If this was the direction Rare would have taken an extended Sabreman series revival, then I think this game's proof they were on to something. It's a wildly different interpretation from the original Sabre Wulf, and there's little to no throughline with (what I know of) the later games. But for Rare of this era - trying to rediscover themselves after the Microsoft buy-out, basing a lot of their identity around portable games and recapturing their 90s identity on handheld - it's fairly well in-line with their sensibilities, and a great proof of concept.
Sabre Wulf '04 is a speed-based puzzle platformer. Initially, this seems pretty counterintuitive, and it does take a bit to adjust to the challenge. I think I was about a third of the way in before I became at all confident in my ability to quickly send out creatures, and two-thirds before I was confident experimenting with creatures besides Blubbas and Serpents. But there's a good cadence to a lot of it once you finally get there. There's a good core physics system in place, such that naturally complements the functions of the different creatures. I like also that there's rarely only one viable option; since the puzzles are generally physics-based rather than lock-and-key, the player is encouraged to experiment and figure out ways to best navigate enemy and environmental obstacles. So, for example, while *I* found Bigfoot to be an extremely useless creature, I could see other players getting a lot of use out of him, given how much air Sabreman gets after being punted by the big galoot. That sort of emergent design is really cool to see, honestly! And to top that with a wreck-the-set escape sequence just makes EVERY level feel fun and important and easy to master. Great stuff.
The writing's also quite fun! It's clearly nostalgic in places for the original games, what with the Amulet rhymes and the faux-Middle English spelling, but with a bigger focus on the dry, zany tone that characterized Banjo-Tooie (apt, given that's where we last saw Sabreman). I think it's easy to lose track of some of the different subplots going on - I spent the whole game wondering when I was gonna satisfy the conditions behind Orchids #2-5, only to discover I'd satisfied most of them without really realizing it. But I'm not terribly inclined to complain about having less work to do than expected. Besides, there are a ton of fun little moments here and there, like the mixed-up Druidic Monks worshiping at a place called "Imhotep", or the tea-drinking contest.
I do sort of wish that there was a final boss. Maybe it's a bit too much to ask for some pronounced face-off with the Sabre Wulf or Dr. Doolittle-Goode (great name, by the way) when Wulfie factors into almost every level anyway. But for how much of a presence the Sabre Wulf carries throughout the game, I would've loved to see something underline his presence. And maybe thematically tie together the myriad creatures, too, in some way. I don't know how you'd do this without radically changing up the gameplay experience, but if they'd managed that, it'd be the thing to tip this game over from "great" to a personal favorite. Even without that, though - highly recommended.
Hey, this was released as a 20-year anniversary celebration for the original Sabre Wulf, and now this game's 20 years old. Think it's too much to hope for another series revival?
Sabre Wulf '04 is a speed-based puzzle platformer. Initially, this seems pretty counterintuitive, and it does take a bit to adjust to the challenge. I think I was about a third of the way in before I became at all confident in my ability to quickly send out creatures, and two-thirds before I was confident experimenting with creatures besides Blubbas and Serpents. But there's a good cadence to a lot of it once you finally get there. There's a good core physics system in place, such that naturally complements the functions of the different creatures. I like also that there's rarely only one viable option; since the puzzles are generally physics-based rather than lock-and-key, the player is encouraged to experiment and figure out ways to best navigate enemy and environmental obstacles. So, for example, while *I* found Bigfoot to be an extremely useless creature, I could see other players getting a lot of use out of him, given how much air Sabreman gets after being punted by the big galoot. That sort of emergent design is really cool to see, honestly! And to top that with a wreck-the-set escape sequence just makes EVERY level feel fun and important and easy to master. Great stuff.
The writing's also quite fun! It's clearly nostalgic in places for the original games, what with the Amulet rhymes and the faux-Middle English spelling, but with a bigger focus on the dry, zany tone that characterized Banjo-Tooie (apt, given that's where we last saw Sabreman). I think it's easy to lose track of some of the different subplots going on - I spent the whole game wondering when I was gonna satisfy the conditions behind Orchids #2-5, only to discover I'd satisfied most of them without really realizing it. But I'm not terribly inclined to complain about having less work to do than expected. Besides, there are a ton of fun little moments here and there, like the mixed-up Druidic Monks worshiping at a place called "Imhotep", or the tea-drinking contest.
I do sort of wish that there was a final boss. Maybe it's a bit too much to ask for some pronounced face-off with the Sabre Wulf or Dr. Doolittle-Goode (great name, by the way) when Wulfie factors into almost every level anyway. But for how much of a presence the Sabre Wulf carries throughout the game, I would've loved to see something underline his presence. And maybe thematically tie together the myriad creatures, too, in some way. I don't know how you'd do this without radically changing up the gameplay experience, but if they'd managed that, it'd be the thing to tip this game over from "great" to a personal favorite. Even without that, though - highly recommended.
Hey, this was released as a 20-year anniversary celebration for the original Sabre Wulf, and now this game's 20 years old. Think it's too much to hope for another series revival?