I continue my adventure through the Mega Man games for the Game Boy today. We'll see if there's more interesting stuff here. BACKGROUND:
A lot of what I said in my blog entry for Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge still applies here, so I won't repeat myself. The one thing I can add here is that the original Mega Man 2 for the NES is probably one of my all-time favorite games, so this game sharing the exact same title may influence my opinion a little bit. SUMMARY: Once again, this game plays very much like classic Mega Man, so most of my general description of the previous game still applies here. The main difference in terms of basic gameplay is that Mega Man has his slide now, so you have an additional way to avoid danger this time around. The eight Robot Masters here are also borrowed from the older games, with the first four you face being from the original Mega Man 2 (the ones who weren't in Dr. Wily's Revenge: Metal Man, Wood Man, Air Man, and Crash Man), and the rest from Mega Man 3 (Needle Man, Magnet Man, Hard Man, and Top Man). They all retain their weaknesses from their respective games (though Needle Man gets a new weakness since you don't get the Gemini Laser in this game), and the weapons you receive function pretty much the same as they did the first time around. Anyone who's played the original Mega Man 2 knows how completely busted the Metal Blade was in that game, and while it isn't "half the bosses are weak to this weapon" powerful, the ability to fire it in eight directions and its relatively higher ammo still makes it the best weapon for going through the stages. The other weapons see some use as boss/enemy weaknesses or have some other niche, but they just don't compare. In particular, the Crash Bomb loses its niche of breaking special blocks from the original, and the Top Spin is still just as terrible to use as it was in the original Mega Man 3 on top of not being useful on many things. Rush appears in this game as well, and you unlock his three platforming abilities from the NES Mega Man 3: Rush Coil, Rush Marine, and Rush Jet. They're all as useful as they were in their original incarnations, which is all I can ask for when it comes to these utility weapons. E Tanks are also back in this game, giving you the ability to heal off damage if you manage to find them. Dr. Wily's Revenge is comparatively more difficult due to the lack of these, and having these during boss fights makes a lot of difference. The level design stood out to me in this game because of how many of the Robot Master levels are more faithful to the original versions compared to the previous GB game, with sections that are almost one-to-one with the layouts in the NES games. There are also more levels in general, as the latter four Robot Masters actually get full stages (a contrast from Dr. Wily's Revenge, where you just fought the last four Robot Masters in straight fights). Much like Enker in the last game, this game features a unique boss who rewards you with a special weapon. Playing this role today is Quint, who, when defeated, rewards you with the Sakugarne, a pogo stick that you can use to damage anything underneath. It's a very unwieldy weapon, but it's quite entertaining to use on enemies. Like before, the graphics feel very close to the NES games minus the colors (especially with all the reused enemy designs and background elements), but I'll say that outside of a few remixed tracks, the music feels more original overall. In terms of story, it's the same old "Dr. Wily causing trouble" schtick, but he apparently figures out time travel in the process. Not that it matters, though; he doesn't really do much with that discovery. VERDICT: Sharing the same name as one of the most celebrated NES games of all time meant that this Mega Man II has a lot to live up to, and while it takes some of the best and most fun parts of the original Mega Man 2 and 3 as well as adding a couple of new things on top of that, it mostly just feels like a rehash of stuff I've already seen before. I had my fun spamming Metal Blade and destroying the Robot Masters with their weaknesses (which I already knew going in), but this game did very little differently for me to really stand out in the pantheon of Mega Man games. If you're going to play a Mega Man II, you owe it to yourself to play the original one for the NES. It's the one people call the best of the series for good reason, between its near-perfect level design, fun weapons (well, mostly Metal Blade), and easily the most iconic soundtrack in the entire series. There's no argument that it's an "essential" game that must be played once, and for what little my opinion is worth, I love that game so much that I replay it regularly. - end -
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Nintendo completely blindsided me with this month's Switch Online releases by unceremoniously dropping all five GB Mega Man games on the Game Boy emulator. You're about to get five whole weeks of me talking about each one, starting now. BACKGROUND:
Now, I knew there were Mega Man games on the Game Boy, but I've never played them at all. I also didn't know they made five of them (I only knew of this one and the GB Mega Man 2), which was part of why I was so surprised when they all dropped in the Switch Online emulator. Lastly, I know that these games reuse the Robot Masters from the original NES games, so I'm coming into these games wondering how much is derivative and how much is completely unique. Speaking specifically on the classic Mega Man series, I've played all six NES games, plus 7 (which was originally on SNES), 8 (which I first played on the original PlayStation), and 11 (which I talk about here). As you can probably tell, this is one of my favorite classic game series ever, so I know exactly what I'm getting into as I dive into the GB games. SUMMARY: Dr. Wily's Revenge plays largely identical to the NES Mega Man titles, so the general idea of jumping and shooting as well as going through the level until you get to the boss is pretty much intact here. Mega Man himself functions exactly as he did in the originals, with the Mega Buster as his default weapon (minus the Charge Shot), and mostly identical movement (minus the slide). You also get the same story formula, as Dr. Wily is back on his bullshit, and it's up to Mega Man to stop him. The game's structure is a little different from the usual formula, which has you select which of the eight stages you want to start on. You still get a choice at the beginning, but the choice has been reduced to four, after which you go to the usual Wily Castle phase of the game (of which there are only two levels). Oddly enough, you do still fight eight Robot Masters, but the other four are fought in the traditional boss rush section of the first Wily Castle stage instead of their own stages, which I was quite surprised by. As far as level design goes, the layouts themselves are completely unique from what I've played before, but they also feel familiar with their use of various enemies and hazards from across the NES Mega Man series. There are fairly unique gimmicks as well, like melting blocks, fans that push you away, and falling icicles that can be used as platforms, all of which I thought were neat. I was worried coming in that this game would just port over the NES levels wholesale, but I'm glad that the levels here are distinct for the most part. In terms of difficulty, I found the levels mostly on par with what I'm used to in terms of classic Mega Man, with a decent mix of tough, but fair rooms with tricky enemy placement, simpler rooms that pose no challenge if you just take your time, and a few sections that will punish you for not knowing the future (falling sections with instant-death spikes, or everybody's favorite disappearing blocks over bottomless pit). It's nothing I haven't dealt with before, so I managed just fine. The eight Robot Masters you fight in this game are taken from multiple NES games, with four coming from the original Mega Man (Elec Man, Cut Man, Fire Man, Ice Man), and the other four being Mega Man 2 bosses (Flash Man, Quick Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man). Their fights are pretty much identical to their original incarnation, and they award you the exact same weapons when you beat them. Hell, they have the exact same weaknesses, so I immediately figured out what order to beat them in. Of course, it would've been neat to get a unique set of Robot Masters, but I still had fun facing off against these classic foes all over again in a different setting. The bosses in the Wily stages are somewhat unique in contrast, with the first being a character named Enker (a robot designed specifically to defeat Mega Man, because those usually succeed), who actually rewards you with a weapon when beaten (Mega Man getting weapons outside of Robot Masters is quite rare in this series). The weapon itself is unique as well, as the Mirror Buster is basically just a projectile reflector. Mega Man also gets the Carry item halfway through the game, which serves as his one platforming tool here. Utility weapons that are purely for getting around are a staple in the series, even allowing you to reach optional pickups. In this case, Carry is the most basic type of utility item (it just spawns a stationary floating platform), and while it would have been nice to have more, it's really the only one you need for the levels in this game. This game even looks and sounds like the NES titles, with the sprites only really missing the colors, and some of the music being pulled straight out of the older games. I really felt the lack of color in this case, as part of the fun of Mega Man has always been seeing his color palette change depending on the weapon he has equipped. VERDICT: Dr. Wily's Revenge is standard fare for a Mega Man game, as everything from the presentation to the overall level design feels like something I've experienced with the original series. There are some unique elements like the actual level layouts and the addition of things like Enker and the Mirror Buster, but a lot of the game feels largely familiar. I did find fun in experiencing old bosses in a different context (like using Mega Man 1 weapons on Mega Man 2 bosses), but I did find myself wishing there were more new things like the Mirror Buster instead of the game just reusing stuff I've already seen. Outside of that, I had a decent (albeit short) time with this game, and I'm looking forward to playing through the rest of the Game Boy series. I would recommend playing the NES games (which are bona fide classics that absolutely count as "essential" games) first before even considering touching this one. They have more levels overall, so you both have more choices in terms of what order you want to tackle levels, more opportunities to try your special weapons on a larger assortment of enemies and bosses, and a more definitive boss rush experience where you actually fight all the Robot Masters again. As a bonus, you'll know what the boss weaknesses are for this game if you play the original Mega Man 1 and 2 first. - end - I've been waiting for this one to become available on Switch Online, and it's finally here. BACKGROUND:
I may have already mentioned this when I played this game's sequel (blog entry here), but I have played this game before. This was one of the games I bought on 3DS via Virtual Console, and I remember having a decent time with it. That was a while ago, though, so this playthrough will refresh my memory a bit. SUMMARY: Super Mario Land is more or less a standard 2D Mario experience: a traditional side-scrolling platformer where all you have to do is run and jump across platforms and out of harm's way until you get to the end of the level. If you've played any 2D Mario games at all, this game is pretty much that minus any wild gimmicks. A lot of the mechanics here are taken straight out of Mario 1, primarily how you control Mario and the return of many staple level elements. There are a few notable changes, like the Fire Flower's projectile being a ricocheting ball that can also collect coins (making it quite versatile in more than one sense), the end of the level being a tower with top and bottom entrances (with the general idea of the higher you go, the better, being retained), and the addition of new enemies, some of which are unique to this game (like the sphinxes, kung fu warriors, moving moai). Levels are also slightly longer, perhaps to compensate that there are only 12 compared to the first game's 32, though none of them are particularly hard save for a few sections with a lot of enemies. Each world ends in a boss fight, none of which are particularly tough or complex (especially with a Fire Flower), but they're all unique and not just carbon copies of Bowser. Two of the boss levels actually change things up and turn the game into a shmup, where Mario pilots a vehicle able to fire bullets at incoming enemies. These levels aren't particularly hard, either, but they're fun for what they are. Thanks to a very simple bonus game between levels, it's much easier to get extra lives or get a Fire Flower, as you have a chance to get either when you get to this point. This makes the game much easier overall; it's very likely one can tear through this in one sitting, since there's more leeway to make mistakes. Though there's plenty that's familiar about this entry into the series, there are just as many elements that are unique to this game. This includes the story (which has Mario go through the kingdom of Sarasaland to save Princess Daisy, who makes her debut here), the inspirations for the levels (which pull from the real world like ancient Egypt, Easter Island, and the bamboo forests of China), some of the returning enemies (Koopas have exploding shells here, and Bullet Bill cannons only pop out of warp pipes like Piranha Plants), and a different feel to the presentation (like the less intricate sprite designs, a different art style for the backgrounds, and new music tracks). VERDICT: Super Mario Land is quite short and doesn't really reinvent the wheel, but I was still charmed by its unique locales and had a pleasant time going through the dozen levels. Having played Mario Land 2, that game definitely feels like an across-the-board improvement compared to this, which feels super basic by comparison. Still, I appreciate this game as kind of a bite-sized reimagining of Mario 1, and I'm glad to have played it again on a different platform. Though not as revolutionary as other entries in the Mario series in terms of gameplay, I would assert that it still deserves recognition as one of the launch titles of the original Game Boy as well one of the first tentpole Nintendo franchises to make the leap into the handheld space. Thus, this game falls into my "essential" designation, though outside of that, this is a great game to play if you're in the mood for some classic 2D Mario but don't have a lot of time to spare. - end - Today, I continue playing through May's Switch Online additions. BACKGROUND:
As I've mentioned before, baseball not really being a thing in my country meant that it wasn't really a sport I had an affection for growing up. I did end up understanding the game when I got older and even dabbling in baseball video games, but I can't really say that it's my go-to sport. Speaking on this game specifically, I didn't know that the Game Boy had a Nintendo Baseball game. The one I'm familiar with is the NES version, which plays pretty much how you'd expect, but does hold some historical significance as one of the main reasons the NES managed to do well in the US on its initial release (a major concern for Nintendo at the time, as they were only two years removed from the infamous video game crash of '83). SUMMARY: Shockingly, Baseball just lets you play the popular sport as a video game. There's nothing wacky about the mechanics or any wild gimmicks; it's just regulation baseball with all the rules you expect. I will note that, when batting or pitching, this game controls much smoother than the NES version, which felt slow as hell to me. Trying to move through the bases once the ball is in the air, however, still feels clunky to me. Also, you can actually move the players out in the field when the ball is in play, which you can't do in the NES version (you can only choose to throw when they happen to catch the ball automatically). The game only has two teams to choose from (as opposed to the six available in the NES version), and they each have players with different stats (which may matter a little at the beginning, because you get to pick which player you start the game with). The main deciding factor determining who you want to play as will likely be if you want to start as the batter or the pitcher, as one team can only start as the batter and the pitcher respectively. I still haven't figured out how to start as the pitcher in the single player mode of the NES version, so the option here is nice. Interestingly, the game lets you choose whether to play USA or Japan mode, which primarily changes the player names, has slightly different placements for the UI, and distinct background music. I'm not sure it changes anything else. Though obviously lacking color, I much prefer the sprites in this version compared to the NES version (while there's a charm to the classic NES sports person sprite design, the GB sprites have a bit more detail to them), and I'm very glad that this game has an option to have background music on. The NES version is dead silent during gameplay apart from the sound effects. VERDICT: Baseball isn't really my sport, so this game admittedly doesn't hold my interest for long beyond the few innings I'm willing to play through. That aside, I do find this to be more enjoyable than the NES version, since it has a few additions that let me choose how I play and smooths out some issued I had with the original. I may enjoy this more with a second player, but for now, I'm good here. I'd argue the NES version is at least "essential" in the sense that one must acknowledge its significance in the history of video games in North America, but if you're not really into baseball or sports sims, I'm not sure this game (regardless of version) will appeal to you. If you are, you may be better served playing more modern offerings, but if simple is what you're looking for, you can't go wrong with either this version or the original (though my opinion is that the Game Boy version plays better). - end - Nintendo has graced us once again with new additions to the Game Boy emulator for Switch Online, which means I have more old shit to play! BACKGROUND:
I had no idea this game was even a thing, let alone that a) it was a Game Boy launch title, and b) Intelligent Systems had a hand in developing it. Learn something new everyday. SUMMARY: Alleyway is a clone of Breakout, a legendary Atari game from the arcade era developed by industry legend Nolan Bushnell and the two co-founders of Apple (Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak). The basic premise of this game is controlling a paddle to bounce a ball, using it to break a layout of bricks (while taking care not to miss the ball by moving the paddle from side to side). It's a classic game that's been done so many times that the genre it spawned is still commonly referred to as "Breakout clones." Other notable titles in the genre include the equally iconic Arkanoid to more out-there entries like Ricochet: Lost Worlds (a personal favorite of mine; I talk about that game here). Honestly, I think it's unlikely that anyone who can read my blog hasn't seen a Breakout clone at some point in their life; the more likely thing is that people may not know what that kind of game is called, or the progenitor of the genre. In any case, I hope my explanation suffices, and that the bits of trivia I shared are interesting. Many games have evolved the Breakout formula in the decades since the original's release with all sorts of wild mechanics. Alleyway... doesn't really do that. Most of the game is the standard paddle-and-ball action that serves as the core of games of its kind, and you don't really get any gimmicks like power-ups or multi-balls. The only really notable mechanic is how the paddle shrinks every time the ball hits the ceiling, which in all fairness is a neat way to keep things challenging. The main source of variety in this game is in the brick layouts for each level, which is honestly shallow because there are only a handful of layouts that are used multiple times in the game. The layouts themselves are pretty generic, save for one set of regular levels and the bonus levels, which are patterned after sprites from Super Mario. Where the game mixes things up is when they reuse brick layouts, as every second level will have the bricks scrolling horizontally, while every third level features the same layout, but descending line per line Puzzle Bobble-style (though bricks are deleted once they pass a certain threshold). I wish there were more designs for the layouts in general, but the scrolling and descending levels are a fun way to freshen things up a little bit. Every fourth level is a bonus level, which, as mentioned, features a fun layout of bricks that look like various Mario sprites (like Mario himself, or a Koopa). Things work a little differently here, as the ball will not bounce off the bricks (it will instead go through them as they're broken), and there's a time limit. The goal here is just to clear as much of the board as you can, which will net you points (they do matter, as every 1000 is an extra life). The graphics are pretty basic (which is fine; the original Breakout itself looked simple), though amusingly, there's an opening cutscene that shows Mario entering a vessel that turns out to be the paddle you're controlling (the story behind that, I don't know). In terms of music, you get pretty much nothing apart from bonus levels, which made the game kind of boring. VERDICT: There's honestly not much to say about Alleyway, as it doesn't really do anything notable with the game it's borrowing from other than the occasional moving level layouts, the odd Mario sprite, and the shrinking paddle mechanic. I have a soft spot for simple-as-hell arcade games, so I had my fun with this game, but I can't say that it does anything to set itself apart from other Breakout clones or engage me enough to keep playing past the couple dozen levels there are. It's a serviceable game that delivers what's expected of a Breakout clone, but that's about it. If you're interested in the Breakout clone genre, you're probably better off playing the original (which is both an "essential" game for its impact on gaming, as well as the perfect showcase of the core experience of the genre it pioneered), or checking out the many Breakout clones that have since come out that add new mechanics to the formula, like Arkanoid (which expanded upon the foundations by adding stuff like power-ups to the mix). That being said, there's nothing really wrong with Alleyway if you want something on the simple side; if you just want a Breakout-style game with not a lot of set dressing or chaos, this game will suffice. - 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 continue playing through NSO's Mario Day updates with this game. BACKGROUND:
Somehow, I've never played a Mario Golf game prior to this one, which is wild considering I've played Mario Hoops, which is arguably a more obscure Mario sports game. How about that? SUMMARY: This may come as a surprise, but Mario Golf is a golf game. Shocking, I know. The actual game actually plays a lot like NES Open Tournament Golf, where you aim your drive in a top-down perspective (taking the wind into account), pick a club to swing with, control where you hit the ball, and the power and trajectory of your swing is based on a three-clicks scheme. As such, I knew what I was getting into in terms of playing through the courses. There are a total of 90 holes split across 5 courses you can play through, and while the average par for each isn't varied (most are par 4, with a few going 3 or 5), the layouts are distinct enough from one another with all the different terrain you have to navigate. The green for each also has topography that you have to play around, making putting a respectable challenge. The way this game is structured is interesting, because the single player campaign is actually a golf RPG (complete with top-down sections where you walk around the world and the different clubhouses). You pick one of four characters then do your best to win all five tournaments on all five courses by scoring the best across the 18 holes of each course. As you finish courses and hit the rankings, you earn XP which levels you up. When you level up, you earn skill points that you can spend on one of your stats to beef yourself up. You can also go on head-to-head matches against the other characters (the champions of each course), and if you score better than them at the end of 18 holes, you unlock them as playable characters in the other modes. And if you're wondering where the "Mario" part of Mario Golf comes in, you get a whopping total of three playable Mario characters, which is a little disappointing. All the other characters have different stats, if that matters to you. You can also play the courses for fun if you don't want to stress out about rankings. You can also take on one of the minigames and challenges to sharpen your golfing skills with tasks that focus on a specific aspect of the game. And if you can get a friend to tag along, you can take them on in versus play. VERDICT: Although the actual golf gameplay isn't new to me, Mario Golf is still a solid experience overall that has the usual trappings I've come to enjoy from golf games, and I thought that the golf RPG angle was neat (if a bit barebones). I do wish this game leaned more into the "Mario" part with more Mario characters to play with or against, but I'm happy with this being a spiritual successor to NES Open Tournament Golf with more stuff and a bit of a genre deviation. I would probably recommend this game over NES Open Tournament Golf if you want a retro golf experience, since the controls for this are more forgiving and refined than the older game. Plus, there's more to do here between more courses, playable characters, and the RPG element. - end - Mario Day brought with it a few new additions to the Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators on Switch Online. You know the drill; let's go through them one by one! BACKGROUND:
I played the original Dr. Mario on NES via Switch Online, so there's probably a brief summary of it in one of the old NES Online blog entries. Those were the days when the game rollout for the library was monthly, so my posts then were just brief summaries for each game. As such, I likely didn't say more than a couple of sentences on it, but the gist of it is that I found it a really addictive matching puzzle game that I just kept going back to. I'm fairly certain that the GB version is just a port of the original, so I know exactly what I'm getting into here. This is unrelated, but I should probably go back and write individual blog entries for those NES games that I talked about in that format. I ended up transitioning to giving new releases their own entries because Nintendo drip-fed them, and I can probably do a lot of those early NSO offerings better justice by giving them their own posts. SUMMARY: Dr. Mario on GB is indeed practically identical to the NES (outside the obvious difference of the original having color). The game is a matching puzzle game where you rotate and drop pills (which have differently colored halves) onto their correspondingly colored viruses. Line up four of the same color of virus and pill and you clear the virus from the board. Like most games of this time, you just try to go for as long as you can for the high score; if a piece goes over the board, it's game over. Each level has you try and clear a random assortment of the viruses, and as you go along, the number of viruses increases and the drop speed of the pills get faster. You can adjust the difficulty level before starting the game as well, allowing you to skip ahead to a more challenging level off the bat. Perhaps the most striking difference between this version and the original on NES is the lack of color. On the NES version, the virus types and the pills are differentiated by color, but that obviously can't work since the original Game Boy doesn't have color. Instead of red, blue, and yellow, this version has light, dark, and checkered, which works well enough given the clear limitations. This version also features the same music, including the iconic Fever and Chill tracks. The former remains as catchy as ever, and for whatever reason, I never get tired of listening to it. VERDICT: Dr. Mario is as pure as a block puzzler can get, sticking to the core of matching elements to clear a board and escalating the difficulty as you clear levels. It's simple as hell, but games like this are addictive as hell despite (and perhaps even because of) this exact fact. I will probably stick to the NES version since the colors make the overall game more readable, but I definitely appreciate the GB version's existence by making this game a portable experience at the time of its release. Since the original and this version are functionally the same, you can't really go wrong with either one. Just pick the one whose visuals you prefer. In general, this is definitely an "essential" Nintendo classic that everyone should try at least once, so give it a go! - end - We didn't get a Super Nintendo game for this Switch Online update, but there is an interesting addition for the Game Boy. BACKGROUND:
I didn't even know Konami made a Castlevania game for the Game Boy, so learning of its existence was just as much a surprise as getting anything Castlevania on the Switch Online emulators. I'm told this isn't a canon entry into the series, either, so that's interesting. SUMMARY: Intended to be set very early into the series timeline, Castlevania Legends follows the story of Sonia Belmont, who was meant to be a major ancestor for a lot of the known family members from previous games. She takes it upon herself to oppose Dracula, who has gained unimaginable power by way of a deal with the devil of sorts. Thus, she travels across Transylvania all the way to Dracula's castle, whipping every monster in sight. It's a basic Castlevania story, but it does get interesting near the end thanks to the appearance of a major Castlevania character who appears to have quite the connection with Sonia. This factors into the bonus ending you can get by completing a special objective, which reveals the future of the Belmont Clan in this timeline. In terms of gameplay, Castlevania Legends feels like the classic 2D platformer of old, but with a slightly more forgiving jump (unlike the original Castlevania), no wacky whip controls (unlike Super Castlevania IV), and a largely linear level structure (unlike Castlevania II or anything post-Symphony of the Night). There's still potential for cheap deaths due to getting knocked back into pits or completely missing climbing ropes or other seemingly easy jumps, but I didn't find myself being as careful as I was when I played the first Castlevania, which featured level design that demanded that you be cautious at every step. Sonia's whip behaves mostly like Simon's in that you can upgrade it twice with special pickups, but the twist is that the fully upgraded whip also shoots projectiles, which can make most enemies hilariously trivial to deal with. The enemies themselves are mostly familiar, with only a few that I haven't quite seen in the older titles, and while the level design isn't as devious as the original game in terms of enemy placement, there are some annoying exceptions that are made more annoying with the enemy respawn behavior. The levels themselves have a few dead ends that either put you in trap rooms or hold some bonuses like meat that heals your HP, but a select few hold special collectible items (all of which are the original sub-weapons). These collectibles do nothing in-game, but if you manage to get them all by the end of the game, you're treated to the bonus cutscene I was talking about earlier. It's a neat reward, though to be honest, it doesn't take much effort to find most of these collectibles since all you have to do is check everywhere (and a lot of the levels aren't that large). Instead of the classic sub-weapons, Sonia has access to soul weapons. These function similarly in that they take collectible hearts (which you pick up from candles) as ammo, but they're more like spells in their behavior (e.g. Wind freezes enemies, Ice heals, Fire damages all non-bosses onscreen, etc.). Unfortunately, you only get these after you beat the boss of a stage, so for most of the first stage, your hearts are used for absolutely nothing. By the time you get these spells, you have way more hearts than what you know what to do with, and you can blaze through levels with the combination of a fully upgraded whip and smart use of the soul weapons. Sonia also has access to a super mode that she can use once per stage, and it makes her invincible for a brief period. This makes boss fights (which are at best annoying depending on the attack patterns you have to deal with) an absolute joke, and that includes Dracula himself. It's satisfying to mindlessly wail on bosses with zero consequence, but if you're looking for a challenge, this mechanic completely gets rid of it. The game also has you choose between Standard Mode and Light Mode at the start, with the only real difference being that Light Mode fully upgrades your whip out the gate. I played in Standard Mode, which I already found easy once I got the whip upgrades (which doesn't take long if you're destroying every candle you see); I can only imagine Light Mode saves you even more time. VERDICT: Castlevania Legends was a pretty short playthrough for me, and I unfortunately can't say I was that engaged in that brief time. Most of the game was almost mind-numbingly easy thanks to more lenient platforming, a whip that lets you damage enemies from very far away, soul weapons (while an interesting twist on the sub-weapon formula) that can trivialize entire rooms with tricky enemies, and an invincibility mechanic that lets you have your way with every boss you run into. I did think the collectibles were neat (even if they did nothing apart from give you a bonus ending), I liked the big guest appearance near the end of the game, and there was some satisfaction to be had from tearing through the entire game super quickly, but I feel like I'm fully content with my one playthrough and have no interest in giving it another go. As far as Castlevania entries go, you're better off exploring the most iconic entries in the series; the original is still my personal recommendation, though it is a rather unforgiving game. If you just want a relatively low-stress platformer or are curious about a seemingly forgotten corner of the Castlevania timeline, this game won't take up too much of your time. - end - This game in particular really stood out to me as the odd duck of the September Switch Online additions. BACKGROUND:
I haven't even heard of the animated movie this game is based on, so that's a good sign. SUMMARY: Quest for Camelot is an adventure game in the style of 2D Zelda where you play as Kayley, the daughter of Sir Lionel of King Arthur's court. Sir Lionel was slain when Ruber, a traitorous knight, attempted to assassinate King Arthur, and ten years later, Ruber makes a play for the throne by attempting to steal Excalibur. Kayley, who has aspired to be a knight since childhood, takes it upon herself to set things right by searching for Excalibur while also getting a measure of revenge for her family. A lot of this story is told separately from the game via lengthy text with a slideshow of images mixed in to illustrate what's going on. I found it odd that the storytelling was done in this manner, but I was pleasantly surprised by the accompanying visuals, which look solid despite the obvious limitations brought about by the Game Boy Color's hardware. In contrast, hardly any storytelling is done in the actual game, as the few NPCs you run into have nothing to say other than what you should be doing to progress. The gameplay itself didn't really do anything for me. Having played my fair share of 2D Zelda, I didn't really encounter anything I haven't seen before, and what I did run into here felt unremarkable. Combat was fairly standard, enemies are basic, and the special items weren't anything unique. I didn't really mind that there wasn't much going on here, though I obviously would have preferred that there were more to do. What really killed my interest in this game involved exploration and progression. Exploration was almost nonexistent, since the maps were small, and the game is further segmented into standalone levels. Progression was even less engaging to me, as there are hardly any puzzles, and moving forward is usually accomplished by something much more tedious (like fetch quests, killing every enemy in an area, escorting an NPC somewhere, or looking for something that barely constitutes as "hidden"). VERDICT: I wish I had more to say about Quest for Camelot, but there really isn't much that captures my interest here. The story is standard fare, and the gameplay is a less interesting rendition of a formula that's been done well before. I don't know if the movie tells the story better, but I'm fairly confident that you're better off playing Link's Awakening if you're looking for a game of this style. All criticisms aside, this game brought back some memories of the heyday of developers vomiting out licensed titles, and part of me wants Switch Online to add a bunch more of those (regardless of quality). - end - It's not quite Gen 1 and 2 on the NSO, but hey, I'll take what I can get at this point. BACKGROUND:
While I've always been a big fan of Pokémon, I've never actually played the TCG in any meaningful capacity. Yes, I owned cards, but I only got them because I liked the pictures. I didn't even understand the basic rules until I was much older, let alone know about this game's existence. For all intents and purposes, this is my first time experiencing a version of the TCG, so this should be an interesting time. THE TRADING CARD GAME: As this game is more or less a simulation of the actual tabletop game, it's important to get into how that works. The basic idea of the TCG is "summoning" Pokémon, powering them up with Energy cards or by evolving them, and battling it out with the opponent in an attempt to knock them out first. In present day, there are a lot of mechanics that make this game quite complex (none of them I understand), but the iteration of the game you encounter here is pretty much the very first iteration. There are three win conditions in this game, though the main two you're likely to encounter involve knocking out the opponent's Pokémon. Only one Pokémon can be active per player at a time, and you can win if you KO your opponent and they're unable to switch in another active Pokémon. This win condition works if a player's Bench (where you play your reserve Pokémon) is empty, so you always want to make sure you have at least one Pokémon on your Bench just in case. The other, more likely win scenario involves the Prize Cards. When setting up the game, each player sets aside a number of their cards to serve as Prize Cards. To acquire a Prize Card, you must knock out an opponent's Pokémon, and you win if you manage to collect all your Prize Cards (achieved by knocking out an equal number of opponent Pokémon). The standard number of Prize Cards for a game is six, but in the GB version, there are duels with two, three, or four Prize Cards. A standard deck must consist of sixty cards, and you generally want a healthy mix of Pokémon cards to do battle with, Energy Cards (which your Pokémon need to attack), and Trainer Cards (cards that usually have something to do with deck manipulation, e.g. drawing cards, discarding cards, and other miscellaneous actions). In the GB game, you have a little over 200 cards to build a deck with, covering the entire first generation of Pokémon as well as a few iconic characters and items serving as the Trainer Cards. Typing is quite different in the TCG compared to the games, as there are only seven compared to the game's eighteen (or fifteen at the time of Gen 1). Multiple types in the games are often covered with one symbol here; for instance, the Fighting icon also represents Rock and Ground-types. Weaknesses and resistances, as such, don't quite work the same way, as a Diglett can do super effective damage on a Rattata because the latter's technically weak to "Fighting", which shares a symbol with Ground. Speaking of weaknesses/resistances, a lot of the Pokémon have at least one of each that also makes sense in the games, but obviously not everything is covered. Attacks don't have specific types, either, as any damaging attack simply takes on the type of the Pokémon regardless of what type it actually may be. As expected, weaknesses do double damage, while resistances are subtractive (usually -10, but there are instances where the penalty can be worse). The only Pokémon you can play straight out of your hand are Basic Pokémon, which you can think of as unevolved Pokémon or Pokémon with no evolutions. In order to play evolved forms, their Basic counterpart must be in play either as the Active Pokémon or on the Bench, and in the case of Pokémon like Charizard or Nidoking (which evolve from a Pokémon that itself is evolved from something), the corresponding Stage 1 Pokémon must already be in play. Each Pokémon has actions on their card which are referred to as attacks (regardless if they do damage or not). Pretty much every attack has a corresponding Energy cost, which you meet by attaching the corresponding Energy cards (which have the icons of each type) to the Pokémon. You can only play one Energy card per turn, so you really have to think about what Pokémon you set as the active one at the start, because you may end up wasting several turns trying to draw for Energy. On the flip side, you can play Energy on Benched Pokémon, so you can play ahead and bank Energy for the late game. Additionally, Energy itself isn't expended when using attacks (unless specified by a card effect), so you don't have to worry about running out unless your deck doesn't have a lot of Energy to begin with. Pokémon also have a Retreat cost, which specify a given Energy cost. This Energy cost is what you have to discard to switch out an Active Pokémon with a Pokémon from your Bench. It's a risky play since you lose any attached Energy you may have invested in a Pokémon, but it can save your ass if your current Active Pokémon is in danger. You can even take advantage of this mechanic to guarantee a win by switching in a Benched Pokémon you've been building up and establish an advantage during your turn. There are other nuances and conditions to think about (like certain play/action restrictions, various status effects, lots of coin flipping, and more), but these are the most crucial basics. Having played nearly every duel in the GB game, I find the TCG to be feast or famine when it comes to strategic satisfaction. A lot of interactions are literally decided by coin flip, which can be hilarious or infuriating depending on who's on the receiving end of bad luck, and I don't really like that inconsistency. Plus, situations where survival hinges entirely on chance aren't fun to me. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the depth of the interplay between the Active slot and the Bench, because you can either play it straight and jack up your Active Pokémon out the gate, or you can play defense and build up a Pokémon on your Bench (which you can bring in either when your Active Pokémon is knocked out/has retreated). Some cards even do tricky things like allowing you to manipulate who's active on either side, or even affect Benched Pokémon (who are typically untouched by combat). I saw a lot of strategic potential in these mechanics even with the limited card selection, and I saw enough that I'm actually willing to properly try the game. THE VIDEO GAME: The GB game teaches you all of the basics I described earlier with a practice duel, and there are in-game glossaries and references you can consult in case all the lingo flies over your head. You're given a starter deck which is kind of usable, but it's entirely up to you to actually figure out how to build decks or cook up strategies. The builds you'll encounter in duels serve as ample inspiration, however, so it's not completely trial-and-error. The UI for the duels takes a lot of getting used to when it comes to navigating to check information, but I suppose you could only do so much with a Game Boy Color. Going through menus fifteen times to read descriptions isn't the most fun, but the menus themselves are as clear as they can be given the limitations. As far as the game's structure, it's pretty much just the same formula as the main series games where you go challenge eight leaders to battles (after beating a bunch of other duelists on the way), win badges, and go to an equivalent of the Elite Four and the Champion. You also have a bratty rival and a helpful professor, but other than that, there is zero plot. No Team Rocket, no Legendary Pokémon subplot, nothing. You're just a kid who wants to play cards and win some special cards by beating everybody. That's it. In order to duel people, you simply have to move around the very small world map to the three-room clubhouses and talk to people. Many of the NPCs actually have nothing to offer beyond some generic dialogue, but there are at least a handful in there who are game to duel you. A rare few NPCs give you cards after fulfilling certain conditions (usually a trade), but that's about it. Barring certain duels with an opportunity to earn exclusive cards, there's really no penalty to losing other than having to try again. Winning gives you booster packs with random cards so you can try and build your own decks outside of the starter deck you're given at the start. Every NPC you can duel gives out a specific type of booster pack, so in the event that you need to grind for cards, you can simply target particular NPCs for repeat duels. Like I said, the card selection of 200+ doesn't seem like a lot, but I found that there's wiggle room to experiment despite the limited selection. If you feel like you're not ready to try your hand at building decks from scratch, the game gives you ways to create specific builds with the cards you have (though this requires getting the "gym" badges, which naturally requires you to win with what you have). The game even suggests that you start out by swapping out a few cards in the starter deck, which I found quite effective as a starting point. There are also a bunch of multiplayer features in this game, but I currently don't have the means to check any of them out. This is a standing invitation to fight me via Switch Online. I must also note that the card art is impressive, since they manage to recreate the actual art of the cards from that era of the TCG with the limitations of the Game Boy Color. The music's pretty catchy, too. VERDICT: Though the video game itself is barebones in terms of story, Pokémon TCG is a really easy way to learn and play the card game without sinking several hundred dollars into buying cards and not getting what you want. The video game teaches you the card game reasonably well (and puts you in an environment where you can experiment and fail with zero stress and consequence), you run into many NPCs with a respectable variety of deck builds to plan against or take inspiration from, and the actual building of decks isn't too much of a hassle. As much as I don't like all the coin flipping nonsense, my experience with the TCG is a net positive, and as I mentioned earlier, I definitely want to play more. Your best bet at playing TCG without splurging on physical cards at this point is probably TCG Live (here's the official site for it, which has links to the app for iOS and Android), but in terms of learning the basics and formulating relatively simple strategies, I think this humble Game Boy Color game does the job quite well. I highly recommend playing this game if you're interested in playing the Pokémon TCG. - end - Derryck Plays - GB Online: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons [Nintendo Switch]8/30/2023 Last month, Switch Online's Game Boy emulator got a two-for-one special, and I'm talking about both games in one go. BACKGROUND:
This is another one of my Zelda blind spots, so I was quite excited to hear that it was coming to the Switch Online emulators. I've read all about the unique gimmick of the games having cross-game functionality, and I'm naturally curious about seeing that in action for myself. Interestingly, I have read the Oracle of Seasons manga (I talked about that here), so I have an idea of what I'm getting into for that game in terms of plot. SUMMARY: In Oracle of Ages, Link is transported by the Triforce to the land of Labrynna, which is plunged into chaos when Veran, Sorceress of Shadows, possesses Nayru, the titular Oracle of Ages. Veran's endgame is to disrupt the flow of time by spreading sorrow in the past, and Link must travel between the past and the present to collect all eight Essences of Time to defeat Veran. Oracle of Seasons isn't much of a deviation overall, as the story for that is Link having to rescue Din (the eponymous oracle) from the clutches of the Dark General Onox. This one takes place in the land of Holodrum, and Onox's machinations cause the seasons of the land to go haywire, causing all sorts of problems for the area's inhabitants. Played as they are, you get a pretty basic ending where you successfully rescue the game's respective Oracle and restore peace to the land. However, near the end, it's revealed that there are more malevolent forces pulling the strings, and while things end all right for the most part, the game makes clear that the fight is far from over for Link. You can leverage the fact that these two games can be connected (achieved in this version with a passcode system) and connect a finished game to the other one you haven't played. Doing so makes the other game you're playing a sequel to your first adventure, and that ends up fleshing out and paying off that dangling plot thread. You even encounter characters you met in the first one you play as you take on the second. Granted, most of the base story is unaffected by this gimmick (the actual sequel bits only come in the form of very brief cutscenes until you get the payoff in the finale), but I nonetheless appreciate the novelty of this system. Again, it's a treat to see a Zelda game set somewhere other than Hyrule with unique characters and locales. What surprised me going into this was seeing elements that I typically associate with 3D Zelda games (Gorons, friendly Zora, even specific characters and music tracks) present here. The stories themselves aren't going to win any screenwriting awards, but the ability to link the two games and make the second one you play a sequel with a whole different ending was cool to me. It doesn't really matter which game you start with, as which adventure goes first can easily be interchanged without causing any continuity problems. And regardless, the core gameplay of classic 2D Zelda (top-down perspective, exploration, dungeons and bosses) is the same in both games. You get all your usual ingredients like puzzles, combat featuring classic enemies, and secrets in the overworld, so if you've played one of these before, this will feel very familiar. A lot of what Link can see and do in these games is pretty similar to Link's Awakening (discussed in this blog entry), from most of the item selection (plus the ability to unequip the sword for something else), a few minigames, occasional side-scrolling sections, and a whole item trading sequence. There are, of course, items unique to this game, like the equippable rings that provide either helpful buffs or are completely useless, and unique offerings such as the Seed Shooter (which let you shoot one of five types of seeds with different effects) and the Magnetic Glove (which lets you attract or repel objects by toggling the polarity). There are also unique mechanics like the three animal companions (which allow you to traverse specific terrain), as well as the ability to plant Gasha Seeds in specific spots to acquire Gasha Nuts for a random goodie (the fact that it's called "Gasha" may give away the very nature of this mechanic). The animal companions are fun, but you only really use them for one or two sections. Naturally, the maps for the two games are distinct since they take place in different locations, but the main difference I noticed in terms of gameplay is how each one focuses on a differnt aspect of gameplay. In Oracle of Ages, I noticed how involved the puzzles were in the dungeons (there were some really tricky ones in there), while Oracle of Seasons has more combat sections (but still has respectable puzzles). I also liked the fact that there are items that are exclusive to one game, which allowed both games to have unique puzzles (e.g. Magnetic Glove is exclusive to Oracle of Seasons, Switch Hook is exclusive to Oracle of Ages). Both games take inspiration from A Link to the Past by letting you explore parallel versions of the same map. Ages is the more overt facsimile, as you use the Harp of Ages to move between the past and the present in a very similar fashion to the Mirror as it's used in A Link to the Past. There are actually more instances of the past affecting the present in this game (between certain interactables and NPCs in the present hinting at what you can do), which I appreciate. Oracle of Seasons instead has the Rod of Seasons, which you can use to cycle through each of the four seasons to change parts of Holodrum's environment. Some paths are locked off as they are the first time you get there, but as you slowly upgrade the Rod of Seasons, you're able to manipulate elements in the environment to get you across (e.g. lakes becoming walkable in winter, climbable vines only appear during summer, among other examples). Most of the time, you simply use the Rod of Seasons to navigate Holodrum, but at certain points, it'll let you access the subterranean land of Subrosia. It's not really a parallel world like the Dark World since it's significantly smaller and there's not a lot to do, so while I like the idea of exploring the overworld and the underground, I feel like there's some untapped potential here. Both the harp and the rod kind of suffer from the fact that you can only use them on specific spots, and while that adds a neat puzzle element to exploration, I did find myself wishing that you could go all out with both items. While I found the Rod of Seasons significantly more limiting (because the Harp of Ages at least loses its restrictions in the latter portion of the game), I found it the more interesting of the two gimmicks. That may just be because I've seen the Harp of Ages' gimmick before, but I thought changing the seasons to alter the environment was really cool. The linked game gimmick extends beyond turning the second game you play into the sequel with a true ending, as a linked game lets you access exclusive secrets like special items and allows you to transfer Rings to the other game (giving you a significant edge when you unlock the ability to equip Rings). After decades of Pokémon, I'm kind of over the "two versions of the same game" gimmick where you trade exclusives between games, but the story actually evolving when you connect the two is what makes this particular instance special for me. VERDICT: Both Oracle games offered what I've come to expect and enjoy from 2D Zelda games while also adding a fair share of new mechanics that set them apart from the others I've played (mostly in the form of Link's items). I thought the ring mechanic was interesting (though a lot of them are locked behind Gasha Nut RNG), and while linking games doesn't add a whole lot to the gameplay other than better items, I liked the idea of choosing which to play first and which to turn into the sequel. I feel like the main gimmicks of each game could have seen more mileage, but other than that, I had a fun time playing through both games. For reference, I played Oracle of Ages first and linked my save to Oracle of Seasons after beating it. If you're going to play these games (which I'd recommend if you enjoy the 2D Zelda formula), I suggest picking the order based on things like what gimmick sounds more fun to you (time travel or changing the seasons) or what you usually enjoy from games like this (more combat like in Seasons or more puzzles like in Ages). Whichever one you choose to start with first, just remember the passcode you get at the end of the playthrough so you can use that while setting up your save for the other game. - end - June's Switch Online emulator updates came with two Game Boy games. Here's the second one. BACKGROUND:
I played the original Blaster Master for the NES via the Switch Online emulator, and I found it a really interesting game with a gimmick that was unique for the time (the ability to pilot a tank and leave the tank and explore as a person), notably split the game into side-scrolling 2D platforming and short top-down shooter action, and implemented Metroidvania elements like non-linear level design and traversal upgrades at a time when the subgenre was still in its infancy. I was curious going into this whether or not the gameplay has changed significantly. Prior to that, I'd never heard of this series until the announcement of Blaster Master Zero, a reboot that also happened to be a launch title for the Switch back in 2017. I ended up reading a bit more about the game's history and learned that it's part of a series that's a bit of a cult classic. As of this reading, I still haven't picked up Blaster Master Zero, but I'll probably get around to it on a sale. SUMMARY: Blaster Master: Enemy Below's gameplay is largely the same as the original (so a lot of what I say here would apply to that game). You play most of the game as a 2D platformer where you control the tank SOPHIA and explore eight areas. These areas aren't connected linearly, and you have to backtrack to progress through the game. In order to backtrack, you'll have to acquire upgrades for SOPHIA that allow it to traverse inaccessible areas, and to get those upgrades, you'll need to defeat each area's boss. Every boss chamber requires a key (or keys to open), and you'll have to explore to find separate chambers that hold these keys. While the world isn't terribly large, I found it challenging to keep track of where I was given how zoomed-in the game's perspective is compared to the NES original (so I only see a fraction of a room at any given time) and how some rooms trap you in an infinite loop. This made backtracking (which itself is already a chore due to how the areas are connected) feel like quite the ordeal. Having a walkthrough handy did wonders for me by mitigating any frustration that may come from this feeling. SOPHIA can't do much at the start apart from fire its cannon, but as you progress, it gains a lot of neat abilities. These include (but are not limited to) the ability to hover, the ability to move freely in water, and the ability to drive on walls and ceilings. I thought these upgrades were neat, but with how small the game's world is, there are only so many places you can use them to check out optional areas. Enemies come in a few varieties, and the most challenge they pose is blocking your critical path in such a way that avoiding damage is difficult. Killing them may sometimes drop power-ups like HP refills, Hover Points (which add to your finite hover meter), and ammo for one of three special cannon attacks for SOPHIA. These special attacks are a homing missile (extremely useful), a downwards lightning attack, and a three-way missile attack. Unfortunately, SOPHIA can only do so much, and in many situations, you'll have to exit the tank and control Jason (the pilot) to navigate through tight spaces. Jason has his own health bar separate from SOPHIA's, though you can heal him up by simply reentering the tank. While his gun isn't as powerful as the cannon of a literal tank (and he can't aim upwards), it can break specific blocks and hit enemies that are too low for SOPHIA's cannon. Strangely, there's fall damage in this game, and Jason can die if he falls too far. Every area has doors only Jason can enter, and in these rooms, the gameplay changes to the top-down shooter I described earlier. Combat is trickier here since you have to weave Jason through and around a unique set of enemies that move really fast and/or shoot a lot of projectiles, and shooting them down is easier said than done since you have to be off-center when aiming. In this mode, you also gain access to a grenade attack, which does help a little because it covers a bit more area and does more damage, but doesn't have much range at the start. An interesting mechanic in these gameplay sections is Jason's gun meter, which you can increase by picking up specific power-ups dropped by enemies. For every level the meter's at, the gun's shot pattern changes in a way that makes landing shots easier, but the catch is that if you get hit, you lose one level of the meter. This really incentivized not getting hit at all, but certain enemies are guaranteed to drop a charge if that proves to be too troublesome. Much like SOPHIA, Jason actually has ability upgrades of his own, but nearly all of them are optional upgrades. I'd say most of these are worth going out of your way for since they make combat easier, and I'm just happy that there's still room for optional stuff despite how relatively small the game's world is. Each area has keys you have to find in these shooter sections, and once you've got them, you'll have to look around to find the boss door. You unfortunately have to fight the boss as Jason without the tank, and while few of them have any complex patterns, they do move fairly fast and have plenty of HP (even if you use grenades as your primary source of damage). I think it's a bit odd that SOPHIA sees no action at all in the game's most challenging fights, but there's something about how having to take on bosses without the tank that I appreciate in terms of subverting my expectations. VERDICT: Though there are notable differences like the graphics and the level layouts, Blaster Master: Enemy Below is not radically different in terms of core gameplay from the original NES title. I had a pretty similar experience playing this game as I did the first one, as the nonlinear structure of the game was both neat to explore but exhausting to backtrack through, and combat (especially in the shooter sections) can be slightly finicky. Overall, I experienced the same level of enjoyment I did out of the original's novel concept, but also a bit of the same level of frustration (which a walkthrough really helped curb). I would probably recommend playing the original Blaster Master first since what you get here is pretty much what that game had to offer at the very start. Regardless of which one you choose to play, I would have a walkthrough handy since it can be easy to get lost if you're not paying attention. - end - There's a new update for Switch Online's emulators this June, which means I have new stuff to play. Let's start with the Game Boy titles this time. BACKGROUND:
This is one of those Kirby games I don't really know much about, likely because it's a spinoff. SUMMARY: Kirby wakes up one day to find that King Dedede and his subjects are up to something. He decides to follow them and finds that the stars in Dream Land are gone. Three guesses as to what happened there. Instead of the usual 2D platforming action, the goal of this Kirby game is to guide Kirby through the game's many levels by tilting the console and rolling our ball-shaped hero past obstacles and into the goal. In the original release of this game, these motion controls were achieved via sensors inside the game's cartridge. The rerelease for Switch Online replicates this core feature of the game by utilizing the motion controls that are built into the Switch's controllers. I don't know about anyone else, but the fact that Nintendo went out of their way to make this old game playable with modern controls is remarkable. For the most part, you simply have to tilt to move Kirby around, but sometimes, you'll need to flick your controller upwards to make Kirby jump onto platforms or past obstacles, or sometimes press the buttons to activate certain level elements. The jumping can be a tad finicky, so I tend to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary. The game has 32 levels split across 8 worlds, and they each have a variety of mechanics you'll either have to take advantage of or avoid as you make your way towards the goal. These include launchers, pinball-like bumpers, all sorts of platforms (from ones that move, to ones that disappear), an assortment of enemies both familiar and new, and level elements that react to the motion controls (like platforms or barriers that move depending on how you tilt the controller). You'll also encounter world-specific gimmicks like slippery ice, flowing water, sand that slows you down, and a power-up that lets you float and shoot puffs of air. As you may expect from a game like this, the main thing you want to avoid is falling to your death. Motion controls are finicky as they are, and many level elements are designed to send you to the abyss if you aren't precise enough. On top of that, you can't take too long on any level, as there's a timer that winds down. Kirby also has an HP bar that goes down every time an enemy or a hazard hits you, so that's one more thing to worry about. While I wouldn't call any of the levels in this game punishingly hard, there are plenty of instances where I found myself thankful that the Switch Online emulator has a rewind feature. Though levels are mostly linear, you can find secrets like bonus stars (collecting 100 of which gives you a 1-Up), and special warp stars. Blue warp stars make it such that completing a level lets you play one of five bonus minigames (which use the tilt controls in different ways), while red warp stars are required to complete the game 100%. Getting that completion percentage unlocks the Extra Stage, which is simply every level with ramped-up difficulty. Every fourth level of a world ends in a boss fight, although they're all pretty simple to deal with. Use whatever mechanics there are in the arena to hit the boss, avoid their few attacks, repeat. I wasn't expecting boss fights going into this game, so I was mildly surprised by their presence here. VERDICT: While games like this seem designed to infuriate with their finicky control scheme, I had a perfectly fine time playing Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. There are a lot of neat level mechanics that work well with the ball-rolling gimmick, each level isn't terribly long (but there are still secrets to find), and despite the many ways you can lose lives, the game is somewhat lenient with 1-Ups and timer extensions. Of course, it does help that you can rewind the action in the Switch Online emulator, and that does a lot to ease any frustrations that may come from a game such as this. I suppose what pleases me about this game is the fact that it was even rereleased like this to begin with. A game like this with very specific hardware or gimmicks could have easily been lost to time, and yet here it is, readily available for any Switch Online subscribers. This gives me hope that Nintendo can bring back some of the more out-there games in their catalog with unique hardware requirements. People like to complain about motion controls a lot, and if you are one of those people, you're probably better off not playing this game. If you don't mind or you think you can get past any potential feelings of frustration, I think there's a pretty neat game waiting for you. - end - I have one more retro game from Switch Online's March update, and it's one I'm a bit overdue on playing. BACKGROUND:
I've already played Kirby's Dream Land 3 long ago when it was first made available on SNES Online in 2019, and I've somewhat recently talked about the original Kirby when GB Online was first launched. I'm clearly missing one in the middle, and it's finally here! SUMMARY: In what has become Kirby tradition, a bigger bad (in this case, Dark Matter) has possessed King Dedede in an attempt to conquer Dream Land. It's up to Kirby to stop this nonsense, but this time, he's not doing it alone. For the most part, this is your standard Kirby game (a straightforward 2D platformer where you can hover and inhale your way to the end of a level). Unlike the original Kirby, the titular character has access to Copy Abilities this time around, though there aren't many of them in this particular game (something that persisted in the third game). It's here that the animal buddy mechanic (which I was introduced to in the third game) was introduced. You can only run into three of them in this game (Rick the hamster, Coo the owl, and Kine the fish), and the gimmick where Copy Abilities change properties depending on your animal companion is also introduced here. As I said in Kirby's Dream Land 3, this mechanic kind of makes up for the fact that there aren't that many Copy Abilities to begin with. Most Kirby games aren't too difficult, and while this one isn't much of an exception overall, I will give this game credit for having more thought-out sequences with tricky enemy placement, red herring paths, and sequences that are pretty rough if you simply take what animal companion the game gives you (fish-on-land sections are hell on earth). On the flip side, managing to stick with Coo trivializes most levels thanks to his ability to fly freely. A lot of the enemies I encountered are Kirby staples, but there were more than a few that I don't think I've seen anywhere else or as often throughout the history of the series. A good example of this was Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright; they might be in some of the Kirby games I haven't played, but I've only encountered them in a spinoff (Kirby's Dream Course). Though most levels are linear, there are a fair number of secret areas you can run into. Some of these secret areas feature a special collectible, and collecting them all will unlock the game's true ending (a battle with Dark Matter). This was a thing in the third game as well, and it was nice to see that they did it here first. VERDICT: There's not much I can say about Kirby's Dream Land 2 since I played 3 first, but I can appreciate how it set the stage for what the third game ended up being. I had a chill time overall (as is tradition in Kirby games), I had fun with the animal buddy/Copy Ability gimmick, and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the craftier level designs. That said, I can't say the game stuck in my memory as much as other entries I've played before, largely because it's a pretty short experience unless you go for the true ending. I would recommend playing Kirby's Dream Land 3 over this if you're going in specifically to experience the animal buddy mechanic, as the third game has more animals to experiment with. That said, there's nothing inherently wrong with this game, and I think it'll serve you just fine if you want a pleasant 2D platforming romp. - end - |
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