I'm usually a massive Platinum mark (as can be seen from the scores I have given their games - including Infinite Space, a game from Platinum that nobody has played, but I love to death), but I couldn't with this one man. There were too many things that I actively disliked about the game and the gameplay that I couldn't bring myself to complete this.
The perspective is incredibly annoying and obfuscates a lot of the action. You sometimes can't even see smaller enemies on the screen at all, which is incredibly annoying! It also makes exploration of levels a pain as well, which added to my frustration immensely because this has some of the most hidden collectables of all of their games. Add to the fact that each mission is usually incredibly long and meaty, outside of boss fights, and you get a recipe for real one very annoyed gamer.
The second screen gimmick also does not work at all without a WiiU gamepad. I don't know why they didn't rework this port so it was more compatible with modern systems and controllers.
The combat is just not as fun and fluid as I have come to expect from the developer either. I got all of the good moves early on - such as Unite Guts, the dodge, and Hero Time upgrade - and that made things a little easier to manage in fights, but I was still taking hits from enemies I couldn't perceive or attacks coming from off-screen or because I was unsure of where an attack would land due to the aforementioned perspective.
The drawing mechanic was also so clunky and unresponsive that I had immense difficulty with it. If my line wasn't getting caught up in geometry, then it would extend randomly off-screen, despite my own input. It made pulling out weapons with more complex designs, like the Whip or the Hammer, an actual pain and required multiple tries each time I was forced to bring out those weapons for puzzles or to fight enemies (which is another irritating nitpick). You would think that the original team behind one of the best combat drawing mechanics (Okami) would be able to pull off the mechanic in a better way than this. Even something as simple as cramming heroes into a toilet or open doorway or window to get a collectable could result in some bullshit shenanigans.
The story and characters are cliche as all hell and, yes, that's never been a Platinum strong suit, but they are usually so dumb that they're immensely fun. Nobody took Revengeance seriously, but it has one of the most batshit insane casts and storylines in all of video games. The same can be said of many of their greatest hits! This one was not fun and I actually found myself vastly uninterested in it and the characters of the story, who are all just cardboard cutouts with no real personalities.
It doesn't help that the art style is not to my liking either. I know they were going for an aesthetic similar to Viewtiful Joe - another Super Sentai send-up they had made previously (which I have yet to play as well) - but I still didn't vibe with it all too much.
I made it halfway through the game, so I gave it an honest effort, but there were so many things bugging me that I couldn't force myself to continue. I'm shelving it for now, but I honestly don't know if I'll ever return to this. It was such an unfun experience for me, which is sad because I actually really love Platinum and consider them one of my favourite studios.
The perspective is incredibly annoying and obfuscates a lot of the action. You sometimes can't even see smaller enemies on the screen at all, which is incredibly annoying! It also makes exploration of levels a pain as well, which added to my frustration immensely because this has some of the most hidden collectables of all of their games. Add to the fact that each mission is usually incredibly long and meaty, outside of boss fights, and you get a recipe for real one very annoyed gamer.
The second screen gimmick also does not work at all without a WiiU gamepad. I don't know why they didn't rework this port so it was more compatible with modern systems and controllers.
The combat is just not as fun and fluid as I have come to expect from the developer either. I got all of the good moves early on - such as Unite Guts, the dodge, and Hero Time upgrade - and that made things a little easier to manage in fights, but I was still taking hits from enemies I couldn't perceive or attacks coming from off-screen or because I was unsure of where an attack would land due to the aforementioned perspective.
The drawing mechanic was also so clunky and unresponsive that I had immense difficulty with it. If my line wasn't getting caught up in geometry, then it would extend randomly off-screen, despite my own input. It made pulling out weapons with more complex designs, like the Whip or the Hammer, an actual pain and required multiple tries each time I was forced to bring out those weapons for puzzles or to fight enemies (which is another irritating nitpick). You would think that the original team behind one of the best combat drawing mechanics (Okami) would be able to pull off the mechanic in a better way than this. Even something as simple as cramming heroes into a toilet or open doorway or window to get a collectable could result in some bullshit shenanigans.
The story and characters are cliche as all hell and, yes, that's never been a Platinum strong suit, but they are usually so dumb that they're immensely fun. Nobody took Revengeance seriously, but it has one of the most batshit insane casts and storylines in all of video games. The same can be said of many of their greatest hits! This one was not fun and I actually found myself vastly uninterested in it and the characters of the story, who are all just cardboard cutouts with no real personalities.
It doesn't help that the art style is not to my liking either. I know they were going for an aesthetic similar to Viewtiful Joe - another Super Sentai send-up they had made previously (which I have yet to play as well) - but I still didn't vibe with it all too much.
I made it halfway through the game, so I gave it an honest effort, but there were so many things bugging me that I couldn't force myself to continue. I'm shelving it for now, but I honestly don't know if I'll ever return to this. It was such an unfun experience for me, which is sad because I actually really love Platinum and consider them one of my favourite studios.