Among the eight games in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection is this fascinating oddity. BACKGROUND:
The only reason I know about this game is because it was kind of a big deal that this was one of the games in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. The reason it was a big deal was because this game was Japan-only for nearly 30 years, and through the collection, it finally sees the light of day in other regions. On top of that, the version that was released for the collection is a brand-new English localization, which was way more than what I expected for a rerelease of an old Famicom game. SUMMARY: Kid Dracula is a silly Castlevania spinoff that, as far as I can tell, isn't canon and only ever cheekily references the main games (if it is canon, the Castlevania timeline is a lot weirder than I remember). In this game, you play as a titular character, who awakens from a deep sleep to find that some demon dude named Garamoth has proclaimed himself top dog of the demon world. Kid Dracula doesn't take that sitting down, and he sets out on an adventure to take down Garamoth and claim his spot as the Dark Lord. It's a straightforward story, but I personally find it amusing that the entire conflict can be boiled down to "aw hell no, I'm the Demon King!" The game itself is a 2D platformer where you go through nine decently long levels. As Kid Dracula, you can run and jump to deal with standard platformer obstacles, and in order to deal with enemies, you can shoot quick projectiles until they die. As far as level design goes, this game isn't nearly as punishing as the original Castlevania, but there are more than a few sections that require a bit of caution due to hazards like instant-kill spikes or tricky enemy placement next to bottomless pits. Where the game gets interesting is when you start unlocking Kid Dracula's various spells after defeating each boss. You can cycle between these spells like you would Mega Man's abilities, and in order to use them, you simply have to charge your attack. A lot of these spells are alternate attacks, like the base charge shot (just a big fireball), the homing spell (which fires five homing pellets), the bomb spell (explodes on impact), and the ice spell (freezes enemies briefly and lets you use them as platforms). Out of these, the homing spell is easily the most useful for obvious reasons, although certain enemies are much easier to take down with the bomb. Two of the spells are more for utility than they are for offense. The bat spell, for example, transforms Kid Dracula into a bat, allowing you to fly around for a brief time at the cost of not being able to attack (great for weaving through obstacles or bypassing platforming sections, but with the unfortunate tradeoff that simply bumping into floors or walls reverts the transformation). There's also the updown spell, which briefly reverses gravity and lets you walk on the ceiling, although this is more situational and only sees meaningful use in a couple of sections. I thought these spells were neat, largely because I didn't expect them (the first few spells you unlock are all offense-oriented). Every level ends in a boss fight, and they're all pretty straightforward in terms of attack patterns and overall behavior. A good number of them are pushovers if you use the homing spell, while a few offer a slight challenge either because they have specific weak spots or spell weaknesses. The most notable boss fight of the bunch completely subverts expectations in a hilariously silly way, and I'm not going to spoil what it is. The nine levels are mix of typical platformer worlds (like an underwater level, an ice level, and outer space) and more inspired locales (like ancient Egypt and a metropolis meant to be New York City), each with their own set of enemies and hazards to deal with. The most notable of the bunch to me is easily the first level, because it's a rendition of Dracula's castle from the original Castlevania (complete with gear platforms and a lot of the original color scheme). I loved the variety here, because it's a nice change of pace from the usual settings these games take place in. You start the game with three hearts, though you can bump this maximum up to five if you pick up optional heart containers along the way. As for extra lives, your main opportunity to earn these are the bonus games in between levels, though all four of the bonus games are games of chance (meaning you're definitely not guaranteed 1-Ups every time). Also, you need medals to even play these bonus games, and the only way to get medals is to kill enemies with spells to make them drop. That part isn't hard, although if you want to guarantee at least a couple of extra lives, you may be compelled to farm for medals, which doesn't sound like much fun. The game's presentation is also a far cry from the usual Castlevania offerings, with simpler and more colorful visuals, more inviting stages as opposed to something like the interior of a spooky castle, goofy-looking enemies that are more or less the opposite of the typical ghoulish monsters (one of the bosses is literally just a giant chicken), and more upbeat, cheerful music. VERDICT: Kid Dracula is quite the departure from the usual gothic horror of Castlevania, leaning fully into cartoon silliness with its presentation and some of its story moments. As far as gameplay goes, its 2D platforming is more on the basic side with relatively easier difficulty and not too many notable mechanics outside of the spells (which were fun to mess around with), but I was nonetheless charmed for the brief time I played through the whole thing. It's always interesting to play a game that was region-exclusive for a long time, and I'm glad this fun little title is now more easily accessible to an international audience. If you're interested in the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, chances are your interest leans more towards the major main series entries in the collection, and that makes complete sense (I bought the collection for the exact same reason, after all). That said, I think this game is worth taking out for a spin in between playing those main series games. Not only do I think there's value in experiencing this previously region-locked novelty at least once, I also think it works well as a fun little break if you're going through every game in the collection one by one. Speaking of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, here's a link. This is the most accessible way to play the original Kid Dracula: Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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The first Saturday in May is almost upon us, which means another year of free comics to enjoy. Fully Booked's schedule for this year's event is delayed by a couple of weeks, so I can't partake in the festivities until then, but I can continue a tradition of mine in the meantime. THE THEME: Once again, I check out five FCBD titles from previous years, taking care to keep things diverse in terms of publishers so I can showcase just how many of them participate in this event. Of course, keeping my selection varied is also good for me, as it makes my reading session interesting. THE COMICS: DAWN OF DC: WE ARE LEGENDS (FCBD 2023) Publisher: DC Comics Writers: various Artists: various This special edition collects a few previews for some of 2023's upcoming titles, each focusing on new DC heroes. The first focuses on Xanthe, a Chinese spirit envoy with a cool sword and some magical powers, as she teams up with Batgirl and John Constantine against some supernatural creatures. Next, we follow Red Hood as he investigates criminals making off with dangerous tech, but he instead finds that the Vigil, a new trio of vigilantes has beaten him to the punch. Last, there's City Boy, a young man visiting Gotham with some strange powers (which he uses to find stuff to make money with). Lots of interesting characters all around, and I want to see more of them. THE INTRINSIC #1 (FCBD 2011) Publisher: Arcana Comics Writers: Sean Patrick O'Reilly, Casey Jones, Erik Hendrix Artist: Allan Otero The Intrinsic is a big crossover event featuring a lot of Arcana's pantheon of characters. In this preview of coming attractions, Philosopher Rex sees a vision of the apocalypse (brought upon by Apollyon), and he must continue recruiting heroes to help turn the tide (including Kade, who is perhaps the most recognizable character I know from Arcana). He's still missing one more fighter, and they may just be the most unlikely of them all. MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC (FCBD 2020) Publisher: IDW Writer: Jeremy Whitley Artist: Trish Forstner In this one, Twilight Sparkle is now ruler of Equestria, and the whole kingdom is in a tizzy preparing for her first sunrise. We follow Spike's perspective as he checks on the other main ponies who are helping out with preparations, and he checks in with the pony of the hour as she has a bit of an existential crisis. It's standard wholesome fun with adorable art, which is par for the course for MLP. SCAM: CROSSWORDS #0 (FCBD 2014) Publisher: ComixTribe Writer: Jason Ciaramella Artist: Joe Mulvey Here, we follow the titular character as he commits some heinous crimes, but it seems like he has some bigger plans in mind. Not much to go off of in terms of the story in this zero issue, but I am digging Crosswords' design. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (FCBD 2022) Publisher: IDW Writers: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird Artists: Sophie Campbell, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird We get two stories in this one. The first is a prelude to the Armageddon Game event, which sees a seemingly alternate version of the Turtles leave a bunch of soldiers as a bloody mess. I thought the way this story was framed seemed familiar, and that was reaffirmed when I saw the second story: it's literally the entire first half of the first ever issue of TMNT, and the Armageddon Game prelude takes heavy inspiration for its story, action, and dialogue from it. It's pretty cool to compare and contrast the two, and it's always amusing to see the dark, gritty roots of the series (which was itself heavily inspired by Daredevil) and how that contrasts to the incarnation of the Turtles that eventually became pop culture hits. Once again, I enjoy doing these and reading a wide variety of stories from across the many publishers that exist, and I look forward to continuing the tradition in the years to come. As for the actual Free Comic Book Day, I'm excited to take advantage of the sale and pick up something new for my collection. PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
We have one more game from April's Switch Online updates, and it's a quirky one. BACKGROUND:
I have no clue what this is, and I certainly didn't know that Hebereke was a whole series by Sunsoft. Guess I have more homework to do. SUMMARY: Sugoi Hebereke is a brawler-style fighting game where you face off against up to three other players in square arenas. The fights take place from a top-down perspective, and the idea is to beat the shit out of your opponents until they run out of health and transform into cute little slime blobs. I played the equivalent of arcade mode, where you have to win three rounds to proceed, though I'm not sure this rule can be changed in versus mode (sorry, I can't read Japanese, so I don't know what the menus say). There are eight playable characters at the start, and they each have their basic combos and two special moves accessible through specific inputs. You're not going to get insane Tekken-level combos or anything like that, but their moveset is more than enough for the chaotic action and for delivering an ass-whooping to opponents. The special moves (all of which are unique) can be devastating if used correctly, like the freeze breath or the bomb. There's also a stun mechanic that I'm not sure how is triggered, but anyone that gets stunned is in for a world of hurt. All you really have in terms of mobility other than walking around is jumping, which is handy for avoiding attacks. You can also get jump attacks to knock other people out of the air, which is fun. There isn't much of a universal way to close gaps between you and foes, so it's possible that a campy play style can succeed (especially considering every match has a time limit). In terms of stages, you have a decent variety, and they don't just differ in terms of visuals. Many of them have unique hazards like fans that push you down and bumpers that knock you around. You can even jump onto some of these stage fixtures in order to keep yourself safe, which is neat. On occasion, flying creatures drop power-ups onto the stage. These range from the straightforward (like restoring your health), dangerous in the right hands (an instant death countdown that you can pass onto opponents by hitting them), or downright bizarre (a pickup that transforms unsuspecting victims into vegetables). Playing against CPUs, these didn't really feel too important in the grand scheme (I can win just fine by straight fisticuffs), but they do come in handy when you happen to get them. The art style really shines between all the colors, the adorable character designs, and the goofy animations (from the characters executing their moves to the ridiculous hit animations when certain moves hit characters). The stages are all pretty varied themselves, covering a range of locales, boasting a lot of background detail, and even having the occasional weather effects in the foreground like thunderstorms and fog. VERDICT: Sugoi Hebereke is a pretty straightforward fighting experience with the most basic of mechanics, but I thought it was fun for what it was. Outside of the novelty of cute animal characters beating the living shit out of each other, the potential of chaos was pretty high between wild special moves, wacky power-ups, and the variety of stage hazards. I'm probably good in terms of single-player playthroughs, but I imagine this will be way more fun against actual people. I think this would make for a solid party game for four friends between how easy it is to pick up and how it lends itself well to frenetic chaos, so if you're looking for something akin to Smash Bros. but substantially different, you may find this interesting. Of course, its variety pales in comparison since there aren't as many characters, stages, or mechanics to mess around with, but if you just want to have some fun for a brief time, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. - end - I've been neglecting my PC backlog as of late. Time to fix that. BACKGROUND:
I did not know of this game's existence until it was made free to own for a week to celebrate the release of its sequel. It looked interesting to me, so I added it to my library. PLOT: After a seemingly out-of-left-field opening scene, the game is shown to take place inside a creative depiction of an unnamed person's mind. You play as Dusty, who represents the mind's sense of courage, who is called upon after an extended absence to help deal with nightmares (who are also personified here) who are spreading fear throughout the mindscape. Joining him is Piper, a bird creature who serves as a Navi-type companion for you throughout the game. At first, Dusty only takes on the quest for his own ends, but nevertheless, he journeys to every corner of the mind to vanquish the manifestations of fear that are threatening to bring ruin to everything. I think the allegory that is this entire game is pretty obvious right from the start, to the point where I felt like it was beating me over the head with it by the end. We get creative, whimsical representations of both creative, logical, and conscious thought, the on-the-nose nightmares and the fears they represent, and the whole journey of one's sense of courage striving to make it out after being buried deep for so long. I don't think it's revolutionary by any means (we've gotten plenty of media that have the same concept, after all), but the overall message still gets across. You only really get to know the person whose mind you're exploring through the collectible memories, and those memories honestly resonated with me more than what was actually going on. For one, the real-life events that lead to the manifestations you encounter as Dusty are telegraphed several kilometers away (so there's no element of surprise when you get to the finale). For another, so many of the memories shown are ups and downs of life that I myself have experienced (or an alternate outcome to something that did happen in my life), and for whatever reason, I felt their weight significantly more than the rather heavy main plot. As much as I appreciate the overall themes the game was going for, I personally feel like the ending doesn't do those themes due justice. The entire plot of the game represents a journey to overcome fears in order to keep moving forward, but what actually ends up happening to the person whose mind we're exploring doesn't really reflect that. I'd elaborate, but this is obvious spoiler territory. I didn't really find many of the characters in the mindscape that notable since they're meant to be personifications of familiar concepts. Most of them are just that, though many of them dial it up with the puns (which, depending on your sense of humor, will either be delightful or groan-inducing) just so it's clear what they're about. I suppose the one character that strikes me as notable is Dusty himself; for a personification of courage, there's a cynicism to his character at the start that really stood out to me. Call this reading too much into things, but I think I've felt firsthand what that characterization is meant to represent. PRESENTATION: The first thing that caught my eye about this game was its beautifully painted aesthetic (which was actually painted by hand). Whether it's the vibrant Freedom Isles that depict creative thought, the impressive structure of the Clockwork Town (meant to be the logical side of the brain), or the unnerving atmosphere of the Pathway (representing the scattered conscious thoughts of the person), pretty much every frame of this game was a delight to look at. Each region of the mind took their themes to heart with their respective level designs, which take on a somewhat surrealist approach (with everyday objects forming the platforms you walk on and oddities like musical instrument vegetation). I also thought the music was excellent, featuring both a diverse assortment of instruments and genres to give each locale a vibe that complements the visuals. The most notable bits of the soundtrack to me are how specific characters (mainly the nightmares) have musical numbers. The lyrics themselves are as on-the-nose as the personifications themselves, but I loved the idea of presenting this game as a musical. That said, they don't really commit to this idea, as only a handful of characters get musical numbers, which is a shame because I also loved how their themes each had a unique motif. This game also features a fair bit of voice acting, which didn't really blow me away. The dialogue itself varied from generic exposition to witty jokes, but something about the actual performances of most of the cast kept me from fully getting into their lines. GAMEPLAY: Figment most resembles a Zelda-style adventure game in my eyes. You explore the mindscape in this isometric view that is reminiscent of many a dungeon crawler, and as one may expect from a Zelda-like game, there's both combat, exploration, and puzzles to be had. Combat is perhaps the most barebones of the core elements, as the most you can do is swing your sword, charge a Spin Attack (very Zelda), and dodge roll. Not even the bosses gave me any difficulty, as pretty much every enemy was slow enough that you'll see their tells coming decades before they have a chance to hit you. That there's an XP system that gives you extra health is irrelevant unless you really don't want to think and just want to face-tank anything the game throws at you. Exploration isn't significantly more impressive, as most of the game is linear, and you'll only need to backtrack if you happen to forget something in the previous level. There are optional areas, sure, but unless you're rushing to get to the end, you likely won't miss them. For what it's worth, the levels themselves are delightful to look at, so I was happy to take my time going through them. Apart from certain areas with cycle-based hazards you have to navigate around, you can have a mostly chill time walking around. I think where this game shines is with its puzzles. Most of your roadblocks on the way to the end involve a variety of puzzles, from simply picking up items and using them at the clearly marked locations, sokoban-style puzzles, different varieties of pattern memorization, and gimmicks like rotating windmills to blow away noxious gas. None of them require any serious brainpower, but I found a lot of them engaging. In particular, I really enjoyed how inventory items can be brought to other levels to unlock secrets if you figure out how to grab them without impeding your forward progress. The otherwise lackluster boss fights are also redeemed in my eyes thanks to the final encounters also being a puzzle in itself. Granted, the actual puzzles aren't difficult, either, but it's certainly more engaging than wait for the opening then wallop them with your sword. As mentioned, there are collectible memories you can find, and save for the first one, acquiring each involves a completely optional puzzle. Solving them is a lot of fun, since they involve paying attention to the available items you come across throughout your playthrough, observing the environment for useful clues, or deciphering quirky puzzles through trial and error. I definitely found myself wishing there were more of them just so there'd be more puzzles. VERDICT: Even if aspects of it didn't really blow me away, I still had a fun (albeit brief) time with Figment. I appreciated what its concept was going for (even if the underlying story didn't stick the landing for me), the visuals and the music were wonderful, and despite being quite easy for me overall, I enjoyed exploring the world and solving its many puzzles. If the sequel improves on the elements I noted, I might go and play that, too. I think this is an excellent casual game given its relatively lenient difficulty; even if you die a bunch, the game autosaves frequently enough that you're never inconvenienced. If you're looking for complex combat, a vast world to explore, or highly complex puzzles, this honestly isn't it. However, if you just want to chill with a game you can knock out in around six hours and enjoy some lovely art and tunes to boot, Figment is well worth trying. Here's Figment on Steam: Figment on Steam (steampowered.com) It's also on mobile, if that's more your thing: And here's the soundtrack on Spotify: Figment (Original Soundtrack) - Album by Stöj Snak | Spotify - end - The animal theme has been a fun little idea for a monthly manga reading prompt, but I have one more before April ends. BACKGROUND:
I rarely ever know anything about the manga I read prior to checking them out, so I don't even know why I even keep this section sometimes. SUMMARY: A young kitten is separated from her mother and siblings while taking a walk outside. She looks everywhere for her family, but she just gets even more lost and narrowly avoids all sorts of danger. Sad and alone, the kitten is found by a small family (a little boy named Yohei, and her parents) and is taken in. The catch here is that in the apartment they live in, animals are forbidden, so they must be a little discreet with what they're doing. At first, the parents take in the kitten with the intent of eventually finding someone who can adopt them. Unfortunately, no one seems to be available, and after a while, the family just decides to keep the kitten and be quiet about it amongst neighbors. The kitten is named Chi, which is apparently shorthand for "pee" in Japanese, as young Yohei repeats the word every time the kitten does it. The volume is split into bite-sized chapters detailing this journey, and once the status quo is set, you get chapters focusing on the typical things cat owners deal with (like picking out treats, dealing with scratched furniture, the frustrations of housebreaking, and a particularly traumatic pet visit). What makes this comic stand out is that Chi herself is a character with her own thoughts, and the book always shows what she's thinking at any given moment. Chi's story is obviously sad, but what makes it sadder for me is how she still longs to go home to her mother long after she's taken in. She does grow to love her present company (to the point that she gets upset when they're gone for a long time) and get a sense of the people she now shares a home with, but the fact that she still thinks about her actual family makes me wonder if there will be a point where she does see them again. The family as characters are pretty straightforward. Yohei is pretty excited about the cat, and while Chi has a habit of messing with his toys or scratches him in response to something, he takes things in stride (kind of surprising given how young he is). The mom and dad seem like pretty understanding parents, and their compassion for Chi shines through as they were willing to keep Chi despite the potential trouble they can run into with the owners of the apartment. The mom isn't too thrilled about Chi wrecking things or peeing everywhere prior to be housebroken, though, and I found it funny how the dad is a little disappointed when Chi refuses to interact with him after associating him with the vet visit she really didn't enjoy. As far as visuals go, Chi's Sweet Home stands out for two reasons. First, the English version is printed left-to-right, as opposed to the norm where the right-to-left format is retained. Secondly, this collected edition is in full color, and I loved the slight watercolor quality to it. The art style itself is pretty adorable, as both Chi and her human caretakers get simple yet highly cartoony facial expressions. VERDICT: Chi's Sweet Home is as sweet as the title implies, as while the circumstances that lead to it are sad, Chi finding a new family and learning to cherish their company the same way was quite wholesome. I found a lot of humor in seeing Chi act like a typical cat while also seeing her internal childlike thought process, and I enjoyed seeing Yohei's family quickly treat Chi as part of the household. I would read more of this book just to see Chi's exploits with her new family, but I'm also curious if she ever finds her original family at any point, and if the owners of the apartment catch wind of them keeping a pet and they're forced to either move or send Chi away. If you're a cat person (I like cats and dogs equally, so I'm not sure I can be considered as one), I think this is a book you'll enjoy. Chi gets into a lot of situations cat owners are bound to relate to, and the book actually showing what she's thinking is really funny; I found myself wondering if that's what goes inside the head of the cats I looked after. - end - I finally got around to getting the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on sale, so I have a handful of retro titles to play in my spare time. Let's start from the beginning. BACKGROUND:
Castlevania is a legendary game series by a storied game company (well, when you ignore Konami's fumbles in the modern era) that spans decades and console generations, introduced a lot of iconic characters and tropes, and eventually helped define an entire subgenre of platformers. Even as a kid, I knew about this series, but despite owning multiple consoles and handhelds that had Castlevania games, it wasn't until I was older when I'd finally get the chance to finish one. I played the original Castlevania (the very same one we're talking about here) during my stint buying Virtual Console titles on the 3DS when I was in college, and my feelings on it being a true-blue classic hasn't changed. A lot of what I felt back then (and the reasoning why) still stands upon replaying it in 2024, and the next section will be dedicated to articulating that. I'll take this time to talk about the Castlevania Anniversary Collection itself, which I think is a decent collection overall. You can use save states should you need or want them, and there's a whole extras section where you can check out all sorts of fun stuff and learn neat info regarding all the classic games that are bundled. Collections by themselves are neat by giving you multiple games for the price of one, but this one goes the extra step by giving fans or newcomers some bonus stuff to look at. SUMMARY: Castlevania is a 2D platformer where you play as Simon Belmont, a member of a legendary family of hunters who are sworn to defend humanity against the forces of darkness. He journeys to a castle in hopes of defeating the nefarious Dracula, but he'll have to brave through the creatures of the night first. This story has been told many times since this game first came out (including in animated form), but it's always nice to see its humble beginnings. As Simon, you have the slow but formidable Vampire Killer whip as your main weapon, and in addition to your signature strut, you have an odd jump that takes a lot of adjusting to if you grew up with more modern platformers. The main thing about Simon's jump is that you can't move yourself once you're in the air; that means you have to commit to a forward jump or a neutral jump and live with whatever consequences that come as a result. As such, platforming that would otherwise be trivial in most other games ends up feeling extremely perilous, especially considering falling into any pit (it doesn't matter if you came in from above and there's logically somewhere to land) will kill you instantly. While I have gone on record in saying that I love platformers with a lot of moments where you get an uninterrupted flow of movement by skillfully playing around the game's mechanics, I quite enjoy how this game is the opposite of that. The jump being the way that it is made me more cautious as a player, and I found it worthwhile to be patient and actively deliberate my movements. There are only 18 levels in this game, which isn't a lot even by the standards of 1987 (the original Super Mario Bros. had 32, for reference), but I think they went all in with quality over quantity in terms of level design. The layouts are treacherous by themselves, as there are a lot of opportunities to fall to your death between moving platforms, stairs you can't jump on (or off), and that one place with crushers that can squash you. Hell, even small gaps are scary in this game, because if you jump incorrectly, there's no way to get yourself out of that jump. What elevates this game's level design is its use of enemies. The enemies themselves aren't very complex; they have one or two behaviors, and barring a few annoying exceptions, they're typically predictable in terms of how they move or attack. Rather, it's how they're placed throughout the level that makes them threatening. Otherwise innocuous foes like bone-throwing skeletons or flying bats feel like nigh insurmountable threats just by placing them somewhere you absolutely have to tangle with them, like atop the stairs or flying about as you jump across floating platforms. Combine that with your slow whip and the nature of your jump, and the whole philosophy of approaching the levels with caution comes together nicely. Even the enemy count is something that feels deliberate, which may come as a surprise given other noteworthy games of this era go full tilt and overwhelm you with endlessly spawning enemies (see: Ghosts 'n' Goblins or the original Ninja Gaiden). There are only specific spots where enemies spawn continuously (and at a steady rate), and they're often in sections with no other obstacles (so the goal is to inch your way forward as you weather an incoming onslaught from both directions). The most iconic non-boss section of this game is emblematic of this fact, as one of the levels has you push forward as an axe knight (which takes a lot of hits and keeps walking out of your whip's range while throwing axes at you) and a relentless horde of Medusa heads (which move in a sinusoidal pattern) come at you. I always think of this section when I ponder Castlevania's level design; it absolutely looks and feels insurmountable, but it never feels unfair because the enemies you face are predictable, and you're taught how they behave earlier in the level in less perilous circumstances. This section feels like a sort of final exam of everything you've learned where you try to take what you've learned and try to forge a path forward with that knowledge, and it feels completely rewarding to conquer the challenge in the end because it's your efforts and understanding that carries you through. I have grown to adore gameplay designed with this sense of satisfaction in mind, and it's awesome to see design sensibilities like this be more or less perfected early on into the history of video games. Now, it may seem like Simon's got his work cut out for him with everything I've just described, but there's a mechanic that helps him bridge the gap a little bit. Throughout the levels are breakable candles you can whip, and while they occasionally drop money bags (which increase your score, which serves no real purpose in this game other than for gaining extra lives), you'll typically pick up hearts. In this game, hearts don't heal you; they're ammo for your sub-weapons. Sub-weapons are the power-ups of this game, and at the cost of hearts, you can throw them out for an alternate way to deal damage. All of the sub-weapons here have become Castlevania staples, from the throwing axe (thrown in an upward arc), the boomerang cross (travels far and can hit more than once), the throwing dagger (which travels farther than your whip), the holy water, dropped on the ground and leaves a lingering flame), and the stopwatch (doesn't do damage, but stops time, letting you whip enemies worry-free for a few seconds). Given how sub-weapons provide alternate options to kill enemies (largely in terms of hitting them in situations where your whip just won't cut it), they are incredibly valuable and worth farming ammo for. Sections with enemies overhead don't feel as threatening when you have the axe, and you can keep yourself at a safe distance from enemies no problem if you have the cross. It's no surprise that this mechanic has since seen much use in the many games that followed over the decades, because having tools that let the player bypass the innate limitations imposed upon them is a surefire way to giving them a sense of excitement and satisfaction when they make the effort to find them. The sub-weapons truly shine in the game's six boss fights, which are plenty tough (but not impossible) if you fight them with just the whip. However, if you happen to have the exact sub-weapon that counters the boss, you can rinse them with very little issue provided you have hearts to spare. Even Dracula (who is up there as an iconic fight in all of games, thanks in no small part to being an early example of a multi-phase fight) goes down like a chump if you pick up a certain sub-weapon. Wrecking bosses typically feels satisfying regardless of the game you're playing, but it feels more so here considering the legitimate struggle you may have gone through just to get to the boss. Although this game is completely linear in terms of structure, you can actually find the occasional secret by whipping the correct walls. The most iconic example of this is the hidden chicken, which restores your health, but you can also pick up the II and III multi-shot power-ups, which let you throw out two and three instances of your current sub-weapon at once respectively. The sub-weapon multipliers feel extra satisfying when you bring them to a boss, because you can rip them apart in seconds with some well-placed throws. The original Castlevania is emblematic of the 8-bit era with its presentation, with simple but effective pixel art as well as chiptune-heavy music. The former stands out for solid-looking sprites (especially for the bosses, who are kind of the who's who of classic monsters) and surprisingly vibrant colors for a game with dark themes (just look at how orange Simon is), while the latter delivers with catchy tunes that fit the more deliberate pace of the gameplay. While I do enjoy the other tracks (like the buildup to the encounter with Dracula), Vampire Killer remains the most iconic track in the entire game, leaving a strong first impression as the theme of the opening levels. The Castlevania Anniversary Collection also includes the Japanese versions of every game in the collection, so I took the time to try out the Japanese version of this game for a little bit. The main difference I noticed immediately is that you can select an Easy Mode that, among other things, does away with the knockback reaction when Simon gets hit (which makes most platforming sections less threatening). VERDICT: Playing through Castlevania again only reaffirms its status as an all-time classic in my eyes. Though its basic story has long been since eclipsed by later games eventually having the capacity for more complex narratives, I think the game's stellar and thoughtful level design stands the test of time with how satisfying it still feels to overcome the difficulty it presents, and I'd say the visuals and music aged pretty well considering how long ago this was made. I loved this game the first time I played it, and I still love it now. There's no argument here: this is absolutely an "essential" game in the ever-growing pantheon of video games, and everyone ought to play this game at least once. I know that its controls will feel dated to many, and that the overall difficulty is daunting, but this is one of a number of exceptional cases where I will implore that players grant this game their patience. I strongly believe that this game is a master class of presenting a formidable challenge that doesn't feel unfair, and that it's a great example of how a game being designed to have the player play at the pace it dictates and within its limitations instead of their own can be as satisfying as having full agency and freedom to do as you please. I'm no stranger to the discourse that pits these two schools of thought against each other, as many people sadly dismiss the idea of difficulty as merely an attempt to be exclusionary towards a subset of players while not considering that designing gameplay to be a certain level of difficulty is a creative choice made by the people who make the games. Now, I'm about to go into a tangent here, but I feel like I have to express the following somewhere. Folks who make this argument about difficulty tend to steer the conversation towards how it goes against accessibility (which I need to make clear is an important, but entirely different conversation), and I feel like this game (which doesn't require insanely fast reflexes and has intuitive gameplay you don't need to wrap your head around) is an effective demonstration that the two concepts aren't as tightly coupled as some people think it is. I also heavily disagree with the notion that all games should be "accessible" (in the sense that they shouldn't be difficult, not that disabled people are physically unable to enjoy them), because it's just a way of saying that all games should appeal to everybody, which is completely impossible for any form of artistic medium. It'd be like saying things that don't cater to my exact tastes don't deserve to exist (or worse, arguing that their existence is discrimination), which is unfair to creators who have a specific vision in mind (and who have every right to make something exactly how they want to). Anyway, you can play this game (and many others) via the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. Here's a Steam link: Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I continue with April's Switch Online emulator additions with this title. BACKGROUND:
I don't think I've heard of this series prior to this being added to the emulator service. I did a bit of homework on R-Type and learned that it's actually a long-running series with quite the legacy (apparently, the original one was an arcade hit). It's always fun to find that, despite all I've learned at this point, there's still plenty of room to learn more. SUMMARY: Super R-Type is a horizontal shmup where you control a spaceship and blast through enemies and weave through obstacles. There are a ton of games that fit this general description (like the iconic Gradius, for example), so it's likely that you'll get the gist of this game within seconds. I'll focus on the elements that I think are unique or notable that set this game apart from similar games I've played before. Your ship is pretty well-equipped even without the power-ups, as you have access to two shot types. You have your regular rapid-fire shot which will serve you well to mow down the onslaught of basic enemies coming your way, but you also have a charge shot that can be charged to two levels. While both levels of charge serve the same general function (large shot that covers a wide area and pierces through enemies), the second charge consists of multiple projectiles spread over a decently sized cone. It's really cool to have options from the get-go in terms of offense, as most shmups give you the bare minimum at the start (leaving the fun stuff behind power-up pickups). Of course, that doesn't mean you don't get power-ups. Some of these include a speed boost (which can be a blessing or a curse depending on the situation), orbiting spheres that deal contact damage to enemies (basically acting as a sort of shield from anything approaching you), and bombs that drop below (allowing you to take out enemies under you). In the case of the bombs, these can be upgraded with the same pickup to turn them to homing missiles, which are as helpful as they sound. The most interesting power-up involves an attachment to the ship that you can have fly freely to fire its own set of projectiles. That's plenty useful, but the fun begins when you actually connect with this attachment. When you connect this device to the front of your ship, you can gain access to a variety of powerful shot types, like lasers that ricochet, a trail of fire that travels across terrain, a spread shot, explosive missiles, and a wide wave-like beam. You can change which one you get by picking up the corresponding pickup (which are color-coded), though that's of course a bit dependent on RNG. I thought this attachment mechanic was such a neat idea. You can switch between having it fly freely or connecting to it to use a powerful shot depending on the situation, and I appreciated the versatility that provided. The shot types themselves are highly effective for their respective niches, and I was amazed that you can even attach the device to the back of your ship, allowing you to fire from behind and cover yourself. The enemies you'll run into are pretty standard fare for this type of game (be it their general design or their behaviors), but they do their job and fill the screen in ways that force you to be cautious in how you move around. Some levels even add to the challenge with shifting terrain and some tight spaces, and those are equally threatening since mere contact kills you. Speaking of death, it is quite punishing not just because anything kills you in one hit (and there's nothing in the game that gives you an extra hit), but also due to the fact that there are no checkpoints in this game. If you die, you are sent back to the beginning of the level; it doesn't matter where in the level you died. You don't really have to worry about that now since the emulator has rewinds and save states, but if you want to play this through without assistance, you have your work cut out for you. Each of the seven levels offers quite the gauntlet of obstacles and enemies to navigate through, and should you manage to survive, every single one features a tough boss for you to shoot down. What makes these bosses challenging is the mix of their ability to control most of the space onscreen with their attacks and the fact that many of them have a specific weak spot that you have to actively aim at. These two elements are not uncommon for shmup bosses in general, but this game excels in providing variety in these regards (whether with unique attacks, fun set pieces, or variety in the weak points). You can select the difficulty in the main menu, though I'm not sure what the differences are since I only played all the way through on Normal. Once you beat the game, you loop back to the beginning, except you're now playing on the next hardest difficulty. The game is a visual delight, with super detailed sprites and backgrounds as well as intricate designs for both the machines and the alien enemies. There's certainly an H.R. Giger element to these designs, which was not uncommon at the time for many sci-fi video games. While graphically impressive, the game does push the system to its limits, and having many objects onscreen will slow things down considerably. VERDICT: I've played my fair share of space shmups (I've talked about a bunch on here, too), but Super R-Type stands out to me for the unique arsenal it gives you access to. I liked being able to use different shot types as is, and I thought the ship attachment thing (sorry, I don't know what it's called) was such a cool idea. I had a lot of fun with this, and I'm interested in checking out the rest of the series now. Given what I learned about this series, I would argue the original R-Type (which I need to play for myself) is the one that gets the "essential" distinction since it was an acclaimed title in its heyday. I don't know how this game stacks up to the rest of the series, but as far as I understand, a lot of the series staple mechanics are present here, making it a solid entry point into experiencing this shmup franchise. If you're in the mood for a challenging shmup, this is a title to consider playing. - end - Once again, PS+ Extra's Game Catalog has allowed me to play a game I've wanted to check out for a long time. BACKGROUND:
I've already mentioned my history with the Resident Evil series in previous RE blog entries, but I will reiterate that my experience with the original trilogy is as a spectator and not as a player. As such, I have a good idea of what I'm getting into here, but as this is a remake, I'm also expecting updated gameplay and some differences in the story. PLOT: A short while after the events of the first game, Raccoon City is overrun by zombies due to the spread of Umbrella's T-Virus. Our two main characters, rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, make their way to the city, unaware of what has happened. Leon is heading to the city to report to the police station, while Claire is out looking for her brother Chris (who was heavily involved in the events of RE1). After a chance meeting at a gas station, the two head to Raccoon City's police station, but chaos ensues, leading the two to be separated for most of the game. The game has you choose which one you play, with only slight variations to their journey. As the two explore the police station, they find that it's overrun by zombies, and eventually run into the relentless Tyrant (known by fans as Mr. X) and the freakish G (another Umbrella-made monstrosity). Leon and Claire's stories diverge slightly after this; in Leon's scenario, he meets the mysterious Ada Wong and works with her as she investigates the Umbrella conspiracy. As for Claire, she runs into and helps Sherry, a young girl caught right in the middle of the whole mess. Though the circumstances differ, Leon and Claire both end up at Umbrella's hidden underground lab, where they learn the truth behind what's happening. In the first run for each character, the story ends with a post-credits tease, but in the second run, you get a definitive ending (though it really is just an additional fight). I'm no stranger to the Resident Evil formula: everything goes to shit, Umbrella's bioweapon shenanigans are at the root of it, the characters have to deal with the horror of it all, then you get a whole action movie ending. Having the main characters be completely unprepared for the chaos adds to the uncertainty of what you, as the player, are getting into, which is a nice way to integrate story elements to the gameplay experience. Naturally, Leon and Claire adjust and grow as heroes in their own right, as Leon's sense of justice compels him to actively try to get to the bottom of things, and Claire goes out of her way to protect and save Sherry from danger. There are a lot of interesting story elements throughout the campaign, from the heavy involvement of Umbrella scientists Annette and William Birkin (and their interactions with the main cast), the subplots with Sherry and Ada (which add layers to the events of the game and Umbrella's central role in it), and the prominence of optional documents you can read which add to the world-building. Again, I've seen this story told several different ways already, but it's still fun to uncover Umbrella's plot piece by piece, and the characters are solid for the most part. The game's extra modes tell short stories featuring minor characters outside of the main cast, though from my understanding, everything except The 4th Survivor is an alternate universe scenario. Still, they add to the world-building by showcasing events outside the main plot. PRESENTATION: This is a prime example of what I like to call AAA graphics, and boy does this game look fantastic. Everything looks super polished and realistic, the atmosphere is dreadful thanks to the nighttime setting and the derelict locations, Umbrella's monsters really stand out with their grotesque designs, and the gore is truly not for the squeamish. Overall, the visual style here is exactly what most would look for in a remake of a game from 1998 game: overhauled graphics to match with the times and breathe new life to something nostalgic. As with many well-made horror games, the sound design is excellent. You get a great sense of where sounds are coming from relative to your position, the sound effects themselves are super accurate (in the case of normal objects) or add to the nightmare (in the case of the monsters), and the rare occasions where music is used add to the tension of an intense situation (like when Tyrant/Mr. X is chasing you, or the climactic finale). I think the voice acting is great as well, with every voiced character having a solid performance backing them. It's always fun to hear Leon or Claire exclaim in shock at the utter pandemonium they find themselves in, and it's gut-wrenching to hear the screams of unfortunate victims attacked by monsters. GAMEPLAY: Resident Evil 2 Remake retains the core survival horror aspect of the original. That means exploring locations to find items, solving convoluted puzzles to progress, managing a limited inventory, working with limited ammo and healing items, using weapons to deal with monsters placed in all sorts of devious places, fixed save points, and fighting the occasional boss. The main difference between the remake and the original is the game's perspective. The original RE2 had fixed camera angles, while the remake goes the post-RE3 route and gives you the classic over-the-shoulder third-person shooter perspective. This makes aiming much easier than it used to be (especially with the addition of a reticle), and the fact that you can freely look around means that the game has to resort to trickier means in order to set up its jump scares. Speaking of, there are a fair amount of jump scares, but I've played enough of these games that I called pretty much every moment as I played. As I mentioned, you get a choice whether to play as Leon or Claire, and while you'll be exploring most of the same places regardless of what you pick, there are some areas only one of them can explore and certain items exclusive to one character. Beating one of the campaigns unlocks the second run of the other character, and in this second run, there are additional changes like remixed puzzles and shuffled items or enemy placements. Outside of the obvious story differences, these changes make it worthwhile to play the game twice. At the start, you can also pick your preferred difficulty. The recommended mode is standard, but there's also Assisted (which makes things easier by giving you health regen, among other things) and Hardcore (which has stronger enemies and requires you to have ink ribbons to save like the original games). I played both campaigns on Hardcore, which was definitely tough because of the limited opportunities to save, but an additional change in difficulty that the game doesn't tell you is that you have less inventory slots than you do in other modes. One of the main gameplay differences between Leon and Claire are the weapons they have access to. For Leon, he has a pistol, a shotgun, a magnum, a flamethrower, and a rocket launcher. Claire gets a revolver, a submachine gun, a grenade launcher (which can have either flame rounds or acid rounds), the Spark Shot (which shoots electric needles into enemies), and a minigun. I think the variety is obvious just by listing down the weapons, and they're a lot of fun to use. Of course, this is Resident Evil, which means ammo is scarce. As effective as a lot of these weapons are against many enemies, you'll want to pick and choose when to open fire and when to run away. Most of Leon and Claire's respective arsenals can be upgraded by combining weapon parts you find by exploring. These upgrades can further improve your weapons by adding things like higher ammo capacity, reduced recoil, higher accuracy, and more. However, some upgrades can increase the size of some weapons in the inventory, so you'll have to take that into account as well. There are also sub-weapons you can pick up as you explore. You have frag grenades and flashbangs (both of which are self-explanatory), as well as the combat knife (which functions as a melee attack). Aside from their obvious function, sub-weapons can be used as a counterattack if you get jumped by enemies, as you can spend them to escape their clutches and avoid damage/death. As is tradition in Resident Evil, you'll run into many puzzles that will leave you questioning what kind of people design such strange buildings or devices. From your standard "doors that need bizarre keys" trope, the Umbrella equivalent of the classic water jug puzzle, arranging chess pieces correctly in order to open a door, and rotating tiles to transfer electrical power on a panel, this game has all the weird RE puzzles you can ask for. The main area you'll be exploring is the police station, which is quite large and includes areas in the basement, the roof, and the outside. At the start, you'll naturally only have access to a few areas, but as you start finding key items, you can then unlock doors and remove other obstacles, and in some cases, you can even backtrack to use said items on previously inaccessible areas. You'll also find items or clues to open containers like safes and lockers, which are worth going for since they'll have useful items. An amazingly helpful feature this game has for exploration is the map. Not only does it show you exactly where you are, it'll also show you key interactables (like puzzles you need to solve and locked doors) as well as indicate if you've already collected all the loot in a room. The last one is a fantastic addition, because you no longer have to wonder if you've fully looted a room. Inventory management is another classic element of RE, and it's alive and well here with your limited inventory slots. You'll have to manage your space such that you have everything you need (weapons, ammo, healing) while still having enough to pick up key items and other loot. It's tough at first when you don't know where key items are used or you run into items that take up two slots, but you can combine certain items to save space (like the herbs or the gunpowder to craft healing items and ammo respectively), stop by the item boxes next to the typewriters (AKA your save points), and discarding key items when you're done with them (which the game helpfully tracks by marking them with a check mark). Most of the enemies are your usual zombies, and the difficulty of dealing with them isn't so much as fighting their slow asses as it is dealing with their placement in the map (which also includes them popping in from blind spots or supposed corpses coming back to life). The number of hits it takes to take one down is actually random (even if you aim for the head), and there's also a chance they can get back up even after you knock them down, so you'll have to weigh whether it's better to kill a zombie and save yourself the hassle when backtracking or to just run around them to save ammo (not easy to do since a lot of rooms are cramped). Of course, if you get extra lucky, you can guarantee a zombie stays down if you make their head explode with a lucky headshot (AKA a "gusher"). These are easier to guarantee with more powerful weapons, but of course, zombies aren't the only enemies you'll run into, and you may want to save such ammo for those enemies. When it comes to non-zombie enemies, you can encounter the relentless Lickers (horrifying freaks that can mess you up but are blind), zombified dogs, those disgusting abominations in the sewers, and the Ivy (the plant-like zombies that are nigh unkillable). You won't encounter too many of these throughout the campaign, so their presence feels impactful given how much more threatening they are compared to regular zombies. Outside of the Ivy, these special enemies thankfully stay down once you kill them, so they're usually worth using your powerful weapons on so you don't have to fight them when backtracking. The main boss you'll be fighting at multiple points in the campaign is G, a hulking monster with some major story significance. The usual RE tradition for boss fights is to dump all the ammo you have onto their weak points (in this case, the large, out-of-place eyes) as you run for dear life in an arena littered with loot, and you'll be doing this three times against G. I don't really think much of RE boss fights, but the second fight with G stands out to me as particularly vexing, as that fight involves a gimmick where you activate a crane and lure G into it as it swings back. The gimmick itself is fine, but the arena you fight it in here is frustratingly small, which I found the opposite of enjoyable. Another RE tradition is having the final (or close to final) boss encounters grant you access to a super powerful weapon, and the catharsis of using it to obliterate them after a full playthrough of them giving you a hard time is a ton of fun. It's far from a meticulous boss fight, but damn if it ain't satisfying. At some point during your exploration of the police station, Tyrant/Mr. X shows up and starts chasing you around. This terrifying bastard is unkillable (the most you can do is damage him enough to stun him briefly), so for the most part, you'll be running around the police station hoping to get enough distance that he fucks off for a while. I enjoyed his presence in the game overall, as he adds a level of uncertainty while you explore, and when he does show up, the fact that he's unkillable adds to the tension as you flee for your life. In both campaigns, you'll play through a brief segment where you play as a different character. In Claire's case, there's a brief segment where you play as Sherry, and it's just a short segment where you run and hide from danger. It's really not much, but then again, there's only so much an unarmed kid can do in this situation. On the flip side, Leon's campaign has a segment where you play as Ada, whose whole gimmick is that she has this neat tool that hacks electronics. You solve a few basic puzzles with it, and Ada is actually equipped to fight zombies with her gun, but other than that, it's a simple detour. All the unlockables of the game are tied to the game's achievements, and they range from neat concept art, alternate costumes for Leon and Claire, to unique weapons you can use in future playthroughs. The achievements are quite varied as well, from the guaranteed (story-based achievements), optional achievements (collectible-based ones, achievements that involve certain actions, or milestone achievements), and a few particularly tough ones (speedrun achievements, no healing, playing on Hardcore). On the subject of collectibles, the main ones are the documents (very few of which are actually missable, and many of them actually help you in the main game by providing clues) and the breakable Mr. Raccoon figurines (which are well-hidden but stay collected across playthroughs). All your playthroughs are also given a letter ranking at the end tied to your playtime, with S being the best. If the main campaigns aren't enough for you, the game has extra modes you can take on. Like I said before, you play as other characters in mostly alternate scenarios, but in terms of gameplay, these are more contained time trials in a small area. The main challenge is to beat the run quickly while having to deal with a limited or fixed inventory and difficult enemy layouts. It's a different change of pace from the slower-paced careful exploration of the main game, so I can see the trial-and-error aspect of these modes not being everyone's cup of tea. VERDICT: RE2 Remake has everything I could ever want from a Resident Evil game with a fresh new coat of paint. It has the signature core gameplay I enjoy without the third-person view forcing it to lean too heavily into the action side of things (that's just my preference when it comes to survival horror), I enjoyed the neat quality-of-life updates for the map, I found the challenge of Hardcore to be exactly to my liking in terms of enemy difficulty and resource scarcity, and I appreciate the overall replay value in terms of all the modes and the unlockables (which includes stuff you can take with you in new runs to completely change the game). I had a blast playing through both campaigns, and I can see myself trying for the tougher achievements so I can try out the more busted weapons. You don't really need to have played the original game or any version of RE1 to appreciate the story here, so don't hesitate to jump in here if you're a newcomer to the series. I would also argue that this is the definitive way to experience RE2's story, as you can still experience the classic fixed camera gameplay through RE1's remake. RE2 Remake is available on Steam: Resident Evil 2 on Steam (steampowered.com) - end - I continue this arbitrary animal theme with this adorable title. BACKGROUND:
I didn't know anything about this one (which shouldn't be surprising at this point), though I was surprised to learn that the artist has a social media presence. I don't usually seek out manga artists online, but this is the first instance where the artist explicitly mentions their account in their book, so I had to check it out. You can find them here on Twitter. SUMMARY: This manga actually pulls heavily from the artist's life, as they share their stories about their dog Inu-kun and cat Neko-sama. Each story is its own brief chapter detailing an everyday scenario for the trio, and a lot of the situations are humorous in some way. Inu is described to be an excitable, fun-loving dog who enjoys their caretaker's company (almost too much) and loves being showered with affection, while Neko is depicted as a standoffish cat who thinks they're the boss of their caretaker and has a penchant for the devious (like stealing and wrecking chaos). Obviously, these descriptions fall in line with the typical stereotypes for each animal, but it's quite obvious that the stories here pull from personal experience. Most of the chapters are structured in such a way that shows Inu's reactions or disposition towards typical situations (like seeing their caretaker open food that isn't for them, or taking baths) and how Neko responds to the same situation. The contrast is funny pretty much every time, as Neko is framed as this maniacal villain next to Inu's bundle of joy and energy. Some of the chapters deviate from this formula a little, like the artist talking about their previous pets (and how those events shaped how she treats Inu and Neko now), their time working with people at an animal shelter, how Inu and Neko act when their mother is around, and even how they meet Inu and Neko for the first time. I liked having these more emotional stories peppered in between the funny stories, as they help highlight how special and cherished those funny stories will be as time passes. Having watched over both cats and dogs at different points in my life (with my current companion being a dog), I can totally relate with a lot of the scenarios shown here. Of course, every dog and cat each have a distinct personality, but a lot of stuff shown here is either universal or happens to be similar, like my dog getting super hyped for a walk if I so much as bump its leash accidentally, or one of the cats I used to watch over suddenly appearing like Batman from the shadows on my bedroom window. What resonates with me the most is how the artist clearly cherishes their furry companions. I can connect with how the artist just knows the quirks of their pets (the same way I know exactly what my dog means depending on the specific sounds they make) and how they're charmed over even their less desirable behaviors (like when one of the cats I took in leaving me dead rats as presents, which my mom did not appreciate). I can tell that the artist loves animals, and as someone who feels similarly, this whole manga feels like such an expression of that sentiment. The art style is simple yet adorable, as most things are drawn in this chibi style (with how Inu is drawn being the best showcase of it). I also loved the contrast of how Neko is drawn compared to Inu, as Neko is drawn to look more sinister than Inu's typically innocent face (highlighting the differences in their personality). The artist also includes real-life pictures of Inu and Neko, and it's fun to compare and contrast those photos with how they're drawn in the manga. VERDICT: I had a delightful time reading Vol. 1 of With a Dog AND a CAT, Every Day is Fun. I enjoyed seeing aspects of the very animals I took care of myself in Inu and Neko, and I can connect with the author's feelings on pretty much every front, from the specific feelings that arise from certain scenarios, to how they overall cherish and care for their companions. I wouldn't mind reading more of this for more cute, funny, wholesome, and even emotional stories starring Inu and Neko. If you're like me and you like animals (especially if you're a longtime pet owner), this is absolutely worth reading. There's bound to be something in this book that will resonate with you, and you may even come out of reading this cherishing your companions even more. I myself went out to pet my dog after finishing this. - end - We have another one of these to watch! You know what this kind of blog entry is about, so let's skip ahead to my ramblings.
I don't think this is the star-studded lineup people always hope these Directs should always be (they rarely ever are, and I think people need to get over that), but if you ask me personally, there are a bunch of eye-catching titles here. As long as these presentations show me at least two or three things that make me go "I have to have this," I'll call it a win. Of course, that is just me, and I know that puts me in the minority in this case.
- end - The month of April brings yet another batch of games for the Switch Online emulators. You know the drill. BACKGROUND:
I played the original Wrecking Crew for NES via Switch Online, and I thought it was a lot of fun. I didn't know they made a sequel for it until a little after that (probably because it never came out overseas). Now, it's finally been made accessible for people outside of Japan, so I'm excited to check it out. SUMMARY: Wrecking Crew '98 doesn't just feature a new game for me to play; it also lets you play the original from the main menu. Since that's the case, I replayed that for a little bit before getting to the actual Wrecking Crew '98, and I'm going to take this opportunity to highlight it in its own section here. Wrecking Crew (NES) In the original, you play as Mario and use his trusty hammer to break all the lockers, ladders, and walls (which take multiple hits) in the level in order to move onto the next. All you have to do is walk up to the object and whack it, but the catch is that there are many enemies chasing you, and you can't jump to avoid them. In order to avoid danger, you'll have to take advantage of ladders, falling, and the tunnels on the sides of the screen to switch sides. It won't take long for the level layouts to become more complex, as you can run into challenges like objects that can only be reached one way (e.g. dropping from a platform, using the side tunnels, etc.), breakable pillars you can use to drop whatever objects are on the connected platform, breakable ladders that lead to other objects (which means you have to break them last, otherwise you softlock yourself), or more enemy types with different behaviors (like ones that try to catch you from another side as opposed to just chasing you). The game's challenge quickly becomes trying to figure out the optimal path in order to survive and clear everything out, and it is that challenge that led me to sink a lot of time into it the first time around. It was super satisfying to survive several minutes of being pursued by enemies and eventually break the last object needed to progress, and there were a ton of levels to play that kept ramping up the difficulty. Other objects you can take advantage of are bombs (which will break objects that are connected to it), barrels (which you can cause to drop on enemies to trap them), and doors (which can be opened to let enemies pass). Be careful with barrels, though; if they happen to fall on you, you can't escape, and you have to reset. It's definitely one of the funnier, more embarrassing ways you can softlock yourself in a game. Every so often, you can play a bonus minigame where you compete against Spike (Mario's construction rival; you may recognize him from the recent animated movie); if you win, you get bonus points (which I think only serves a purpose if you need extra lives). Spike also appears in later levels to mess with you, and while he can't cause you to lose a life, he is quite annoying. I never messed around with it myself, but this game also has a level editor where you can make your own levels. At the time of the original release, a peripheral was needed to save and share custom levels, though I don't know if the emulated versions have a workaround that lets players save and load levels through different means. Wrecking Crew '98 Now, let's talk about the actual game. Instead of being a series of challenging levels where you figure out an optimal route to clear out objects, Wrecking Crew '98 instead blends the basic mechanics of the original (walk around and break stuff with your hammer) and falling-block match puzzles like Puyo Puyo. The point isn't to smash the board of all the colored blocks that spawn (though you can do that if you really wanted to), but rather to use the switches on the side of your board to shift each row by one block such that three blocks of the same color line up. The game is primarily competitive in nature, as you have to compete against an opponent and hope their board fills up with blocks before yours does. As with games like this, there are ways to disrupt your opponent, and those are tied directly to the blocks you clear on your board. You'll have to clear four or more blocks of the same color/symbol in order to activate various powers that can screw up your opponent, and you can use the combination of the switches and gravity to set yourself up for success. Each color corresponds to a different way you wreak havoc on your opponent's side, like spawning enemies they have to avoid (otherwise they get stunned), spawning garbage metal blocks that are unbreakable, covering all existing blocks in a layer of stone (which must be broken before you can match them), or spawning several blocks from a single column. Of course, the opponent can do the same to you, so it's a race to inflict pain on your opponent while mitigating any damage they cause. While you can play this game casually against the CPU or another human player, there is a short story mode you can check out. The story here (based on what I can glean from the cutscenes; the dialogue is in Japanese since this wasn't localized) is that Mario discovers that Bowser is building high-rise skyscrapers in the Mushroom Kingdom, blocking out the sun. Mario's like "aw hell no" and digs up his trusty hammer, then he journeys to each building where he fights one of Bowser's crew (many of which are from the original Wrecking Crew) and demolishes the building. Out of the many schemes Bowser's concocted over the decades, this is definitely up there as the most hilarious. VERDICT: Replaying the original Wrecking Crew was a ton of fun, and after doing so, I'm still confident that it's up there as one of my favorite NES games ever. I love how the game's main focus is cooking up a strategy on the fly, and like I said, it feels good to piece together an optimal path to breaking everything. For a game as simple as Mario breaking stuff to give me all of that is pretty impressive. As for Wrecking Crew '98, I found it a challenging spin on the typical block puzzler, as you had to basically play a platformer while juggling having to shift the blocks around to match similar colors. It took me a little bit to figure it out, but once I got into the groove, it was a mix of the typical satisfaction that comes from falling-block puzzles and the fun of planning your platforming route ahead. It wasn't at all what I expected, but I was pleased, nonetheless. The Wrecking Crew series is part of Mario's storied legacy, so I would argue it is essential playing for any Nintendo fan or anybody who likes looking through the back catalogs of iconic studios. Outside of that, the original Wrecking Crew may appeal to players who are looking for something easy to pick up but deceptively deep with its layer of strategy lying beneath the straightforward platformer experience. Wrecking Crew '98 might be more for those who like competitive puzzle games like Puyo Puyo, or those who want a little twist to that genre. - end - It's been a while since I've checked out a game on Steam, so here I am with something new. BACKGROUND:
I watched one of my go-to YouTubers play this and ended up really liking the concept, so I put it on my Steam wish list. It ended up being discounted at launch (and the base price was already inexpensive to boot), so I bought it immediately. PLOT: Your character finds themselves at a dingy nightclub and heads to a secluded upstairs room with a large table and a lot of suspicious equipment, where they're met by a ghoulish figure who challenges you to a deadly, but potentially lucrative contest. After having you sign a waiver, you and the figure (known as the Dealer) play against each other in what's essentially Russian roulette, except the both of you take turns using a 12-gauge shotgun (filled with a random order of blanks and live rounds) to either aim at your opponent or at yourself. Getting shot isn't the end, as it turns out the both of you are hooked up to defibrillators that bring you back to keep the game going across three rounds. If you manage to survive, you win a respectable sum of money. If your defibrillator runs out of charges, well... So much of what's going on is left unexplained, which adds to the tension of the whole game. Who (or what) is this freak who's letting you gamble your life for cash? What seedy club is this that just has a whole Russian roulette operation (that even has waivers so they can absolve themselves of liability)? Where does all the money come from, and why is your character compelled to earn it this way? What kind of unholy Frankenstein setup lets you survive multiple shots from a shotgun no problem? None of these questions are answered, but I found it fun to ponder them as I played. Particularly, I wondered about what brought the player character to this situation. Is it desperation, or do they find an inherent thrill in this deadly activity? In gameplay, I could feel these emotions firsthand (though not to the extent of how I'd feel them if I were messing around with a gun in real life, which I wouldn't) as I bit the bullet (pun intended) on certain choices while reveled in others that led me to victory, so I'm curious as to whether the player character feels the same way or if they have another in-universe reason to go through this ordeal. PRESENTATION: The visuals have quite the grainy quality and have rather muted colors, adding to the dingy vibe of the nightclub and making the already eerie premise of playing a version of Russian roulette in a secluded room feel even more creepy. The aesthetic isn't going to impress you if you want crisp visual fidelity with polished 3D models or realistic lighting, but I think it does a wonderful job setting the mood. In terms of audio, things are mostly quiet, as the most prominent sounds you'll hear are the sound effects of the various items you interact with in the game. That doesn't mean that the game is devoid of music at all, as you actually hear the muted tunes the DJ plays in the nightclub below, and the tracks are pretty catchy. I appreciated all the little things that add to the tension of the game, like the animation of you trembling as you point the shotgun's barrel at yourself in first-person view, the sudden cut when you are shot, and the blood on the screen splatters when you manage to hit a winning shot on the Dealer. GAMEPLAY: Buckshot Roulette has you play out this twisted situation turn by turn, as you and the Dealer alternate wielding the shotgun. At the start of each round, you are shown the total number of rounds being loaded, with red corresponding to live rounds and blue being the blanks. These are then loaded in a random order with no tricks, so it's a legitimate game of chance. You and the Dealer are equals here, as you both play by the exact same rules, and neither is given an innate advantage or disadvantage apart from the fact that you always act first. On a player's given turn, they have the choice to either aim the shotgun at their opponent or at themselves. If the next round is live, the target takes damage, and the other player takes their turn. Aiming a blank at an opponent is a waste of a turn, but if a player aims at themselves and gets a blank, the opponent's turn is skipped and they can act again. You can keep track of how many of the rounds shown at the beginning have been fired and use that information to make your choice, but in the end, it's all still a gamble. Both you and the Dealer have an equal number of what you can think of as lives per round, and every time someone takes a buckshot to the face, they lose one life. If you hit zero, you're sent back to the beginning to begin a new run arcade/roguelike-style; if you get the Dealer down to zero, you move onto the next round. In order to win, you have to "kill" the Dealer three rounds in a row, at which point you get a score that you can view in the leaderboards between runs. If a whole set of rounds is used up before anybody dies, a new set is loaded into the shotgun, and the cycle repeats until someone dies. You can get all sorts of combinations here, from straight 50/50 odds, sets with more blanks or more live rounds, and sets as small as two rounds to a maximum of eight. The game will not keep track of what's been fired apart from showing you the color of the last shell fired (which will disappear from the screen after a short while), so you'll want to pay some attention if you want to make informed decisions. Things get interesting when items are introduced. Before the shotgun is loaded at the start of the round, both you and the Dealer receive a random assortment of items that are placed on one of eight slots on your respective sides of the table (and you can see what the opponent has). You can use any number of the items you have before you pick up the gun, and the Dealer can likewise do the same. There are only a small assortment of items available at this time, but their effects are game-changing, ranging from restoring lives, identifying what type of round is currently in the gun, removing a single round from play, turning the shotgun into a sawed-off (making any live round fired do double damage), forcing the opponent to skip their turn, stealing an opponent's item, and even reversing the polarity of the current round that's loaded (i.e. a blank becomes a live round and vice versa). These items make this tense game of chance super exciting, because both you and the Dealer can use these to tip the scales. Of course, the actual items you get per round are also up to chance, so it's entirely possible to get stuff that doesn't immediately help you (or worse, the Dealer gets a better set of really good items). Regardless, you can easily take over a round by combining different item effects to make the most out of a single turn. There's an element of strategy to using the items you have, as the very order you use them will determine what your options are when you finally pick up the gun. With some clever planning, you can do some wild stuff like completely lock out the Dealer from taking a turn or even annihilate them in a single shot, and putting together plays like that with what you have is absolutely satisfying. Of course, the Dealer is perfectly capable of formulating similar plays (their AI isn't afraid to gamble if they have to, but they will typically play whatever optimal play is available to them), so it's equally important to look at what items they have and plan around that. When you beat the game for the first time (which I was able to do first try, and I feel like many players can manage that as well with zero issue), you unlock Double or Nothing mode, which is essentially this game's take on an endless mode. Here, you simply keep going until you die or you beat every third round, at which point you have the option to double your score. This mode is mostly for the leaderboard chasers out there as you're mostly just challenging yourself to go as far as you can. I like that this is an option, because playing three rounds by themselves rarely takes more than 20 minutes, and while there will be times when all I have are 20 minutes, I enjoy this game enough that I appreciate a mode that lets me sink a bit more time in it. I read that the devs are planning a multiplayer mode for this game, which I think is a brilliant idea. There's a healthy mix of chance and strategy here that I'd enjoy playing this against my friends. VERDICT: Buckshot Roulette is just Russian roulette with extra steps (and an effectively disturbing atmosphere), but for how simple it is, I was hooked. Like I said, this game blends the innate gambling nature of the game with deceptively deep strategy in the form of the items, and there's a thrill to both taking a chance (and having it pay off) and strategically using items to turn a chance into a certainty. There's not really a lot else to do other than the main game, but I'm plenty satisfied with the experience scratching my arcade/roguelike player itch in that trying to chase a high score or good run is enjoyable in itself. That said, I would not be opposed to additional updates that add items or alternate modes, and I definitely want to take multiplayer out for a spin. Unless you find the macabre nature of the game disturbing (which is completely understandable considering the game has a first-person perspective), I think most people can appreciate and enjoy this game with no issue. The mechanics are easy to understand, you don't have to do anything crazy in terms of controls (just select and click), and I feel that the thrill of winning a gamble (or rigging everything so you're guaranteed to win) is a feeling that is universal. Here's the game on Steam: Buckshot Roulette on Steam (steampowered.com) And here's the soundtrack on Spotify: BUCKSHOT ROULETTE - Album by Mike Klubnika | Spotify - end - I've decided at some point this week that my manga theme for this month involves animals, so this is what we're doing now. BACKGROUND:
I don't know anything about this series, but a title all about an aspiring veterinarian is the kind of thing that works well for the theme I just made up. Also, based on the afterword, this manga was made as a supplement to a 3DS game (one that appears to be Japan-only based on my searches), which I thought was interesting. SUMMARY: Yuzu Morino is an 11-year-old girl who moves in with her uncle Akihito after her father's passing and her mother's hospitalization. Akihito is a veterinarian who's in charge of the Blue Sky City Bow Meow Animal Hospital, and tasks Yuzu to help him out since he works by himself. Yuzu isn't particularly fond of animals, but as she helps take on cases, her tune starts to change. Each chapter of the volume is its own standalone story focusing on a particular patient, and every story ends with Yuzu learning a valuable lesson because of the animal's situation or the bond they share with their caretakers. Going in, I thought the stories would just be cute and wholesome tales of a girl learning to love animals as she helps them with their problems, but pretty much every chapter is highly emotional as Yuzu learns about what each animal is going through and how deep their relationships with their caretakers go. The summaries of the four chapters in this volume are as follows:
I take care of a dog myself (and have watched over a fair number of animals throughout my life), so pretty much every chapter had me emotional by the end. A bond between an animal and its caretaker is unlike any other, and that really came across in every story in different ways. Whether it's the animal themselves showing how much they care about their caretakers, or the human doing the same, each story had something that I could really connect with on an emotional level. Yuzu learns a lot as she helps to take care of these animals, and not just in the veterinary sense. As she helps her uncle with these cases, she learns to become more empathetic not only towards the animals, but also to their caretakers. And as I mentioned, there's kind of a moral to the story for Yuzu by the end, and each case has her learn something new. The biggest lessons for her have to do with her understanding her mother's ordeal, as she learns to be considerate about what her mother's going through via the animals going through something similar (like putting on a strong facade for the sake of their loved one). Other characters get to shine, like the owners of each animal who gets help in each chapter (their stories are instrumental in making their respective chapter feel emotional), Yuzu's uncle Akihito (who, despite his occasional quirks, is dedicated to the care of animals and is a good role model to his niece), and Yuzu's mom (who gets ample time to shine thanks to the scenes where Yuzu comes to visit her at the hospital). There's also Sora the chihuahua, the adorable mascot of the animal hospital, whose entire personality is that he is jealous of Yuzu being cuter than him (which I thought was hilarious). The art is as cute as it gets, with the highlights being the animals (some of which are drawn in a chibi style). The humans (well, the girls that are Yuzu's age, anyway) are also drawn in a similarly cute style, and they get big eyes and silly facial expressions to boot. If you like cute animals, you're definitely going to get a kick out of this manga's art. VERDICT: I came into reading Yuzu the Pet Vet expecting a more light-hearted affair, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that each of the chapters featured compelling stories highlighting the special bond humans and animals can have. Every story resonated with me in some way, and I thought it was wonderful that Yuzu is growing as a person as she assists in every case. I definitely would read more of this, but before any of that, I'm going to go and pet my dog. If you love animals like I do, you absolutely should read this. Each story tugs at the heartstrings, and you get cutely drawn animals on top of that. What's not to enjoy? - end - I have one more GB game from the Mario Day NSO update to play! BACKGROUND:
The only other game I've played in the Mario Tennis series is Aces for the Switch, which I talk about here. All I know about this game is that it's here that Waluigi makes his original appearance. SUMMARY: As you may expect, Mario Tennis is a tennis game that more or less follows the rules of the real-life sport. Although the Game Boy has only two buttons, you're actually able to perform a variety of shot types as well as vary their spin and power simply by pressing A and B in different sequences, holding them, or even pressing them simultaneously. It took me a little bit to figure out how to get to each shot, but once I did, I was impressed with how you could do so much with so little and have the games be super exciting. You can even dive to hit a ball that's barely in range, which I thought was cool. If you just want to play some matches, you can pick Exhibition mode, select some rules (including singles vs. doubles), and jump right in. You can select way more Mario characters in this game than you could in the GB Color version of Mario Golf, which is great, and they all have their own stats. You're not going to get any wacky powers like in the new games, though. Like Mario Golf, this game has a whole single player campaign that kind of plays like an RPG. You pick one of the game's original characters and as a new student of a tennis academy, work your way up the academy's rankings by winning singles or doubles matches (which are treated separately, so there's basically twice the game here), then eventually entering a big tournament where you try to win. You also have a whole top-down section here where you walk around and talk to NPCs, but just like Mario Golf, there's not really much to do here but walk to the areas where you play the actual game. There's also an XP system here where completing matches levels you and your doubles partner up. Every time you level up, you earn skill points that you can spend to improve each character's stats, making them more effective in future matches. If you want to hone your tennis skills, you can play one of the minigames or practice challenges, where you do your best to hit specific shots or maneuver the ball to hit targets that are worth points. These minigames are simple, but they're a lot of fun and a great way to practice aiming your shots. My personal favorite minigame is the 2v1 minigame where you play against a doubles team by yourself. There's also a two-player mode which I didn't get to try, though I assume the options are the usual here (versus singles, or co-op doubles). VERDICT: Mario Tennis is a great example of an easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game, with simple and fluid controls that are deceptively deep and allow for tricky shots to mix up your opponents. I had a lot of fun just playing random matches and messing around with the minigames with how great the game feels, and while the RPG campaign is straightforward as it can get, it's the perfect mode to sink time into if I feel like playing a ton of the game. I can see myself going back to this on occasion, and I definitely want to try this with a second player. Though one can argue that something like Mario Tennis Aces (or even something like Wii Sports Tennis) is the more definitive video game tennis experience in the modern day (especially with the motion controls), I think this humble game from yesteryear is worth trying even for a little bit just to appreciate how you can do a lot with a limited control scheme. Plus, this is the game where Waluigi debuted; that's historically significant for some people, I guess? - end - I finished this game way sooner than expected, which is a good news-bad news situation for me (I'll explain later). BACKGROUND:
This is another one of those indie games I first saw at a Nintendo presentation and immediately was interested in after seeing only a little bit of gameplay. Lately, I've been trying to buy such games as soon as I can (within the bounds of my budget), so I'm excited to be talking about this only a short time removed from its release. PLOT: In this game, you play as Pepper, a young lady with a sense of adventure and an eye for treasure. She ends up shipwrecked on an island, and when she wakes up, she finds that some unsavory characters have made off with her treasure. Armed with her trusty drill, Pepper burrows her way through this uncharted island and faces off against the Narling forces in hopes of reclaiming her bounty. It's a pretty simple story, though that simplicity works well with the retro vibe this game has. This would feel right at home with many of the old school platformers I've played in this regard: you have a simple goal with a straightforward antagonist, and you have to travel across the world to achieve that goal. How many games can you name that, when boiled down to their very core, follow this general structure? PRESENTATION: The visuals are the primary reason behind the game's overall retro vibe, as you have some good, old-fashioned sprite-based pixel art. It's far from just a facsimile of yesteryear, however, as the sprites go well beyond what the 16-bit era can muster with some highly detailed sprites, vibrant colors, and super fluid animations. The music also has a bit of a chiptune flavor to it to add to the vibe, though what's more notable to me are the prominence of electronic tracks that start a bit slow but eventually build to become pulse-pounding tunes that go along perfectly with the faster-paced sections of the game. There are also tracks with a slower tempo (whose chill vibes work well with the more leisurely pace of the levels they're featured in), and while I enjoy those a lot, it's those faster tracks that stuck out in my memory. GAMEPLAY: Pepper Grinder is a 2D platformer where you play as the titular character and wield her drill to get past obstacles and maneuver your way across the game's levels. Pepper herself can run and jump just fine, but most of the levels are impossible to traverse entirely on foot. That's where your trusty drill comes in! Littered across most levels are surfaces that you can burrow through using the drill. You can move in 360 degrees while tunneling through these surfaces to weave through obstacles, but the key thing you can do when you're burrowing is launch yourself a considerable distance when exiting these surfaces. A lot of the execution-based sequences have you moving from surface to surface using this core mechanic while avoiding obstacles or aiming for other level elements. Getting the hang of flying through the air after exiting a surface and maneuvering yourself to another section of the level is trickier than it looks, but once I got the hang of it, drilling through the levels without skipping a beat felt utterly satisfying. I always enjoy platformers with mechanics and level design that come together to create an uninterrupted flow of movement if executed correctly, and this game delivers that wonderful feeling in spades. They mix up the surfaces you can drill through on occasion with slime that you can't pierce when you're inside, ice that takes longer to regenerate, another type of ice that also can't be pierced, and even having sections where the surfaces move (like an avalanche, for example). Those are fun to play around, though they left me wanting more since these instances weren't as common as a whole in the campaign. The game also features a grapple mechanic that lets you hook onto specific grapple points to either reach inaccessible ledges or redirect your movement in a circular motion. These work beautifully in conjunction with the core mechanics, as you can chain your burrowing movement to maneuver yourself towards these grapple points, which you can then use to direct yourself to another surface you can dig through. One other notable mechanic that's used for the fast-paced platforming sections is a sort of cannon that launches you in a specific trajectory after you rev it with the drill. These work pretty much like the barrels in Donkey Kong Country, and they work just as well in providing a timing-based element to certain sections. Again, pretty fun, but this is only used in a handful of levels. There are other gimmicks where you attach the drill to some device, like missiles and a gatling gun you can use to mow down enemies, as well as vehicles you can pilot (like a satisfyingly fast snowmobile, and a mech that can demolish buildings). If you're looking for a smorgasbord of fun power-ups, this is sadly the extent of it, but these things are a blast to use in their designated sections. Most of the enemies you'll run into act more like the other hazards you'll face, serving more as obstacles than something you have to actively fight. That's probably for the best, as the drill isn't that useful a weapon outside of when you're burrowing. You have to walk up to an enemy and drill them to deal damage, and there are some enemies that have specific weak spots that require you to maneuver around them anyway. On the flip side, the drill gets to shine combat-wise when you face off against the game's four bosses. They all have pretty straightforward attack patterns (to me, anyway; this could just be my experience with boss fights speaking), but the fun is making use of the terrain to maneuver yourself and hit their weak points by launching yourself drill-first from surfaces. I really wish there were more boss fights as well, because like a lot of what I've described here so far, I feel like there's a lot of untapped potential in terms of creative ways to make use of the core mechanic on top of the cool stuff they've already done here. All the levels are pretty linear and are designed to be cleared fairly quickly, as evidenced by each one having a Time Attack mode). However, you are handsomely rewarded for poking around cracked walls and trying to go off the beaten path, as you'll likely find one of the five Skull Coin collectibles of each level for your troubles. The best kind of optional collectibles to me are the ones that require you to complete some sort of challenge (whether that's a skill-based challenge, a puzzle, or testing the game's boundaries by exploring every nook and cranny), and the Skull Coins very much satisfy me in these specific contexts. Dying is of little consequence, since all you lose are a percentage of the treasure you collect (equivalent to the game's normal currency), and there are checkpoints strewn about the level. You only really need to watch your health if you're going through a particularly challenging gauntlet of obstacles, and even then, you can try again with full health if you do happen to hit zero. In between levels, you can visit each world's shop to spend your treasure. The actual helpful thing you can buy is extra HP to give yourself some wiggle room for tricky levels, which is nice for players who find themselves struggling a bit. Alternatively, you can throw the rest of your cash away in a gachapon machine where you can unlock stickers, which are also collectibles. Good luck catching them all, because you can absolutely get duplicates. The Skull Coins can also be spent in the shop, and you can use them to buy the collectible sticker pages (which lets you actually use the stickers you get to make fun pictures) and palette swaps for Pepper (specifically, her hair color and the color of her outfit). The most valuable thing you can purchase with the Skull Coins are golden keys that unlock a completely optional level in the world. Any reward that leads to more game is something I absolutely enjoy, but I'm crestfallen that there are only four of these optional worlds to unlock. Like I mentioned, you can play every level in Time Attack mode, and the gold, silver, and bronze times each reward exclusive stickers to round out your collections. If you're not that particular about completing the sticker collection, this is just a way to replay the levels with a timer on if you're of a speedrunning persuasion. What saddens me about this game is how there are only four worlds each with a handful of levels to play. Now, I didn't expect some 60+ hour odyssey when I bought this, but I felt like the fun was just beginning by the time I got to the last world. I think my longing for more game speaks to how much I enjoyed what its core platforming mechanics had to offer, and how I believe that what ideas are showcased here are just the tip of an inventive iceberg. VERDICT: So, here's the good news: I absolutely adored Pepper Grinder's drill-based platforming and how the levels are designed to make burrowing through terrain feel satisfying to master. I also liked how the levels indulged my explorative collector side without completely sidelining it for the linear platforming experience, and I thought the few boss fights and level gimmicks there were to be a ton of fun to mess with. The bad news is that I finished this game so quickly with how short its campaign is, and that left me hungry for more interesting level ideas, more gimmicks that interact with the drill, and even more boss fights. It may be a pipe dream to hope for DLC or a content update (let alone a sequel), but for now, I enjoyed this short but sweet game so much that I'm willing to grind out the time trials just so I can keep playing it. This is also a pipe dream, but I hope someone on the development team reads this and knows that there's at least one person out there who wants more of Pepper Grinder. If anything about what I described about this game's unique spin on 2D platformer action interests you in the same way that I was, and you don't mind this game being something you can beat in one sitting, I highly recommend this game. Maybe if enough of us buy this game, they'll add more game... You can check out Pepper Grinder on Steam, and even try its demo to see if it's your kind of game: Pepper Grinder on Steam (steampowered.com) Plus, here's the soundtrack on Spotify: Pepper Grinder (Original Soundtrack) - Album by Xeecee | Spotify - end - |
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