DoctorIssa
BACKER
1999
2D Castlevania flourished on the PS1 as it evolved into it's own type of search action genre with SotN, the N64 had what was supposed to be THE evolution of main Castlevania series into 3D, which unfortunately dropped the ball on it's first go and prematurely killed any momentum this franchise was meant to have with the 3D console games.
Castlevania 64 is not a BAD game per se, it's just a 3D take on Classicvania without any of the sauce that all the Castlevania is known for. Great music? Gone. Cool enemy designs? Gone. Satisfying combat? Gone. Challenging but fun platforming? Gone.
What you have is a very basic 3D game that feels like a student's first video game project. All of the elements of Castlevania are here, it's just all executed very basically resulting an a barebones boring video game that is not terrible, but not good either.
The story itself is similar to almost every other Castlevania at this point. Generations pass, Dracula's back, and a Belmont has to kill Dracula again... But wait you aren't actually a Belmont this time. You have the Vampire Killer whip though... weird. There are a couple of cutscenes and characters you meet along the way, but these are one dimensional surface level characters that don't have the memorability of any of the side characters in SoTN. The story just exists, and doesn't do anything new to elevate itself from the 8/16 bit games the same way SoTN did.
Gameplay-wise, it's a janky 3D platformer that you kind of expect from this era of 3D games. Generally I don't mind the jank as this era is super charming to me, but the camera and lock on system are super awful for a game that requires you to face and hit enemies that are coming at you from all angles. Everything you see from 2D Classicvania is translated to 3D here. You have your jumps, whips, subweapons, whip upgrades - it's just that everything feels really floaty instead of that satisfying weighty feel that the 2D games had. You have a secondary sword weapon that is utterly useless, so you will only be using your whip 90% of the time and your sub weapons 10% of the time. But without the weightiness, all the depth is gone of timing your whip attacks, thus the combat becomes really boring when all it comes down to is just facing your enemy from a nice comfortable distance and using the whip.
The level design is okay. It's mostly kind of linear with branching parts that are needed when you need to solve a puzzle to progress further. But nothing is too compelling. Adding infinite respawning enemies is never ever a good design choice as it just makes you want to run through a section without attacking anything. Also level 5 can go fuck itself and is one of the worst levels I have ever played in any game.
As someone who welcomes 2D games being translated to 3D when it comes to any franchise, I can see why Castlevania fans don't have too much optimism when it comes to the 3D titles. They really dropped the ball with the first 3D game and it makes me want to go play the other Metroidvania games in the series just so I can wash the bad taste this game left me with. Again, it's not a terrible game, but this is not something I would ever play again.
Castlevania 64 is not a BAD game per se, it's just a 3D take on Classicvania without any of the sauce that all the Castlevania is known for. Great music? Gone. Cool enemy designs? Gone. Satisfying combat? Gone. Challenging but fun platforming? Gone.
What you have is a very basic 3D game that feels like a student's first video game project. All of the elements of Castlevania are here, it's just all executed very basically resulting an a barebones boring video game that is not terrible, but not good either.
The story itself is similar to almost every other Castlevania at this point. Generations pass, Dracula's back, and a Belmont has to kill Dracula again... But wait you aren't actually a Belmont this time. You have the Vampire Killer whip though... weird. There are a couple of cutscenes and characters you meet along the way, but these are one dimensional surface level characters that don't have the memorability of any of the side characters in SoTN. The story just exists, and doesn't do anything new to elevate itself from the 8/16 bit games the same way SoTN did.
Gameplay-wise, it's a janky 3D platformer that you kind of expect from this era of 3D games. Generally I don't mind the jank as this era is super charming to me, but the camera and lock on system are super awful for a game that requires you to face and hit enemies that are coming at you from all angles. Everything you see from 2D Classicvania is translated to 3D here. You have your jumps, whips, subweapons, whip upgrades - it's just that everything feels really floaty instead of that satisfying weighty feel that the 2D games had. You have a secondary sword weapon that is utterly useless, so you will only be using your whip 90% of the time and your sub weapons 10% of the time. But without the weightiness, all the depth is gone of timing your whip attacks, thus the combat becomes really boring when all it comes down to is just facing your enemy from a nice comfortable distance and using the whip.
The level design is okay. It's mostly kind of linear with branching parts that are needed when you need to solve a puzzle to progress further. But nothing is too compelling. Adding infinite respawning enemies is never ever a good design choice as it just makes you want to run through a section without attacking anything. Also level 5 can go fuck itself and is one of the worst levels I have ever played in any game.
As someone who welcomes 2D games being translated to 3D when it comes to any franchise, I can see why Castlevania fans don't have too much optimism when it comes to the 3D titles. They really dropped the ball with the first 3D game and it makes me want to go play the other Metroidvania games in the series just so I can wash the bad taste this game left me with. Again, it's not a terrible game, but this is not something I would ever play again.
1997
Einhander is known as one of the better shooters on the PSX, which says something as this console has many great shooters. Presenting you with charming low poly models, this works in hand with the futuristic gundam-like artstyle the game is going for.
What makes Einhander unique from other shooters is the weapon switching system. Depending on the ship you choose, you can hold up to 3 sub weapons and freely switch between them. This adds a little more strategy to the game as the difficulty is hard as hell, but if you have the right weapons for the right situations, it will help you get through this tough challenge. For example, in a section with a lot of tiny enemies that swarm you, you might want to use the spread or gatling gun sub weapons. For situations with armored enemies, you might want to use the cannon or grenade sub weapons. It's up to you, but there are multiple ways to make some of the enemies and bosses easier.
As this is a squaresoft game, you will naturally get a great soundtrack and visuals, and Einhander is no exception. It is considered not only a great shooter, but also a great experience due to Square's production. The low poly 3D used for robots and machines result in a satisfying crunchy explosion as you fly by and shoot enemies down. There are also many set pieces with that switch your camera view from a 2D to 3D plane, just so Square can flex their production and give it the epicness that their games usually have.
My only gripes with Einhander is the fact that there seems to be a little input delay on the movement which can significantly contribute to the difficulty, and also the analog controls aren't fully implemented in the sense where you can't use the analog stick for precise movement, and instead acts more like a digital D-pad. The difficulty can also be frustratingly chaotic towards the end.
I don't think we ever got another shooter like this from Square ever again (Unless you count the Gummi ship sections from Kingdom Hearts), so we like to cherish this one as a special title and experiment from the teams who were experts in delivering quality RPGs at the time.
What makes Einhander unique from other shooters is the weapon switching system. Depending on the ship you choose, you can hold up to 3 sub weapons and freely switch between them. This adds a little more strategy to the game as the difficulty is hard as hell, but if you have the right weapons for the right situations, it will help you get through this tough challenge. For example, in a section with a lot of tiny enemies that swarm you, you might want to use the spread or gatling gun sub weapons. For situations with armored enemies, you might want to use the cannon or grenade sub weapons. It's up to you, but there are multiple ways to make some of the enemies and bosses easier.
As this is a squaresoft game, you will naturally get a great soundtrack and visuals, and Einhander is no exception. It is considered not only a great shooter, but also a great experience due to Square's production. The low poly 3D used for robots and machines result in a satisfying crunchy explosion as you fly by and shoot enemies down. There are also many set pieces with that switch your camera view from a 2D to 3D plane, just so Square can flex their production and give it the epicness that their games usually have.
My only gripes with Einhander is the fact that there seems to be a little input delay on the movement which can significantly contribute to the difficulty, and also the analog controls aren't fully implemented in the sense where you can't use the analog stick for precise movement, and instead acts more like a digital D-pad. The difficulty can also be frustratingly chaotic towards the end.
I don't think we ever got another shooter like this from Square ever again (Unless you count the Gummi ship sections from Kingdom Hearts), so we like to cherish this one as a special title and experiment from the teams who were experts in delivering quality RPGs at the time.
This was a really nice surprise of 2024. I had a huge smile on my face playing this great little game and was sad to see it end in a couple of hours. Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip is best described as the modern day Simpsons Hit and Run, with a hint of Banjo-Kazooie.
You're given a nice open world to roam around and do missions + explore and find many secrets. The name of the game is go find collectables known as Turbo Junk and get enough to upgrade your car and drive to the moon. You can find these parts by either doing missions, or just exploring the world and finding them out in the open. Platforming and Car mechanics both work well, you can even upgrade your car in increments as you find more Turbo Junk to drive around faster.
My favorite part about this game is the dialouge, the writing is just so funny that I don't think a game has ever made me laugh hard consistently throughout it's runtime. It had me wanting to talk to every NPC possible just to see the dialogue. It also has a heartwarming message towards the end and wrapped up very nicely.
The artstyle stood out to me instantly. I don't think I've seen cartoony animation done like this before, but it is something devs should strive for as I was just constantly at awe with the visuals. This is such a pretty game to look at, and I just wanted to explore every corner of the world just so I don't miss some great views.
I'm not a big adventure game person, unless it's action-adventure like Zelda, however this adventure game is definitely one of the best that I have played and I will be looking forward to more games by this dev team, as they clearly do have some talent. This also makes me wanna go play Wuppo, which is the other game by the same dev that I've had in my backlog for a while.
You're given a nice open world to roam around and do missions + explore and find many secrets. The name of the game is go find collectables known as Turbo Junk and get enough to upgrade your car and drive to the moon. You can find these parts by either doing missions, or just exploring the world and finding them out in the open. Platforming and Car mechanics both work well, you can even upgrade your car in increments as you find more Turbo Junk to drive around faster.
My favorite part about this game is the dialouge, the writing is just so funny that I don't think a game has ever made me laugh hard consistently throughout it's runtime. It had me wanting to talk to every NPC possible just to see the dialogue. It also has a heartwarming message towards the end and wrapped up very nicely.
The artstyle stood out to me instantly. I don't think I've seen cartoony animation done like this before, but it is something devs should strive for as I was just constantly at awe with the visuals. This is such a pretty game to look at, and I just wanted to explore every corner of the world just so I don't miss some great views.
I'm not a big adventure game person, unless it's action-adventure like Zelda, however this adventure game is definitely one of the best that I have played and I will be looking forward to more games by this dev team, as they clearly do have some talent. This also makes me wanna go play Wuppo, which is the other game by the same dev that I've had in my backlog for a while.
As a self proclaimed Metroidvania fan, it should be a cardinal sin to call myself that without having played Symphony of the Night, or any of the GBA/NDS Castlevania games for that matter. Being the type of gamer I am though, I've never just wanted to jump into SotN without having played the series leading up to this game. Having beaten all the Classicvania's during the course of the last few weeks, it's finally time to play the game I was anticipating all this time.
What can I say? I did not expect anything less than a 10/10, and a 10/10 video game is what I got. Yes, Super Metroid would be the game to put Metroidvanias on the map, but SotN definitely solidified it as a genre by showing you that you can add even more depth to the search action platforming genre Metroid created, which we now abbreviate as Metroidvanias.
First of all, I am so glad I did play all the prior games leading up to SotN. There are so many callbacks, references, enemies, bosses that were all in previous games given new beautiful PS1 pixel art graphics, and some of the returning characters such Death even give additional context to the Castlevania lore and how they fit in the world next to Dracula.
Of course, playing the game as Alucard gave me a nice happy feeling, as he was my favorite character to play in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curese. This game is also a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood so I was so hyped when the prologue of the game is the ending to Rondo. Running into Rondo characters such as Maria had me whistling, pointing to the screen like Leonardo Decaprio from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. So if you ever do plan to play SotN, do yourself a favor and play the previous games in the series first, or at the very least play Rondo of Blood before jumping in to SotN.
From the get go when you first start as Alucard, you instantly notice that the iconic whip you've been using as you main weapon in every single Castlevania game up until this one is gone. It makes sense, you are not a Belmont after all. This change of main weapon signifies that this is not your typical Castlevania that you've known and loved, this is going to be something else.
SoTN takes that search action gameplay that Metroid is famous for and dials it to 11. Everything you know about Metroidvanias is here. You get a giant map with a lot of block off paths that you can come back to once you find the ability to get you passed the blocked off point. Some of the blocked off points are locked story progression, while others are optional areas where you can find upgrades, items and even more abilities to help make your character more powerful. This constant loop of going back to previous areas to find new things is like cocaine to me. It's probably my favorite type of gameplay loop in video games, other than Monster Hunter.
What makes SoTN so good compared to the typical Metroidvania is the way that it's structed. The game is kind of split into 2 halves. The first half of the game being the familiar Metroidvania type of game that we all know, as in it's all about exploration and finding new abilities to unlock previously locked paths. Basically what Super Metroid mastered at the time.
The 2nd half of the game being unique to SotN changes things up, causing the entire map you will know and memorize by this to point to flip on it's head. Although this time the game is not about exploring to find ways to open paths, but it becomes a straight up action game, kind of like the Classicvanias. You aren't really exploring the castle anymore, but rather you are revisiting every room in it's upside-down form to find new optional bosses to kill, in order to power up Alucard to prepare yourself for the final boss. You have the choice to go straight to the final boss from this point, you or can explore the upside-down version of the castle to the fullest to find the best weapons, items and upgrades by killing some of the now challenging bosses. If you do choose to explore the castle's 2nd form in it's entirety, you will be an unstoppable behemoth that is capable of taking anything down in a blink. And that's what makes SotN so rewarding, and one of the best gameplay loops of all time.
To put it in a broader scope, the first half of the game to help bring you back on your feet, while the second half of the game is to flex all the new powers you have and bring yourself back to the powerhouse that Alucard always was.
On top of the excellent gameplay, the music is fantastic as is the usual with Castelvania. The graphics are some of the best pixel art in the franchise, and it melds the 2D art with some 3D low poly models for some enemies and objects which is the GOAT type of art direction that you will see in other PS1 games such as Tomba of Klonoa. The designs of the characters and enemies are my so so good. And the story is the best so far for Castlevania, giving refined arcs for Alucard as well as Richter and Maria.
I am so happy that I have this bucket list game finally checked off, and it was everything I anticipated. Now I can officially consider myself a Castlevania fan, and of course a Metroidvania fan who HAS played SotN. And it just makes me look even more forward to the SIX metroidvania sequels on the GBA and NDS.
What can I say? I did not expect anything less than a 10/10, and a 10/10 video game is what I got. Yes, Super Metroid would be the game to put Metroidvanias on the map, but SotN definitely solidified it as a genre by showing you that you can add even more depth to the search action platforming genre Metroid created, which we now abbreviate as Metroidvanias.
First of all, I am so glad I did play all the prior games leading up to SotN. There are so many callbacks, references, enemies, bosses that were all in previous games given new beautiful PS1 pixel art graphics, and some of the returning characters such Death even give additional context to the Castlevania lore and how they fit in the world next to Dracula.
Of course, playing the game as Alucard gave me a nice happy feeling, as he was my favorite character to play in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curese. This game is also a direct sequel to Rondo of Blood so I was so hyped when the prologue of the game is the ending to Rondo. Running into Rondo characters such as Maria had me whistling, pointing to the screen like Leonardo Decaprio from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. So if you ever do plan to play SotN, do yourself a favor and play the previous games in the series first, or at the very least play Rondo of Blood before jumping in to SotN.
From the get go when you first start as Alucard, you instantly notice that the iconic whip you've been using as you main weapon in every single Castlevania game up until this one is gone. It makes sense, you are not a Belmont after all. This change of main weapon signifies that this is not your typical Castlevania that you've known and loved, this is going to be something else.
SoTN takes that search action gameplay that Metroid is famous for and dials it to 11. Everything you know about Metroidvanias is here. You get a giant map with a lot of block off paths that you can come back to once you find the ability to get you passed the blocked off point. Some of the blocked off points are locked story progression, while others are optional areas where you can find upgrades, items and even more abilities to help make your character more powerful. This constant loop of going back to previous areas to find new things is like cocaine to me. It's probably my favorite type of gameplay loop in video games, other than Monster Hunter.
What makes SoTN so good compared to the typical Metroidvania is the way that it's structed. The game is kind of split into 2 halves. The first half of the game being the familiar Metroidvania type of game that we all know, as in it's all about exploration and finding new abilities to unlock previously locked paths. Basically what Super Metroid mastered at the time.
The 2nd half of the game being unique to SotN changes things up, causing the entire map you will know and memorize by this to point to flip on it's head. Although this time the game is not about exploring to find ways to open paths, but it becomes a straight up action game, kind of like the Classicvanias. You aren't really exploring the castle anymore, but rather you are revisiting every room in it's upside-down form to find new optional bosses to kill, in order to power up Alucard to prepare yourself for the final boss. You have the choice to go straight to the final boss from this point, you or can explore the upside-down version of the castle to the fullest to find the best weapons, items and upgrades by killing some of the now challenging bosses. If you do choose to explore the castle's 2nd form in it's entirety, you will be an unstoppable behemoth that is capable of taking anything down in a blink. And that's what makes SotN so rewarding, and one of the best gameplay loops of all time.
To put it in a broader scope, the first half of the game to help bring you back on your feet, while the second half of the game is to flex all the new powers you have and bring yourself back to the powerhouse that Alucard always was.
On top of the excellent gameplay, the music is fantastic as is the usual with Castelvania. The graphics are some of the best pixel art in the franchise, and it melds the 2D art with some 3D low poly models for some enemies and objects which is the GOAT type of art direction that you will see in other PS1 games such as Tomba of Klonoa. The designs of the characters and enemies are my so so good. And the story is the best so far for Castlevania, giving refined arcs for Alucard as well as Richter and Maria.
I am so happy that I have this bucket list game finally checked off, and it was everything I anticipated. Now I can officially consider myself a Castlevania fan, and of course a Metroidvania fan who HAS played SotN. And it just makes me look even more forward to the SIX metroidvania sequels on the GBA and NDS.
The last of the Classicvania's before I enter into the era of Metroidvanias started by Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Bloodlines ends the classic era with a bang.
The premise is cool as it takes place generations after the original Castlevania stories where you get to revisit some locales and see the aftermath of the destroyed Castlevania. It is also a globe trotting Castlevania as you get to visit many different places around Europe which gives a lot of diverse settings like a jungle, factory, castle etc. The diverse themes of the levels kept the game interesting all the way through.
While I didn't like this as much as Super Castlevania IV, I did enjoy it as much as Rondo of Blood. The game is closest to that game gameplay-wise but you do get restricted directional whipping. Not Castlevania IV 8 directional whipping but you can whip diagonally up left or right only while jumping. Still much better than not being able to whip diagonally at all and it was very useful in many scenarios. You can also use the diagonal whip as a rope to swing on if you manage to whip a ceiling, but I didn't find much use for it besides the few mandatory platforming sections that needed it.
One of the coolest new features I really like from Bloodlines is the fact that if your whip is upgraded to max, but you collect one more whip upgrade you get a blue magic laser whip that utterly destroys everything. Although if you get hit once you lose the magic and just go back to the maximum upgraded standard whip. This keep it more balanced and adds an extra challenge of not trying to get hit at all so you can keep the blue magic whip.
Balance-wise the game was very manageable the entire way through bar one of the bosses that had like 4 different forms and the boss rush at the very end that relied only on one health bar. I would say the game was well balanced if it weren't for those massive boss difficulty spikes. Also I'm never a fan of limited continues, especially in a game as hard as Castlevania. But if you are playing this on an emulator, you can always "modernize" this game and give yourself unlimited continues if you know what I mean. I am a full-time working adult and don't have the time to play through the entire game again if I run out of continues after all.
As I say goodbye to classicvania with a great final game, I look forward to the road ahead in the Metroidvania era. I mean can you believe that Metroidvanias are one of the my favorite all time genre's yet I haven't played Symphonoy of the Night? There are so many games to clear in the Metroidvania era so I'm am somewhat relieved to be done with Classicvania, yet I will remember my time with these games fondly.
The premise is cool as it takes place generations after the original Castlevania stories where you get to revisit some locales and see the aftermath of the destroyed Castlevania. It is also a globe trotting Castlevania as you get to visit many different places around Europe which gives a lot of diverse settings like a jungle, factory, castle etc. The diverse themes of the levels kept the game interesting all the way through.
While I didn't like this as much as Super Castlevania IV, I did enjoy it as much as Rondo of Blood. The game is closest to that game gameplay-wise but you do get restricted directional whipping. Not Castlevania IV 8 directional whipping but you can whip diagonally up left or right only while jumping. Still much better than not being able to whip diagonally at all and it was very useful in many scenarios. You can also use the diagonal whip as a rope to swing on if you manage to whip a ceiling, but I didn't find much use for it besides the few mandatory platforming sections that needed it.
One of the coolest new features I really like from Bloodlines is the fact that if your whip is upgraded to max, but you collect one more whip upgrade you get a blue magic laser whip that utterly destroys everything. Although if you get hit once you lose the magic and just go back to the maximum upgraded standard whip. This keep it more balanced and adds an extra challenge of not trying to get hit at all so you can keep the blue magic whip.
Balance-wise the game was very manageable the entire way through bar one of the bosses that had like 4 different forms and the boss rush at the very end that relied only on one health bar. I would say the game was well balanced if it weren't for those massive boss difficulty spikes. Also I'm never a fan of limited continues, especially in a game as hard as Castlevania. But if you are playing this on an emulator, you can always "modernize" this game and give yourself unlimited continues if you know what I mean. I am a full-time working adult and don't have the time to play through the entire game again if I run out of continues after all.
As I say goodbye to classicvania with a great final game, I look forward to the road ahead in the Metroidvania era. I mean can you believe that Metroidvanias are one of the my favorite all time genre's yet I haven't played Symphonoy of the Night? There are so many games to clear in the Metroidvania era so I'm am somewhat relieved to be done with Classicvania, yet I will remember my time with these games fondly.
The debut game of Richter Belmont and just a very good Classicvania all around. The game is closer to Castlevania III Dracula's Curse in design, but has a more cinematic flair to it.
You get some cool cutscenes which shows how cool of a character Richter is, as well as highlights Drucla being an absolute dickhead that we love. This game did wonders for the characterisations for the Castlevania cast.
Gameplay-wise, it is pretty much the first Castlevania but the controls are more fine-tuned. Richter has a cool backflip move that is handy for avoiding a lot of enemy attacks. It's a shame that they didn't give it the Castlevania IV controls considering this came out after that, but I can't complain, Castlevania 1 controls are still fun.
Gameplay is a little more brutal than all the other games. The bosses are some of the hardest I've fought so far so if you are a gamer with little patience, play it on emulator or get the PS5 port.
If you know what to do, you can unlock the secondary character who makes the game a little more easier, but let's also admit a little more fun.
The music is absolutely baginging but that's almost a given for this franchise at this point. A lot of the locales are nice nods to the past castlevania games like the fist level being a Simon's Quest town.
Overall, Great Classicvania game and one of the better ones. Didn't like it as much as Castlevania IV and maybe III, but it's still up there. Richter is my favourite Castlevania character so far.
You get some cool cutscenes which shows how cool of a character Richter is, as well as highlights Drucla being an absolute dickhead that we love. This game did wonders for the characterisations for the Castlevania cast.
Gameplay-wise, it is pretty much the first Castlevania but the controls are more fine-tuned. Richter has a cool backflip move that is handy for avoiding a lot of enemy attacks. It's a shame that they didn't give it the Castlevania IV controls considering this came out after that, but I can't complain, Castlevania 1 controls are still fun.
Gameplay is a little more brutal than all the other games. The bosses are some of the hardest I've fought so far so if you are a gamer with little patience, play it on emulator or get the PS5 port.
If you know what to do, you can unlock the secondary character who makes the game a little more easier, but let's also admit a little more fun.
The music is absolutely baginging but that's almost a given for this franchise at this point. A lot of the locales are nice nods to the past castlevania games like the fist level being a Simon's Quest town.
Overall, Great Classicvania game and one of the better ones. Didn't like it as much as Castlevania IV and maybe III, but it's still up there. Richter is my favourite Castlevania character so far.
After many very good and a single bad 2D Mickey platformer of the 16-bit era, we end with one of the best looking and animated games of the 16-bit generation.
Mickey Mania takes Mickey on a platforming journey through his most iconic episodes such as Steamboat Willy, The Giant Beanstalk, The Mad Doctor etc. All the stages and sprites feel like that came right out of the cartoons as this is some of the best animations on a 16-bit device period.
With most other Mickey platfomers being a great Mario/Ducktales type of fun arcadey platformer, Mickey Mania takes a different approach of trying to be something more of a "cinematic" platformer. Something along the lines of SNES Dragon's Lair, Prince of Persia, Heart of Darkness, Another world etc. While I do think the idea is neat for a game about Mickey's classical episodes, the execution is not great.
The game is just not fun to play and is absurdly hard relying on a lot of trial and error moments, bad enemy placement, bad hitboxes, bad platform collision in the sense where you will sometimes be falling through the floor even though you clearly landed on the platform, and enemies you can barley see. So many bad and frustrating design choices that it just sucked any enjoyment I wanted to have with this game as I loved the premise and visuals.
After getting through a chuck of many trial and error moments, just shredding lives and continues to get through most of the game, the game has the gull of letting you know that this game actually does NOT give you infinite continues despite being based around trial and error. Normally I don't have an issue with finite continues, but the game doesn't tell you and whenever you are on the continue screen there is no counter of any sort. So you have a game that really wants you to die and try again but also forces you to start all the way from the begging if you do die. Really bad design and I won't be continuing this one.
Mickey Mania takes Mickey on a platforming journey through his most iconic episodes such as Steamboat Willy, The Giant Beanstalk, The Mad Doctor etc. All the stages and sprites feel like that came right out of the cartoons as this is some of the best animations on a 16-bit device period.
With most other Mickey platfomers being a great Mario/Ducktales type of fun arcadey platformer, Mickey Mania takes a different approach of trying to be something more of a "cinematic" platformer. Something along the lines of SNES Dragon's Lair, Prince of Persia, Heart of Darkness, Another world etc. While I do think the idea is neat for a game about Mickey's classical episodes, the execution is not great.
The game is just not fun to play and is absurdly hard relying on a lot of trial and error moments, bad enemy placement, bad hitboxes, bad platform collision in the sense where you will sometimes be falling through the floor even though you clearly landed on the platform, and enemies you can barley see. So many bad and frustrating design choices that it just sucked any enjoyment I wanted to have with this game as I loved the premise and visuals.
After getting through a chuck of many trial and error moments, just shredding lives and continues to get through most of the game, the game has the gull of letting you know that this game actually does NOT give you infinite continues despite being based around trial and error. Normally I don't have an issue with finite continues, but the game doesn't tell you and whenever you are on the continue screen there is no counter of any sort. So you have a game that really wants you to die and try again but also forces you to start all the way from the begging if you do die. Really bad design and I won't be continuing this one.
As a kid, whenever I saw an arcade cabinet of Metal Slug, I would flock to it begging my parents for just a quarter so I could play a bit. At the time (and perhaps still today) Metal Slug was one of my favorite arcade games of all time. But because I was a kid, and this was an arcade game, getting around to finding an opportunity to play it was really hard.
In this case, having metal slug on a portable system such as a Neo Geo Pocket Color would have been more than serviceable to me between the moments of not being able to play the arcade game, and would've loved owning Metal Slug: 1st Mission. A portable Metal Slug, but rather being a downgraded port, it is it's own unique game.
The title implies this is a prequel to Metal Slug, but like who cares the story in Metal Slug doesn't really matter anyway. It plays exactly like metal slug except the physics are a little weird. The turns are a bit delayed and not as smooth and the jumps are a little higher and longer due to this game having more of a focus on the platforming element.
The arcade games being known for their beautiful pixel art animations are not found here. Of course, this is expected from portable titles at the time, but the pixel art animation is 90% of the Metal Slug charm, so you just gotta accept that you won't be getting that going into this game.
So what we have left is serviceable portable 8 bit graphics, barely any animation - mostly being choppy, and okayish feeling floaty controls. The only stand out difference in it's design is the level design. I guess because this is not an arcarde title, there is less focus on the run and gun and more of a focus on platforming. I don't mind this change, as verticality means good level design, but some of the later levels go really crazy with some of the jumps and platforming sections to the point it doesn't become fun.
I would have loved having this as a kid, but today this is just more of a product of it's time. Today there are many ways to play the arcade Metal Slugs portably, so there's no real reason to visit this one unless you are a die hard Metal Slug fan that just wants new levels and bosses.
In this case, having metal slug on a portable system such as a Neo Geo Pocket Color would have been more than serviceable to me between the moments of not being able to play the arcade game, and would've loved owning Metal Slug: 1st Mission. A portable Metal Slug, but rather being a downgraded port, it is it's own unique game.
The title implies this is a prequel to Metal Slug, but like who cares the story in Metal Slug doesn't really matter anyway. It plays exactly like metal slug except the physics are a little weird. The turns are a bit delayed and not as smooth and the jumps are a little higher and longer due to this game having more of a focus on the platforming element.
The arcade games being known for their beautiful pixel art animations are not found here. Of course, this is expected from portable titles at the time, but the pixel art animation is 90% of the Metal Slug charm, so you just gotta accept that you won't be getting that going into this game.
So what we have left is serviceable portable 8 bit graphics, barely any animation - mostly being choppy, and okayish feeling floaty controls. The only stand out difference in it's design is the level design. I guess because this is not an arcarde title, there is less focus on the run and gun and more of a focus on platforming. I don't mind this change, as verticality means good level design, but some of the later levels go really crazy with some of the jumps and platforming sections to the point it doesn't become fun.
I would have loved having this as a kid, but today this is just more of a product of it's time. Today there are many ways to play the arcade Metal Slugs portably, so there's no real reason to visit this one unless you are a die hard Metal Slug fan that just wants new levels and bosses.
2014
This is a great Kirby game, similar to Squeak Squad it doesn't doesn't do anything absurdly new to differentiate itself from the general mainline Kirby games, but it follows the design principles of Kirby's Adventure and does it pretty damn well.
The first thing that stands out with Triple Deluxe to me is the presentation. This is a damn gorgeous colourful kirby game that is very pleasing to the eye. Every world and scenario just has that Kirby charm that Kirby's Adventure established but maximized. Everything has tiny details down to enemies snickering if you manage to miss hitting them. Just so many tiny details that give this game's world so much soul.
Gameplay-wise it is pretty much exactly the same as Kirby's Adventure, most of the copy abilities from that game are back along with some new ones like the Circus or Bell abilities. They are fun to use, but not the most practical. All copy abilities have a big moveset, even Stone which is one of my least favorite copy abilities is so fun to use in this game with it's expanded moveset.
With this being Kirby's first game on the 3DS, most levels are designed around having a foreground and background you can at times switch between. A lot of puzzles and setpieces play with the 3D perspective in creative ways. Of course, you can always play with the 3D turned off and it still won't feel out of place.
The big selling point of this game that is also on the box-art is Kirby's Hypernova, that allows him to just swallow everything in his path. These are cool segments in levels that give this game a more cinematic feel, but doesn't really do anything for the gameplay, it's mostly there for presentation. There are some cool puzzles they hypernova sections to have, but those are usually brief and rare.
I enjoyed my time with Triple Deluxe as going for the 100% was also really fun. Similar to Squeak Squad, 100%ing this game usually has you exploring levels more to find special items, in this game being sun stones, and are usually easy to come by. A lot of them involve solving some sort of puzzle which was fun. One of the better 2D Kirby titles, does everything right - though nothing too groundbreaking.
The first thing that stands out with Triple Deluxe to me is the presentation. This is a damn gorgeous colourful kirby game that is very pleasing to the eye. Every world and scenario just has that Kirby charm that Kirby's Adventure established but maximized. Everything has tiny details down to enemies snickering if you manage to miss hitting them. Just so many tiny details that give this game's world so much soul.
Gameplay-wise it is pretty much exactly the same as Kirby's Adventure, most of the copy abilities from that game are back along with some new ones like the Circus or Bell abilities. They are fun to use, but not the most practical. All copy abilities have a big moveset, even Stone which is one of my least favorite copy abilities is so fun to use in this game with it's expanded moveset.
With this being Kirby's first game on the 3DS, most levels are designed around having a foreground and background you can at times switch between. A lot of puzzles and setpieces play with the 3D perspective in creative ways. Of course, you can always play with the 3D turned off and it still won't feel out of place.
The big selling point of this game that is also on the box-art is Kirby's Hypernova, that allows him to just swallow everything in his path. These are cool segments in levels that give this game a more cinematic feel, but doesn't really do anything for the gameplay, it's mostly there for presentation. There are some cool puzzles they hypernova sections to have, but those are usually brief and rare.
I enjoyed my time with Triple Deluxe as going for the 100% was also really fun. Similar to Squeak Squad, 100%ing this game usually has you exploring levels more to find special items, in this game being sun stones, and are usually easy to come by. A lot of them involve solving some sort of puzzle which was fun. One of the better 2D Kirby titles, does everything right - though nothing too groundbreaking.
This is the other Mickey game that was not brought to the West, and man what a disappointment this is as I was looking forward to this one the most.
The premise of this game is so cool, it's just another platformer but each level is themed around a different Disneyland ride. E.g. One level is based on Pirates of the Caribbean, another level is Splash Mountain, another is Tomorrowland etc.
So how did they mess this up? In every way possible.
First off, the game looks like shit. You had beautiful sprite work and animation in the Magical Quest games but here the sprites feel like simple pngs and the animation is choppy and cheap, making the graphics look like something in a Java mobile game rather than a SNES game.
The gameplay is goddawful. Mickey controls with a heavy input delay, alongside the choppy animation it just makes the feeling of playing really sluggish. You will be missing jumps and throws because of how delayed everything is. Unlike the other Mickey games, and most platformers, you can't kill enemies by jumping on their head. Instead you throw weak ass water balloons which is not fun or satisfying at all, especially with the delayed sluggish controls it just doesn't feel good.
Level design is atrocious and nonsensical. Everything feels like it was randomly placed and you can never tell where danger is as everything is just off screen.
I dropped this game by the 3rd stage as I couldn't bare continuing. Not a good game and I can see why they didn't bother localising this one.
The premise of this game is so cool, it's just another platformer but each level is themed around a different Disneyland ride. E.g. One level is based on Pirates of the Caribbean, another level is Splash Mountain, another is Tomorrowland etc.
So how did they mess this up? In every way possible.
First off, the game looks like shit. You had beautiful sprite work and animation in the Magical Quest games but here the sprites feel like simple pngs and the animation is choppy and cheap, making the graphics look like something in a Java mobile game rather than a SNES game.
The gameplay is goddawful. Mickey controls with a heavy input delay, alongside the choppy animation it just makes the feeling of playing really sluggish. You will be missing jumps and throws because of how delayed everything is. Unlike the other Mickey games, and most platformers, you can't kill enemies by jumping on their head. Instead you throw weak ass water balloons which is not fun or satisfying at all, especially with the delayed sluggish controls it just doesn't feel good.
Level design is atrocious and nonsensical. Everything feels like it was randomly placed and you can never tell where danger is as everything is just off screen.
I dropped this game by the 3rd stage as I couldn't bare continuing. Not a good game and I can see why they didn't bother localising this one.
The third game in the Magical Quest series and definitely the best one so far. This game didn't see a release in the west until the bad GBA port, but thank god for translation romhacks.
Just like the 2nd game in the series, the Great Circus, this also feels like a direct sequel to both the first 2 games in the series as it uses the exact same engine, sprites, gameplay, mechanics etc. You could also safely call this an expansion, so if you also liked the first 2 games you will also like this one.
So what makes this slightly better than the first 2 is that the game feels more consistent. The level design is at it's best so far and feels the most fair. The bosses are the funnest bosses to fight so far. The theme of the levels are even cooler since the story of this game takes place in a fantasy book. And of course, the 3 new costumes you get in this game are easily the best.
The knight costume gives you a shield and an extended boxing glove that Bugs Bunny usually likes you to use. Easily my favorite costume of all 3 games so far.
You get a wood cutter costume that does NOT give you an axe, but rather a whip which you can use like castlevania, while fun the hitbox of the whip can be a little weird.
The final costume being the magician where you shoot magic doves as projectiles. The cool thing with this is that the dove turns bad things into good things. e.g. spiky balls turn into harmless bouncy balls, scorpion tails turn into flowers etc.
While I liked the first 2, there were still some rough parts in it's level and boss design that felt cheap. In this game, you can go from start to finish and have a good time the whole way through. A great platformer on the SNES that I wish initially released to the west. But as of now, it's a hidden gem.
Just like the 2nd game in the series, the Great Circus, this also feels like a direct sequel to both the first 2 games in the series as it uses the exact same engine, sprites, gameplay, mechanics etc. You could also safely call this an expansion, so if you also liked the first 2 games you will also like this one.
So what makes this slightly better than the first 2 is that the game feels more consistent. The level design is at it's best so far and feels the most fair. The bosses are the funnest bosses to fight so far. The theme of the levels are even cooler since the story of this game takes place in a fantasy book. And of course, the 3 new costumes you get in this game are easily the best.
The knight costume gives you a shield and an extended boxing glove that Bugs Bunny usually likes you to use. Easily my favorite costume of all 3 games so far.
You get a wood cutter costume that does NOT give you an axe, but rather a whip which you can use like castlevania, while fun the hitbox of the whip can be a little weird.
The final costume being the magician where you shoot magic doves as projectiles. The cool thing with this is that the dove turns bad things into good things. e.g. spiky balls turn into harmless bouncy balls, scorpion tails turn into flowers etc.
While I liked the first 2, there were still some rough parts in it's level and boss design that felt cheap. In this game, you can go from start to finish and have a good time the whole way through. A great platformer on the SNES that I wish initially released to the west. But as of now, it's a hidden gem.
2001
CREDITS USED: 12
RATING: Coulda had a nice lunch
I wouldn't consider this a TRUE sequel to DoDonPachi as it doesn't have any of the sauce that made DoDonPachi so amazing. People often compare this sequel to something like Dark Souls 2, Devil May Cry 2, Snakes Revenge etc.
The sprite work is just really bland and the music does not go crazy, big step down from it's predecessor. It's a pretty standard bullet hell that is just OK. It's a little easier than the previous CAVE shooters as I was able to get to the 4th stage on only 3 credits, but then the final level had a huge difficulty spike. Not a game I would return to try to beat with fewer credits.
RATING: Coulda had a nice lunch
I wouldn't consider this a TRUE sequel to DoDonPachi as it doesn't have any of the sauce that made DoDonPachi so amazing. People often compare this sequel to something like Dark Souls 2, Devil May Cry 2, Snakes Revenge etc.
The sprite work is just really bland and the music does not go crazy, big step down from it's predecessor. It's a pretty standard bullet hell that is just OK. It's a little easier than the previous CAVE shooters as I was able to get to the 4th stage on only 3 credits, but then the final level had a huge difficulty spike. Not a game I would return to try to beat with fewer credits.
The original Fat Princess was such a cool concept. A pvp capture the flag game where you could make it harder for the enemy team to capture your "flag" by feeding it cake thus making it heavier.
Fat Princess Adventures is an attempt to take Sony's breakthrough IP and give it a proper story/singleplayer game. Something I always wanted with this IP.
Unfortunately the game is just a shallow attempt at a Diablo clone with a Fat Princess skin. This game does not have the charm or sauce that the Fat Princess IP brings, and it one of the most soulless follow ups to an IP with promise.
I was hoping for more compelling gameplay and a proper adventure in this food parody medieval world. But it's just a painfully mediocre game.
Fat Princess Adventures is an attempt to take Sony's breakthrough IP and give it a proper story/singleplayer game. Something I always wanted with this IP.
Unfortunately the game is just a shallow attempt at a Diablo clone with a Fat Princess skin. This game does not have the charm or sauce that the Fat Princess IP brings, and it one of the most soulless follow ups to an IP with promise.
I was hoping for more compelling gameplay and a proper adventure in this food parody medieval world. But it's just a painfully mediocre game.
1997
CREDITS USED: 12
RATING: Costed me a Big Mac combo
Probably the most popular CAVE shooter known to shmup fans. This a great Shmup and I can see myself replaying this one. It's an excellent sequel to DonPachi which addresses the pacing issue I had with that game. There is no repetition of levels, it's a 6 level journey all with cool unique locations, enemies and bosses. Gameplay is generally the same as all CAVE shooters, but this one in particular is hard as hell. Not sure what to expect from the other CAVE shooters so I can't compare how hard it is to the others. I did get through on my first playthrough with only 12 credits as opposed to 32 credits for DonPachi so I feel like this one is a little more balanced.
Besides the pacing and balancing, the only other big improvements from DonPachi are the beautiful backgrounds, improved sprites and that fucking soundtrack. I was so surprised of how good of a soundtrack this game had. Just all around banger rock music.
Loved this one and will come back to it to try to beat it using less credits.
RATING: Costed me a Big Mac combo
Probably the most popular CAVE shooter known to shmup fans. This a great Shmup and I can see myself replaying this one. It's an excellent sequel to DonPachi which addresses the pacing issue I had with that game. There is no repetition of levels, it's a 6 level journey all with cool unique locations, enemies and bosses. Gameplay is generally the same as all CAVE shooters, but this one in particular is hard as hell. Not sure what to expect from the other CAVE shooters so I can't compare how hard it is to the others. I did get through on my first playthrough with only 12 credits as opposed to 32 credits for DonPachi so I feel like this one is a little more balanced.
Besides the pacing and balancing, the only other big improvements from DonPachi are the beautiful backgrounds, improved sprites and that fucking soundtrack. I was so surprised of how good of a soundtrack this game had. Just all around banger rock music.
Loved this one and will come back to it to try to beat it using less credits.
1995
CREDITS USED: 31
RATING: That $31 could've gone to a nice AA/Indie game
I love shmups but have never played what we call a "CAVE" shooter (i.e. a shmup developed by CAVE). CAVE Shooters are some of the most popular shooters amongst shmup fans. All CAVE shooters usually consist of these 3 attributes:
1. It is a vertical bullet hell shmup
2. Beautiful gorgeous 2D arcade graphics
3. Every ship has a rapid fire mode and a focus mode, done by respectively mashing the shoot button or holding it down. Rapid fire is self explanatory but focus mode is when all your projectiles focus into one high damage dealing laser in exchange for slower movement speed
Today was the day I thought I'd get into CAVE shooters, and started with none other than CAVE's first shmup, DonPachi.
I love the artstyle in this game, it kind of reminds me of a newer Gundam artstyle. Since this is the first CAVE shooter it is also one of the roughest and hardest in terms of design. It is generally a good shmup but can feel a little too overly chaotic, even for a shmup.
A big detriment that I did not like about this game was the fact that the 2nd half of the game is just the first half again, but with more enemies and bullets. I feel like later CAVE games will be more fairly balanced and not as repetitive considering the reputation these games have, but I can see why DonPachi is not as highly regarded as DoDonPachi (the sequel). Still it is a solid shooter that was a good first attempt by CAVE, and already nailed down the signature gameplay CAVE were known for. If DonPachi ended halfway through, I would have liked this much more, but because of it's repetitive nature I don't see myself replaying this one to either 1 CC it (Clear using 1 credit) or bring my credits used score down.
RATING: That $31 could've gone to a nice AA/Indie game
I love shmups but have never played what we call a "CAVE" shooter (i.e. a shmup developed by CAVE). CAVE Shooters are some of the most popular shooters amongst shmup fans. All CAVE shooters usually consist of these 3 attributes:
1. It is a vertical bullet hell shmup
2. Beautiful gorgeous 2D arcade graphics
3. Every ship has a rapid fire mode and a focus mode, done by respectively mashing the shoot button or holding it down. Rapid fire is self explanatory but focus mode is when all your projectiles focus into one high damage dealing laser in exchange for slower movement speed
Today was the day I thought I'd get into CAVE shooters, and started with none other than CAVE's first shmup, DonPachi.
I love the artstyle in this game, it kind of reminds me of a newer Gundam artstyle. Since this is the first CAVE shooter it is also one of the roughest and hardest in terms of design. It is generally a good shmup but can feel a little too overly chaotic, even for a shmup.
A big detriment that I did not like about this game was the fact that the 2nd half of the game is just the first half again, but with more enemies and bullets. I feel like later CAVE games will be more fairly balanced and not as repetitive considering the reputation these games have, but I can see why DonPachi is not as highly regarded as DoDonPachi (the sequel). Still it is a solid shooter that was a good first attempt by CAVE, and already nailed down the signature gameplay CAVE were known for. If DonPachi ended halfway through, I would have liked this much more, but because of it's repetitive nature I don't see myself replaying this one to either 1 CC it (Clear using 1 credit) or bring my credits used score down.