Annalynn pays homage to classic '80s arcade games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Mario Bros. It takes dot collecting, multi-colored enemies, and temporary power-ups from Pac-Man. The differing levels and jumping action are from Donkey Kong. Enemy-kicking feels right out of Mario Bros. I can't say Annalynn is as elegant as those games, nor that it establishes an identity distinct from them, but it's about as addictive as them and substantially more approachable.

The aesthetics are on-point. The visuals call back to the art found in the arcades, albeit with some nice enhancements (characters have more frames of animation, for example). The music uses an arcade-like soundfont, but it's written like later NES games. And it slaps. Sound effects are also pleasant, and they punctuate the action well. The presentation makes the game feel like a throwback done right, but it has its own additions too.

The characters are appealing and presented with a ton of charm thanks to the way they're shown in cutscenes between levels. Like in Pac-Man, a short scene will play every few levels, one before each new area. Not only do these flesh out the context, they sometimes introduce new hazards that will appear in the next set of levels. Thus, levels can be more concise, as the player can start playing with immediate knowledge of what to expect. It stops doing this after Round 9 until Round 16, however. Instead, those cutscenes just show cute shenanigans. They feel like a missed opportunity.

The controls are responsive, with a modern feeling jump that can be adjusted in mid-air. The core design feels modern too, but in a way that detracts from the retro feel. Information is sometimes hidden, with the snakes popping in and out of holes or getting scrolled off-screen. This sometimes leads to the player getting caught off-guard. Older arcade games often kept all the information they could handle on-screen at all times. Hiding the snakes this way can sometimes lead to frustrations, either with them suddenly coming out of a hole or not knowing where the last one is while they're dazed.

Annalynn's homages to the classics can hurt its ability to set itself apart as well. It takes many ideas from arcade greats but doesn't leave much to say for itself. It does have more level variety than games from back then, but the level themes are reminiscent of ones from NES games (Rounds 7-9 for example feel like something out of Mega Man 2). The game puts a heavy focus on making its cast appealing, but, well, this is a game with four, colorful, big-eyed enemies that get scared and start flashing blue after the player collects a large item. Which game am I talking about? That said, I guess making something with a new spin on Pac-Man is better than a lot of other '80s arcade games managed. There's enough room for Annalynn too.

The best thing Annalynn has going for it is its approachability. The game can get tricky in later Rounds, but there are infinite continues, with the player's score getting cut in half being the only punishment. This means most of the game's content is available to anyone who just wants to jump around collecting coins and kicking snakes. This doesn't make the game toothless though. Some achievements and unlocks require striving for perfection. To help get players ready for mastering the game, beating a level once unlocks the ability to play it in Practice mode. Getting a Perfect Clear in Practice mode even counts towards some unlocks. This balance of tough challenges and accommodations for approachability makes the game easy to go back to over and over again.

Reviewed on Nov 28, 2022


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