What a game.

Impossible to comprehend the universe where Nintendo developed a game specifically for Western markets in the first place. Very easy to comprehend the universe where they eventually decided to never think about it again aside from throwing us the bone of putting the first one on Virtual Console. It's not like I'm demanding a series revival though: the things that make Startropics interesting largely don't happen in the current Big Gaming space, and nobody actually like gives a shit about the rich lore. What makes Startropics special is that it's just on something slightly out of step with most of its contemporaries. I think this is why when I saw it in Nintendo Power it looked like the coolest shit.


Because, y'know, games with a zoomed out "adventure" perspective vs a more intimate "action" mode were not unknown to me at the time. Zelda 2 is specifically a better comparison to make than Zelda 1 for ST in my mind both obviously both are in the conversation. Dragon Warrior is likewise a very popular game that had much more robust "talk to villagers" gameplay. What stands out to me here is more the structure of the game itself. If Zelda is about exploring a space. So's Dragon Warrior. Startropics is about having an ADVENTURE. Like the cartoons you were watching on Saturday morning. Mike Jones has an overarching goal, and he's largely responding to things that happen to him on the way. Dealing with local problems, getting little pieces of the mystery, that kind of thing. And I mean yes the "mystery" is stupid and revealed almost entirely in one late-game dump but it's about the journey. It's about the feeling that anything could be around the corner. The game is linear, but it feels vast, and interesting story beats are always happening in either the adventure or the action modes.


And honestly, it helps the interplay a lot that Startropics is freakin' difficult. It's slow-paced and it's deliberate and you can learn it but any little mistake can get you absolutely diced. Then when you complete an area you get a big fanfare and your pointless score meter goes way up and you're back on the overworld, where you get to talk to some guys and get little jokes and explore for hidden life-ups if you want. The tension differential is so strong, and it's a great cool-off. By the time you get to another dungeon level, you're a little stronger in a permanent way, from life or weapon upgrades, and you're ready to start the whole process over again.


Visually, and in terms of audio, there isn't a ton of variety in the locations, but mechanically I was actually surprised at how distinct the areas feel. There's almost always SOMETHING new in any given dungeon. Enemy types, powers, sub-weapons, or something else that gives every stage a distinct gimmick. The puzzle-action ratio is deceptively weighted toward puzzle, and finding the right way to use your tools to make an encounter manageable is ususally what got me through. This, too, feels like a very deliberate move to put us in a space distinct from most of the obvious points of comparison for the game, putting you in the shoes of a clever kid rather than a mighty warrior, that one subweapon that turns you into a teleporting martial arts master notwithstanding. I'm not likely to play it again too soon, but I'm curious if the sequel's decision to remove the deliberate, grid-based movement turns it into more of a straightforward action game.


Anyway, Startropics is really cool. I don't think we're likely to see anybody attempt to make a retro throwback indie title of it any time soon. I don't even know what it would like like if you did. Maybe something without a part where a guy in the South Pacific is like "oh yeah dude the British. Love those guys. So heroic." I think we'd all make fun of that now.