WyattJames
1993
This review contains spoilers
Spoiler Level: Medium (specific mechanical and level spoilers, basic story spoilers)
CW: very minor swearing.
I played on a SNES with a CRT, got most of the upgrades, and died countless times. I also logged my opinions during play.
Mega Man X is a game I wish I’d gotten to sooner. It’s radical, and totally emblematic of what made the series a mainstay for three generations of consoles and then some. The level design is tight and crunchy, with varied platforming and tricky enemies. Likewise, the bosses pack a real punch, and the whole experience is rounded out with a healthy dose of exploration and hidden goodies.
Let’s talk about those levels. They take the form of linear gauntlets with occasional short branching paths, and they also keep their length in-check, avoiding excessive scope which might have deterred players when they inevitably run out of lives. There is some impressive variety here, with each level feeling distinct in both theme and form. Some are open and airy, others tight and claustrophobic, and all feature distinct set pieces and varied environments, with my personal highlight being the mech suit sections. Some levels also experience marked shifts after completing certain criteria, enhancing revisits and replays: Spark Mandrill’s stage experiences a power failure, gaining flickering lights and losing some electricity traps, while Flame Mammoth’s conveyor belts grind to a halt.
These linear gauntlets are peppered with enemies that tightly follow the classic model of introduction, development, and culmination. Difficulty scaling is organic, with levels selecting a reasonable subset of enemies and evolving their usage via clever placement and context rather than excessive variety or changing behavior. This empowers the player, benefitting observation more effectively than would be possible with more varied enemy types. Broadly, the roster of enemies is exceptional, and all are a joy to learn and defeat. Each stage is also capped off by a Robot Maverick fight which holistically tests the player’s accumulated skill.
Mega Man X thrives on progression. X transitions from a slow underdog to a lightning-fast cannon, capable of reducing enemies to mere dust without breaking a sweat. Character progression is intelligently left mostly optional, benefitting observant players and synthetic challenge runs alike. Optional upgrades include Reserve Tanks, stat upgrades, and core moveset extensions, with most requiring clever spatial reasoning or critical thinking; even plainly visible abilities, such as the dash, can be intentionally skipped. This leverages player expression brilliantly - the choice of order in which levels are tackled and the varying quantity of found upgrades inject variety into every playthrough. The mandatory upgrades are even more diverse while remaining mercifully ignorable, still permitting synthetic challenge runs. Each Robot Maverick that X defeats grants him a unique weapon, and they’re all good - my favorites are the Storm Tornado and the Homing Torpedo.
The game’s progression, level design, and enemy design all come to a zenith with the final gauntlet: Sigma’s Fortress. As it follows the standard levels, it is free to provide a sharp upward difficulty curve. Enemies and stage layouts are mixed in diabolical new ways, requiring exacting precision from the player. However, this is a Mega Man game, and the Maverick weapons come into their own here, each excelling in particular use cases and allowing the player to substitute some amount of precision for planning. It’s excellent. This extends to the new bosses, which punctuate each stage of Sigma’s Fortress with a hefty challenge.
Then, the player reaches the final boss, and it all goes to shit. Sigma presents a gargantuan difficulty spike that nearly breaks the game in two. A novice player will die. A novice player will die repeatedly. A novice player will die ad nauseam. It truly cannot be understated, and countless players have undoubtedly given up right before the finish line. Buckle up, because it’s time for the long haul.
The first phase is very reasonable. It will take a few tries to learn, but can be cleared quickly without taking damage. The second phase, however, is not so kind. Sigma’s movement is erratic, and his attacks are incredibly difficult to dodge. However, with enough perseverance, this too can be conquered, only for the final phase to toss the player from the frying pan into the fire.
It cannot be understated how unprecedented this is, but it gets worse. While the player is graced with effectively infinite lives and Reserve Tanks by way of the enemies directly preceding the fight, this grinding takes an excessive amount of time, and, more importantly, an excessive amount of wall jumps. This final boss caused me physical pain - the design really is that needlessly hostile. Additionally, a player may wish to comb the standard levels for additional upgrades, but this is a trap. For whatever reason, this resets the player’s progress through Sigma’s Fortress!* However, with enough tries, a determined player will defeat Sigma and finish the game.
As for the rest of the game - the nitty-gritty - Mega Man X is good. The music is passable but I wouldn’t go back to listen to any of it. Some levels contain annoying sections, such as the submarines in Launch Octopus’ stage, but they are ultimately minor. The slide could have been polished further, letting the player simply hold the button to achieve full air speed. Floating platforms could be less janky. Ultimately, however, these complaints are minor, and the game still shines brightly, despite the absurdity of the final boss fight.
So, can I recommend this game? Absolutely. Mega Man X remains thrilling to this very day.
*This may have been caused by a password load between sessions, but it is still utterly goofy.
CW: very minor swearing.
I played on a SNES with a CRT, got most of the upgrades, and died countless times. I also logged my opinions during play.
Mega Man X is a game I wish I’d gotten to sooner. It’s radical, and totally emblematic of what made the series a mainstay for three generations of consoles and then some. The level design is tight and crunchy, with varied platforming and tricky enemies. Likewise, the bosses pack a real punch, and the whole experience is rounded out with a healthy dose of exploration and hidden goodies.
Let’s talk about those levels. They take the form of linear gauntlets with occasional short branching paths, and they also keep their length in-check, avoiding excessive scope which might have deterred players when they inevitably run out of lives. There is some impressive variety here, with each level feeling distinct in both theme and form. Some are open and airy, others tight and claustrophobic, and all feature distinct set pieces and varied environments, with my personal highlight being the mech suit sections. Some levels also experience marked shifts after completing certain criteria, enhancing revisits and replays: Spark Mandrill’s stage experiences a power failure, gaining flickering lights and losing some electricity traps, while Flame Mammoth’s conveyor belts grind to a halt.
These linear gauntlets are peppered with enemies that tightly follow the classic model of introduction, development, and culmination. Difficulty scaling is organic, with levels selecting a reasonable subset of enemies and evolving their usage via clever placement and context rather than excessive variety or changing behavior. This empowers the player, benefitting observation more effectively than would be possible with more varied enemy types. Broadly, the roster of enemies is exceptional, and all are a joy to learn and defeat. Each stage is also capped off by a Robot Maverick fight which holistically tests the player’s accumulated skill.
Mega Man X thrives on progression. X transitions from a slow underdog to a lightning-fast cannon, capable of reducing enemies to mere dust without breaking a sweat. Character progression is intelligently left mostly optional, benefitting observant players and synthetic challenge runs alike. Optional upgrades include Reserve Tanks, stat upgrades, and core moveset extensions, with most requiring clever spatial reasoning or critical thinking; even plainly visible abilities, such as the dash, can be intentionally skipped. This leverages player expression brilliantly - the choice of order in which levels are tackled and the varying quantity of found upgrades inject variety into every playthrough. The mandatory upgrades are even more diverse while remaining mercifully ignorable, still permitting synthetic challenge runs. Each Robot Maverick that X defeats grants him a unique weapon, and they’re all good - my favorites are the Storm Tornado and the Homing Torpedo.
The game’s progression, level design, and enemy design all come to a zenith with the final gauntlet: Sigma’s Fortress. As it follows the standard levels, it is free to provide a sharp upward difficulty curve. Enemies and stage layouts are mixed in diabolical new ways, requiring exacting precision from the player. However, this is a Mega Man game, and the Maverick weapons come into their own here, each excelling in particular use cases and allowing the player to substitute some amount of precision for planning. It’s excellent. This extends to the new bosses, which punctuate each stage of Sigma’s Fortress with a hefty challenge.
Then, the player reaches the final boss, and it all goes to shit. Sigma presents a gargantuan difficulty spike that nearly breaks the game in two. A novice player will die. A novice player will die repeatedly. A novice player will die ad nauseam. It truly cannot be understated, and countless players have undoubtedly given up right before the finish line. Buckle up, because it’s time for the long haul.
The first phase is very reasonable. It will take a few tries to learn, but can be cleared quickly without taking damage. The second phase, however, is not so kind. Sigma’s movement is erratic, and his attacks are incredibly difficult to dodge. However, with enough perseverance, this too can be conquered, only for the final phase to toss the player from the frying pan into the fire.
It cannot be understated how unprecedented this is, but it gets worse. While the player is graced with effectively infinite lives and Reserve Tanks by way of the enemies directly preceding the fight, this grinding takes an excessive amount of time, and, more importantly, an excessive amount of wall jumps. This final boss caused me physical pain - the design really is that needlessly hostile. Additionally, a player may wish to comb the standard levels for additional upgrades, but this is a trap. For whatever reason, this resets the player’s progress through Sigma’s Fortress!* However, with enough tries, a determined player will defeat Sigma and finish the game.
As for the rest of the game - the nitty-gritty - Mega Man X is good. The music is passable but I wouldn’t go back to listen to any of it. Some levels contain annoying sections, such as the submarines in Launch Octopus’ stage, but they are ultimately minor. The slide could have been polished further, letting the player simply hold the button to achieve full air speed. Floating platforms could be less janky. Ultimately, however, these complaints are minor, and the game still shines brightly, despite the absurdity of the final boss fight.
So, can I recommend this game? Absolutely. Mega Man X remains thrilling to this very day.
*This may have been caused by a password load between sessions, but it is still utterly goofy.
2002
This review contains spoilers
Spoiler level: High. Expect specific mechanical and story spoilers.
I played version 1.0 of the GameCube version of Metroid Prime, on a Wii, with a widescreen mod. Although I do own the game, I used Nintendont, which may have improved the game’s performance. I achieved 74% completion with most objects scanned and all but one E-tank, judging by the HUD.
The controls are passable. Tank controls may feel like an odd choice, but they are probably the best scheme that the controller could accommodate; dual-stick aiming would have heavily compromised the button mapping, and the controller’s trigger buttons would have worsened the feel of the weapons, as most sport a one-press, one-shot scheme, which keeps combat frantic and direct. The existing controls are also poorly tuned. Cycling between enemies with the lock-on is finicky at best, as is target acquisition. Weapon switch speed, while fine for combat, bogs down traversal, as all doors require the correct beam to open, even after being unlocked once. Samus also turns too slowly, feeling more like Jill Valentine than a bounty hunter.
Metroid Prime’s true zenith lies within its masterful progression and atmosphere. Samus herself demonstrates the widest gulf, granting a taste of power during the prologue before her upgrades are stripped away, then slowly expanding her capabilities until she can dispatch any enemy with ease. The world similarly shifts; initially, Samus encounters only naturalistic enemies and ancient structures, with adventurous music befitting an uninhabited planet. Over time, the Space Pirates and their modern structures eventually begin to reveal themselves, accompanied by a foreboding score. These industrial complexes present the atmospheric highlights of the game: the music pauses, the lights go dark, Samus is in trouble, and it’s up to her to turn the tables. Her actions have a real effect on the world, and eventually, the Space Pirate logs scattered throughout the world reflect this, mentioning them directly and becoming increasingly panicked over time. This holistic approach to progression sells just how much of a cannon Samus becomes: the world fears her very presence.
Combat likewise shines, with enemies that vary greatly in strength and strategy. Samus Aran’s attacks sport great depth - there are four main beams, each with a charge attack and an unlockable combo attack, missiles, and fringe attacks like the Morph Ball Bomb. Most enemies are broadly vulnerable, but certain combinations hold valuable niches; for instance, the Ice Beam and a missile can dispatch stronger enemies quickly, but only if the player develops high accuracy. Deep into the game, however, the exceptionally powerful Plasma Beam obsoletes the other options. Seemingly as a counter to this, enemies vulnerable only to specific beams are introduced, distilling their encounters to a simple weapon selection. Still, the combat remains enjoyable, if a little heavy on enemy spam near the end, treating Samus’ newfound power more as an avenue for catharsis than a game breaker.
Tallon IV’s level design is very intentional. Instead of featuring a vast world filled with grand vistas and cities, it instead mostly sports cramped indoor areas and walled-off outdoor courtyards. This is clearly a level design concession - it keeps the world’s scale in check - but it removes a sense of placeness from the world. The world also features other artificialities, such as a high amount of platforming. Initially, platforms and environmental hazards integrate with the environment, but eventually these are replaced with arbitrary floating platforms spaced just far enough apart to be cumbersome, and Samus’ lack of movement options renders them boring. Despite this, the world remains chock-full of secrets, and many of them are telegraphed well, even if they are not yet obtainable with Samus’ current gear. Overall the level design is quite palatable, keeping the pace reasonable and the brain spinning.
At least, reasonable most of the time. This game has some of the most volatile backtracking I have ever seen in a game.
Metroid Prime features no fast travel system, which is an admirable design goal, but its areas are too linear. For instance, reaching Phendrana Drifts from the Tallon Overworld presents a ten-minute-long trek, consisting largely of walking and extremely basic platforming. Samus is provided with some movement upgrades, but these save little on backtracking at best. The double jump provides decent time saves in earlier areas, but none for later areas which expect it. The Grapple Beam, conversely, is unlocked criminally late into the game, rendering it mostly useless.
Enemy progression also permeates nearly every area of the game, and while I praised it earlier, it can also turn backtracking into a chore. The worst example, Chozo Ghosts, appear throughout the Chozo Ruins later in the game. By this time, Samus is powerful enough to handily defeat them, and yet they constantly grind down the pace of backtracking. Samus also cannot reliably target them without the X-Ray visor, elevating their annoyance until it is acquired.
Additionally, the Chozo Artifacts are gated rather arbitrarily, best illustrated by the Tower of Light. A player may decide to do some early backtracking through the ruins with the knowledge that the artifact is present, reach the tower, and complete the upper section. Despite this, without the Gravity Suit, the player is pointlessly stuffed from actually obtaining the artifact, forced to spend twenty minutes returning later. It is a blatantly arbitrary lock that is unfortunately repeated elsewhere.
This all puts the player in a tough position - he or she can either backtrack early to potentially gain some artifacts and useful upgrades, but likely spend multiple extra boring hours on the game because of this, or instead the player may choose to defer backtracking until the end of the game, completely destroying the pace of the finale. This volatility has the potential to turn backtracking, which usually acts as a respite that relaxes the pace and tension, into a complete pace-breaker.
Lastly, the game suffers from a few minor oversights. While most camera controls can be inverted, the map’s controls cannot be. The map likewise suffers from a combination of transparency and poor shading, which cause frequent depth confusion. Lastly, the visor transparency setting affects both decorative and functional elements, such as the mini map, health and ammo displays, and beam selection. These should have been separate sliders.
Overall, Metroid Prime leaves me conflicted. On one hand, I love the combat, the exploration, the atmosphere, and the sense of mystery presented by the world, but on the other hand, dry backtracking and an overall lack of challenge leave it sitting somewhere short of true greatness. Still, it will easily hold one’s interest enough to see it through.
I played version 1.0 of the GameCube version of Metroid Prime, on a Wii, with a widescreen mod. Although I do own the game, I used Nintendont, which may have improved the game’s performance. I achieved 74% completion with most objects scanned and all but one E-tank, judging by the HUD.
The controls are passable. Tank controls may feel like an odd choice, but they are probably the best scheme that the controller could accommodate; dual-stick aiming would have heavily compromised the button mapping, and the controller’s trigger buttons would have worsened the feel of the weapons, as most sport a one-press, one-shot scheme, which keeps combat frantic and direct. The existing controls are also poorly tuned. Cycling between enemies with the lock-on is finicky at best, as is target acquisition. Weapon switch speed, while fine for combat, bogs down traversal, as all doors require the correct beam to open, even after being unlocked once. Samus also turns too slowly, feeling more like Jill Valentine than a bounty hunter.
Metroid Prime’s true zenith lies within its masterful progression and atmosphere. Samus herself demonstrates the widest gulf, granting a taste of power during the prologue before her upgrades are stripped away, then slowly expanding her capabilities until she can dispatch any enemy with ease. The world similarly shifts; initially, Samus encounters only naturalistic enemies and ancient structures, with adventurous music befitting an uninhabited planet. Over time, the Space Pirates and their modern structures eventually begin to reveal themselves, accompanied by a foreboding score. These industrial complexes present the atmospheric highlights of the game: the music pauses, the lights go dark, Samus is in trouble, and it’s up to her to turn the tables. Her actions have a real effect on the world, and eventually, the Space Pirate logs scattered throughout the world reflect this, mentioning them directly and becoming increasingly panicked over time. This holistic approach to progression sells just how much of a cannon Samus becomes: the world fears her very presence.
Combat likewise shines, with enemies that vary greatly in strength and strategy. Samus Aran’s attacks sport great depth - there are four main beams, each with a charge attack and an unlockable combo attack, missiles, and fringe attacks like the Morph Ball Bomb. Most enemies are broadly vulnerable, but certain combinations hold valuable niches; for instance, the Ice Beam and a missile can dispatch stronger enemies quickly, but only if the player develops high accuracy. Deep into the game, however, the exceptionally powerful Plasma Beam obsoletes the other options. Seemingly as a counter to this, enemies vulnerable only to specific beams are introduced, distilling their encounters to a simple weapon selection. Still, the combat remains enjoyable, if a little heavy on enemy spam near the end, treating Samus’ newfound power more as an avenue for catharsis than a game breaker.
Tallon IV’s level design is very intentional. Instead of featuring a vast world filled with grand vistas and cities, it instead mostly sports cramped indoor areas and walled-off outdoor courtyards. This is clearly a level design concession - it keeps the world’s scale in check - but it removes a sense of placeness from the world. The world also features other artificialities, such as a high amount of platforming. Initially, platforms and environmental hazards integrate with the environment, but eventually these are replaced with arbitrary floating platforms spaced just far enough apart to be cumbersome, and Samus’ lack of movement options renders them boring. Despite this, the world remains chock-full of secrets, and many of them are telegraphed well, even if they are not yet obtainable with Samus’ current gear. Overall the level design is quite palatable, keeping the pace reasonable and the brain spinning.
At least, reasonable most of the time. This game has some of the most volatile backtracking I have ever seen in a game.
Metroid Prime features no fast travel system, which is an admirable design goal, but its areas are too linear. For instance, reaching Phendrana Drifts from the Tallon Overworld presents a ten-minute-long trek, consisting largely of walking and extremely basic platforming. Samus is provided with some movement upgrades, but these save little on backtracking at best. The double jump provides decent time saves in earlier areas, but none for later areas which expect it. The Grapple Beam, conversely, is unlocked criminally late into the game, rendering it mostly useless.
Enemy progression also permeates nearly every area of the game, and while I praised it earlier, it can also turn backtracking into a chore. The worst example, Chozo Ghosts, appear throughout the Chozo Ruins later in the game. By this time, Samus is powerful enough to handily defeat them, and yet they constantly grind down the pace of backtracking. Samus also cannot reliably target them without the X-Ray visor, elevating their annoyance until it is acquired.
Additionally, the Chozo Artifacts are gated rather arbitrarily, best illustrated by the Tower of Light. A player may decide to do some early backtracking through the ruins with the knowledge that the artifact is present, reach the tower, and complete the upper section. Despite this, without the Gravity Suit, the player is pointlessly stuffed from actually obtaining the artifact, forced to spend twenty minutes returning later. It is a blatantly arbitrary lock that is unfortunately repeated elsewhere.
This all puts the player in a tough position - he or she can either backtrack early to potentially gain some artifacts and useful upgrades, but likely spend multiple extra boring hours on the game because of this, or instead the player may choose to defer backtracking until the end of the game, completely destroying the pace of the finale. This volatility has the potential to turn backtracking, which usually acts as a respite that relaxes the pace and tension, into a complete pace-breaker.
Lastly, the game suffers from a few minor oversights. While most camera controls can be inverted, the map’s controls cannot be. The map likewise suffers from a combination of transparency and poor shading, which cause frequent depth confusion. Lastly, the visor transparency setting affects both decorative and functional elements, such as the mini map, health and ammo displays, and beam selection. These should have been separate sliders.
Overall, Metroid Prime leaves me conflicted. On one hand, I love the combat, the exploration, the atmosphere, and the sense of mystery presented by the world, but on the other hand, dry backtracking and an overall lack of challenge leave it sitting somewhere short of true greatness. Still, it will easily hold one’s interest enough to see it through.
Spoiler level: low. Expect basic mechanical and design spoilers.
I was never a Disney kid. I've seen maybe two episodes of the original DuckTales TV show, but that was years ago, making this game pretty much completely fresh to me. I have also never played the original for any significant amount of time. For this review, I played the Steam version.
The gameplay is solid and direct, with laid-back platforming and clever treasure hunting summing up to a wonderful and light-hearted romp through colorful locales. This plot is likewise pleasant; a high variety of well-paced and nicely-written hijinx grants the feel of a real Saturday-morning cartoon, delivered by a fantastic performance from the surviving members of the original cartoon’s cast. Accommodations are also made for players who are unfamiliar with the source material; character backgrounds and motivations are provided by crystal-clear visual design and clever writing which avoids lengthy exposition dumps.
The levels are littered with countless secrets to find; the most common are simple gems and health, generally revealed when Scrooge navigates over a specific tile, but the levels also feature more interesting navigational challenges. Alternate paths are disguised cleverly, and the player may even occasionally move above the screen to find hidden rooms. While unintuitive at first, once the player is made aware of their existence, the telegraphy of such secrets becomes quite effective. The game also occasionally rewards patient players with treasure that can be permanently missed by overly-hasty players, encouraging thoughtful play.
I’d like to take a moment to praise the money scoring system. I find it impossible to care about score in most classic games; most such systems grant points for damn-near anything, including benign tasks that the player will repeat ad-nauseum anyway. They feel like an afterthought, which is remedied in two manners by DuckTales Remastered. Firstly, the gallery, which was not present in the NES game, allows the player to purchase various pieces of media. It provides decent extrinsic motivation for racking up money, but has some issues. Categories of art should be unlocked through other means than merely spending money, and some of the types of concept art could be consolidated; as it stands, the gallery is a bit padded, and cannot be remotely completed with a single playthrough. The other boon to the scoring system is that it is deliberate. All money is procured in the form of treasure, and treasures do not respawn, converting points from a vague motivator to a self-imposable high-score challenge. Players with little interest in searching the nooks and crannies of each level can safely ignore the score system, while those who enjoy it are granted the secondary challenge of scouring for every last bit of treasure, complementing the level design excellently. All said, I thoroughly enjoyed racking up money. This also indirectly heightens enemy design. Since most enemies provide no money, they are free to respawn when the player walks away from them, keeping areas lively even after traversal.
One element that pleasantly surprised me was the quality of the bosses. Maybe it’s because years of exposure to Mario games has rotted my brain, but the bosses of DuckTales Remastered were remarkably challenging and fresh for a 2D platforming game. I am unsure of how much they were updated from the original game, but each boss, with maybe one exception, had a varied-yet-fair attack pattern that I would not usually associate with games of similar vintage, making each a joy to fight.
I must also praise the music, since it’s all good stuff. Each stage features its own catchy tune, and some stages even sport dynamic music. The final main level theme in particular is a well-renowned classic from the NES game, and this new version holds up brilliantly.
It isn’t all sunshine and roses, however. The controls are slightly suboptimal, particularly in regards to the cane. In most areas it feels just fine, but when spikes are overhead, performing repeated low bounces can occasionally twist one’s thumbs into spaghetti noodles. Additionally, the fact that enemies respawn but health pickups do not can occasionally feel unfair, though I never personally found it to be a dire flaw. Another design error comes in the form of the minecarts. Most of the time, jumping from a minecart requires no directional input, as Scrooge retains the cart’s momentum. However, whenever a minecart falls into a pit, this is suddenly inverted, and an unprepared player will plummet straight down to his or her death; Scrooge will even unintuitively lose his momentum mid-jump, depending on the jump’s timing. This caught me off-guard numerous times due to poor telegraphing, and even resulted in a game-over.
The game also suffers from some minor technical failures, the most notable of which being the awful input lag. I wanted to play on my plasma television, but it suffers from approximately 43 milliseconds of lag; this rarely bothers me, but DuckTales Remastered adds several frames of lag on top of this, resulting in a sludgy experience. I moved to a lag-free computer monitor, which mostly remedied the issue, but this is obviously ridiculous. Additionally, control rebinding was finicky. I played with a Switch Pro controller using Steam Input, which worked well most of the time, except when I attempted to use the game’s built-in button remapping. Somehow, this resulted in the jump button and attack button merging, making Scrooge whack any adjacent walls with the cane instead of jumping. This may not be the game’s fault, but it still happened. Lastly, the game is a bit picky about which display it wants to use, but this is easily fixed with a configuration file tweak or the win+shift+arrow hotkey to move the window between monitors.
Overall, should you buy DuckTales Remastered? Sure, if you can find a copy! It's been unavailable digitally for a few years now, but it’s a standout example of a treasure-hunting platformer with loads of charm and care put into it.
I was never a Disney kid. I've seen maybe two episodes of the original DuckTales TV show, but that was years ago, making this game pretty much completely fresh to me. I have also never played the original for any significant amount of time. For this review, I played the Steam version.
The gameplay is solid and direct, with laid-back platforming and clever treasure hunting summing up to a wonderful and light-hearted romp through colorful locales. This plot is likewise pleasant; a high variety of well-paced and nicely-written hijinx grants the feel of a real Saturday-morning cartoon, delivered by a fantastic performance from the surviving members of the original cartoon’s cast. Accommodations are also made for players who are unfamiliar with the source material; character backgrounds and motivations are provided by crystal-clear visual design and clever writing which avoids lengthy exposition dumps.
The levels are littered with countless secrets to find; the most common are simple gems and health, generally revealed when Scrooge navigates over a specific tile, but the levels also feature more interesting navigational challenges. Alternate paths are disguised cleverly, and the player may even occasionally move above the screen to find hidden rooms. While unintuitive at first, once the player is made aware of their existence, the telegraphy of such secrets becomes quite effective. The game also occasionally rewards patient players with treasure that can be permanently missed by overly-hasty players, encouraging thoughtful play.
I’d like to take a moment to praise the money scoring system. I find it impossible to care about score in most classic games; most such systems grant points for damn-near anything, including benign tasks that the player will repeat ad-nauseum anyway. They feel like an afterthought, which is remedied in two manners by DuckTales Remastered. Firstly, the gallery, which was not present in the NES game, allows the player to purchase various pieces of media. It provides decent extrinsic motivation for racking up money, but has some issues. Categories of art should be unlocked through other means than merely spending money, and some of the types of concept art could be consolidated; as it stands, the gallery is a bit padded, and cannot be remotely completed with a single playthrough. The other boon to the scoring system is that it is deliberate. All money is procured in the form of treasure, and treasures do not respawn, converting points from a vague motivator to a self-imposable high-score challenge. Players with little interest in searching the nooks and crannies of each level can safely ignore the score system, while those who enjoy it are granted the secondary challenge of scouring for every last bit of treasure, complementing the level design excellently. All said, I thoroughly enjoyed racking up money. This also indirectly heightens enemy design. Since most enemies provide no money, they are free to respawn when the player walks away from them, keeping areas lively even after traversal.
One element that pleasantly surprised me was the quality of the bosses. Maybe it’s because years of exposure to Mario games has rotted my brain, but the bosses of DuckTales Remastered were remarkably challenging and fresh for a 2D platforming game. I am unsure of how much they were updated from the original game, but each boss, with maybe one exception, had a varied-yet-fair attack pattern that I would not usually associate with games of similar vintage, making each a joy to fight.
I must also praise the music, since it’s all good stuff. Each stage features its own catchy tune, and some stages even sport dynamic music. The final main level theme in particular is a well-renowned classic from the NES game, and this new version holds up brilliantly.
It isn’t all sunshine and roses, however. The controls are slightly suboptimal, particularly in regards to the cane. In most areas it feels just fine, but when spikes are overhead, performing repeated low bounces can occasionally twist one’s thumbs into spaghetti noodles. Additionally, the fact that enemies respawn but health pickups do not can occasionally feel unfair, though I never personally found it to be a dire flaw. Another design error comes in the form of the minecarts. Most of the time, jumping from a minecart requires no directional input, as Scrooge retains the cart’s momentum. However, whenever a minecart falls into a pit, this is suddenly inverted, and an unprepared player will plummet straight down to his or her death; Scrooge will even unintuitively lose his momentum mid-jump, depending on the jump’s timing. This caught me off-guard numerous times due to poor telegraphing, and even resulted in a game-over.
The game also suffers from some minor technical failures, the most notable of which being the awful input lag. I wanted to play on my plasma television, but it suffers from approximately 43 milliseconds of lag; this rarely bothers me, but DuckTales Remastered adds several frames of lag on top of this, resulting in a sludgy experience. I moved to a lag-free computer monitor, which mostly remedied the issue, but this is obviously ridiculous. Additionally, control rebinding was finicky. I played with a Switch Pro controller using Steam Input, which worked well most of the time, except when I attempted to use the game’s built-in button remapping. Somehow, this resulted in the jump button and attack button merging, making Scrooge whack any adjacent walls with the cane instead of jumping. This may not be the game’s fault, but it still happened. Lastly, the game is a bit picky about which display it wants to use, but this is easily fixed with a configuration file tweak or the win+shift+arrow hotkey to move the window between monitors.
Overall, should you buy DuckTales Remastered? Sure, if you can find a copy! It's been unavailable digitally for a few years now, but it’s a standout example of a treasure-hunting platformer with loads of charm and care put into it.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Let's get this clear: there be spoilers below. I’m a stickler for avoiding spoilers like the plague, and I played this game almost as blind as one can be: I was told it’s good and I saw the first 30 seconds of the "PSEUDOREGALIA - (Intro and Movement Basics)" section of Nitro Rad's review. The first section of this review will talk only about vague game design concepts; there will be no story, theme, or specific mechanical spoilers. I recommend stopping there if you have yet to experience the game firsthand.
I paid for this game myself.
Full Playthrough Video
========== SPOILER-FREE SECTION ==========
Pseudoregalia features a wonderfully crafted platforming moveset contained within a surreal medieval castle and truly non-linear progression. This comes at the cost of a strong narrative, but the world is filled with fantastic breadcrumbs which pique one’s curiosity. Mechanical growth is paced excellently, leaving nary a dull moment, and the game’s runtime is also palatable, clocking just under five hours for my casual playthrough. The presentation likewise charms with its N64-style visuals and audio, whilst preserving modern amenities via the short-and-sweet options menu. The music is overall pleasant, but some tracks can become a little grating, with rather short loops. Parts of the UI look slightly lifeless, with large flat-color buttons reminding me of stock assets. Inconsistent line weights also occasionally give it a cheap look.
The supplementary gameplay is relatively strong. Combat is snappy and satisfying, but it lacks variety and few enemies prove threatening. Each area’s enemies also never change; A dynamic difficulty option, a-la Spyro 3, or some other form of permanent enemy progression, would be much preferred, though possibly difficult to balance. One boon is the power meter, providing an interesting decision between attack power and defensive power, depending on how the player uses it. Additionally, as the meter is filled during combat, it provides extrinsic motivation to defeat enemies. Puzzles, a core tenant of many exploration games, are represented via movement conundrums, complementing the main gameplay rather than interrupting it. The player will see many gaps and wonder if it is possible to cross them, and often, it will be, given tight execution.
Accessibility is satisfactory, with Steam Input granting excellent controller support. I used a Switch Pro Controller, which is not natively supported, without issue. Minimal configuration was necessary, and the presence of a single “accessibility” option, which dons the protagonist with a pair of pants, will be dearly appreciated by some folks. Notably, this game lacks a map feature. I did not mind, but one could become quite lost if he or she waited more than a couple days between play sessions. Apparently, an update adding a map is in the works.
My only major technical gripe is with the camera. By default, it is fully player-controlled. The face buttons are used extensively during platforming, leaving the player unable to use the right stick during extended maneuvers. The mouse controls are likely more natural in these circumstances. There is a more traditional option, where the camera follows behind the character, but I find it more awkward than manual control; perhaps holding a shoulder button could enable it. Some areas are also a bit too dimly lit.
Lastly, the game has a wonderful sense of mystery and places healthy trust in the player. It does not waste your time, and it does not baby you.
========== SPOILERS BELOW ==========
The game’s title screen sets the stage perfectly: the beautiful starry void, the lone misty figure of the main character, and fade-in of the gorgeous art deco title card complement the soothing music as it washes over you. Beginning the game presents a short opening cutscene, immediately followed by gameplay. The music is playfully somber, with the main melody dancing around the rhythmic ticking of a distant clock. It is an emotionally complex, yet tonally simple theme, suiting the intro perfectly; who is this character and what is this place? How did we get here and why was our arrival urgent? Why are these hapless goat creatures imprisoned deep within a dungeon?
Thus begins the tutorial, a brief, mostly linear section. The game eases the mechanics onto the player very nicely, leaving little breadcrumbs to catch an observant eye. Abilities are described simply, and the player must solve simple challenges with them to advance, a-la Zelda. Within a few short rooms, the player is taught the basics of progression and combat, and is then turned loose on the greater map, punctuated with a musical shift.
The different musical pieces fit each area nicely; every single one (with one exception) invokes a feeling of mental fogginess; most melodies are short and simple, sporting a distinct corruption of medieval thematics. Some tracks, notably that of the Twilight Theater, carry a strong sense of momentum to push the player forward, complemented by sweet jazzy horns.
Pseudoregalia's world is saturated with melancholy, feeling like an interactive fever dream; there are nonsensical, blocky layouts and a great lack of placeness. Areas are left desolate, as if this castle consists exclusively of connective rooms. The architecture makes sense broadly, with the dungeon and such below and airy yards found above, but it all begs the question of who lived here, if anybody, and what it was like beforehand. The occasional outdoor areas, if that term is even accurate, follow suit. Other parts of the castle can be seen in the distance, through thick fog that could be construed as a real atmosphere. Looking upward, however, renders an immense cave, lending an unnerving sense of claustrophobia, keeping the player on-edge fantastically.
Getting back to the gameplay, I must gush about the movement. The controls are smooth like silk, and actions chain together gracefully. At first, platforming is tight and direct, but before long it morphs into bounding waves of alternating horizontal and vertical movement. Admittedly, simple jumps do wear thin by the end, but effortlessly rocketing oneself down hallways and across chasms remains exquisite. Abilities are elaborated organically; the slide initially feels stilted, but the ability to jump out of it whilst maintaining momentum is found before long. Likewise, every aerial maneuver is similarly jubilant and endlessly useful. The level of player expression afforded by Pseudoregalia is second-to-none, whereby many sections can be shortened or bypassed completely with a dose of clever thinking and some tight execution, enhancing new and old areas alike.
Some abilities are, sadly, underused. The Strikebreak charge attack allows one to break specific walls, but this is seldom used. The Soul Cutter projectile is finicky to aim, even in first-person mode, and depleting the power meter seals its fate in combat, as powered-up standard attacks are superior. This is exacerbated by the fact that it modifies the Strikebreak attack, which may have been useful without the power depletion.
Pseudoregalia also sports moderate Christian themes. Aside from being period-appropriate to the medieval setting, they enhance the atmosphere of the game. The Dream Breaker clearly resembles a crucifix, and raising it to the sky and hearing the church bell ring whilst healing is chilling.
Eventually, the player will stumble upon the main objective, the golden keys, either by collecting one or by reaching the final area early. This objective mercifully complements the exploration, rather than the all-too-common pitfall of opposing it. These keys are hidden well, but an observant and thorough player will not get lost, and stone tablets provide their rough locations if required. The finale of the game is thematically fitting, though I’ll avoid spoiling it here, and the ending is gut-wrenching.
========== ENDING SPOILER ==========
My biggest disappointment with the game is probably the protagonist. She is left a mystery until the very end, but unfortunately her name is betrayed by the options menu. The ending appears to expect the name reveal to bear substantial weight, but it is unfortunately cheapened by the prior reveal.
========== BONUS, WITH SPOILERS ==========
The sound design is impeccable. Movement is punctuated with airy swooshing sounds and sharp footsteps, whilst slower actions provide heavier sound effects. My favorite sound of all is undoubtedly the sound of the Dream Breaker sticking itself into the ground with a meaty clang.
The Underbelly’s PlayStation-style polygon warping is a fantastic little touch, but it is incomplete. I would have enjoyed the option to disable texture filtering in this area, and perhaps even enable affine texture mapping, but this is minor overall.
The protagonist has a distinctly regal, yet lovably cute design. And a nice ass.
I paid for this game myself.
Full Playthrough Video
========== SPOILER-FREE SECTION ==========
Pseudoregalia features a wonderfully crafted platforming moveset contained within a surreal medieval castle and truly non-linear progression. This comes at the cost of a strong narrative, but the world is filled with fantastic breadcrumbs which pique one’s curiosity. Mechanical growth is paced excellently, leaving nary a dull moment, and the game’s runtime is also palatable, clocking just under five hours for my casual playthrough. The presentation likewise charms with its N64-style visuals and audio, whilst preserving modern amenities via the short-and-sweet options menu. The music is overall pleasant, but some tracks can become a little grating, with rather short loops. Parts of the UI look slightly lifeless, with large flat-color buttons reminding me of stock assets. Inconsistent line weights also occasionally give it a cheap look.
The supplementary gameplay is relatively strong. Combat is snappy and satisfying, but it lacks variety and few enemies prove threatening. Each area’s enemies also never change; A dynamic difficulty option, a-la Spyro 3, or some other form of permanent enemy progression, would be much preferred, though possibly difficult to balance. One boon is the power meter, providing an interesting decision between attack power and defensive power, depending on how the player uses it. Additionally, as the meter is filled during combat, it provides extrinsic motivation to defeat enemies. Puzzles, a core tenant of many exploration games, are represented via movement conundrums, complementing the main gameplay rather than interrupting it. The player will see many gaps and wonder if it is possible to cross them, and often, it will be, given tight execution.
Accessibility is satisfactory, with Steam Input granting excellent controller support. I used a Switch Pro Controller, which is not natively supported, without issue. Minimal configuration was necessary, and the presence of a single “accessibility” option, which dons the protagonist with a pair of pants, will be dearly appreciated by some folks. Notably, this game lacks a map feature. I did not mind, but one could become quite lost if he or she waited more than a couple days between play sessions. Apparently, an update adding a map is in the works.
My only major technical gripe is with the camera. By default, it is fully player-controlled. The face buttons are used extensively during platforming, leaving the player unable to use the right stick during extended maneuvers. The mouse controls are likely more natural in these circumstances. There is a more traditional option, where the camera follows behind the character, but I find it more awkward than manual control; perhaps holding a shoulder button could enable it. Some areas are also a bit too dimly lit.
Lastly, the game has a wonderful sense of mystery and places healthy trust in the player. It does not waste your time, and it does not baby you.
========== SPOILERS BELOW ==========
The game’s title screen sets the stage perfectly: the beautiful starry void, the lone misty figure of the main character, and fade-in of the gorgeous art deco title card complement the soothing music as it washes over you. Beginning the game presents a short opening cutscene, immediately followed by gameplay. The music is playfully somber, with the main melody dancing around the rhythmic ticking of a distant clock. It is an emotionally complex, yet tonally simple theme, suiting the intro perfectly; who is this character and what is this place? How did we get here and why was our arrival urgent? Why are these hapless goat creatures imprisoned deep within a dungeon?
Thus begins the tutorial, a brief, mostly linear section. The game eases the mechanics onto the player very nicely, leaving little breadcrumbs to catch an observant eye. Abilities are described simply, and the player must solve simple challenges with them to advance, a-la Zelda. Within a few short rooms, the player is taught the basics of progression and combat, and is then turned loose on the greater map, punctuated with a musical shift.
The different musical pieces fit each area nicely; every single one (with one exception) invokes a feeling of mental fogginess; most melodies are short and simple, sporting a distinct corruption of medieval thematics. Some tracks, notably that of the Twilight Theater, carry a strong sense of momentum to push the player forward, complemented by sweet jazzy horns.
Pseudoregalia's world is saturated with melancholy, feeling like an interactive fever dream; there are nonsensical, blocky layouts and a great lack of placeness. Areas are left desolate, as if this castle consists exclusively of connective rooms. The architecture makes sense broadly, with the dungeon and such below and airy yards found above, but it all begs the question of who lived here, if anybody, and what it was like beforehand. The occasional outdoor areas, if that term is even accurate, follow suit. Other parts of the castle can be seen in the distance, through thick fog that could be construed as a real atmosphere. Looking upward, however, renders an immense cave, lending an unnerving sense of claustrophobia, keeping the player on-edge fantastically.
Getting back to the gameplay, I must gush about the movement. The controls are smooth like silk, and actions chain together gracefully. At first, platforming is tight and direct, but before long it morphs into bounding waves of alternating horizontal and vertical movement. Admittedly, simple jumps do wear thin by the end, but effortlessly rocketing oneself down hallways and across chasms remains exquisite. Abilities are elaborated organically; the slide initially feels stilted, but the ability to jump out of it whilst maintaining momentum is found before long. Likewise, every aerial maneuver is similarly jubilant and endlessly useful. The level of player expression afforded by Pseudoregalia is second-to-none, whereby many sections can be shortened or bypassed completely with a dose of clever thinking and some tight execution, enhancing new and old areas alike.
Some abilities are, sadly, underused. The Strikebreak charge attack allows one to break specific walls, but this is seldom used. The Soul Cutter projectile is finicky to aim, even in first-person mode, and depleting the power meter seals its fate in combat, as powered-up standard attacks are superior. This is exacerbated by the fact that it modifies the Strikebreak attack, which may have been useful without the power depletion.
Pseudoregalia also sports moderate Christian themes. Aside from being period-appropriate to the medieval setting, they enhance the atmosphere of the game. The Dream Breaker clearly resembles a crucifix, and raising it to the sky and hearing the church bell ring whilst healing is chilling.
Eventually, the player will stumble upon the main objective, the golden keys, either by collecting one or by reaching the final area early. This objective mercifully complements the exploration, rather than the all-too-common pitfall of opposing it. These keys are hidden well, but an observant and thorough player will not get lost, and stone tablets provide their rough locations if required. The finale of the game is thematically fitting, though I’ll avoid spoiling it here, and the ending is gut-wrenching.
========== ENDING SPOILER ==========
My biggest disappointment with the game is probably the protagonist. She is left a mystery until the very end, but unfortunately her name is betrayed by the options menu. The ending appears to expect the name reveal to bear substantial weight, but it is unfortunately cheapened by the prior reveal.
========== BONUS, WITH SPOILERS ==========
The sound design is impeccable. Movement is punctuated with airy swooshing sounds and sharp footsteps, whilst slower actions provide heavier sound effects. My favorite sound of all is undoubtedly the sound of the Dream Breaker sticking itself into the ground with a meaty clang.
The Underbelly’s PlayStation-style polygon warping is a fantastic little touch, but it is incomplete. I would have enjoyed the option to disable texture filtering in this area, and perhaps even enable affine texture mapping, but this is minor overall.
The protagonist has a distinctly regal, yet lovably cute design. And a nice ass.
This game is probably decent, but when you play it as a coopposition game with one person tilting a gamecube and one person on the controller, it becomes legendary. The fun scales exponentially the more tired or more drunk you are.
1993
A wonderful little romp through some colorful Kirby worlds, with creative level design which avoids repetition often found in 2D platformers. The basic movement is gratifying, and the copy abilities enhance this, even if many are a little bit one-note. The bosses are also well-balanced and decently fleshed out for an NES game.
It's a relaxing game, which I often find myself coming back to for a half-hour here and a half-hour there. It's easy, but that's actually a boon; sometimes, all one wants is a bit of casual button mashing, and this game fills that niche perfectly.
It's a relaxing game, which I often find myself coming back to for a half-hour here and a half-hour there. It's easy, but that's actually a boon; sometimes, all one wants is a bit of casual button mashing, and this game fills that niche perfectly.
It's a classic side-scroller. I've beaten it roughly twice, each time in 2P co-op. The beginning is a tad slow, and single-player is pretty dry due to the generously spacious level design, but it's great fun with one or more friends.
2012
This review contains spoilers
It's a fun shooty shooty gun game, but I can't help but feel that it has untapped potential. I played on the hardest difficulty.
The basic Ubisoft formula of camps and towers does become somewhat stale, especially during the midpoint of the game. The stealth mechanics were also under-utilized, as most guard outposts usually quickly devolve to rambo-esque gunplay when an enemy appears out of nowhere. It is worth noting that I played with some mods, including one that removes tracking from the camera, so it is possible that the vanilla game is a bit more suited to this.
The gunplay itself is good. Guns feel powerful, enemies are somewhat intelligent, and the wide breadth of unlockable mechanics and weapons keep the variety up where it ought to be. The balance is a little off, however. I must note that I used some mods which alter the progression slightly, but they really just slow it down; the vanilla game is even quicker. After a couple of hours, you have basically all of the guns you could ever need: a fully kitted assault rifle, a sniper rifle with a suppressor, and some utilities like an RPG. Player discipline is important here, as intentionally handicapping oneself with inferior weapons keeps the game fresher. Lastly, I would have liked to see ballistics implemented to keep long-range combat more interesting.
The story was... blah. Vaas is easily the highlight, but the pacing is a bit off. The beginning of the game is much too quick in terms of story; after a half hour in the open world, you are well-known by Vaas and his crew. Perhaps you're intended to do more side content early on, but it still felt a bit strange. The story also peters out once you reach the Southern island. While the pacing is more consistent, you see Hoyt all of three times or so, and the entire section is a lot shorter than the Northern island. Again, there is side content, and perhaps it was a victim of binge sessions pushing me to end the game more quickly, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied. Jason Brody's voice acting was also somewhat grating.
The visuals have aged quite well for a 2012 game crammed onto the 360. Characters and their animations look decent, and the jungle environment really thrives.
Overall, it's a pretty good game with some highs and lows. Definitely check it out.
The basic Ubisoft formula of camps and towers does become somewhat stale, especially during the midpoint of the game. The stealth mechanics were also under-utilized, as most guard outposts usually quickly devolve to rambo-esque gunplay when an enemy appears out of nowhere. It is worth noting that I played with some mods, including one that removes tracking from the camera, so it is possible that the vanilla game is a bit more suited to this.
The gunplay itself is good. Guns feel powerful, enemies are somewhat intelligent, and the wide breadth of unlockable mechanics and weapons keep the variety up where it ought to be. The balance is a little off, however. I must note that I used some mods which alter the progression slightly, but they really just slow it down; the vanilla game is even quicker. After a couple of hours, you have basically all of the guns you could ever need: a fully kitted assault rifle, a sniper rifle with a suppressor, and some utilities like an RPG. Player discipline is important here, as intentionally handicapping oneself with inferior weapons keeps the game fresher. Lastly, I would have liked to see ballistics implemented to keep long-range combat more interesting.
The story was... blah. Vaas is easily the highlight, but the pacing is a bit off. The beginning of the game is much too quick in terms of story; after a half hour in the open world, you are well-known by Vaas and his crew. Perhaps you're intended to do more side content early on, but it still felt a bit strange. The story also peters out once you reach the Southern island. While the pacing is more consistent, you see Hoyt all of three times or so, and the entire section is a lot shorter than the Northern island. Again, there is side content, and perhaps it was a victim of binge sessions pushing me to end the game more quickly, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied. Jason Brody's voice acting was also somewhat grating.
The visuals have aged quite well for a 2012 game crammed onto the 360. Characters and their animations look decent, and the jungle environment really thrives.
Overall, it's a pretty good game with some highs and lows. Definitely check it out.
2011
This review contains spoilers
I finished it a while ago so not much left in the brain to write down here. The story was excellent, and the soundtrack pleasantly surprised me. However, the puzzles in the latter parts of the game could occasionally feel like throwing spaghetti at the wall, particularly the gel-related puzzles. I had to look up one from the great climb out of Old Aperture, and for some of the White Gel puzzles I feel like I took a very, very unintended route. Overall it was still fantastic.