When I first found out about The Bouncer, I thought it looked like an interesting beat 'em up where you could play as three protagonists, Sion Barzahd, Volt Krueger and Kou Leifoh. The game takes place in Edge, a futuristic metropolis run by the Mikado Group corporation led by the megalomaniacal Dauragon C. Mikado, and the story follows the three aforementioned bouncers; Sion, the hotheaded youth, Volt, the intimidating but just ex-Mikado agent, and Kou, the lighthearted undercover spy, who work in a bar on Dog Street called Fate. Sion's friend Dominique Cross visits the bar to give him a new necklace from his favorite fashion line as a gift. Suddenly, the bar gets attacked by masked soldiers from Mikado who capture Dominique, and Sion decides to pursue them, as well as Volt and Kou. They advance seeking signs of Dominique all across the city of Edge, splitting up in a few places and facing Mikado agents along the way. These agents include Echidna, a supervisor who is well-acquainted with Volt, Kaldea, Sion's old friend who had been experimented on and turned into a shapeshifter, and Mugetsu, a soldier driven mad by enhancement experimentation. Sion, Volt and Kou each have their own routes that impact scenario sequences, and backstories are told through loading screens depending on who you play as throughout the game. There were also various unlockable characters depending on who you play as and which structure you're taking. The game also had specific team attacks depending on who you play as in the Story Mode called Trinity Rush. Sound familiar? There was also a Multiplayer Mode where up to four players (using the PlayStation 2's multitap accessory) could fight against each other or in teams, and a Survival Mode with a bonus unlockable character (sort of) at the end of it. Oh, and the character designs were done by Tetsuya Nomura of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts fame.

Here are Story Mode playthroughs of each of the three protagonists:

Sion Barzahd: *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEtTwdMGng8

Volt Krueger: *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaX9Gsa_0DA

Kou Leifoh: *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qUuDgNzvqM

But then I also noticed why it didn't do as well as Square (now Square Enix) may have hoped. The gameplay was janky, especially due to the pressure-sensitive controls and the ragdoll physics (although I have to give the game credit for being one of the earliest examples of using ragdoll physics), and the story was too short, despite its multiple-scenario structure, and the game mostly consisted of cutscenes rather than actual gameplay. Oh, and the Trinity Rush attacks, though they looked cool, barely did any damage to enemies. The whole game itself looked more like a tech demo for the PlayStation 2 than an actual game. I believe a remake with refined gameplay, such as action RPG elements and online multiplayer including co-op, an expanded story encompassing the adventures of all three protagonists and the interactions between them (and their relationships with other characters like Mugetsu, Echidna, Kaldea and, of course, Dominique) and Mikado's experiments, modernized visuals and presentation that highlight the game's artistic style and cyberpunk aesthetic (and perhaps revamped character designs to address the questionable fashion choices of the early 2000s, while the original designs could be released as DLC for nostalgia purposes), and enhanced replayability would breathe new life into this cult classic. It could indeed please both long-time fans and new players alike. However, Square Enix must consider potential challenges such as resource allocation and gauging market interest (especially if they hope for it to sell as well as their most popular franchises including Final Fantasy), while embracing the possibility of different control schemes to appeal to both returning players and newcomers. Oh, and as for the soundtrack, there'd probably be no use in trying to bringing back the original composers, Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi, since the former stopped doing music a long time ago and the latter now works for SEGA. Square Enix will probably have to either find new composers from their in-house sound team or bring in former Square/Square Enix composers who are now freelancing but still occasionally do music for them. A remake of The Bouncer could showcase Square Enix's creative prowess and commitment to its fans, offering a unique gaming experience for modern consoles and PC via Steam. Perhaps they could even get Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja to help them develop the game, seeing as they've helped them with a few Final Fantasy games. Please join me in urging Square Enix to embark on this creative endeavor, and bring The Bouncer back for a new generation of players. Sign this petition and show your support for reviving this beloved game and potentially giving it a sequel.