Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a side-scrolling action platformer spin-off title in the popular Disgaea series. Originally released in 2008 for the PlayStation Portable and later making its way to the Nintendo Switch in 2020, the game maintains its pixelated aesthetic and seems cute and cartoony on the surface. In actuality, however, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a brutally difficult game that will test the skills of even the most seasoned platformer veteran.
The story of the game is fairly simple, players take on the role of a Prinny, a penguin-like creature, tasked with tracking down ingredients to make the Ultra Dessert for Etna, a popular demon character from Disgaea. Etna gives the 1000-member Prinny squad ten hours to track it down, threatening to kill them all should they fail. What this means for the player, however, is that you do not play as any particular Prinny, but simply one of a 1,000 tasked with gathering the ingredients. Therefore, if one Prinny should fall in battle, another simply takes its place. In terms of gameplay, this means the player has 1,000 lives to track down the Ultra Dessert ingredients throughout 10 different increasingly difficult stages, each filled with its own unique platforming challenges, enemies, and other dangers to instantly kill any Prinny foolish enough to attempt them.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is infamous for its punishing difficulty and I have to agree. Levels are filled with instant-death traps and enemies that can kill you in a single hit, the platforming requires near-perfect precision and timing to safely navigate its various environments, and boss battles are crushingly difficult typically resulting in dozens of deaths. The game is not for the faint of heart and players should be prepared for a steep learning curve and the death of hundreds of Prinny. The challenge, however, is both rewarding and frustrating, especially for those of us who relish in overcoming tough obstacles.
Overall, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a fun action platformer with brutal difficulty, decent humor, and satisfying gameplay. Its retro-inspired visuals, coupled with the punishing gameplay, make it a standout title for fans of platformers and Disgaea alike. If you're up for the challenge, Prinny is ready to put your gaming skills to the test.
The story of the game is fairly simple, players take on the role of a Prinny, a penguin-like creature, tasked with tracking down ingredients to make the Ultra Dessert for Etna, a popular demon character from Disgaea. Etna gives the 1000-member Prinny squad ten hours to track it down, threatening to kill them all should they fail. What this means for the player, however, is that you do not play as any particular Prinny, but simply one of a 1,000 tasked with gathering the ingredients. Therefore, if one Prinny should fall in battle, another simply takes its place. In terms of gameplay, this means the player has 1,000 lives to track down the Ultra Dessert ingredients throughout 10 different increasingly difficult stages, each filled with its own unique platforming challenges, enemies, and other dangers to instantly kill any Prinny foolish enough to attempt them.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is infamous for its punishing difficulty and I have to agree. Levels are filled with instant-death traps and enemies that can kill you in a single hit, the platforming requires near-perfect precision and timing to safely navigate its various environments, and boss battles are crushingly difficult typically resulting in dozens of deaths. The game is not for the faint of heart and players should be prepared for a steep learning curve and the death of hundreds of Prinny. The challenge, however, is both rewarding and frustrating, especially for those of us who relish in overcoming tough obstacles.
Overall, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a fun action platformer with brutal difficulty, decent humor, and satisfying gameplay. Its retro-inspired visuals, coupled with the punishing gameplay, make it a standout title for fans of platformers and Disgaea alike. If you're up for the challenge, Prinny is ready to put your gaming skills to the test.