Speeen!
so cuuuute
A really fun and challenging lil time. The analog stick on the gamecube controller gives a whole new level of fidelity to the controls, and for a game like kururin, that is extremely important. There are also neat powerups and boss fights that happen in the game which keep things fresh. Levels are really solid and well designed. All in all a good game that i'd def rec for anyone looking for a game that's easy to learn but difficult and precise to master. Definitely the best in the kururin series, but honestly just having analog control alone makes it win that title.
Have you played Super Monkey Ball to death and are looking for another high-difficulty precision arcade style game? This is a game you should try.
This is the third game in this series, the first two were on Game boy Advance, this game is on gamecube and makes use of the analog stick, you can make extremely gradual sensitive movements because the game makes use of the GC analog very well, all 180 degrees of movement are used as well, this game is perfect for the Gamecube hardware.
You pilot a rectangular aircraft that constantly spins, and you cant control that, so the object of the game is to navigate through narrow mazes without bumping your rectangle wings into walls, it doesn't sound like much but the game gets a lot out of this, it's extremely enjoyable and I found myself coming back to this often eager to see what the next levels would be.
New to this entry are boss fights. they're neat and it's impressive they got them working in this context, in a game typically with no way to attack or defend the boss fights work really well, they're mostly unconventional and each one is different from the last.
Levels start out easy but just difficult enough to still be fun, and gradually becomes more difficult, all the way until the final few levels which are as hard as I could've possibly imagined the game getting I was still able to clear it.
each world introduces some new game mechanics that are only used on that world, these include guns attatched to your aircraft, diving to a lower layer, being stuck on a rail while constantly moving forward and several more, these are done well and used sparingly, I appreciated these new ways to play the game and they add some identity to the game.
The game has nice pastel aesthetics and each world is distinct, it's very "cozy" the music is from the Umihara series composer and fits perfectly, World 2-A has a very addictive and catchy tune and the rest of the game has great sound.
There's over 60 levels in the game and a shorter challenge mode filled with another 50 so there's lots of content int he game.
The final level took 8 hours of attempts and I still haven't done it with all collectibles, so that's how hard the game can get if you play that far, it never stopped being fun even when the difficulty was pushed that far, you will need to be extremely skilled to clear this game.
This is the third game in this series, the first two were on Game boy Advance, this game is on gamecube and makes use of the analog stick, you can make extremely gradual sensitive movements because the game makes use of the GC analog very well, all 180 degrees of movement are used as well, this game is perfect for the Gamecube hardware.
You pilot a rectangular aircraft that constantly spins, and you cant control that, so the object of the game is to navigate through narrow mazes without bumping your rectangle wings into walls, it doesn't sound like much but the game gets a lot out of this, it's extremely enjoyable and I found myself coming back to this often eager to see what the next levels would be.
New to this entry are boss fights. they're neat and it's impressive they got them working in this context, in a game typically with no way to attack or defend the boss fights work really well, they're mostly unconventional and each one is different from the last.
Levels start out easy but just difficult enough to still be fun, and gradually becomes more difficult, all the way until the final few levels which are as hard as I could've possibly imagined the game getting I was still able to clear it.
each world introduces some new game mechanics that are only used on that world, these include guns attatched to your aircraft, diving to a lower layer, being stuck on a rail while constantly moving forward and several more, these are done well and used sparingly, I appreciated these new ways to play the game and they add some identity to the game.
The game has nice pastel aesthetics and each world is distinct, it's very "cozy" the music is from the Umihara series composer and fits perfectly, World 2-A has a very addictive and catchy tune and the rest of the game has great sound.
There's over 60 levels in the game and a shorter challenge mode filled with another 50 so there's lots of content int he game.
The final level took 8 hours of attempts and I still haven't done it with all collectibles, so that's how hard the game can get if you play that far, it never stopped being fun even when the difficulty was pushed that far, you will need to be extremely skilled to clear this game.
last level is too hard but i like to spin
I had a lot of fun with this game. It is like a flash game taken to its most complex form and the art/music also owns. I really wish it came out in America but it is pretty easy to play even with no translation.
the fact that easy mode just makes the ship tiny is so funny
It always amuses me when small-scale/portable 2D games get a console counterpart. It's like the opposite of downscaling console games for portabe systems, the more common practice. Nintendo definitely tried it more during the GameCube era, with titles like WarioWare: Mega Party Games and Four Swords Adventures. But Kururin? I'll admit I had my doubts, but it's still more Kururin at the end of the day. What could go wrong?
The moment the intro started playing, I was completely smitten. It warped me back to a time when games were just allowed to look like this; I mean, they still can nowadays, but almost never from the big AAA titles that get all the spotlight. This intro is like Katamari, Yoshi's Story, and Parappa all rolled into one. It's cute, colorful, quirky, and stylized. In this title, Kururin wins a lottery and his whole family goes to visit a series of islands. By the time they return home however, it seems as though Kururin and his parents are the only ones who made it back. Engage the Helirin (the copter has had a name that I've been ignoring this whole time), and rescue your family once more!
I feel like I'm going to eat my own words in this regard, but I now think analog controls may be a bit of a detriment to the gameplay of Kururin. It may just be my inability to grip the precision they actually provide, but the three defined speeds in the GBA Kururin titles were constants that you could learn and adjust to. Holding the B button still speeds you up in Kururin Squash, but you've got an entire analog stick's worth of speed choices now as well. Another thing that contributes to this feeling is the camera angle. As opposed to the GBA titles, it's not quite top-down, because they want to emphasize the fact that we've upgraded to 3D models. I feel at least 95% of the walls I hit were justified, but the lingering 5% always wondered, "Did I really?"
The stages are also now littered with coins along your path (and tucked out of the way) for you to collect, which figure into your end-of-stage rank. They do a good job at hiding coin stashes in precarious areas off the beaten path, so it never gets boring collecting them or anything. You mostly spend them on cosmetic items, which is fine. They're actually pretty out-there cosmetics, taking advantage of the third dimension and all that. You can also buy expendable items, like extra hearts, or a "continue from checkpoint" option. I kinda ignored the timer in this game in favor of collecting all the money I could muster.
Kururin Squash's real draw comes with the different forms the Helirin is equipped with for many stages. I feel like I made a genuine mistake by choosing the "full size" Helirin for my file. The level design feels much more focused on making use of these new forms, to the point that my size felt like a detriment. It's unfocused, and it strays a bit too far from the foundation that Kururin is built on. While it's definitely a lot of gimmicks, I bet these were conscious choices made to keep things fresh after the basic gameplay peaked in Kururin Paradise. Plus, these changes also allow for a series first: actual boss fights! Moreover, they're all actually really fun, each one testing your ability to use a form of the Helirin.
I feel kinda bad for saying it, but after playing Kuririn Paradise, I had a feeling that Kururin Squash wouldn't hit the same highs. I do feel like Squash succeeds in having its own unique gameplay strengths, gimmicky as they may be. Also, I have no idea why this game is named "Squash." Nothing gets squashed in this game, except maybe my brain. With all the Kururin games successfully binged, I'm requesting that someone please stop the world from spinning, I'd like to get off now.
The moment the intro started playing, I was completely smitten. It warped me back to a time when games were just allowed to look like this; I mean, they still can nowadays, but almost never from the big AAA titles that get all the spotlight. This intro is like Katamari, Yoshi's Story, and Parappa all rolled into one. It's cute, colorful, quirky, and stylized. In this title, Kururin wins a lottery and his whole family goes to visit a series of islands. By the time they return home however, it seems as though Kururin and his parents are the only ones who made it back. Engage the Helirin (
I feel like I'm going to eat my own words in this regard, but I now think analog controls may be a bit of a detriment to the gameplay of Kururin. It may just be my inability to grip the precision they actually provide, but the three defined speeds in the GBA Kururin titles were constants that you could learn and adjust to. Holding the B button still speeds you up in Kururin Squash, but you've got an entire analog stick's worth of speed choices now as well. Another thing that contributes to this feeling is the camera angle. As opposed to the GBA titles, it's not quite top-down, because they want to emphasize the fact that we've upgraded to 3D models. I feel at least 95% of the walls I hit were justified, but the lingering 5% always wondered, "Did I really?"
The stages are also now littered with coins along your path (and tucked out of the way) for you to collect, which figure into your end-of-stage rank. They do a good job at hiding coin stashes in precarious areas off the beaten path, so it never gets boring collecting them or anything. You mostly spend them on cosmetic items, which is fine. They're actually pretty out-there cosmetics, taking advantage of the third dimension and all that. You can also buy expendable items, like extra hearts, or a "continue from checkpoint" option. I kinda ignored the timer in this game in favor of collecting all the money I could muster.
Kururin Squash's real draw comes with the different forms the Helirin is equipped with for many stages. I feel like I made a genuine mistake by choosing the "full size" Helirin for my file. The level design feels much more focused on making use of these new forms, to the point that my size felt like a detriment. It's unfocused, and it strays a bit too far from the foundation that Kururin is built on. While it's definitely a lot of gimmicks, I bet these were conscious choices made to keep things fresh after the basic gameplay peaked in Kururin Paradise. Plus, these changes also allow for a series first: actual boss fights! Moreover, they're all actually really fun, each one testing your ability to use a form of the Helirin.
I feel kinda bad for saying it, but after playing Kuririn Paradise, I had a feeling that Kururin Squash wouldn't hit the same highs. I do feel like Squash succeeds in having its own unique gameplay strengths, gimmicky as they may be. Also, I have no idea why this game is named "Squash." Nothing gets squashed in this game, except maybe my brain. With all the Kururin games successfully binged, I'm requesting that someone please stop the world from spinning, I'd like to get off now.
Excellent arcade styled game with loads of replay value and a unique gameplay loop that gives you a good challenge, while also remaining fair and fun. Really solid game overall.
Absolute headbobber of a video game so fun so sick so fresh and so clean
Another day. Another journey to retrieve your siblings from a series of increasingly complicated mazes.
The core game play is much like a game of operation; you navigate an object through a series of tight spaces. In this case, you move a spinning bird with its wings outstretched like huge rectangles, forming a massive bar. If you touch any of the various obstacles or walls within a given level you lose a life. Lose three lives and you're booted allllll the way back to the start of the level.
The core game is identical to that of Kuri Kuri Kururin, except that there's 40 levels split across five zones. Each of the zones alternates traditional levels with levels where you possess an additional ability - one allows you to submerge yourself in water to dodge obstacles, one allows you to punch enemies, etc... Each of those power ups are then given to you in order to defeat a boss at the end of each of the five zones.
Compared to its predecessors, Squash is a vastly superior experience. Controls are tighter due to full analog control, the gimmicks are used incredibly well in each zone, and level design is generally far more interesting. It falls into the same issues that Kuri Kuri does in that its later levels are too long and too overly complicated to be interesting, but instead of an 8 level slog, its a set of three that are blisteringly difficult at the very end. Crikey.
It's a truly unique and incredibly well executed game full of collectible coins and no hit run bonuses to driven repeated engagement. For those fully inclined, there's active time attack enabled in each level to challenge the bravest to run each maze as fast as possible. I for one, am not that brave.
It is truly the pinnacle of the formula established on the Game Boy Advance; in playing it you understand that these game designers truly reached the limits of their concept.
You should definitely check this one out.
The core game play is much like a game of operation; you navigate an object through a series of tight spaces. In this case, you move a spinning bird with its wings outstretched like huge rectangles, forming a massive bar. If you touch any of the various obstacles or walls within a given level you lose a life. Lose three lives and you're booted allllll the way back to the start of the level.
The core game is identical to that of Kuri Kuri Kururin, except that there's 40 levels split across five zones. Each of the zones alternates traditional levels with levels where you possess an additional ability - one allows you to submerge yourself in water to dodge obstacles, one allows you to punch enemies, etc... Each of those power ups are then given to you in order to defeat a boss at the end of each of the five zones.
Compared to its predecessors, Squash is a vastly superior experience. Controls are tighter due to full analog control, the gimmicks are used incredibly well in each zone, and level design is generally far more interesting. It falls into the same issues that Kuri Kuri does in that its later levels are too long and too overly complicated to be interesting, but instead of an 8 level slog, its a set of three that are blisteringly difficult at the very end. Crikey.
It's a truly unique and incredibly well executed game full of collectible coins and no hit run bonuses to driven repeated engagement. For those fully inclined, there's active time attack enabled in each level to challenge the bravest to run each maze as fast as possible. I for one, am not that brave.
It is truly the pinnacle of the formula established on the Game Boy Advance; in playing it you understand that these game designers truly reached the limits of their concept.
You should definitely check this one out.