Historically, I've found people's frustration with this game, after recommending it to them, to be a result of the gameplay. And to be fair, this game does look like one of those weird ones you'd see in a sci-fi movie that's there for super futuristic looks and not actually meant to be played. However, the game is actually quite logical once you've taken the time to figure out how it works by fiddling around with it, or reading the manual, or going through the DS version's handy tutorial. Even better though is this short two-minute video some cool guy made that neatly sums up all of the important things you need to know. It also saves me from having to explain it here.
In addition to the single-player, Digidrive was given a rather well-conceived two-player. I say well-conceived partly because it's not as much of a carbon copy of the single-player gameplay like what the other Bit Generations do. Plus it's also the only game in the series that doesn't require two cartridges to play (you do however still need two Wireless Adapters; a link cable will not work). In 2P, your goal is to move the puck to the top of the screen. There are several powerups you can base a myriad of clever strategies around to earn your victory, and it never feels cheap (maybe the computer player battle required to see the credits is a bit though). When either you or your opponent's side is hit by the puck, the defender will automatically use their stock in an attempt to forego a loss. All of these unique factors give way to a style of gameplay that requires a different approach to the Digidrive thought process.
Besides the nail-biting action of both modes, the game is visually sleek and I love it. You can unlock a boatload of extra vibrant skins via setting new high scores, so it's hard to get too bored of how the game looks. Even more lovable is Toshiyuki Sudo's soundtrack, which continues the electronica style the Nintendo composer had in the Polarium games and Magnetica. It's awesome, and every bit of adaptive music goes a really long way to make the game special. It's easily a big factor in him being one of my favorite VGM composers. Sound design also deserves a round of applause as well. And I suppose people would probably call the overall aesthetics of the game Y2K, and while that's probably a bit inaccurate, if you like the Y2K style, you will almost certainly love this game's.
I could say a lot more about Digidrive, but I won't. It's a perfect arcade action experience, designed in such a way to be both addictive and simultaneously challenging without feeling like there isn't always room for you to improve. There's an added bonus too, people giving you weird looks when they see you playing such a strange looking game. Dylan Cuthbert and the rest of his team at Q-Games would go on to remake the game for DSiWare. Unlike the other games that got remakes (and the one sequel) in this series, I actually prefer the original. The DS game is still fantastic though, so give that a go if you're inclined as well. One final thought, this game's existence makes me question why there weren't other devs that gave the Bit Generations formula a shot, as this was Q-Games' only contribution in a field of Skip games. But, I'm especially happy with what we got here.
Bit Generations series reviews:
Dotstream⠀⠀⠀(Start)
Boundish⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Dialhex⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Coloris⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Orbital⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Digidrive⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Soundvoyager⠀⠀⠀ᐁ (End)
In addition to the single-player, Digidrive was given a rather well-conceived two-player. I say well-conceived partly because it's not as much of a carbon copy of the single-player gameplay like what the other Bit Generations do. Plus it's also the only game in the series that doesn't require two cartridges to play (you do however still need two Wireless Adapters; a link cable will not work). In 2P, your goal is to move the puck to the top of the screen. There are several powerups you can base a myriad of clever strategies around to earn your victory, and it never feels cheap (maybe the computer player battle required to see the credits is a bit though). When either you or your opponent's side is hit by the puck, the defender will automatically use their stock in an attempt to forego a loss. All of these unique factors give way to a style of gameplay that requires a different approach to the Digidrive thought process.
Besides the nail-biting action of both modes, the game is visually sleek and I love it. You can unlock a boatload of extra vibrant skins via setting new high scores, so it's hard to get too bored of how the game looks. Even more lovable is Toshiyuki Sudo's soundtrack, which continues the electronica style the Nintendo composer had in the Polarium games and Magnetica. It's awesome, and every bit of adaptive music goes a really long way to make the game special. It's easily a big factor in him being one of my favorite VGM composers. Sound design also deserves a round of applause as well. And I suppose people would probably call the overall aesthetics of the game Y2K, and while that's probably a bit inaccurate, if you like the Y2K style, you will almost certainly love this game's.
I could say a lot more about Digidrive, but I won't. It's a perfect arcade action experience, designed in such a way to be both addictive and simultaneously challenging without feeling like there isn't always room for you to improve. There's an added bonus too, people giving you weird looks when they see you playing such a strange looking game. Dylan Cuthbert and the rest of his team at Q-Games would go on to remake the game for DSiWare. Unlike the other games that got remakes (and the one sequel) in this series, I actually prefer the original. The DS game is still fantastic though, so give that a go if you're inclined as well. One final thought, this game's existence makes me question why there weren't other devs that gave the Bit Generations formula a shot, as this was Q-Games' only contribution in a field of Skip games. But, I'm especially happy with what we got here.
Bit Generations series reviews:
Dotstream⠀⠀⠀(Start)
Boundish⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Dialhex⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Coloris⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Orbital⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Digidrive⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀|
Soundvoyager⠀⠀⠀ᐁ (End)