Bully frequently appears on lists of ‘games that deserve a sequel‘, but the unfortunate fact is it is unlikely to get one. While there have been reports that a follow-up was once in production, it doesn’t seem like the sort of game Rockstar would be making these days. The studio now exclusively deals in monumental video games, and Bully frankly isn’t one.
With GTA 6 set to launch this year, you would imagine a huge chunk of Rockstar’s resources will remain with the game, maintaining the GTA Online portion that has kept its predecessor popular for so long. After that, once Rockstar moves on to making a new game, you would expect it will either be Red Dead Redemption 3 or a big swing at a new IP. Bully just isn’t a Rockstar game anymore.
Bully’s Gameplay Is Incomparable
Then I got to thinking, what type of game is Bully? I’d usually describe it to someone who hasn’t played it as ‘GTA but in a school’, but I’m not sure it’s that either. It’s the same sort of open-world freedom you get in GTA, on a scope similar to GTA 3, Vice City, or San Andreas, but that’s kind of it. You don’t drive (and therefore can’t theft autos, grand or not), it’s not a shooter (despite Jimmy’s slingshot), and a lot of the traditional systems that make the world feel reactive to you aren’t there in Bully.
Skateboarding and cycling don’t count as driving, sorry.
This isn’t to say it’s bad – I love Bully, and despite the odds, sincerely hope they make a new one. It’s just not really GTA. That’s a good shorthand for people who have already played both and can line up the similarities and disregard the differences in their minds, but it’s not entirely accurate. There is a game that is far more fitting of the ‘X, but it’s in a school’ comparison for Bully though: Like a Dragon (or if you prefer, Yakuza).
Both Bully and the Like a Dragon titles feature a well-intentioned but violent protagonist running around a big-but-not-too-big open world, talking to a random assortment of complete weirdos, completing tasks and challenges disconnected from the main narrative (and at times reality), which is all held together by a narrative comedic and soberingly brutal in equal measure. When you dig into it, there’s a lot to compare between the two.
That’s Why I’m Comparing It To Yakuza
Unlike GTA, the primary weapon used to mete out violence is your fists, and the best way to get around is on foot. There are chaotic minigames, and even a range of menial activities and school exams to take in both series. I guess the whole point of this is that Bully is not a series, just a standalone game, but you get my meaning.
Part of the reason I’m thinking of this is my current slow and carnage-filled escapade through Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The game is estimated to take around 18 hours to beat, and I’m 20 hours in, still in the second chapter, sweeping up every substory, making as many friends as possible, and collecting every bounty on the map. It’s the ultimate ‘run around doing nothing very loudly’ game, which is exactly how I picture Bully in my fondest memories.
Players looking to dive into the world of Bully again, and I know there are a few of us, could do a lot worse than looking to the Yakuza series. While the two Ichiban games are turn-based, the others have the exact carnage you’re looking for in Bully. And since you’re not going to find it in Bullworth Academy, try out the streets of Kamurocho.
Bully
- Released
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October 17, 2006
- Developer(s)
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Rockstar Vancouver