NES beat 'em up which has a habit of crashing on auto-scroll parts. Really, this was only funny before it became popular.

AAAARGH