The Date: 2 April 1989 The Venue: Boardwalk Hall/Trump Plaza; Atlantic City, New Jersey The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura The Referee: Dave Hebner The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship
The Build-Up: Vince McMahon gambled it all with WrestleMania. The event aired on 31 March 1985 and was seen by an unprecedented one million+ viewers and ultimately altered the wrestling landscape by bringing in some of the biggest names in wrestling, music, sports, and television. Now regarded as the biggest wrestling event in the industry, WrestleMania has become synonymous with career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with easily one of the most dramatic of these being the implosion of the “Mega Powers”, a super-team comprised of “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan and the WWF Champion, “Macho Man” Randy Savage. After previously being fierce rivals, Hogan and Savage first joined forces in 1987 at Saturday Night’s Main Event XII after Savage’s wife, Miss Elizabeth, recruited Hogan to help Savage fend off the Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation. Sealing their partnership with a dramatic handshake, the Mega Powers teamed from 1987 to 1989, clashing with Hogan’s long-time rival, the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and Hogan even helping his friend capture the WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV. However, cracks began to form in their partnership after Savage grew increasingly jealous and justifiably concerned about Hogan’s intentions towards Miss Elizabeth. After Hogan accidentally tossed Savage from the 1989 Royal Rumble match and then abandoned Savage during a tag team match at The Main Event II to get Miss Elizabeth to safety, Savage confronted his partner backstage. Despite Hogan and Miss Elizabeth’s best efforts, the furious Savage physically and verbally assaulted Hogan and Miss Elizabeth, dissolving the Mega Powers and leading to Hogan challenging Savage to this championship match to settle the score in what’s often touted as one of the best examples of long-term storytelling in wrestling.
The Match: Even to this day, I find it baffling that the WWF decided to make Randy Savage the bad guy in this feud. Sure, the idea of Hulk Hogan turning heel was preposterous at the time, but Savage had every right to be suspicious of Hogan. Still, Savage’s turn into a neurotic, paranoid, jealous and obsessive character certainly fed into his already unhinged persona, though I think it was equally ridiculous not to change up his colourful ring attire and entrance music. Despite Savage being fully justified in attacking Hogan, the crowd were firmly against the champion, who notably came out alone since Miss Elizabeth chose to stand in a neutral corner during the match as she was loyal to both men. Ventura wasted no time in joining Savage in chastising Miss Elizabeth, branding her a “gold digger” who’ll favour whoever wins, a “smart” strategy according to Gorilla Monsoon considering the awkward position she’s found herself in. Hogan (labelled “Lust Hogan” by Ventura, who doesn’t hold back in criticising the Hulkster), still as popular as ever, marched to the ring and immediately riled Savage up with his posing and pageantry, to the point where Savage was ready to whack his friend-turned-foe with the championship belt! After handing the belt over to referee Dave Hebner, Savage whipped Hogan into a frenzy by slipping out of the ring and posing on the turnbuckles before the Mega Powers finally got into it. Overwhelmed by Hogan’s power, the champion retreated to the ring apron to keep some distance, again slipping to the outside after being floored by a shoulder block. When they tied up again, Savage gained an advantage with an eye rake and continued to psych Hogan out, leading to the challenger to chase the champion around the ring and Savage to use Miss Elizabeth as a human shield!
Savage riled Hogan up at every turn and and kept him grounded with dull rest holds.
With Ventura awkwardly advocating for spousal abuse and Savage inviting Hogan back into the ring, the challenger surprisingly kept Savage at bay with some wrestling fundamentals, favouring takedowns and headlocks, only to be planted with a back body drop. After avoiding a running elbow drop, Hogan resorted to throwing “illegal […] closed fists”, leading to another eye rake from Savage and a top-rope double axe handle for the first near fall of the match. Savage employed his own ground game with an arm bar, planting a knee into Hogan’s face and grabbing his hair to add insult to injury, only for Hogan to rally and send Savage flying through the ropes. After quickly tossing the champion back into the ring, Hogan rammed his face into the top turnbuckles and planted him with a clothesline, two elbow drops, and an eye rake of his own. However, Savage countered with a boot and brought Hogan down for another two count before slapping on a chin lock to the now-bloodied Hogan. Both men seemed extremely gassed and were sweating profusely despite the slow pace of the match as Savage maintained the hold, before the “Pukesters” encouraged Hogan back to his feet. This time, Hogan caught Savage’s kick, hit an atomic drop, but missed another running elbow. Savage quickly capitalised by shoving Hogan chest-first into a corner and trying to score a cheap victory off a roll up and a handful of tights, but the Hulkster still kicked out at two. Frustrated, the Macho Man redoubled his attack, throwing Hogan from corner to corner and targeting the cut above Hogan’s eye. Stomping on Hogan’s hand and delivering a disrespectful slap to his face, Savage basked in his glory and paid for it when Hogan rallied with a beatdown in the corner, only to suffer some kind of arm injury when clotheslining the champion. Regardless, Hogan easily lifted Savage and dumped him to the outside in an impressive show of strength. After aggressively waving off Miss Elizabeth’s help, Savage hit an eye poke and eventually shoved Hogan off a ring post after Miss Elizabeth caused Hogan to hesitate from hurting her man. After Savage couldn’t help but get in Miss Elizabeth’s face and chastise her, the referee sent her to the back to keep her from distracting from the match and Savage continued his methodical attack against his former partner.
Savage’s ground game and Diving Elbow naturally led to Hulk rallying and scoring the victory.
After landing a beautiful axe handle off the top rope and to the outside, Savage tossed Hogan back in the ring and began targeting his throat, using the ropes to his advantage and landing stiff elbow shots to his opponent. A quick scoop slam led to a standing splash and another two count before Savage took a page out of Ventura’s playbook to choke Hogan with his wrist tape. After choking Hogan to the canvas, the Macho Man went to the top rope and hit his gorgeous Diving Elbow…only for Hogan to power out and start “Hulking Up!” Despite Savage’s best shots, Hogan wouldn’t be deterred; he shrugged off every blow and dropped the champion with a big boot. The Atomic Leg Drop followed soon after and signalled the end of the match after Hogan pinned the champion for the three count. Naturally, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Hogan clumsily strapped the belt to his waist, Ventura just about had a coronary, and the Macho Man stormed from the ring in humiliation and rage, leaving Hogan to pose and play to his very vocal fans. This one was pretty decent, but still the same, tired Hogan formula. Hogan took quite a beating here and Savage looked pretty strong as he targeted Hogan’s wound and wore down the Hulkster with chin locks, takedowns, and repeatedly fleeing from the ring. Unfortunately, these elements dragged the match out way too much for me. I was expecting a bit more aggression and agility from the Macho Man, only to be frustrated by rest holds as the two obviously gassed competitors fought for breath. I was also disappointed that Miss Elizabeth didn’t factor into the match, or the ending, more, and that Hogan was dominated the entire time but won without any real issue in the end. I would’ve liked to see a bit more energy, some more moves being thrown, and to see Savage dodge the Atomic Leg Drop, miss a second Elbow Drop, and then take the fall…but I guess that didn’t work for Hogan, brother.
The Aftermath: Despite his emphatic win, this wouldn’t be the end of the issues between the former Mega Powers. After Hulk Hogan starred in the much-malignedNo Holds Barred (Wright, 1989), the Macho Man brought in Hogan’s co-star, Tom “Tiny” Lister, Jr., as his film character, Zeus, to battle Hogan and his friend, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake at the 1989 SummerSlam and in a tag team steel cage match at the 19989 No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie event. The Mega Powers collided for the WWF Championship once more at The Main Event III and, though Savage lost the match, he eventually aligned with Sensational Sherri, won the 1989 King of the Ring (transforming into the unhinged “Macho King” in the process) and eventually had an emotional reunion with Miss Elizabeth at WrestleMania VII, despite being forced to retire after losing to the Ultimate Warrior. However, disagreeing that his in-ring career was over, Savage followed Hogan’s example and jumped ship to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), eventually becoming WCW Champion and not only reforming the Mega Powers with Hogan but also fighting alongside him in the New World Order (nWo). However, the two eventually butted heads when “Hollywood” Hogan’s ego wouldn’t allow him to see anyone but him become WCW Champion, leading to Savage dropping the belt to his old rival and splintering off from the nWo with first the Wolfpac and then “Team Madness”. Their fates seemingly entwined, Hogan and Savage eventually found themselves on the same side with Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff rallied WCW’s young up-and-comers into a power-hungry group, though the company dissolved before he could really get involved. Although Randy Savage had a brief (and disastrous) appearance during Total Non Stop Action’s (TNA) early run under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), he wasn’t there when Hogan was present, though he and Hogan continued to be on-again, off-again friends and rivals over the years, with the Macho Man even recording an infamous rap track chastising the Hulkster! After tragically passing away from a heart attack in 2011, Savage was posthumously inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame (after a lengthy absence due to a strained relationship with Vince McMahon) and fondly remembered by many, including Hogan, as one of wrestling’s all-time greats.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
What did you think to the dramatic showdown between the Mega Powers? Do you agree that Savage was justified in suspecting and attacking Hogan? Were you disappointed that the match was more mind games and rest holds? Would you have liked to see Miss Elizabeth play a bigger role in the finish? Which of Hogan and Savage’s many matches was your favourite? Can you name a match between former tag team partners that you enjoyed? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year? Leave your comments about this classic WrestleMania match below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.
So, for no better reason than “Mar.10” resembling Mario’s name, March 10th is widely regarded as being “Mario Day”, a day to celebrate Nintendo’s portly plumber, an overalls-wearing mascot who literally changed the videogame industry forever and shaped the home console market of the nineties.
Released: 21 November 2004 Originally Released: 23 June 1996 Developer: Nintendo EAD Also Available For: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console, original version only)
The Review: So, let’s address the elephant in the room first: why just a mini review for this remaster of Super Mario 64? Well, primarily it’s because much of the core gameplay, mechanics, and elements of the original game are retained here. The story is largely the same: Princess “Peach” Toadstool invites Mario, Luigi, and (strangely) Wario to her castle for cake but, when they disappear inside, Yoshi has to go rescue them. The gameplay loop is the same (enter magical paintings to be transported to action stages where you collect Power Stars to open new doors and access new areas of the castle), and everything I said about the original game in my initial review still stands here. Thus, I think it’s more productive to focus on what’s different about this version. Namely, the controls; while all four characters perform the same basic actions as Mario (though only he can wall jump), you now control them with the directional pad (D-pad) or, *shudder*, the touchscreen and stylus. This is problematic in many ways; Super Mario 64 DS is a fully 3D gaming world, and yet these controls make the characters clunky and tank-like. It’s also not helpful having to hold Y to dash, which can make performing long jumps or running attacks problematic as your fingers get in the way. If you play the game on the Nintendo 3DS, as I did for this playthrough, you can use the analogue stick but you don’t get true analogue control. Instead, the same janky tank controls are mapped to the stick, making the precision platforming, running, and combat mechanics much more of a chore to pull off in this version, which is a real shame. Although you have greater camera control with the Left bumper, touch screen, and X (which zooms out), the camera is still aggravating, regularly getting stuck on the environment or adopting a poor angle. However, I did like how the touchscreen displays a helpful map at all times and highlights any available Power Stars or character caps. One of the most noticeable changes to the gameplay is that Super Mario 64 DS now features 150 Power Stars rather than the original 120, and you now need 80 of them to access the final confrontation with Bowser, King of the Koopas. As I’ve 100% both this and the original version before, my goal for this playthrough was simply to reach that final fight, hence again why this is just a mini review as I didn’t strive for 100% completion.
You’ll need everyone’s unique powers and skills to hunt down a whopping 150 Power Stars!
Although each character has their own unique mechanics, attributes, power-ups, and controls a little differently, they all share a basic move set that’s immediately familiar to players of the original game. B allows them to jump; tapping it three times while running executes a triple jump to reach higher areas. Holding R and pressing B pulls off a backwards somersault and doing the same while running performs a long jump, while holding left or right on the control stick and pressing B executes a side jump. Tapping B also allows you to swim; you can hold the button for slower, more precise movement but keep in mind that some characters also swim faster than others. A allows you to talk with non-playable characters (NPCs), read signs for tips, pick up certain objects, and perform a melee attack. You tap A three times for a three-hit combo, press A when running for a dive, or hold R and press A for a sweeping kick. You can also jump and press R in mid-air to perform a ground pound to crush enemies, and simply hop on most enemies to defeat them or get a boost to higher levels. Your health is measured in a colourful pie chart that depletes as you take damage, get set on fire, or when underwater. You must collect coloured Coins or run through Hearts to replenish it or grab an air bubble or resurface when swimming. The basic gameplay structure remains unchanged except each level (or “Course”) has an additional mission, and some missions have been altered to take advantage of the new characters’ abilities. You’ll still be jumping to moving, spinning, and temporary platforms, activating switches, running up walls, utilising cannons, smashing blocks, pounding stakes, raising and lowering water, catching rabbits, climbing fences, defeating enemies, finding Red Coins, and speeding down slides on your butt to complete missions.
Alongside their shared skills, characters have unique abilities modelled after the original game’s caps.
The biggest change to the gameplay is the inclusion of three new characters. You begin controlling Yoshi, who swallows enemies with A, lays an egg with R, and tosses said egg with A (or simply spits the enemy out if you prefer). Yoshi also performs a “flutter” jump by holding B to give him a bit more airtime and temporarily breathes fire with a Power Flower, which is great for melting ice blocks. Luigi is the fastest, slipperiest of the characters; he also has a flutter jump but can spin in the air off a back somersault to cross wider gaps. Luigi can also briefly run across the surface of water and temporarily turn invisible when he grabs the Power Flower, effectively replacing the Vanish Cap from the original game. Wario is the smallest, stoutest, and slowest of the four but also the most powerful. He can break black blocks swing and throw opponents in Vs. Mode, and temporarily turn invincible when grabbing the Power Flower, meaning he replaces the Metal Cap. Mario has all his original abilities, including temporarily flying with the Wing Cap with a feather (which remains as awkward as ever) but he can now inflate like a balloon and float with the Power Flower. Although you must unlock Mario, Luigi, and Wario, you can assume their form and powers by defeating enemies who wear their caps or finding their caps in the Courses, though you’ll lose their abilities when you take damage. You can manually switch characters by visiting the switch room, which is located where the Princess’s Secret Slide was (and still is) but you can only battle Bowser as Mario. The Super Mushroom also makes a return here, briefly enlarging your character and allowing them to plough through enemies and obstacles and earn extra lives. You can also still ride discarded Koopa shells to speed around Courses, and all the character models and game textures have received a nice upgrade, making everything even more colourful and detailed even on the DS’s smaller screen.
Old bosses have received a graphical overhaul and been joined by new baddies and Courses.
While the same selection of Courses are present here, there are some new bonus areas to visit to find new Secret Stars or character portraits, which take you to new mini obstacle courses not unlike the Bowser Courses. These culminate in a boss battle against the three new bosses who guard the keys needed to rescue Mario, Luigi, and Wario. The first, Goomboss, is fought with Yoshi; this enlarged Goomba chases you around a tree stump platform. He gets faster as the fight progresses and can only be damaged by dashing behind him, swallowing his Goomba minions, and spitting them at him. Luigi is rescued by clearing a small looping carousel maze and battling King Boo, who’s the same as the Big Boo bosses except you sometimes use the giant mirror to spot him closing in. Finally, Wario’s key is guarded by Chief Chilly, a larger version of the Chilli Bully from Snowman’s Land and fought similar to other Bullies, but with the twist that the arena is super slippery, surrounded by burning cold ice water, and Chief Chilly destroys the stage as the fight progresses. All the previous bosses return, unchanged except for their new character models and altered dialogue depending on who you’re playing with, but there are now two battles against King Bob-omb, with the first one being fought with Yoshi and containing new mechanics. This time, King Bob-omb hurls his explosive minions at you and you must spit them back, which is kinda fun, though you can fight him in the same way as before (running behind him and tossing him) when playing as other characters or using their caps. Bowser’s battles are also the same, though slightly more challenging thanks to the clunky controls. You must best a dangerous obstacle course beforehand that’s now home to two hidden Power Stars before battling Bowser in borderless arenas. Bowser will stomp about, spitting fire (which homes in on you and rains from the sky in the final bout) and even tip or destroy the stage in later encounters. You defeat him by running behind him, grabbing his tail, and swinging him into one of the nearby mines. You’ll need to do this once in the first two fights and three times in the last to be victorious and see the slightly altered ending, where all the characters get cake.
There are more missions, more Power Stars, more rabbits, and even loads of unlockable mini games.
As mentioned, every Course now has eight Power Stars to collect rather than seven. You complete missions for seven of them but earn an eighth for collecting 100 Coins in every Course, and each Course has an additional mission tied to one of two new mechanics. One is the Star Switch, which causes a Power Star to temporarily spawn somewhere in the Course and gives you a short time limit to get to it, usually by platforming, wall jumping, or utilising the character’s Flower powers. The other is collecting five Silver Stars, smaller Stars dotted around Courses that fly out of you when hit and spawn a Power Star when collected. There are also a bunch of rabbits to catch in and outside Peach’s castle; seven for each character (as indicated by their colour) that appear when you’ve collected a certain number of Power Stars. Catching them doesn’t award you a Power Star like when you catch Mips in the original game, but instead unlocks mini games to play in the Rec Room. These are assorted button- and touchscreen-based distractions that see you matching pairs of cars, rubbing the screen to reveal Boos, touching the right character faces amidst a sea of others, bouncing Mario past Shy Guys, playing slot machines, launching balls, and shooting parachuting Bob-ombs from the sky. There are thirty-six mini games to unlock and play, with each one awarding you Power Stars as points, and they’re an interesting addition, though I didn’t spend much time on them. The squishy Mario face mechanic from the original game has been expanded to other characters and a limited drawing canvas, you now only get three save files instead of four, and while the cannon outside the castle does unlock after you get 150 Power Stars, it simply leads to a Wing Feather for Mario and another rabbit for Luigi. Courses have had some graphical updates as well: Coins are now 3D objects, Peach has a new hairstyle, Bob-omb Battlefield is noticeably more autumnal than before, Hazy Maze Cave’s toxic gas is a different colour and Dorrie now wears swimming goggles, and the secret Courses where you once activated the different caps are now just challenges for Power Stars. Everything looks far superior, despite the smaller screen size, and sounds way better, but issues from the original game still persist. The camera, obviously, is the main one, as is the character’s tendency to just randomly slip or detach from platforms. Finally, while you get more guidance this time around, it can still be difficult to know how to clear certain missions without consulting an online guide.
The Summary: I loved Super Mario 64. Like almost everyone back in the day, it was the first Nintendo 64 game I owned and I played it constantly, though I was never able to get all 120 Power Stars. Ironically, however, I was able to get all 150 Power Stars when I first owned Super Mario 64 DS. I sold the game back then, choosing the more traditional, refined, and enjoyable experience offered by New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo EAD, 2006) but, after playing the Nintendo Switch port and realising the 3DS analogue stick could be used to play the game (and being a big fan of Wario), I felt compelled to revisit it. Sadly, the analogue stick didn’t help with the game’s clunky control scheme and the camera is just as bad as ever, so this is a bit of a step down compared to its Nintendo 64 predecessor despite all the extra features, but it’s still a really fun game. I think that’s a testament to just how well Super Mario 64 was made. It’s still a readily accessible and surprisingly deep 3D platformer with a lot of varied locations and missions to playthrough. This version of the game impresses with its graphical overhaul, new Courses and boss battles, and the three new characters. While I rarely played as Yoshi, I enjoyed running around as Luigi and Wario and the cap-swapping mechanic and I liked how they each took on the cap power-ups from the original game. It’s a shame the Bowser fights weren’t tweaked to utilise each character’s unique move set, but they get Courses and missions tailored to them, so I think it balances out. While I didn’t play the mini gams or the Vs. Mode, I had a lot of fun plugging away at this remake of a classic. I’d love to see this get a proper HD port to the Nintendo Switch, though, to further refine its niggling issues. Still, as is, this is a great way to revisit Super Mario 64 and well worth your time, if you can cope with the odd tank-like control scheme.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Great Stuff
Was Super Mario 64DS a part of your Nintendo DS library? What did you think to the new control scheme and visual overhaul? Which of the new characters and power-ups was your favourite? What did you think to the new missions, additional Power Stars and Courses, and the new bosses? Did you ever collect all 150 Power Stars? What other Nintendo 64 game do you think deserve a remaster? How are you celebrating Super Mario this month? Whatever you think, comment below and let me know and don’t forget to check out my other Mario content.
“Talk about your psalms, talk about “John 3:16”…Austin 3:16 says I just whupped your ass!”
With those immortal words, spoken by the legendary pro wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin after winning the King of the Ring tournament on 23 June 1996, a momentous wrestling career was about to unfold before our eyes that would see everyone’s favourite beer-swigging, finger-gesturing anti-hero become not just an industry icon but a mainstream icon as well. Here’s to yah, Steve!
The Date: 23 March 1997 The Venue: Rosemont Horizon; Rosemont, Illinois The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Vince McMahon The Referee: “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (guest) The Stakes: No disqualification submission match
The Build-Up: Contrary to popular relief, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s rise to the top of what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) didn’t happen with his infamous “Austin 3:16” promo. After shedding his awful “Ringmaster” persona and winning the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, Austin made a name for himself as a no-nonsense badass during his controversial feud with former tag team partner “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman before punching his ticket to a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania 13 by winning the 1997 Royal Rumble. However, this victory was tainted as Austin had already been eliminated by Bret “The Hitman” Hart, leading to Austin’s first-ever main event match at In Your House 13: Final Four for the vacant championship. Since a knee injury saw Austin eliminated in the early-going, the Texas Rattlesnake bit back by costing Bret the WWF Championship, kick-started a prolonged feud between the two that would drastically alter their careers. The son of wrestling legend and hard-nosed trainer Stu Hart, Bret Hart first made his mark in the WWF as part of the Hart Foundation before graduating to notable singles success with his award-winning Intercontinental Championship run. Regarded as the “Excellence of Execution”, Bret eventually became WWF Champion following a shift in direction after a steroid scandal before clashing with brother Owen and pushing himself to the limit in a heated rivalry with the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Following his WrestleMania XII loss, Bret took a hiatus and, upon declining a big payday from rival company World Championship Wrestling (WCW), returned to answer cocksure Austin’s challenge following his King of the Ring win. Frustrated at being overlooked and the fickle fans cheering such an uncouth anti-hero, Bret began one of the greatest turns towards the dark side in wrestling history and was set on a collision course with Austin, who was on the precipice of greatness.
The Match: The introductory package for this classic, career-making match is heavily focused on Bret Hart’s displeasure with the direction the WWF was taking at the time and the lack of respect he felt he deserved for his in-ring ability. While Bret was absolutely justified in questioning this treatment, and Steve Austin’s rude, foul-mouthed attitude, the crowd knew who they wanted to cheer and Bret was largely seen as a “cry-baby”, leading to Bret lashing out at everyone and anyone, including WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, to get his respect. This pivotal match in Austin’s career stood out not just for the storyline surrounding it and the memorable ending, or for introducing Ken Shamrock to WWF audiences, but also for Austin’s iconic glass breaking entrance, which perfectly summed up his no-nonsense persona. Indeed, while he was universally cheered at this time, Austin was no baby kissing, hand shaking babyface and instead treated them with the same disdain and hostility as he did special guest referee Ken Shamrock. This was in contrast to Bret, who still had his fans on this night and who still gifted his sunglasses to a kid in the front row, but I find it incredibly ironic that McMahon called out Bret’s abusive behaviour and volatile attitude when many of this mannerisms and aspects (especially Bret’s contempt for McMahon) would be so integral to Austin’s developing, anti-authoritarian character. As if getting in Shamrock’s face wasn’t enough, the Rattlesnake demonstrated that he had no fear and far less respect for Bret by pouncing on the Hitman and pummelling him with punches the moment he got into the ring. For his part, Bret answered back with shots of his own, leading to the two rolling around like crocodiles wrestling for territory and spilling to the outside to exchange blows. Although Bret sent Austin flying into a ring post, Austin answered back by dumping him crotch-first on the security railing and then clotheslining him into the crowd. The camera struggled to follow the brawl, which saw Bret drenched in beer, Austin back body dropped onto the steps following a piledriver attempt, and Bret land a flimsy-looking fist drop off a guard rail jump.
Some ringside brawling, chair shots, and innovative offense saw Austin on the backfoot at the start.
Once back at ringside, Austin whipped Bret knee-first into the ring steps, though Bret saved himself from further harm by kicking Austin’s knee out from under him. Once the two returned to the ring, Bret nailed a neckbreaker and an elbow drop from the second rope, before focusing his attack on Austin’s knee and leg in preparation for his patented Sharpshooter. With Austin grounded, Hart pounded, wrenched, and “dissected” Austin’s knee, causing the Rattlesnake to stumble and be spitefully kicked to the canvas whenever he fought to his feet. Even when Stone Cold hit a desperation Stone Cold Stunner to create some distance, it didn’t matter as Bret was right back up and soon had Austin’s legs tied around a ring post with a modified Figure Four Leglock! Despite the agony and the additional leverage afforded by the move, Austin refused to tap out to the hold, so the Hitman tossed his opponent into the ring and brought a steel chair and the ring bell into the match. Bret looped Austin’s bad leg into the chair and teased leaping off the top rope, looking to break Austin’s limb, only for Stone Cold to scramble to his feet and send Bret tumbling from the top rope with a chair shot to the head! Austin then continued the assault, whacking the chair over Bret’s spine and assaulting his foe with slams, whips, and suplexes, firmly targeting the Hitman’s back and landing a sneaky stomp to Bret’s balls to add insult to injury. Despite attacking Bret’s spine, Austin locked in a modified arm lock and seemingly forgot his leg, landing an elbow drop off the second rope and applying a Boston Crab. Despite the pressure, Bret hauled himself to the bottom rope to break the hold (something that shouldn’t have counted as this was a no disqualification match), so Austin tried to slap on the Sharpshooter. However, a thumb to the eye put a stop to that and, though Bret was soon launched to the outside, the Hitman continued his comeback by tossing Austin into the timekeeper’s table and busting him open with closed fists to the forehead.
Austin’s sheer tenacity saw fans turn on Bret and applaud and Stone Cold’s defiant attitude.
Bret maliciously targeted the wound, causing blood to gush from Austin’s forehead, while being sure to work over Austin’s whole body with a backbreaker, another second rope elbow drop, and repeated strikes to Austin’s injured knee with the steel chair. However, Austin frantically fought Bret off when he tried to apply the Sharpshooter and the match descended into a brawl in the corner once again, which ended with a swift kick to the Hitman’s balls! Groggy and suffering, Stone Cold whipped Bret sternum-first into the corner and then stomped a mudhole in the Hitman’s ass (and walked it dry!) in the opposite corner before hitting a top-rope suplex. His face the literal crimson mask, Austin choked Bret with an electrical cord and received a shot to the head with the ring bell in recompense! The Hitman wasted no time in applying the Sharpshooter right in the centre of the ring, locking it in tight and giving Austin nowhere to go. Shamrock dropped to the mat and frantically asked Austin if he wanted to submit, but the Rattlesnake stubbornly refused and desperately tried to ease the pressure, almost powering his way out of it to chants of “Austin! Austin!” and delivering one of the most iconic WrestleMania visuals ever: his screaming, bloody face. In the end, Austin patently refused to tap out or submit and, as a result, eventually blacked out to the pain, losing the match but leaving Bret visibly frustrated since he couldn’t secure the tap out. Bret then took his frustrations out on Austin’s leg, forcing Shamrock to take him down and solidifying perhaps the greatest double turn in the history of wrestling as the crowd unanimously booed Bret and applauded Austin’s resolve! I’m gonna be honest and say that, as much as I like Austin, a lot of his matches can be very formulaic as he primarily relied on brawling and ringside shenanigans. However, this really showcased how his more in-your-face style can nicely compliment a more technical mat wrestler. The story of Austin not knowing any submission holds meant it made perfect sense for him to rely on weapons and underhanded tactics, while Bret’s clinical targeting of his foe’s limbs showed just how methodical the Hitman was and how resilient the Rattlesnake was!
The Aftermath: This wouldn’t be the end of the rivalry between Stone Cold and Bret Hart, but it did signal a change in their dynamic since Bret was now a dastardly, besmirched heel and Austin was a tenacious babyface. Bret brought in his friends and family to re-form the Hart Foundation to escalate the feud, resulting in another inconclusive finish when the British Bulldog attacked Austin with a steel chair at In Your House 14: Revenge of the ’Taker. However, Austin got the last laugh when he fought off the Hart Foundation and even locked Bret into the Sharpshooter, resulting in ten-man tag team match at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede. Airing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Hart Foundation were cheered as national heroes and ultimately defeated Steve Austin’s team and had the Rattlesnake arrested after he attacked them at the end of the match. The matches between Austin, his allies, and the Hart Foundation earned them the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s “Feud of the Year” award and Bret Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Most Hated Wrestler of the Year” award, though it’s surprising to see that Austin was on the losing end of the feud. Austin and Bret’s issues fizzled out by the 1997 SummerSlam, which kick-started Bret’s long and troubled road back into the fan’s hearts, towards the WWF Championship and, ultimately out of the company. Austin pivoted into feuding with Bret’s brother, Owen Hart, for the Intercontinental Championship, resulting in a sickening injury that shaved years off his career. Thanks to this incident putting Austin on the shelf for some time, and the cataclysmic fallout of the “Montreal Screwjob”, Austin and Bret never wrestled each other again, though both men looked back on this match fondly and regarded it as one of the best matches of their respective careers.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Great Stuff
What did you think to the Submission Match between Steve Austin and Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13? Which man were you rooting for at the time, and did your perception of one or both change after the match? What did you think to Austin’s crowd brawling and Bret’s more systematic attack? Can you name another double turn like this, or a similar bloody visual as Austin’s face? How are you celebrating 3:16 Day this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from Austin’s illustrious career? What dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Let me know what you think about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin down in the comments, send me £3.16 on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other wrestling content across the site!
The Date: 29 March 1987 The Venue: Pontiac Silverdome; Pontiac, Michigan The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura The Referee: Joey Marella The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship
The Build-Up: On 31 March 1985, Vince McMahon gambled it all on WrestleMania, an event seen by over one million viewers that changed the face of the wrestling landscape forever by bringing together the biggest names in wrestling alongside numerous celebrity guests. Now regarded as the premier wrestling event, WrestleMania eventually became known for career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with perhaps the first and most memorable of these moments coming in this titanic clash between “The Eighth Wonder of the World” André the Giant and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. Born in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne and suffering from gigantism, the physically imposing yet kind hearted Andre became a larger than life attraction thanks to some clever booking and sensationalist claims. Just in the build up to this match alone, André was said to have been undefeated for fifteen years and to have never been slammed, to say nothing of the dramatic claims regarding WrestleMania III’s attendance figures! Still, with André’s health failing and his body deteriorating, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) sowed the seeds of dissent between the giant and the Hulkster after Hogan was presented with an award for this three-year reign as WWF Champion. Unimpressed that his own trophy was much smaller and annoyed at Hogan stealing his spotlight, André shocked the world by aligning with Hogan’s long-time nemesis, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and challenging Hogan to a match for the belt, dramatically tearing the shirt and crucifix off the stunned Hogan in the process. The clash between the “Irresistible Force” and the “Immoveable Object” has since gone down as one of the most definitive and iconicWrestleMania matches of all time despite (or, perhaps, because of) Hogan’s wild claims regarding the contest.
The Match: While a lot of this era of wrestling hasn’t aged too well, and the quality of the in-ring work doesn’t quite match a lot of the work horses who thrill us today, it can’t be denied that there was a certain energy about the business during this time. Hulkamania truly was running wild back then and Hulk Hogan was peerless at the top of the mountain for his iconic and celebrated status, which took wrestling into the mainstream and catapulted the WWF to greater heights back in the day. Also, while it’s symptomatic of André’s failing health, I really dig the old motorised carts that brought some of the larger Superstars to the ring during this time. But, getting back to the energy, you can practically feel the atmosphere oozing from the raucous crowd as Hogan and André stand toe-to-toe at the start of the match. Today, this stare down would garner a “This is awesome!” but, back then, the crowd simply ate up the anticipation of seeing these two larger-than-life titans squaring off in the middle of the ring. One thing I loved about this tense moment was that Hogan worked himself into a frenzy talking smack to André and shaking with rage at the big man’s actions, while André stayed completely stoic and simply swatted the Hulkster away like a gnat. This led to Hogan landing blow after blow to André’s massive head, which the giant no-sold, and to the Hulkster being crushed when he tried and failed to slam André. Though he squirmed out of the pin fall, much to André’s surprise, Hogan began favouring his lower back, which the giant immediately homed in on with plodding kicks and blows. André dictated the pace, easily toying with and manhandling Hogan and taunting him, humbling the champion and making him seem small. André flung Hogan from corner to corner, pounding his abdomen with his hips, but was stunned when Hogan dodged a headbutt and caused André to slam into the ring post.
An iconic clash, to be sure, but a plodding match handicapped by André’s ill health.
Hogan mounted a comeback consisting of blows to the head and shots to the chest, repeatedly slamming André’s forehead off the top turnbuckle pad, before being taken down with a lumbering big boot. André gave Hogan a receipt for those chops and clamped down hard with a bearhug for what felt like an ice age. Eventually, Hogan seemingly succumbed to the agony but, just as his arm was being raised for the third time, Hogan rallied, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and forced André to release the hold with yet more fists to the face. Hogan’s attempts to shoulder tackle André down were akin to running into a brick wall and, again, Hogan was taken down with a big chop. A simple, clumsy kick to the gut sent Hogan to the outside, where André again ate the ring post thanks to Hogan’s wiles. Hogan then pulled up the protective mat at ringside and threatened to hit a piledriver, only to be awkwardly dumped to the concrete. André dumped the champion back into the ring, missed a kick, and finally fell to the canvas from a clothesline. Fuelled by this small victory, Hogan “Hulked Up”, the crowd on their feet and in an uproar, and finally delivered the body slam heard around the world! Hogan then flew off the ropes with the Atomic Leg Drop and scored the pinfall, securing the WWF Championship and drinking in the adulation of his fans as André and Heenan were sent scurrying to the back. I talked about “energy” and “atmosphere” at the start of this review and this match is perhaps the greatest example of style over substance as there really was nothing to it. It’s not André’s fault, the guy was clearly struggling, was basically immobile, and was clearing in a lot of pain, but I don’t think enough smoke and mirrors were used to cover for that. I enjoyed seeing him toy with and humiliate Hogan, putting a hurting on the champion and dominating him, but Hogan’s comeback barely dealt any damage, leaving the ending a bit flat for me. A shot with the ring bell, belt, or a chair or seeing André make a massive mistake might’ve helped with this. The only reason this match gets two stars is because of how iconic the body slam, the stare down, and the atmosphere were. Strip that away and it’s a dull, slow, repetitive match that I’d say barely qualifies as a contest.
The Aftermath: Despite André the Giant’s clearly failing health, this match wasn’t the end of his in-ring career. André and Hulk Hogan squared off again almost one year later at The Main Event I in a match for the WWF Championship that saw André finally end Hogan’s incredible run with the belt thanks to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase bribing crooked referee Earl Hebner. As part of this deal, André sold the belt to DiBiase, though faux WWF President Jack Tunney overruled this and declared the title to be vacant. This led to a fourteen-man tournament that culminated at WrestleMania IV, where Hogan and André faced each other once more. This time, weapons were involved in the match and resulted in both men being disqualified. However, when André accompanied DiBiase to the ring for the final match of the tournament, Hogan evened the odds, allowing his friend and tag team partner, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, to capture the WWF Championship. After Hogan defeated André once again in a steel cage match, he moved on to his Mega Powers super-team and subsequent feud with the Macho Man. André, meanwhile, fought the likes Jake “The Snake” Roberts, revealing he was deathly afraid of snakes and the Ultimate Warrior, formed an intimidating tag team with Haku, and finally turned back to the light side after having enough of Heenan’s foul treatment. From there, André made sporadic appearances in America and Japan, before finally passing away in 1993 and becoming the first-ever inductee in the WWF Hall of Fame. As for Hogan, he milked this contest for all its worth, revisiting it during his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) run in matches against the Giant (initially billed as André’s son) and elaborating upon the match more and more as the years went on.
My Rating:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Could Be Better
What did you think to the iconic clash between André the Giant and Hulk Hogan? Do you think this is the best WrestleMania Moment? Did you enjoy seeing Hogan on the backfoot for most of the match? What did you think to the ending, and do you agree that the match lacked substance? Which of Hogan and André’s matches was your favourite? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania match? Let me know what you think in the comments below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other wrestling content across the site.
So, for no better reason than “Mar.10” resembling Mario’s name, March 10th is widely regarded as being “Mario Day”, a day to celebrate Nintendo’s portly plumber, an overalls-wearing mascot who literally changed the videogame industry forever and shaped the home console market of the nineties.
Released: 26 May 2023 Originally Released: 5 August 1995 Developer: Nintendo Original Developer: Nintendo EAD Also Available For: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Classic Edition, SNES
The Background: When the videogame industry collapsed under the weight of overpriced consoles and disappointing titles, Nintendo swooped in and revitalised the industry with the runaway success of Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo EAD, 1985). Despite a bizarre development, Super Mario Bros. 2(Nintendo R&D4, 1986) was also a much praisedbest-seller, and Mario’s star rosefurther following the unique marketing strategy behind Super Mario Bros. 3 (ibid, 1988). This culminated in what manyhavedeemed Mario’s greatest 2D outing, Super Mario World(Nintendo EAD, 1990), a title specifically designed to showcase the processing power of the SNES. The game also introduced one of Mario’s most popular supporting characters, Yoshi, who took the spotlight in Super Mario World’s sequel thanks to designer Shigefumi Hino. For this not-inconsiderable-task, Hino and his team opted to produce a more relaxed gameplay experience, doing away with the timer and a traditional health system and emphasising exploration. To further distinguish the game, the team introduced an egg-throwing mechanic and focused on a linear story to make the game more accessible to younger players. Artist Hisashi Nogami came up with the game’s distinctive colouring-book aesthetic, which was painstakingly brought to life by hand drawing every aspect. The game’s late release for the SNES also allowed the team to utilise everything the machine had to offer, including enlarging and rotating sprites and backgrounds. Yoshi’s Island proved a hit, eventually selling over 4 million units and being met with widespread acclaim. Reviews raved about the colourful graphics, the innovative gameplay, and the surprising scale of the title, and the game was largely cemented Yoshi’s legacy in Super Mario canon. The game was followed by a divisivesequel for the Nintendo 64, a couple of spin-off games, follow-ups for the Nintendo DS and 3DS, and many other Yoshi-centric games before being ported to multiple virtual consoles, including being made available for the Nintendo Switch Online service in 2023.
The Plot: Years ago, Kamek attacked a stork delivering baby brothers Mario and Luigi. While Baby Luigi was kidnapped, Baby Mario fell onto the back of Yoshi, whose friends helped deliver him across Yoshi’s Island, conquering Kamek’s enlarged minions and confronting the Magikoopa – and his diminutive master, Baby Bowser – to rescue Baby Luigi.
Gameplay and Power-Ups: Essentially, Yoshi’s Island is a 2D, sidescrolling action/platformer like its predecessor, but it’s also a very different gameplay experience for a typical Super Mario title. For starters, you play as one of many different-coloured Yoshi’s, each sporting the same moves and abilities, and Mario is simply a baby on your back who acts as your life meter. After starting the game and picking a save file, you can pick between two control schemes, though the default is perfectly acceptable. Yoshi jumps with the B button and holding it performs a little “flutter” by kicking his legs, giving him more airtime to reach platforms. You can chain these together when falling to extend your jump and press down in mid-air to perform a butt stomp to pound down switches and stakes, smash through the environment, and defeat enemies. Enemies are also defeated by simply jumping on them, or gobbling them up with Yoshi’s tongue. Pressing Y sees him swallow them and you can either press it again to spit them out or press down to turn them into an egg. You can store up to six eggs at a time and throw them by pressing A to bring up an aiming reticle, hold either the Left or Right bumper to steady the ever-moving crosshair, and press A again. Some enemies can’t be swallowed or turned into eggs; in the latter case, you simply spit them out again but, in the former, you use other means to defeat them. Yoshi can also get eggs from hitting blocks and Egg Plants and find them scattered around the game’s many colourful environments. Green-spotted eggs are the standard, but you can also use yellow-spotted eggs that cause enemies to drop Yellow Coins, red-spotted eggs cause them to drop two health-replenishing Stars, and Flashing Eggs cause them to drop Red Coins. This can be a bit cumbersome at times; Yoshi can only aim in an arc, so you must pause the reticle or ricochet your shot to hit your targets. However, it’s easy to get distracted with the aiming system and either take damage or fall to your death. Some enemies can even steal your eggs and, while you’re never short on replacement eggs, it can leave you vulnerable and restricted when you exhaust your supply.
Toss eggs, eat melons, or transform into various forms to progress through colourful Worlds.
Yoshi also gobbles different-coloured watermelons to gain temporary additional attacks. Green watermelons let you spit seeds, red watermelons let you breathe fire, and blue watermelons let you freeze enemies, all of which are quite powerful and often more useful alternatives to throwing eggs. Yoshi can also, oddly, briefly transform into vehicular forms, the most common being his helicopter form that sees him awkwardly fly about, avoiding enemies and collecting Coins and passing over large gaps to a Yoshi Block. Another common transformation is Yoshi’s Mole Tank that lets him automatically dig through dirt, but you’ll also become a missile-firing submarine, a small train capable of riding tracks set into the background, and a car to plough through enemies. Similarly, Yoshi pushes Chomp Rocks to decimate anything in his path and reach higher areas, and Baby Mario even briefly takes centre stage when you find a Super Star. This turns Yoshi into a giant egg and lets you control “Powerful Mario”, who’s invincible, floats using his cape, and dashes across spike beds and up walls and ceilings with Y, though you must grab more Super Stars to maintain the form. Finally, Yoshi can jump on a pair of skis in certain snow-themed Worlds, dashing down snow at high speeds and turning into an uncontrollable snowball if he hits an object. Additionally, Special Items are won by playing the game’s Bonus Challenges. Here, you can earn extra lives and special one-use items you can select from the pause menu. These include POW Blocks that turn all onscreen enemies into Stars, instant refills for your eggs, instantly grant you one of the three watermelon power-ups, reveal hidden items in the level, grant you Stars to refill your health, and transform all onscreen enemies into Winged Clouds, though you can’t use Special Items in boss battles.
Watch out for your bawling companion when you’re going for those enticing collectibles.
As mentioned, Baby Mario is Yoshi’s life meter; when Yoshi’s hit, Baby Mario floats away in a bubble, screaming his head off, and you have a few seconds to retrieve him before he’s carried away. This meter slowly refills after you save him and is replenished and boosted by collecting Stars, usually by breaking crates or shooting Winged Clouds. Enemies like the annoying Bandits, Fishing Lakitu, and propeller-powered Green Toadies can also steal Baby Mario, so you must take them out or avoid them, and you’ll want to save him as quickly as possible because that scream gets really annoying! Like previous Super Mario titles, Yoshi’s Island features a map system, but one laid out more like a storybook. There are six Worlds with eight core levels, including a mini boss fort and a boss castle, alongside two bonus levels for each World. Levels are generally just a few screens but can be quite long. I really felt like my playthrough dragged quite a bit as things can be quite slow and the map progression isn’t very exciting. Throughout each level, you can find Yellow Coins (100 grant an extra life), extra lives, floating 1-Ups, giant eggs to defeat all onscreen enemies, and Message Blocks for gameplay tips. There are thirty Stars to find, twenty red Coins, and five Flowers in each level. Sometimes these are carried by Fly Guys, sometimes you need a transformation, and sometimes Winged Clouds spawn them, but they’re often either out in the open, tucked away, or require some tricky platforming to snag. Getting them all nets you the best completion score for each level and unlocks the secret levels for each World. However, it’s not easy collecting everything as some stuff is cleverly hidden behind the foreground, requiring you to enter areas from different positions, or is just out of reach and requires some clever egg bouncing. Occasionally, you’ll find some helpful characters to give you an assist. The enthusiastic pup Poochy carries you over dangerous terrain, happily gobbling up any enemies in his path, Huffin Puffin’s chicks substitute for eggs, and large, amorphous ghosts indirectly aid you by carrying platforms through spiked passageways.
Despite its whimsical appearance, the game can be surprisingly long and challenging.
Considering it’s his home turf, Yoshi’s Island is a hazardous place for the friendly dinosaurs; areas are filled with bottomless pits, instant-death spikes and lava, haunted ruins, and small, but dangerous, enemies. While the game isn’t especially difficult, the challenge ramps up as the Worlds slowly become more like dangerous obstacle courses that will test your jumping, egg-shooting, and reaction times. Like Mario, Yoshi can be a little slippery; he makes for quite a big target and is completely vulnerable when aiming, too. Thus, it’s easy to get blindsided by enemies, especially those hiding in the background or constantly spawning from pipes. Yoshi uses hills, slopes, and hidden tunnels to get around, as well as various platforms; these rise, fall, move along a track, or require you to jump on each in turn, rotating in a wheel to progress. Sometimes you’ll be locked into a maze-like loop and need to find a key; sometimes you’ll hit Winged Clouds to create bridges or spawn vines to get higher. Other times, you’ll knock buckets into water or lava to progress, quickly hop between platforms while a Shark Chomp chases you, or be forced to stay on the move in autoscrolling sections (with some even forcing you to the left!) You’ll ride balloons, run and jump to timed destructible platforms, be flung across the screen by spinning logs, play Breakout (Atari, Inc., 1976) to destroy coloured blocks with your eggs, watch for Chomps flying from the background and creating bottomless pits, spring to higher areas, ride circles that change direction when you jump off them, and cross a chasm on a deflating giant balloon. Thankfully, you can pass through sparkling rings to create a checkpoint and lives are quite easy to build up, but things do get surprisingly challenging as the game progresses. Flipping spiked platforms, mazes of dark sewers and pipes, and claustrophobic quartz caves are juxtaposed with bright, cheery exteriors that also hide many dangers, the most annoying being the Fuzzies. These fluffy puffs fill the screen when they appear and touching them sends everything into a psychedelic haze and messes with your controls for a few seconds, meaning it’s even easier to slip or run off a platform to your doom.
Presentation: Yoshi’s Island not only plays very differently to other Super Mario games, it also looks very different. The entire game is styled after a children’s colouring book, with pastels and crayon effects used in place of traditional coloured backgrounds, giving the entire game a whimsical feel that’s perfectly in keeping with the baby-centred focus and its status as a more child-friendly gameplay experience. The Yoshis are all very fun sprites; they do a little dance when idle and react comically when hurt or performing their flutter jump. Baby Mario is very animated when separated from Yoshi, bawling his head off in his bubble and encouraging you to retrieve him as quickly as possible, and the game’s cutscenes utilise a storybook aesthetic that makes it feel like you’re playing through a bedtime picture book. Every level pops with colour and environmental effects; sometimes it’s a bright sunny day, sometimes it’s the red hue of dusk, sometimes it’s a starry night, and you’ll see birds, mountains, giant flowers, waterfalls (and lavafalls), giant mushrooms, and thin trees in the foreground. There’s a lot of depth to each area; I particularly liked levels where Chomps fly at the screen and destroy the ground, and the many caves where little details are hidden way back, and you’ll often open up tunnels by leaping at walls or avoid leaping fish and water jets when paddling through or jumping over water. Blizzards are commonplace in World 5, often blanketing the screen as you ride ski lifts and melt ice blocks, and you’re forced to navigate labyrinthine forts and castles, taking different paths to find keys or get past spike beds. It’s all very colourful and playful, which is reflected in the infectious soundtrack and amusing Yoshi sounds peppered throughout the game. This lulls you into thinking it’s a simple kid’s platformer, making the sudden challenging sections even more jarring.
The game’s visual presentation is incredible, emphasising a vivid storybook aesthetic.
Yoshi’s Island was a late release for the SNES and, as such, effectively uses all the machine’s vaulted power. Parallax scrolling and sprite manipulation are abundant, with Kamek enlarging regular enemies and inanimate objects into large bosses and huge, amorphous enemies stretching and filling the screen at times. This is equally reflected in the giant eggs and transformation sequences, and the scaling all works beautifully to add to the depth of each level. Typically, levels will consist of some common themes, such as a grassy starting area, a cavernous second area, and a final area that takes place in the skies or over a pit. You’ll venture into many dark caves, where things are far more claustrophobic and maze-like, as well as sewers or areas were it’s so dark Yoshi is lit by a single light source. While the forts and castles can be quite samey, they do mix things up a bit by featuring dilapidated backgrounds and a spooky ambiance further emphasised by the resident Boos and ghosts. The grassier areas are where the game shines for me; I love seeing fields and mountains in the background and hopping to the precarious log platforms, or taking the smaller platforms on tracks, or interacting with the environment using Yoshi’s transformations. Everything’s so lively that it’s easy to be surprised by enemies that pop up from pipes, fly from above, or sneak in from the background. I also enjoyed how the time of day changed, when the game leaned into its dinosaur theme to show skeletal remains and tar-like dirt, and the impressive quasi-3D rotating map that wasn’t utilised enough for my liking.
Enemies and Bosses: Although it takes a while to encounter them, some of Mario’s most famous enemies make an appearance in Yoshi’s Island. You’ll come across Koopa Troopers and their flying variants, the Para-Koopa, shy Boos who cover their faces when you look at them, disposable Goombas, the ever-annoying Lakitu (who tosses Spin Eggs at you), and ravenous piranha plants. The most prominent returning enemy are the Shy-Guys, who come in an assortment of colours and variations, such as hovering overhead and dropping bombs, turning giant spiked maces, fatter ones, and ones that run around on fire. Yoshi’s Island is home to some unique and annoying new enemies, too, such as Frog Pirates who’ll steal Baby Mario, somewhat familiar blue hedgehogs who defend themselves with their quills, tiny Mousers who steal your eggs, and large lava, ghost, and aquatic enemies who pop up from liquid or the walls. Some enemies are more annoying, like the inedible Ravens and the spiky Tap-Taps, while others are more tricky. Spookies can be ridden but can’t be defeated by jumping on them and will steal Baby Mario if they’re hiding a Bandit, one of the most annoying enemies in the game. Equally frustrating are the Grunts, whose spiked helmets must be knocked off to make them vulnerable, the Sluggers that deflect your projectiles, and the karate-and-ki-throwing Zeus Guys. Many enemies are small are relatively harmless, but there’s so many and they pop up so frequently that it’s easy to take a hit. Others, like the piranha plants and Blow Hards either pop up at the worst moments or are placed on walls, ceilings, and platforms when you’re trying to jump about or ride platforms. Others are very large and must be pelted with eggs to whittle them down or fend them off, and you’ll even get attacked by an enemy masquerading as a collectable Flower!
The gigantic bosses look intimidating but they’re mostly a cakewalk.
With the exception of World 6, each World boasts two bosses: a mini boss hiding in the World’s fort and the actual boss holed up in the World’s castle. Each time, Kamek enlarges a regular enemy or inanimate object, kicking off the fight, which typically involves a large but cumbersome and surprisingly limited enemy filling the screen and must be hit with eggs to defeat, with other smaller enemies or Egg Plants providing ammo. World 1 sees you battling Burt the Bashful and Salvo the Slime, which are both ridiculously easy. Simply hide in the ditches and fire eggs as Burt slowly bounces around, then pelt Salvo with eggs, shrinking him with each hit and gobbling his minions, easily avoiding the lava below. World 2 features fights against ghosts, the Bigger Boo and Roger the Potted Ghost, with the Bigger Boo requiring you to ricochet your eggs to damage him, becoming intangible, and accompanied by bat-like Fangs who act as ammo. Roger tries to push you back and spits homing blue flames but is super easy to defeat as you just need to push his plant pot until he topples over the edge. In World 3, you’ll be swallowed by a gigantic Frog Pirate and need to fire eggs at his dangling uvula, dodging his gastric acid and the gigantic enemies that also drop in, which is quite a visually fun fight. Afterwards, you battle the Naval Piranha, who’s a little tricker. You must jump when it lunges and eat the Nipper Spores, then quickly ricochet eggs to hit the target at its base, though you can apparently one-shot it before the fight even starts. World 4 sees you encounter a massive Milde who wanders back and forth, requiring you to butt stomp from above, splitting her into smaller Puchipuchi L and, finally, regular Mildes. Hookbill the Koopa had me confused for a bit; this enlarged Koopa slowly lumbers around and performs a belly flop, spitting out eggs whenever you jump on his shell, but is invulnerable until you hit his head. Hit him enough times and he’ll topple onto his shell, exposing his stomach for a butt stomp, which took me a while to figure out.
The final bosses require a little more strategy and offer a bit more challenge.
World 5’s Sluggy the Unshaven was also a bit troublesome. This ghost-like blob’s gelatinous skin sags when you shoot eggs at it, and it slowly tries to force you over the edge. However, if you target the same spot, you’ll deal damage and eventually defeat it by striking its heart. Raphael the Raven was also quite unique as he flings you to a small moon where he relentlessly chases you in a rotating circle and creates shockwaves. To damage him, you must butt stomp the wooden stakes so the opposite one pops out as he’s passing over it, which can be difficult to time due to the nauseating rotation. Finally, in World 7, the invincible Tap-Tap the Red Nose hops about until you destroy the coloured blocks and drop him in lava. Kamek then chases you through the castle, firing magical bolts and teleporting away, and you eventually battle his cantankerous master, Baby Bowser. Baby Bowser was a bit difficult to figure out, too. He toddles about in his playroom, causes big shockwaves with a belly flop, and swats Baby Mario away so he can ride Yoshi, but is completely invulnerable. Instead, you must cause your own shockwaves with a butt stomp, though Kamek embiggens the enraged turtle king for the true final battle. This takes place on the castle roof during a nighttime storm and sees Big Baby Bowser slowly stomp towards you from the background. You must dodge the rocks he rains down and his massive fireballs while simultaneously avoiding the gaps he creates in the ground and swallowing Baron von Zeppelins. You must use your eggs to blast him in the face, which can be tricky due to how far away he is. If he gets too close, he’ll instantly kill you so you must frantically target just the right place to deal damage and force him back. Repeat this seven times, being mindful of the crumbling ground as the fight progresses, and Baby Bowser finally goes down, allowing the Mario brothers to be safely delivered to their parents.
Additional Features: When you complete each level, you can tackle a Bonus Challenge if the goal ring lands on a Flower or a Mini Battle by finding a hidden key and entering a locked shack. These see you tossing or popping balloons, matching cards, uncovering matching pairs, gathering Coins against a time limit, attacking enemies with watermelon seeds, and playing roulette and a slot machine. It’s a nice distraction to play these mini games and they award Special Items and a load of extra lives, especially by abusing the Nintendo Switch Online’s rewind and save state features, which make the game a breeze even with its lengthy playtime. Each World also contains two bonus levels, with the Extra levels unlocked when you score a perfect 100 on all the regular levels. These extra levels are shorter, contain no checkpoints, and generally revolve around a gimmick, such as Poochy, traversing Grinder-infested vines, tackling a confusing maze, and a ski run down a mountain in pursuit of Kamek. The game has three save files for multiple playthroughs and you can replay all previous levels with the exception of the opening tutorial-esque stage, though I’m not sure when or how the game saves (I assume it’s after you beat each level). There are no rewards for 100% completion, so you can’t pick which coloured Yoshi you ride or choose to carry Baby Luigi or anything, and there are no two-player options here beyond players taking turns to play.
The Summary: This isn’t my first time playing Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I’ve played it on emulators in the past as part of my fascination with the SNES library, but this is the first time I’ve completed the game. Yoshi’s Island definitely makes a strong visual impression; the story is at the forefront here, as are cute, colouring book graphics and whimsical, charming music. The sprites and environments are absolutely gorgeous and some of the best the SNES had to offer, boasting vivid areas, a greater level of detail and depth, and bundles of charm and life to every sprite. As annoying as Baby Mario’s screaming is, I liked the mechanic as a health meter and an incentive not to get hit, though it can be a mad scramble to rescue him that costs you life anyway. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same about Yoshi’s egg throwing; while he’s versatile enough, if as slippery as Mario, his egg-aiming and throwing gameplay can be cumbersome, especially when you’re on moving platforms or surrounded by enemies, making it difficult to make split second decisions. It worked in the boss battles, which were fun, and I really liked the enlarged sprites and technical tricks on show, though the bosses were generally a complete joke and I only really struggled with a few. The levels beforehand, though, can become surprisingly challenging. Bottomless pits and instant death traps increase, as do the moving and confusing gimmicks, and it’s often tempting to risk death to grab those elusive collectibles. Overall, this was enjoyable, but Yoshi’s Island is more fun to look at than play at times. It’s a bit slow and clunky, the levels can outlive their stay quite quickly, and there wasn’t as much variety in the Worlds as I would’ve liked or expected from a Super Mario title. Still, it’s something a little different and provides a unique, colourful twist on the usual Super Mario formula so I’d say it’s worth checking out, but I’d much rather play Super Mario World again than this.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Was Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Islandin your SNES library back in the day? What did you think to the new gameplay mechanics and how do you think it compares to Super Mario World? Did you enjoy the colourful, colouring book presentation and the egg-based mechanics? Were you annoyed by Baby Mario’s screaming, and did you ever score 100 on every stage? Are you a fan of Yoshi and, if so, which of his games is your favourite? How are you celebrating Mario’s birthday this year? Whatever your thoughts on Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, feel free to share them below and be sure to check out my other Mario content!
Released: 1 September 2019 Developer: SEGA Also Available For: Arcade and Mobile
The Background: Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog engaged in a fierce “Console War” during the nineties as Nintendo and SEGA battled to be the top dog of the videogame industry. In the end, thanks largely to wasting money on expensive peripherals and the pressures of an ever-changing marketplace, SEGA withdrew from the home console market. On the plus side, their supersonic mascot appeared on his rival’s consoles, prompting discussions of a long-awaited crossover began between their respective creators, Shigeru Miyamoto and Yuji Naka. Surprisingly, the two came together in the spirit of friendly competition once SEGA obtained the 2008 Beijing Olympic licence. Essentially a collection of Olympic-themed mini games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (SEGA Sports R&D, 2007) saw Mario and Sonic characters co-existing for the first time and its commercial success led to subsequent titles releasing annually to promote different Olympic events across the world. This year, to coincide with the Special Olympics World Winter Games, I’m looking at the 2020 iteration (and currently last) of the series. Released following a significant gap between entries and the first to appear on the Nintendo Switch, the game including story elements and events that incorporated sprites from both franchise’s classic 2D games. Retaining its branding despite the delay to the Olympic games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 attracted mixed reviews that praised the nostalgic feel of the 2D mini games but criticised the tedious story mode and limited options.
The Plot: When Bowser, King of the Koopas, and Doctor Eggman are trapped inside an 8-bit videogame console alongside Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, Luigi, Miles “Tails” Prower, and all their extended supporting characters must compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games to free them.
Gameplay and Power-Ups: If you’re familiar with the Mario & Sonic series of Olympic game tie-ins, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a collection of Olympic-themed minigames starring the biggest names from both franchises. As ever, Mario and Sonic’s worlds are mashed together with our own, allowing these anthropomorphic and comical characters to wander around real-world locations (courtesy of not one but two overworld maps) and learn interesting facts about both franchises, the Olympic games, and Tokyo. You start the game by selecting your region, being bombarded by pop-up notifications that tell you basic stuff like what the sound settings do, and customising your player profile, assigning icons and such. From there, you have a few gameplay choices: you can jump into a quick game solo or against other players, picking from every event as they’re all unlocked from the start and setting the difficulty of each, or tackle the game’s story mode. Regardless of which option you pick, your gameplay experience will change depending on which character you play as. While the Story Mode forces you to play as certain characters, you can pick almost any character for any event in Quick Match, but you’ll need to consider their capabilities. These are pretty simple: some characters are faster, some are all-rounders, some do better with Super Moves. It doesn’t get more complicated than that and I’m not sure how much of a factor they are as basically every game comes down to how fast you can tap buttons or work the various controls. There are thirty-two characters to choose from, though twelve are only selectable in certain events (like Jet for Football and Ludwig for Fencing) and, when playing the 2D-styled “Dream Events”, your choices are limited to just eight characters.
Up to four players can tackle the game’s 3D, nostalgic 2D, and chaotic “Dream” events.
There are twenty-one Olympic events to play, ten 2D Events set during the 1964 Olympic games, and three special challenge “Dream Events”. You’ll get a chance to review the controls and success criteria prior to each event, though it’s worth pressing X during one of the many introductory scenes or after pausing to review any additional controls. Players can choose from three different ways to play, including flailing around with the motion controls or using the buttons like a normal person, though some events (like the Discus Throw and Javelin Throw) force you to use motion controls to angle your shot, making them some of the more aggravating events. Generally, you can hold the Right trigger or A at the start of an event to build power and must tap A to run or move. B is usually reserved for jumping while R or A execute a Super Move (such as a burst of speed or dancing flourish). The simplest events, like the 100m Race and 110m Hurdles, have you tapping A to run to the finish line, with players hitting B at the right time to clear hurdles and gain a boost in the latter. Most events have a foul line that will disqualify you if you cross it, some of the trickier ones have an optional practice mode beforehand, and your objective is to win every event to set a best time (or break a World Record) and earn gold medals or the top spot on the podium. If you fail an event three times in the Story Mode, you can choose to skip the event, progressing the story with no consequences, something I eventually did quite often when the events became too laborious or finnicky. I was fine with the challenge offered by, say, the Long Jump where you tap A to run, hold B to adjust your jump angle, and complete a series of button presses akin to a quick-time event (QTE), even if it took some practice. Similarly, Sport Climbing was tricky but not too taxing. You press the Left trigger and R at the start to latch on, aim your jump with the left and right control sticks, and hop to hand-holds against a time limit, avoiding spiked balls and replenishing your stamina with hearts. I also had a fair bit of fun in Boxing and Fencing, where you must time button presses and build combos, guarding against incoming attacks and frantically tapping A (in the latter) to avoid being counted out.
Skill and character choices can help with the game’s harder events, which include team-based sports.
Things took a turn whenever the events became a bit more complicated, however. It’s not too difficult timing your button presses in the Triple Jump event or pulling off gnarly tricks in the Surfing – Shortboard and Skateboarding – Park events, but you need to be on point to win those gold medals as a poor score will cost you and you often have to complete a few rounds to win, making it even more annoying. Archery was a similar issue; here, you have to think about the wind direction, the distance of the targets, and the angle of your shot. It’s a far cry from Shooting – Trap, where you just pick a square and hit a button to shoot clay discs. The Judo event also caused me a lot of headaches; you have to mess about trying to keep your balance to toss the opponent, which I just couldn’t figure out. I didn’t mind completing increasing difficult QTEs in the 10m Platform and Vault events, but tilting the left stick to match your partner’s strokes in Canoe Double (C-2) 1000m and frantically rotating the control stick to chase to the goal in Kayak (K-1) 1000m was a pain in the ass. You even play team games, like Volleyball, Football, and Rugby Sevens. I couldn’t figure out the Volleyball event; no matter how well I timed my presses of A and B and how often I hit the ball over the net, I couldn’t score a point. Rugby Sevens was a touch more enjoyable; here, you press A to pass and score a try, B to evade, and race around a pitch tackling other players and scoring a conversion by timing a press of X as a meter goes back and forth. And then there’s the aforementioned Discus Throw and Javelin, where I could just about figure out the motion controls in practice and then kept screwing up my throws when it came time to compete. If the option had been there to just use the left stick to direct my shot, it would’ve been far more enjoyable!
The minigames are some of the best parts of the game, often outshining the main Olympic events!
When playing Story Mode, you’ll alternate between moving Luigi around the 3D world of the 2020 Olympic games and Mario around the 2D world of the 1964 Olympic games, with Tails and Sonic following each. You’ll chat with other characters and non-playable characters (NPCs) like Toads and Omachao to obtain passes to other areas and compete in additional events and find glowing tickets to learn fun facts. For such small overworld maps, there’s a hell of a lot of backtracking and dialogue to skip through, and it quickly gets a bit tedious slogging through the twenty-chapter story to reunite the two groups. Occasionally, characters will ask you to complete one of ten minigames to advance the plot; these are then unlocked for free play in the Game Room. These minigames are some of the best parts of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and see you flying through the Tokyo skies in a sidescrolling shooter like in Sky Chase Zone, chasing down a bullet train, painstakingly searching Shibuya’s Hachiko Square for specific characters in a game of Where’s Wally?, and chasing down (and attacking) Dr. Eggman’s taxi in what’s somewhat similar to Rad Racer (Square, 1987). You’ll be bouncing on Cheep-Cheeps as you chase after Bowser’s river boat, sneaking through a museum, avoiding Koopas and other Mario enemies as you collect keys, and desperately trying not to fall as you scale Tokyo Tower. Other times, you’ll be beating up waves of Shy Guys or shooting Egg Pawns before they throw spiked balls at you, both options that are far more enjoyable than the game’s odd depiction of Badminton that’s essentially just a rhythm game, just press the button when prompted, using the left stick to aim your shot, and your character moves by themselves (though I found the doubles partner screwed up more than I did). You’ll also dash around an obstacle course in Equestrian – Jumping, building speed to jump fences and puddles, knock a ball back and forth in table tennis until you can hit your Super Shot, and throw hands and feet in Karate – Kumite, toppling your opponent to earn extra points. Most of the events are pretty fun but some of them are way too short and others outstay their welcome very quickly. It’s also pointless trying to master the difficult ones as you can just skip them in Story Mode, unless you’re aiming for 100% completion.
Presentation: In keeping with the tradition of this spin-off series, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a bit of a mixed bag in this area. None of the familiar tunes from either franchise appear, leaving the game to plod along on the strength of a weak-ass, generic soundtrack that barely eases the pain of a failure. Things start off strong with a beautiful pre-rendered cutscene that showcases many of the new and returning events and shows these two franchises co-existing side y side, a visual that never gets old even if I’ll never forgive either company for not doing a more suitable crossover. It’s a bit downhill from there, though, as prerendered cutscenes are eschewed in favour of partially animated 2.5D models, endless dialogue boxes, and a parade of pop-ups. The 2D sprites and environments ease this pain a bit, but the developers limited themselves by using the sprites from Mario’s debut title, meaning he and his fellow characters have very few frames of animation. Sonic and his cohorts fare slightly better in this regard but the aesthetic is all over the place since Knuckles the Echidna’s sprites are obviously more detailed than Sonics, leading to some weird moments when the sprites are awkwardly depicted holding items. It even looks weird when they celebrate their victories or react to their failures since the developers didn’t create any new animations, so you’re left with Sonic looking annoyed and Mario flipping on his ass. Overall, I did enjoy the 2D environments and events, though; they reminded me of the many 8-bit sports games on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I would’ve liked to see some 16-bit ones thrown in, even if just as additional “Dream Events”, but these retro-styled sections were the best parts of the game, despite my complaints.
The limited 3D visuals are decent but it’s the retro-styled aesthetic that really impresses.
The 3D sections hold up well, for the most part, but aren’t that dissimilar from what we’ve seen in the previous Mario & Sonic titles. You can hold B to run and characters are far more animated in 3D, spouting gibberish and sound bites and even wearing different outfits for every event. Strangely, every area felt very bland and empty, despite often being populated by at least a handful of NPCs. Eventually, larger crowds of Sonic’s Animal Friends, Chao, Shy Guys, and Toads fill certain areas and populate the stands, but they don’t help to make the areas feel very lively. Still, you’ll see NPCs like Charmy Bee and Lakitu serving as referees and other side characters operating cameras; these NPCs even get in on the action in the atrocious Marathon event. The 2D sections sported an announcer I either missed or ignored in the 3D parts and characters all gain a suitably dramatic glow and flourish when executing Super Moves. However, while event locations and interiors are far more interesting to look at, the game’s let down by its painfully bland overworlds. You can visit many real-world locations in 1964 and 2020, seeing planes fly overhead and learning their history, but it’s all stuck on a rather uninspired overworld map. This is especially disappointing considering how interactive and varied previous overworlds in the series have been, and the fact that you visit these areas time and again to find passes or charge this magical battery created by Doctor Eggman Nega. Many of the minigames again steal the show in terms of visuals, incorporating additional sprites to serve their needs and being visually akin to lost titles from Nintendo’s 8-bit heyday, which only adds to their replay factor. The game also performs really well; I noticed no slowdown or texture warping or anything like that. However, there are a lot of menus to navigate, lots of instructional text to read, and replaying events after a loss can be tedious as you have to skip a bunch of introductory scenes.
Enemies and Bosses: As you might imagine, every character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is your enemy at some point though, luckily for you, there’s very little to distinguish them. Computer-controlled opponents have the same abilities as you, charging power, getting a starting boost, and attacking and defending just as you would. Their individual classes do become a factor, however (you may struggle to win a race against Shadow the Hedgehog when playing as Wario, for example), though you can certainly overcome these if you mash buttons faster enough or don’t screw up when playing the event. I did notice some characters seemed to be unfairly good at some events; Vector the Crocodile never struggled to toss his discus, for example, and I could never hope to match Bowser Jr. in the Javelin Throw. Admittedly, the fact that I struggled with these events probably has a lot to do with that. however, I did notice my opponents would charge their Power Gauge much faster than me, or would sprint past me at the last minute even if I had a commanding lead. The general advice here is to simply do better the next time around, something that’s easier said than done when you have to restart a Table Tennis match after playing to deuce and match point for God-knows how many rounds! Unlike in some of the previous Mario & Sonic titles, there are few examples of what could loosely be called “boss battles” here. It’s generally seen as a big deal when you challenge Dr. Eggman or Bowser, but then a lot of those events aren’t that difficult to win…to start with… Bosses (and Badniks) do appear in the Tokyo Sky Flight minigame, however, including Mecha Sonic and a variation on the classic Egg Wrecker fight, which were fun inclusions.
A handful of quasi-boss battles and harder events test your skills…and patience…
There are some exceptions, however. The Metropolitan Goal Kick minigame, for example, has you tackling Egg Pawns to grab a rugby ball and then timing a button press to kick it up the length of the Metropolitan Government Building and deal damage to Metal Sonic. As far as I could see, Eggrobos only appear in the Volleyball event, while you must tackle Boom Booms in Rugby Sevens and score penalties against Egg Pawns in Football. The twelve guest characters can only be challenged or controlled in specific events, as well, and you must best them (or skip the event) in Story Mode to unlock them. This means you’ll only see Zavok and Zazz of the Deadly Six in Boxing and Table Tennis, respectively, Diddy Kong only appears in Rugby Sevens, while Eggman Nega and Rosalina must be challenged in games of Karate – Kumite and Surfing, respectively. Depending on your level of skill, these can be difficult events; it took me a couple of tries to clear the Sport Climbing event and unlock Rouge the Bat, for example. When playing Story Mode, other playable characters challenge you to events before helping you or joining your team, meaning you must best Knuckles and Shadow in a game of Badminton (Doubles) and win a canoe race against Wario and Waluigi to gain their help. You must also defeat Bowser’s Koopalings to charge up that stupid battery and deal with Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and their minions stealing your gold medals in 1964. Both baddies challenge you to various events, with Dr. Eggman easily being overtaking in a straight-up race or in the Vault event. Once you reach the final chapter, you must pick to play as either Mario or Sonic and race Bowser in the dread Marathon. In this event, you must tap A to run, which depletes your stamina. Hitting other runners, the walls, swarms of bees, or puddles also depletes your stamina and will eventually knock you over, costing you valuable time. You can grab water with B and ride slipstreams to regain stamina, charging up for a boost or using boost pads, but this is a hell of a final ask that I ended up skipping as I never had enough stamina to beat Bowser to the finish.
Additional Features: There are 122 pieces of trivia to find in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, spread out across both 1964 and 2020. You’ll get trivia by inspecting glowing tickets and talking to other characters, who’ll either ask a question or offer titbits about the characters, the Olympic games, and Tokyo. These are all saved in the Trivia section so you can re-read them if you wish or see which ones you’re missing. There are also eighty hidden “Challenges” to complete, with the obscured list available from the main menu. These are mainly tied to setting new World Records, finishing events on the hardest difficulty, scoring a set number of points, and clearing Story Mode. Finishing the Story Mode, you’re returned to the overworld upon loading your file, now able to replay all previous events and take on additional challenges in the “Dream Events”. Though there are only three of these, they’re pretty enjoyable and interesting, featuring additional power-ups and gameplay mechanics that make them perfect for multiplayer games. Dream Racing sees you racing through a mainly half-pipe-like course, performing tricks and hopping rails not unlike in the Sonic Riders series (Sonic Team/Now Production, 2006 to 2010) and attacking with items similar to the Mario Kart series (Various, 1992 to present). Dream Shooting sees you running around, awkwardly aiming your weapon with motion controls, and blasting targets, grabbing multi-shots and shooting down gliders in an arena shooter that reminds me of the Splatoon games (Various, 2015 to 2022). Finally, in Dream Karate, you attack with combos, kicks, and throws to toss your foes around and colour the floor panels, grabbing springs and Super Stars for temporary buffs. Beyond that, you can challenge the computer on harder difficulties, aim to get gold medals and break World Records, and play alongside up to four players…if you can find anyone to play with.
The Summary: As a lifelong Sonic fan (and a pretty big fan of the Super Mario games), I’m basically obligated to pick up the Mario & Sonic games whenever they release. I believe I’ve played all of them, but only on portable devices, which I think made the already aggravating gameplay all the more vexing. Free from the restrictions of the small size of Nintendo DS and 3DS screens, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is easily the most visually impressive of all the Mario & Sonic games I’ve played, offering relatively attractive 3D models and worlds that show a decent amount of personality. I can never shake the feeling like these games are just soulless cash grabs, however, and that’s reflected in how empty a lot of the arenas seem, despite the NPC crowds. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 impresses with its nostalgic 2D sections, which harken back to the NES days and capture a lot of the magic of Nintendo’s 8-bit glory days. While the sprites are fun to see, they’re extremely limited and a bit difficult on the eyes because of the mishmash of 8- and 16-bit sprites. I was glad to see the game allowed for traditional controls, though the forced motion controls for some events were more jarring as a result; however, it’s a bit disappointing that so many of the events play the same. Thankfully, the various minigames offered a great distraction from the main events, which were either too short or too annoying. I honestly could’ve done with a few more of these minigames, and the “Dream Events”, as there wasn’t enough of these to offset the more annoying Olympic events. With a half-assed approach to cutscenes and some of the dullest unlockables in all of videogaming, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 does little to shake the franchise’s stigma of being a collection of nonsense minigames, even with its few good points. It’s easily the best of the series I’ve played, but that’s not a very high bar and I remain bitter that we never got a more traditional crossover between the two nineties icons.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Did you enjoy Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020? Did you also play without the motion controls? What did you think to the 2D sections and events? Were the minigames also the best part for you, or did you prefer a different Olympic event? Would you like to see more games in the series, or a proper crossover between Mario and Sonic? Which country are you rooting for in the Special Olympics World Winter Games this year? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other content for both franchises!
The Date: 31 March 1985 The Venue: Madison Square Garden; New York City The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura The Referee: Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson The Stakes: Tag team grudge match
The Build-Up: The origins of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known worldwide as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), can be traced back to the 1950s. Despite some uncertainty about which McMahon founded the company, Vince McMahon Sr. is the one most closely associated with its early success. Initially working alongside the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), then then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) established itself as as one of many wrestling territories. While McMahon Sr. resisted involving his son, the more well-known and controversial Vince McMahon, the younger McMahon forced himself into the business, eventually buying out his father and putting local territories out of business with an aggressive expansion plan. McMahon brought in Hulk Hogan and established a strong working relationship with hip, relevant celebrity stars to put the WWF in the public eye, but risked total ruin by planning the biggest pay-per-view event in wrestling history, WrestleMania. McMahon pulled out all the stops for the event, roping in celebrity appearances from the likes of Cyndi Lauper and A-Team (1983 to 1987) superstar Mr. T, who became embroiled in Hogan’s issues with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper after Hogan and Mr. T appeared inRocky III (Stallone, 1982). After Piper grew increasingly aggressive and outspoken about the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” era, he inevitably crossed paths with Hogan, easily the biggest wrestling star in the world at that time, leading to Hogan teaming with Mr. T to face Piper and his bodyguard, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, in the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania. Seen by over one million viewers, WrestleMania was the largest wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States and changed the face of the industry, ultimately becoming the biggest event not just for the WWE, but the entire wrestling world.
The Match: Vince McMahon certainly brought in all the stars of the day for the first-ever WrestleMania. It wasn’t enough to have Mr. T fighting by “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan’s side or to have boxing legend Muhammad Ali as one of the two special guest referees, but baseball legend Billy Martin acted as the special guest ring announcer, Liberace as the special guest time keeper (after having a boogie with the Rockettes), and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Bob Orton (cast and all) walked to the ring alongside Hogan and Mr. T and the “Hot Rod” Roddy Piper and “Mr, Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, respectively. While all this pomp and circumstance and these celebrity appearances may seem egregious today, the crowd went absolutely nuts for Liberace and Muhammad Ali, to say nothing of the ovation Hulk Hogan and Mr. T got. Piper and Orndorff came to the ring with a marching band almost drowned out by a sea of boos, while Hogan and Mr. T soaked in the adulation of the braying crowd during the lengthy introductions. Undeterred by Orndorff’s antics with a Singapore cane, Hogan goaded Orndorff to face him but then encouraged him to tag in Piper at the start of the match. However, when Mr. T begged and pleaded to get in the ring and kick things off, Hogan happily obliged. Disgusted by Mr. T’s presence and the chanting from the crowd, Piper went nose to nose with the tough guy actor and finally got things started with a slap fest. When Mr. T kicked Piper in the gut, the Hot Rod took him to the mat with some fundamentals but was left frustrated and humiliated when Mr. T slipped out of the situation. Determined to humble Mr. T, Piper tried for a headlock, only to be hoisted into a fireman’s carry and pumped to the mat like “yesterday’s newspaper”!
Despite a good showing from Mr. T, this was a mediocre affair focused more on its guest stars.
This caused an all-out brawl as all the competitors and their ring men threw hands, with only Muhammad Ali able to maintain order, forcing the heel team to take a powder at the crowded ringside. After teasing a walk out, Piper and Orndorff returned to the ring to continue the brawl, with Hogan and Mr. T forcing their opponents to butt heads and Hogan single-handedly taking down both his foes. Despite an eye rake, Hogan tagged in Mr. T and the two continued to dominate Piper, who took a couple of nice slams from the actor before Hogan re-entered the ring. A big boot from Hogan sent Piper flying to the outside so Orndorff retaliated by sending Hogan out after him with a clothesline, allowing Piper to slam a steel chair across the Hulkster’s spine! With Patterson and Ali struggling to keep things under control, Piper maintained the advantage by choking Hogan on the ropes and allowing Orndorff to put the boots to the icon. Frustrated and eager to end the assault, Mr. T rushed the ring, ultimately causing more harm than good as Hogan took a double atomic drop, some spiteful boots from Piper, and a suplex. Orndorff continued the assault with some theatrical punches, though Hogan easily kicked out at “two-and-a-quarter” so Orndorff steadied him for a top-rope elbow from Piper. Although Orndorff scored with a backbreaker, Hogan avoided a top rope dive and brought in Mr. T, who targeted his foes’ eyes before receiving a beatdown. After an awkward exchange between Mr. T and Orndorff, Piper returned to the ring to keep Mr. T grounded with a front facelock. Still, Mr. T powered his way to the corner and brought in Hogan, then saved Hogan from a shot from Piper. Although Orndorff locked Hogan in a full nelson, the Hulkster swung his opponent into the path of Orton’s diving cast shot, which was enough to score him the three count.
The Aftermath: Despite this abrupt end and the short length of the match, the crowd seemed very happy with what they watched. They were on their feet and making noise from the moment the celebrities arrived, to say nothing of seeing their hero, Hulk Hogan. Piper fled in disgrace, leaving the disorientated Orndorff to be ejected from the ring so Hogan could pose with his allies, to the delight of the crowd. Despite their energy, however, and a decent showing from Mr. T (who showcased some impressive power and ring skills, despite his limitations), this was a really weak match. More time was spent on the elaborate introductions and stalling than actually wrestling, potentially to account for Mr. T’s weaknesses, and the ending fell really flat for me. still. One million buys can’t be wrong, though, and the event did what it was supposed to do: it put the WWF on the map and kick-start an annual tradition that is now the biggest and most extravagant wrestling production of all time! Although Orndorff turned to the side of good following this match and Piper’s ill treatment of him, even teaming with Hogan a few times, Piper’s issues with the Hulkster and Mr. T resurfaced after the Hot Rod started training Orton as a boxer. This culminated in a match between Orton and Mr. T at Saturday Night’s Main Event V and, ultimately a poorly received boxing match between Mr. T and Piper at WrestleMania 2 that saw Piper get disqualified. The animosity between Hogan and Piper would last for decades, with the two meeting in contests in both the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Piper even making a surprise return at WrestleMania XIX to unsuccessfully try and screw over Hogan one more time. This wouldn’t be the last time we saw Mr. T in a wrestling ring, either. Not only did he compete and the next WrestleMania, as mentioned, but he also acted as a special guest referee/enforcer and guest competitor in the WWF and WCW, before being infamously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
My Rating:
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Could Be Better
What did you think to the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania? Did you enjoy seeing the celebrities involved in the event? What did you think to Mr. T’s showing in the ring? Were you also disappointed that the match was more of a celebrity showcase than an engaging confrontation between the teams? Which of Hogan and Piper’s many matches was your favourite? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Drop your thoughts below to let me know what you think about WrestleMania, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.
So, for no better reason than “Mar.10” resembling Mario’s name, March 10th is widely regarded as being “Mario Day”, a day to celebrate Nintendo’s portly plumber, an overalls-wearing mascot who literally changed the videogame industry forever and shaped the home console market of the nineties.
Released: 2 April 2010 Originally Released: 27 August 1992 Developer: Nintendo EAD Also Available For: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console, original version only), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), SNES Classic Edition
The Review: I was a SEGA kid growing up. My only experiences of the Super Mario franchise came from his Game Boy titles and the times I would visit a friend and play SNES with him. I don’t believe he ever owned Super Mario Kart, so my experiences with the game came much later, when I was older and more jaded. Indeed, I’m not a big fan of racing games; I enjoyed Sonic the Hedgehog’s attempts to ape Super Mario Kart’s success, but I’ve never been a fan of racers. Super Mario Kart has always had an appeal to me, though. I may have had more experience with its Nintendo 64 follow-up as a kid, but its cartoony graphics and brand appeal have always called to me. This is the first time I’ve really spent any time with the game, though. Sure, I’ve raced a bit here and there, but I’d never sat down and played through it before. It turns out that, for all its visual appeal and its undoubtable gaming legacy, Super Mario Kart is quite short on features, meaning a shorter review feels more appropriate. Following the fun title screen where the racers mess with each other on a 2D plane, players are given a few options. You can play a one- or two-player game, tackle the grand prix (GP) or time trial modes, and pick a “class” to play on. For my playthrough, I chose the “50cc” class but the harder “100cc” class is also available, with the even more challenging “150cc” class and nightmare-inducing Rainbow Road course being unlocked if you best these latter courses (or choose to play the “SP” version on Nintendo Switch, which has every course unlocked). From there, you select your racer; I imagine each character has different states, with Toad being faster and weaker and the likes of Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. being slower and tougher. I played as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Toad and found they all handled about the same, but I’m pretty sure some are faster than others (bigger characters certainly make for larger targets, if nothing else).
Race across colourful courses as some of gaming’s most recognisable characters.
You can then pick a cup to race for. You’ll race on five courses for each cup and must finish in the top three to qualify, earning points for where you place and gaining 1-ups and a spot on the coveted podium if you race well. B sees you accelerate, A brakes, allows you to drift, and uses an item, X changes the view on the lower screen to either the course map or a rear view, and L and R let you hop over hazards. Since many courses include tight bends and turns, it’s probably beneficial to master the drift function. Unfortunately, I found it a bit finnicky and often span out more often than not, so it was easier for me to simply plough ahead and release B to make those tight turns. Players collect Coins scattered around every course that increase their acceleration, losing them whenever they bump into other racers, and can drive over ? blocks to acquire a random item. Players can place banana peels to cause other racers to spin out, get a much-needed boost from a Mushroom (though I found few courses had straight paths to take full advantage of this), blast other racers with either a Green Shell (which fires straight ahead or can be left on the track like the banana peel) or a Red Shell (which targets the nearest racer), gain a few extra Coins, hop over obstacles with the Feather’s spinning jump, shrink the other racers with a lightning bolt, or gain temporary invincibility with a Starman. In the game’s two-player “Battle Mode”, you can also acquire a Boo, which turns you invisible, invulnerable, and steals an item from an opponent. Additionally, the computer-controlled racers have access to extra items that you never get: Yoshi, for example, tosses eggs onto the track, Bowser spits fireballs, and Princess “Peach” Toadstool and Toad lay Poison Mushrooms that shrink anyone that drives over them. As you progress through the courses, the racetracks not only become more challenging but include ramps and speed boost arrows that can give you an advantage.
Take on the battle mode, or harder classes, to access the game’s most challenging tracks.
Courses are themed after recognisable locations from the Mario series, including Chocolate Island, Boo’s Mansion, and Bowser’s Castle. While things start off pretty easy on Mario Circuit 1, even this course has warp pipes you must avoid and some tricky bends. Hazards become more apparent very quickly, with Donut Plains 1 including a lake you can fall into and muddy water that’ll mess up your controls, and Ghost Valley 1 introduces ramps and gaps in the course you can fall down. If you take a plunge into water or off the course, you’ll lose valuable time (and probably your position) as Lakitu sets you back down, though Super Mario Kart oddly forces players to complete five laps to win, so you’ll probably catch up if you’re lucky. Courses are relatively short, to be fair, which probably explains why you complete five laps instead of the traditional three. Bowser’s Castle usually represents the toughest challenge of any cup, featuring lava pits and Thwomps that squash you or push you back. Other hazards include oil slicks, cracked ice, and Monty Moles that pop up from holes and cling onto your racer. The Star Cup and unlockable Special Cup contained the most visually interesting tracks for me, with Koopa Beach being a fun dash over shallow water and between sandy land masses and Vanilla Lake offering a unique challenge with its ice blocks and snow drifts. Graphically, the game is very impressive; racers all react and showcase a lot of personality both on the course, on the map, and on the podium. Courses are bright and colourful, for the most part, and have a lot of variety, from wooden tracks to stone paths, with the tougher tracks either having destructible blocks or not barriers at all to cause a fall, bumpy surfaces to jiggle you about, or even alternate routes or bridges.
The Summary: I can totally see why people enjoyed Super Mario Kart so much back in the day. I’m sure it was a blast playing against friends and battling for pole position, as well as racing to complete each cup. I completed the “50cc” class, getting first place in every race (thanks, largely, to the Nintendo Switch’s rewind function, I admit) and enjoying each character’s podium celebration. The game definitely ramps up in the “100cc” class, though, with the CPU racers blasting off and gaining on you with a surprising aggression. It was only by booting up the “SP” version that I got a taste of the “150cc” class, which is even tougher, and had a quick race on Rainbow Road, a psychedelic track of twists and turns designed to send you plummeting into the void. Still, I enjoyed the time I put into the game. Each character is full of personality and it’s fun to see them idling around the course on the bottom screen or reacting to a win (or loss). However, I did have some issues with Super Mario Kart. Five courses for each cup with five laps each got a bit tiresome for me, some of the turns and hazard placements were aggravating, and I never seemed to get any good items when I was racing, often being lumbered with Coins or banana peels. While the game does look great, it’s a bit hard on the eyes at times; courses and the backgrounds get very pixelated and distracting, which caused me to make mistakes. Vanilla Lake and Coco Island, for all their unique appeal, were the worst offenders in this regard. Still, it’s pretty fun to tackle the easier courses and cups and just blast around a colourful track with some of gaming’s most recognisable characters. The music is jaunty and memorable, the gameplay is pretty solid (as long as you make good use of your brake and items), and I can’t deny the game’s impact on the genre. However, it’s possible that I would enjoy Super Mario Kart more if I played with a friend, and I do think I’d be more inclined to play one of the modern iterations of the game rather than this classic, but obviously dated, title.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Was Super Mario Kart part of your SNES library back in the day? Which racer was your favourite? Did you ever best the “150cc” class? Which item did you find the most enjoyable to use? Do you think the game still holds up today? Which Mario Kart title is your favourite? How are you celebrating Super Mario this month? Whatever you think, comment below and let me know and don’t forget to check out my other Mario content.
On 21 February 1986, The Legend of Zelda(Nintendo EAD, 1986) was first released in Japan. The creation of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda launched one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. This year, I’ve been dedicating every Friday to Nintendo’s most famous silent protagonist, Link and his vast and enduring fantasy world of sword and sorcery.
The Plot: Years after Breath of the Wild, Link and Zelda discover the rancid “Gloom” seeping from the depths beneath Hyrule, heralding Ganondorf’s return. When Zelda disappears and the Master Sword is shattered, Link turns to an ancient race to combat the Dark King once more.
Gameplay and Power-Ups: Like its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an open-world action/adventure game in which players control Link (in one of the rare instances of him not only having that name but being the same incarnation) and explore the vast wilds of Hyrule, a diverse and treacherous land of sword and sorcery. Fundamentally, the controls and basic gameplay mechanics remain unchanged from Breath of the Wild, for better or worse. You press A to talk to Hyrule’s many and varied non-playable characters (NPCs), interact with the environment or pick up objects (stones, weapons, etc), and open treasure chests. To run, simply hold B but keep an eye on your stamina wheel as Link will quickly get exhausted unless you expand it by conquering the returning mini Dungeons (again dubbed “Shrines”). Y swings your currently equipped weapon in a simple combo; hold it to charge up a spin but, again, watch your stamina as you don’t want to end up dizzy and vulnerable. X jumps, with Link deftly hopping over most low objects or executing a jumping attack; you’ll also use this to clamber up walls and surfaces (again, stamina willing). When in combat, press ZR to target the nearest enemy and raise your currently equipped shield to fend off attacks. Successfully tap A while raising your shield to perform a “Perfect Guard” that reflects certain attacks and leaves enemies stunned (though I still can’t get the timing right). Similarly, pressing X at just the right time to dodge an attack allows you to hit a powerful “Flurry Rush” to whittle down their health. Pressing in the left stick sees Link crouch and stealthily sneak around, allowing for one-hit strikes, and you can hold down R when at full health to unleash a Sword Beam.
Link’s returning abilities are bolstered by bizarre building and fusing mechanics.
As before, Link can utilise almost anything as a weapon; sticks, skeletal arms, various swords, clubs, and axes are all acquired by defeating enemies or exploring your surroundings. Each has a different power rating that determines not just how much damage it does, but also how durable it is. The lower the rating, the more likely your weapon will shatter after a few hits. Wooden weapons also catch fire and metal weapons attract lightning, so you must swap them out or drop them to avoid taking damage or being caught short. Similarly, items like pot lids, wooden circles, and iron shields can defend against incoming attacks and have the same elemental issues to consider. Link also acquires various bows, with some firing more shots at the cost of their durability and others hitting harder; similar effects are also applied to weapons and shields. Link can also throw items and attach them to his arrows for additional effects, such as blowing up rock walls and enemy hoards with Bomb Flowers, freezing them with Ice Fruit, or setting vines and baddies alight with Fire Fruit. In Tears of the Kingdom, this comes courtesy of Link’s new Purah Pad, and upgrade to the previous game’s Sheikah Slate, which quickly allows him to “Fuse” objects to his arsenal. This is a versatile ability, allowing you to Fuse items to your swords (and even combine weapons) for added effects and damage. Fuse makes shields more durable or rocket you into the air with…well, an attached rocket…and is also essential for solving puzzles since you must cobble together wooden boards to create bridges, rafts, or more complex vehicles. You can manipulate almost anything with the “Ultrahand” ability, which telekinetically picks up objects to be awkwardly rotated to solve puzzles or piece together your creations. Eventually, you learn the “Autobuild” ability that makes this much easier but at the cost of “Zonaite”, a new mineral that powers your creations and allows your gliders to fly, your fans to blow, and your carts to roll along. Perhaps Link’s most useful new ability is “Ascend”, which sees him clip upwards through the environment when able, eliminating the need to expend stamina climbing rugged mountains and sheer walls. Link can also rewind time, to a limited degree, with “Recall”, allowing him to dart into the sky by reversing the direction of falling debris and bypass raging lava flows on makeshift rafts.
Cook meals and earn Light of Blessings to increase your maximum health and stamina.
As before, Link’s weapon inventory is painfully limited. It can be expanded by finding Korok seeds, but only one slot at a time and the cost increases as you progress. Link’s defensive options are also tied to his outfits, which are found in chests, tied to tricky side quests, or bought from various shops for ridiculous prices. Instead of relying on gathering Rupees, you’re better off selling the precious gems you find by smashing rocks with rock-Fused weapons. You’ll need to do this as Link won’t last long in extreme heat or cold without the right outfits, and some offer additional perks such as speeding up your swimming rate, rocketing you up waterfalls, resisting elements, and upping your attack and defence. Rather than collecting hearts from defeated enemies, Link can either spend Rupees at an inn, collect a “Light of Blessing” from Shrines, or cook meals. This time, any meals you cook are recorded for easy reference; meals can also have added effects, such as temporarily increasing your maximum hearts and stamina wheel. To permanently extend these, you must trade four Light of Blessings at prayer statues dotted around Hyrule to gain either a new heart container or an extra slither to your stamina wheel, a process that remains as tedious as before. Similarly, you can still sneak up on and tame wild horses, adding them to stables and calling them with a whistle. If you have a Breath of the Wild save file, your horses will even be carried over, which is nice. There is a generous fast track mechanic, as before, but you must again activate towers (revealing more of the map in the process) or beat Shrines to utilise this. Finally, you can jump from high places and glide using your Paraglider and, though you can’t drop bombs like before, you can whip out your bow and use the slowdown effect to pick enemies off and, eventually, speed up your gliding with a gust of wind.
The Sages fight alongside you, though it takes all your strength to retrieve the Master Sword.
Like in Breath of the Wild, Link is aided in his journey by reincarnations of the ancient Sages. Following the main story quest (something easily done from the extensive “Adventure Log”) sees you conquer five ancient “Temples” and encounter these allies, who then join your quest, in spirit. Tulin blasts a gust of wind that speeds up your gliding and blows over enemies; Yunobo cannonballs ahead, setting fire to grass and smashing rocks; Sidon protects you with a water shield and blasts foes with a burst of water; Riju adds a lightning bolt to your arrows; and you can pilot Mineru’s mech, attaching various accessories to essentially make a Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robot. Each ability has a cooldown element (with Mineru’s abilities tied to Zonite) and each Saga follows you on the overworld unless dismissed, battling enemies and bosses alongside you to take some of the heat off you. Mineru is especially usefully when explore the “Depths”, a vast, pitch-black, incredible dangerous environment found beneath Hyrule and accessed via chasms. Down here, you’ll activate Lightroots and toss Brightbulbs to brighten up the area and encounter vast deposits of “Gloom”, a Malice-like substance that permanently saps your maximum health unless you recharge at Lightroots or cook special food. Mineru walks through Gloom and lava without fear, but you must watch for Gloom-infected enemies and the horrific Gloom Spawn, which essentially act as this game’s second counterpart to the Guardians (the first being the various Zonai Constructs). While it’s not necessary to explore the entirety of the Depths, you will visit there many times throughout the story, and it can be beneficial to venture down there to collect powerful weapons or Poes to obtain new clothing. Additionally, you can blast up to the skies to explore various disparate floating ruins not a million miles away from the floating islands of Skyloft. Up here, you’ll find mine carts, caves, and the remnants of the Zonai people, alongside additional Shrines and rewards. The skies are also great for scoping out points of interest on the surface, such as Shrines, towns, or the various geoglyphs that dot Hyrule’s landscape. If you’re really lucky, you’ll spot one of four elemental dragons who can be farmed for precious minerals, with one in particular (the Light Dragon) awarding the legendary Master Sword if you have enough stamina to retrieve it.
Puzzles and traversal are made more challenging with the building mechanics and spiteful Gloom.
Hyrule’s surface remains relatively unchanged from Breath of the Wild; many of the same towns, locations, and landmarks can still be found, though with some alterations. Lurelin Village has been infested with ruffians who need to be fought off, for example; the Rito Village has been beset by a blizzard; and the Gorons have become obsessed with Marbled Rock Roast. The Korok Forest and eerie Lost Woods are shrouded by an impassable mist, Hyrule Castle floats above a chasm of Gloom thanks to the “Upheaval” caused by Ganondorf’s awakening, and Zora’s Domain is polluted by sludge. You must clear out these issues with both your items and by completing Temples, which are thankfully far more visually distinct this time around. Rather than every Temple relying on a clunky rotating gimmick and a repetitive Sheikah aesthetic, they’re much more traditional in their depiction and use of elemental themes. You’ll solve a primary puzzle in each, from activating propellers to unlock giant locks, hitting gongs to release padlocks, powering up water wheels and ancient batteries, and collecting Mineru’s parts. While you do collect keys, this element is downplayed, though you still activate levers and switches (albeit with Ultrahand). Typically, you’re more likely to be moving or combining items, rolling giant balls into targets, and either using Ascend or fans to progress upwards. The Water Temple has a unique gravity gimmick that sees you float around in bubbles, you’ll get a prelude to the Lightning Temple’s boss battle before entering, and the Fire Temple is full of mine carts that require you to switch tracks by firing Yunobo at targets. Just getting to the Temples is a feat in itself, with you forced to venture higher and higher into the skies and cross flying ships to reach the Wind Temple and explore the murky Depths to find the Spirit Temple. Hyrule Castle again acts as a Temple, one guarded by powerful enemies and covering Gloom, and you must venture deep into the hazardous, Gloom-filled chasm beneath it to confront the Demon King. Shrines are far more challenging and diverse this time around, ranging from combat challenges to logic puzzles that’ll have you using Link’s Purah Pad abilities in unexpected ways or battling enemies with makeshift items.
You’ll search high and low and build all sorts to help out Hyrule’s inhabitants.
Like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom is an unforgiving experience. Link begins with three hearts and acquiring more is a chore since you’re forced to seek out Shrines (something made much easier by completing a side quest to add the Sensor to your Purah Pad). Even then, having more health can be detrimental since it means consuming more food to replenish your health and Link is frustratingly weak at times. Even simple encounters can end in a game over, meaning it’s often better to just sprint past enemies to preserve your weapons, health, and sanity. To make matters worse, all enemies and treasure respawn when the “Blood Moon” rises, meaning the environment never gets any less dangerous. This remains a frustrating experience for me as I enjoy the combat in the Zelda games but the risk/reward of battling even simple enemies often isn’t worth it. Add to that the frustrating weather effects, which see you slip down mountains, tumble about like a ragdoll from a lightning strike, and collapse from heat exhaustion and you have a game that can be a chore to play. While the Gloom and the Depths can largely be avoided, you’ll endure both eventually and they’re a major headache as it’s not fun to stumble about in the darkness, have your hearts sapped away, and then be surprised by a Gloom-infected rematch with a boss! It seems like every NPC has a story to tell and a mission for you, be it reuniting lost Koroks, exploring wells, seeking out evidence of Zelda sightings, or bringing musicians to the Great Fairies so you can upgrade your clothing (for a small free…) Sometimes, you’re forced to battle waves of enemies or NPCs will turn out to be the aggravating Yiga Clan in disguise. Other times, you’re performing glorified fetch quests for minimal rewards or cobbling together constructs to help Addison campaign for President Hudson. Some Shrines only reveal themselves after you retrieve their crystal, either by battling a mini boss or solving some tedious nearby puzzle; others offer no challenge at all, making for a nice change of pace. Link’s building abilities can result in some remarkable craft, from boats to full-blown planes, but it can be annoying rotating pieces into position, and you’ll expend a lot of your resources to get all the pieces you need and power everything.
Presentation: Link’s model, like all the character models, appears essentially unchanged from Breath of the Wild save for some different attire and his new monster arm. When in sweltering heat, he pants and sweats; when in blistering cold, he shivers; and when standing too close to an explosion, he catches fire. Although he doesn’t speak save for some grunts, there are dialogue options here and there that show is does communicate with those around him. Other NPCs communicate through traditional text boxes or voice acting, which is generally saved for the more dramatic cutscenes and the various memories. Link’s companions have a fair bit of personality, with Yunobo being a standout for me since he’s brainwashed into turning against his people and then determined to make up for it with an enthusiastic gusto! Tears of the Kingdom takes the expansive overworld from Breath of the Wild and expands upon it considerably. The surface is largely the same from what I remember, featuring towns, swamps, mountains, a massive volcano, and rushing waters. Settlements like Kakariko Village and Hateno Village remain, with Link now having a home and encountering many of the same NPCs (some of whom recognise him and others who strangely don’t). The landscape is altered by the presence of chasms leading to the Depths but still contains hidden caves, stables, the ruins of the old world, and recognisable landmarks like the Temple of Time. Hyrule is gigantic and full of different cultures, from the distrustful Gerudo in the arid desert to the proud Zora in their waterfall kingdom. Each area has different weather effects to worry about, from stifling heat to bitter cold, something exacerbated by random thunderstorms and the titanic elemental Gleeoks. There’s also a day/night cycle present, some mist and fog effects here and there, and a real sense of the world having changed both between games and from the fallout of the Upheaval, which sees debris rain from the skies and uncovers long-forgotten ruins that you must explore and decipher.
Hyrule is bigger and more varied (and dangerous) than ever.
By their very nature, the Depths aren’t as immediately impressive simply because they’re seeped in darkness. It’s an oppressive, bleak, and dangerous environment with no inhabitants save for Ganondrof’s minions, the remains of a Zonai outpost, and Robbie’s tentative efforts to explore the Gloom-infested environment. Still, there is a lot to see here once you illuminate your surroundings; Zonai depots, lava flows, and Gloom-versions of the game’s bosses all dwell alongside Bargainer statues where you trade your Poes and rusted weapons you can take. The skies aren’t much better, being a fragmented series of ruins, tracks, and Zonai deposits that you must often glide between. The Shrines have been redesigned (for the worst, in my opinion) and returning areas like Hyrule’s labyrinths and even the elegant castle have an added danger thanks to being infested by Gloom. Shrine interiors are very similar to what we saw in Breath of the Wild, favouring substance over style and restricting your abilities so you can’t just glide to the exit. They retain the ancient mixture of science and magic from Breath of the Wild, but I remain unimpressed by how tedious it gets searching for Shrines just to get enough Light of Blessings to gain one extra heart that’s immediately shattered by Gloom. Still, as mentioned, the Temples are much improved this time around. They not only have a better visual identity but contain more interesting puzzles and a greater enemy variety. The standout for me was the Lightning Temple, which sits within a vast pyramid in the storm-swept Gerudo Desert and is home to the mummified Gibdos. I felt like a proper tomb raider shifting blocks and riding wind currents in here, though the Fire Temple also impressed by being an abandoned mine within a volcano. The Spirit Temple was the most disappointing since it simply hosts a boss battle, but the journey to it through the Construct Factory in the murky Depths was challenge enough.
The world and story have been expanded and changed by the recent, cataclysmic events.
Tears of the Kingdom makes great use of ambient sound for the most part. There’s no sweeping Zelda theme when galloping across the overworld here; just the sounds of enemies approaching or light piano tunes. This changes once you get into battles, ramping up the anxiety when you’re suddenly attacked by a spear-wielding Moblin and battling the finnicky controls as you tumble down a mountainside. Music really only plays a role in the game’s cutscenes, however, which can be replayed from the Adventure Log. Like its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom invites you to challenge yourself; if you’re brave (or stupid), you can head right to the final confrontation (and win!) and you’re free to explore every area out of sequence, for the most part. The map and Adventure Log can quickly become cluttered with waypoints and primary and optional quests, making it difficult to remember where you’re going and what’s happening next. However, I never experienced any performance issues save for one terrifying moment where the game crashed during the Yunobo fight. The environment renders well; wild animals and NPCs roam freely with no slowdown or noticeable pop-up, though the weather effects do help mask this at times, I feel. Traversing the surface is far less hazardous thanks to the absence of Guardians but the Gloom Hands definitely get your blood pumping when they slither to life and relentlessly chase you across walls and ceilings. Long-time Zelda fans should also enjoy the various nods to previous games in the names of certain locations and NPCs, as in the last game, and Tears of the Kingdom definitely feels like a celebration of the franchise’s rich history as much as anything else. Probably the best callback for me was exploring Hyrule Castle again; though much more restricted thanks to the Gloom and the damage, it was fun revisiting the library and royal rooms. Unfortunately, the plot lost me a bit; I still don’t understand why no one makes a connection between Ganondorf and Calamity Ganon and I must have been distracted when the game explained why Zelda’s been sighted across Hyrule when she’s actually flying through the skies as the Light Dragon.
Enemies and Bosses: As far as I could tell and remember, every enemy encountered in Breath of the Wild reappears here, sporting the same strengths and weaknesses and dropping the same items upon defeat. Hyrule is full of sentient trees, jelly-like Chuchus, odd Pebblits, bat-like Keese, and rock-spitting Octoroks. These common enemies aren’t much to shout about, popping up as you explore and generally being more a nuisance than a threat, but the land is also patrolled by Ganondorf’s more organised and formidable forces. The most commonly encountered are the squawking Bokoblins, often found around campfires, guarding towers, or riding Battle Talus’s. They’re often subordinate to their more challenging silver-clad commanders, trailing behind bulbous Boss Bokoblins, or taking orders from large, goblin-like Moblin. Skeletal variants of these are also encountered, some ride horses on the overworld, and Gloom-infested variants swarm the Depths, but they’re also echoed in the cave-dwelling, ape-like Horriblins. Exploring deserts, swamps, and water-rich areas sees you surprised by the lizard-like Lizalfos, who spit water and turn invisible, and you’ll often face a double threat as Aerocudas patrol the skies. Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos wield various weapons, from swords to lances and bows, and will call for backup upon spotting you, making even a handful of them a significant threat. Various Wizzrobes are also encountered, often skipping and teleporting about and firing different elemental magic, and the Yiga Clan will jump you when you least expect it, disappearing in a puff of smoke and charging you with their blades. You’ll also contend with mummified Gibdos both on the ground and in the air, though fire- and lightning-based attacks make short work of them. Various armed Zonai Constructs test your combat prowess, acting as smaller but no less threatening counterparts to Breath of the Wild’s Guardians.
Formidable and horrific mini bosses roam Hyrule and launch surprise attacks!
Hyrule is also populated by various mini bosses. Boss Bokoblins are larger versions of regular Bokoblins that wield big clubs and can take quite a beating, caves house different elemental Like-Likes, and giant stone Talus’ assemble from the environment to catch you by surprise, with their only real weak point being the Ore Deposit on their heads. If you’re really unlucky, a massive cyclopean Hinox will wake up and chase you (though targeting the eye turns the tide in your favour), mutated crocodile-like Molduga burrow through the Gerudo Desert and in the sands of the Depths, and a combination of the two, the Frox, also appears down there, sporting the same weaknesses as both. Flux Constructs are usually found in the skies; these sentient Zonai cubes are controlled by a central cube that must be targeted before they pummel you into the stone. Master Kohga also returns, having dropped to the Depths and mastered the Autobuild ability to fashion giant trucks, flying machines, and even a mech to rival Mineru. Though he’s more troublesome this time around, he’s quite susceptible to arrows in each encounter. Before he joins your cause, you must fight the brainwashed Yunobo, dodging his cannonball-like roll in a prelude to one of Ganondorf’s devastating charge attacks. Though far less prominent (at least in my playthrough), powerful, centaur-like Lynels still exist in Hyrule, with a silver variant encountered in the Gloom-filled Depths prior to battling Ganondorf. They’re joined by the various elemental Gleeoks, massive, three-headed dragons that breathe fire, frost, and lightning and are lorded over by an even tougher king. I’m gonna be honest and say I never fought these; I saw them flying around or standing atop mountains and felt their power in the intense weather effects they emit, but didn’t dare test myself against them (or the Lynels, for that matter). Similarly, I simply fled from every Gloom Swarm so I wouldn’t be decimated by Phantom Ganon, though you’re forced to fight this terrifying foe at least twice, once when exploring Hyrule Castle and again to free the Great Deku Tree. Phantom Ganon acts as an appetiser for Ganondrof’s battle, charging with a sword, striking with a lance, causing massive shockwaves with a club, duplicating himself, and spreading Gloom everywhere in easily some of the toughest battles in the game.
The five Scourges are visually distinct and range from simple to frustratingly challenging.
Each Temple houses at least one boss, a “Scourge”, that is, thankfully, not simply a variant of Ganon this time around. You can tackle these in any order but I first battled Colgera, Scourge of the Wind Temple, a gigantic insectoid creature that flies up from within the Wind Temple and forces you to battle it in mid-air (not unlike the game’s final challenge). Colgera emerges from portals and fires ice shards from its body, unwittingly exposing its weak spot, which you must target with Fire Arrows (using Keese eyeballs to help aid your aim). Tornados keep you in the air and Tulin gives you a speed boost, but this wasn’t an especially taxing boss, even when its weak spot switches to its underbelly in the second phase. Next, I battled the Water Temple’s Mucktorok (after getting to grips with Sidon’s abilities in battle with the Sludge Like), a cackling little imp who rides a Molduga-like sludge shark. You must blast this with Sidon’s water wave, clearing a path through the sludge, avoiding its spit attack and shockwaves and chasing the slippery devil down to give it a good thrashing. To enter the Fire Temple, you first dispatch the volcanic dragon, Moragia, that’s attached to Death Mountain by flying around on a nearby Zonai flyer and firing Yunobo at it. Inside, you’ll face the Marbled Gohma, a spider-like rock beast that tries to stomp you and fires explosive chunks of rock. You must fire Yunobo at its legs, crippling it so you can pummel its eye, then send Yunobo rolling up to smack it when it retreats to the ceiling. The difficulty noticeably spikes when you face Queen Gibdo in the Lightning Temple, mainly because you’re so reliant upon Riju’s lightning attacks and lightning-adjacent attachments to your bow. The battle’s further complicated by the Gibdos she spawns in, distracting you and making things very frustrating and difficult near the end. In comparison, the Seized Construct is much easier. Fought in an electrified boxing ring with you controlling Mineru, this thing’s a breeze with the right attachments as you stun it with your arm cannon and smash it into the electrified ropes using a wrecking ball.
Ganondorf throws his forces at you, decimates your health, and then becomes a titanic dragon!
These bosses return in the Depths, if you fancy testing your skills further, and are fought as part of the final battle, much like in the last game. If you best them prior to confronting Ganondorf, however, you obviously won’t need to worry about them. The King of Evil is no joke, however, and is fought in an aggravating multi-stage battle. First, you and the Sages face four waves of Gloom-infested enemies, collecting their loot and hoping you have enough Gloom-resistant armour or food to survive the next stage. Here, you face Ganondorf one-on-one in a fight functionally identical to those against Phantom Ganon. Ganondorf switches between a sword, spear, club, and bow, inflicting Gloom damage with each hit and both parrying and perfect-dodging your attacks. With the right timing, you can whittle him down with the Master Sword; attack-boosting gear and food is a must here, as is Gloom food, but you can also fire Bomb Flowers, Rubies, and Gibdo Bones to take chunks off his health. Victory sees Ganondrof duplicate himself, gaining a ridiculously long health bar in the process. Though the Sages help you, they mostly end up cluttering the screen so it’s advisable to take to the air however you can (Fusing a rocket or Autobuilding something) to litter the battlefield with Rubies and Bomb Flowers. After many deaths, I finally got lucky and got Ganondorf back to half health, which returns the fight to a one-on-one contest. Unfortunately, the Demon King is faster and stronger than ever, sending waves of Gloom and Gloom projectiles, causing Gloom shockwaves, and charging at you, leaving a trail of Gloom in his wake. Luckily, you can strike his projectiles to stun him and, with the right food and a little luck, he’ll eventually be bested. In his rage, Ganondorf consumes his Secret Stone and transforms into a gigantic dragon! Zelda, as the Light Dragon, swoops in to save you, keeping you from falling to your doom, and giving you a boost to reach the Demon Dragon’s back. This stage is mostly a formality, however; just avoid the Gloom scales and target the Gloom pustules on the Demon Dragon’s back. When you get the chance to target the Sacred Stone on his forehead, hold Y to deliver the killing blow and then dive through the sky to rescue Zelda in freefall!
Additional Features: There are 152 Shrines to find across the skies and surface of Hyrule. Each one houses a chest that contains a weapon or some kind of treasure and also awards a Light of Blessing. With four of them, you can trade for an extra heart or an extra sliver of your stamina wheel, which can make combat and exploration much less of a headache. There are also 120 Lightroots in the Depths which, like the Skyview Towers, simply exist as fast travel points (though Lightroots also restore your Gloom-shattered hearts). There are now a whopping 1000 Koroks to find; some are under rocks, some require transporting to their friends, and some task you with solving puzzles. Finding them all expands your inventory and again awards you with a useless (but golden) piece of poop. You’ll also find loads of treasure chests in every area of Hyrule; some house Rupees or rare materials, some gift weapons, and some have clothing. Collecting all three pieces of an armour set can award additional buffs both by default and courtesy of a Great Fairy, and you can dress Link up as his dark counterpart, an enraged God, and even to resemble various enemies. Some materials can be dyed to further customise them and you can further bolster your stats by cooking food, with recipes being saved for further use. Your horses can also be upgraded and customised; by discovering stables and boarding your horse, you’ll earn “Pony Points” to trade in for harnesses and accessories to complete side quests.
Hundreds of treasures, collectibles, and side quests await in this sprawling adventure.
Speaking of, there are loads of optional missions in Tears of the Kingdom. Some are pretty simple, like liberating villages from enemy hordes or retrieving Shrine stones. Others see you gathering materials, photographing enemies and objects, investigating Zelda sightings, and recovering lost or stolen items. Completing side quests earns you Rupees and other rewards, such as food, additional shops, and even armour. Helping Robbie with his research not only upgrades the Purah Pad to detect Shrines and other targets, it also adds the “Hero’s Path” mode to the tablet so you can see where you’ve travelled and gifts you “Travel Medallions” that are essential when fighting your way to Ganondorf. Misko will mark the locations of rare treasure on your map, allowing you to find new armour sets, dogs can be befriended to dig up treasure chests, shop prices can be reduced, and the truth about Zelda’s draconification can be discovered if you explore high and low. Completing the game adds a star to your save file but returns you to your last manual save before battling Ganondorf, meaning you never get to see peace returned to the land on your save file. You can go back and finish any tasks remaining, however, exploring Hyrule Castle docks for the powerful Hylian Shield and collecting Poes to collect new gear. Tears of the Kingdom is also compatible with Amiibos, allowing you to scan in entire armour sets quickly and easily. Sadly, the Master Cycle from Breath of the Wild’s downloadable content isn’t available (though you can build a close approximation) and there is currently no additional content available for the game, but it’s not as if there aren’t hours of content to return to once you’ve completed the main story.
The Summary: Since I struggled with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I was hesitant to get into the sequel, and these fears were entirely justified. The weapon durability mechanic is as tedious as ever, forcing me to run from most encounters when I’d rather be fighting like in the Nintendo 64 games. Link is frustratingly fragile, easily being killed by even the weakest of enemies, and the entire game is an uphill battle to learn and improve. Link’s new abilities do mitigate these issues somewhat; you can effectively double your weapon inventory by Fusing swords and shields together, though often at the cost of holding a shield. I was also very pleased by how much easier the five main bosses were compared to Breath of the Wild’s and how much more visually unique the Temples were. Getting to them was a chore at times but it was much closer to a traditional Zelda experience once I was inside. The Shrine mechanic is as annoying as before, though, and I wish there was a “Novice” option to give you at least one set of weapons that don’t break and that allocated hearts to one set of Shrines and stamina to the other. I didn’t really like the focus on building; it was finnicky to rotate and Fuse things together to solve puzzles and the vehicles weren’t very fun to control. The mechanic didn’t work for Banjo-Kazooie so I don’t see why Nintendo thought it’d work for Zelda, and it just got in the way most of the time. I liked seeing how Hyrule had changed, with familiar areas altered from the passage of time, and how much bigger the world was, but I hated the Gloom mechanic, the sky islands were dull, and battling Ganondorf was like chewing nails. The story was convoluted and somewhat lost amidst all the hundreds of other sub-plots and side quests, though I enjoyed seeing bigger, more ferocious optional bosses patrolling the overworld. Despite all the changes, though, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom still feels like a glorified expansion pack of its predecessor. I had the same issues as before, if not more thanks to the new inclusions, but remain impressed by the scope and sheer scale of the world, so I think it’s fair to give it the same rating as Breath of the Wild and stay in the minority of people who just don’t click with this approach to the Zelda franchise.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
What did you think to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? How do you think it holds up against its predecessor and were you excited to revisit this world? What did you think to Link’s new abilities, specifically the building and Fusing mechanics? Were you also frustrated by the Depths and the dangerous Gloom? Did you also find the main bosses easier than Breath of the Wild’s only to struggle against Ganondorf? Did you ever complete all the side quests and find all the Koroks? Which Zelda game is your favourite and how did you celebrate the franchise this month? Whatever your thoughts on Tears of the Kingdom, drop a comment down below and go check out my other Zelda reviews.
Upon the release of Pokémon: Blue Version and Pokémon: Red Version(Game Freak, 1996), a new craze swept through playgrounds. An entire generation grew up with Pokémon, as clever marketing saw it become a massively lucrative and popular multimedia powerhouse. Accordingly, February 27th is recognised as “National Pokémon Day”, which I expanded to an entire month of Pokémon this February.
Released: 13 July 2002 Director: Kunihiko Yuyama Distributor: Toho Budget: Unknown Stars: Veronica Taylor, Megan Hollingshead, Lisa Ortiz, Megumi Hayashibara, and Tara Sands
The Plot: Ash Ketchum (Taylor) and his friends visit the beautiful Alto Mare and befriend its protectors, Latias and Latios (Hayashibara), just as the city is targeted by two formidable thieves, Annie (Hollingshead) and Oakley (Ortiz).
The Review: By the time of Pokémon Heroes, the Pokémon movies had well and truly established a formula and were sticking with it. After a brief introduction to “The World of Pokémon”, we find Ash and his friends – his trusted companion, Pikachu (Ikue Ōtani), and former Gym Leaders Misty (Rachael Lillis) and Brock (Eric Stuart) – visiting the distinctly Venice-inspired Alto Mare. Ash is primarily there to take part in the annual water race, where he’s rocketed through the narrow canals by Totodile (Kayzie Rogers) and competes against Misty (oddly wearing a lifejacket despite her status as a Water Pokémon expert) and other locals while Brock cheers on from the sidelines. It’s all fun and games and gives us a sweeping overview of the city, bolstered by some questionable CGI sequences, until Ash catches the eye of a mysterious, invisible Pokémon later revealed to by the smitten Latias. Though she tries to aid him in the race, Ash ends up being dragged away from the course and the race is ultimately won (by a gnat’s wing) by Misty. While taking a gondola tour of Alto Mare courtesy of former race winner Ross (Michael Sinterniklaas), Ash and the others learn that Latias and Latios are revered as the city’s enigmatic protectors and their image adorns statues and medals across the town, which is kept peaceful thanks to their presence. While Misty and Brock get ice cream, Pikachu is sidetracked by a nearby fountain and encounters a local girl who acts strangely around Ash. Although he shrugs off the encounter, Ash jumps to her defence when he later finds her being accosted by Annie and Oakley and their Espeon (Kayzie Rogers) and Ariados (Unknown). Ash also later races after her through the laneways and into a secluded spot hidden deep within the city. It’s here that Ash and Pikachu meet Bianca (Sands), a girl who looks exactly like the girl he’s been chasing, and her grandfather, Lorenzo (Wayne Grayson), and, crucially, the city’s legendary protectors. After being set upon by the overprotective Latias, cooler heads soon prevail and Ash is stunned to learn that the Eon duo can not only turn invisible but also assume human form. Since Latias and Bianca are best friends, the Pokémon likes to take her form and delights in playing with Ash, with the two soaring through the skies of their secret garden before long.
Ash is stunned when a strange girl turns out to be a Legendary Pokémon in disguise!
Ash learns the history of Alto Mare from Lorenzo, who relates how the city was once terrorized by an Aerodactyl (Unknown) and a Kabutops (Eric Stuart) before a Latios came to town and drowned the two beneath a torrent of water, giving his life to protect the inhabitants. Latias left behind its two babies, Latias and Latios, whom Lorenzo practically raised, and the “Soul Dew”, a glowing orb said to contain Latios’s spirit. The Soul Dew also powers an ancient machine, the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare (DMA), a powerful amalgamation of ancient and modern technology that can both protect and destroy the city. Lorenzo and Bianca have dedicated themselves to keeping the Soul Dew, the Eon duo, and Alto Mare’s secret from falling into the wrong hands, a secret that Ash promises to guard to keep his newfound friends from harm. Ash also experiences the Eon duo’s other unique ability, “sight sharing”; using his psychic powers, Latios can share what he sees with his sister, who then projects it to those they trust, allowing for a unique and awesome view of the world. With the night drawing in, Ash leaves a sad Latias and her brother to their hidey-hole and heads back to his friends alongside Bianca, who’s stunned to learn that Latias was being pursued by Annie and Oakley. The duo, celebrated agents of the nefarious Team Rocket, are in town specifically to investigate its local legends but even they are stunned to learn of the DMA and the Soul Dew. Unlike the bungling Jessie (Rachael Lillis), James (Eric Stuart), and Meowth (Maddie Blaustein) – who pratfall their way through the feature as background players – Annie and Oakley are capable and formidable antagonists. Equipped with hi-tech gear like drones, zip wires, and even binoculars that let them see through Latias’s disguise, they run rings around the Rocket Trio and even manage to capture Latios. While the two weren’t affiliated with Team Rocket in the original version of the film, the dub positions them as two more far more competent members of the organisation. Their depiction as sisters delighting in mischief and mayhem directly parallels the Eon duo, where Latios takes a more protective and mature stance compared to his more curious and child-like sister.
Annie and Oakley are far more capable and formidable agents of Team Rocket.
Alto Mare provides one of the more visually interesting locations for the Pokémon features thus far. Made up of stone buildings, bridges, and canals, the city certainly stands out, though it does little to make itself unique from its real-world inspiration beyond the Pokémon aesthetic. The city mixes traditional architecture with near-magical modern technology, one with a decidedly steampunk styling and represented by the DMA, a machine apparently capable of controlling water and enforcing a lockdown by sprouting impassable barriers and gates around the city. There’s a lot of history in Alto Mare, which was terrorised by prehistoric Pokémon and maintains its serenity thanks to Latias and Latios, a peace thrown into chaos when Annie and Oakley steal the Soul Dew, capture Latios, and activate the DMA. Oakley eagerly takes the controls of the ancient machine and immediately becomes obsessed by the near-limitless power it offers, believing she could conquer the entire world with its ridiculously vague abilities. The DMA allows Oakley to bring Aerodactyl and Kabutops back to life and order them to seek out Latias, cage the inhabitants behind magical barriers, and conjure tidal waves and even hurricanes. With her brother imprisoned and the city under siege, Latias races to Ash for help and he reveals his new friend to Misty and Brock, who end up trapped behind Oakley’s barriers, leaving the city’s fate in Ash’s hands. Ash is particularly aggrieved by Aerodactyl and forced to once again race through the city’s canals courtesy of Latias and a water chariot. Quite how Ash survives such an ordeal is beyond me, but Latias is a great help with her supersonic speed and psychic powers. While she’s younger and far weaker than her brother, Latias is capable of powerful feats when stressed or her friends are in danger, though using these abilities exhausts her. Her abilities are also volatile and potentially dangerous; when she shields Ash from harm, Latias accidentally deals critical damage to the DMA and causes it to go haywire. While Oakley’s brought to her senses, the entire city is threatened by the machine’s wild nature, forcing Latias and Latios to follow in their father’s footsteps and defend the town and its inhabitants.
The Nitty-Gritty: The stakes are decidedly low in Pokémon Heroes, somewhat akin to the stakes in Pokémon 3. Annie, Oakley, and the DMA threaten Alto Mare first and foremost and, though Oakley boasts that the machine could allow her to control the entire world, there’s little evidence to suggest this is true. Like all good Team Rocket agents, Annie and Oakley’s main aim is pleasing their master, Giovanni (Ed Paul), and profiting from the city’s secrets. Unlike the bungling Rocket Trio, Annie and Oakley largely succeed in their goals; while Annie simply covets the beautiful Soul Dew, the two capture Latios and torment him with their electrified ring cage. Oakley then takes the pilot’s seat in the DMA and threatens to flood the town, even almost drowning Ash and Pikachu at one point before Latias intervenes. Pokémon Heroes is one of the few feature-length Pokémon productions to present Legendary Pokémon who cannot communicate, either verbally or through their psychic powers. Latias and Latios are powerful Psychic-Type Pokémon and Latias can assume human form, but neither communicate through words and instead use squeals, squeaks, and body language. It works really well and is a nice change of pace from the usually loquacious Legendary Pokémon and the dynamic between the two is unique, with Latios being the overprotective older brother and Latias being a shy, smitten child trying to make new friends. This does, however, lead to a strange relationship between her and Ash where she visibly blushes in his presence and seems to have a crush on him. Largely, this is presented as her need to make friends and play rather than hiding away, but it seemingly goes a step further in the finale when Latias appears to take Bianca’s form once more and gingerly peck Ash on the cheek (much to Brock’s dismay).
When the DMA goes out of control, Latios sacrifices himself to save the city and his new friends.
With Aerodactyl and Kabutops running wild and the city on lockdown, Ash desperately races to the museum alongside Latias to end the threat to the city. There, he and Latias push themselves to injury trying to free Latios, only for Latias to finally break her brother’s cage, at great strain to herself, and damage to DMA in the process. While Oakley was seemingly ready to lay waste to the entire city anyway, the DMA rages out of control without even her tentative influence, threatening to swamp the city with a destructive tidal wave after the Soul Dew is shattered. The waters recede and rear up in a massive tsunami and the Eon duo are left with no choice but to face it head-on, just as their father did years prior. As before, the threat is dispelled and the city is saved, but at great cost. Already injured from Annie and Oakley’s torture, the strain of dispersing the tsunami costs Latios his life and he bids an emotional farewell to his sister before turning into a beam of light. As the waters rush in and the city’s inhabitants are freed, Ash and the others take a gondola out to sea to look for the Eon duo and find only an exhausted and heartbroken Latias. However, they all receive one final gift as Latios’s disembodied spirit shares his sight with them one last time, allowing them to view the world from afar; his soul also crystallises into a new Soul Dew. A sombre and thankful Lorenzo and Biana place the new Soul Dew back in the secret garden and Ash and his friends say their final goodbyes as they leave to continue their journey across Johto. As they leave, they’re surprised by a strangely quiet Biana, who gifts Ash with a sketch of him and Pikachu and a kiss on the cheek, with it left ambiguous whether it was Bianca or Latias that flagged them down. The three then spot Latias proudly flying through the sky alongside the spirit of her brother and father, while the finale further reveals that Lorenzo is hard at work repairing the DMA and Annie and Oakley have been apprehended and imprisoned for their crimes.
The Summary: Pokémon Heroes is a strange entry in the long-running franchise, one between generations and seemingly afraid to commit to focusing entirely on Hoenn as the anime wasn’t quite there yet. It’s a bit of a shame as we don’t get any new Pokémon featured here other than the titular Latias and Latios; even Annie and Oakley simply use Johto Pokémon rather than teasing use with more from the third-generation games. Latias and Latios are the highlights of the film, deviating from many of the other featured by being incapable of communicating beyond noises, but I feel their potential was squandered somewhat. I think more could’ve been made from Latias’s ability to change forms; like, why not have both assume human form and perhaps be unruly, cheeky teenagers who must learn to live up to their father’s legacy? Or perhaps more could’ve been made of Latias assuming Bianca’s visage, like her getting into trouble in town or the two being raised as sisters. Instead, it’s just an excuse for a lot of forced whimsy; Ash and friends must giggle and exclaim “Cool!” at things that really aren’t that impressive. Sure, Alto Mare is beautiful and visually unique but it’s grating seeing Ash and the others so enthusiastic about local traditions and such. I’m not saying they should disrespect them or anything; just act a bit more normal and leave the awe for things that deserve it, like the high-octane canal race. I quite liked Annie and Oakley, and their juxtaposition with Jessie and James and the Eon duo, but they weren’t really all that different from Domino/Agent 009 (Kerry Williams) and the Iron Masked Marauder (Dan Green) in that they were more capable and threatening agents of Team Rocket. In fact, one has to wonder why the film didn’t just re-use Butch (Eric Stuart) and Cassidy (Megan Hollingshead), though the answer is simply that them being associated with Team Rocket was a dub addition. Still, I liked Oakley’s descent into madness once she piloted the DMA, but it’s weird that this machine can do so much without any real explanation. It would’ve been nice to see the evil Pokémon it resurrects being something a bit more formidable, like Armaldo and Salamence, or to at least factor into the finale to up the ante a bit. The emotional gut punch of Latios’s sacrifice lands well, but it’s not enough to save the film, which meanders through a very predictable formula and offers very little not seen in the last two movies.
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Pretty Good
Are you a fan of Pokémon Heroes? What did you think to Alto Mare and its Venetian aesthetic? Did you like the relationship between Latias and Latios? Do you think the film squandered the potential of the form change gimmick? What did you think to Annie and Oakley? Were you disappointed by the lack of third-generation Pokémon? Which Pokémon game, generation, and creature is your favourite and why? How did you celebrate National Pokémon Day this year? Whatever your thoughts, drop them in the comments below and go check out my other Pokémon content.
You must be logged in to post a comment.