I heard of the reputation of Startropics as one of the hidden gems of the NES era: a title Nintendo made so specifically for american audience that didn't even made it into Japan (even though a japanese team made it).
Honestly japan missed out on it: Startropics is a treasure.
It's a game so different to anything I ever played, a title that combines so many different things and ideas into a package that feels unique to this day...
it's like a bizzarre cocktail of dungeon exploration, rpg overworld with NPCs interactions, environmental puzzle solving, stricht platforming, precise bossfights....
Many compared it with Zelda 1 and I will strongly disagree: the result of this mismash of ideas makes Startropics its own beast, with its own world, charm and overall identity.
Mike, the protagonist, is a weird character to control too: his movements combines the ability to use yoyo and other weapons for ranged attacks, with the ability to rotate and jump around while attacking and moving from one panel of the map to the other. This makes for a peculiar movement, stiff and hard to master... but extremely satisfying if you get the feel of it. Combine this movement and equipment with enemies of various patterns, and dungeons that fully encorporate this weird mechanics, and you got challenges that feel amazingly fun.
Ngl, the game feels kinda unfair sometimes: it's difficult in classic NES fashion, but to this tougher encounters often adds unclear solutions to puzzles, invisible corridors and even routes that will lead to death end without warning (I especially found funny the powerup that lets you get an extra life.... except when it takes a life away from you randomly)
I played this one with save states via the Switch NSO and I honestly feel bad for whoever tried it without those at the time.
In similar ways, the overworld exploration, the other main gameplay form of the title, is a curious blend of ideas. Sometimes it generates some really cool environmental puzzles, like the one with the Parrot in chapter 5, while in other cases is never clear why you have to talk to almost everyone in a town before the guard lets you out for good.
What the game excells at, and the reason why all of these oddness comes well together, is the presentation: the game already does something amazing for an NES title: dividing all of his levels in Chapters, adding cutscenes and more cinematic effects, creating complex sprites and portraits for the bigger NPCs, making towns and secondary character that can rival the ones from a FF town.
The setting is not just a tropical island but a whole dreamy world full of goofy dialogues and characters, always creative settings and events, and a charm that feels timeless. The game is famous even for how it breaks the fourth wall, thanks to the letter of Mike's Uncle, an extra paper that was sold alongside the NES cartridge at the time (let's just say this game did what Kojima made in the MGS saga, which is SO COOL for a NES game).
Startropics really feels like an adventure. You got ups and downs, but a continuous story that caught your attention and lets you keep going, due for either the really charming writing or the curiosity of the challenges ahead.
Definitely one of my favorite NES games. Some of the design choices can feel a little clunky and dated today, but regardless this is an incredible title to check out.
Honestly japan missed out on it: Startropics is a treasure.
It's a game so different to anything I ever played, a title that combines so many different things and ideas into a package that feels unique to this day...
it's like a bizzarre cocktail of dungeon exploration, rpg overworld with NPCs interactions, environmental puzzle solving, stricht platforming, precise bossfights....
Many compared it with Zelda 1 and I will strongly disagree: the result of this mismash of ideas makes Startropics its own beast, with its own world, charm and overall identity.
Mike, the protagonist, is a weird character to control too: his movements combines the ability to use yoyo and other weapons for ranged attacks, with the ability to rotate and jump around while attacking and moving from one panel of the map to the other. This makes for a peculiar movement, stiff and hard to master... but extremely satisfying if you get the feel of it. Combine this movement and equipment with enemies of various patterns, and dungeons that fully encorporate this weird mechanics, and you got challenges that feel amazingly fun.
Ngl, the game feels kinda unfair sometimes: it's difficult in classic NES fashion, but to this tougher encounters often adds unclear solutions to puzzles, invisible corridors and even routes that will lead to death end without warning (I especially found funny the powerup that lets you get an extra life.... except when it takes a life away from you randomly)
I played this one with save states via the Switch NSO and I honestly feel bad for whoever tried it without those at the time.
In similar ways, the overworld exploration, the other main gameplay form of the title, is a curious blend of ideas. Sometimes it generates some really cool environmental puzzles, like the one with the Parrot in chapter 5, while in other cases is never clear why you have to talk to almost everyone in a town before the guard lets you out for good.
What the game excells at, and the reason why all of these oddness comes well together, is the presentation: the game already does something amazing for an NES title: dividing all of his levels in Chapters, adding cutscenes and more cinematic effects, creating complex sprites and portraits for the bigger NPCs, making towns and secondary character that can rival the ones from a FF town.
The setting is not just a tropical island but a whole dreamy world full of goofy dialogues and characters, always creative settings and events, and a charm that feels timeless. The game is famous even for how it breaks the fourth wall, thanks to the letter of Mike's Uncle, an extra paper that was sold alongside the NES cartridge at the time (let's just say this game did what Kojima made in the MGS saga, which is SO COOL for a NES game).
Startropics really feels like an adventure. You got ups and downs, but a continuous story that caught your attention and lets you keep going, due for either the really charming writing or the curiosity of the challenges ahead.
Definitely one of my favorite NES games. Some of the design choices can feel a little clunky and dated today, but regardless this is an incredible title to check out.
While the Legend of Zelda influences are pretty obvious, the game differentiates itself enough in tone, combat, and puzzle design in the dungeons to truly stand as its own unique experience. Overall a fun action RPG.