When it comes to how a character is designed, there are two archetypes that I immediately gravitate towards when it comes to my favorites. The first is the dark, evil, ominous type, and in stark contrast, the second is the small, adorable, and lovable type. There is something about both of these types of character designs that just manage to resonate with me more than any other, and when it comes to the cute designs, they can completely convince me to give whatever product they are from a shot. Obviously, not every single cute character design works with me, but there are ones that have managed to grab my attention over the years and drawn me into loving them, such as with Starfy and, obviously, Kirby. This also happens to be the case with today’s game, Gimmick!.
I knew practically nothing about this game going into it, other than that it was an NES game that was only ever initially released in Japan and… Scandinavia, for some reason. However, when I saw the cover of the game and got a good look at the main character, I wanted to then play it as soon as possible, because he is fucking adorable. Not the version of him on the cover that Backloggd has, but the one for the Japanese cover, which, again, looks really cute. However, as I would soon find out, just because a character is adorable, that doesn’t mean their game would be automatically be a masterpiece. That’s not to say it is bad, because it is still pretty good, and I enjoyed it enough, but there was quite a bit that made it very hard to fully enjoy.
The story is a pretty unique one for an NES game, where a girl gets a gift for her birthday who turns out to be Yumetaro, a toy that quickly becomes her favorite, and in spite of this, her other toys then capture her and transport her to another dimension (yes, none of this is explained, why do you ask?), so it is up to Yumetaro to rescue her, which may not be THAT creative, but compared to many other games on the system, it was refreshing to see, the graphics are really great, having a very pleasant style, with all of the characters and the enemies looking really adorable and appealing, although the environments leave a lot to be desired, the music is wonderful, having plenty of tracks that were pleasant to listen to, even if some of them blend into each other, the control is basic, and you can get accustomed to it pretty quickly, even if some of the functions like the attacking being a bit hard to get used to at first, and the gameplay is simple, yet inventive and enjoyable for the time.
The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, where you take control of Yumetaro, go through a set of six to seven levels through plenty of different environments, use your magic star power to take out many different enemies that range from simple and docile, to fast and quite threatening, gather plenty of different powerups to either give you an advantage against your foes, heal yourself, or even help out in solving some unique puzzles, and take on several bosses that will test you in both your reflexes, as well as how you can control your weapon. On the surface, it is a pretty basic NES platformer, and for a good amount of it, it is, but there is a good amount here that makes it stand out from others.
Like I mentioned before, this is moreso a puzzle platformer rather than a regular one, and when it comes to the puzzles that you need to solve in the game, they are actually pretty well-done and clever. These aren’t puzzles you necessarily need to solve if you wanna get to the end, but you do need to solve them if you wanna get all the hidden goodies, and while some of them may be cryptic, finding out how to complete them does feel satisfying. For example, in stage two, in order to get the hidden treasure in the stage, you have to push this cannon down to a ledge that is right next to it, and then you have to hop on top of one of the cannonballs to then ride over to a hidden area that has the treasure in it. It isn’t too complicated for the most part, but it does make you use your brain, and I appreciate that, especially when other games of the same genre on this system don’t do that too often. This also extends to the bosses, who also have specific means in which you need to take them out, rather then just “hit them a couple of times and win”, so that was nice to experience.
However, what wasn’t nice was the thing that ultimately made it much more frustrating to play through then I would’ve liked it to be: your main attack. Like I mentioned before, your attack consists of this star power, which you can use and throw at enemies, and it is a useful enough attack, but not only does it need to be charged up, which can be a detriment in some situations, but every time you throw the star, you throw it straight down in front of you. This means that you have to be very specific with not just where you throw the star, but also in what direction, what height, and at what speed, which does make things more interesting, but not that much more enjoyable. I found this to be incredibly frustrating in numerous circumstances, where you need to solve a specific puzzle by throwing this star in a very specific direction, or where I could only hit the boss if I throw it at a VERY specific angle and speed. Sure, this isn’t a terrible mechanic, and I am sure plenty of others could get a hang of it just fine, but for me, it does drag the entire game down quite a bit. Not to mention, the game also does that NES thing I hate, where in order to get the true ending, you HAVE to get these hidden treasures, and if you just finish it normally, it will tell you to try again and send you all the way back to the beginning. That’s just stupid, no matter what game it comes from.
Overall, despite a pretty wonky attack and the ending requirements being pretty strict, I still found Gimmick! to be a really good time, and one of the more underappreciated games from the NES’s library. I would definitely recommend it for those who love these types of puzzle-based platformers, as well as those who are fans of NES games in general, because it will manage to satisfy those cravings you may have for how short it does last. And hey, if you do wanna play it, there is a remaster of it out for modern consoles, so I would recommend giving that a shot. Although, I would wait for a price decrease first. Seriously, I don’t care how much you add onto the original game, $15 is way too much for a game like this.
Game #443
I knew practically nothing about this game going into it, other than that it was an NES game that was only ever initially released in Japan and… Scandinavia, for some reason. However, when I saw the cover of the game and got a good look at the main character, I wanted to then play it as soon as possible, because he is fucking adorable. Not the version of him on the cover that Backloggd has, but the one for the Japanese cover, which, again, looks really cute. However, as I would soon find out, just because a character is adorable, that doesn’t mean their game would be automatically be a masterpiece. That’s not to say it is bad, because it is still pretty good, and I enjoyed it enough, but there was quite a bit that made it very hard to fully enjoy.
The story is a pretty unique one for an NES game, where a girl gets a gift for her birthday who turns out to be Yumetaro, a toy that quickly becomes her favorite, and in spite of this, her other toys then capture her and transport her to another dimension (yes, none of this is explained, why do you ask?), so it is up to Yumetaro to rescue her, which may not be THAT creative, but compared to many other games on the system, it was refreshing to see, the graphics are really great, having a very pleasant style, with all of the characters and the enemies looking really adorable and appealing, although the environments leave a lot to be desired, the music is wonderful, having plenty of tracks that were pleasant to listen to, even if some of them blend into each other, the control is basic, and you can get accustomed to it pretty quickly, even if some of the functions like the attacking being a bit hard to get used to at first, and the gameplay is simple, yet inventive and enjoyable for the time.
The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, where you take control of Yumetaro, go through a set of six to seven levels through plenty of different environments, use your magic star power to take out many different enemies that range from simple and docile, to fast and quite threatening, gather plenty of different powerups to either give you an advantage against your foes, heal yourself, or even help out in solving some unique puzzles, and take on several bosses that will test you in both your reflexes, as well as how you can control your weapon. On the surface, it is a pretty basic NES platformer, and for a good amount of it, it is, but there is a good amount here that makes it stand out from others.
Like I mentioned before, this is moreso a puzzle platformer rather than a regular one, and when it comes to the puzzles that you need to solve in the game, they are actually pretty well-done and clever. These aren’t puzzles you necessarily need to solve if you wanna get to the end, but you do need to solve them if you wanna get all the hidden goodies, and while some of them may be cryptic, finding out how to complete them does feel satisfying. For example, in stage two, in order to get the hidden treasure in the stage, you have to push this cannon down to a ledge that is right next to it, and then you have to hop on top of one of the cannonballs to then ride over to a hidden area that has the treasure in it. It isn’t too complicated for the most part, but it does make you use your brain, and I appreciate that, especially when other games of the same genre on this system don’t do that too often. This also extends to the bosses, who also have specific means in which you need to take them out, rather then just “hit them a couple of times and win”, so that was nice to experience.
However, what wasn’t nice was the thing that ultimately made it much more frustrating to play through then I would’ve liked it to be: your main attack. Like I mentioned before, your attack consists of this star power, which you can use and throw at enemies, and it is a useful enough attack, but not only does it need to be charged up, which can be a detriment in some situations, but every time you throw the star, you throw it straight down in front of you. This means that you have to be very specific with not just where you throw the star, but also in what direction, what height, and at what speed, which does make things more interesting, but not that much more enjoyable. I found this to be incredibly frustrating in numerous circumstances, where you need to solve a specific puzzle by throwing this star in a very specific direction, or where I could only hit the boss if I throw it at a VERY specific angle and speed. Sure, this isn’t a terrible mechanic, and I am sure plenty of others could get a hang of it just fine, but for me, it does drag the entire game down quite a bit. Not to mention, the game also does that NES thing I hate, where in order to get the true ending, you HAVE to get these hidden treasures, and if you just finish it normally, it will tell you to try again and send you all the way back to the beginning. That’s just stupid, no matter what game it comes from.
Overall, despite a pretty wonky attack and the ending requirements being pretty strict, I still found Gimmick! to be a really good time, and one of the more underappreciated games from the NES’s library. I would definitely recommend it for those who love these types of puzzle-based platformers, as well as those who are fans of NES games in general, because it will manage to satisfy those cravings you may have for how short it does last. And hey, if you do wanna play it, there is a remaster of it out for modern consoles, so I would recommend giving that a shot. Although, I would wait for a price decrease first. Seriously, I don’t care how much you add onto the original game, $15 is way too much for a game like this.
Game #443
Angel_Arle
4 months ago