Another disappointing one for me, if I'm being honest. I remember seeing this one on the eShop back when I was in high school and wishing I had the money to buy it. So finally getting to play it now was really exciting. But eh...
Right off the bat the controls are really funky and floaty. It's literally a water level but the entire game, but even more intense with the fact that you can't move with the directional pad on its own, you have to spam A/B to propel yourself in the direction you're pointing, except you also can't propel yourself downwards or directly right or left, only up straight or at an angle. And honestly, it wouldn't be so annoying if you could attack in any direction other than up for the first chunk of the game (I say as I assume that you unlock another attack later on). You can propel yourself upwards so fast, but you have to wait so long for yourself to lose momentum and descend back to the ground, and if an enemy's chasing you, it's going to do damage before you're ever able to attack it, especially if it's got you from the bottom or side. And as a side, I'm not sure if I was just tripping balls or doing something wrong, but during the first boss I swear the little starfish would like, pin me in a corner? and I wouldn't be able to get out and they'd just keep damaging me until I died. So couple those strings of unfair deaths with controls that really hurt my thumbs and it was pretty safe to say I wasn't willing to stick around much longer.
Not to mention the fact that the game design is a bit confusing as there's at least one instance of your progression being completely halted if you visit the entrance to the next area before setting off a few flags in other areas on the map, with no indication of what exactly it is that you need to do or how these things relate to each other. I probably went around in circles for 20-30 minutes before giving up and consulting a guide before finding out I needed to go back to a specific guy again in order to trigger something.
And it's a shame too, because given everything about this game, I should love it. I love the ocean/water settings, I love pixel art and 2D games, I love old games, and I love the music. The sprites are so detailed and expressive. But... I just can't see myself willing to put more time into finishing this, like, ever.
Right off the bat the controls are really funky and floaty. It's literally a water level but the entire game, but even more intense with the fact that you can't move with the directional pad on its own, you have to spam A/B to propel yourself in the direction you're pointing, except you also can't propel yourself downwards or directly right or left, only up straight or at an angle. And honestly, it wouldn't be so annoying if you could attack in any direction other than up for the first chunk of the game (I say as I assume that you unlock another attack later on). You can propel yourself upwards so fast, but you have to wait so long for yourself to lose momentum and descend back to the ground, and if an enemy's chasing you, it's going to do damage before you're ever able to attack it, especially if it's got you from the bottom or side. And as a side, I'm not sure if I was just tripping balls or doing something wrong, but during the first boss I swear the little starfish would like, pin me in a corner? and I wouldn't be able to get out and they'd just keep damaging me until I died. So couple those strings of unfair deaths with controls that really hurt my thumbs and it was pretty safe to say I wasn't willing to stick around much longer.
Not to mention the fact that the game design is a bit confusing as there's at least one instance of your progression being completely halted if you visit the entrance to the next area before setting off a few flags in other areas on the map, with no indication of what exactly it is that you need to do or how these things relate to each other. I probably went around in circles for 20-30 minutes before giving up and consulting a guide before finding out I needed to go back to a specific guy again in order to trigger something.
And it's a shame too, because given everything about this game, I should love it. I love the ocean/water settings, I love pixel art and 2D games, I love old games, and I love the music. The sprites are so detailed and expressive. But... I just can't see myself willing to put more time into finishing this, like, ever.