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Game Corner [Kirby Month]: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo Switch)

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Created by Masahiro Sakurai, the disgustingly cute, ever-ravenous Kirby is one of Nintendo’s most popular characters. Accordingly, I’m dedicating most of July to celebrating the pink puff-ball.

Released: 20 May 2022
Originally Released: 24 March 2000
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Metacritic Scores: 77 / 8.2

Also Available For: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch 2 (Online), Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U (Virtual Console)

Quick Facts:
Kirby’s first solo foray into 3D initially started as a title for the ill-fated 64DD before shifting to the standard Nintendo 64 with a promising prototype. After feedback from Space World 1999, the team reduced the playable characters, included fun four-player minigames, and encouraged player experimentation with the “Power Combo” system. Compared favourably to its contemporaries and seen as a natural evolution of the 2D titles, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards impressed with its colourful and simple gameplay.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a 2.5D platformer that takes Kirby’s basic formula and translates it into a very linear and fairly restrictive quasi-3D space. Unlike his peers, whose 3D debuts were more open-world adventures (or 3D sandboxes), Kirby is mostly stuck on a straightforward path, with few exceptions, and although Kirby 64 does include the very basic elements of a “collectathon”, they’re the same way as his 2D games (i.e. you must collect 100% Crystal Shards to unlock the game’s final area). Kirby 64 offers three save files and an optional tutorial to go through the simplistic controls, which largely mirror Kirby’s 2D adventures. You make Kirby jump with A, tapping it to inflate and fly higher and over obstacles and enemies. However, Kirby tires after a time, so stay clear of any pits or spikes. Kirby dashes if you double tap the directional pad, slides beneath projectiles with down and A, and fires an air puff with B when inflated. Kirby still inhales blocks and enemies by holding B and you can then spit them as projectiles or press down to swallow them, transforming Kirby and gaining variations of enemy abilities. These stay until you either take enough damage or you ditch it with the right stick or Left or Right triggers. Pressing B lets you toss your ability at another enemy to combine them into a “Power Combo”, which you can devour to gain a stronger attack (the main gimmick of the game). Kirby replenishes his health by collecting food scattered around (mainly sweet treats, though the Maxim Tomato also reappears) and gains extra lives from either 1-Ups or collecting Point Stars as in previous games (though you need a lot more to get an extra try here). Occasionally, Kirby eats an Invincibility Candy to briefly turn invincible and each level ends with a cute little minigame where Kirby sits at a picnic blanket with all his friends and you must time presses of A to hop to 1-Ups, Maximum Tomatoes, and other coloured Point Stars for bonuses.

Although Kirby can mix and match his abilities, this doesn’t add all that much to the basic gameplay.

Although Kirby 64 doesn’t feature any new copy abilities, the seven included are some of Kirby’s most recognisable. You’ll toss bombs, become a fireball-like projectile, sprout spikes or fire a needle-like growth, freeze enemies, and zap them with electricity. While these are decent, you can combine them in various fun ways using the new Power Combo gimmick. Some simply power-up the regular abilities, turning Kirby into a flaming lance, or allowing him to stomp around in an invulnerable (but heavy) rock form, or toss a bigger boomerang projectile that travels further. Spark Spark surrounds Kirby with a protective electrical field that zaps nearby enemies, Bomb Bomb fires homing missiles, Ice Ice turns Kirby into a giant, explosive snowball, and Needle Needle sprouts multiple appendages like a Swiss Army knife. However, you can mix and match the seven copy abilities into twenty-eight fun combinations, like Ice Spark (which turns Kirby into a fridge that fires health-restoring food), Burning Cutter (which sees him heft around a giant flaming sword), and Stone Bomb (which sees Kirby don a hardhat and toss dynamite!) Spark Cutter sees Kirby deftly swing a double bladed, lightsaber-like weapon, Burning Ice encases him in an ice cube and damages enemies with steam, Needle Cutter transforms him into a bear trap, and Stone Spark has him fling a boulder about using an electrical tether. It’s fun experimenting with Kirby’s different forms, like bursting into fireworks or becoming a bow and firing flaming arrows or freezing enemies as a giant snowflake, though I generally stuck to Power Combos like Bomb Cutter that give you a projectile attack. I had little use for the various Stone abilities, Burning Burning often landed me in trouble once Kirby’s flaming dash wore off, and I generally found the Needle abilities too restrictive, especially against certain bosses where you must keep your distance. Unlike most Kirby titles, Kirby inhales enemies and can use all abilities underwater and many of them hinder rather than boost his flying ability.

Kirby’s buddies are sadly underutilised in this 3D recreation of the franchise’s 2D gimmicks.

Kirby gains allies after freeing them from Dark Matter’s influence. Adeleine’s pictures spawn 1-Ups and Maxim Tomatoes or help solve puzzles, Waddle Dee gives Kirby a ride in rafts, mine carts, and toboggans, and you often hop onto King Dedede’s back to smash through walls and enemies alike with his giant hammer. Sadly, these sections don’t appear very often and, inside, Kirby 64 stays very true to its roots. Thanks to Kirby’s limited airtime, there’s a greater emphasis and risk involved in platforming, especially over bottomless pits or hazards. Enemies constantly respawn to give you additional “ammo”, but health pick-ups get quite rare as the game progresses. You must also avoid spikes, Shotzo cannons, and enemies like Maws and Snippers who pop from holes to take a bite out of you. Green blobs fire you to new areas, you’ll venture through doors and narrow corridors and flooded caverns, hop to swinging tree log platforms, ride gondolas, jump to small, moving, or temporary platforms, and clamber up chains (occasionally avoiding electrical sparks). Each planet has a different theme mirroring many tropes from previous Kirby games, such as Aqua Star having underwater caverns and water currents that push you about and Shiver Star being frozen and snowy. Alongside watching for pits and crushing hazards, you also avoid or out run insta-death traps like the wave of lava that chases you in Neo Star and Shiver Star’s hazardous factory that features crushing hammers, a giant press that sees you frantically racing to safe areas, and Robot Toys that chase you through narrow corridors. You must avoid falling rocks and missiles, run past falling pillars and bookcases, hit explosive blocks to open new paths, fall down (or frantically fly up) shafts, light up dark areas with Bomb Spark, and avoid being roasted by magma when the ground shifts in Neo Star.  

Presentation:
Although Kirby 64 nicely translates Kirby’s colourful, whimsical style and his simplistic adventures into adorable 3D worlds and models, things do seem very safe. The story is told through simple pantomime-like sequences that get across the gist of what’s happening, with Kirby recruiting new friends and frenemies to combat Dark Matter and visit each world, though the narrative is even simpler than some of Kirby’s previous games. While the game’s tunes are fun and fitting, I didn’t find them very memorable and the locations largely stick to the pre-defined themes of previous games, such as Pop Star and Aqua Star essentially being 3D recreations of “Green Greens” and “Float Islands”. On the plus side, Kirby looks fantastic in 3D. He’s more expressive than ever, clamping his eyes shut when he’s running, expressing happiness and disappointment in cutscenes, and even showing fatigue when low on health. Rather than simply donning outfits that resemble his enemies, Kirby largely transforms his entire form when using copy abilities and especially Power Combos. He tosses his face when using Cutter, becomes an explosive snowman, a walking lightbulb, and a sentient fridge, and transforms his arm into a drill! Kirby becomes a miniature volcano, a curling stone, tosses flaming shuriken, and transforms into some recognisable friends with Stone Cutter, each with comparable abilities. Kirby also occasionally changes colour depending on what abilities he has and, best of all, final has idle poses! However, Kirby is a bit clunky to control. His hit box is a little janky at times and the odd, almost isometric angle can make it difficult to judge jumps. This is only compounded by Kirby’s limited airtime, which is difficult to adjust to if you’re coming off any of his previous games and significantly increases the game’s difficulty at times, though the game runs pretty smoothly otherwise.

Though colourful and fun, Kirby 64 plays things a bit too safe and unnecessarily restricts Kirby.

I do wonder, however, if Kirby 64 might’ve been better served by being a true 2.5D title, perhaps having only the character and enemy models being 3D and the backgrounds being traditional 2D environments (or vice versa) as Kirby does feel a bit shafted by being limited to a linear path. Similarly, you’re dropped into very familiar environments, which is disappointing (though it’s fun seeing recognisable locations brought to life in 3D). You start in the familiar green fields of Pop Star, dashing past butterflies and flower spores, crossing bridges, hopping to tree trunks in an autumnal forest, and venturing into King Dedede’s stronghold. Rock Star is more of an arid desert, with cacti plants, stone ruins, and fallen stars littered across the background, which leads to ancient ruins and long forgotten caves, where one of the few simple puzzles awaits. As mentioned, Aqua Star is essentially a 3D “Float islands”, featuring a tropical theme, coral caves, sandy beaches, and murky underwater areas. Neo Star begins in a thick, overgrown jungle with vines and plants obscuring obstacles, and ends with you traversing an active volcano, dodging flaming hazards and crashing through walls with King Dedede. Shiver Star is allegedly a post-apocalyptic Earth suffering from a new Ice Age or nuclear winter, and fittingly features lots of snow and ice. You must dip under frozen lakes, climb ladders up mountains, and dodge boulders all while snow falls around you. After a brief spell in the crystalline clouds, Kirby ends up in a hazardous mall and toy factory, hopping to conveyor belts or up escalators, fighting past abandoned displays, and venturing into the dangerous inner factory, where robots buzz in the background and giant hammers look to crush you. Riddle Star is essentially a surreal, dream like staging area for a series of enemy gauntlets, though these are fought in distinctly Arabian locations and the final areas are psychedelic voids.

Enemies and Bosses:
Since Waddle Dee acts as Kirby’s ally, the closest you get to fighting one is the returning Bronto Burts, who flitter about in the air. Sir Kibble still tosses boomerang-like projectiles, however, Poppy Bros. Jr. still throws bombs, and Scarfy still aggressive chases on sight. Rockys are often perched on star blocks, gel-like Sparkys hop along emitting electrical sparks, and Chillys blast you with their frosty breath. Blowfish explode when you approach underwater, bat-like Boneheads flutter, Ghost Knights block most weak projectiles and jab with a lance, and sentient hatchets try to hack at you. Spiked logs roll at you, Putts push boulders at you, invincible, ghost-like Noos toss fireballs, sentient stones hop up and down, maraca-shaking Chacas deflect most projectiles, and flaming or frozen birds pass overhead dropping rocks. You also encounter crabs, a cute little witch, spider-like enemies, and fire-breathing dino babies. Fifteen of the regular enemies also appear as enlarged “Room Guarders”, mini bosses who yield a Crystal Shard upon defeat (though you may need a specific copy ability for this) and are accompanied by small variants you can use as projectiles. These are generally fought in an enclosed arena to make things a bit trickier but can be made extremely easy if you have the right Power Combos. Often, these enlarged enemies barely move or simply go back and forth in predictable patterns, though Big Sawyer can be difficult to avoid as it buzzes across the floor, Big Kacti’s minions can cause troubles as they have erratic patterns, and Big Galbo breathes flames that cook you if you’re too close. Big Blowfish swims in a counterclockwise pattern, Big Mopoo pops out from the clouds, and Big Burnie is fought over a lava pit. Each takes around for to six hits to defeat and you’ll also face swarms of regular enemies in various rooms in Ripple Star, also battling two at a time, as a final gauntlet before the penultimate boss.

Even Kirby’s returning bosses get changed up by the new 3D aesthetic.

Before Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede become Kirby’s allies, they must first be freed of Dark Matter’s influence. Waddle Dee runs at you, tripping every so often and producing stars you can spit back at him if need be; Adeleine’s paintings become 2D recreations of regular enemies, the Ice Dragon, and Dark Matter; and King Dedede features two phases. First, he attacks with his signature hammer and body slam; then, he recovers and flies about spitting black orbs you can fire back if necessary. Once these three are defeated, you battle Whispy Woods on a circular platform with him rooted in the middle. You must run around swallowing apples to take out his minions and damage his spiked roots, which is a nice change of pace from the usual fights with him. The circular platform format returns for the fight against Pix, three coloured octahedrons fought within a spaceship on Rock Star. At first, you must survive as the elevator rises and the octahedrons fire coloured lasers either directly at you, that rotate, or which go up and down. Once at the top, they transform into blades to attack and hover around dropping bombs that you must spit back at them, firing each coloured bomb at the corresponding octahedron to win. Acro reappears on Aqua Star and is fought in two stages. The first is an underwater autoscroller where you spit back the various objects he coughs up (anchors, skulls, etc) while avoiding spiked Gordos, his spinning slam, and his charge. After enough hits, you must frantically swim up a collapsing cavern. Acro pursues from below, charging up the shaft and firing missiles, and you must attack him as he passes, avoiding his large hit box and taking too much damage from the enemies lining the shaft.

Some of the later bosses can be surprisingly challenging thanks to the game’s limitations.

For Neo Star’s Magman, you’re initially limited to three precarious rock platforms floating on lava and must attack Magman’s tentacles and avoid being forced into the flaming ceiling and his fireballs. Once on solid ground, you fight Magman in an enclosed tunnel, dodging falling rocks, his flaming minions, his fire breath, and the large lava puddle he becomes. Shiver Star ends with you battling the giant, multi-form robot HR-H against a cityscape. HR-H attacks from the background to begin, raining missiles and sweeping your platform with a laser blast. You can only damage it when it tries to grab you or sweeps its claw-like arms, which can be difficult due to HR-H’s massive hit box. Next, HR-H transforms into a jet-like form and chases you across a crumbling platform, raining small missiles, firing a larger missile, and attacking with pincer-like claws. After besting Ripple Star’s gauntlet, you battle Miracle Matter, a bizarre sentient icosahedron whose different forms corresponds to a copy ability and yields a consumable you must either use as a projectile, though the window to attack is very small. In its Bomb form, Miracle Matter becomes a black blob and fills the screen with smaller blobs; when in Burning form, it spews columns of fire; Cutter turns it into a Fishbone-like form that travels around the screen and charges you; Ice sees it float around while ice shards spin around it; Needle fires spikes in all directions; Spark shoots ricocheting light blasts; and Stone tries to crush and roll into you. I found these final forms difficult as the Spark projectiles can be hard to avoid and your projectiles are often blocked by Stone’s smaller parts. Once you collect all 74 Crystal Shards, Kirby travels to Dark Star to battle the true final boss, the angelic 02, alongside Ribbon. 02 fires exploding energy balls and can only be stunned by attacking its central eye thirty times! When stunned, Kirby must target its halo and then its bandage to expose its true weak spot: a green, thorny tail. 02 emits harmful green gas, though players can destroy its wings to limit its mobility and press L or R to dodge its projectiles.

Additional Features:
As mentioned, there are 74 Crystal Shards to collect, with around three being found in each level. Sometimes they’re simply floating in the open, one is always awarded for defeating a Room Guardian and boss, and others require a bit more effort to collect. This may mean using a specific copy ability to free or reach the Crystal Shard or solve simple puzzles, like pushing down coloured pegs. You need all 74 to reach Dark Star, battle 02, and see the game’s true ending, and to also hit 100% completion. When playing the picnic jumping game at the end of each level, you can collect Info Cards to learn about each enemy and boss and what abilities, if any, they provide. As you play through the main game, you’ll also unlock cutscenes to view at your leisure and you can also alter the heads-up display in the game’s settings. Kirby 64 also offers three mini games where up to four players can compete in a 100-yard hop, catching fruit and jewels in their baskets, or changing checkerboard blocks into colours. Each game has different difficulty levels and is the only time you can play as other characters, with as Kirby, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, and Adeleine all being selectable. Naturally, playing Kirby 64 through Nintendo Switch Online also allows you to produce save states to mitigate some of the tricker sections.

Final Thoughts:
I’ve been wanting to play Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for a long time. I bought it off the Wii Virtual Console years ago, played a bit of the first level, and never came back to it despite really meaning to. Sadly, however, I’m not sure it was really worth the wait.  It’s an underrated and rarely talked about entry in the franchise, sure, but it’s severely lacking compared to other 3D titles at the time. There’s definitely something to be said for simplicity but Kirby 64 plays things far too safe and is essentially a 3D remake of Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (HAL Laboratory, 1997) in many ways. Ironically, Kirby’s Dream Land 3 might’ve had more in it than Kirby 64 as Kirby’s allies are far less useful here, popping up for pre-scripted moments, leaving players relying on the Power Combo mechanic. This is fun enough but I quickly stuck to reliable Power Combos and rarely experimented with others, meaning it’s not as interesting as the buddy mechanic from Kirby Super Star (ibid, 1996). As adorable as Kirby is, especially when transformed, I struggled with his controls, especially with his limited flight and the odd camera angle. I definitely think sticking to a 2D plane would’ve benefitted the game, as would making the formula less derivative of the 2D titles. It’s a decent enough kid’s game, I guess, but surprisingly difficult at times as your health isn’t restored between levels and some of the bosses have massive hit boxes. Although I think Kirby 64 deserves a bit more time in the spotlight, it didn’t progress the franchise in any meaningful way and is simply a 3D retread of everything that’s been done before, bar a couple of semi-unique features that don’t help it stand out from Kirby’s superior 2D adventures, so you’re not missing much if you skip this one.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Was Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards a staple of your Nintendo 64 library back in the day? Were you also disappointed that it didn’t do more with the 3D graphics or did you like that it kept things simple? Which of the Power Combos was your favourite and did you enjoy riding King Dedede? Did you ever find all the Crystal Shards and battle 02? Did you manage to collect all the Info Cards? Which of Kirby’s 3D adventures is your favourite? Let me know what you thought of Kirby 64 in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to recommend other Kirby videogames for me to review.

Game Corner: [Dinosaur Day]: Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (Xbox Series X)

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Sixty-five million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. These massive beasts existed for about 180 million years before a cataclysmic event left them mere fossils. Fittingly, “Dinosaur Day” gives dino fans an ample opportunity to pay homage to these near-mythical titans.

Released: 28 February 2021
Originally Released: 4 March 1997
Developer: Nightdive Studios
Original Developer: Iguana Entertainment

Metacritic Scores: 85 / 8.0
Also Available For: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Original Release); Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S (Remaster)


Quick Facts:
Based on the Valiant Comics revival of Dell Comics’ Turok, Son of Stone, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter came about after Acclaim Entertainment purchased Valiant in 1994. The fifteen-person team developed Turok as a first-person shooter (FPS) to showcase the power of the Nintendo 64. A critical and commercial success, Turok impressed at the time and spawned sequels and spin-offs of varying quality before being remastered for modern consoles to largely positive reviews.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is an early FPS title for the generation-defining Nintendo 64, actually the first FPS game developed for the system and, as such, set the bar for future FPS games released for the console (to the point where Turok’s control scheme was often a default or alternative for other shooters). Naturally, Turok takes a lot of inspiration from Doom (id Software, 1993) for its gameplay and controls, with  players assuming control of Tal’Set, the titular Turok (despite the original Nintendo 64 version depicting his successor, Joshua Fireseed), and journeying across eight levels (nine, if you include the hub world) to oppose the mysterious Campaigner’s plot to tear apart reality with his techno-organic army of dinosaurs and other minions. The game’s controls are entirely customisable, and I’d recommend tweaking them to your liking. For example, I set the “bindings” to have the Right Trigger attack with Turok’s current weapon, A to jump, and the Left and Right Bumpers switch weapons. I had X toggle between ammo types (where available), Y bring up the surprisingly useful wireframe map, and set the run toggle to the right directional pad. There’s no reloading in Turok, though you can tweak the settings to set whether or not you automatically switch weapons upon acquiring new ones, change the colour of the blood, toggle Turok’s head bob, and toggle various sound and graphic effects (such as draw distance and fog). Turok offers a “Training” mode for you to get accustomed to the gameplay, which mainly sees you exploring levels cutting down respawning enemies, collecting various keys, and tackling one of the worst affronts to FPS gameplay ever conceived: first-person platforming! Although this is a remaster of the classic Nintendo 64 game, Nightdive Studios haven’t implemented modern quality of life features like save states or rewinds, so you’ll still be relying on extra lives (acquired by collecting 100 Life Force points) and rare checkpoints and manual save points scattered across each level.

Shoot, jump, and explore to track down elusive keys in the classic but clunky FPS title.

Turok’s reasonably durable and can partially or fully recover his health with various pickups and can even permanently extend it by collecting “Mortal Wounds” that randomly drop when you kill enemies with your knife or basic arrows. “Spiritual Invincibility” temporarily makes you invincible and slows enemies, “Tek Armour” grant additional armour points, and backpacks increase how much ammo you can carry. Turok can (awkwardly) swim and climb vine walls and ladders; while he doesn’t take fall damage, he will be hurt by lava or boiling tar pits, and you lose a life if you plummet down a pit. This respawns you from your last checkpoint, though any collectibles and non-respawning enemies helpfully stay gone. Turok utilises a wide array of weapons, starting with a simple knife and a bow that fires regular and “Tek Arrows” that explode on contact. You quickly grab a pistol, a shotgun, and a fairly useless assault rifle. The automatic shotgun later became my default weapon, especially when you acquire explosive shells, while the minigun is great for shredding larger enemies. The rapid-fire pulse rifle is a far better alternative to the assault rifle, the grenade launcher is decent for blowing up enemies from a distance, and you even get a heavy-duty quad rocket launcher that’s best saved for bosses. Search around enough and you’ll find an alien weapon that fires explosive energy bursts, a shockwave cannon, and the ridiculously powerful particle cannon, though these all have very limited ammunition. Every level also hides part of the legendary “Chronoscepter”, the ultimate weapon that you’ll only complete right before the final boss and which decimates anything caught in its blast radius. Although ammo is plentiful, it’s usually best not to kill most enemies as they quickly respawn and most can just be avoided. However, there are times when you’re forced to defeat all enemies in a given area to lower barriers or raise platforms. It’s also worth noting that hazards like falls, falling boulders, and even some enemy attacks hurt your enemies, and also that some areas are rigged with flame bursts, spike pits and traps, wall lasers, and heavy cannons.

As if hazards and tough enemies weren’t bad enough, platforming becomes challenging as you progress.

Although things start fairly linear, later levels become much larger or more maze-like, which can leave you running in circles frantically searching for the right path. The map helps but it can be difficult following it when dealing with the respawning enemies. Each level contains several keys that must be found to unlock levels from the hub and these can be easily missed, meaning you must replay previous levels to hunt them down. The pause menu tracks which ones you’re missing and they’re fairly easy to spot, either being out in the open, across short jumps, or accessed via obvious alternative paths. Teleporters transport you across levels, pressure switches lower gates, raise paths, or open doors, and you must occasionally race from a switch to a door before it closes. Turok is littered with aggravating platforming challenges that start relatively safe (you’ll drop to water or a lower level if you fall and must climb back up to try again) but quickly become very tricky as you’re jumping to moving or extremely narrow platforms over lava or bottomless pits. The longer you hold the jump button, the further Turok jumps, and it can help to look down before you jump, but these platforms and columns eventually become so small that it’s very anxiety-inducing jumping to them. When on the Ruins level, you must jump to ledges so narrow they’re barely distinguishable from the rest of the environment or you must take running jumps from tiny platforms and will be frustrated by failure. The Lost Land sees you hopping to stone columns that rise and fall, making jumps difficult to judge while the Ancient City are more labyrinthine, offering higher paths and tunnels to goodies or shortcuts, and containing various doors and narrow corridors where enemies skulk around every corner. Blue portals also spawn all over, transporting you to relatively safe bonus areas where you must hop to or cross various platforms to stock up on ammo or Life Force points, though these are entirely optional.

Presentation:
I remember the original Turok. I think everyone had a copy on Nintendo 64 back in the day. It was a foggy mess whose environments popped in from the murk and your vision was largely obscured when underwater. Thankfully, this remaster fixes most of that but there’s still a lot of fog. The Treetop Village employs it as a gameplay mechanic, however, as you’re high up in villages built around giant trees, watching as gigantic Brontosauruses stomp around you. Fog also obscures much of the Ruins level to make jumps to narrow ledges or wooden platforms even more troublesome and there’s a murky haze in the Lost Land that’s explained by the volcanic activity. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, there’s no story in Turok, not even some text setting the stage. You get no in-game context behind anything, no ending beyond watching Tal’Set escape the Campaigner’s exploding citadel, and no introductory sequence beyond Tal’Set dramatically shooting an arrow at the title screen. Even the old instruction manual was light on context, which is a shame as even Doom had some text to set the scene. You rarely see Tal’Set during gameplay unless you mess up, then you’re treated to various fun death animations (if enabled), but you do hear him grunt and scream when attacked and loudly proclaim “I am Turok!” when you earn an extra life. Turok’s music is a largely forgettable mixture of tribal sounds, ambient noises, and thumping bass. I did like the growls and screeches of unseen animals lurking in the jungle and appreciated the sounds of enemies teleporting in, which kept me moving at a steady (if often frantic) pace. You’ll often see wild boar, deer, and monkeys wandering levels that can be attacked for extra health, fish in the water, and blood will splatter with each attack. Enemies have some fun death animations, like slowly choking to death as arterial spray juts from the necks or blowing to pieces when you fire grenades at their bodies.

Sadly, the lack of story and visual variety drags the game down and the visuals remain as murky as ever.

Sadly, there’s not much visual variety to Turok. You start in the hub, which is a dense, linear jungle area consisting of various crumbling ruins, water pools, narrow canyons, and bottomless spits. This leads directly into the first level, the Jungle, which is mostly the same and establishes that you must find keys, press switches, and defeat waves of respawning enemies. The Jungle introduces log bridges, abandoned settlements, and that the Tek Arrows can blow up certain areas. You’ll venture into narrow, twisting caverns, wade or dive into water, and hop across some simple gaps as a taste for things to come. The Ancient City takes the jungle assets and muddies them up, placing more emphasis on vaguely Aztec ruins, temples, and structures made from dilapidated stone. The Ruins up the emphasis on platform as the level is based almost entirely around a cliffside area, with twisting log platforms winding around stone columns, narrow rope bridges threaten to drop you to your death, a maze of pillars, and various waterfalls and flooded areas. When in the Catacombs, things become more restrictive and maze-like as you avoid boiling tar and press switches to open various doors, dodging blade gears, raiding tombs, and being surprised when the brutish Pur-Lins burst through the stone walls. This ancient tomb also sees stone panels breathe fire at you, has you climbing blocky walls, and sees you pressing a specific switch to drain water and open a new area. The Treetop Village was surprisingly impressive, despite the fog, as you’re suspended high above, fighting past wooden huts, making numerous jumps to narrow cliff ledges, and battling waves of enemies against a thunderstorm backdrop. The Lost Land is a largely barren hellscape full of volcanos, lava pits, and the Campaigner’s heavily guarded, futuristic citadel. This level features some of the trickiest platforming as you hop to floating platforms and to extremely narrow columns, and narrow corridors within the highly advanced citadel that represents the game’s busiest location. It all gets a bit samey, however, as the same jungle environments, caverns, cliffsides, and ruins and recycled across each area, meaning many levels lack a strong visual identity.

Enemies and Bosses:
The Campaigner’s forces are many and varied, ranging from humanoid to dinosaur to alien warriors. You’ll encounter aggressive natives who wield knifes, pistols, spears, and shotguns, with some tossing grenades or unloading with assault rifles. These are upgraded to cyborgs in the Final Confrontation, with their shotgun-wielding commanders being notably durable. Demonic humanoids also appear, with their priests being particularly annoying as they launch fireballs and lightning and can take a lot of shots to put down, while their skeleton-painted minions spit darts. Acid-spitting, man-eating plants later appear, extremely annoying beetles and gremlin-like Lurkers hop around the various caverns, and giant prehistoric dragonflies flitter about in the skies of the Lost Land. You’ll also encounter giant grabs in the fetid sewers of the Campaigner’s citadel, giant burrowing sandworms, and heavily armoured battle robots who boast minigun arms and quad rocket launchers. The hulking Pur-Lins are smartly positioned like mini bosses, dropping in to guard keys, switches, or gates. They also produce a shockwave, launch fireballs, and tumble into you when downed so it’s best to keep your distance, especially if you’re near a pit. Various cybernetically enhanced, frog-like aliens also appear, firing plasma shots, flying with a jetpack, and occasionally initiating a self-destruct. You’ll also encounter voracious Utahraptors who bite, swipe, and jump kick you, slower Dimetrodons wander about snapping at your heels, and enemies will ride Triceratopses in the Lost Land. Like later Dimetrodons and Utahraptors, these are cybernetically enhanced, boasting miniguns and grenade launchers, which can make these usually simple (if annoying) enemies much more formidable as they’re packing serious heat!

The gigantic and powerful bosses are impressive but sadly in short number.

Although Turok boasts eight levels, there are only five bosses to contend with so the battle robots, Pur-Lins, and Triceratopses often act as mid- or end guardians. When you do fight bosses, they boast a health bar and you respawn in the boss arena if you die, which is super helpful. You may encounter some bosses out of order depending on what keys you have, but you’ll most likely fight the Longhunter first. This is a two-stage battle that first sees you attacked by two Humvees that race around firing machine guns and rockets and ram into you if you get too close. Once they’re gone, the Longhunter rolls about firing plasma shots and tossing a boomerang-like razor blade that’s tricky to avoid. Oddly, the gigantic Mantis was a far easier fight despite it being much larger and having better attacks. The Mantis leaps about, destroying walls and spitting corrosive acid that lingers for a short time. It also swipes with its bladed arms and eventually flies about dropping gunk or scrambling about on the ceiling and firing explosive shots, though I did pretty good with the minigun and pulse rifle. After clearing out the aliens, cyborgs, and hulking robots littered throughout the Campaigner’s futuristic citadel, players area teleported to a circular arena and fight a titanic, cybernetically enhanced Tyrannosaurs rex named “Thunder”. A fast, huge enemy, Thunder quickly stomps towards you and will decimate your health if it bites you. If you stay back, Thunder produces a shockwave off a leap and breathes fire, eventually sweeping the arena with is laser eye as your attacks destroy its mechanical parts. Thankfully, you’re given a save point and loads of gear prior to battling the Campaigner, who frantically teleports about, hides behind an energy shield, and unleashes a barrage of enemy projectiles. He also attacks with an axe-like club and can restrict your more powerful weapons if they’re used, though the Chronoscepter drains huge chunk of his help if you have it and if you can get a clear shot.

Additional Features:
There are a paltry ten Achievements up for grabs in this remaster of Turok, with one being awarded each time you defeat a boss and when you complete the game on any difficulty. You’ll get another if you collect enough Mortal Wounds, another for killing three enemies at once with the knife (I recommended doing this against the beetles), and another for clearing the “Training” mode and assembling the Chronoscepter. Although the game has four difficulty modes, you’re better off sticking to “Easy” unless you really need a greater challenge, and there’s little point in jumping into the blue bonus portals unless you’re really low on resources. There are a bunch of secret areas to discover, which generally yield additional health or weapons, and finding them all grants you another Achievement. Though there’s no multiplayer option, there is a time trial mode that gifts another Achievement if you beat it fast enough. You can input a bunch of cheat codes to gain infinite lives, all weapons and keys, big head mode, invincibility, and more, however they disable the Achievements.

Final Thoughts:
Like I said, it seemed as though everyone owned Turok: Dinosaur Hunter back in the day, and that includes me. However, this is the first time I’ve ever legitimately beaten the game much less played through it from start to finish. I used to just mess around with cheats, blowing enemies up with the Chronoscepter and skipping to the bosses, so it was nice to finally sit down and play it. Sadly, Turok hasn’t aged well, despite the graphical and performance enhancements made to this remaster. It’s a very barebones FPS, even with the emphasis on exploration to find all the keys and Chronoscepter pieces. You’ll mostly see the same enemies in every level, the same assets recycled into tougher challenges, and repeat the same gameplay loop of shooting, pressing switches, and teleporting about until you reach the end. The game is disappointingly light on story, even for an FPS title or an early Nintendo 64 release, and I found myself holding back from using most of the heavier weapons as I wanted to save them for the bosses, only for bosses to be extremely rare and such bullet sponges that you quickly exhaust your best ammo. I really liked the cybernetic dinosaurs and wish these had been more prominent, with less humanoid enemies and more prehistoric or alien enemies to lean into the game’s unique setting. The environments also really needed more visual variety. The jungle setting and Aztec ruins are fine for the first two levels, and I loved the atmosphere of the Treetop Village, but the futuristic, alien aesthetic should’ve been incorporated more prominently, perhaps with crashed alien craft or outposts set up by the Campaigner in each area. The lack of multiplayer is a surprising omission given how popular “Deathmatches” were back then and the focus on FPS platforming really drags Turok down. It’s a fairly unique gimmick, for sure, but FPS platforming is never fun and some of the jumps are ridiculously finnicky and frustrating. Therefore, while Turok: Dinosaur Hunter may be a Nintendo 64 classic and have a place in the history books, it’s largely inferior to other FPS titles from yesteryear even with its bizarre enemies and setting.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you own Turok: Dinosaur Hunter on the Nintendo 64 back in the day or was this your first time discovering it? Did you ever read the Valiant comics? Were you also annoyed by the finnicky, first-person platforming? Did you also find the levels lacking in visual variety? Did you ever construct the Chronoscepter and defeat the Campaigner? Which Turok videogame is your favourite and how are you celebrating Dinosaur Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and dinosaurs in general, leave them below and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more Turok content.

Game Corner [Mario Month]: Paper Mario (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K1 Comment

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: 10 December 2021
Originally Released: 11 August 2000
Developer: Intelligent Systems

Also Available For: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, iQue Player
Metacritic Scores: 93 / 8.8

Quick Facts:
Though Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Square, 1996) enjoyed rave reviews, it took nearly five years to get this spiritual successor. When Square bowed out due to other commitments, Nintendo turned to HAL Laboratory and Intelligent Systems, with art director Naohiko Aoyama crafting Paper Mario’s distinctive mixture of 2D and 3D graphics. Originally conceived as Super Mario RPG 2 and produced for the ill-fated Nintendo 64DD add-on, the game aimed to be a cute, kid-friendly adventure. Paper Mario has been met with critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the role-playing games (RPG) of its era.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Paper Mario is a 2D/3D hybrid RPG in which players guide a craft paper version of Mario (and his new allies) through a diorama-like version of the Mushroom Kingdom across nine chapters (including the prologue), assisting non-playable characters (NPCs), becoming stronger through battling, and liberating the captive Star Spirits from Bowser’s minions. Players are given four save files and no difficulty options or settings before venturing into this quasi-cel-shaded adventure. Helpful signposts and some NPCs provide gameplay hints (sometimes for a small fee), and the game’s menus do a decent job of telling you what does what and when. Like in Super Mario RPG and most RPGs from this era, the controls are pretty simple, with players using A to jump, interact with the environment, confirm selections, and talk to other characters, B to speed up onscreen text and exit menus, and performing a spin with ZL to cover more ground. Outside of battles, the right stick toggles the heads-up display, opens the partner and item menus, and allows some partners to perform actions, like Kooper flying at enemies in his shell to initiate battles or Mario holding Watt to light up dark areas. As you progress and locate treasure chests, you acquire battle items for Mario that can be used on the overworld, allowing you to strike enemies or hit switches with Mario’s hammer with B or perform a ground pound or spin jump by pressing A in mid-air. These either initiate battles, activate switches, or uncover hidden Star Pieces, which you trade for Badges. In battle, you select attacks with A and switch characters with ZL, tapping A as enemies attack to reduce damage or ward of status effects like poisoning or dizzying.

Mario has a few fun attacks and special abilities up his sleeve.

Unlike other RPGs, Mario’s stats don’t increase from levelling-up and he doesn’t earn experience points. Instead, most battles award “Star Points”, with players earning more depending on how long the fight goes and how many enemies are defeated. Once you earn 100 Star Points, Mario levels up and you can increase either his maximum Health Points (HP), Flower Points (FP), or Badge Points (BP). As you explore, you’ll find or purchase Badges to equip; each one costs BP to equip, so you may need to shuffle them about or upgrade your BP to hold more. These add additional attacks and buffs to Mario, such as allowing him to strike multiple enemies, shrink them, or knock them into each other. Performing these actions costs FP, with both HP and FP being restored at Toad houses, by hitting Heart Blocks, or by collecting or using items. Your partner’s special attacks also cost FP, so you must be mindful of your attacks or risk running out. When performing special attacks, you must complete various actions, such as holding or tapping A at the right time, moving the left stick, or matching button presses. Success increases the power and effectiveness of your attack, though you must be aware of what Badges you have equipped and which enemies you’re facing as some attacks won’t harm armoured foes or you take damage if your enemy has a spiked head. Badges also increase your maximum HP and FP, trade attack power for defence (and vice versa), and allow you to use more items in battle. Defeating enemies and smashing blocks also awards Coins, which you can spend on items and Badges. Mario’s inventory is painfully limited but you can store items at various shops and use them to restore HP and/or FP, heal status effects, attack all enemies, knock them over, and increase your attack or defence. Upon rescuing each Star Spirit, Mario also gains a Spirit Power, which drains his Star Energy (though this refills automatically, and manually, over time). This allows him to restore some HP and/or MP, put enemies to sleep, temporarily immobilise enemies, attack them all at once, or potentially instantly defeat any non-boss enemy. Unfortunately, only Mario can use Star Spirits and items, which can make battles needlessly tedious when you’re low on HP, FP, or Star Energy.

Mario’s new partners offer some fun abilities and even Peach gets a chance to be useful.

Mario is joined by friendly versions of his most recognisable foes, with each offering different special abilities in and out of battle. Mario superfan Goombario offers hints about each location and attacks with a headbutt, Kooper (my go-to partner) attacks multiple enemies and hits switches from afar with his shell, Bombette destroys cracked walls, Parakarry carries you across small gaps and is great for targeting flying enemies, Lady Bow turns you invisible and intangible (as long as you stay still) to sneak past enemies or pass through objects and attacks, Watt lights up dark areas and boosts Mario’s attacks or paralyses enemies, Sushie can be ridden across water, and Lakilester floats you over spike pits and lava while tossing multiple spike balls at enemies. You can only have one partner at a time and it’ll cost you a turn to switch to them in battle, and you share your HP and FP with them (though enemies rarely attack them), though you can freely switch on the overworld. Each can be upgraded using hidden Super Blocks, adding additional attacks to their repertoire, though I rarely used Goombario or Parakarry in battle. As you clear chapters, you’re treated to an interlude where you control Princess “Peach” Toadstool as she sneaks about and spies upon Bowser and his minions, learning key information to relate to Mario using her tiny star companion, Twink. These are essentially stealth missions, with players avoiding detection and later utilising a magical parasol to transform into one of Bowser’s guards. Peach must also whip up a cake using specific instructions to woo Gourmet Guy and even participates in the game’s final battle by powering Twink up with her enthusiasm. Mario’s also aided (though mostly forced to rescue) Kolorado, a Koopa archaeologist, is carried to the Yoshi-filled Lavalava Island by a friendly whale, and sporadically aided by the wizard Merlee, who buffs your attack, defence, or rewards at random depending on how much you pay. Chet Rippo also doubles your HP, FP, or BP at the cost of decreasing one of the other stats, though I saw little overall benefit to wasting money on this.

Puzzles, platforming, fetch quests, and tasks are abundant in this colourful adventure.

Things start off pretty simple in Paper Mario, with it being obvious where you need to go and the limited map being quite useful. As the game progresses, the map becomes less useful, and you must chat with more NPCs and use your partners to visit new areas. Warp pipes take you to the sewers for additional goodies or fast travel you to previous areas, there’s a train you must get moving to progress, and a haunted forest to traverse by paying attention to the background. While Toad Town acts as your central hub, each location includes an item shop and Toad house and other NPCs who aid you if you speak to them or help them out. At Dry Dry Outpost, you must go back and forth chatting with NPCs to track down head thief Moustafa and acquire a key item to get through the looping desert. When in Lavalava Island, you must search all around, crossing water on Sushie, to find the mischievous Yoshi kids, you’ll gather various items to use in Boo’s Mansion to access the throne room and recruit Lady Bow, and you’ll be hopping in and out of the Shy Guy’s Toy Box to retrieve the items the Shy Guys stole from Toad Town and get the model train within moving to new platforms. Like Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario marries some traditional platforming and puzzle solving with RPG gameplay, with you jumping to platforms, finding keys to open doors and free Toads, and using blocks or stairs to explore. You must hit various switches to uncover hidden paths or activate bridges, plug up magma to avoid being roasted, dive under bridges, smash through wooden panels, and even shift the environment to take alternative paths. Even dead ends can lead to goodies or hidden areas if you send Bombette out or light them up with Watt. When you reach the Shiver Region, Mario’s comically accused of killing the mayor and players must prove his innocence, only for the mayor to simply have been in shock! Players must sneak past (then frantically run from) Tubba Glubba, venture down the different paths of Flower Fields doing glorified fetch quests to plant a beanstalk up to the clouds, smash giant blocks, and raise or lower staircases to progress.

Presentation:
Paper Mario takes a page out of Yoshi’s solo ventures to present a colourful mishmash of traditional 2D sprites and 3D graphics, with the game’s locations all being rendered with a 3D pop-up book aesthetic. This certainly adds some fun character and depth to each location as the camera pans and moves in interesting ways, with buildings often collapsing like cardboard as you enter and exit and Mario flattening down to take a nap. When in battle, the backgrounds maintain the pop-up book aesthetic but with a 2.5D bent, making them (and the entire game) appear to be an elaborate stage play. Despite being a flat, 2D sprite, Mario and his companions showcase a great deal of charm and character in their victory poses and their fun, whimsical dialogue (although Mario never speaks). I especially liked the outrage Mario’s partners voice when he’s amusingly accused of murder and the sass Peach shows when constantly discovered by Bowser, who’s as childish as ever despite having unlimited power. Ironically, however, Mario’s animations are surprisingly limited, which speaks to the simplistic gameplay of the game’s battles. This is true of his partners and enemies, though Koopas will topple over, enemies spin around in a daze before poofing out of existence, and some mini and main bosses even taunt you or transform mid-battle. Although it took me some time to adjust to the visual presentation of Paper Mario, I enjoyed how colourful and daft everything was; the game leans into humour in a big way and is consistently presented as a casual RPG throughout. I was a bit disappointed to see Luigi and other Mario characters sidelined, but it was fun seeing all the enemies you usually bop without a second’s thought are actually thriving races. It was amusing seeing Goombas and Koopas be so enamoured by Mario, to have him partner up with friendly versions of a Bob-omb and Lakitu, and to explore the environment using their unique abilities. The game’s storybook aesthetic is carried through to its cutscenes and interludes, and the cheerful soundtrack, though I must admit that no tunes stuck in my head after my playthrough.

A colourful, engaging adventure with some fun humour and beautiful visuals.

While Paper Mario isn’t exactly taxing the Nintendo 64 and plays things way too safe in a lot of ways, it performs really well and there’s a lot of visual variety in keeping with the Mario franchise. You start at Mario’s house where he and Luigi venture to Toad Town, only for Bowser to abscond with Peach’s entire castle and Mario forced to venture into deserts, haunted forests, and perilous mountains to liberate the Star Spirits. Toad Town alone has loads to see, from the post office to Club 64 at the docks and the dojo, but then you have places like Koopa Village (which you must save from a Fuzzy attack) and Lavalava Island’s Jade Jungle (which is full of hidden paths and little islands and leads to the hazardous Mt. Lavalava). Every location is full of NPCs and some change according to the story as Mario settles unrest, solves problems, or completes often tedious tasks. Flower Fields is perhaps the most engrossing area, sporting a hedge and pipe maze, thorny pits you must float over, and berries to collect and deliver, though I strangely enjoyed the confusing, twisted Forever Forest and even Dry Dry Desert. Each area sees you performing some convoluted tasks to reach a fortress or structure, in which you must get keys, hit switches, and progress towards the boss. Once you save all the Star Spirits, you ascend to Bowser’s Castle, taking a back entrance, rescuing captive Toads, avoiding lava and fire hazards, before reaching Peach’s all-too-quiet castle. Anyone who’s played Super Mario 64 will recognise the layout, though it’s been expanded to include a kitchen and other rooms and given a dark, ominous atmosphere thanks to being corrupted by Bowser’s evil. Other, more surreal areas also exist, such as Star Haven (a cosmic town populated by sentient stars and reached by traversing a mystical bridge formed by the Star Spirts) and Shooting Star Summit, where shooting stars fall harmless and the Star Spirits beg for your help. Additionally, the battle backgrounds change depending on where you are, adding a bit of variety to them even if the battle gameplay can get a bit tiresome at times.

Enemies and Bosses:
Many recognisable Mario enemies pop up in Paper Mario, respawning when you leave areas, though oddly failing to drop SP if you return at higher levels or battle undead enemies like Dry Bones or Gloombas. None of the regular enemies are especially difficult, sporting one or two attacks, but they do become more durable as you progress and appear alongside others who can make even simple enemies more troublesome. Goombas attack with a headbutt, sporting spiked hats to fend off Mario’s jumps or taking to the skies to avoid his hammer. Koopas are similar, though attack from a distance with their shells, while Fuzzies bite you to steal your HP and restore theirs and Bob-ombs explode in a kamikaze attack after being hit. Bullet Bills are endlessly fired by blasters, Monty Moles toss dirt, Boney Beetles, Clefts, and Koopatrols must be knocked over to make them vulnerable, and Bandits temporarily keep you from using items or certain attacks. Pokeys must be cut down to size, Bzzap!s defeated before they can poison you, and Duplighosts transform into your partner and gain their attacks! Colourful Magikoopas hover on broomsticks, fire magical blasts, and heal or buff their allies, some enemies (like the Groove Guy) call in backup or are engulfed in flames to deal fire damage, the various Clubbas hit hard with spiked maces, and Hammer Bros toss a bunch of hammers (or a single, powerful hammer). Some enemies are vulnerable to elemental attacks, such as the Bubbles and Embers and Frost Piranhas, while bigger, slightly more formidable enemy variants act as mini bosses, such as the Blue and Red Goomba Bros who hound Goombario, the giant Gloopers who lurk in the sewers, spitting ink and bopping your head, and the vulture-like Buzzar who attacks on Mt. Rugged, flinging his feathers and proving a formidable (if optional) challenge in the early game.

Despite Jr. Troopa’s persistence, the early game bosses aren’t too challenging.

Similarly, Mario may encounter Stone Chomps in Dry Dry Ruins and must battle the Big Lantern Ghost to recruit Watt, which can be annoying as you must attack his lantern to light up the arena but not so often that he extinguishes the flame, and his attacks often incapacitate your partner. Players can also choose to pay off or fight Kent C. Koopa, a large, short-sighted Koopa who squashes Mario with a ground pound and needs two hits to topple over. When on the outskirts of Starborn Valley, players can either flee from or fight the ghost-like Monstar, though this is merely for show, and must answer questions about the game and its characters when confronted by the Guard Door. The half-hatched Jr. Koopa constantly hounds you between chapters, adding new attacks and becoming tougher as the game progresses. At first, he’s quite weak but then he gains wings to limit your attack options, wields a magical rod, protects himself and attacks with a spiked attachment, unleashes a lightning blast, and even heals himself. While it takes some time for bosses to become more problematic, you do face a lot of them, and they can be difficult if you have the wrong partner or waste turns so be sure to use the Heart and Save Blocks often helpfully placed right before them. Your first challenge is the enchanted Goomba King, who fights alongside the Blue and Red Goomba Bros, though you can easily defeat all three by attacking the Goomut Tree. Next, you track down the elusive and strangely familiar Koopa Bros, who attack in a makeshift Bowser mech and then in a totem formation, with you needing to topple them over and using Kooper to hit all four at once. Tutankoopa guards Dry Dry Ruins, summons a Chain Chomp to attack and distract you, and you must find and battle Tubba Blubba’s disembodied heart to save the Boos of Gusty Gulch. You’ll need Watt to tackle the Shy Squad, who rob Toad Town and attack as a swarm, on stilts, and in a totem like the Koopa Bros, before General Guy steps in with his toy tank…thing. General Guy tosses bombs and fires lightning bolts from the tank’s lightbulb, so I’d suggest targeting that first.

Managing your partner and FP is crucial to succeed against the tougher late-game bosses.

Things ramp up when you face the Lava Piranha, which is accompanied by two Lava Buds that join it in spitting projectiles. After you damage it enough, the spiked plant catches fire, necessitating the use of elemental attacks, and it adds a more powerful fire breath attack to its arsenal. I particularly struggled against Huff N. Puff, who spawns Tuff Puffs every time he’s hit which not only attack you but are consumed by him to restore his HP! You must tap A to reduce the damage of his wind breath, and to mitigate his lightning attack, and pop his Tuff Puffs (while still damaging him) so they don’t bolster his attacks or HP. The Crystal King wasn’t a pushover either as he summons Crystal Bits, freezes you, duplicates himself (with two of the three being intangible), and heals himself to undo all your hard work. While Bowser is unbeatable at the start of the game, he’s more vulnerable in the endgame, though he can make himself invincible with the Star Rod so you must cast Star Beam (which doesn’t cost FP but wastes a turn) to remove the spell. Bowser attacks with claw swipes (which can poison you so be sure to equip a nullifying Badge), fire breath, and a shockwave that incapacitates your partner. He also heals, grows, and becomes immune to the Star Beam thanks to Kammy Koopa. After knocking the old witch off with Peach and Twink, you gain the Peach Beam to dispel Bowser’s magic and continue the fight (with full HP and FP). Though Bowser’s lightning bolt, ground pound, and healing are aggravating, using Watt to power up Mario’s Mega Jump saw me to a hard-fought victory.

Additional Features:
There are 160 Star Pieces in Paper Mario, with many found by whacking or ground pounding certain tiles while others are out in the open or inside chests. If you take these to Shooting Star Summit, you can trade them for Badges, of which there are sixty-nine (nice!) varieties. These can either be found or bought, but you’ll need to upgrade Mario’s BP stat to equip the most Badges as some cost more BP than others. You can also acquire duplicates, allowing you to further boost Mario’s HP or FP, which are capped at fifty apiece (while the BP cap is thirty and Mario’s maximum level is twenty-seven). Although there’s no post-game content, there’s plenty to do, such as finding all the Special Blocks to upgrade your partners, finding all twenty-five of Parakarry’s lost letters, having Tayce T. cook up unique items, and taking on Chuck Quizmo’s quizzes. Your rewards are pretty much always Star Pieces or Badges, however, and there are no additional characters, worlds, or bosses to unlock. However, if you challenge the Toad Town dojo, you’ll face five additional battles against some tough opponents, culminating in a superboss showdown with the dojo’s Master, earning a diploma for each victory and changing some NPC dialogue to reflect your achievement. You can also purchase up to ten Li’l Oinks to populate a small farm in Toad Town, gaining rare items every time a Li’ Oink leaves the pen, and unlock Rip Cheato’s shop for some rare (and expensive) items. Otherwise, you can abuse the Nintendo Switch’s save state feature to help with some of the game’s trickier battles, though it’s still worth fighting every enemy and thinking strategically about which stat up level-up.

Final Thoughts:
I was hesitant about playing Paper Mario, despite how much I enjoyed Super Mario RPG. I assumed it would be a fun, colourful, whimsical little adventure with simple RPG mechanics and puzzles. And, mostly, I was right: Paper Mario isn’t going to be taxing most hardened RPG players, but there’s nothing wrong with a casual gaming experience. However, I was surprised by the difficulty spike near the end game, mainly because it feels forced due to the strange way levelling-up works and how limited your partners and their abilities are. So many battles would’ve been much easier if your partner could use items or Star Spirits and, while some Badges mitigate this, it can get annoying. While the visual presentation can be a little jarring (and disappointing given it’s not a true 3D RPG), the pop-up-book aesthetic works really well and made everything very charming and humorous. Similarly, while I was disappointed to see Luigi get the shaft again, I quite enjoyed Mario’s new partners and seeing a different side to his enemies, who have their own societies and towns and such. While I felt the game dragged in the middle, padding out the runtime with fetch quests and tedious puzzle solving, it usually led to a fun boss battle and some new abilities to make things easier. I enjoyed the variety in each area, who there was a lot to see and do and discover, and the little interactions between Mario and the NPCs. I was also a fan of the Peach-centric interludes, which were a nice break from the main gameplay loop, and how each partner’s abilities encouraged backtracking and exploration. While I don’t believe Paper Mario is better than Super Mario RPG, it was definitely a fun experience in short bursts. It lacked a lot of deeper RPG mechanics and features I expect from the genre, outstayed its welcome at times, and the BP gimmick needlessly handicapped the player’s abilities, but it was very bright and carefree and is probably worth your time if you need a break between more challenging RPGs.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Paper Mario? How do you think it compares to Super Mario RPG and later games in the series? Which of Mario’s partners was your favourite and did you like seeing his enemies expanded upon? Do you agree that the combat and gameplay got repetitive after a while? Which Badges did you equip for your playthrough? Did you ever find all the letters and defeat all the dojo’s combatants? Which Super Mario spin-off is your favourite and how are you celebrating Nintendo’s mascot this month? Feel free to share your memories and opinions of Paper Mario in the comments and subscribe to my Ko-Fi for more Mario content.

Game Corner [Mario Month]: Yoshi’s Story (Nintendo 64)

Dr. K2 Comments

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 December 1997
Developer: Nintendo EAD

Also Available For: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Wii U (Virtual Console)

Metacritic Scores: 65 / 7.2

Quick Facts:
Super Mario World (Nintendo EAD, 1990) showcased the processing power of the Super Nintendo and introduced one of Mario’s most popular supporting characters, Yoshi. Originally designed to be included in the 8-bit games, Yoshi took the spotlight in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (Nintendo EAD, 1995), a colourful and innovative platformer that was also a critical and commercial success. This kick-started a slew of Yoshi-centric spin-off titles, including this lush 2.5D adventure originally developed for the ill-fated 64DD peripheral and designed to appeal to gamers of all ages. While criticised for its clunky controls and short length, Yoshi’s Story is almost universally loved for its whimsical music, colourful graphics, and charming gameplay.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Yoshi’s Story is a colourful 2.5D platforming adventure that sees players pick from one of six different coloured Yoshis and travel through six worlds (or “Pages”), each with four levels apiece, gobbling fruit and avoiding hazards. The game plays almost identically to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, though the much-maligned Baby Mario character has been removed, and your Yoshi now has a traditional health system, one represented by a smiling flower that wilts as you take damage. The game offers a “Practice” mode so players can test the game’s controls, which again mirror Super Mario World 2, with all of Yoshi’s previous abilities returning. Yoshi jumps if you press A, jumping higher if you hold the button and frantically kicking his legs in a “flutter” for additional airtime to cross longer gaps or compensate for poorly timed leaps. If you hold down on the control stick while in mid-jump, Yoshi performs a ground pound to crush enemies and break boxes. B sees Yoshi fling out his long, sticky tongue to gobble up fruits or enemies, the latter are swallowed and turned into a line of eggs that trail behind you. To fire eggs, players hold the Z trigger and use the handy reticle to aim, with eggs used to defeat enemies, pop balloons to release more fruit, smash blocks, and even collect Coins or Special Hearts from afar. Eggs also ricochet off walls and can be acquired by hitting Egg Blocks, though you cannot throw them underwater. If you hold the Right trigger, the camera zooms in and Yoshi sniffs around to detect hidden fruit, and you can tap the Left trigger to toggle the heads-up display (HUD) to see how much fruit you’ve collected. Similarly, pressing “Start” pauses the game, allows you to return to the main map, and displays your current score (referred to as Yoshi’s “Mood”) and totals for each stage.

Explore, platform, and toss eggs across colourful stages to gobble up fruit and make the Yoshis happy.

Like pretty much every Super Mario-adjacent title, players collect Coins in Yoshi’s Story; though they’re primarily for your score, collecting some in quick succession may spawn extra fruit. There’s no timer and players are limited to six lives, with their Yoshi being spirited away to Baby Bowser’s keep if they’re defeated and players only able to retrieve them by finding a White Shy Guy and finishing a stage with them trailing behind him. Your goal is to eat thirty fruits per stage; once you do, the stage ends and you’re taken to the next Page, encouraging multiple playthroughs as you won’t play every stage for each Page. If you reach the end of the stage without eating thirty fruits, the stage loops around until you’ve found them all, so it helps to explore and complete the various mini challenges hidden in some stages. While peppers and Black Shy Guys damage Yoshi, eating fruit, Power Bees, and Power Flowers recovers Yoshi’s health, with different Yoshi’s recovering different amounts depending on their tastes. You can also ground pound to change the colours of Shy Guys and restore more health or get a full health refill by collecting Special Hearts or a randomly selected “Lucky Fruit”, and even gobble Bob-ombs to toss them, though they’ll explode and hurt you if you take too long. Occasionally, the enthusiastic pup Poochy aids you by indicating hidden fruit for you to ground pound, or five hopping Coins will spawn that you must devour to spawn a melon. Yoshi can grab and throw Huffin Puffin chicks as a substitute for eggs, utilises Bumber ’Chute umbrellas to avoid hazards and enemies, and occasionally transforms into an egg after eating a tulip to launch to otherwise inaccessible areas. Yoshi can also swim (though can’t toss eggs underwater), temporarily becomes invincible after eating a small, heart-shaped “Super Happy” fruit, and can warp around the stages by finding four Miss Warps or utilising doors and vases. Giant snakes and serpentine dragons carry Yoshi across or up vast chasms and change direction when you jump, though I found Yoshi quite slippery and that it was tricky making precision jumps at times, leaping to some annoying drops or unnecessary deaths.

A bunch of vivid hazards and platforming challenges await in this whimiscal adventure.

You must be wary of spike beds, bottomless pits, lava, falling spikes, and rotating platforms on your adventure. While Yoshi’s Story is pretty easy, some stages offer a greater challenge with troublesome gimmicks, like forcing you to find a key to unlock a door or swinging off wooden weights to briefly open doors. You’ll be surfing on leaves and ghosts (a clunky task), blasted along by gusts of wind, latching onto Surprise Balls, and bouncing on springs to traverse higher. Message Blocks provide hints and ? Switches temporarily create additional platforms, often to Special Hearts. Hitting ? Blocks initiates a mini game to earn additional melons: you must either quickly devour five Coins, race against an unseen Chomp to eat as many melons as possible before you reach a goal flag, and jump past seven melons. If you spot a melon flowerpot, ground pounding it initiates another mini game where you must frantically try to balance a stack of boxes and bring them to the finish line. These mini games can greatly speed up your progress so they’re worth seeking out, and it’s also advised you ground pound often or burst ? Bubbles for additional rewards. Players must deal with a lot of moving and temporary platforms, see-saws, rails (with players hitting levers to alter their direction), propellers, and swinging vines. Occasionally, large, sword-like spikes travel across or stab from the floors and ceilings, players must traverse cogs without being chewed up between them, Shy Guy’s fire cannons from the background, pistons threaten to crush you, torrents of water push you back, and bumper balls bash you about. There are buzzsaws to avoid, rolling balls to awkwardly run on across gaps, beehives that send a swarm of bees your way, little elephants that obnoxiously block your path with stop signs, thorned piranha plants and living globs of lava that must be subdued with an egg to the face, and jelly that slows your movement and keeps you grounded. Naturally, you also traverse caves, maze-like areas, and being carried across pits or lava, with it being recommended that you always have a full stock of eggs to snag any fruit or dispose of any enemies to make your life easier.

Presentation:
Super Mario World 2 was super cartoony and colourful and Yoshi’s Story takes this aesthetic and really runs with it, presenting every stage with a child-like whimsy that gives it a visual identity unlike most Nintendo 64 games. The Yoshis and their enemies are all lively, plasticine 3D models, with the Yoshis happily dancing when left idle, muttering and yelping, and even panting when low on health and dramatically keeling over when defeated. Poochy excitedly yips and bounds around to get your attention, the game’s sparse cutscenes are related through charming rhyming, and the soundtrack is suitably fanciful, resembling a nursery rhyme. While the Yoshis don’t sound or play any differently, which is a shame, the pop-up book aesthetic of the cutscenes is very charming (though it gets a bit laborious seeing the game recap your entire adventure once you beat it). The score board is rendered as a chalk board and Pages are presented with a unique hand-crafted aesthetic, with some appearing to be made from cardboard and construction paper while others are plastic, wool, or other crafting materials. It certainly gives Yoshi’s Story a unique (if somewhat blurry) appearance, one that’s far more detailed and colourful than Super Mario World 2’s picture-book aesthetic (which is still evoked at times), but it can make things a bit cluttered. If you enable the HUD, this is exacerbated to an almost painful degree so I’d recommend disabling it, but some environments are so dense and their colours clash and blend so much that it can be difficult to determine what’s a platform or where enemies are. A great example is Piranha Grove, where thorned piranha plants slink around in the dense, thorny jungle in the background while twists of thorny vines and winding piranha plants pop up from the foreground. Some stages attempt to provide branching paths, others have you loop and warp around to reach fruit; others have you crouch-walking past hazards or exploring dark, dingy caves. A lot of it stays very close to the usual Super Mario formula, for sure, but the game’s visual identity and unique completion mechanic allow it to stand out as you may want tow ait to eat that last fruit so you can find any missing Special Hearts.

The game’s picture book, crafted, plasticine aesthetic bolsters its unique visual identity.

You start in a vaguely field-like area, which contains rail lifts and a tower, before descending into a cavern filled with bones, fire-breathing skeletal dragons, and jelly-filled pipes. When you reach the “Summit”, you’re up in the clouds or atop snowy mountains, before tackling the dense jungle with its thorns, waters, hollowed out trees, and gigantic Blurps. The “Ocean” Page has you swimming around a coral reef, stealing fruit from the many flailing tentacles of Sea Anemones or racing past a beach front as Shy Guy’s shoot cannons from their pirate ship. The game culminates in Baby Bowser’s tough, hazard-filled castle that’s full of Boos, magma, buzzsaws, and mechanical obstacles, to say nothing of the pits and insta-kill lava. Progression is, however, a bit odd in Yoshi’s Story. While you’re often given the chance to pick which stage you want to play on each Page, you won’t visit every stage in succession like in other Super Mario games and platformers. This means that no two playthroughs are the same, with the game limiting which stages you can pick depending on how many Special Hearts you collect. I played through the first stage of every Page in my first playthrough, for example, then the second, but the game wouldn’t let me play every stage three unless I’d previously collected enough Special Hearts, which encourages replayability and exploration, but is surprisingly obtuse for such a simplistic title. Still, I enjoyed how each stage offered different gimmicks and aesthetics: you’re not just exploring the skies in “Summit”, for example. P.3-1 has you hopping to clouds and riding snakes up in the sky, P.3-2 sees the night sky brought to life by cardboard cutouts, while P.3-3 and P.3-4 take place on a snow-filled mountaintop. Similarly, I liked how Baby Bowser’s castle changed depending on which stage you picked, favouring either a medieval aesthetic, a haunted mansion, or a lava-filled cavern. Since I found the “Jungle” Page a bit headache inducing, my favourite Page was the “Cavern”, with its dark and gloomy dinosaur graveyard, Blaarg’s lava-filled boiler with its dipping bones and skeletal bridges, and the jelly-encrusted drainage pipes. I wasn’t a big fan of the underwater stages in “Ocean” and much preferred the beach setting since Yoshi’s abilities are limited underwater and he controls a bit too loosely for my liking when swimming.

Enemies and Bosses:
While Yoshi’s Story features a bunch of new, bizarre enemies, there are some familiar faces. The most obvious and recurring are the Shy Guys, who wander about, drop bombs or spiked fruit or carry fruit on propellers, stomp around on stilts, hide in trees, captain pirate ships, hop about on pogo springs, toss snowballs from the background, and even pilot missile-firing submarines! Lakitu also appears, awarding melons when you complete mini games, tossing spiked balls, and even blasting you with water jets. Boos haunt the “Ghost Castle”, going shy when you face them, masquerading as blocks, and even mimicking your movements in a line, Bob-ombs parachute from the sky, Bullet Bills fly at you, Chomps try to take a bite out of you, and gigantic Blurps try to swallow you whole. You’ll be taking out spiders, knocking slug-like slimes from vines, avoiding spiked and puffer fish and eels when underwater, clambering to Raven’s to gain extra height off jumps, and keeping an eye out for mischievous ghosts who hide in sticky jelly. A moss-encrusted Wiggler makes an appearance, frogs hop in your face, bat-like ComBats swoop when you get close, spiked centipedes slither around, and bumblebees buzz around trees and nests. A rainbow-coloured smiley face of death bounces about and tries to ram you, Blaarg, Bone Dragons, and Piranha Plants pop up to give you a scare and spew fireballs, and the floating Piranha Pests will temporarily shrink you to near-microscopic size, rendering you defenceless for a time, if they eat you. When exploring the “Bone Dragon Pit”, you’ll probably come across a three-headed Bone Dragon, whose Hydra-like heads must each be taken out with eggs to earn three melons. A giant, pinkish slug lurks in “Jelly Pipe”, with its only weak spot being its large, expressive eyes, while the strange, worm-like Snorkel Snake loops around the waters of “Lots O’Jelly Fish”. Its long length, circular motion, and spiked body make the Snorkel Snake a constant headache, one you’re denied the catharsis of defeating since Yoshis can’t throw eggs when underwater!

Even the more challenging bosses are ridiculously easy if you’re fast with your egg throwing.

There are five bosses to contend with in Yoshi’s Story, with all but one fought when clearing a stage in the third world, “Summit”. Each introduces themselves via a fun little cutscene and is fought in an enclosed arena, taking three hits to defeat, with the exception of the final boss. I fought the Cloudjin on my first playthrough, which takes place above a bottomless pit and sees you hopping to see-saw platforms, grabbing eggs as the gigantic cloud-like genie floats about and drops spiked balls that roll into you. He’s a big target and there are a lot of hazards to worry about, but you can simply spam your eggs and have a good chance of beating him fairly quickly. Inviso was a lot tougher since he turns invisible, barely peeking out from the background, and flooding the arena with chicks. Luckily, like all other boss battles, you can gobble Power Bees and other items to replenish health. Next, I fought Cloud N. Candy, who’s an absolutely joke. He’s big and hops about, but you can literally just spam your egg throw and beat him in, like, five seconds. Don Bongo’s fight can be tricky, though, since you’re in an enclosed space and his tantrum rains debris from above. You must target his lips, which become enlarged with each hit to make them an easier target. Naturally, Baby Bowser is the game’s toughest boss, with the fight being a two-phase affair. You can eat from the constantly replenishing Super Lucky Tree to replenish your health, though, and toss Bob-omb’s at the ceiling spikes to hit Baby Bowser as he flies around on ghosts. After three hits, he takes a more grounded approach, spitting fireballs and trying to crush you with his butt, but you can easily toss or ricochet Bob-ombs to do him in.

Additional Features:
There are three Special Hearts in each stage of Yoshi’s Island. Collecting them not only fully replenishes your health and adds to your final score but also unlocks stages in subsequent Pages, allowing you to experience every stage and boss in Yoshi’s Story (though always on separate playthroughs). Collecting Coins, eating enemies, and eating fruit also adds to your score, with players entering their names on the game’s high score table after finishing the game. However, while Yoshi’s Story doesn’t allow you to review this high score table until you finish the game, you can replay any stage you’ve beaten (as long as you collect all the Special Hearts) using the “Trial Mode” option. If you explore the “Caverns” and “Summit” pages, you may find a black- or white-spotted Giant Egg. Complete the stage with this in your inventory and you’ll unlock the Black or White Yoshi, who again only differ in their colouration rather than having additional abilities like unlimited health or eggs, though every fruit is their favourite, so they do enjoy the benefits of greater health replenishment. There’s also an invincibility code you can input if things are getting too difficult, and you can utilise a save state feature if playing through the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Final Thoughts:
This was my first time playing Yoshi’s Story, a game I’d never had all that much interest in as a kid but which I decided to pick up for my modest Nintendo 64 library since it’s a reasonable price. It’s interesting that the developers chose to make a more traditional, 2.5D platformer rather than translate Yoshi’s gameplay into 3D like with Mario, especially as 3D gaming was all the rage back then and games like this were often seen as outdated as a consequence. Nevertheless, Yoshi’s Story certainly impresses with its whimsical, colourful crafted worlds that showcase the Nintendo 64’s ability to surpass its 16-bit predecessors with detailed, if familiar, locations. I really enjoyed the personality of the plasticine models, though I would’ve liked to see the Yoshis play a little differently (perhaps being faster, slower, having more or less eggs, or being better at swimming) to add some variety. A two-player co-op mode would’ve been nice as well, as well as the ability to free play any stage without entering the “Trial Mode”. The Special Heart progression system threw me, confusing me for a bit, and potentially handicaps players who simply eat every fruit without exploring. It’s weird that all the bosses are fought in “Summit” and, while I enjoyed their appearances, they’re all far too easy. It is fun that the finale offers different challenges depending on which stage you pick, and that each playthrough is different depending on which stage you select, but it does become a touch tedious when you just want to play through each stage successively. Still, Yoshi’s Story is a lot of fun, despite how slippery Yoshi can be and some of the more awkward mechanics. It’s hardly the most impressive Nintendo 64 title and doesn’t really showcase what the console was truly capable of, but it’s a fun, colourful little adventure that harkens back to the glory days of 16-bit platformers and it gives Yoshi a chance to shine as a fully capable solo star rather than a glorified babysitter.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Was Yoshi’s Story in your Nintendo 64 library back in the day? What did you think to the crafted aesthetic and bizarre stages? Were you disappointed that the Yoshis didn’t have different attributes? Did you ever collect all the Special Hearts and beat 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 Yoshi’s Story, feel free to share them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other Mario content!

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Perfect Dark (Xbox Series X)

Dr. K4 Comments

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Released: 4 August 2015
Originally Released: 22 May 2000
Developer: Rare
Metacritic Scores: 97 / 8.3

Also Available For: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S

Quick Facts:
One of the biggest UK-based videogame developers, Rare cemented their legacy with the classic first-person shooter (FPS) GoldenEye 007 (1997) but lost the James Bond license to Electronic Arts (EA). Taking inspiration from science-fiction movies and television shows, Rare crafted an original sci-fi shooter that vastly improved upon GoldenEye 007’s game engine and mechanics. Perfect Dark’s development was tumultuous and taxed the Nintendo 64 hardware, resulting in plans to incorporate the Game Boy Camera and Transfer Pak being scrapped. Perfect Dark was met with critical acclaim, though a spin-off was cancelled and the game’s prequel was universally derided.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
As the spiritual successor to one of the greatest first-person shooters ever made, it should be no surprise that Perfect Dark focuses on gun combat, stealth, and accomplishing various objectives across its nine missions. While the game allows two players to play solo simultaneously with one of its controller settings, allowing one to move and interact and the other to aim and shoot, Perfect Dark also offers co-operative play and “counter-operative” play, in which players actively try to interfere with each other in a single playthrough. “Perfect” Agent Joanna Dark is a spy working for the Carrington Institute, allowing GoldenEye 007’s mechanics to be expanded upon and refined. Though you can change the controller setup, I always found the “classic” controls to be the best so I was interacting with the environment (opening doors, activating consoles, and such) with A, cycling through weapons with B and Y, manually reloading with X, and using the Right Bumper to switch to my weapon’s secondary function. The Left Trigger aims, the Right Trigger fires, and I crouched behind cover (crates, desks, and such) by pressing in the left stick. You can also toggle a few options from the menu (such as the crosshair, auto aim, and the blood), create and name multiple save files, and pick from three difficulty settings. As in GoldenEye 007, these not only increase the intelligence and durability of enemies but also add additional objectives to each mission to provide a greater challenge. Upon clearing a mission, you’re presented with your performance, which tracks how long you took, your accuracy, your kills, and other stats and also displays any cheats you unlocked. As Perfect Dark is a more futuristic setting than GoldenEye 007, Joanna utilises shields to extend her health, slows time with the “Combat Boost” item, and utilises gadgets like infrared goggles and various scanners to detect objectives. However, like Bond, Joanna fails missions if she destroys key equipment or kills too many innocents, so you can’t be too trigger happy.

Joanna utilises some familiar, and alien, weapons to complete objectives and clear missions.

Anyone who’s played GoldeneEye 007 may be familiar with some of Joanna’s weapons. The standard issue Falcon 2 isn’t a million miles away from the Walther PP7 or the DD44 Dostovei, the DY357 Magnum is functionally identical to Bond’s Cougar Magnum, the super powerful RC-P120 is essentially an upgraded RC-P90, and Joanna also utilises grenades and various mines. Joanna also gains a wrist laser, a hunting knife, and utilises a sniper rifle in the second mission, alongside blasting enemies with a high-powered shotgun and blowing attack choppers out of the sky with a rocket launcher. There are plenty of new toys to play with as well, such as a wrist-mounted crossbow, a gun that masquerades as a laptop, the super fun Cyclone machine gun, and high-powered assault rifles that seem ripped right out of Aliens (Cameron, 1986). Thanks to its sci-fi narrative, players also wield various alien weaponry, such as the super slick Maian firearms and the more destructive weapons used by the vicious Skedar. These include the sniper-like FarSight XR-20 with its infrared mode and wall piercing rounds, the rapid-fire Callisto NTG, and the grinder-like Mauler. Every weapon has two functions, with the primary fire being a standard shot and the secondary varying between weapons. While most pistols have a melee function, Joanna can punch out or disarm targets, kill or subdue, or switch to a weapon’s explosive shot. This makes your Dragon a grenade launcher or allows you to toss it as an explosive, lets you deploy the Laptop Gun as a sentry or expel an entire Cyclone clip, has the MagSec 4 fire a three-burst round, and sees some weapons to lock-on to targets. The RC-P120 comes with a limited cloak, the shotgun can be switched to a double shot, and the K7 Avenger can highlight nearby threats. It’s fun discovering each weapon’s secondary mode and you can hold multiple weapons at once, and even bring up a weapon wheel, though your arsenal switches out between missions and some unlockable weapons don’t have secondary modes. Joanna can also utilise explosive crates and barrels, hoverbikes, and even turrets to help take out or bypass enemies, though sometimes you’ll need a stealthier approach. At least two missions (on “Agent” difficulty) require you to change into an outfit and hold off from killing to infiltrate areas, which is fun even with the time limit, and you must sometimes bring explosive crates to cracked walls to progress.

Even simple missions have multiple objectives and some obtuse puzzles to solve.

Some missions see you escorting a non-playable character (NPC), like the sentient laptop Doctor Caroll, or pushing the unconscious Maian “Elvis” to safety in Area 51. Elvis fights alongside you numerous times, gleefully taking out enemies from afar and up close and activating alien technology to open new paths for you. Joanna also works alongside Jonathan Steinberg of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) at one point and has to get the United States President to safety more than once. Thankfully, these NPC allies are more capable and durable than Natalya Simonova and are often protected by shields. Your objectives change depending on the difficulty you’re playing, but generally you must reach certain areas (lifts, rooms, etc), disable security systems (either manually, with a device or by decoding a password, or by coercing nearby NPCs), obtain items (key cards, evidence, disguises, prototype weapons, etc), and reach the exit. Sometimes, you’re given or must obtain a weapon that must be saved to complete your objectives, such as tossing a timed mine to detach a spacecraft from Air Force One or affixing target amplifiers to the correct Skedar ruins. Other times, you must reprogram service robots, capture (non-lethally subdue) or eliminate specific targets, such as the President’s clone or malicious dataDyne Corporation executive Cassandra De Vries. You must go to infrared to cover Elvis as he activates teleportals on an alien ship, switch to the CamSpy to photograph targets or listen in on meetings, rescue hostages when the Skedar infiltrate the Carrington Institute, and eliminate the monstrous aliens to gain control of their attack ship. By far the worst mission, for me, has always been “Chicago – Stealth”, which sees you recover your equipment, create a division by setting a taxi to explode, avoiding an indestructible drone, and sneaking into the G5 building before the guards lock the doors. You must also prepare your escape route, place a tracking device, and avoid killing the undercover CIA agents. “Crash Site – Confrontation” is also tricky as it’s a very wide, open area full of enemies, turrets, and cliffs you can fall down. While the radar helps, it’s easy to get lost or accidentally kill the wrong President, and tricky to find your way at times. “Skedar Ruins – Battle Shrine” can also be needlessly obtuse at times with its narrow passages, dark, maze-like interiors, and randomly generating which ruins must be targeted each playthrough.

Presentation:
Everything that made GoldenEye 007 an instant classic returns in Perfect Dark, but amplified and refined thanks to the game utilising the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak. While characters’ mouths don’t move in cutscenes, all cutscenes are fully voiced and there’s a greater emphasis on narrative here, with some missions being interrupted by cutscenes to change the environment and objectives. While Joanna isn’t nearly as iconic as Bond, she’s a decent character, with some wit and snark about her, though she’s outshined by the smart-mouthed Elvis whenever they’re paired together. While it might not seem like a big deal now, Perfect Dark has so many fun little touches that make it and impressive game, such as Joanna visibly (and uniquely) reloading each weapon, her vision going blurry when hit by melee attacks, and her talking and reacting to events and NPCs as you play. Enemies are more expressive than ever, shouting when they spot you, jumping for cover, limping and screaming and running when shot at, and not only even surrendering but also double crossing you at times! You can disable the blood but you really shouldn’t as blood now splatters on the environment and enemy bodies even stay on the ground, allowing you to easily see where you’ve been. Enemies also punch and kick up close, rush to alarms, sometimes utilise a cloak or shield, and non-lethal NPCs sometimes betray you when you coerce them. Glass shatters when you shoot it, areas are sometimes plunged into darkness, and environments are littered with little touches, from wine cellars, pictures, desks, and consoles to bizarre alien architecture and sprawling, futuristic laboratories. Unlike GoldeneEye 007, which sometimes struggled when too much was happening, Perfect Dark is slick and stable no matter how many enemies are coming for you and the textures (while retaining that signature blocky aesthetic) are more detailed and varied than ever, with Joanna and her enemies switching up their outfits and weapons each mission.

The game improves everything over its predecessor to be, perhaps, the greatest FPS on the N64.

Perfect Dark also boasts a hub world, the Carrington Institute, where you can freely explore the controls, chat with NPCs, and even test your shooting skills at the range. This area is repurposed for one of the game’s final missions, which is a great touch as it’s quite harrowing seeing the normally serene hallways crawling with Skedar. Joanna’s assignment starts simple enough with her infiltrating the towering dataDyne skyscraper, an area you must first descend into and then escort Dr. Carrol through after liberating him from the shiny, high-tech (if repetitive) labs beneath the structure. After that, Joanna takes out snipers and eliminates dataDyne soldiers who’ve captured Daniel Carrington at his villa, exploring his luxurious abode and reactivating the wind generator. While Perfect Dark owes a lot of its visual identity to Blade Runner (Scott, 1982), this is most keenly felt in “Chicago – Stealth” where you’re on the rainswept streets of a cyberpunk city filled with skyscrapers and dingy alleyways. The interior of the G5 building isn’t much to shout about but things pick up when you infiltrate Area 51, with you bypassing the outer defences and taking a freight elevator down to the futuristic lab where scientists are preparing to eviscerate Elvis. Joanna also explores a couple of snowy environments that put GoldeneEye 007’s “Surface” missions to shame, with “Crash Site – Confrontation” being an intimidatingly large map filled with smouldering debris from the crashed Air Force One and alien ships. Air Force One recalls GoldenEye 007’s claustrophobic “Train” mission but hides some fun nooks and crannies to explore, alongside a tense escort mission as you get the President to his escape pod. Once the alien plot really kicks in, you’ll be exploring the sprawling ocean vessel Pelagic II before forming a brief and ill-fated partnership with Cassandra aboard the Skedar attack ship. This sees you running around the ominous, threatening alien craft with few resources but soon backed up by Maian reinforcements. Finally, you explore some ruins on the Skedar home world, a surprisingly restricted, arid landscape full of ancient structures and canyons, where cloaked Skedar roam and their hidden army awaits in an alien lab.  

Enemies and Bosses:
Joanna’s primary opposition throughout the game, even when the Skedar come to the forefront, are the various soldiers of the malicious dataDyna Corporation. These come in a few different forms and wield various weapons, such as regular infantryman carrying CMP-150s, masked shock troopers using Dragons, and green-clad troopers. Cassandra is protected by female, shotgun-wielding bodyguards and snipers patrol the rooftops of Carrington’s villa. G5’s various guards are functionally similar, though many give you the run around with their cloaking devices or are quick to sound alarms when they spot you. DY357 Magnum-carrying Federal agents appear in “Chicago – Stealth” alongside a high-powered, shielded drone that’ll gun you down on sight, while Area 51 is protected by various troopers carrying MagSecs, grenades, and SuperDragons. You must also contend with technicians who try to drug you, corrupted Secret Servicemen who riddle you with Cyclone bullets on Air Force One, and towering, blonde-haired brutes who are actually Skedar in disguise! The Skedar come two forms: a smaller, less threatening minion and the larger, much more vicious warriors. While the smaller Skedar appear in packs, the larger ones can be cloaked and carry the devastating Reaper and Slayer, as well as biting and slashing up close. Still, most enemies can be put down with a few good shots, or immediately with a bullet to the head, but you must always be wary of enemies appearing from previously locked doors, taking cover behind barricades, tossing grenades, or swarming from thin air when alarms are raised.

Just about the only area the game doesn’t shine is the lack of bosses, where the Skedar king stands alone.

Like GoldenEye 007, there aren’t really any traditional bosses in Perfect Dark, with some exceptions. When playing “dataDyne Central – Extraction” on “Special” or “Perfect” Agent, you must grab a rocket launcher to blow an attack chopper out of the skies before it cuts you (and/or Dr. Carrol) to shreds. G5’s robot drones can also cause a headache as, while the drones in “Crash Site – Confrontation” can be destroyed (unlike the one in “Chicago – Stealth”), their laser cannons are tough to avoid and you must be quick (or discover the higher path) lest the President is executed. Turrets also appear (though less frequently than in GoldenEye 007) and you’ll run into the corrupt Trent Easton a couple of times (though he ultimately dies in a cutscene). The Skedar that patrol “Attack Ship – Covert Assault” are particularly difficult to deal with as you don’t have a gun or much ammo, forcing you to rely on your knife or fists. Cassandra’s bodyguards must all be eliminated to clear the final part of the first mission, and the towering blonde men could be said to be mini bosses despite how easily they go down. Indeed, the only true boss is the Skedar king fought at the end of the game. After escaping the labyrinthine caves and eliminating his secret army, you battle the king in a throne room of sorts, dodging his rockets and projectiles and taking out any minions he spawns. You’ll quickly see that the king is protected by an impenetrable shield; however, you can significantly weaken this with a charged shot from the Mauler. This sees the king take a few seconds to regenerate, in which you must fire another charged shot at the spiked obelisk behind him. Repeat this enough times, chipping away at the ruin, and a cutscene eventually plays in which the Skedar king is crushed and the day is saved. Three more Skedar kings appear in a bonus mission where you play as a Maian soldier; though these can be fought more traditionally, they’re by no means less lethal.

Additional Features:
There is loads to unlock in Perfect Dark and loads of replay value packed into the game. Every mission hides a mysterious piece of cheese that, while useless, is fun to spot. You can tackle every mission on different difficulties to challenge yourself, visit different areas, and accomplish different, more difficult objectives. You can play the main campaign alongside (or against) a friend and explore the Carrington Institute hub world and take on a series of tutorial training scenarios that not only teach you the basics and complexities of the controls but also unlocks a virtual reality duelling simulator where you engage in firefights with various characters. There’s also a shooting range where you’ll unlock classic GoldenEye 007 weapons if you achieve a “gold” rating and, like in that game, clearing missions with fast times on various difficulties unlocks some fun cheats. These grant you invincibility, extra shields, unlimited ammo, and all guns but also enlarge characters’ heads, speed up your punches, shrink characters, and allow you to play as Elvis! Clearing the game on each difficulty unlocks bonus missions, such as another visit to the dataDyne tower, this time as Mr. Blonde (in possession of a limited cloak) to apprehend Cassandra, a return to the Skedar home world (as and alongside Maians) to defeat three more Skedar kings, and another mission where Elvis battles through the G5 building. This version of the game also comes with twenty Achievements, with three earned by beating all three difficulty settings, one for clearing the first mission, one for completing one mission in co-op and another for clearing a mission in counter-operative mode, and another for killing enemies in various ways. You’ll also get Achievements for destroying Carrington’s wine collection, destroying five security cameras, and earning all the leaderboard crowns. Additionally, Rare Replay (Rare, 2015) features bonus materials related to the game and you can create save states when playing on the Nintendo Switch.

Unlock extra modes, classic guns and cheats, or tackle the addictive deathmatch simulator!

Like GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark also boasts a multiplayer deathmatch mode, the “Combat Simulator”, though again this is vastly improved! Now, you can not only select a character to play as but can also customise them to your liking, setting up weapon load outs (or choosing from a preset list) and setting kill, time, or score limits, handicaps, and even the music. There are loads of game options to pick from, such as a standard free-for-all and team-based deathmatches, one-hit kills, slow or fast movement, disabling the radar and/or auto aim, and highlighting players or items. You can play a couple of “capture the flag” variants where you either claim a briefcase or capture an enemy base, score points by hacking terminals, or pursue a randomly selected target. There are sixteen maps to play on once you’ve unlocked them all, with all but three reusing and recycling assets from the main game. Honestly, you won’t be playing on any of these maps as the classic GoldenEye 007 “Facility” map has been recreated as “Felicity” and is the only map you’ll ever need (though two other classic arenas are also available). At the end of each round, all players receive some stats showing how well they played and are given a ranking that either commends them or chastises them for “camping” or playing dishonourably. Perhaps the best aspect of the Combat Simulator is that you don’t need friends to play as you can customise “Simulants” of various difficulties to play alongside or against you, changing their behaviour and weapons to suit your gameplay. There are also thirty challenges to complete in this mode, with you awarded up to three stars for completing them, which task you with playing each loadout against different Simulants with different weapon sets and rules. This sees you playing king of the hill with only pistols, using cloaking devices and N-Grenades, fighting in slow motion, or desperately trying to keep hold of the briefcase while one-hit kills are enabled. I wasted so much time on this mode back on the Nintendo 64 and it’s honestly such a blast to play that it baffles me more online only, asymmetrical games didn’t include this for offline single player.

Final Thoughts:
As a massive fan of GoldenEye 007 as a kid (and to this day), I naturally snapped up Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64 and played it to death. I marvelled at how visually superior it was to is predecessor, how the controls and gunplay were refined and enhanced, and at how much more lively and interesting enemies and environments were. I loved how packed full of little details and content the game was, from the co-op and counter-operative modes, to the unlockable cheats and weapons, to the incredibly addictive Combat Simulator and it’s other challenges. Decades later, I jumped at the chance to experience the game in high definition as part of Rare Replay and I wasn’t disappointed. The graphics and gameplay had only been enhanced further, resulting in a slick, smooth game that makes shooting baddies and saving aliens a blast. However, Perfect Dark has some flaws. The improved graphics highlight the odd textures, some areas are either too dark or you’re blinded by lights, and some missions can be needlessly challenging since the objectives are so obtuse. I’ve never been a big fan of Joanna either and find her a bit obnoxious and annoying, but the main reason Perfect Dark loses out on a perfect score is simply that it isn’t GoldenEye 007 and I always found myself choosing that game over this one because of how powerful nostalgia is. That’s definitely unfair as Perfect Dark is a five-star game, but I’ve always felt a touch of sadness that it wasn’t a true GoldenEye 007 sequel. Still, this is a fantastic FPS game and perhaps the best FPS on the Nintendo 64. The sheer amount of unlockables and options make it well worth the money and it’s one of the few games that really got the most out of the console. While it’s a shame it released too late in the day to make as big an impression as GoldenEye 007, I always enjoy revisiting it and have a greater appreciation for it now than I did as a teenager.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Were you a fan of Perfect Dark? Do you agree that it’s better than GoldenEye 007 in every way except for nostalgia? What did you think to Joanna’s character and the improved graphics? Were you a fan of the bonkers sci-fi plot or did you find it a bit out of left field? Which mission and/or weapon was your most or least favourite? ere you a fan of the Combat Simulator? Would you like to see more of Perfect Dark and what are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated videogames? Tell me what you think about Perfect Dark in the comments, then check out my other sci-fi content, and support me on Ko-Fi if you want me to play more Perfect Dark videogames.

Game Corner: Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64)

Dr. K5 Comments

Released: 29 June 1998
Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

The Background:
Beginning life as Ultimate Play the Game and having established themselves as one of the biggest UK-based video game development companies, Rare built a strong working relationship with Nintendo after revitalising their Donkey Kong franchise on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Eager to capitalise on this success, Rare began work on “Project Dream”, an ambitious adventure game starring first a sword-wielding boy and eventually a bear with a backpack. As the project grew, Rare switched development to the upcoming Nintendo 64, eventually retooling the concept into a 2.5D sidescroller and, ultimately, a 3D action/platformer collectathon heavily inspired by Super Mario 64 (Nintendo EAD, 1996). Rare’s staff ballooned and their work hours increased as they sought to refine the 3D camera system and encourage player exploration across multiple, colourful worlds, infusing the game with a quirky, British sense of humour. Unfortunately, a multiplayer mode was scrapped due to time constraints alongside an ambitious plan to swap data between cartridges to unlock extra content. Banjo-Kazooie was universally praised, with critics praising the gameplay and visuals and technical superiority over Super Mario 64, though the camera was criticised as being unwieldy at times. Although we’ve been denied a long-running series of sequels, we got a Game Boy Advance spin-off and an equally lauded sequel followed in 2000, the characters appeared in various spin-offs and limited merchandise, and Banjo-Kazooie is widely regarded as one of the best and most pivotal 3D platformers of all time.

The Plot:
When his sister is kidnapped by the vain Gruntilda “Grunty” Winkybunion, dim-witted Banjo and loud-mouthed Kazooie quest to retrieve the magical Notes and Jiggies in Grunty’s lair to rescue the terrified bear cub.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Banjo-Kazooie is a 3D action/platformer collectathon in which players guide the titular bear and bird duo across nine main worlds, accessed via a main hub world, searching for magical jigsaw pieces (“Jiggies”) and Musical Notes to unlock additional worlds and progress further up Grunty’s lair to rescue Banjo’s sister, Tooty. You begin outside on Spiral Mountain, a diverse area where players can choose to learn or practice the duo’s moves, which are taught by the short-sighted mole Bottles, whom you’ll encounter at various molehills. Banjo and Kazooie have various moves to take out enemies and traverse the game’s worlds, some of which are similar to Mario’s 3D abilities and others which are unique to them. Banjo takes the lead and swipes with his claws in a short combo with B or rolls into enemies when running and pressing B. A sees him jump and pressing it again in mid-air sees him get a boost from Kazooie to cross small gaps. Pressing B in mid-air performs the super useful Rat-a-Tat Rap, where Kazooie pecks at enemies, while holding Z and pressing B when standing still sees Kazooie charge with her peak. Pressing A when standing still sees the duo backflip to higher areas and you can hold either A or B when underwater to swim, though you must collect air bubbles or resurface to avoid drowning. Similarly, you restore your health by collecting Honeycombs, extend your life bar by hunting down Extra Honeycombs, and snag an extra life from the golden Banjo trophies dotted around, You have decent control over the camera, but it can be clunky and get stuck on the environment at times. Indeed, the unreliability of the camera and Banjo’s inability to grab ledges are the only gripes I have with the game, but they’re easily dealt with once you get into the swing of things.

The duo’s abilities are expanded with some fun moves and bizarre transformations.

Banjo and Kazooie’s move set expands as you explore the game’s worlds, constantly adding new abilities to your arsenal that are tested by the environments. Kazooie fires eggs from her mouth or butt by holding Z and pressing C-up or C-down, respectively. This can be unwieldy as it’s difficult to precisely aim at targets but it’s great for picking enemies off from a distance and solving certain puzzles, such as extending bridges. The duo perform a ground pound by pressing Z in mid-air to crush enemies or activate switches to open new areas, reveal Jiggies, or start timed challenges. Holding Z and pressing C-left sees Kazooie dash across the landscape, greatly improving your movement speed and allow you to traverse inclines, while pressing C-right sees Kazooie shield Banjo with her wings, effectively making them invincible. Like your egg attacks, this “Wonderwing” ability lasts as long as you have ammo on hand (specifically Gold Feathers). Similarly, you’ll need Red Feathers and a Flight Pad to take to the air, where you can rise higher with A or blast at enemies and targets with B as long as you have Red Feathers to expend. Kazooie can also spring the duo to higher levels using Shock Jump pads, they can climb pipes and trees just by jumping to them, and Kazooie uses special shoes to vastly (if temporarily) increase her running speed or carry the duo across brambles and red-hot quicksand. You’ll also find numerous Mumbo Tokens everywhere; collect enough and the mystical shaman, Mumbo Jumbo, transforms the duo into various forms. These include a termite, a bee, a tiny crocodile, and a stout little walrus, with the transformation automatically ending once you venture far enough from the world. These forms are both amusing and incredibly useful: Banjo’s pumpkin form, for example, squeezes him into small spaces while his walrus form allows him to compete in a sledge race against the lazy polar bear, Boggy. The bee form lets you fly indefinitely by tapping B (though it’s even more unwieldy than the regular flying) and the termite allows you to clamber up steep surfaces that even best the Talon Trot. The crocodile form is the only one that can attack, snapping its jaws with B and easily crossing piranha-infested water, but it’s very small and no match for the bigger, tougher Mister Vile.

You use all the duo’s abilities to complete various missions to acquire Jiggies.

Like Super Mario 64, each world contains numerous collectibles you need to open new areas. There are 100 Musical Notes in each world and, when you leave the world, the Notes reset, so you’re better off collecting them all on your first go-through (which is possible, even when some areas require additional abilities to access). There are also ten Jiggies in each world, with one awarded when you find the five colourful Jinjos hiding in each world. Some Jiggies are out in the open, sitting on ruins or reached with a bit of platforming or careful traversal over narrow platforms, and others are guarded by bosses, revealed by hitting switches, or earned by solving puzzles. You’ll be smashing huts, hitting targets, completing races and timed events (such as jumping through hoops), and fending off waves of enemies to earn Jiggies. You’ll also aid various non-playable characters (NPCs), such as finding Captain Blubber’s gold, finding Boggy’s kids’ lost Christmas presents, rescuing Snorkel from a weighty anchor, and collecting acorns so Nabnuts can hibernate. Unlike in Super Mario 64, you’re not booted from the world upon collecting a Jiggy and your progress is saved even if you lose a life, though your Notes won’t be. Like that game, Jiggies are also found in the hub world, spawning when you activate switches in the main worlds, and you’ll also play some fun mini games to collect them. You’ll perform with Tiptup’s choir, spell out the game’s title on a sandcastle floor and on a Ouija board, match tiles and race through mazes in ancient pyramids, fly through hexagonal rings, defend sentient Christmas lights, and brave a dangerous fan room all to claim a prize. Jiggies become especially obtuse in Click Clock Wood, a world split into four seasonal sub-sections. You must complete tasks in the spring and summer to earn Jiggies in autumn and winter and vice versa, sprouting and watering a plant and helping Gnwaty throughout the seasons. The difficulty can spike in Clanker’s Cavern and Rusty Bucket Bay, where drowning is a constant threat alongside bottomless pits and polluted water that, like its ice-cold variants, quickly saps your air and health.

Presentation:
Banjo-Kazooie is an absolutely gorgeous game that still holds up today. Obviously, the game looks and runs a lot smoother on the modern re-releases but even the Nintendo 64 original stands the test of time thanks to its colourful visuals and quirky, fairytale-like world. Everything is so full of life and it’s truly remarkable and amusing. Banjo and Kazooie play pranks on each other when left idle, making daft sounds when jumping and attacking, and even the enemies are lively and peculiar, reacting when they spot you (my favourite’s being the Seaman Grublins, who shout an enthusiastic “Hi!” before charging!) Banjo, Kazooie, and all their supporting cast (and even collectibles) chatter with a whimsical babbling, communicating through gibberish, text bubbles, and pantomime movements. Enemies and hazards taunt you, collectibles encourage you to grab them, Bottles and Kazooie bicker constantly, and Grunty taunts you relentlessly as you explore or fail challenges. There’s a little bit of fog and pop-up but I can forgive it considering how large and varied each world is, especially compared to Super Mario 64. Like in that game, players visit worlds via a hub world, but these are unlocked in a fun and interesting way. You may need to explore or activate a switch to reach the puzzle pad and unlock the world, or activate a switch within the worlds to affect the hub world, and utilise various coloured cauldrons to fast travel throughout Grunty’s lair. Grant Kirkhope brings every environment to life with his infectious and whimsical soundtrack, which changes as you explore, becoming muted when underwater or ominous when exploring more dangerous areas. Grunty’s lair is a prime example, with Kirkhope’s rendition of “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” warping and changing in each area. The soundtrack is, honestly, one of the best parts of the game and immediately makes an impact with Mumbo’s Mountain and only improves from there. Freezeezy Peak has a Christmassy overture that perfectly matches its festive aesthetic, Mad Monster Mansion is suitably spooky, and Click Clock Wood’s music alters depending on the season.

The game’s quirky humour is matched by colourful visuals and an infectious soundtrack.

The worlds on offer are as unique as the game’s quirky humour, which is both snappy and witty and very British at times. While things start very tame in Mumbo’s Mountain, which has no bottomless spits or hazards to worry about (except maybe drowning or taking fall damage), drowning or being bitten by Snacker are constant threats in Treasure Trove Cove, which highlights how large and varied the game’s worlds are with its beach, open sea, lighthouse, and pirate ship. Clanker’s Cavern (essentially Grunty’s sewer) introduces air bubbles to keep you from drowning and centres around the enormous semi-cybernetic shark Clanker and the duo’s efforts to both scale and explore within him. Bubblegloop Swamp is a suitably murky and hazardous environment thanks to the narrow platforms over piranha-infested water, which test your platforming skills. The world branches off to a maze and a giant crocodile, and meeting Tiptup inside a giant turtle. Freezeezy Peak is comparatively smaller but has always been a favourite, despite the ice-cold water and the tricky flying challenges. The annoying Sir Slushes and NPCs like Boggy and his kids and the anxious Wozza the Walrus add a lot of depth to the area. I was never a fan of Gobi’s Valley, which is treacherous like Freezeezy Peak but trickier to traverse as you need to fly, run, ride magic carpets, and complete timed challenges to get inside its pyramids. You’ll brutalise poor Gobi to earn Jiggies, feed Rubee’s snake, and tackle ancient challenges to claim prizes. I’ve always enjoyed Mad Monster Mansion, another wide and varied world sporting a haunted hedge maze, mansion, and church. Tombstones spring to life, brambles prick your feet, pipes must be scaled and dropped down, and you must race into the church to play a giant organ and sneak past a cantankerous ghost. Rusty Bucket Bay can be very challenging with its polluted water and bottomless pits in the engine room; like Mad Monster Mansion, it can also be easy to get lost as there are so many areas to explore. Finally, Click Clock Wood is actually four worlds in one and changes with each season, introducing different enemies and hazards. You’ll run up piles of leaves and snow mounds, for example, or platform using blossoming leaf platforms, but also find the water dried up, frozen over, or some areas are inaccessible depending on the season.

Enemies and Bosses:
Banjo and Kazooie encounter some bizarre enemies on their quest. You can practice your moves against the anthropomorphic vegetables patrolling Spiral Mountain and battle territorial termites and the first of many Grublin variants in Mumbo’s Mountain. Most enemies aren’t much of a threat as, while Buzzbombs swoop at you, Bigbutts try to gore you and can only be stunned, and Chinkers duplicate when hit, but most are easily taken out with a few hits. As you progress further through Grunty’s lair, her Gruntling minions become more durable and the beehives that yield Honeycombs are protected by swarms of bees, adding some challenge to each encounter. Mum-mums and Tee-hees pose a problem as they can only be destroyed with the Wonderwing, while Boom Boxes and Sharpnel mines explode when defeated or they make contact with you. Various Chompas burst from pipes and portraits to deliver a jump scare or take a bite out of you, often knocking you from high places if you’re slow to Rat-a-Tat Rap. Life rings and pipes come to life, monsters burst from wooden panels, mutated and regular crabs must be tipped over to attack their vulnerable bellies, and thrashing tentacles clog up tunnels alongside many environmental hazards. These include fan blades, scorching hot lava, brambles, freezing cold water, unseen piranha, and stinging sandworms but one of your biggest obstacles will be fall damage and bottomless spits, especially by the end game. While you can mitigate fall damage by landing in water or using the Feathery Flap, you’re more likely to plummet to the ground and take considerable damage, so be sure to watch your step, especially in Click Clock Wood. You’ll also have to be mindful of the likes of Snacker and Chump (who are difficult to defeat as the duo have no swimming attacks), Slappas (mummified hands that try to squash you) and the snowballs tossed by the jeering Sir Slushes.

The few boss battles are fun challenges that perfectly match the game’s light-hearted tone.

Banjo-Kazooie is a little light on traditional boss battles. While there are larger or challenging enemies battled in each world to acquire Jiggies, I would only classify a few as being traditional bosses. In Mumbo’s Mountain, for example, you battle Conga atop a tree. You must trick him into tossing his oranges to hit three switches for a Jiggy, feed one of his fruits to a hungry monkey for another, and then head up top to fire eggs at him for a third, but he’s more of an obstacle than a boss. While a tougher crab enemy awaits inside Treasure Trove Cove’s sandcastle, the gigantic Nipper is the game’s first real boss. He tries to clip you with his massive claws but it’s easy to dodge them and Rat-a-Tat Rap his eyes; three hits and he’s done, allowing you to enter his shell for a Jiggy. The closest Clanker’s Cavern has to a boss are the mutated Snippets you fight in a radioactive chamber. Similarly, you battle a gauntlet of frog-like Flibbets in Bubblegloop Swamp and a swarm Zubbas in Clock Clock Wood when you venture into their hive. Bubblegloop Swamp kind of has a boss in Mr. Vile, a mean crocodile who challenges Banjo’s croc form to gobble coloured worms but who isn’t fought in the traditional sense. Similarly, Sir Slushes supplant a boss battle in Freezeezy Peak; you must charge into them when flying to take them out and smash a larger Chinker to earn a Jiggy. Boggy also challenges you to two sledge races, one against your walrus form and one where you’ll need Kazooie’s speed shoes to win, with both being tricky due to you having to pass through slalom gates and avoid the freezing cold water. The closest Gobi’s Valley comes to a boss is when you race to swipe a Jiggy from Grabba, while Mad Monster Mansion simply has you sneak up on Napper. Rusty Bucket Bay does feature a showdown with Boss Boom Box, but it’s essentially just a bigger version of fighting a regular Bomb Box. He’ll split into smaller forms, exploding on contact, so either use your eggs or the Wonderwing, if you have enough Gold Feathers.

The final showdown with Grunty rightfully tests all the skills you’ve learned throughout.

Even when you finally reach the top of Grunty’s lair and confront her, you must first endure Grunty’s Furnace Fun, a quiz show you must complete without dropping to the insta-death lava below. The quiz tests your knowledge of the game, asking you to name worlds and characters, identify music, and even battle previous bosses. As you explore Grunty’s lair, you’ll inevitably meet her kindly sister, Brentilda, who tells secrets about Grunty that’ll be answers in this quiz. Honeycombs and extra lives are strewn about the board and you can earn Joker cards to skip challenges, each of which is timed and deals damage if you fail. You can also take different paths to the end, where you’ll be treated to a roll call and what appears to be the ending before the duo realise that Grunty escaped! You then venture to the rooftop for the final showdown, stocking up on ammo if you have enough Magical Notes to open the doors. The battle against Grunty has multiple phases, each one ending with her tossing a homing shot that you must defend against with the Wonderwing. In the first phase, Grunty swoops down on her broomstick; you must Talon Trot out the way and hit her with a Rat-a-Tat Rap three times, dodging her explosive fireballs after each hit. Things get tricky in the second phase; not only do you have to avoid slipping to your doom but Grunty’s now out of reach. She tosses multiple fireballs from afar and you have a very small window to hop on the ledge and pelt her with eggs, which is incredibly tricky without precision aiming. If you hit her enough times, she’ll fly high up, forcing you to use a Flight Pad to follow. While her fireballs are easily avoided, it’s not so easy to direct your Beak Bomb but, eventually, you’ll hit her enough to cause her to erect an impenetrable shield. In this phase, you activate the Jinjo statues with your eggs, avoiding Grunty’s shots, to bring her to the ground, then frantically avoid her barrage of fireballs and homing shots to power up the Jinjonator and send her plummeting to her doom.

Additional Features:
There are 100 Jiggies to collect in Banjo-Kazooie, ten in each world and ten in Grunty’s lair. While you don’t need all of them to unlock every world, you will need plenty to solve jigsaw puzzles and earn an upgrade to your life bar prior to the final showdown. There are also 900 Musical Notes to find, 100 in each world, which again you’ll need if you want to access every area of Grunty’s lair and the ammo stocks prior to the final boss. You can return to any world at any time to hunt down any Jiggies and Notes you’re missing and check your progress from the pause menu. Each world also has two hidden Extra Honeycombs which are worth collecting as you’ll extend your health bar with them, alongside multiple Mumbo Tokens, which you’ll need to change form. If you explore Grunty’s lair, you’ll activate cauldrons to create short cuts and discover Cheato, Grunty’s rebellious cheat book who gives codes to enter in Treasure Trove Cove’s sandcastle to increase your eggs and feather stocks. You can also utilise online guides to enter longer cheat codes in the same way to access mysterious eggs and a giant Ice Key, items that are completely useless here but unlock extras in the Xbox 360 version. There are other cheats you can enter as well to give you infinite lives, eggs, feathers, and air, though some of these cheats disable leaderboards and saving on the Xbox 360 version. Speaking of which, there are twelve Achievements in this version that are all simple to get, whereas the Nintendo Switch version lets you create save states. Finally, you can return to Banjo’s house and complete Bottles’ timed jigsaw puzzle challenges for additional fun cheats, my favourite being one that transforms Banjo and Kazooie into a washing machine!

The Summary:
I played Banjo-Kazooie to death as a kid. I was absolutely enamoured by everything, from its quirky characters to its colourful visuals, and its infectious soundtrack brought me such delight. I searched high and low for every secret I could find, eagerly testing out the sandcastle cheat codes and trying to open doors or find new areas. The game invites this at every turn, encouraging exploration and experimentation and crafting an intricate and enjoyable interconnected world. There are some nitpicks, of course. The camera is finnicky and awkward, flying can be clunky, the life system is antiquated, and it’s annoying that you must recollect Notes each time you enter a world if you don’t get all 100 on the first go. However, these are minor complaints, and the positives far outweigh these issues. I loved that you stay in each world after collecting a Jiggy and that there was a lot of variety in how you acquired them. From simply grabbing them, to completing puzzles, timed challenges, or the odd boss battle, I always felt a sense of accomplishment with every Jiggy I got. Similarly, the worlds are endlessly enjoyable, even the more annoying ones like Gobi’s Valley. I loved how characters carried over between worlds, how you altered the hub world with switches, and how each world had such a strong visual identity. Banjo and Kazooie steal the show with their quirky antics, versatile move set, and mismatched partnership. I just adore how whimsical and random everything is; it’s a lot of fun encountering new, oddball enemies and seeing them taunt the duo. While some elements were refined and expanded in the sequel, Banjo-Kazooie remains the superior game for me. nostalgia has a lot to do with that but I’ll never say no to playing this game. It’s always a joy to come back to it and I was doubly impressed to learn that I remembered how to get everything even though it’s been years since I last played it.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Was Banjo-Kazooie part of your Nintendo 64 library back in the day? If you discovered it on modern platforms, how do you think they hold up to the original? What did you think to the game’s colourful visuals and quirky sense of humour? Which of the Jiggies was the most challenging for you to collect? Were you disappointed by the lack of traditional boss battles? Did you ever find all the game’s secrets and collectibles? Which world was your favourite and would you like to see the bear and bird duo make a proper comeback? I’d love to hear your thoughts and memories of Banjo-Kazooie so please share them in the comments, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other retrogaming content on the site.

Game Corner [Revenge of the 5th]: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)

Dr. K2 Comments

Although May 4th is known the world over as Star Wars Day, many also choose to celebrate the popular, generation-spanning science-fiction saga on May 5th as a play on the word “Sith”. This can extend Star Wars Day into three day celebration of the influential science-fiction series and, as a result, is another great excuse for Star Wars fans to celebrate the beloved franchise in a variety of ways.

Released: 2 December 1996
Developer: LucasArts
Also Available For: PC

The Background:
Now known as a nigh-unstoppable multimedia juggernaut that encompasses movies, toys, cartoons, books, videogames, and comics, the original Star Wars trilogy was initially continued in the “Legends” novels. Accordingly, Lucasfilm’s publishing director, Lucy Autrey Wilson, tapped Bantam editor Lou Aronica and author Steve Perry to develop a Star Wars crossover multimedia event in 1994. The project wouldn’t include a movie but would involve all the media and marketing of a film release, all to coincide with the upcoming release of the 1997 Special Editions of the Original Trilogy. Shadows of the Empire took place between Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983) and was comprised of Perry’s novel, a comic book, an extensive toy line, and this divisive videogame. The game focused on Han Solo-proxy Dash Rendar and was built on a modified version of the Star Wars: Dark Forces (LucasArts, 1995) engine. The decision to focus on Nintendo 64 development led to some issues in properly coding for the system, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto weighed in on the camera and Dash’s characterisation, and all the animations had to be redone manually after Industrial Light & Magic’s motion capture work proved unusable. As mentioned, Shadows of the Empire garnered mixed reviews that noted a strong start let down by subsequent levels. The dodgy camera, clunky controls, and tedious gameplay were also criticised, though it developed a cult following over the years and the PC version was said to iron out some of the kinks. Unfortunately, Shadows of the Empire was de-canonised after Disney purchased the franchise, though Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy once stated that characters like Dash Rendar have come up during discussions about Star Wars projects.

The Plot:
Hired to protect troubled Jedi Luke Skywalker and assist in rescuing Han Solo, rogue mercenary Dash Rendar finds himself embroiled in pitched battles with not only the Galactic Empire, but a criminal organisation looking to usurp the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is primarily an action/platformer videogame that released early into the Nintendo 64’s lifecycle and takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. After picking and naming one of four save files (with no need for a memory pak) and selecting their level of difficulty, players assume the role of mercenary for hire and Han Solo-proxy Dash Rendar and journey across ten levels to defend the Rebel Alliance from the evil Galactic Empire, safeguard young Jedi Luke Skywalker, and oppose the mischievous ambitions of the Black Sun criminal empire. Once you’ve chosen a difficulty level, you can’t change it so you’ll need to start a new save file if, say, “Medium” is too difficult for you. You can enter the “Options” menu to customise the heads-up display (HUD), which displays your current health and weapon energy or ammo, as well as toggle the option to switch to following your heat-seeking missiles and customise the game’s controls. Shadows of the Empire maps different buttons to different functions depending on the level you’re playing; while six levels see you control Dash on foot, two take place in space, one sees you controlling a Snowspeeder, and another has you racing around on a swoop bike. When on foot, you can change your viewpoint with the Left trigger, directional pad (D-pad), or C-right, switching between a standard third-person view, a first-person perspective, a top-down view, and a dynamic “movie” angle that hampers the already cumbersome controls. The Right trigger opens doors and activates consoles and you can hold it to strafe which, when used alongside the Z trigger, gives you better aiming accuracy. You jump with A and, when you have a jetpack, can burn rocket fuel by holding this button. B fires your weapon, with Dash’s standard blaster automatically recharging but growing weaker the more you use it. You switch weapons with C-up, crouch to take cover or avoid incoming hazards with C-down, and hold C-right to activate the “Leebo Scanner” (if you collect enough “Challenge Points”), which essentially functions as a map.

Press switches, uncontrollably fly across gaps, and wrestle with Dash’s jetpack to clear levels.

While Dash’s default blaster and jetpack automatically refill if given time, you must blast crates and search around the environment for additional ammo. You get a useful heat-seeking shot that are good for taking out groups of enemies at mid-range, a flamethrower for close encounters, a quick-fire pulse cannon that’s annoyingly erratic, a stun shot to freeze enemies, and a powerful disruptor blast that’ll damage you if you’re not careful! Health packs of different sizes can be found if you open nooks and crannies, search around, or blow open crates. You’ll also find the odd extra life and invincibility if you look hard enough, and you’ll earn additional extra lives for every Challenge Point you find. Much of your time in Shadows of the Empire is spent running around narrow corridors, samey environments, or the odd slightly more open areas. Every time you control Dash on foot, you’re charged with exploring, gunning down enemies, and activating a butt-load of switches. These open doors, release Wampas to attack enemies (and you!), allow you to take elevators to other floors, and lower barriers so you can progress. Dash is ridiculously awkward to control, lumbering about as though you were using tank controls, and easily slipping off ledges. His jump is unnecessarily floaty and carries his momentum forward, meaning it’s easy to miss platforms and overshoot your jumps and be sent plummeting to your doom. This is especially aggravating in the Ord Mantell Junkyard, where players must jump between trains and duck under hazards, switching tracks and hoping they don’t overshoot their landing. It’s equally tough controlling Dash with his jetpack, not just because he flies around as if covered in grease, but you must constantly land to recharge your thrusters and the game doesn’t make it clear which way you need to go, meaning it’s easy to get turned around. Although the jetpack doesn’t run out underwater, you’ll drown if you stay submerged for too long. Dash also takes fall damage, must use floating and/or spinning platforms to progress, and must avoid hazards like icequakes, wall and ceiling turrets, spinning blades, and rotating cogs.

While vehicle sections are a nice change of pace, they’re too short or aggravating to be that enjoyable.

Things aren’t much easier when you’re playing the game’s handful of vehicle sections. You start off recreating the battle of Hoth in a Snowspeeder, using L or R to decrease your speed, A to speed up, B to fire upon Imperial Probe Droids and All-Terrain Scout Transports (AT-STs), and snagging All-Terrain Armoured Transports (AT-ATs) with your tow cable with Z. Though you can switch perspectives with C-right and the D-pad, it’s best to stay in third-person mode here as the Snowspeeder is surprisingly heavy and unresponsive. It’s hard to make tight turns and easy to accidentally plough into enemies or catch yourself on an AT-AT’s legs as you circle them to bring them down. Dash escapes Hoth in the Millennium Falcon Outrider, getting caught in an asteroid field just like in The Empire Strikes Back. This level is more like a bonus round where you blast waves of Twin-Ion Engine (TIE) Fighters and TIE Bombers with A or B, take out asteroids for Challenge Points, and waiting for your stock of missiles to recharge so you can blow up groups of TIEs with C-down, C-left, R, or Z. Using C-right or L to switch to the cockpit view can be advantageous here, though you can’t replenish the Outrider’s shields so don’t dawdle too long. In the final stage, you repeat this section in the first half and then race away from the exploding Skyhook, using A to accelerate and tilt your craft to avoid obstacles and R to decelerate. Finally, when on Tatooine, Dash must race against and take out a swoop bike gang looking to assassinate Luke, a task easier said than done since the swoop bike is a nightmare to control! You blast off at break-neck speed at the mere touch of A or C-left, crashing into anything and everything in your way and awkwardly reversing with B when you inevitably get caught on environment. You can switch viewpoints with C-right or the D-pad and must use L or R (or Z) to ram into the other bikers to keep them away from Luke. Even if you take them out in Mos Eisley, it’s easy to crash and burn in Beggar’s Cannon thanks to the high-speed action and narrow passages.

Dash’s simple objectives are compounded by clunky controls and frustrating gameplay.

Each level has a specific mission, related by Luke or Dash’s robot partner, Leebo, though gameplay mainly amounts to blasting enemies and activating switches. In the first and final stages, Rogue Squadron fight beside you and you must be careful not to hit them, or the shield generator on Hoth, or you’ll be penalised. An onscreen radar helps guide you in the flying and chase sections but, by default, you have no such help when on foot so it’s best to follow the bodies you leave behind if you get lost. Dash must take lifts and cross bridges, watching his step to reach new areas and activate switches, often while being forced to complete platforming challenges that look easy but are made far too frustrating thanks to his janky jump. As if this wasn’t bad enough in the Ord Mantell Junkyard, you also have to blast targets to lower barriers and hop onto carriage roofs to progress, and you’ll often be flying blind in Gall Spaceport thanks to the awful fog effects. This level is where ethe gameplay loop really starts to become tiresome and claustrophobic, maze-like locations like the Imperial Freighter Suprosa and Xizor’s Palace don’t make this any easier. You’ll find Stormtroopers and tough-as-nail robots lurking around every corner, shootouts in narrow corridors, switches that open alternating doors, forked paths, spinning turbines, and a labyrinth of cargo bays. This even carries through to the dank sewers of the Imperial City, where spiral chasms lead to murky sewage water that hides Dianogas and yet more switches! You must navigate this ugly-ass brick and filth maze to acquire an access key and force field deactivator, shooting targets in spinning tunnel to progress and dodging spinning spokes in narrow pipe to reach the end. Bottomless pits dog you throughout Hoth and the Gall Spaceport, but also return in Xizor’s Palace as a cheap way to up the difficulty of the end game. While you get infinite lives on “Easy” mode, “Medium” or higher limit your lives to make the game even tougher, though it’s a challenge and a half even on “Easy due to the clunky controls, Dash’s overly enthusiastic jump, and his struggles to aim upwards!

Presentation:
As Shadows of the Empire was an early Nintendo 64 title, your mileage may very regarding the presentation. There’s no question that the PC version had better, crisper graphics, especially for the game’s cutscenes, however I do like the artwork used for these cutscenes in the Nintendo 64 version. They’re incredible basic, barely having any animation and relying entirely on text to convey the story, but they’re beautifully rendered and capture the likenesses of familiar characters like Luke and Han really well. As the main character, Dash gets more time to shine here than in the comic book, showcasing an arrogant bravado and his commitment to aiding the Rebellion (for the right price). The game is divided into “parts”, which each part using the traditional Star Wars scroll to give an overview of the story, and is bolstered by samples of John Williams’ many Star Wars compositions. The “Imperial March” is mixed into the boss theme, for example, and “The Asteroid Field!” blares during the Outrider segments, but original compositions such as “Xizor’s Palace” also impressed despite some getting repetitive. While Shadows of the Empire does use some limited sound bites (Dash grunts and Stormtroopers yell basic demands), Dash is an awful polygonal model with little character beyond occasionally firing his blaster like a six-shooter. Many of the enemies don’t fare much better, being a mess of childish polygons from even mid-view and proving why the game relies so heavily on obscuring fog. This is at its worst in the Gall Spaceport and when navigating the murky sewer waters, where visibility is near zero, though the game doesn’t exactly make up for it in the Outrider sections, opting to use a plain black void or a distinctly blurry asteroid skybox. Yet, the game performs fairly well (save for some instances where you get a peak outside of the game map), with enemy bodies remaining visible, the HUD changing colour as you take damage, and some fun Easter Eggs.

Despite being visually faithful to the films, the game’s visuals struggle, even on the PC.

These are mainly seen in familiar locations. Echo Base, for example, sports the shield generator, sees the Millennium Falcon flee for the asteroid belt, and even includes the captive Wampas from a deleted scene. You’ll spot Imperial shuttles waiting in shuttle bays, Star Destroyers loom in the background in space (though they pose no threat), Mos Eisley spaceport and market rushes past in impressive detail, and Imperial locations like the Suprosa and their multiple outposts recreate the aesthetic of the various Star Destroyers and the Death Stars with an impressive fidelity. There are some fun moments, like exploring inside the Outrider (which echoes the interior of the Falcon) and being sent away by Leebo, and opportunities to find goodies if you explore a little bit. You’ll also see the same walkways, lifts, doors, control panels, and switches as in the movies, and visit locations previously only spoken about, like Ord Mantell. Sadly, Ord Mantell is one of the weaker levels; it’s a mess of brown and junk, with rivers of sludgy water and numerous walkways to avoid. Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars (Nintendo EAD, 1997) did a similar level far better and the same is true when comparing the space sections. The Outrider is too limited and clunky to be all that manoeuvrable and is nothing compared to the slick controls of the Arwing, with Star Fox 64 even doing Shadows’ finale far better and it didn’t release that long after this game! Unfortunately, while Shadows of the Empire goes to great lengths to recreate and build upon the visuals of the movies, everything is painfully generic at times. If you’ve seen one claustrophobic, toxic sewer full of crud, you’ve seen them all…and you can barely see this one because of the fog! I liked the sense of scale in Xizor’s Palace, however, which was very grandiose and gothic, and that the game’s performance wasn’t affected by slowdown even when large polygonal models were onscreen.

Enemies and Bosses:
There isn’t much enemy variety in Shadows of the Empire, which plays things very safe for the most part. Every enemy has a % life meter that gets tougher to whittle down the bigger they are and the more you progress, and they fall into four camps: ground troops, automatons, robots, and ships. Ground troops include Stormtroopers (and their Snowtrooper variants), Imperial Commandos, and Train Guards. The Storm- and Snowtroopers blast at you haphazardly, plummeting to their deaths with a familiar scream if you shoot them just right and occasionally manning turrets to dish out greater damage. Imperial Commandos are more heavily armoured and more likely to take cover, while Train Guards are far less formidable and simply stab you with their lances. Automatons include Imperial Probe Droids, Seeker Droids, and Interrogator Droids. These float about, often rising from chasms, and blast at you, with some being harder to hit and tougher to destroy than others. You’ll also get blasted by turrets and IG Drones, which are always on hand to chip away at your health. While the Empire employs Sentry Droids (essentially killer versions of R2-D2), IG-88 and Xizor love to dog your progress with some tough-ass humanoid robots. Not only can these fire very rapidly but they can tank your basic blaster, meaning you may have to expend your better ammo to down them, ammo best saved for the game’s bosses. As for craft, you’ll blast at AT-STs in your Snowspeeder and bring down AT-ATs with your tow cable and shoot countless TIE Fighters and TIE Bombers from the void in the Outrider. These attack in groups, firing lasers or bombs, but are mere cannon fodder compared to Xizor’s more nimble Space Vipers. These are far harder to track and hit and charge up bombs that lock onto you, easily reducing the Outrider to scrap metal thanks to their seemingly endless numbers.

Some recognisable crafts and characters appear as troublesome boss encounters.

Every level but the vehicle stages ends in a boss battle (and, even then, you could classify the AT-ATs as bosses) that Dash must face on foot and with the heat-seeking function of his seeker shot disabled. The first boss you fight is an AT-ST that’s entered Echo Base. It stomps about firing its forward guns and absorbing your shots unless you target its “head”. You can use the crates and upper walkways to take the high ground and grab some resources, but your best bet is to run underneath it, aim upwards, and unload. Another AT-ST awaits in the Gall Spaceport, though this time there are no upper walkways to flee to, no resources nearby, and the jetpack is barely an advantage as it’s so slippery to control. If you manage to make it past the aggravating train section in Ord Mantell, you’ll battle the mechanical bounty hunter IG-88 in a literal scrapheap. IG-88 leaps about the place, rapidly firing his pulse cannon and being difficult to track since he disappears behind and blends into the environment. Your best bet is to stay on the move, corner him, and unload with seekers but you must watch your step or else you’ll fall into a furnace! At the end of the Gall Spaceport, you enter into a two-phase battle with Boba Fett, who flies about using his own jetpack, firing from his blaster and sending out a seeking missile. You can try chasing him, but you risk running out of jetpack thrust and taking fall damage so it’s better to take cover and wait for him to stay still. After enough hits, Boba Fett hops into Slave 1 and rotates in the centre of the arena firing his main cannons. Like with the AT-ST, you can just camp underneath him and fire upwards for an easy win. The Suprosa’s super computer is guarded by a Loader Droid that seems intimidating due to its size and the big shuttle bay devoid of resources, however it’s a bit of a joke. It’s very slow, meaning you can easily run circles around it and avoid its extendable arms, and unload with your seekers.

If you’re not playing on at least “Medium”, all your battles are seemingly pointless.

Upon reaching the end of the sewers, Dash is attacked by a giant Dianoga. This titanic, octopus-like creature is fought in the murky sewer water, so it’s very difficult to see and target its tentacles. Thankfully, its only attack is to bash you with its spiked appendages, which you can destroy with a few shots, and its main eye is an easy target. However, because you’re forced to manoeuvre with the clunky jetpack and mainly underwater, your greatest hazards will be the controls and reaching the surface to take a breath. After battling through Xizor’s Palace, you’ll face off against his mighty Gladiator Droid in a three-phase battle that can be a troublesome encounter. While the first phase is ridiculously easy (simply run around the cumbersome droid, avoiding its eye lasers and missile barrage and blasting it to 0% health), the second phase ups the ante. Here, the droid’s torso separates, and you’re dropped into a maze full of a handful of resources and dead ends. The Gladiator Droid hovers overhead firing eye lasers, missiles, and a rapid-fire pulse cannon but, again, you can avoid most of its barrage by staying beneath it and unloading with any seekers you have. In phase three, the boss’s head tries to finish you off and you must stay away from it (utilising your jetpack when allowed since it starts to malfunction) and fire any remaining disrupter blasts you have to finish it. This is the last on-foot section so don’t be shy and just go for it! Finally, Dash takes to the Outrider to join the assault upon Prince Xizor’s Skyhook. In this final stage, you must ignore the Star Vipers and TIE Fighters and destroy the Skyhook’s turrets, flying in and blasting them before they can shred you. Take them all out and you must carefully get the Outrider into the Skyhook itself, dodging obstacles to land shots on the main core. Make a few passes and hit it enough times and the Skyhook will burst into flames, forcing you to retreat before you’re caught in the explosion.

Additional Features:
There are four difficulty levels on offer in Shadows of the Empire, with each one offering a different stock of lives (from infinite to three) and changing the challenge offered by the enemies. It’s recommended that you play on at least “Medium”, however, as that’s the only way to see the true ending and learn that Dash survived the finale. Every level contains an assortment of “Challenge Points” to either find or earn. These are either out in the open, hidden behind certain doors, down certain paths, or in hidden cervices, or earned by defeating AT-ATS or destroying special red asteroids. Collecting them all on each difficulty level unlocks some fun additional extras, such as the Leebo Scanner, invincibility, and the ability to pilot an X-Wing or TIE Fighter in the final battle. If you’d rather take the quick and easy path, however, you can give your save file a specific name and activate some useful cheats, such as skipping any sections that aren’t on-foot missions, viewing the credits, accessing every level, and an extremely useful debug mode that grants a host of cheeky abilities. You can also use these same cheats to play as enemy characters, from Stormtroopers to Wampas and even an AT-ST! Finally, your completion time is recorded for each level, so speedrunners or those seeking an extra challenge can try to beat their best times if they like.

The Summary:
When I was a kid, everyone who had a Nintendo 64 had Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It was one of the most common games in our libraries and this is the third time I’ve owned it, though not the first I’ve beaten it. I was also a huge fan of the book, the Shadows of the Empire concept, and the comic book. Does that mean the videogame is any good, though? Well…no. Shadows of the Empire is an incredibly basic and clunky experience, even for an early-days Nintendo 64 title. Everything it does was done better in other games, even ones that released not long after it, with Star Fox 64 being the far better alternative. As much as I like Dash Rendar, he’s a painfully redundant and awkward character, floating through the air and slipping to his death with the slightest twitch of the control stick. It seems the developers didn’t know how best to use the Nintendo 64 control pad and insisted on mapping useless functions to every button but neglected to inject anything interesting into the gameplay beyond dodgy platforming and switch pressing. The vehicle sections were okay, but more akin to bonus stages, and I enjoyed some of the bosses, though the difficulty spike is all over the place. Tightening the focus onto gunplay, simple puzzle solving, and some shoot-‘em-up sections would’ve definitely made this a more enjoyable experience as the platforming and exploration is arduous and aggravating. There are some fun Easter Eggs and additional features here, and the story is a decent accompaniment to the books and comic, but Shadows of the Empire is only going to appeal to die-hard Star Wars fans…and even then it comes with a lot of caveats. You’re better off playing Star Fox 64 or one of Factor 5’s excellent Star Wars shoot-‘em-ups if you need a 64-bit Star Wars fix.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Was Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire in your Nintendo 64 library back in the day? If so, did you enjoy it? Which of the different gameplay modes was your favourite? What did you think to Dash Rendar and his clunky-ass controls? Which of the boss battles was your favourite? Did you ever see the true ending and collect all the Challenge Points? Which Star Wars videogame is your favourite? How are you celebrating Star Wars this May? Whatever your thought and memories of Shadows of the Empire, feel free to leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Star Wars content across the site.

Mini Game Corner [PokéMonth]: Pokémon Stadium 2 (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K1 Comment

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 either playing Pokémon, watching the anime, playing the trading card game, and watching the feature-length movies as clever marketing saw it become a massively lucrative and popular multimedia powerhouse. Accordingly, February 27th is now internationally recognised as “National Pokémon Day”, which I expanded to an entire month of Pokémon this February.

Released: 12 April 2023
Originally Released: 14 December 2000
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Also Available For: Nintendo 64

A Brief Background:
Pokémon’s status as a cultural phenomenon wasn’t just due to savvy marketing. It was thanks to a slew of merchandise and ancillary media, such as the popular trading card game, that the franchise dominated an entire generation on the Game Boy. Pokémon first made the jump to 3D two years after the original games released with the Japan-exclusive Pocket Monsters’ Stadium, a limited proof of concept initially created for the ill-fated Nintendo 64DD that was quickly followed by Pokémon Stadium (Nintendo EAD, 1999). Impressing with its lauded 3D rendition of the turn-based battles of the mainline games and ability to transfer Game Boy data via the underutilised “Transfer Pak”, Pokémon Stadium became a best-selling Nintendo 64 title. This success naturally led to a follow-up, first showcased at the 2000 Nintendo Space World festival and which expanded the concept to incorporate Pokémon from the second-generation games. Like its predecessor, Pokémon Stadium 2 reviewed well; the game was largely seen as superior to the original, despite including many of the same features and issues, though its sharp difficulty spike was criticised. Like the first game, Pokémon Stadium 2 was stuck on the Nintendo 64 for decades and extremely expensive to buy, until it was finally made available on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak in 2023.

The Review:
Like its predecessor, Pokémon Stadium 2 is a collection of mini games, battles, and various options to gawk at your favourite Pokémon in 3D. In the original release of the game, players could again copy over Pokémon from the Game Boy games (all six versions) to take them into 3D battles against computer-controlled opponents or their friends in single or team-based contests. Of course, this option isn’t available in the Nintendo Switch Online version, but you can still use “rental” Pokémon (though, unlike the CPU’s Pokémon, these can’t be renamed and you can’t change their moves). Although all 251 Pokémon are represented in the game, you won’t get access to Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, or Ho-oh until you clear each of the game’s various battle modes. Rental Pokémon all come with four moves that have decent Type-coverage and try to accommodate different battle styles. For example, your Pokemon may sport a Physical and Special Attack move, a move to buff their stats (speed, defence, etc), and a move of a different Type (such as Ampharous, an Electric-Type, using Dynamicpunch, a Fighting-Type move). If you pick third-stage evolutions (Typhlosion, Lantern, Houndoom, etc) or Legendary Pokémon, your Pokémon will boast better stats (which you can now view when selecting a Pokémon) and more powerful moves, but these moves may have a greater chance of missing or will have less Power Points (PP). This time around, you can visit Earl’s Pokémon Academy and read through various tutorials (presented as “lectures”) to learn the controls and battle mechanics. You can also view stats and details about each Pokémon in the Library, learning about what each move does and viewing details on Type advantages, making it much easier to pick a diverse team and plan your attack strategies. Type advantages are key to scoring wins and, in Pokémon Stadium 2, you’ll need to factor in the new Dark- and Steel-Type moves and Pokémon. Dark-Types finally level the playing field against the all-powerful Psychic-Types, for example, and Steel-Type Pokémon can cut through Rock-Types.

New Types, items, and moves spruce up the battles but the core gameplay remains unchanged.

As ever, moves deal additional damage if you score a “critical hit”, but your Pokémon may also take recoil damage. You’ll need to be mindful of status effects such as being paralyzed or poisoned, though the game’s still rigged so no two Pokémon can be frozen or asleep per battle. As before, you’ll put together a team of six but only battle with three. You’ll see which Pokémon your opponent has but won’t know which ones they’ve picked, though I did find that Trainers and Gym Leaders tended to favour Pokémon of a certain Type this time (when challenging Falkner, for example, he and his underlings mostly used Flying-Type Pokémon). Still, you need to be mindful of enemy Pokémon surprising you with unforeseen moves and dragging battles out with moves like Protect, Disable, and Attract, which can cost you turns. The battle system has been tweaked here to incorporate items; when selecting you team, you can have them hold a single item that will passively take effect in battle. This will restore some health points (HP), or cure status effects like confusion, paralysis, or poisoning; however, you cannot manually use these items, and your opponent also holds the same items. Winning without receiving any damage earns you a continue should you be defeated (though abusing the save state feature greatly aids in this regard) and conquering the four “cups”, each with their own level restrictions and one of four PokéBall-themed trophies. The Gym Leader Castle returns, now pitting you against the Johto Gym Leaders and your Rival (who battles with Mewtwo, Ho-oh, and Lugia!) This time around, each Gym Leader has a different number of underlings you must battle beforehand, and Team Rocket even gatecrash the castle, forcing you to battle them. Besting all the Johto challengers unlocks the Kanto Gym Leader Castle, where you must face the Kanto Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and resident champion, Red, though you won’t have to battle past their understudies. Sadly, there is no big boss battle against a Legendary Pokémon this time around, though you’ll still unlock a much more challenging “Round 2” mode by winning all the cups and besting the Gym Leader Castle. There is a new cup on offer, Challenge Cup, where you’re forced to battle with a set team of Pokémon, and the “Event Battle!” mode is strictly for players with a game cartridge installed. Battles are as basic as before; since the items are limited, you can still get stuck if you’re hit with status ailments and it’s still way too easy to sweep your opponent’s team in a few hits.

Game modes are slightly expanded but it’s primarily a graphically improved copy of the last game.

There are more options to alter the game’s difficulty and you can even create your own rules for free battles and the expanded move and Type pool does mix things up. However, you’ll still be facing non-stop battles to get to Round 2, which can get tedious. The overly enthusiastic announcer returns, though can again be disabled, and Pokémon still don’t scream their names, which is much more true to the source material than the anime. While the returning 3D models aren’t much different, Pokémon Stadium 2 also brings the Johto Pokémon to life, allowing Lugia to dwarf the likes of Spinarak and even the battlefield. Though the new moves are also represented, the Pokémon still have limited attack animations, however the textures and details have been given a boost thanks to the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak. Pokémon Trainers are still just profile pictures rather than 3D models but the battle display has been tweaked to include pre- and post-game comments from your foe and even mid-battle statements to better mirror the mainline games. Many of the Pokémon you face will again sport bizarre nicknames and even different palettes, but the arenas are just as empty as before. However, there are more of them and they have more detail and variety going on; even the PokéBall intros and outros have been made more grandiose and the menu screens are far more visually interesting. However, it’s still all very similar to what came before and just feels like a graphical glow-up rather than actually rendering arenas full of animated spectators. Remixes of all your favourite Pokémon themes try to keep battles fun and engaging and the introductory cutscene, title screen, and main map have been spruced up, but again it’s just presenting the same game in a slightly more appealing way instead of addressing the monotonous gameplay flaws. Once again, many game modes are locked off in this version. You can’t visit the Pokémon Lab to organise or bring in Pokémon from the Game Boy games, you can’t visit the “My Room” mode to see a 3D representation of your bedroom from the second-generation games, and you can’t utilise the “Mystery Gift” feature to earn items or decorations for your room.

In the absence of other modes, read up on gameplay mechanics and enjoy some new mini games.

Again, most annoyingly, you cannot access the GB Tower, so you can’t play the first- and second-generation Pokémon games or utilise the speed-up features you unlock through battle. The Hall of Fame and picture mode also seems to be missing, though you can view all 251 Pokémon from the academy, essentially giving you a 3D PokéDex, and take part in quizzes to earn Medals (presumably for bragging rights). A whole new batch of mini games are also on offer here; each has three difficulty levels, with a fourth unlocked by playing on “Hard” mode. There’s another quiz here, too, and you can challenge the “Mini-Game Champion” mode where you play through each mini game, rolling dice beforehand to determine how many “Tokens” are needed to win and competing for the top score. Some mini games are similar to those from before; Pichu’s Power Plant, for example, has you tapping A or B in conjunction with a direction to charge electrodes like Thundering Dynamo and Tumbling Togepi sees you rolling across a treadmill avoiding obstacles, like Run, Rattata, Run. Otherwise, you’ll be tapping A to fly about as Golbats, bashing other players and collecting hearts, tackling rival Hitmontop out of a sumo ring, pressing A at just the right time to slice through falling logs, and dashing various PokéBalls into goals for points. There’s a four-way version of Pong (Atari, 1972) in which you ricochet balls using Mr. Mime’s Barrier, you’ll be running laps around a dirty track with Donphan, counting Pokémon as they march past, and gathering up presents to fill Delibird’s sack. You’ll also be catching falling eggs and avoiding Voltorb with Chansey and playing a version of musical chairs in Eager Eevee, tackling Aipom and avoiding an exploding Pineco when they appear in the middle of the arena. Since I didn’t play Pokémon Stadium 2 as a kid, I have less nostalgia for these mini games but they’re a decent enough distraction. Technically, though, they’re better and more challenging than the last game. As before, you’ll be awarded with special prize Pokémon for beating the game’s battle modes; you’ll even unlock a “Move Relearner” mode, though you obviously can’t take full advantage of any of this since you can’t plug in a Game Boy game.

The Summary:
As I said, I never got to play Pokémon Stadium 2 as a kid. I enjoyed the novelty of the first game, and was still playing the Game Boy games, but I think the game was just too difficult to come by or I was spending my money on more fulfilling Nintendo 64 experiences at the time. However, the second-generation games are my favourites so I was excited to see some of my favourite Pokémon, like Typhlosion and Lugia, come to life in 3D. In this regard, Pokémon Stadium 2 doesn’t disappoint; the new Pokémon all look great and the graphical bump provided by the Expansion Pak spruces up the visuals and makes battles a bit more engaging. Sadly, the arenas are still very bland and the game is basically a carbon copy of the last, flaws and all. Once again, it’s just a constant stream of non-stop battling with little to break the monotony. Incorporating items and allowing players to view details of the Pokémon, moves, and Types was great but it’s again all very limited. You’re limited by moves, by levels, and by your customisation options and these issues are only exacerbated in this version since you can’t access the Game Boy titles. To make matters worse, there isn’t even a big battle against, like, Lugia and/or Ho-oh. Sure, the Rival has these Pokémon but that’s not as epic as facing off against Mewtwo. The new mini games are a step up, for sure, and I liked how the overall presentation was much improved over its barebones predecessor. However, it’s still the same game at its core; you battle over and over for cups and trophies, then do it all over again in Round 2. The Rocket takeover was a fun inclusion; I would’ve liked to see that expanded on, maybe even looped in as a rudimentary story mode. Ultimately, I’d say this is the version of Pokémon Stadium you should focus your time and energy on because of the improvements it brings to the table, but it still falls way off the mark of giving a true 3D Pokémon experience and can’t help but disappoint as a result.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you ever own Pokémon Stadium 2 back in the day? What did you think to the graphical boost and the inclusion of items? Did you enjoy the new mini games? Were you disappointed that the core gameplay remained unchanged? Did you ever best all the cups and Gym Leaders? Would you like to see another title in the series? How are you celebrating National Pokémon Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on Pokémon Stadium 2, drop them below and check out my other Pokémon content.

Game Corner [Zelda Month]: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (Nintendo 3DS)

Dr. K3 Comments

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.

Released: 13 February 2015
Originally Released: 27 April 2000
Developer: Grezzo
Original Developer: Nintendo EAD
Original Version Also Available For: GameCube, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U  

The Background:
An instant classic upon release, The Legend of Zelda (mostly) went from strength to strength as the concept was refined and expanded throughout Nintendo’s handheld ventures and 16-bit era. Following a long development period, the franchise made a phenomenally successful jump to 3D with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo EAD, 1998). Following its success, Nintendo originally sought to create a remixed version for the ill-fated 64DD peripheral, which would eventually become the “Master Quest” version of the game. Designer Eiji Aonuma was unenthusiastic about this, so series creator Shigeru Miyamoto challenged the team to create an entirely new 3D Zelda adventure using Ocarina of Time’s assets in just one year. Aonuma recruited designer Yoshiaki Koizumi to adapt his concept of a time loop gameplay mechanic; Koizumi also (literally) dreamt up the idea of the impending threat of a falling Moon. Realising that Ocarina of Time’s players would be a little older, Aonuma purposely aimed for a bleaker, more melancholy tone for the game, which was bolstered by the Expansion Pak that allowed the game to run much smoother and boast more complex visuals compared to Ocarina of Time. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was a critical and commercial success; reviews praised the new gameplay mechanics and it quickly gained a reputation as one of the darker, more sombre entries in the franchise. Following a handful of re-releases, and the success of Ocarina of Time’s 3D remake, Nintendo and Grezzo immediately began work on giving Majora’s Mask the same treatment. Alongside graphical improvements, the team purposely aimed to make Majora’s Mask 3D more accessible and included numerous quality-of-life features that were criticised by some. Despite this, the game received positive reviews praising the updated visuals, mechanics, and new elements and the game retained its status as one of the franchise’s most under-rated entries.

The Plot:
After saving Hyrule and being returned to his childhood, Link is jumped by a Skull Kid and has his horse, Epona, stolen. Pursuing the thief to the bizarre world of Termina, Link must manipulate a three-day cycle to stop the possessed sprite from destroying the land.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a 3D action/adventure game that’s built upon the same game engine as its predecessor, Ocarina of Time, and therefore shares many of the same controls, gameplay mechanics, and features. In a rarity for the franchise, players control the same Link is in the previous game, though returned to his child body (and you can change his name when starting a new file) and exploring a bizarre new land filled with many familiar, but noticeably different, characters. Link’s goal is simple: he has three days to stop the possessed Skull Kid from destroying Clock Town and all of Termina with a giant, nightmare-fuelled moon. To do this, players journey to four areas adjacent to Clock Town, tackle the dungeons (or “Temples”) found there, and defeat the bosses within to awaken the Four Giants, the only beings physically capable of pushing back the Moon. However, your mission is compounded by the ever-present time limit, the drama and side quests of the various non-playable characters (NPCS) Link meets, and the numerous magical masks he obtains along the way. Link’s abilities will be immediately familiar to any returning Ocarina of Time players: A sees you talk to NPCs, open chests, and interact with the environment while B lets you attack with your sword, swiping, stabbing, and even jumping when used in conjunction with A. The Left Trigger activates “L-Targeting”, allowing you to lock on to enemies, NPCs, and other targets and expands your attacking options by letting you raise your shield to deflect attacks and projectiles with the Right Trigger, side hop, backflip, and leap into action.

Though a child, Link is as competent as he was as an adult with his weapons and items.

You assign different weapons and items to the X and Y buttons, while other items are assigned to the I and II slot on the touchscreen for easy use. By default, your trusty ocarina and, later, the Pictograph Box are selectable from the top and bottom left of the touchscreen, which is also where you’ll find your map, health (represented as hearts), magic meter, and item and mask menu. Though a child, Link eventually acquires many weapons he utilised as an adult. These are found within the game’s Temples and are often necessary to defeat the mini boss and main boss within, as well as being used to solve various puzzles. You can acquire the Hero’s Bow and a variety of elemental arrows, allowing you to attack enemies from afar, hit switches, burn objects, and create ice platforms where indicated. Bombs and Bombchus are used to blow upon walls and discover secrets, Deku Sticks allow you to light torches, Deku Nuts briefly stun certain enemies, and you can snag on to certain targets and parts of the environment with the Hookshot to cross gaps or bring items to you. Magic Beans can be planted to create platforms to new areas, the Lens of Truth will reveal hidden paths and secrets while draining your magic, and you can capture life-restoring Fairies or store various potions in one of Link’s many bottles. Players can also strengthen their sword by following a specific side quest; though the Razor Sword is only temporary and will eventually dull, it can be further (and permanently) upgraded to the Gilded Sword. Similarly, you can earn yourself the massive Great Fairy’s Sword and obtain the light-reflecting Mirror Shield, and eventually purchase large Powder Kegs to destroy larger boulders. Link can also expand his inventory with bigger quivers, bomb bags, and wallets. Though you lose all your Rupees and ammo stock whenever you travels back in time, you can bank your Rupees in Clock Town and will find plenty of ammo by cutting up grass and defeating enemies.

Link’s masks afford him unique new abilities, though the controls can be finnicky and clunky.

The Ocarina of Time is again used to manipulate the flow of time. You’ll need to travel back in time multiple times as you’ll get a game over once you reach the end of the third day. Luckily, you can speed up and slow down the flow of time to give yourself more time to complete tasks or jump to specific time periods to complete side quests. Other ocarina songs warp you to the various Owl Statues across Termina, where you can also manually save your game, call Link’s trusty steed, Epona, once you rescue her, access certain Temples, and heal disturbed or unquiet spirits to obtain new masks. Majroa’s Mask big gimmick is the mask system; Link will assume three distinct forms (a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora) throughout the game, each with different playstyles and lacking his traditional weapons. Deku Link is small and spritely, spitting bubbles from his nose and using Deku Flowers to launch into the air and temporarily fly about like a helicopter. Goron Link is big, slow, and powerful, smashing foes with his fists, slamming the ground, and barrelling along in a spiked ball to cross gaps. Zora Link is sleek and agile, easily cutting through water, walking across the seabed, and tossing boomerang-like fins from his arms. Well, I say “easily” but Zora Link can be finicky to control, often ploughing into walls and being a pain. Each of these forms has their own musical instrument in place of the ocarina and is used not just in their main Temple, but to solve other puzzles and complete side quests, such as purchasing Deku deeds, competing in high-speed, aggravating Goron races, and racing against beavers. Link’s other masks all have special abilities, too, such as the Bunny Hood doubling his running speed, the Blast Mask exploding like a bomb, the Great Fairy’s Mask attracting Stray Fairies, and the Captain’s Hat allowing you to command Stalchildren. The Stone Mask renders you functionally invisible, the All-Night Mask keeps you awake, and the Giant’s Mask transforms Link into a hulking giant for a kaiju-esque boss battle. With the exception of the three main masks, all these masks are optional and obtained through side quests, but it pays to acquire them all to make your life (and the endgame) so much easier.

Termina is full of NPCs, mini games, and side quests that will reward you handsomely.

Termina is full of NPCs, all of whom have different thoughts on the current situation and different issues to deal with. Over the course of the three days, you’ll interact with them several times, with key events being recorded in your handy-dandy Bomber’s Notebook so you can keep track of what’s going on and when. This functionality is great for new players and for people like me, who like to efficiently complete the game’s side quests as quickly as possible. Because of the time travel and three-day loop, you’ll repeat certain events and trigger certain cutscenes multiple times, requiring you to rescue old ladies and injured witches, follow shady characters, and retrieve certain items to complete side quests. Many side quests are ongoing, requiring multiple steps (such as reuniting Anju and Kafei, which will take you right up to the last minute of game time and sees Link and Kafei working together to solve switch-based puzzles in Sakon’s hideout) or occur at specific times (such as the surreal defence of Romani Ranch against alien invaders!) Other quests are more low-key, such as using the Bremen Mask to engross little chicks, defending Cremia’s milk delivery from the Gorman Brothers, besting the various shooting galleries and fishing holes, and delivering fish to the Marine Research Lab. Other side quests can be quite involved, such as reuniting the frog choir, using all of Link’s transformations to form a band, digging up treasure with Dampé, and challenging the mini bosses to a rematch. You’ll also be using all your weapons and skills in Gold Skulltula Houses, taking pictures with your Pictograph Box, visiting Gossip Stones, and answering the Keaton’s quizzes. Your reward for these endeavours is either a new mask, a Piece of Heart to extend your maximum health, a bottle, or some Rupees, all key items to assist your adventure.

The four Temples are packed with new and familiar puzzles and fitting gimmicks.

Each Temple houses not just a new weapon and the usual map and compass, but fifteen Stray Fairies which must be freed and collected, usually by enticing them with the Great Fairy’s Mask. Find them all and you’ll earn Link’s patented Super Spin Attack (hold B to charge up a magic-draining spin attack), double your magic meter, increase your defence, and earn the aforementioned powerful (if unwieldy) Great Fairy’s Sword. It’s worth collecting these as you explore the Temples to avoid having to return later. Time is always against you in Majora’s Mask, so be sure to play the Inverted Song of Time to stave off Termina’s inevitable doom. Though the game only has four Temples, getting to them is a task in itself: Link must follow cheeky monkeys and sneak into the Deku Palace, feed and soothe the Goron Elder’s son and then use the Lens of Truth and Goron Lullaby to bypass the Biggorn protecting Snowhead Temple with a blizzard, mess about finding seven Zora Eggs to summon a giant turtle to reach the Great Bay Temple, and battle through the undead minions of Ikana Canyon and scale up a puzzle-landed rockface to reach the Stone Tower Temple. While each contains many recycled elements from Ocarina of Time (torches, switches (timed or otherwise), climbable and destructible walls, etc), each also boasts a maze-like structure and fitting gimmick. Woodfall Temple is full of poisonous water and large gaps you must fly over as Deku Link, Snowhead Temple features both lava and ice, ramps to careen over and weighted switches to pound as Goron Link, and a large central pillar that needs to be brought down to reach the boss. The Great Bay Temple is, obviously, water-based, featuring a maze of rushing currents, jet streams, and propellers. You must use the Ice Arrows to create platforms and solve puzzles and pay attention to the helpful colour-based indicators to know where new paths have opened up. The Stone Tower Temple is two dungeons in one, featuring a gimmick where you flip the area upside down to access new areas, light-based puzzles using the Mirror Shield, and plenty of opportunities to use the Elegy of Emptiness to create a soulless duplicate of Link to press down switches. As you’d expect, each Temple also contains a mini boss, a warp point, numerous small keys to open locked doors, and a big Boss Key to access the Temple guardian.

Presentation:
Even in its original Nintendo 64 incarnation, Majora’s Mask had Ocarina of Time beat hands down when it comes to visuals. Although the game always had a bit of a blurry look thanks to it taxing the console (and the Expansion Pak) to its limits, the graphical upgrade was apparent right away in something as simple as Link actually having his sash and his jumping animations being more dynamic. In the 3DS version, the visuals are as improved as they were in Ocarina of Time 3D, reducing the blur in favour of clarity, adding more emotion to Link’s face, and allowing players to immerse themselves in the world (and induce a headache) with the 3D slider. At first glance, Majora’s Mask seems like a smaller sandbox to its predecessor; you spend a lot of time in one central location and there are only four Temples, after all. However, the opposite quickly proves to be true; not only are there more NPCs onscreen at any one time, their personalities, positions, and roles change across the three-day cycle, adding an unexpected level of depth and emotion to this bizarre adventure. In addition to a day and night cycle and each area of Termina sporting different weather effects and seasons, the world is far more diverse than before. Great Bay, for example, is a vast beach home to the Pirate’s Cove, Gerudo Lagoon, and Zora Cape, a coral-like town that puts Zora’s Domain to shame. Similarly, the Southern Swamp sees Koume and Kotake offer a boat ride through the sweltering foliage, a confusing monkey-filled maze, and the nigh-impenetrable Deku Palace, where the woodland folk don’t take kindly to strangers.

Termina is a diverse land with many areas to explore and environmental effects.

Easily the most impressive area, for me, was Snowhead Mountain. Like Zora’s Domain, Termina’s Goron population have been crippled by inclement weather; in this case, a raging blizzard. Snow and ice covers the environment and the weather has claimed many Goron lives and hides many secrets but, unlike in Ocarina of Time, the snow will melt when you best Snowhead Temple, just as the Southern Swamp with become more habitable. Sadly, travelling back in time undoes these actions and you’ll need to beat the Temple bosses again to re-restore the lands, but just the fact that you can undo the damage done to Termina and see NPCs celebrating in their newfound lives adds so much more gravitas to the game. It compels you to journey on and assist more NPCs, which rewards you with more lore and items, and makes Termina so much richer compared to the more stagnate Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. Ikana Canyon is a desolate, dangerous area filled with undead monsters, rolling rocks, an abandoned village, and the forgotten ruins of Ikana Castle, with its light-based puzzles and spooky inhabitants. The Stone Tower that leads you to the Stone Tower Temple is quite the feat, requiring you to scale it in various creative ways, all before you even flip the Temple on its head to tackle it upside down. Even exploring Termina Field is an adventure in itself; all sorts of respawning enemies lurk in the grasslands, and you can visit the observatory, Romani Ranch, and discover numerous hidden areas all by experimenting with your weapons, mask abilities, and exploring the rich and detailed world. Although the Song of Soaring, Bunny Hood, and Goron abilities make traversal simple, you can rescue Epona and race around on her as Young Link to tick off another desire from Ocarina of Time (though I admit that I rarely used her since she can’t access every area).

This is easily one of the darkest and most bizarre Zelda adventures.

Majora’s Mask is easily one of the most bizarre and bleak Zelda adventures. Right from the beginning, the story starts with a melancholy tone, with Link wandering the lands in search of Navi, only to have his horse and ocarina stolen by the Skull Kid and his mischievous fairy companions, lost in a strange land, and transformed into a Deku Scrub! Like in Ocarina of Time, Link is partnered with a fairy, but Tatl is no Navi; she’s rude, obnoxious, and rarely gives much help when searching for an enemy’s weak spot. Over the course of the game, the two find common ground as Tatl’s concern for her friend and her brother, Tael, grow, and Link’s courage is called upon again to aid the aggressive and slightly demonic Happy Mask Salesman in retrieving Majora’s Mask. Most interactions take place using the in-game engine and simple text boxes, but horrific (thankfully skippable) cutscenes play every time you put on a transformation mask, suitably dramatic cutscenes play when Temples rise up or NPCs are laid to rest to increase Link’s abilities, and you’ll get helpful reminders when day turns to night turns to day and the countdown to destruction looms closer. Speaking of which, the grim-faced Moon looms ominously overhead, growing closer and closer and causing small earthquakes. NPCs become more fearful or flee as the game progresses, and woe befall anyone who lets the timer runs out and must watch the Moon obliterate the land! While many of the assets, models, and elements are recycled from Ocarina of Time, they’re all much improved, with characters constantly on the move and doing their own thing, which you can track with the Bomber’s Notebook. Many musical cues and tracks return as well, though the Termina Field Overture is far more bombastic and engaging for me, and each area boasts a fittingly twisted soundtrack that’s both familiar and unique. The 3DS version changes up the presentation a bit, redesigning the countdown timer, area intros, and tidying up the graphics and assets to really make the colours pop, add helpful guidelines to certain areas, and even mixes up the puzzles and locations of certain items.

Enemies and Bosses:
In keeping with the recycling of Ocarina of Time’s assets, Majora’s Mask returns many enemies from the previous game, such as the shield-sucking Like Likes, bat-like Keese (also in fire and ice variants), crab-like Tektites, Poes, Wolfos, crow-like Guays, Peahats, Octoroks (and their larger cousins), Deku Babs, Lizalfos and Dinolfos. Anyone who’s played Ocarina of Time will know how to tackle these enemies, which usually comes down to firing arrows or strategic use of L-Targeting, and the same is largely true of many of the new enemies featured here. You’ve got your normal, smaller foes like beetle-like Hiploops, electrical Dragonflies, Giant Bees, and skeletal fish, but you’ll also contend with strange foes like the Dexihand, Eyegore, and Goron-like Nejirons. Snappers are best taken out by lying in wait in a Deku Flower and exploding up beneath them; snowball-tossing Eenos are susceptible to Fire Arrows; the various ChuChus can be popped to quickly earn health and ammo; and you’re better off simply defending against or firing arrows at the “Real” Bombchus that scurry about. Some enemies will better test your swordsmanship, such as the Garos and returning Gerudos and Iron Knuckles (who attack faster and more aggressively as their armour is destroyed), while you can command the Stalchilds and even avoid or converse with Gibdos and ReDeads with certain masks. Similarly, you can bypass the Death Aros altogether with the Stone Mask, must switch to sub-weapons or play the Song of Storms when touched by a Blue Bubble, and keep an eye out for the vulture-like Takkuri flying around Termina Field to avoid having your items stolen.

Even familiar mini bosses require a bit more strategy to overcome.

Each Temple houses at least one mini boss who must be overcome, sometimes multiple times, usually to obtain the Boss Key or the dungeon’s weapon. Many of these will be familiar not just to players of Ocarina of Time, but also long-time Zelda fans: Dinolfos and Iron Knuckles appear more than once and fit into this category, for example, but Majora’s Mask sees the return of series staples such as Wart and Wizzrobe. Wizzrobe is fought multiple times in multiple Temples, teleporting about, creating illusionary doubles, and attacking with fire or ice magic. Wart appears in the Great Bay Temple and is, as usual, a giant eye surrounded by bubbles that Link must destroy to get a clear shot at its pupil, while being mindful of it firing them as projectiles and bouncing around in a frenzy. The Gekko appears twice in the game, first riding a Snapper and attacked via a Deku Flower and then encased within a giant, gelatinous substance that must be frozen with Ice Arrows and shattered to attack the slippery devil. In the Ikana Graveyard, Link chases the gigantic Captain Keeta, fending off his lackeys and hacking the giant’s legs to get his attention. You must avoid his swipes and flaming barriers and pelt him with arrows to stun him, but the main issue here is keeping up with him so he doesn’t flee (but that’s what Hylia created the Bunny Hood for!) Stone Tower Temple is home to two more tough mini bosses: first up is the Garoa Master, a teleporting assassin who drops from the ceiling and attacks with a charge. Stay away from his attacks to strike back when his guard is lowered, and be sure to keep your distance when he’s beaten as he’ll blow himself up with a bomb! Defeating him earns you the Light Arrows, which are key to dispelling the bats protecting Gomess. Gomess attacks with a scythe that can cut through your shield, so be sure to jump-slash his exposed heart when you see an opening.

Bosses have been redesigned to have new phases and weak spots, which can be aggravating.

Naturally, you’ll have to best each Temple’s boss to awaken one of the Four Giants and acquire their remains. If you played Majora’s Mask on the Nintendo 64, you’ll be in for a surprise here as each boss has been fundamentally changed, somewhat simplifying them and expanding their attack patterns to allow for new ways to beat them. First up is Odolwa, a manic swordman who dances about and strikes with a gigantic blade. Originally, you’d use arrows or bombs to stun him and strike with your sword, but now you must brave being roasted alive as Deku Link to attack from above, exposing a big slimy eye that is a recurring weak spot for the 3DS version’s bosses. I always found Goht one of the more annoying bosses; the fight takes place on a never-ending track filled with ramps and Magic Jars and sees Goht gallop along, tossing bombs, causing rocks to fall, or summoning a thunder bolt. You’re encouraged to race after him as Goron Link, picking up speed to ram him and topple him over to attack his exposed eye, but you can actually just stand by the entrance and pelt him with arrows or even toss a bomb at him to speed things up. Gyorg was initially a pretty simple affair, testing your patience by having you wait on the central platform to shoot him as he jumps over then ram into him as Zora Link. Now, there’s a second phase that’s completely underwater; you must desperately avoid the mines and detach them to stun Gyorg, blasting his giant eye where possible, something made quite troublesome with the clunky swimming mechanics. Similarly, Twinmold is completely different; originally, you’d be forced to don the Giant’s Mask and attack the worm’s heads or tails with your sword while keeping your magic topped up. Now, you only earn the Giant’s Mask after pelting the boss’s first phase with arrows and must stomp about as Giant Link engaging Twinmold in a fist fight, then grab its tail when it’s stunned. Again, this is a much more aggravating boss battle because of this; Giant Link is a slow, lumbering character compared to the slipper Twinmold and your magic drains very quickly, causing the fight to drag unnecessarily.

Majora’s many forms and difficulty are rendered mute with the overpowered Fierce Deity Mask.

Once they’re all beaten, you must return to Clock Town on the final day and play the Oath to Order. This summons the Four Giants and stop the Moon from falling, but causes the Skull Kid to freak out and the demonic Majora to assume full control. You’re then transported to the strangely idyllic Moon’s surface, where you must challenge four short, troublesome obstacle courses themed around each Temple. If you’ve collected every additional mask, you can trade them all in here and gain the Fierce Deity Mask, which can only be worn in boss rooms and transforms you into a hulking adult equipped with a massive sword that fires magic-draining energy beams when L-Targeting. This is the only way I’ve battled the game’s final boss, Majora itself, which has three distinct forms: Majora’s Mask, Majora’s Incarnation, and Majora’s Wrath. You can tackle each using arrows and bombs and traditional tactics, but I never have. I simply L-Target the weird, increasingly grotesque demon and fling sword beams at it until it’s defeated. Its attacks include charging at Link like a buzzsaw, shooting a reflectable beam of fire, circling at super-fast speeds, firing energy blasts, dodging your conventional attacks, and attacking with two disturbingly organic tentacle-like whips. Majora also attacks using the boss’s remains and by summoning spiky, spinning tops and can cut through your shield if you’re not careful, but none of this is a concern with the overpowered Fierce Deity Mask.

Additional Features:
There are fifty-two Heart Pieces to find all around Termina; some are hidden in secret holes, some are up trees or require your weapons to access, some are gifted to you as rewards, and some require you to complete side quests. You’ll be dancing with the Rosa Sisters, giving a weird, disembodied hand some toilet paper, stopping a timer at exactly ten seconds, checking mailboxes, and besting the shooting galleries to acquire these helpful upgrades. Your main objective throughout the game is to acquire all the different masks, which requires interacting with all the NPCs and keeping an eye on their routines with the Bomber’s Notebook. While some masks are more useful than others, each has a specific function and will allow you to get other masks, Heart Pieces, or rewards depending on who you interact with when wearing them. Similarly, it’s worth seeking out the upgrades to Link’s sword, wallet, and items, if only to further explore the world, and making sure you bank your Rupees before resetting the three-day cycle. You’ll also find many Gossip Stones placed all over that will give you hints if you interact with them while wearing the Mask of Truth, and the Sheikah Stones return from Ocarina of Time 3D to provide you with more detailed directions if you get stuck. The manual save system has been revamped, with additional Owl Statues appearing in the game (though you can’t warp to all of them), and some of the rewards and side quests have been changed. Most notably, Link can now acquire seven empty bottles (which is, admittedly, a little excessive), with the last gifted after completing a new side quest involving the Gorman Troupe. Another new feature is the inclusion of two fishing holes, which you can either pay to use or acquire a pass to fish for various fish, though there are no rewards tied to this beyond trying to snag the legendary Lord Chapu-Chapu. Since the game resets when you go back in time, there’s no Boss Rush Mode this time around and, sadly, the developers didn’t see fit to include a mirrored Master Quest mode, though you now have three save slots instead of just two.

The Summary:
The debate about which game is better, Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, is seemingly never-ending and, honestly, it’s a tough choice. Majora’s Mask is definitely a more daunting challenge; I can play through Ocarina of Time with my eyes closed but I’ve never beaten Majora’s Mask without a guide, purely because I want to complete all the side quests before facing Majora at the end and have the overpowered Fierce Deity Mask on hand. Yet, Majora’s Mask is such a step up in terms of visuals, scope, and world-building. Termina feels alive in ways Hryule does not and the stakes feel so much higher since you can see how the impending doom affects the different NPCs. The three-day cycle is as daunting as it is annoying at times, resetting all your hard work but also pushing you to restore the next area and save this bizarre land. Majora’s Mask may seem smaller due to its more focused approach, but the game and its land is as big (if not bigger) than Ocarina of Time, expanding upon and improving every element of its predecessor and really making you feel the gravitas of its bleak narrative. Link may not acquire any new weapons here, but the mask-based gameplay mixes the formula up in surprising ways, changing Link’s form and altering the way you play (even if the controls can be a struggle at times). The 3DS version makes way more changes to the original game compared to Ocarina of Time 3D and, while some (like the simplified bosses and tweaked controls) can be frustrating, the benefits outweigh these issues. The expanded Bomber’s Notebook, being able to jump to specific time periods, and the changes to side quests help make the game accessible and fresh for old and new players, in my eyes. Ultimately, I think Majora’s Mask is a dark horse of the franchise; it’s an incredibly engaging experience, packed with side quests upon side quests, and more than stands alongside its predecessor as one of Link’s finest (if surreal) adventures.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Have you ever played the Nintendo 3DS remaster of Majora’s Mask? If so, what did you think to the graphical overhaul and additional features included? Which of the masks and many side quests was your favourite? Would you like to see this version ported to the Nintendo Switch to make it more accessible? Did you own Majora’s Mask back in the day? If so, did you ever tackle the final boss without the Fierce Deity Mask? Were you a fan of the three-day cycle? I’d love to hear your memories of Majora’s Mask so leave a comment below and go check out my other Zelda content! 

Mini Game Corner [PokéMonth]: Pokémon Stadium (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K1 Comment

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 either playing Pokémon, watching the anime, playing the trading card game, and watching the feature-length movies as clever marketing saw it become a massively lucrative and popular multimedia powerhouse. Accordingly, February 27th is now internationally recognised as “National Pokémon Day”, which I expanded to an entire month of Pokémon this February.

Released: 12 April 2023
Originally Released: 30 April 1999
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Also Available For: Nintendo 64

A Brief Background:
Pokémon was an instant cultural phenomenon when it first released. It wasn’t just because of the games, which cleverly encouraged players to “Catch ’Em All”; it was the slew of merchandise and ancillary media that made Pokémon a household name. Right from the beginning, Pokémon was followed by spin-off games; whether it was the incredibly popular trading card game or other videogame genres, like pinball, Pokémon dominated an entire generation, especially on the Game Boy. Two years after the original games released, Japanese Nintendo 64 players were treated to Pocket Monsters’ Stadium. Originally intended as a launch title for the ill-fated Nintendo 64DD, the game was limited to only forty playable Pokémon but set the template for 3D Pokémon battles. Pokémon Stadium was its successor, incorporating 3D models and animations for all 151 Pokémon and being chosen for international release over its predecessor, much like how the inferior Pocket Monsters: Green Version was superseded by its successors. It was HAL Laboratory president Satoru Iwata who studied the Game Boy source code and converted it to work on the Nintendo 64, though Pokémon Stadium’s other big selling point was its ability to communicate with the Game Boy using the unique (and sadly underutilised) “Transfer Pak” to import copies of Pokémon from the handheld titles. Pokémon Stadium was generally well received at the time; reviews largely focused on praising the 3D models and impressive adaptation of the turn-based battle system, though criticised the annoying announcer. Though a best-seller, and followed by a superior sequel in 2000, Pokémon Stadium was stuck on the Nintendo 64 until it was finally made available to modern gamers, via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak, in 2023.

The Review:
Pokémon Stadium is a 3D Pokémon adventure in which players could upload copies of the Pokémon from the Game Boy games and battle it out in 3D against computer-controlled opponents or their friends. Since the Nintendo Switch Online version lacks connectivity with the Game Boy games (which aren’t even available on the Nintendo Switch Online as of this writing), you’re limited to using “rental” Pokémon, which can’t be renamed or customised in any way. When you first start the game, only 149 Pokémon are available to rent but you’ll gain access to Mewtwo and Mew by clearing all the game’s battle modes. Each rental Pokémon has four moves, with the third-stage evolutions (like Blastoise and Charizard) sporting better stats (higher attack and defence, for example) but wielding more unreliable moves (such as Fissure, a one-hit knockout move that can miss four times out of five) or moves with less Power Points (PP), such as Fire Blast and Mega Beam. Although I mentioned stats earlier, you can’t view the stats for any Pokémon in the game, rental or otherwise. You have no idea how strong your Pokémon is beyond the level they are and you have no options to improve their stats. The best you can do is use moves that buff them in battle, such as Swords Dance, to increase your chances of attacking before your opponent, or ones that de-buff your foe (such as Sand Attack to reduce their accuracy). As ever, Type advantages are a key factor in battle; Fire-Type moves are “super effective” against Grass-Type Pokémon, for example, which have the edge over Water-Type Pokémon. Many moves also have a chance of landing a “critical hit” for extra damage, missing, hitting you with recoil, or causing status effects. Pokémon can be burned, frozen, put to sleep, paralysed, and poisoned and you have no way to solve these ailments as there are no items here (though the game’s rigged to ensure no two Pokémon can be frozen or asleep in a battle).

All your favourite Pokémon are brought to life to battle in 3D.

The limitations don’t end there, either. Although you assemble a team of six Pokémon, you only ever battle with three. Similarly, while you can see your opponent’s available Pokémon, you have no way of knowing which ones they’ve picked so it’s best to assemble a diverse team. Luckily, every Pokémon has a diverse move pool consisting of elemental attacks, status-inflicting attacks, buffs, or alternative elemental attacks (Marowak, for example, not only has Ground-Type moves but also uses Fire Blast, a Fire-Type move) to provide additional coverage in battle. If you win without taking a single hit, you’ll earn an extra continue to battle on should you be defeated (though the Nintendo Switch’s save state feature can mitigate this). When taking on the titular Pokémon Stadium, you compete in one of four “cups”, each imposing level restrictions, to win one of four PokéBall-themed trophies by gaining six consecutive victories. The Gym Leader Castle has a similar setup, except you only have to win four battles (besting three underlings before challenging the Kanto Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and your Rival) and there are no level restrictions. Besting all these battles unlocks a final super boss battle against Mewtwo, in which you take six Pokémon in battle to beat him, unlocking the much tougher “Round 2” mode and changing both the title screen and the main menu accordingly. Battles are pretty basic; once you get over the fun, colourful, cartoonish animations of the Pokémon, you start to see how limited your options are. You can’t do anything but power through if your Pokémon is poisoned, its moves are disabled, or it gets confused and attacks itself. Type advantages can see you sweep entire teams, but the diverse move pools mean you can’t underestimate opponents, especially if you chose poorly when assembling your team. Finally, battling non-stop can get really tiresome; it’s definitely a game best played in little spurts rather than trying to beat everything in one sitting as the novelty quickly wears off.

While the visuals are decent, gameplay quickly becomes tiresome.

The grating announcer doesn’t help; this overly enthusiastic guy will spout the same exclamations over and over, chastising you if you take too long or pick the wrong Pokémon and screaming praise for every correct decision. Luckily, you can turn him off from the options. Unlike in the anime, Pokémon don’t scream their name when in battle (except for a Pikachu imported from Yellow Version), but this actually makes the game more appealing in my eyes. Pokémon are rendered in full 3D and exhibit a lot of personality; Mr. Mime actually mimes when idle, Onix’s body rotates and squirms, Muk is all sludgy and gooey, and Primeape dances about ready to fight. Rival Pokémon often sport rudimentary nicknames and alternative colour schemes and, while they only have a handful of animations, these work for the moves they perform, which are all brought to life in suitably dramatic fashion even if physical moves (like Mega Punch and Slash) don’t actually connect with the opponent as the Pokémon stay on each side of the arena. You never see the Pokémon Trainers except in profile pictures before and after battle and, while audiences react and make noise in arenas, you won’t see any spectators (at least, not clearly, anyway). Arenas are largely empty and underwhelming, to be honest; some are suspended over water or lava, some are inside, some outside, and you battle Mewtwo in a surreal sky landscape, but there’s nothing to really see as the focus is squarely on the 3D Pokémon models and their attack animations. This is fine and it all looks good and more accurate than the depictions in the anime, but again it’s all quite bland and tiresome after a while. The game is bolstered by renditions of the classic Pokémon theme, battle music, and other in-game tunes, which are always fun to listen to, but the introduction movie is incredibly basic and just showcases a few Pokémon models flying about.

While the mini games are fun, many of the game’s best features are now missing.

Of course, it’s not all battling in Pokémon Stadium, but that is half of the story in this version of the game. Normally, you could visit Professor Samuel Oak’s lab and organise or trade in Pokémon from the Game Boy games, but you can’t do that here. Most notably, you used to be able to access the GB Tower and play the original games on your TV screen, with options to speed up the gameplay at hand, but that’s also not available. Since you can’t import Pokémon, you can’t get the special Surfing Pikachu, though you’ll still be awarded with one of eight semi-rare Pokémon each time you clear the Gym Leader Castle. You can still visit the Hall of Fame and view the Pokémon character models up close, though you must best the Gym Leader Castle with all 151 Pokémon to do this (which also earns you a Psyduck that knows Amnesia). Luckily, you can still visit the Kids Club and play the many fun mini games on offer, either against the computer or alongside your friends. Here, you’ll copy Clefairy’s dance instructions, gobble up sushi with Lickitung, race against Rattata, cast Hypnosis against other Drowzee, see how any times you can get Magikarp to splash, charge up a dynamo with Pikachu or Voltorb, defend against incoming rocks with Kakuna and Metapod, toss Ekans like a ring, and dig into the ground with Sandshrew. These mini games are only short but they’re quite fun and addictive; the timing can be a little off at times and other times you must pay attention to not drain your health bar, but it’s enjoyable enough battling alone or against friends. I do wish the game did more with these, though, like maybe had a random mini game play during the cups to let you earn single-use items or some kind of buff. Other options include a gallery (another limited feature where you can photograph Pokémon to view its model, though you obviously can’t print these anymore), the ability to jump straight into a CPU battle, and unlockable stickers for the gallery when you beat “Round 2”. Beating the Kids Club’s “Who’s the Best?” mode on “Hard” unlocks the “Hyper” difficulty, but it can’t be denied that the game’s appeal and longevity suffer with this version since you can’t access the GB Tower.

The Summary:
I remember when Pokémon Stadium was announced and first released. It was the first time I can remember pre-ordering a game, and all my friends and I delighted in seeing our portable Pokémon brought to life in 3D. It was a big deal then, but it can’t be denied that Pokémon Stadium hasn’t aged well, hence this shorter review. It’s certainly still a lot of fun and a nostalgic high to see those early 3D Pokémon models, which were reused for many years after and are actually more lively than in some of the modern games, and I loved that they made noises like the in the Game Boy titles rather than screaming their names like in the anime. There are a few options available here, but Pokémon Stadium is essentially a glorified party game. When you’re not battling for cups and trophies, you’re battling the Gym Leaders, a friend, or the computer. When you’re not doing that, you’re playing mini games which, while fun, aren’t enough to sustain your interest for longer than half an hour or so. Without the GB Tower functionality, Pokémon Stadium loses a lot of its replay value, and you’re forced to focus on the repetitive and tiresome battling. With limited options, no items, and no room for customisation since you can’t import your portable team, the battling just appears very shallow and basic. As a 3D representation of Trainer and Gym Leader battles, it’s serviceable but Pokémon Stadium only does a rudimentary job of representing that one aspect of the mainline games. It’s fun enough in short bursts, but even then it can be tedious hearing the same announcements over and over and essentially just hitting A again and again to spam super effective moves since it lacks the depth and complexity of its far superior portable counterparts.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy Pokémon Stadium? Were you excited to see your team brought to life in 3D back in the day? Which of the mini games was your favourite? What did you think to the limited battle options and repetitive gameplay? Did you ever fill up the Hall of Fame and defeat Mewtwo? Are you disappointed that so much of the game is inaccessible in this version? Would you like to see another battle-centric 3D Pokémon game? How are you celebrating National Pokémon Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on Pokémon Stadium, feel free to leave them below and check out my other Pokémon content across the site.