2018
3/5 stars is an absolutely glowing review for me as far as modern triple A slop goes. I didn't play this game until I got a PS5 a few years ago. I remember being rather surprised by this game considering I was absolutely repulsed by its direction when it was first announced. I haven't even touched any other GoW game but seeing another Sony propery fall to the creatively bankrupt void The Last of Us carved irked me.
But it ended up being good enough for me to actually enjoy going for 100%. Can't say I remember much about it. The writing was good and certain narrative beats felt super cool despite how little I knew of the rest of the series. Combat was engaging. Still, left no legitimate impact on me whatsoever beyond "Wow, I didn't absolutely hate that". I have no interest whatsoever in the sequel, maybe I'll play it someday and come out of it thinking it was good, then rapidly forget anything that happened anyway just like this one.
I imagine playing this again would do it no favors and likely drop its score a bit in my eyes. Not as legitimately good as Spiderman, but not as painfully mid as Horizon Zero Dawn. I'd normally like to get into some more specifics but I can NOT remember a single line of dialogue, a single event outside of one major spoiler, or really what went on gameplay-wise in any meaningful capacity...Outside of its focus tested over the shoulder action cinematics and light RPG elements dripped in. Oh yeah the dwarf character swore a lot and that kind of annoyed me given how not M rated the rest of the experience and dialogue felt.
But of course as I alluded to, I'm pretty harsh on games like this so the fact that I enjoyed my time with it says something. I can definitely see why the wider audience fell in love with it and were ravenous for a sequel.
But it ended up being good enough for me to actually enjoy going for 100%. Can't say I remember much about it. The writing was good and certain narrative beats felt super cool despite how little I knew of the rest of the series. Combat was engaging. Still, left no legitimate impact on me whatsoever beyond "Wow, I didn't absolutely hate that". I have no interest whatsoever in the sequel, maybe I'll play it someday and come out of it thinking it was good, then rapidly forget anything that happened anyway just like this one.
I imagine playing this again would do it no favors and likely drop its score a bit in my eyes. Not as legitimately good as Spiderman, but not as painfully mid as Horizon Zero Dawn. I'd normally like to get into some more specifics but I can NOT remember a single line of dialogue, a single event outside of one major spoiler, or really what went on gameplay-wise in any meaningful capacity...Outside of its focus tested over the shoulder action cinematics and light RPG elements dripped in. Oh yeah the dwarf character swore a lot and that kind of annoyed me given how not M rated the rest of the experience and dialogue felt.
But of course as I alluded to, I'm pretty harsh on games like this so the fact that I enjoyed my time with it says something. I can definitely see why the wider audience fell in love with it and were ravenous for a sequel.
2017
I backed this game on kickstarter with every cent I had when I was still in high school. It meant a lot to me as someone who grew up on classic collectathon platformers and was so disgruntled with the direction the industry took over the years. Glad to say what we got in the end was REALLY good, though not exactly what I was hoping it would be.
The original pitch was very much about bringing back the classic collectathon platformer genre. And the early alpha builds you got to play if you backed certain tiers, leaned into that. Mafia town is huge and densely packed, I remember just thoroughly exploring it for over 15 hours before it was even done. There used to be hidden hats and you even earned the fox mask through physically finding it in a chest. At some point in development though I'm assuming they realized the scope of the project was too big to feasibly make a whole game out of this. It shifted from a Banjo Kazooie inspired game to a Mario Sunshine inspired game. Lucky for me Mario Sunshine is my favorite mainline Mario game anyway. It's a bit of a shame that the more open ended elements ended up being heavily downplayed or even removed. They're still present at points but it's far from the focus. BUT they took the opportunity to make some memorable and iconic linear chapters out of it, and the level theming and platforming is all a lot of fun regardless. The bosses are all really good and a HUGE improvement over what the genre usually sees. Plus the seal the deal dlc adds challenges that totally put an end to any potential "I wish this part of the game were more challenging" complaints.
The only chapter I don't really like is Chapter 4. It's the only one that's 100% open ended, you can go anywhere and do any mission in any order. Unfortunately its design is just choosing which pathway to walk down. Every level in this chapter is linear anyway. It's like if in Mario 3D world the level select map split up the levels with 20 second long clear pipes. Once you actually get to the levels they're not bad at all but it's odd to make the ONE chapter that retains its open ended structure, have nothing but linear, segmented levels inside. And the open ended structure also lead to this chapter having the weakest story to boot.
One thing I will say I'm a bit disappointed they didn't capitalize on. Is that the Alpha build ended on a small bit where Hat Kid was grown up. This scene and the beautiful music that played during it really resonated with me. This made me think they might have been going for a story that could really connect with the audience. Like maybe Hat Kid was using the hourglasses to time travel and relive her childhood, mirroring how fans of the genre have grown up seeing the industry completely throw away 3D platformers let alone collectathons. I suppose nothing about what we got really disproves this, it's open for interpretation what Hat Kid is really doing so to me the Times End bookstore from the Alpha is canon. Dunno, glad the game turned out as good as it did, and the shift of direction was likely good for the project in the end. But I'd be lying if I said some of the magic from the original vision didn't quite make it into the final game. I haven't looked into interviews or developer comments or anything but as someone who played the Alpha, I can very blatantly see where they had to reign in the scope of the game and cut content, favoring more standard platforming gameplay just to get the game finally finished. (Did you know there used to be an NPC that asked you to find his ties in Mafia city. Or that there was an entire floor cut from Queen Vanessa's manor? Said floor having a giant suspicious locked door you never entered during the alpha it was present in?)
But yeah tons of charm, great soundtrack, feelgood story with a good sense of humor, good movement, level design that's good for all skill levels while catering to more advanced players with the DLC as well as just being a good speedrun game in general. Big community efforts with the steam workshop. It may not be EXACTLY what I was hoping for but I love it anyway.
The original pitch was very much about bringing back the classic collectathon platformer genre. And the early alpha builds you got to play if you backed certain tiers, leaned into that. Mafia town is huge and densely packed, I remember just thoroughly exploring it for over 15 hours before it was even done. There used to be hidden hats and you even earned the fox mask through physically finding it in a chest. At some point in development though I'm assuming they realized the scope of the project was too big to feasibly make a whole game out of this. It shifted from a Banjo Kazooie inspired game to a Mario Sunshine inspired game. Lucky for me Mario Sunshine is my favorite mainline Mario game anyway. It's a bit of a shame that the more open ended elements ended up being heavily downplayed or even removed. They're still present at points but it's far from the focus. BUT they took the opportunity to make some memorable and iconic linear chapters out of it, and the level theming and platforming is all a lot of fun regardless. The bosses are all really good and a HUGE improvement over what the genre usually sees. Plus the seal the deal dlc adds challenges that totally put an end to any potential "I wish this part of the game were more challenging" complaints.
The only chapter I don't really like is Chapter 4. It's the only one that's 100% open ended, you can go anywhere and do any mission in any order. Unfortunately its design is just choosing which pathway to walk down. Every level in this chapter is linear anyway. It's like if in Mario 3D world the level select map split up the levels with 20 second long clear pipes. Once you actually get to the levels they're not bad at all but it's odd to make the ONE chapter that retains its open ended structure, have nothing but linear, segmented levels inside. And the open ended structure also lead to this chapter having the weakest story to boot.
One thing I will say I'm a bit disappointed they didn't capitalize on. Is that the Alpha build ended on a small bit where Hat Kid was grown up. This scene and the beautiful music that played during it really resonated with me. This made me think they might have been going for a story that could really connect with the audience. Like maybe Hat Kid was using the hourglasses to time travel and relive her childhood, mirroring how fans of the genre have grown up seeing the industry completely throw away 3D platformers let alone collectathons. I suppose nothing about what we got really disproves this, it's open for interpretation what Hat Kid is really doing so to me the Times End bookstore from the Alpha is canon. Dunno, glad the game turned out as good as it did, and the shift of direction was likely good for the project in the end. But I'd be lying if I said some of the magic from the original vision didn't quite make it into the final game. I haven't looked into interviews or developer comments or anything but as someone who played the Alpha, I can very blatantly see where they had to reign in the scope of the game and cut content, favoring more standard platforming gameplay just to get the game finally finished. (Did you know there used to be an NPC that asked you to find his ties in Mafia city. Or that there was an entire floor cut from Queen Vanessa's manor? Said floor having a giant suspicious locked door you never entered during the alpha it was present in?)
But yeah tons of charm, great soundtrack, feelgood story with a good sense of humor, good movement, level design that's good for all skill levels while catering to more advanced players with the DLC as well as just being a good speedrun game in general. Big community efforts with the steam workshop. It may not be EXACTLY what I was hoping for but I love it anyway.
In many ways this is an impressive remake and I wouldn't be totally baffled to hear someone who considers it better than the original. The graphics are incredibly ahead of their time. The graphical jump from N64 to the OG xbox in just 4 years time is actually amazing. The visuals would have held up well even being a late Xbox360 game let alone during the ps2/gamecube era. That said the visuals do have some drawbacks. The more realistic look somewhat undermines the fact that the game's meant to be a parody of stuff like Banjo Kazooie. And the animation work especially in the cutscenes, is much stiffer. Characters are much less expressive. Dialogue is also excessively censored for some reason. Wild it's Microsoft that got cold feet over this game and not Nintendo. I'm someone who often finds the bleeps funnier than the actual swear would have been, the OG game got this perfectly. But they went way overboard on this one.
Another thing that's a positive but a double edged sword anyway...A lot of quality of life improvements were made. You can now strafe while holding your melee weapons, so you'll have no trouble smacking keys or cheese or whatever else you need to grab by knocking it out first. All projectiles now have a reticle and a more modern control scheme to boot. But personally I find there's legitimate value to "dated" game design concepts. For example the aiming reticle. Before when you're throwing toilet paper, you have to get a feel for it and hitting your shots feels like you're genuinely aiming in a relatively realistic way, and it's satisfying to do well. Same goes for the slingshot and knife throwing. But now that there's a reticle I really feel like all gameplay is gone, it's merely moving the reticle over your target and nothing more. The N64 wasn't incapable of having reticles, they literally use them for guns and such in the later half. I can't say I ever thought toilet paper throwing should have one. And on a similar note, now that you can strafe, 100% of the gameplay revolved around hitting anything before it runs away is entirely undermined, making it no longer satisfying in the slightest. Makes me think of this joke LIST by user chandler. The joke being how not uncommon it is for people to disregard the essence of what makes a game good just because it doesn't follow modern conventional standards. Following this design philosophy of updating "outdated" mechanics may technically make a game "better" to play, but it removes wrinkles in the gameplay, flattens it out into a more predictable experience.
And while they were at it they added this new enemy type. It's not something you really notice but the original didn't really have enemies roaming around that weren't relevant to the current mission. But I guess they figured it would be worth adding since they went through the effort ofruining fixing your melee attack. And idk they're just weird additions that don't add much. Sections that were perfectly fine without them now want you to stop and fight the same enemy for the 6th time.
But yeah glad it exists, I'll always take multiple versions of the same game, that's just something I'm always interested in. But besides the novelty of just how well the graphics hold up, I'd rather play the original.
Another thing that's a positive but a double edged sword anyway...A lot of quality of life improvements were made. You can now strafe while holding your melee weapons, so you'll have no trouble smacking keys or cheese or whatever else you need to grab by knocking it out first. All projectiles now have a reticle and a more modern control scheme to boot. But personally I find there's legitimate value to "dated" game design concepts. For example the aiming reticle. Before when you're throwing toilet paper, you have to get a feel for it and hitting your shots feels like you're genuinely aiming in a relatively realistic way, and it's satisfying to do well. Same goes for the slingshot and knife throwing. But now that there's a reticle I really feel like all gameplay is gone, it's merely moving the reticle over your target and nothing more. The N64 wasn't incapable of having reticles, they literally use them for guns and such in the later half. I can't say I ever thought toilet paper throwing should have one. And on a similar note, now that you can strafe, 100% of the gameplay revolved around hitting anything before it runs away is entirely undermined, making it no longer satisfying in the slightest. Makes me think of this joke LIST by user chandler. The joke being how not uncommon it is for people to disregard the essence of what makes a game good just because it doesn't follow modern conventional standards. Following this design philosophy of updating "outdated" mechanics may technically make a game "better" to play, but it removes wrinkles in the gameplay, flattens it out into a more predictable experience.
And while they were at it they added this new enemy type. It's not something you really notice but the original didn't really have enemies roaming around that weren't relevant to the current mission. But I guess they figured it would be worth adding since they went through the effort of
But yeah glad it exists, I'll always take multiple versions of the same game, that's just something I'm always interested in. But besides the novelty of just how well the graphics hold up, I'd rather play the original.
2001
This review contains spoilers
Me giving this game 3 1/2 stars is actually a huge compliment. I recently beat this game for the 4th time ever. First time was AGES ago and it didn't really leave any impression on me whatsoever. Second time was through the Xbox remake, which I'll likely talk about in its own review but still meh. Third time through Rare Replay in which I felt the game was honestly just flat out bad. I found just about every mission to be incredibly repetitive and annoying. Though I've always had the feeling part of it was a genuine skill issue. Well, that and a lot of the design feels very unintuitive and sloppy, but in a way that can be enjoyable once you understand how it all works.
I'm happy to say after ages of considering this game borderline unplayable, I had a good time with my most recent playthrough. I can't help but wonder if the game had been developed with this adult angle from the beginning, if they'd have had time to make it a true masterpiece though. Because releasing in 2001 after development reset, they were clearly rushed. The Gamecube was releasing a mere half a year later. I really wish we could have just gotten the original game with the adult Rare platformer coming afterwards. But, there's a good amount of varied, and decently challenging platforming and obstacles, and once it clicks its a lot of fun.
What really hurts this game (Once you get past the initial sloppy design that made me hate playing it originally) is its failure to commit to being a parody of the mascot platformer genre. At the start it does feel that way, with light collectathon elements, colorful worlds with upbeat music, recognizable characters, of course with the M rated twist. But at some point the game drops the somewhat open ended exploration reminiscent of Rare's other games, and instead drops Conker in a bunch of Movie parodies that are generally played very straight. It markets itself as an adult parody of mascot platformers, made by the masters of mascot platformers, and instead what you get is lol xD matrix reference, see them doing matrix stuff?
And them losing the point of the game also extends to its own story. For context, the beginning of the game is the most actually funny it gets, y'know, when it's actually parodying the intended material. But then the entire second half of the game is largely entirely disconnected movie scenes played straight, with hardly an attempt at humor. Which I could actually appreciate, it's frustrating that adult cartoons feel the need to be adult in exclusively a comedic way. I truly really appreciate the darker tones this game hits. But it really struggles to hit the landing when it's so random and disconnected from the rest of the game. And the villain is so pointlessly goofy that they threw him away to make another movie reference instead of having him as a boss battle. Why did Banjo-Kazooie and DK64 get actual threatening villains and the "Adult" game that delves into a serious tone have a literal throwaway joke? Conker doesn't even know the Panther King exists until he meets him in the very last room of the game, totally unaware of his plot the entire time. The overall narrative themes, and Berri herself feel very half baked and underutilized. Conker's relationship with her is given next to no screen time, finally meeting up with her doesn't even feel like a major moment despite it being one of, if not your only goals. The game is basically just a bunch of skits that are at best loosely connected, and sometimes you don't even get that. And it's like the game hits a screeching hault at some point because the devs realized they ran out of time to even make an N64 game at all and it had to end NOW. Definitely one of the most abrupt endings I've ever seen. Like the game needed to be shipped out about...18 months ago so they just told the designers whatever level they're in the middle of making, wherever you are cut it off and spawn in the final boss in the last room you finished. So somehow the Panther King is at the end of this Matrix hallway inside their money vault, apparently working with the mob boss and oh yeah now we're in space? They kill off Berri and Conker has almost no reaction to this in the moment, really awkwardly done all around.
But again early on, it does feel more coherent. You can actually tackle levels in a non-linear order (Even able to get to the cave-man stuff without even so much as entering the barn at the beginning). Weird comparison but it's like when some Resident Evil games have a very intricately thought out first area, only for every area afterwards to just be a linear action shooter that forgot what the game started as.
Early on you're just trying to find enough things to do to get enough money to progress, classic collectathon platformer stuff. But past the first gate of needing $1,000, money feels so superfluous, and you'll basically never find it just through exploration past this point either. You'll go through some lengthy haunted house section and all you get out of this entire level is a barrel that lets you climb up some water, taking you back to the main hub area, but giving you a stack of money on the way. I don't really get the point of there being a collectible when the game's turned into a strictly linear affair like this. Then out of nowhere it's time for War and Conker goes and gets himself drafted because there's nothing else to do anyway. Then suddenly it becomes matrix for like 3 minutes, you fight an Alien from Alien, then the game ends on a weirdly downer ending.
Sorry to go on so much for what's largely story and game structure, and not so much gameplay. But it really is a major chunk of the game and its identity. There's about 3 hours worth of cutscenes, and it's frustrating they'd rather spend so much time on say, the not even trying to be funny vampire C-plot rather than putting any time whatsoever into building the themes and main characters. Berri is on the front of the box right next to Conker and yet probably has less screen time than many of the one-off throwaway characters. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it at least committed to being a lighthearted goofy game, but as the game gets more linear and more serious, it really leaves you wishing for more. Only to leave off on an incredibly abrupt, lame ending that is really riding on the story to have delivered a meaningful thought provoking message. But it didn't, it just has a weird downer of an ending that I REALLY wish it earned. If they really tapped into the somber, gritty tone the end portions go for, I think we'd have something truly exceptionally special here. But unfortunately many aspects of the ending feel very rushed.
Honestly even some more actual music would have done wonders for some levels. Just like the rest of the game, the soundtrack starts off being a very clear parody of Rare's previous works. But later on, many entire sections are given very downplayed, subtle music, if they're even given music at all. Like they didn't have enough time to make the entire game BK quality in ANY department. The soundtrack is so small, with truly only a very select few within that already small soundtrack that fits the game's prompt of adult banjo kazooie
But hey, even the sections of the game I'm heavily criticizing are really cool in isolation. Which is good because the game presents them in isolation. But even forgiving the amateurish and often repetitive game design I'd have given this game 1 star over in the past, it falls pretty flat in areas it absolutely could have soared in. That said I'm glad to have a newfound appreciation for it regardless.
I'm happy to say after ages of considering this game borderline unplayable, I had a good time with my most recent playthrough. I can't help but wonder if the game had been developed with this adult angle from the beginning, if they'd have had time to make it a true masterpiece though. Because releasing in 2001 after development reset, they were clearly rushed. The Gamecube was releasing a mere half a year later. I really wish we could have just gotten the original game with the adult Rare platformer coming afterwards. But, there's a good amount of varied, and decently challenging platforming and obstacles, and once it clicks its a lot of fun.
What really hurts this game (Once you get past the initial sloppy design that made me hate playing it originally) is its failure to commit to being a parody of the mascot platformer genre. At the start it does feel that way, with light collectathon elements, colorful worlds with upbeat music, recognizable characters, of course with the M rated twist. But at some point the game drops the somewhat open ended exploration reminiscent of Rare's other games, and instead drops Conker in a bunch of Movie parodies that are generally played very straight. It markets itself as an adult parody of mascot platformers, made by the masters of mascot platformers, and instead what you get is lol xD matrix reference, see them doing matrix stuff?
And them losing the point of the game also extends to its own story. For context, the beginning of the game is the most actually funny it gets, y'know, when it's actually parodying the intended material. But then the entire second half of the game is largely entirely disconnected movie scenes played straight, with hardly an attempt at humor. Which I could actually appreciate, it's frustrating that adult cartoons feel the need to be adult in exclusively a comedic way. I truly really appreciate the darker tones this game hits. But it really struggles to hit the landing when it's so random and disconnected from the rest of the game. And the villain is so pointlessly goofy that they threw him away to make another movie reference instead of having him as a boss battle. Why did Banjo-Kazooie and DK64 get actual threatening villains and the "Adult" game that delves into a serious tone have a literal throwaway joke? Conker doesn't even know the Panther King exists until he meets him in the very last room of the game, totally unaware of his plot the entire time. The overall narrative themes, and Berri herself feel very half baked and underutilized. Conker's relationship with her is given next to no screen time, finally meeting up with her doesn't even feel like a major moment despite it being one of, if not your only goals. The game is basically just a bunch of skits that are at best loosely connected, and sometimes you don't even get that. And it's like the game hits a screeching hault at some point because the devs realized they ran out of time to even make an N64 game at all and it had to end NOW. Definitely one of the most abrupt endings I've ever seen. Like the game needed to be shipped out about...18 months ago so they just told the designers whatever level they're in the middle of making, wherever you are cut it off and spawn in the final boss in the last room you finished. So somehow the Panther King is at the end of this Matrix hallway inside their money vault, apparently working with the mob boss and oh yeah now we're in space? They kill off Berri and Conker has almost no reaction to this in the moment, really awkwardly done all around.
But again early on, it does feel more coherent. You can actually tackle levels in a non-linear order (Even able to get to the cave-man stuff without even so much as entering the barn at the beginning). Weird comparison but it's like when some Resident Evil games have a very intricately thought out first area, only for every area afterwards to just be a linear action shooter that forgot what the game started as.
Early on you're just trying to find enough things to do to get enough money to progress, classic collectathon platformer stuff. But past the first gate of needing $1,000, money feels so superfluous, and you'll basically never find it just through exploration past this point either. You'll go through some lengthy haunted house section and all you get out of this entire level is a barrel that lets you climb up some water, taking you back to the main hub area, but giving you a stack of money on the way. I don't really get the point of there being a collectible when the game's turned into a strictly linear affair like this. Then out of nowhere it's time for War and Conker goes and gets himself drafted because there's nothing else to do anyway. Then suddenly it becomes matrix for like 3 minutes, you fight an Alien from Alien, then the game ends on a weirdly downer ending.
Sorry to go on so much for what's largely story and game structure, and not so much gameplay. But it really is a major chunk of the game and its identity. There's about 3 hours worth of cutscenes, and it's frustrating they'd rather spend so much time on say, the not even trying to be funny vampire C-plot rather than putting any time whatsoever into building the themes and main characters. Berri is on the front of the box right next to Conker and yet probably has less screen time than many of the one-off throwaway characters. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it at least committed to being a lighthearted goofy game, but as the game gets more linear and more serious, it really leaves you wishing for more. Only to leave off on an incredibly abrupt, lame ending that is really riding on the story to have delivered a meaningful thought provoking message. But it didn't, it just has a weird downer of an ending that I REALLY wish it earned. If they really tapped into the somber, gritty tone the end portions go for, I think we'd have something truly exceptionally special here. But unfortunately many aspects of the ending feel very rushed.
Honestly even some more actual music would have done wonders for some levels. Just like the rest of the game, the soundtrack starts off being a very clear parody of Rare's previous works. But later on, many entire sections are given very downplayed, subtle music, if they're even given music at all. Like they didn't have enough time to make the entire game BK quality in ANY department. The soundtrack is so small, with truly only a very select few within that already small soundtrack that fits the game's prompt of adult banjo kazooie
But hey, even the sections of the game I'm heavily criticizing are really cool in isolation. Which is good because the game presents them in isolation. But even forgiving the amateurish and often repetitive game design I'd have given this game 1 star over in the past, it falls pretty flat in areas it absolutely could have soared in. That said I'm glad to have a newfound appreciation for it regardless.
2001
I was expecting this to be a lot worse. There's a decent variety in gameplay that all feels fine enough. And it actually adapts the entire movie which I always appreciate from licensed games. There's a couple specific spots where the platforming is pretty badly designed. Like during an autoscroller you won't have enough time to reach the next segment unless you start jumping through it before it's even on screen. But thankfully getting a game over just sends you to the start of the level, which are never very long. It's got a couple boss fights that can be a little awkward to figure out considering you die in one hit during them but again, you aren't really punished much so that saves it from being frustrating.
Obviously temper your expectations, it's a licensed gameboy color game. Your worldview is not going to be challenged by this one, but I thought it was sufficiently charming. Love Boo's tiny sprite hopping in place all the time. It's also got one of the beep boopiest soundtracks I've heard in a while, love that for it.
Obviously temper your expectations, it's a licensed gameboy color game. Your worldview is not going to be challenged by this one, but I thought it was sufficiently charming. Love Boo's tiny sprite hopping in place all the time. It's also got one of the beep boopiest soundtracks I've heard in a while, love that for it.
Japanese exclusive Dreamcast game. I went through the effort of learning this game despite the lack of English translation. Interestingly there's 2 modes and its bonus side mode is where the actual meat is. The main mode takes you through 3 very short moments from the show, your goal being to get pictures from proper angles and occasionally one with the current monster of the week in it. Even with the somewhat trial and error nature of playing without translating the picture requests, you can beat this mode in like 6 minutes. Getting every single request on all 3 difficulties will unlock some character profiles, videos, and there's actually 6 VMU games that I'll maybe someday figure out how to actually play. There's a special 4th level but it's just a quick bonus thing nothing too wild. Fans of the show might get a kick out of some of this but gameplay-wise there's actually nothing stopping you from spamming A to take pictures, which is ultimately the optimal strategy to make sure you get every single opportunity possible.
The main mode I managed to drop like 8 hours on is a puzzle mode. It's actually a lot of fun once you learn how it works. There's a few mechanics that still feel almost like the rules are randomized every match. Sometimes I'll get a HUGE combo (Literally the size of your attack star seems uncapped it's very satisfying how big it can be). But it'll clink against their tiny star and do absolutely nothing. Other times it'll completely ignore their star and go through just fine. So that can be frustrating but otherwise once I realized the win condition was to make the longest chains and not just turn everything into cubes and nuke your screen, my completion time went from 78 minutes down to a little over 15. I then spent the whole night trying to get my time under 15 'cuz there's a bonus stage and unlockable character if you do so. Went to bed and got it on my second attempt the next morning.
I had fun figuring out how to play this game that has borderline NO info on it online. Apparently there's a collector's edition that comes with a collectible plate, fork, and spoon. So that's interesting.
The main mode I managed to drop like 8 hours on is a puzzle mode. It's actually a lot of fun once you learn how it works. There's a few mechanics that still feel almost like the rules are randomized every match. Sometimes I'll get a HUGE combo (Literally the size of your attack star seems uncapped it's very satisfying how big it can be). But it'll clink against their tiny star and do absolutely nothing. Other times it'll completely ignore their star and go through just fine. So that can be frustrating but otherwise once I realized the win condition was to make the longest chains and not just turn everything into cubes and nuke your screen, my completion time went from 78 minutes down to a little over 15. I then spent the whole night trying to get my time under 15 'cuz there's a bonus stage and unlockable character if you do so. Went to bed and got it on my second attempt the next morning.
I had fun figuring out how to play this game that has borderline NO info on it online. Apparently there's a collector's edition that comes with a collectible plate, fork, and spoon. So that's interesting.
2020
The structure is the typical Ubisoft open world-fare. So basically, a LOT of aimless collectathoning, copy paste content, do this mission 5 times, now go to the next area and do it all again. So that prevents this game from being anything too special, but that doesn't stop it from being a lot of fun anyway.
It's like if those old feeding frenzy type flash games were expanded with light rpg mechanics. Starting as a small shark and growing to a comically horrifying size over the course of the game, choosing perks and augments to upgrade further. The soundtrack could have done more work but since it was so nothing I opted to play my spotify playlist over it, which definitely aided the experience. Flying out of the water and landing on a boat while people are firing rockets at you, thrashing maniacally destroying anything in your path is such a viscerally fun power fantasy. It may get repetitive by the end especially if you're going for 100%...but especially if you're playing your own music over it, going sicko mode as a 2,000 pound shark excreting electrical currents in a 30 foot radius is some pure video gamey fun that's sometimes a bit hard to find these days. There's also some level of challenge especially if you're trying to fight something bigger than you. The underwater combat can be on the janky side but it's satisfying to come out on top. And it's especially satisfying to waltz up to something that used to give you trouble and eat it whole. On a similar note they like to tease you with collectibles that you can't really reach until you're bigger which is a lot of fun imo.
It's also got a bit of storytelling which is actually decently effective. Not the kind of game that's very replayable but I had a good time seeing everything it had to offer while it was on gamepass earlier this year. I didn't get to try out the DLC, but it seemed like it branches out into some more mission types, something that would likely have improved the base game. Either way just pure dumb fun.
It's like if those old feeding frenzy type flash games were expanded with light rpg mechanics. Starting as a small shark and growing to a comically horrifying size over the course of the game, choosing perks and augments to upgrade further. The soundtrack could have done more work but since it was so nothing I opted to play my spotify playlist over it, which definitely aided the experience. Flying out of the water and landing on a boat while people are firing rockets at you, thrashing maniacally destroying anything in your path is such a viscerally fun power fantasy. It may get repetitive by the end especially if you're going for 100%...but especially if you're playing your own music over it, going sicko mode as a 2,000 pound shark excreting electrical currents in a 30 foot radius is some pure video gamey fun that's sometimes a bit hard to find these days. There's also some level of challenge especially if you're trying to fight something bigger than you. The underwater combat can be on the janky side but it's satisfying to come out on top. And it's especially satisfying to waltz up to something that used to give you trouble and eat it whole. On a similar note they like to tease you with collectibles that you can't really reach until you're bigger which is a lot of fun imo.
It's also got a bit of storytelling which is actually decently effective. Not the kind of game that's very replayable but I had a good time seeing everything it had to offer while it was on gamepass earlier this year. I didn't get to try out the DLC, but it seemed like it branches out into some more mission types, something that would likely have improved the base game. Either way just pure dumb fun.
2018
Perfect length for what it is. Great gamepass game, not something I'd buy but I didn't dislike my time with it in that context. (Though unfortunately if I'm not mistaken, this was removed from gamepass at some point)
Didn't leave much of an impact but it's charming enough and the premise is interesting enough to catch my attention. Would have liked to see perhaps a bit more to it. More puzzle elements or interesting iterations on the core mechanic a bit more. It's mostly one of those chill zen kinda games that at the same time isn't afraid to get a bit wacky. Overall a cozy experience I don't have many thoughts on.
Didn't leave much of an impact but it's charming enough and the premise is interesting enough to catch my attention. Would have liked to see perhaps a bit more to it. More puzzle elements or interesting iterations on the core mechanic a bit more. It's mostly one of those chill zen kinda games that at the same time isn't afraid to get a bit wacky. Overall a cozy experience I don't have many thoughts on.
There's a lot of ways this game could have ended up pretty average but the designers pulled it off flawlessly. For example the mouthful mode could have easily felt underutilized or uninteresting. But each one gets used to its fullest extent, nothing feels wasted. A lot of very creative scenarios that maintain the simplicity of Kirby without being boring. And I was actually concerned that this game would have somewhat of a skylanders vibe to it, as far as how levels are constructed. I was worried levels would feel constrained and/or artificial or maybe even a bit aimless but I never got that feeling at all when I actually played it. They take full advantage of the 3D space.
Collectibles are well hidden and the waddle Dee challenges keep them varied. I actually like that it doesn't tell you every challenge the first time through a level as it makes you pay attention without giving you tunnel vision. (Though a few of them especially in a few fights, do feel like they're just trying to get you to replay a level again) Which is definitely the biggest flaw, while I like the idea it does end up feeling like padding for completionists at some point.
The hub is cute and adds a nice sense of world outside the levels. Always fun to see the upgraded versions of your abilities. It's also home to some charming minigames and small secrets. Some dialogue boxes and animations play every time you get an upgrade, a skip button would have been appreciated, but that's basically the extent of my complaints with the game. I prefer the map/level select screen from Star allies I guess if I was to keep nitpicking.
Definitely the best level design to come out of a Nintendo platformer in quite a while. Also it's not often we get to see a 2D franchise get adapted into 3D anymore, making this game really stand out even more.
Collectibles are well hidden and the waddle Dee challenges keep them varied. I actually like that it doesn't tell you every challenge the first time through a level as it makes you pay attention without giving you tunnel vision. (Though a few of them especially in a few fights, do feel like they're just trying to get you to replay a level again) Which is definitely the biggest flaw, while I like the idea it does end up feeling like padding for completionists at some point.
The hub is cute and adds a nice sense of world outside the levels. Always fun to see the upgraded versions of your abilities. It's also home to some charming minigames and small secrets. Some dialogue boxes and animations play every time you get an upgrade, a skip button would have been appreciated, but that's basically the extent of my complaints with the game. I prefer the map/level select screen from Star allies I guess if I was to keep nitpicking.
Definitely the best level design to come out of a Nintendo platformer in quite a while. Also it's not often we get to see a 2D franchise get adapted into 3D anymore, making this game really stand out even more.
2004
Straight up fun game that, besides its own sequels, is a one of a kind experience. Timeless in all aspects and loaded with charm. Also one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. Almost every song is transcendent. It's such a comfy game that just about anyone can play. I can't imagine someone NOT having a good time with it. The fact that the gameplay revolves around demolishing cities, yet it comes off as so joyful and uplifting about it, feels oddly profound in a way I can't quite put into words. It leans into the comedy of it a lot yes but yet it's also very genuine. The director, Keita Takahashi, has a lot of thoughts on consumerism and the effects of video games on society. And I think he channeled a lot of that into this game. Resulting in the kind of experience we don't often get as a result of said consumerism.
This is the exact kind of game concept I'm always craving. Something wholly unique. An idea that was thoroughly thought out by a director with a very different vision compared to much of the industry. Reading interviews and quotes by him, he's got a very odd relationship with gaming. He was apparently not too thrilled with having to include a goal or time limit in this game, to give an idea of where his head was at. Striving to make something distinctly new instead of falling back on expected "must haves" for game design. Even to the point of potentially alienating average players as seen in his lesser known projects. (Speaking of, I really should look into some of those, he's putting out a new game soon for the first time in quite a while if you didn't know) But yeah I can really appreciate this approach to game design, it's something I think the industry needs a lot more of these days.
Closest thing to criticism I have is that maybe a few of the stages feel a bit filler-esque. Kind of fitting that the one potential flaw is a result of something brought up by what sounds like a higher up decision. But, I don't think this game having a goal and a time limit, a formula to craft levels around, really negatively effects it at all. The original intent still shines through considering said goal is very easy to pass and by then you're simply playing more just because it's inherently a fun game regardless of whether you're getting anything else out of it.
On a less introspective note...You don't need to have this deeper appreciation for it to "Get it" It's not some vague or pretentious art game. It's just a flat out fun game that can very easily turn into a lifelong comfort title. If you haven't gotten to try it out yet the HD port to modern consoles is a good way to give it a go. Though unfortunately that release doesn't include the English dub for some reason. The absurdity and comedy of the cutscenes is a tad lost without being able to understand the inflections of the delivery imo.
I was gonna end on a joke like ~All my homies love Katamari~ but it's true. From all walks of life and dramatically different tastes, haven't met a single person who gets out of this game without a genuine huge smile!
This is the exact kind of game concept I'm always craving. Something wholly unique. An idea that was thoroughly thought out by a director with a very different vision compared to much of the industry. Reading interviews and quotes by him, he's got a very odd relationship with gaming. He was apparently not too thrilled with having to include a goal or time limit in this game, to give an idea of where his head was at. Striving to make something distinctly new instead of falling back on expected "must haves" for game design. Even to the point of potentially alienating average players as seen in his lesser known projects. (Speaking of, I really should look into some of those, he's putting out a new game soon for the first time in quite a while if you didn't know) But yeah I can really appreciate this approach to game design, it's something I think the industry needs a lot more of these days.
Closest thing to criticism I have is that maybe a few of the stages feel a bit filler-esque. Kind of fitting that the one potential flaw is a result of something brought up by what sounds like a higher up decision. But, I don't think this game having a goal and a time limit, a formula to craft levels around, really negatively effects it at all. The original intent still shines through considering said goal is very easy to pass and by then you're simply playing more just because it's inherently a fun game regardless of whether you're getting anything else out of it.
On a less introspective note...You don't need to have this deeper appreciation for it to "Get it" It's not some vague or pretentious art game. It's just a flat out fun game that can very easily turn into a lifelong comfort title. If you haven't gotten to try it out yet the HD port to modern consoles is a good way to give it a go. Though unfortunately that release doesn't include the English dub for some reason. The absurdity and comedy of the cutscenes is a tad lost without being able to understand the inflections of the delivery imo.
I was gonna end on a joke like ~All my homies love Katamari~ but it's true. From all walks of life and dramatically different tastes, haven't met a single person who gets out of this game without a genuine huge smile!
You don't know the true horror a bad game can inflict on the psyche until you've played this game. I have a TREMENDOUS tolerance for bad licensed games. But even tag teaming with friends leads to everyone involved curled up in the fetal position, our place in the universe put into question by this bulbous headed child's adventure. Every element combines to beat you down, tear your mental state asunder. An absolute assault on the human condition. The kind of game where you spend 40 minutes slowly roaming around a featureless labyrinth trying to find every maguffin. All to give Jimmy a brain blast, hear his smug hehe I know what to do let's go find somewhere to use this. Aimlessly roam around looking for the spot you need to be, only for his invention to fail entirely, and Goddard remembers he can fly and just flies Jimmy to the next level as though he couldn't have done that from the very start. Thanks for the half hour of brainrot, onto the next level that's guaranteed to be even worse!
Roaming around the school getting slapped by the copy paste school bully character that spams the same lines every single time they see you, I can handle. But you'd never assume the game's going to be filled with increasingly obscene platforming challenges once you see Jimmy can only jump half an inch off the ground. But alas, no mercy is granted.
Give or take 6 years ago I saw one level past the 1st boss. Today I've seen one level past the 2nd boss thanks to a friend donating his soul to this monstrosity of a game. Perhaps in another 6 years I'll see it through to the end and finally have closure to the only game that can make me lightheaded and delerious in the span of just 2-3 levels.
Roaming around the school getting slapped by the copy paste school bully character that spams the same lines every single time they see you, I can handle. But you'd never assume the game's going to be filled with increasingly obscene platforming challenges once you see Jimmy can only jump half an inch off the ground. But alas, no mercy is granted.
Give or take 6 years ago I saw one level past the 1st boss. Today I've seen one level past the 2nd boss thanks to a friend donating his soul to this monstrosity of a game. Perhaps in another 6 years I'll see it through to the end and finally have closure to the only game that can make me lightheaded and delerious in the span of just 2-3 levels.
2020
Straight from level 1 the Battletoads reboot admits it's not even going to try to be as ambitious as the original NES game. No level design, no platformer beat'em'up mix, no stand-out boss where you play from the boss's perspective. Just empty hallways that lead to square rooms to fight enemies in to progress. The combat itself is engaging enough at least and if the game focused on this aspect and properly iterated on it to keep it fresh for the whole game...I'd likely say it's more of an average, safe, very mid game carried by an above average soundtrack. But I have major issues preventing this game from even reaching meh status.
Not content with just being a bad version of the beat'em'up stages, this game wants to be a bad version of anything tangentially related to battletoads and more. It's got turbo tunnels, because of course it does, that level's iconic and I genuinely love it in the original. Making them 3D is a good modern twist on paper. Makes it more accessible and gives this game a unique flavor. Too bad it's got an extremely slow pace and uninspired, extremely dull level design. It becomes very clear really fast how low budget this project was. When I think "Battletoads reboot that adapts Turbo Tunnel into 3D" there's so many cool, high energy routes I could imagine that going in. But what we got is so flat and barren feeling. Worst of all it drags on for about 6 minutes longer than it needs to. It's almost a full ten minutes long and ramps up so painfully slow, and it's not remotely challenging at any point aside from how hard it is for me to stay awake.
There's Donkey Kong Country mine carts. The only design in these sections is remembering which button allows you to ride on what platform type. They then cycle between the 3 platform types for 6 and a half minutes and have the most tame, nothing design otherwise. Again just like the turbo tunnels it has no depth or engagement beyond the fact that it's dragging on for so long you'll probably let your mind wander and get yourself killed, making it take even longer.
The first half of the game also features a few vaguely meta minigames that ask you to press buttons to progress a cutscene. Literal rock paper scissors. And some other baby's first flash game stuff that leads into the 2nd half of the game. And you know what I could take all this. But it's the second half that really murders this game.
The 2nd half consists of almost entirely extremely slow 2D puzzle platformer sections. These levels feature no combat whatsoever, as one of the toads has gone pacifist. It's the kind of budget platforming I can't imagine even a young child would find interesting.You'd be better off getting your platforming fix from Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island. These are broken up with some space shooting stages that don't resemble battletoads in any way but they're at least somewhat engaging as far as this game goes. And sorry to sound like a broken record but both these sections DO NOT END. How do you reboot battletoads and make 25% of the game a tamer version of the BUBSY reboot, and 25% a personality-devoid space shooter?!? Is it supposed to be funny? Lol we subverted your expectations in this Battletoads game by making most of it completely antithetical to what the series is about! FUNNEEE JOKE! Anyway the 2nd half padding ends in a level that's adapting the rat race. And it's not great 'cuz the flow is pretty slow and stiff, but it's the first time in the last hour you recognize some battletoads inspiration. Some brief beat'em'up stuff and then it throws another turbo tunnel section at you. This one's at least fun. Literally the only time the game realizes a quick, challenging section is better than 10-20 minutes of nothing. Final boss tells the toads "In the end was it even necessary?" and it ends with a whimper of a sequel bait.
Only other thing to talk about is the 50ish minutes of fully animated cutscenes. They feel like a fake show in the background of an actual show. Some of the scenes would not be out of place just being on some random TV in the High on Life game. It's like a C-list Nickelodeon project, Ninja turtles knockoff, with season 5 Rick and Morty vibes. The kinda vibes where they kinda resent the property they're working on and they hope if they're self aware enough it'll equate to le funne joke while also making it okay that they don't plan to do anything interesting with the characters. Not sure who its audience is exactly. Too childish cringe for adults, yet oddly inappropriate at times anyway. It doesn't come off like it's got a slight edge it's just awkward more often than not. And the animation itself is pretty lifeless most of the time. I'm not deeply opposed to the new takes on the characters and the new art style. I think people gotta get used to seeing different versions of characters they loved even if they're a big departure. It's just the nature of an IP that transcends decades. A bit more tragic here than usual though 'cuz it was the first and likely last interpretation for the forseeable future given how little of a cultural impact this game left, which is to say, it left none at all.
Not content with just being a bad version of the beat'em'up stages, this game wants to be a bad version of anything tangentially related to battletoads and more. It's got turbo tunnels, because of course it does, that level's iconic and I genuinely love it in the original. Making them 3D is a good modern twist on paper. Makes it more accessible and gives this game a unique flavor. Too bad it's got an extremely slow pace and uninspired, extremely dull level design. It becomes very clear really fast how low budget this project was. When I think "Battletoads reboot that adapts Turbo Tunnel into 3D" there's so many cool, high energy routes I could imagine that going in. But what we got is so flat and barren feeling. Worst of all it drags on for about 6 minutes longer than it needs to. It's almost a full ten minutes long and ramps up so painfully slow, and it's not remotely challenging at any point aside from how hard it is for me to stay awake.
There's Donkey Kong Country mine carts. The only design in these sections is remembering which button allows you to ride on what platform type. They then cycle between the 3 platform types for 6 and a half minutes and have the most tame, nothing design otherwise. Again just like the turbo tunnels it has no depth or engagement beyond the fact that it's dragging on for so long you'll probably let your mind wander and get yourself killed, making it take even longer.
The first half of the game also features a few vaguely meta minigames that ask you to press buttons to progress a cutscene. Literal rock paper scissors. And some other baby's first flash game stuff that leads into the 2nd half of the game. And you know what I could take all this. But it's the second half that really murders this game.
The 2nd half consists of almost entirely extremely slow 2D puzzle platformer sections. These levels feature no combat whatsoever, as one of the toads has gone pacifist. It's the kind of budget platforming I can't imagine even a young child would find interesting.You'd be better off getting your platforming fix from Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island. These are broken up with some space shooting stages that don't resemble battletoads in any way but they're at least somewhat engaging as far as this game goes. And sorry to sound like a broken record but both these sections DO NOT END. How do you reboot battletoads and make 25% of the game a tamer version of the BUBSY reboot, and 25% a personality-devoid space shooter?!? Is it supposed to be funny? Lol we subverted your expectations in this Battletoads game by making most of it completely antithetical to what the series is about! FUNNEEE JOKE! Anyway the 2nd half padding ends in a level that's adapting the rat race. And it's not great 'cuz the flow is pretty slow and stiff, but it's the first time in the last hour you recognize some battletoads inspiration. Some brief beat'em'up stuff and then it throws another turbo tunnel section at you. This one's at least fun. Literally the only time the game realizes a quick, challenging section is better than 10-20 minutes of nothing. Final boss tells the toads "In the end was it even necessary?" and it ends with a whimper of a sequel bait.
Only other thing to talk about is the 50ish minutes of fully animated cutscenes. They feel like a fake show in the background of an actual show. Some of the scenes would not be out of place just being on some random TV in the High on Life game. It's like a C-list Nickelodeon project, Ninja turtles knockoff, with season 5 Rick and Morty vibes. The kinda vibes where they kinda resent the property they're working on and they hope if they're self aware enough it'll equate to le funne joke while also making it okay that they don't plan to do anything interesting with the characters. Not sure who its audience is exactly. Too childish cringe for adults, yet oddly inappropriate at times anyway. It doesn't come off like it's got a slight edge it's just awkward more often than not. And the animation itself is pretty lifeless most of the time. I'm not deeply opposed to the new takes on the characters and the new art style. I think people gotta get used to seeing different versions of characters they loved even if they're a big departure. It's just the nature of an IP that transcends decades. A bit more tragic here than usual though 'cuz it was the first and likely last interpretation for the forseeable future given how little of a cultural impact this game left, which is to say, it left none at all.
1991
Objectively really unfairly designed. Not even referring to stuff like the turbo tunnel, love that level. At some point it feels not playtested at all. Which is kind of a shame because this game's extremely ambitious and otherwise h*eckin sick for an NES game. It's infamously brutal and I wouldn't have it any other way, but good heavens the second half of this game is vile!
I can get through the first 4 levels no problem at all, I'd like to someday git gud and be able to consistently get farther. Maybe someday I'll be able to beat the game without Rare Replay's rewind feature/save states and I'll come back with a higher score. 'Cuz I really do like this game, I just wish the game liked me back.
I can get through the first 4 levels no problem at all, I'd like to someday git gud and be able to consistently get farther. Maybe someday I'll be able to beat the game without Rare Replay's rewind feature/save states and I'll come back with a higher score. 'Cuz I really do like this game, I just wish the game liked me back.
If you asked me 2 years ago I'd have given this 1 star. I don't know what happened exactly. I used to find the game unpolished and aggressively boring and unimmersive. I didn't care for the open world as it was so empty, and finding the colossus was lame as you just held your sword up and it pointed you to where you had to go. And fighting the Colossus was more jank than it was actually fun. Like ugh I'm literally just waiting here for it to stop shaking so I can smack it twice for it to die. It was actually this studio's next game, The Last Guardian, that made this one click for me.
I don't even necessarily understand why fully. Normally I have a very analytical eye and can get into the intricacies of a whole experience. However, it's hard to really say why I love it so much now. Somehow I started off thoroughly hating every second of the original, as well as my second playthrough through the ps4 remake years later. But at some point I found myself just roaming the world looking for fruit, lizards, coins, other animals, and shrines. None of them even do much of anything. You get extremely small stat increases to health or stamina. Shrines are just save points that often have lizards you can get by climbing them. Maybe just the existence of something other than letting the horse run me to the next colossus was enough for me to get into the experience. And maybe The Last Guardian helped me get in the right mindset.
I'd end up over halfway through the game and say stuff like; Wow, I didn't know ps2 games could even BE this bad. But suddenly it clicked and there I was doing another 5-6 playthroughs thoroughly loving the whole thing, just trying to get my HP bar maxed out as it increases by like a single pixel every time you slay a colossus, or doing the time trials for the items they give you.
Even when I disliked the game, I felt like such stand out high concept ideas like this game are absolutely what the industry needs more of. To still give some criticism though, my original take was that I disagreed with the design philosophy. Which is, to remove as many video gamey aspects as possible. I used to think this game would feel a lot better with some more actual mechanics, it's SUPER bare. But now I feel like they didn't go far enough. Specifically when it comes to Colossus HP bars. They could have totally omitted the giant HP bar entirely. Most of the time they only take like 3-6 stabs anyway, and if it's got multiple weak spots the glow disappears when it's no longer where you need to hit. And maybe they could have even omitted the player HP bar and made your health status more visible through the character's animations. Both of these changes would make the battles way less gamey and distance itself farther from the traditional combat from any average game without really losing any information. That said it IS satisfying to see how much damage your attacks do if you manage to get a full charge, and like I said I do like seeing my health bar grow. It's just that such gamey presentation kind of goes against the point of the game in a way.
The bigger critique I have though is that you can only fight the colossuses (Colossi?) in a strict order. Even if you go to where one would normally be standing, it's not there. Defeating colossus 1 spawns colossus 2 and so on. I don't know how others would like this idea, but I'd have probably immediately loved the game a lot more if they were just all in the game at once and the game gave you no direction in finding them. Just roaming around exploring for the fruits and lizards, with the goal of stumbling across a colossus. If not all at once, at least in batches, as I understand the order is very intentional at some points. But if you ask me this game would be a perfect 5 if it just had to confidence to make you really live in the world to find the colossus. When I slowed down and stopped just following the arrow to every encounter, I couldn't help but appreciate the whole experience a lot better.
I'm kind of surprised this game's reputation is as good as it is. I'd expect it to be more niche and divisive (Like The Last Guardian actually) But, I'm very happy to say I'm now part of the crowd that appreciates what this game was going for. I'll have to get around to playing the original again so I can say whether I prefer it over this remake or not.
I don't even necessarily understand why fully. Normally I have a very analytical eye and can get into the intricacies of a whole experience. However, it's hard to really say why I love it so much now. Somehow I started off thoroughly hating every second of the original, as well as my second playthrough through the ps4 remake years later. But at some point I found myself just roaming the world looking for fruit, lizards, coins, other animals, and shrines. None of them even do much of anything. You get extremely small stat increases to health or stamina. Shrines are just save points that often have lizards you can get by climbing them. Maybe just the existence of something other than letting the horse run me to the next colossus was enough for me to get into the experience. And maybe The Last Guardian helped me get in the right mindset.
I'd end up over halfway through the game and say stuff like; Wow, I didn't know ps2 games could even BE this bad. But suddenly it clicked and there I was doing another 5-6 playthroughs thoroughly loving the whole thing, just trying to get my HP bar maxed out as it increases by like a single pixel every time you slay a colossus, or doing the time trials for the items they give you.
Even when I disliked the game, I felt like such stand out high concept ideas like this game are absolutely what the industry needs more of. To still give some criticism though, my original take was that I disagreed with the design philosophy. Which is, to remove as many video gamey aspects as possible. I used to think this game would feel a lot better with some more actual mechanics, it's SUPER bare. But now I feel like they didn't go far enough. Specifically when it comes to Colossus HP bars. They could have totally omitted the giant HP bar entirely. Most of the time they only take like 3-6 stabs anyway, and if it's got multiple weak spots the glow disappears when it's no longer where you need to hit. And maybe they could have even omitted the player HP bar and made your health status more visible through the character's animations. Both of these changes would make the battles way less gamey and distance itself farther from the traditional combat from any average game without really losing any information. That said it IS satisfying to see how much damage your attacks do if you manage to get a full charge, and like I said I do like seeing my health bar grow. It's just that such gamey presentation kind of goes against the point of the game in a way.
The bigger critique I have though is that you can only fight the colossuses (Colossi?) in a strict order. Even if you go to where one would normally be standing, it's not there. Defeating colossus 1 spawns colossus 2 and so on. I don't know how others would like this idea, but I'd have probably immediately loved the game a lot more if they were just all in the game at once and the game gave you no direction in finding them. Just roaming around exploring for the fruits and lizards, with the goal of stumbling across a colossus. If not all at once, at least in batches, as I understand the order is very intentional at some points. But if you ask me this game would be a perfect 5 if it just had to confidence to make you really live in the world to find the colossus. When I slowed down and stopped just following the arrow to every encounter, I couldn't help but appreciate the whole experience a lot better.
I'm kind of surprised this game's reputation is as good as it is. I'd expect it to be more niche and divisive (Like The Last Guardian actually) But, I'm very happy to say I'm now part of the crowd that appreciates what this game was going for. I'll have to get around to playing the original again so I can say whether I prefer it over this remake or not.
2005
To be fair it has been over ten years since I've suffered through this game. But I doubt replaying it will change my thoughts much.
It takes everything lovable about world 2 and removes it entirely. Unlockable arcades? There's now just one sad machine sitting in a dark basement. Music? Basically none. Goodbye to the appealing pacman world, hello extremely generic locations with monsters you beat up with the same 3 hit combo for hours straight. Platforming is beyond basic. The games got 2 bosses and they're both the same, and really bad. Not content with being a bad brawler that locks you in a room to slay enemies endlessly; It's also got a 2nd type of enemy wave that's just a bunch of ghosts. On what planet do you see the interaction of grab power pellet, touch ghost and go "Hey, let's lock you in a room and make you eat an arbitrary amount of ghosts to move forward" Not remotely compatible or well integrated with the already tired brawler format this game went for.
Just kinda sad and feels like it does not end. Almost every idea results in a boring binary interaction. Pink ghost can make platforms solid. So you activate pink ghost, jump on platform, make it solid. Now pacman can use that platform. It's about as engaging and fun as it sounds. Some really weird, dreadful writing too.
It takes everything lovable about world 2 and removes it entirely. Unlockable arcades? There's now just one sad machine sitting in a dark basement. Music? Basically none. Goodbye to the appealing pacman world, hello extremely generic locations with monsters you beat up with the same 3 hit combo for hours straight. Platforming is beyond basic. The games got 2 bosses and they're both the same, and really bad. Not content with being a bad brawler that locks you in a room to slay enemies endlessly; It's also got a 2nd type of enemy wave that's just a bunch of ghosts. On what planet do you see the interaction of grab power pellet, touch ghost and go "Hey, let's lock you in a room and make you eat an arbitrary amount of ghosts to move forward" Not remotely compatible or well integrated with the already tired brawler format this game went for.
Just kinda sad and feels like it does not end. Almost every idea results in a boring binary interaction. Pink ghost can make platforms solid. So you activate pink ghost, jump on platform, make it solid. Now pacman can use that platform. It's about as engaging and fun as it sounds. Some really weird, dreadful writing too.