Sometimes the best games come to you… completely by accident. That’s exactly what happened to us with Kamen Rider V3 for the PlayStation 1.
One day I stumbled upon the image of this game on a site “The Repo”
I downloaded it without any expectations - you know, just to fire it up during a retro night with friends, have a laugh, forget about it, and delete it. I figured we’d launch it once, watch some Japanese trash, and then go back to battling it out in Tekken.
Yeah, right.
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“What even is this?!”
We knew absolutely nothing about the Kamen Rider universe - it was never shown here, none of us had ever seen these masked biker superheroes.
I thought it would be funny - and boy, was I right.
First launch: a half‑screen logo, a dramatic CGI intro, heroic music, Japanese shouting, and colorful costumes. And then we all just froze:
“Uh… this is actually awesome!”
We immediately wanted to know who these guys were and why they were throwing punches so seriously.
A quick look at the game
It’s a fighting game, but not quite your usual one. You don’t just fight - during the battles you get cutscenes, the locations change dynamically, and there are story bits between fights. All of it is generously sprinkled with Japanese humor and over‑the‑top drama.
What really impressed me was how much effort the developers put into it: instead of just using footage from the show, they made their own CGI intro - clearly, they were fans themselves.
And the music… we still hum it every time we meet up. It really sticks in your head, especially the part that goes “tu‑tu‑tu tuuuu.”
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Why is it even fun?
After that first evening, we went online to learn more about this universe and found out that in Japan, Kamen Rider is a full‑on cult phenomenon - their version of Power Rangers, but on motorcycles. The show’s been running for decades, the villains are epic, the costumes are both hilarious and awesome, and fans there probably cry tears of joy playing this game.
For us, though, it all just feels like… a very stylish kind of trash. But fun and wholesome.
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So how is it, technically, for the PS1?
Here I have to give it respect. The game came out at the very end of the PS1’s life (in 2000), and you can tell they squeezed everything they could out of the console: good character models, bright effects, lively animations.
Sure, it’s not as smooth as Tekken 3, but it looks cool and plays briskly. Plus, the atmosphere always makes you smile.
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And now we have a new game for our mini‑tournaments
Now, after our usual mini‑tournament in Tekken 3, we switch over to Kamen Rider V3.
I feel like we might be the only people in southeastern Europe who held an actual championship in this game with more than two people on one console.
But that just makes it better - gathering together, laughing at the cutscenes, humming the theme song, and figuring out who’s the coolest Rider.
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Would I recommend it?
That’s tricky.
If you enjoy campy fun, Japanese ’70s vibes, loud intros, and want to try something unusual - then yes, absolutely.
If you’re looking for something serious and esports‑ready - better stick with Tekken or Dead or Alive.
But most importantly - go find weird games like this. Download them, try them, laugh, be surprised.
Play together. That’s what retro is all about.
Thanks for reading, friends.
I’m off to train for the next Kamen Rider championship - after all, last time I got beaten in the final by some blue beetle guy.
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