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Game Corner [DK Day]: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K1 Comment

In 1981, Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo R&D1 created Donkey Kong, an arcade title that introduced gamers to two of Nintendo’s most recognisable characters: Mario and Donkey Kong. To celebrate everyone’s favourite King Kong knock-off, I’m dedicating a few days this week to gaming’s most famous ape!

Released: 18 December 2020
Originally Released: 18 November 1996
Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console), Nintendo Wii U (Virtual Console), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

The Background:
After establishing themselves in the United States with the financial and critical success of Donkey Kong, Nintendo captured the home console market. While Donkey Kong was still relevant during this time, legendary British developers Rare reinvigorated the cantankerous ape with their Donkey Kong Country series (Rare, 1994 to 1996). Debuting in 1994, the first game pushed the SNES to its limits, reimagined Donkey Kong for a new generation, and became the third-bestselling game on the SNES. After garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews, Donkey Kong Country was quickly followed by a purposely tougher and less linear sequel that was also critical and commercial hit. Emboldened by their success, rare fast-tracked a third game, using the same pioneering technology to convert prerendered graphics into 2D sprites and seeing Dixie Kong joined not by the titular ape, but her baby cousin! Although Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! sold over 3.5 million units worldwide, the impending release of the Nintendo 64 is said to have impacted sales. Reviews were largely positive, praising the improved visuals and the expanded gameplay mechanics, though criticising the lack of innovation compared to is predecessors. Like the last two games, Donkey Kong Country 3 was ported to the Game Boy Advance (to some criticism) and featured on Nintendo’s online services, such as this version for the Nintendo Switch.

The Plot:
When Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong suddenly disappear in the Northern Kremisphere, Dixie Kong teams up with her baby cousin, Kiddy Kong, to brave the forces of the robotic KAOS and rescue their family.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Just like the last two games, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! is a 2D, sidescrolling platformer that utilises 2D sprite conversions of pre-rendered graphics. Like in the second game, Donkey Kong is entirely absent and no longer playable, and this time his nephew joins him on the bench to allow Diddy’s girlfriend, Dixie Kong, to take the spotlight. As ever, you have three save files to work with and three game modes: you can tackle the adventure alone, tagging between Dixie and Kiddy with -, team up with a friend for two-player simultaneous co-op, or go head-to-head with your friend to see who can play better. Donkey Kong Country 3 retains the same controls and fundamental mechanics of its predecessors, meaning you’ll be jumping and swimming with B, attacking with Y, teaming your Kongs up or grabbing barrels with A, and throwing both with Y. Each Kong plays a little differently, with Dixie being lighter and faster and Kiddy being slower and heavier, and also has a different method of attacking. Dixie retains her ponytail twirl (which also allows her to glide across gaps to greatly aid platforming) while Kiddy rolls ahead and can skip across the surface of water (though his stunted jump makes him more of a liability). You must smash DK barrels to spawn your partner if they’re lost because, without them, you’ll lose a life the next time you’re hit. However, you can once again accumulate extra lives by grabbing various colourful balloons, collecting 100 bananas, finding the four KONG letters, in every stage, and playing Swanky Kong’s Sideshow mini game. To play this, you’ll need silver Bear Coins, which are also hidden in stages, while larger, golden DK Coins are earned by defeating the tricky Koin Kremlin hidden in each stage (usually by finding innovative ways of chucking a metal barrel behind them). Those hoping for new in-game power-ups will again have to settle for the odd invincibility barrel (I literally encountered one in my playthrough), and you must still manually save at Wrinkly Kong’s save cave (though the Nintendo Switch’s rewind and save state features largely make this irrelevant).

There’s a greater emphasis on exploration and collectibles thanks to the Kongs’ new vehicles.

There is a far greater emphasis on collectibles in Donkey Kong Country 3, with more hidden items scattered throughout every stage and a family of bear brothers on hand looking for you to bring them special items (which allow access to additional areas on the overworld), often awarded after defeating bosses, offering hints, or selling you items. As you explore each stage, you’ll inevitably find secret hideaways or special barrels that’ll blast you to a timed bonus challenge in these, you must collect stars or green bananas or defeat all onscreen enemies against a strict time limit to earn one of the special coins, or even a Cog. Additional barrels will blast you across the environment (sometimes right into bottomless pits or enemies if you’re not careful), rocket you about, or shield you from enemy projectiles when climbing ropes. Dixie and Kiddy can again call upon a few animal friends to aid them, transforming into, riding, or being joined by them depending on the level. Enguarde, Squitter, and the parrots Squarks and Quarks return from the last two games and function the same (cutting through water, spitting webs, flapping about, and firing peanuts, respectively) alongside three new “First-Class Friends”. Ellie the elephant is the primary addition, though I found her to be a poor substitute for Rambi. She’s smaller, slipperier, and isn’t much use except in certain situations where you need her water spitting technique. Parry was similarly disappointing, simply flying above you and collecting items or defeating certain enemies, and Nibbla was a constant threat since it will take a bite out of your Kong if you don’t swim near enemies and keep it fed. Funky Kong also returns and, this time, builds various vehicles for you to use to navigate the main map. You start out with a motor boat, but soon upgrade to a hovercraft to pass over rocks, a turbo ski to traverse waterfalls, and eventually a gyrocopter, though you’ll need to search high and low and replay each stage to collect everything needed to build these vehicles, which also open up new areas of the map for you to challenge new levels, meet new bears, or discover Banana Fairies.

Varied gimmicks and challenges await, but it’s all a bit too familiar and uninventive.

While bottomless pits and thorny mazes weren’t as prevalent this time around, and Donkey Kong Country 3 generally seemed much easier an experience (as long as you’re not going for 100% completion), it’s still a tough game. Hit boxes are quite large, both Kongs are quite clunky to control, and it’s easy to slip off platforms or down pits even when on stable ground, much less the snowy landscapes and moving platforms you’ll find. Ropes were emphasised far ore than barrels, with you hopping to ropes, clambering up them, or being dragged along by them, all while avoiding Buzzes. Minecarts are gone this time, replaced by a few fun, high speed toboggan challenges, though you’ll still encounter the odd dark, murky level (requiring you to hit special fish to light up the area or use overhead lights). you’re essentially defenceless when swimming, as ever, unless you switch to Enguarde, and vats of molten steel, toxic gunk, or lightning bolts will cause you to rethink your jumps. In “Krack Shot Kroc”, you must hide behind metal shields to avoid an offscreen sharpshooter; you’ll be bouncing off barrels fired by Bazuka Kremlins to cross gaps, and must contend with poisonous water that reverses your controls in “Poisonous Pipeline”. Occasionally, the game switches to a quasi-third-person perspective to have to you toss coconuts or snowballs at targets, you must defeat Sneeks in giant wheels and grab overhead pulleys to open doors, and outrun a gigantic ripsaw in “Ripsaw Rage”’s autoscrollers chase. Some stages see you at risk of falling or looping around by dropping through trapdoors, many contain moving wooden platforms, and occasionally hop up moving or temporary platforms or to barrels to progress to the end goal. It’s all very familiar, though with a largely reduced challenge in terms of onscreen hazards. The game’s quite generous with 1-ups and chances for extra lives, but you’ll definitely want both Kongs on hand, and to favour Dixie, since you’re often tasked with making tricky jumps past, through, or over troublesome enemies and it can be easy to screw up your jump and drop down a pit.

Presentation:
Donkey Kong Country 3 retains the same presentation as the last two games, though even I, someone who’s never been the biggest fan of the franchise’s aesthetic, have to admit that it’s probably the cleanest, best-looking game of the trilogy. Though there’s no introductory story, there’s a fair bit of text as you chat with your allies or are taunted by enemies, and Dixie and Kiddy have a decent amount of personality. Both have idle poses and fun reactions to being hurt or left alone, though the end of level celebrations are gone and basically all of the sound effects are recycled from the last two games. Kiddy might be a fun, childish little soul, but he’s janky as anything to control, which hampered his utility in my opinion and I would’ve liked to see him have a more memorable playstyle to differentiate him from the other Kongs. The title screen is far better than before and there’s more emphasis on exploration here, with new areas opening up as you explore the larger overworld and non-playable characters requiring specific items to unlock additional areas or map features. However, there isn’t much to differentiate the three basic vehicles you acquire. I would’ve liked to see a submarine to access an underwater world or a drilling machine to burrow into a mine, rather than limiting them all to water traversal. The music has taken a hell of a downgrade this time around, too. Sure, it’s decent enough but there’s nothing as memorable as the first game and I just found it to be jaunty noise rather than fun earworms. Similarly, Donkey Kong Country 3 employs a similar approach to its stages as the last two games, with a handful of areas being recycled throughout your adventure. You’ll be hopping past a pier, exploring drainpipes, traversing an underground cave, and swimming in murky coral reefs, with the odd jungle and dungeon thrown in for good measure.

While the visuals are at there best, nothing really jumps out as especially memorable.

I found few of these to be that interesting, to be honest, or different from what came in the last two games. There are some fun background effects at times, such as the time of day changing or a snowstorm raging, or some areas being seeped in darkness. Donkey Kong Country 3 employs colour palettes to give the illusion of variety, changing vast of molten metal to toxic gunk or giving gigantic, hollowed out trees an autumnal glow. I quite liked these latter areas, to be fair, which see you jumping between branches, navigating claustrophobic trees, and outrunning that aforementioned ripsaw. Snowy peaks, with their frigid cabins and snowmen, were also fun, if few and far between, and I did like the cliffside stages, where waterfalls loom in the background and must be moved behind or clambered up using barrels and such. Rather than battling through mines, you’ll be dropping down trapdoors and opening doors in mills; the jungles are full of ancient ruins and raging thunderstorms; and dodging snipers in factories. As mentioned, there are loads of vines and ropes this time, which I definitely prefer to thorns and loads of pits, but everything just felt a little played out for me. while Donkey Kong Country 3 performs really well and looks great for what it is, there were some instances of slowdown and odd hiccups that took me out of the game, and it definitely felt like the game was struggling to justify itself at times and needed more new gimmicks to impress. Indeed, while the game emphasises collectibles on the save screen and in the Brothers Bear’s dialogue, this feels like an afterthought when you’re playing and couldn’t been played up more, like presenting you with unique visual challenges to get what the bears are looking for or Funky’s last piece of scrap.

Enemies and Bosses:
While Dixie and Kiddy are facing a new enemy this time around, you’ll still be dealing with the remnants of the Kremlin army. And “remnants” is a good way to describe them as these guys are far more stripped down this time around, consisting of a regular grunt who just walks about, a spring Kremlin who can give you a boost with good timing, and a larger blue one who’ll shrug off your regular attacks. The Bazuka variant caused me a bit of trouble as it was tricky timing my jumps to bounce off their barrels, while the Kopter Kremlins could be as annoying as the Buzzes, mechanical wasps that hover or swoop about right in your path. Kremlins also hide in barrels this time, clambering on ropes, tossing explosives, or trying to push you down pits, not unlike the Koindozers (who you can trick into giving you a boost). Little crocodiles, dung beetles, rats, and sliding penguins must be hopped on or avoided, you’ll use hopping spider platforms to reach higher areas, and must take cover behind half barrels when Minkeys toss their acorns. Red porcupines spin at you, an invincible swarm of bees incessantly chase you in “Riverside Race”, and various marine animals (from voracious Bazzas, spiny Lurchins, and clown-like Kocos) lurk in the water. You can pop Booty Birds to grab collectibles, dodge fireballs fired from the background by Karbines, and carefully position yourself so lightnign strikes your enemies rather than you! each stage naturally ends in a boss battle, though you get different rewards depending on which boss you’re fighting, two are recycled in the game, and one takes the form of a snowball fight. This is actually one of the more innovative bosses as Bleak pops up from behind snowy ridges in the fore-, mid-, or background tossing snowballs or firing a spread from his top hat. This can be a tricky boss due to the Kongs’ hit boxes and how small the target is you must hit, but it hints at how Donkey Kong Country 3 could’ve used its new mechanics to help it stand out (like, why not have a toboggan race against a boss?)

The big, challenging bosses task you to think outside the box and hint at the game’s full potential.

The first boss you face is Belcha, a giant barrel who spits out barrels and tries to force you down a pit. Immune to conventional damage, you must break open its barrels and toss the bugs that emerge into its mouth until you force it down that same pit. I quite liked Arich, the giant spider that awaits at the end of Kremwood Forest, purely because it was visually very interesting. You must dodge Arich’s erratic movements and venom spit to hop on its back and grab the barrel sitting there, then toss this into its face, which is quite tricky due to the spider’s gigantic size. Squirt was easily the most frustrating boss since you must fight it while riding Ellie, sucking water from Squirt’s waterfall and spitting it into the creature’s eyes when they pop out. However, Squirt fires a continuous stream of water that’s incredibly difficult to fight against, meaning it’s very easily to slip to your doom. Barbes wasn’t exactly a cakewalk either. Fought underwater, while using Enguarde, you must charge into the Lurchins it spawns to then attack its weak spot, but the timing is tricky and its so big and fills the screen with spines that I struggled quite a bit. You battle the malicious tin can robot KAOS twice, once in Mekanos and then as the penultimate boss. In both fights, you must dash beneath it, avoiding its jet burst, and bop its head using the propeller-like blades that emerge from its body. KAOS defends itself with boxing golf fists, its laser-firing head, and a missile barrage, though barrels turn the tide in the second fight. Once you defeat it, King K. Rool (in the guise of mad scientist Baron K. Roolenstein) attacks in a multi-stage battle. You must dash beneath him as he hovers about, grabbing barrels to toss at his butt, while avoiding the electrical bolt he fires, hopping to pulleys, and using stationary and moving wooden platforms. While this is a troublesome fight, it’s not too bad to get the hang of with liberal rewinding, though a much tougher rematch awaits if you unearth Krematoa.

Additional Features:
Every time you save your game, you’ll get a glimpse of you far you’ve progressed and how many collectibles you’ve found. When you finish the game, you’ll be played on a high score table according to completion percentage and be granted a title by Cranky Kong, as well as being treated to a roll call of the game’s enemies and characters. If you want to hit 100% completion, you must reload your save and go searching for KONG letters, defeat Koins for DK Coins, and collect Bear Coins, to say nothing of acquiring the different items for the Brothers Bear and Funky Kong. While the skis patch are easily acquired by defeating bosses, you must buy the mirror, trade it for a wrench, and hunt down presents and other trinkets to access bonus areas. Some of these house Banana Fairies, with the legendary Banana Queen being rescued if you find all the DK Coins and acquire the gyrocopter. By using the turbo ski, you can bring Krematoa up from the depths and tackle its five additional, challenging stages, including a tougher rematch with Baron K. Roolenstein. There are various mini games and challenges to tackle not just in each stage, but at Swanky’s Sideshow, a few fun cheats you can enter by renaming your save file, and of course the usual save states and rewind features when playing this version. If you’re playing the Game Boy Advance version, the game comes with an autosave, a new seventh world, additional collectibles, and graphical and mechanical tweaks to the stages and bosses for an additional challenge.

The Summary:
There isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!, it’s just not especially innovative or memorable and does little to stand out against its predecessors. The game is simply more of the same, with a noticeable reduction in the moment-to-moment difficulty while still being challenging, though largely because of how clunky the Kongs can be and the cheapness of the hit boxes and enemy placements. I wasn’t a big fan of Dixie Kong in her debut title but she was my go-to character here as Kiddy Kong is just a useless lump, barely utilising his incredible strength and existing simply as a health bar for me. while the visuals are the best they’ve ever been for the series and things have been expanded, particularly on the overworld, I wasn’t exactly blown away by the game’s environments, which either borrowed to heavily from the last two games or didn’t live up to expectations. While the enemies were largely forgettable, I did enjoy the big, colourful, unique bosses that challenged you to think about how to damage them, though the massive hit boxes and awkward controls made them an uphill battle. I was disappointed that the animal friends were so mediocre and that the soundtrack wasn’t more memorable, and that the game didn’t place greater emphasis on the collectibles. I simply aimed to finish the game and still hit 50% by the end, and felt no urge to help out the Brothers Bear or grab every DK Coin. Donkey Kong Country 3 continues the traditional of the franchise, but it really feels like this was a game that was made simply for the sake of it, with nothing really jumping out at me as being especially appealing or on par with the first game. Yet, it’s s visual treat and a fun little challenge, so I don’t want to be too harsh, but there’s really no reason to play this one over the last two unless you’re really itching for some more DK action.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!? Do you think I was too harsh and were you more impressed by the game’s visuals and mechanics? What did you think to Kiddy Kong and Ellie? Did you help all the Brothers Bear and snag all of the game’s collectibles? Which of the bosses was your favourite and what did you think to the game’s difficulty curve? Which of the Donkey Kong Country games is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating Donkey Kong’s anniversary this year? Whatever your thoughts on Donkey Kong Country, leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Donkey Kong content.

Game Corner: Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge (Game Boy Advance)

Dr. K1 Comment

Released: 15 September 2003
Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Mobile

The Background:
After establishing themselves as one of the biggest UK-based videogame developers, Rare built a strong working relationship with Nintendo after revitalising their Donkey Kong franchise on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Rare sought to capitalise on this success with “Project Dream”, a tumultuous concept that eventually evolved into Banjo-Kazooie (Rare, 1998), one of the greatest Nintendo 64 titles. Although we didn’t get a long-running franchise, a similarly successful sequel followed in 2000 and the quirky duo also appeared in this oft-forgotten mid-quel for the Game Boy Advance. When development started, Rare was still a third party developer for Nintendo and the game was initially planned to release on the Game Boy Color. Development continued even after Rare was purchased by Microsoft since Microsoft didn’t have a handheld competitor and the story was originally a bit different, revolving around Banjo curing Kazooie of a curse. It also would’ve been a sidescroller, with more levels than the final game, and there were plans to incorporate a multiplayer feature, though all of this was cut. Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge received mixed reviews that criticised a lack of innovation and a lacklustre experience while praising its gameplay and visuals.

The Plot:
Two months after defeating the evil Gruntilda “Grunty” Winkybunion, Banjo embarks on a time travel adventure to rescue his bird friend, Kazooie, when Grunty returns in a robotic body and tries to keep the bear and bird duo from meeting!

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Unlike its predecessor and its sequel, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge is a kind of pseudo-isometric platformer that uses an odd, almost top-down perspective to follow Banjo and Kazooie’s latest collectathon. Interestingly, the game has more in common with Banjo-Tooie (Rare, 2000) than Banjo-Kazooie, acting as a side story between the two games and an alternative sequel. Many of Banjo and Kazooie’s basic actions return from Banjo-Tooie, though flying has been removed and there are some restrictions due to the limited hardware. You begin as Banjo alone and learn the basics: B sees Banjo whack enemies with his backpack while A is used to jump and swim. You’ll tackle the game’s first world alone but soon rescue Kazooie in the second world, adding additional, familiar moves to your arsenal through Bottles’ ancestor, Bozzeyes (as long as you have enough Musical Notes). Kazooie adds a airtime to your standard jump if you press A in mid-air, allows Banjo to backflip to higher areas by holding the Left trigger and pressing A, and performs a roll if you press B when running. Tapping L sees Kazooie carry Banjo up steep hills, and holding L and pressing B sees Banjo hold Kazooie like a shotgun and fire eggs with B. You switch between the different eggs with the Right trigger and fire regular eggs, special eggs that power up generators, ice eggs that put out fires, and fire eggs that melt ice blocks. If you jump and press B, Kazooie attacks with her beak and pressing L in mid-air sees her drill into the ground to defeat enemies and knock Jinjos, Jiggies, and other objects loose when drilling into special cracked areas. When in water, you press R to dive, tapping A to swim to avoid obstacles and grab air bubbles, while Honeycombs restore your health. You can grab a single one, one that restores two, and a randomiser that you must stop to refill more health. Finally, if you find the two Extra Honeycombs hidden in each world, you can bring them to Honey B.’s hive to extend your health bar.

Many of the duo’s familiar moves and abilities return, now skewed by the odd perspective.

As in the Nintendo 64 games, players collect Musical Notes, though they’re used to learn new moves rather than unlock doors. There are 100 Notes in each world and your total carries over if you leave or die in the stage. Like in Banjo-Tooie, Grunty’s Revenge doesn’t use a life system. When you’re defeated, you can choose to continue, respawning at the last doorway you used, which takes a lot of the pressure off but can make trial and error aggravating. Players collect ammo from egg nests and nab Gold Feathers to become invincible for as long as your stock lasts if you press A on a Wonderwing pad, an arbitrary restriction that severely limits the ability. You can again use Shock Spring Pads to rocket higher, though landing can be tricky due to the game’s odd perspective. Every area hides ten Jiggies: some are out in the open, some are awarded after defeating bosses, and others are dislodged with the Bill Drill. You’ll clamber up ladders and vines, cross lava, ice-cold water, and poisonous mists, fire the eggs into toll booth holes to activate platforms, and race down more than a few spiral slides to collect Jiggies. You’ll also get a Jiggy if you find the five Jinjos scattered throughout each location, with the piece spawning by a large Jinjo statue that’ll also give you a tip for every Jinjo you find. Many are awarded by finding objects in the worlds, from blue shells to coins to pieces of gold to be smelted into a Jiggy or ice cream and other treats to reunite a mother with her wayward children. There are also a handful of timed challenges to test you. These see you whacking special pads to spawn Jiggies and/or Shock Jump Pads and give you a few seconds to race to the prize before they disappear. These are easily the game’s toughest challenge prior to the final boss as you barely have time to reach the pad or the Jiggy and the enemies, who respawn as soon as you scroll the screen, certainly don’t help. The game’s worlds are surprisingly large and tricky to navigate as, unlike in Banjo-Tooie, there’s no fast travel system (though some worlds have shortcuts for the duo’s temporary other forms).

Sadly, the transformations are painfully underutilised and the mini games are recycled.

Yes, players still transform into different forms by bringing Mumbo Tokens (here awarded by beating certain bosses) to Mumbo Jumbo. There are four forms to turn into, with players able to use any form in any world (though you’ll be warped back to Mumbo’s Pad if you stray too far and must manually transform back to exit the world). You’ll become a mouse to pass through small holes and chew on wires with B, a candle that lights up a dark cave and performs a flaming somersault with B to light other candles and a TNT barrel, a cute little octopus that passes through water without harm and spits water projectiles with B, and a tank that can’t jump but braves toxic environments and fires its cannon with B. The tank enters special doors and crosses dropping panels to spawn Jiggies while the octopus is washed away through sewer pipes to blast enemies and obstacle and reach yet more Jiggies. Though these are fun, there aren’t any opportunities to explore previous worlds with new transformations and only some worlds require multiple transformations to find all their Jiggies. Each world does contain a mini game that mixes up the gameplay, but there’s only a few and they simply get reskinned. The various slides see you grabbing a set number of collectibles or racing a non-playable character (NPC) using boost pads to speed up and avoiding sticky oil slicks to get a Jiggy. There’s also a fishing mini game (which you first play snagging sheep) that can be pretty tricky; you must move left and right and cast by holding or tapping B to snag a set number. You only have a short time to do this and, later, you can’t see what you’re hooking as they’re underwater and you run the risk of being hurt by Snippets (though you can immediately retry if you fail). There are also two top-down driving challenges, one where you’re in a motorboat and one where you’re on a sled. In the first, you must snag the treasure chest and be holding it when the timer runs out; in the second, you must collect Snowies before the enemies get them. In both, you accelerate with A and fire with R though the craft can be very slippery and you’ll spin out when hit, so these can be problematic. Finally, there are shooting sections where you move back and forth and fire eggs at the Ghost Pirate or Mecha-Grunty, taking advantage of the egg nests and lamenting the lack of Honeycombs.

Presentation:
I was hesitant about Grunty’s Revenge for years simply because of the odd, top-down/isometric perspective and pre-rendered graphics…and I’m still torn after playing it. At times, the game looks great; it’s bright and cartoony and has a lot of visual charm. Other times, jumps are incredibly tricky to judge because of the slanted perspective and it’s not always clear where a wall starts and the ground ends, meaning I often ended up running against cliffs. Banjo and Kazooie look decent, if understandably limited. Banjo simply sways when idle, but all the returning moves look and sound exactly like the Nintendo 64 games. Characters still talk in gibberish, communicating via speech bubbles, and Banjo makes the same grunts and noises as he jumps and gets hurt. Grunty still talks in rhyme and taunts you, though collectibles are no longer anthropomorphic so most of the exposition is related through Bozzeyes, which can interrupt the gameplay. Grunty’s Revenge does a decent job of recreating familiar tunes from its bigger cousin, with Jamie Hughes remixing and sampling Grant Kirkhope’s memorable Nintendo 64 tunes, though these are obviously limited by the hardware and at times sound grating as a result. Enemy sprites and animations are disappointingly limited, however, and the game doesn’t do much with its time travel plot. You journey to each world from Spiral Mountain, which is closer to Banjo-Tooie’s Wooded Hollow since it houses Jiggywiggy’s Temple, though the area doesn’t look that different to what you’re used to. Sure, Grunty’s lair appears to be under construction, but the giant witch’s head is still there, and the inside is still an ominous castle. It might’ve been nice to see the landscape more dramatically changed as I legitimately forgot I was supposed to be in the past as it barely has any relevance beyond it being mentioned in dialogue. Sure, Mumbo’s younger but he still fulfils the same role and Bottles might not be born yet or too young to help, but Bozzeyes isn’t that different. Perhaps if the game had been changed a bit to have the duo flung into the distant past, or numerous time periods, the visuals could’ve been changed more.

While the game tries to capture the franchise’s colourful spirit, the perspective makes gameplay tricky.

This extends to the game’s worlds, too. Cliff Farm was an interesting idea but…it’s still just a farm, which isn’t an interesting location. Sure, there are haybales to jump on, tractors to see, a big barn to venture into, and a mill to explore but you can’t expect much from such a bland setting. Things then venture into the overly familiar with Breegull Beach, which isn’t a million miles away from Treasure Trove Cove and Jolly Roger’s Lagoon, featuring a beach, a sandcastle, a quarry and cliffs. Considering it’s Kazooie’s birthplace, it definitely feels like a wasted opportunity not to do more with that, perhaps include her family or siblings or something. Bad Magic Bayou was like Bubblegloop Swamp, with its poisonous water, broken wooden bridges and platforms, and murky swamp that’ll choke you if you linger too long. You hop to tyres to reach isolated islands and climb a tree using log platforms (taking full advantage of the lack of fall damage if you slip). Spiller’s Harbor is essentially a downgraded Rusty Bucket Bay, featuring polluted water thanks to oil leaking from pipes, a lighthouse (that you never go inside), and a nearby village where you hop onto rooftops like in Jolly Roger’s Lagoon. Freezing Furnace isn’t too dissimilar from Hailfire Peaks in that it’s a wide, frozen landscape of slippery platforms, narrow walkways, and ice-cold water that saps your health (unless you’re an octopus). You must scale mountains, venture into igloos, and enter a cave to reach Grunty Industries. This is a lava-filled industrial factory full of pipes, boilers, and toxic gunk that decimates your health unless you return as a tank. When you collect enough Jiggies to enter Grunty’s lair, it’s simply two screens: a stone arena where her minions watch you battle the final gauntlet and a claustrophobic rooftop where an ominous storm rages in the background. Grunty’s Revenge definitely captures the spirit of the Nintendo 64 games but plays things a little too safe, seemingly afraid to think outside the box and barely utilising the Game Boy Advance’s power to the best of its ability with its fitting, if simplistic, 2.5D aesthetic.

Enemies and Bosses:
Anyone who’s played the Nintendo 64 Banjo games will recognise most of Grunty’s Revenge’s enemies. There two most common baddies are the various Gruntlings and the thrashing tentacles that appear everywhere, even on the overworld. Gruntlings simply lumber about, stomping after you if they spot you, and take more hits to defeat the further you progress and the more their colour scheme changes. They’re echoed in the Bogfoot and Biggyfoot enemies, who take even more hits to defeat and often patrol on narrow walkways and above you on cliffs, which can cause you to fall into hazardous water if you’re not careful. Beehives are soon protected by bee swarms that fly at you, Tee-Hees pass through walls and, like the multi-coloured Spookos, are invulnerable unless you use the Wonderwing or certain eggs, and Gruntweeds burst from the ground, camouflaged by the Game Boy Advance’s limited palette, to slam on you. Chombas leap from portraits to take a bite out of you, Boom Boxes bounce around and explode on contact, Stinglashes block the way or pop from the ground like weeds, and sentient mines often patrol the waters. Most of these enemies are merely a nuisance; they’re defeated in one or two hits and often drop Honeycombs. The drop rate lessens as you progress and they become more formidable, but their biggest threat is that they respawn once you scroll away, even if it’s just for a moment. Sometimes, you’ll battle waves of them for a Jiggy; other times, bosses spawn them in, or they swarm claustrophobic interiors. By far the worst enemies, for me anyway, are the Germuloids, who latch onto you and won’t let go until they’ve drained your health, or you’ve wiggled the directional pad enough to destroy them.

Sadly, there’s a painful lack of variety and innovation in the game’s handful of recycled boss battles.

Grunty’s Revenge is extremely limited with its boss battles, recycling the same encounters with Mecha-Grunty or her chief minion, Klungo, three times each and then forcing you into a gauntlet in the endgame. The Ghost Pirate offers as a unique battle, framed as a limited third-person shooter where you must dodge his cannonballs and fire at his grinning visage when it appears, but even this is recycled for a Mecha-Grunty battle. This is a bit tougher as you must target her hands, hat, and panels on her torso, but the strategy is still the same. Similarly, though the battles against Klungo and Mecha-Grunty get progressively difficult, what works the first time will work the last. Klungo tosses vials and stalks you, only being vulnerable when his shield’s down. He’ll add in temporary invisibility, minions, and a slippery arena as you progress, with the window to attack getting smaller each time. This is echoed in the Mecha-Grunty fights as she also hides behind a shield, though she fires a projectile spread and also tries to crush you. In the endgame, you battle Mecha-Grunty in her arena, watching for her aerial bombardment, then take on Klungo again, with a quiz appearing between each fight. Best these and you’ll face a multi-phase battle against Mecha-Grunty on the castle roof, one where your room to avoid her homing projectiles and other attacks is extremely limited. To make matters worse, you can’t just hit her mech in this final fight like in the others; instead, you must strike her robot body and also attack her spirit when it appears. Additionally, you’re very unlikely to get Honeycombs during these battles and there are no checkpoints between each fight so, if you die at any point, you must not only start all over again but also complete the time switch task to enter Grunty’s lair! This was a difficulty spike I wasn’t expecting; just replenishing your health and eggs for the quiz would’ve helped. Ideally, there would be a doorway in the first arena to return to the overworld, with the entrance remaining unlocked but, as is, this was a gruelling final challenge that I couldn’t get past.

Additional Features:
There are two Extra Honeycombs in every area of Grunty’s Revenge, requiring all your abilities to uncover them to fully extend your health bar, and 600 Musical Notes and ten Jiggies in each as well. You won’t need all of them to learn every move or unlock every world, but you will need at least fifty Jiggies to reach the final boss gauntlet. However, if you want to see the best ending, you’ll need 100% of these collectibles, something that’s a tall order thanks to Breegull Beach’s timed challenge, let alone the final boss. When you finish the game, you play one last sliding game as the credits roll, collecting gold coins as you go. These are spent at an arcade machine in Breegull Beach, where you can replay the mini games at will.

The Summary:
I’ve been on the fence about Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge for years. There was something about the odd, quasi-isometric perspective that always put me off but, in the end, the game isn’t too expensive, and I felt the itch for more of the bear and bird duo. The game makes a good first impression, emulating the bright, cartoony visuals and quirky humour of the Nintendo 64 games and doing a decent job of recreating the characters, locations, and music from its counterparts. It is, in many ways, a 2.5D demake of Banjo-Tooie, featuring relatively large worlds and some fun mechanics with the different forms. However, these transformations are painfully underutilised and the Jiggies were, by and large, easy to collect as long as you weren’t racing against a ridiculously limited timer. There’s nothing here in terms of moves and abilities that you won’t find in the superior Nintendo 64 games…in fact, there’s less since you can’t fly or use the Wonderwing at will. While I enjoyed the visual fidelity to the other games, the worlds and environments are horrible limited and lack innovation. Each world has similar tropes (find stuff, play a mini game, fight a boss, a platforming challenge, etc), with none of the nuance and interconnectivity (or, at times, challenge) of the Nintendo 64 games. These issues are only compounded by Grunty’s Revenge recycling the same mini games and boss battles, forcing you into an unfair final gauntlet, and completely wasting its time travel plot. There was an opportunity to present something a little different and, instead, the developers played things far too safe and tried to give Game Boy Advance players a truncated version of the Nintendo 64 games rather than something that takes advantage of the system’s strengths. As a big, lifelong fan of the franchise, I was left disappointed and, though I don’t regret buying Grunty’s Revenge, I’m not surprised it’s largely been forgotten to the mists of time.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge? Were you impressed by how closely it emulated the Nintendo 64 games, or do you agree that it wasted its potential? What did you think to the semi-isometric perspective and the time travel plot? Which of the new worlds and transformations was your favourite? Were you also disappointed by the recycled mini games and bosses? Did you ever get the best ending, and would you like to see this game more widely available? Whatever you think about Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge, drop your thoughts in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other retrogaming content.

Game Corner [DK Day]: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K2 Comments

In 1981, Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo R&D1 created Donkey Kong, an arcade title that introduced gamers to two of Nintendo’s most recognisable characters: Mario and Donkey Kong. To celebrate everyone’s favourite King Kong knock-off, I’m dedicating a few days this week to gaming’s most famous ape!

Released: 23 September 2020
Originally Released: 21 November 1995
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

The Background:
After making a name for themselves Stateside with the financial and critical arcade classic Donkey Kong (Nintendo R&D1, 1981), Nintendo captured the home console market with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Largely supplanted by their moustachioed mascot, Super Mario, Donkey Kong gained a new lease of life thanks to legendary British developers Rare. Donkey Kong Country’s (Rare, 1994) revolutionary pre-rendered graphics pushed the SNES to its limits, saw a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr., and became the third-bestselling SNES game. Accompanied by universal praise, development of a sequel began shortly after Donkey Kong Country’s release and was purposely designed to be more challenging compared to its predecessor. Although it utilised the same pre-rendered graphics pioneered in the first game, Donkey Kong Country 2 was designed to be less linear and focus more on speed, leading to Diddy Kong taking the lead role. He was joined by a new character, Dixie Kong, who was designed to offer gameplay mechanics similar to those in the first game but different enough to be unique. Donkey Kong Country 2 was a massive hit upon release, one met by both critical acclaim and numerous awards. The game was seen as an overall improvement in every way and has been ported to both other platforms and Nintendo’s digital mediums, and inspired Retro Studios’ 2020 revival of the franchise.

The Plot:
When Donkey Kong is kidnapped by the vengeful King K. Rool, his nephew, Diddy Kong, teams up with his girlfriend to rescue him from the Kremling army.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (a clever pun that took me years to pick up on) is a 2D, sidescrolling adventure brought to life using pre-rendered graphics converted into 2D sprites. This time around, Donkey Kong has been kidnapped, forcing you (and a friend, if you have one) to play as his nephew, Diddy Kong, or Diddy’s girlfriend, Dixie Kong, and traverse the Gangplank Galleon worlds to rescue him. You’re given three saves and three player options: either going it alone, tagging between the Kongs with -, playing two-player co-op or playing a “contest” mode against a friend. The control scheme should be immediately familiar to anyone who’s played the first game: you jump with B, attack with Y, grab your partner with A, and throw them with Y. Your Y attack differs depending on which Kong you’re playing as: Diddy performs a cartwheel to hit enemies in his path and add some momentum to his jump while Dixie twirls her ponytail, which lets her glide for a few seconds and thus makes her the better choice for clearing the game’s many gaps and bottomless pits. Your partner acts as your life bar; as long as you have a partner Kong, you can take at least one hit. You’ll need to smash DK barrels to reunite with your partner and collect bananas, KONG letters, and 1-Up balloons to earn 1-Ups. These can also be earned by spending Banana Coins to play Swanky Kong’s Bonus Bonanza mini game, and you’ll need a fair few lives as the game’s platforming and hazard placement can get pretty tough as you progress. Occasionally, you’ll find the odd invincibility barrel but there are no new power-ups included here. You can save your game at Wrinkly Kong’s Kong Kollege, where you can also spend Banana Coins to learn about various game mechanics, or abuse the Nintendo Switch’s rewind and save state feature to mitigate some of the game’s difficulty.

Diddy, Dixie, and their buddies hop and battle through stages filled with tough hazards.

Whereas Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong controlled very differently in Donkey Kong Country, with one being slower, bigger, and more suited to attacking and the other being fast, nimble, and better suited for platforming, Diddy and Dixie are very similar here. Dixie’s better for crossing gaps, though, and since there’s a lot of platforming and tricky jumps you’re usually better off sticking with her. It’s a shame that Diddy Kong remains unchanged from the last game as there’s little incentive to play as him beyond giving yourself a greater challenge. The Kongs’ animal friends are back, once again freed from crates and opening additional exploration and attack options. Rambi charges through enemies and destructible walls, Enguard slices through water with a sleekness the Kongs can only dream of, and Squawks the parrot spits peanuts with Y. Not only can Rambi charge up a gore, Enguarde attacks with his needle-like nose, and Squawks flies with taps of B, they’re joined by two new animal buddies. Squitter the spider fires a web projectile with Y and creates temporary web platforms with B while Rattly the snake allows you to charge a big leap to reach higher areas. Many of the hidden mini game rooms are played with these companions, too, and multiple animals can be found in certain stages, allowing you to take different routes and acquire different collectibles. The Kongs can also hurl barrels, TNT barrels, cannonballs, and treasure chests, with the latter two activating cannons to bonus games and yielding collectibles, respectively. Your goal is the target at the end of each stage, with each set up to gift different rewards depending on when and how hard you hit the target, awarding you extra bananas, lives, coins, or a KONG letter. Giant DK Coins and Kremkoins are also hidden across the various worlds; the latter are spent at Klubba’s Kiosk to access a bonus world. You can also hire Funky Kong’s airplane to fast travel across the overworld, climb ropes, chains, and ride wind gusts and, of course, blast across the environment using various barrels.

Some incredibly difficult platforming challenges and gimmicks await in this retread.

Barrels either automatically shoot you or you must time your shot to reach an adjacent barrel, often with the risk of plummeting to your death or hitting spiked thorns. Pits, water, toxic gunk, and lava all spell instant death and can be difficult to avoid thanks to some gaps being frustrating to clear. Dixie helps with this, as does bouncing on enemies, but you’ll also want to utilise any animal companions to help squeeze through narrow gaps or around thorns. Some stages have you traveling from the right side of the screen to the left; others force you into a race or a timed challenge. You’ll see many of these in the many bonus rooms, which challenge you to defeat multiple enemies, collect bananas or stars, or reach the end goal after a short obstacle course to earn rewards. Many hazards and gimmicks seen in the first game return here: you’ll ride mine carts and high-speed rollercoasters (hitting lights to open gates and jumping to new tracks), swim through mazes of crates, avoid plenty of pits, and slip on icy ground. Vertical traversal is as prominent as horizontal, requiring you to hop and barrel blast up ship masts as often as you explore the submerged interiors. Sometimes, water, lava, and toxic gunk rises after you, creating a sense of panic as you desperately hop to platforms and climb higher. Others, the floor rises, creating a crushing hazard, or you’re forced to make pixel perfect jumps or fly through thorny mazes. Sometimes, you’ll need to jump on seals to freeze water or cool lava, giving you a short window to slide under enemies or swim to safety. Other times, you’re floating between Zingers, dodging cannonballs, jumping to poles and hooks, and making desperate leaps across chasms to progress. Your animal friends are invaluable in many of these situations but you’ll definitely want both Kongs on hand, especially in the endgame when tight corridors filled with spikes and obstacles make even the simplest movements hazardous.

Presentation:
Donkey Kong Country 2 doesn’t really look or play any better than the first game, in my opinion. I’ve never been a fan of the aesthetic of this franchise and it continues to be ugly, blurry and pixelated here. The sprites, especially, have some mess on them that looks sloppy at times, though I did like how animated and cartoonish the Kongs were. Diddy and Dixie celebrate when you hit the end goal, cry when thrown, juggle and loaf about when left idle, and it’s funny how their eyes comically bug out whenever they see bosses. Each has little exclamations for when they’re hit or victorious and they control pretty well, but they have large hit boxes and can be clunky to move around, making them easy targets for the equally large hit boxes of enemies and hazards. There’s no introduction cutscene this time and the title screen is as basic as you can get, but you can talk to a few more Kongs (including the returning Cranky Kong) for some lore, tips, and to break up the gameplay. The music is mostly the same as before; I recognised some of the tunes from the first game and it’s all very whimsical and enjoyable, if not very memorable. Gangplank Galleon is a more foreboding overworld than Donkey Kong Country’s, featuring lava, dungeons, and a frigid mountaintop. I liked that Pirate Panic starts you on King K. Rool’s pirate ship, essentially starting the game where the first one left off, and the pirate theme continues throughout in the enemy sprites and level layouts.

The visuals, though ambitious, can be muddy and blurry, obscuring the clunky action.

Typically, stages fall into a routine very quickly. You’ll either be hopping about on the deck of a ship, clambering about in the masts up top, or exploring the inside, with these areas being flooded, riddled with lava, or beset by wind and rain. Wind is a particularly dangerous element as, while you can ride updrafts to new areas and it boosts your jump, it also pushes against you and can screw up your platforming. Caves, mines, and frozen mountaintops also appear, with some being remixed into the pirate-themed stages. While the mine cart stages are disappointingly bland, the game makes up for it with Krazy Kremland’s fairground and rollercoaster, where you’ll see fireworks and rides in the background. Stages like Jungle Jinx and Mudhole Marsh can be difficult thanks to the dense forest and contrasting colours, which swallow up the sprites and make for some muddy, ugly visuals. I liked stages set in the beehives, with their sticky nectar offering new platforming challenges, and those like Gloomy Gulch that adopted the haunted forest trope and the scorching volcano aesthetic of Crocodile Cauldron. However, any stages that incorporate the thick, maze-like mess of thorns and brambles can go die in a ditch. By the time you reach Toxic Tower, you’re avoiding toxic gunk in a suitably medieval dungeon before boarding King K. Rool’s steampunk-like airship, The Flying Krock. Gangplank Galleon features many paths, shortcuts, new worlds, and required stages, though it can be clunky to navigate. Also, while Donkey Kong Country 2 performs well, I did notice some frustrating slowdown one I reached K. Rool’s Keep. The game struggled to render all the sprites and hazards, slowing the gameplay to a crawl, and the large hit boxes became aggravating thanks to the sadistic enemy and obstacle placements of the game’s latter stages.

Enemies and Bosses:
King K. Rool’s army is familiar but largely original here in Donkey Kong Country 2. His ships are infested with rats and little snapping crocodiles and seemingly every stage is populated by Zingers, spiked bees whose red variants can’t be killed and who act as much as hazards as they do enemies, flying back and forth, in circles, or in vertical formations that force you to squeeze by. His Kremlin army is still easily dispatched with a simply bop on the head or a barrel to the face, but they’re sporting some new designs. Some bounce in place or at you, larger Kremlins wield cannonball-firing blunderbusses or toss boomerang-like hooks, smaller ones patrol back and forth with cutlasses that have a shockingly large hit box, and others are large and muscular and become enraged (and harmful) when you hit them. The wacky (and somewhat familiar) Cat-O-9-Tails either hurt you or toss you across gaps (or into spikes) with their tentacle-like tails, vultures swoop from the skies, porcupines totter across the ground, and stingrays and voracious fish lurk in water. You’ll be chased by a skeletal pirate ghost while speeding across broken rollercoaster tracks, jump to temporary ropes that are actually snake-like ghosts, slide and jump out of the way of rope-climbing Kremlins, gain a mid-air boost from passing dragonflies, and get bashed about (usually down a pit) by barrel-wearing Kremlins. You’ll race against Screech, hop to Krocheads to clear bodies of water or swampland, hop to Kannon’s barrels to achieve the same goal, tip over Click-Clack beetles to attack their underbelly, and encounter rotund sorcerer-type enemies who toss barrels and suicidal Kremlins at you.

Bosses offer a tough challenge but only King Zing is truly unique.

Each of Donkey Kong Country 2’s worlds end with a boss battle, though you’re awarded a Kremkoin rather than a giant banana this time around. Each boss has at least two phases, no life bar, and rarely a DK barrel to restore your partner if you’re hit, and they’re all essentially invulnerable until a barrel spawns for you to throw. Your first boss is Krow, a large, pirate-themed crow fought up in a crow’s nest (…get it?) Krow dives at you and launches giant egg from his nest. You must hop on this egg and toss it at Krow to deal damage, which eventually sends Krow into such a frenzy that he causes eggs to erratically rain down, making it trickier to score the final two hits. Kleever, a sentient sword, hides in lava for the first phase and tosses fireballs you must dodge. Eventually, a cannonball drops which you must throw at Kleever, then you must use the hooks to cross the lava pool and repeat. In the second phase, Kleever emerges from the lava and flies about, swiping and chasing you as you hop to the many hooks scattered around, tossing cannonballs to finish it whenever you get a chance. Kudgel, a roided-up Kremlin wielding a massive club, leaps offscreen and stuns you when he lands if you’re standing on the ground. He also swings his club like a baseball bat, after which a TNT barrel drops in. Toss this at him enough times and he’ll start pouncing at you, forcing you to run or cartwheel under him and making timing your throws a tad more difficult. King Zing is fought in a sticky beehive after previously chasing the player (on Rambi) in Rambi Rumble. King Zing is unique in that you fight him as Squawks, fluttering around and spitting peanuts at his stinger (a difficult target to hit considering how small it is). After enough hits, King Zing fires a spread of stingers and splits into smaller, regular Zingers, all of which can be tricky to avoid with Squawks’ awkward controls and hit box.

As if the final battle with K. Rool wasn’t bad enough, tougher challenges await to challenge you.

Another giant crow stands as the game’s penultimate boss. Fundamentally, battling the spirit of Kreepy Krow is the same as battling Krow except this time you’re up in the masts and sails of a pirate ship and he sends his minions after you. You must avoid the ghosts and hit the living enemies to spawn a barrel to toss at Kreepy Krow, trying not to plummet to your doom or be hit by the giant bird’s swoop. In the second phase, more baddies fly at you and you must climb hooks and chains, dodging Kreepy Krow’s falling eggs, to finish the deadbeat off. When you finally confront King K. Rool in his stronghold, where he’s gleefully torturing Donkey Kong, the Kremlin captain flees to his airship and you’re forced to beat Screech in a race through dangerous thorns and brambles. With Donkey Kong held hostage aboard The Flying Krock, you battle King K. Rool and his gigantic blunderbuss in a three-stage fight. In the first phase, you must dodge his rocket-powered charge and toss his cannonballs back when he sucks you in for a clobber. After enough hits, he collapses and the game tricks you into thinking you’ve won, only for King K. Rool to rise again and add new attacks to his arsenal. He fires spiked balls that reduce your dodging and jumping area, blue shots that freeze you, red shots that slow you, and purple shots that screw up your controls. He also turns invisible and speeds up his shots which, alongside his large hit box and the lack of DK barrels, makes this the toughest boss fight in the game as it just keeps going on and the margin for error is very small. If you’re playing the Game Boy Advance version, you’ll also battle a final final, version exclusive boss, Kerozene. A titanic Kremlin, Kerozene attacks by slamming his fists and summoning two Kleevers. You must dispatch these with cannonballs and then chuck another at Kerozene’s face when he starts glowing. After ducking his fists, you must jump to them to avoid the plumes of fire he spawns, waiting for them to die down so you can retrieve your cannonball and continue your attack.

Additional Features:
Your save file tracks the collectibles you’ve obtained in your playthrough and Cranky Kong will comment on or criticise your progress once you complete the game. While KONG letters and Banana Coins are easy to spot, they’re not always easy to acquire. DK Coins are even more elusive, requiring skilled platforming and tricks to reach. Many are rewarded by finding and completing bonus stages or discovering hidden paths. These are fun distractions and offer bite-sized challenges, but it can be tedious and frustrating revisiting the stages to hunt these down. If you collect all seventy-five Kremkoins, you’ll not only collect everything the game has to offer but also pay off Klubba and access the Lost World, six additional stages that remix enemies and gimmicks from the main game and offer an even tougher challenge for hardcore players. The final of these, Krocodile Kore, offers another boss battle with King K. Rool that’s a reskin of the regular final boss, but made even tougher. As if that wasn’t enough, the Game Boy Advance version adds Golden Feathers to upgrade Expresso II’s stats in the version exclusive Expresso Racing mini game and Photographs to fill Wrinkly Kong’s scrapbook. Collecting everything sees Cranky commend your performance and places you higher on the pedestal in the final cutscene, but offers no other tangible unlocks.

The Summary:
There’s no doubt that Donkey Kong Country is a Nintendo classic. While I’m not the biggest fan of its visual style or clunky gameplay mechanics, it was an impressive title that breathed new life into the cantankerous ape and showcased the power of the Super Nintendo. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is more of the same, which you might think means it’s just as good if not better, but there’s something decidedly off about the execution. The absence of Donkey Kong hurts the game as there’s just not enough visual or gameplay difference between Diddy and Dixie Kong. If Diddy gained some new, tangible gameplay mechanic beyond just being a bit faster, maybe I’d appreciate the game more. Like, maybe Diddy could toss barrels but Dixie couldn’t; or if Diddy’s jumps were shorter to emphasise Dixie’s helicopter mechanic more. Instead, they’re so similar that you may as well stick to Dixie since you need her to clear gaps. The animal friends were fun, as ever, and the new additions added some unique aspects to the game, but I would’ve liked to see them incorporated more. The developers almost did this by giving Squawks race sections and a boss battle, but it would’ve been nice to see the other animal get this luxury, too. There is a load more collectibles this time around, which adds some nice replay value, but many are so difficult to reach and you don’t get anything substantial for finding them all so it’s barely worth your effort unless you want to punish yourself with the more difficult Lost World stages. I liked that the bosses were a bit more diverse this time, but I would’ve liked to see more variety in the environments. Everything feels like a carbon copy of the first game, just with the difficulty cheaply ramped up and very few new mechanics to make this an improvement on the original. It’s a shame as there was a fair but to like here, but the janky hit boxes, aggravating difficulty spike, and lack of originality mean Donkey Kong Country 2 feels like an inferior and less enjoyable retread of the first game to me.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest? Was it part of your SNES library back in the day? What did you think to Dixie Kong and the new animal friends? Which of the boss battles was your favourite? Did you find all of the game’s secrets and bonus rooms? Did you struggle with the dramatic difficulty spike? Which of the Donkey Kong Country games is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating Donkey Kong’s anniversary this year? Whatever your thoughts on Donkey Kong Country 2, leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Donkey Kong content.

Game Corner: Banjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64)

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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.

Mini Game Corner [DK Day]: Donkey Kong ’94 (Nintendo Switch)

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In 1981, Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo R&D1 created Donkey Kong, an arcade title that introduced gamers to two of Nintendo’s most recognisable characters: Mario and Donkey Kong. To celebrate everyone’s favourite King Kong knock-off, I’m dedicating a few days this week to gaming’s most famous ape!

Released: 7 March 2025
Originally Released: 14 Jun 1994
Developer: Nintendo EAD / Pax Softnica
Also Available For: Game Boy and Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console)

A Brief Background:
Back in 1981, Nintendo were in a tight spot after their plans to expand into North America with Radar Scope (Nintendo R&D2/Ikegami Tsushinki, 1980) failed. President Hiroshi Yamauchi thus tasked young designer Shigeru Miyamoto to create a new arcade cabinet to turn things around and, when plans to adapt the popular comic strip character Popeye fell through, Miyamoto took inspiration from Beauty and the Beast (Barbot de Villeneuve, 1740) and King Kong (Cooper and Schoedsack, 1933) to create Donkey Kong (Nintendo R&D1/Ikegami Tsushinki, 1981). A critical and financial success, Donkey Kong not only introduced to world to a prototype of Nintendo’s plumber mascot and ensured a foothold for Nintendo in the United States, it also kick-started a slew of ports and sequels. Perhaps the most notable conversion of the title was this version for Nintendo’s popular handheld, the Game Boy. Unlike the version released for the Game Boy’s home console counterpart, this Donkey Kong was more of a puzzle platformer and greatly expanded upon the core gameplay and mechanics of the original, solidifying Mario’s character following his successful solo ventures and bringing more eyes to Nintendo’s Super Game Boy peripheral. Widely praised and highly ranked amongst Donkey Kong’s solo ventures, Donkey Kong inspired a spiritual successor in 2004 and finally saw life outside of the retrogaming scene when it was released digital via Nintendo’s online services in 2011 and 2025.

The Review:
Although this version of Donkey Kong (referred to on the title screen as Game Boy Donkey Kong and widely known as Donkey Kong ’94) is a fundamentally different and expanded version of the original arcade game, it’s still technically quite simple and not varied enough in some aspects to warrant my usual full review. Upon first starting the game, players pick from three save files and immediately get underway playing an adaptation of the arcade hit, guiding a distinctly Mario-looking Mario across girders, through a pie factory, and removing rivets to reach the cantankerous ape, who escapes with Pauline each time. After clearing the first four stages, however, Donkey Kong scarpers across nine additional stages, each with anywhere from eight to fifteen levels, and the game completely changes from a simple platformer to a puzzle platformer. Luckily, Mario’s abilities have been expanded to accommodate this. His jump is far better now, allowing you to hop between platforms and across gaps and even survive falls from short to medium heights, largely eliminating the aggravating fall deaths from the original game. By crouching and pressing A, Mario performs a handstand to protect himself from Donkey Kong’s barrels and other hazards and then performs a somersault jump by pressing A again to hop to higher ground. Mario can also pull off a back flip if you quickly press the directional pad (D-pad) in the opposite direction alongside A, which is great for hopping over enemies or out of tight corners, as well as crouch to fit through narrow gaps. By pressing B on barrels and certain enemies, Mario picks these up and throws them, though you’ll primarily use this to retrieve the many keys hidden across the game’s stages. Finally, Mario can still grab his trusty hammer to take out enemies, though he can’t jump while using it. The game also includes the Super Hammer, which destroys certain blocks, and Mario can toss both weapons and quickly retrieve them to solve puzzles.

Smash blocks with your hammer and utilise various platforming skills to get the key to the door.

Many stages feature ladders and ropes you must climb. Sometimes these ladders rise and fall to make you time you climb, sometimes there are ropes, vines, or chains or you must carefully grab nearby vines, avoiding any enemies or a potentially fatal plummet like in Donkey Kong Jr. (Nintendo R&D1, 1982). There are also wires to spin on by holding up on the D-pad, which will fling you into the air or across the stage, though you must watch for insta-kill hazards like electrical sparks and spikes. Mario can also swim by tapping A, collect extra lives from 1-Up Hearts hidden in stages, and hop over enemies or retrieve Pauline’s lost items for bonus points. Finding all three of these and clearing a level takes you to a bonus game, where you must stop a slot machine or number icons to earn additional lives. Finally, players pull levers to open doors, activate or change the direction of moving platforms, and switch the direction of conveyer platforms, as well as utilise timed item blocks to aid their traversal. You can grab a ladder to quickly reach higher platforms, create a temporary bridge to toss the key to, and spawn a spring to bounce upwards, with some stages requiring multiple item blocks to clear them, avoid a deadly fall, or get the key to higher ground. You must retrieve the key and carry it to the door before the timer expires, taking care not to toss it into pits or water or leave it idle as it’ll vanish. Sometimes, the door is invisible, requiring you to pay attention during the intro cutscene; other times, it’s deep underwater or protected by hazards. While you can toss the key to defeat some enemies, you can’t carry it up ladders so you must use the item blocks, conveyors, platforms, and levers to get the key where you need it to go. While the challenge of getting the key to the door starts quite simple, with you simply avoiding some enemies or hazards, it quickly becomes complicated as the game throws deep chasms, hazardous mazes, and brain teasing puzzles that’ll have you checking a guide or using trial and error. The Nintendo Switch’s save state and rewind feature is a godsend here as it can be tricky figuring out what to do, though often the solution is very simple and you can even ride some enemies to cross gaps and such.

The game’s challenge is bolstered by some impressive visuals for the handheld.

It’s pretty amazing how visually engaging this version of Donkey Kong is compared to the original, and the other home console ports, especially considering the Game Boy’s limitations. Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline are all rendered very accurately, with the latter two having some fun animations. I enjoyed seeing Donkey Kong squeeze his butt through doors and the cute little chase animations that play between stages, and Mario has some amusing death animations here. He’ll be squashed flat as a pancake, incinerated, face plant and be left twitching or simply crash to the ground and die, which all adds to the visual charm. Add to that some fun and impressive animated sprite art and in-game cutscenes and you have a game that blows its counterparts away, as long as you don’t focus too hard on the backgrounds and sound. While the backgrounds are varied and you end up exploring a deep jungle, slipping around on a frozen iceberg, swimming through water, exploring a hazardous city, and climbing Donkey Kong’s fortified tower, they’re obviously very limited due. The game performs really well, though, with no real slowdown or sprite flickering, and makes good use of its assets by scrolling the screen in larger areas. It’s also surprisingly long and challenging, with some stages featuring so many levels that it can get quite taxing, though the music is naturally limited and quite repetitious. Each stage introduces new gimmicks, or turns old ones on their head, though, to have you riding Thwomp blocks, clinging to Monchee tails, avoiding Poison Mushrooms, riding platforms, creating bridges over gaps, battling against strong winds, and contending with the cheeky Donkey Kong Jr. as he pulls levers to mess up your progress.

Donkey Kong and his cheeky sprog regularly challenge your platforming skills.

Each stage is filled with puzzles, hazards, and enemies, some of which aid you since you can walk on or get a boost from them, but most of which will immediately kill you. Some resemble recognisable Mario enemies like Piranha Plants, Cheep-Cheeps, and Bloopers, others return from the original Donkey Kong games, like the flammable oil and egg-dropping birds, while others are quirky newcomers ranging from waddling penguins and aggressive crabs to spiky porcupines, deep sea divers, and various oddball anthropomorphs who patrol each platform. Every fourth level pits you against the titular Donkey Kong and forces you to hop up platforms, avoiding his projectiles, and either get to Pauline or toss a barrel at him three times. Sometimes, the action takes place over a bottomless pit, a body of water, or a bed or spikes. Other times, you hop to conveyor belts, ride platforms, or race across disappearing block platforms. Sometimes, you pull levers to reverse the direction of these gimmicks; others, these same levers open doors for you to reach Pauline. Often, Donkey Kong Jr. blocks your path or undoes your progress until you eventually trap him in a cage and take him out of the equation in Stage 9. Donkey Kong is largely stationary but sometimes jumps and causes debris to rain down, or also pull levers to annoy you. He throws barrels that must be picked up and thrown at him, oil barrels that you must jump over, boulders and springs that you can hop on to climb higher, and Poison Mushrooms to shrink you. Reaching and battling him is generally easier than tackling the obstacle courses that precede him, but things can get tricky when enemies spit projectiles or Donkey Kong smashes barrels to spawn Poison Mushrooms. When you reach the finale of Stage 9, you must again climb chains to push keys into holes and send Donkey Kong plummeting, only to be surprised by a three-stage final boss against a gigantic Donkey Kong! In this final bout, you must avoid his crushing fists and hop to higher ground, using your handstand to tip over barrels to toss at his big, stupid face. His fists also slam together and erratically smash the ground to mix things up, but as long as you stay high and in a handstand, you can mostly avoid his attacks and any damage.

The Summary:
I spent a long time regretting not getting this version of Donkey Kong when the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console was active. I’d heard a lot of good things about it and was attracted to how it expanded upon the core gameplay of the admittedly limited original, though even I was surprised by just how much is packed into this little game! I find it amazing that Nintendo chose to create this expanded version for their less powerful handheld and not their industry changing home console, though it’s quite the technical marvel for the Game Boy. I loved how animated Mario and Donkey Kong were, how much variety was packed into every stage, and the clever way the developers reused and retooled each gimmick in challenging ways. Make no mistake, this Donkey Kong is a thinking man’s platformer and some of the stages really had me baffled about how to get the key to the door. The gameplay loop did become tiresome after a while, though, even with the fun cutscenes and throwaway bonus stages, especially in stages with an obscene number of levels. It was also disappointing that the battles against Donkey Kong and his sprog didn’t deviate too wildly from the original arcade game, especially as the developers could’ve snuck in some autoscrolling chasers to mix up the formula. I enjoyed Mario’s new moves and the item blocks, which had to be placed strategically to solve some puzzles, and the tension of racing to the key before it or your items disappeared. Some levels were more unfair than others, require multiple reloads, but this was a fun way to pass the time and a great expansion on the original title. While the Game Boy Donkey Kong did get a little too tiresome at times for me to rate it any higher, it’s still the best version of the original game, though it’s a shame the Nintendo Switch doesn’t allow for the Super Game Boy colour palette to be utilised.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you ever own Donkey Kong for the Game Boy back in the day? How do you think it compares to the original arcade version? Did you enjoy the challenge on offer or do you agree that it gets a bit tedious after a while? What did you think to the puzzle/platformer gameplay and Mario’s expanded moveset? Did you ever clear every stage in the game? Which Donkey Kong videogame is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating Donkey Kong’s anniversary this year? Whatever your thoughts on Donkey Kong, feel free to leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Mario and Donkey Kong content.

Game Corner [Sonic Month]: Sonic Rush Adventure (Nintendo DS)

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Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Released: 13 September 2007
Developer: Dimps / Sonic Team

The Background:
SEGA’s desperate desire to create a mascot to rival Super Mario paid off when Sonic the Hedgehog became a mainstream icon with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992). Despite subsequent success with both 2D and 3D titles, costly business decisions forced SEGA to withdraw from console manufacture, bringing the original “Console War” to an anti-climatic end. Now focused on software development, the unthinkable happened when Sonic and SEGA-branded videogames appeared on Nintendo’s GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Alongside Dimps, Sonic Team created a trilogy of largely lauded 2D throwbacks for the handheld and this partnership extended to the more powerful, dual screen Nintendo DS with the widely praised Sonic Rush (Dimps/Sonic Team, 2005). Introducing series staple Blaze the Cat and pioneering the hotly-debated Boost gameplay, Sonic Rush impressed enough to warrant a sequel. Inspired by adventure narratives, director Sakae Osumi decided the sequel should be set on the high seas, with pirate antagonists, and the developers expanded on the Sonic Rush’s game engine to incorporate more 3D elements and more use of the touchscreen. Released after the universally panned Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic Team, 2006), critics noted that Sonic Rush Adventure proved the brand was still viable and praised the eye-catching visuals, upbeat soundtrack, and touchscreen functionality for the boat racing sections. While the plot and material collecting were criticised and we never got a third game in this sub-series, its influence was felt in Dimps’ subsequent 3DS port of Sonic Colours (Sonic Team, 2010).

The Plot:
Stranded in Blaze’s world following a mysterious storm, Sonic and Tails team with Blaze and an energetic, wannabe sailor to explore the neighbouring islands and keep the lost Jeweled Scepter away from Captain Whisker and his robo-pirates.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Like its predecessor, Sonic Rush Adventure is primarily a 2.5D action platformer focusing on high-speed platforming and Boost-based tricks. Initially, only Sonic is playable but, after clearing the third stage (known as a “Zone”), Blaze will be unlocked once again. While the game takes place on various islands, each Zone contains two stages (or “Acts”) and a third, dedicated boss battle against one of Doctor Eggman and Eggman Nega’s robotic giants (known as “Ghosts”). The game includes an “Options” menu where you can set the game to “Easy” or “Normal” mode to tweak the difficulty of bosses, toggle the ten-minute time limit on or off, and manually save your progress. Sonic Rush Adventure expands on the world map of its predecessor, allowing you to not only draw paths to other islands on the bottom screen but also enter buildings and talk with non-playable characters (NPCs). These allies give you hints, allow you to listen to the game’s soundtrack, offer additional missions to complete, and allow a stage and boss select so you can quickly retry completed Zones. Although Sonic and Blaze are still contrasting personalities, their controls and gameplay and essentially the same and as in Sonic Rush. Both jump with A or B, charge up a dash with down and A/B, and perform various mid-air tricks with A, B, and the Right trigger. You can use the directional pad in conjunction with these buttons to reach higher or further platforms, as well, though Blaze has the added benefit of her Burst Hover, which grants her a limited mid-air glide.

The core, Boost-paced gameplay remains unchanged but is bolstered by some new interactable elements.

In contrast, Sonic can home in on nearby targets and is much faster by default, though Blaze is also immune to fire. Both characters can grind on various rails, tapping B to pull off additional tricks. These tricks and smashing robots fill your “Tension Gauge” which, when partially or completely full, blasts you ahead with the Super Boost or Fire Boost when you hold down X or Y. This allows you to plough through Badniks and breakable walls and across gaps at high speed, completely invulnerable, though you need to be careful as it makes it much easier to miss ramps and other interactable objects that spring you across the environment. Golden Rings act as your life blood, protecting you from attacks and awarding you extra lives when you collect increments of 100, and you can snag all the usual power-ups (extra Rings, a barrier and magnetic shield, and a brief invincibility) alongside boosts to your Tension Gauge and top speed. Your Tension Gauge also gets a boost when you pass a checkpoint, and you’ll use loops, springs, and ramps to blast between both screens across the game’s colourful and distinct Zones. Similar to the last game, there are instances where you get additional gimmicks: Blizzard Peaks starts you on a snowboard for some high-octane grinding, Coral Cave sees you push and jump into large minecarts, and Pirates’ Island sees you riding a dolphin through rings in underwater tunnels. The hang glider reappears in Machine Labyrinth, now steam-powered and letting you Boost along, while catapults, cannons, and giant hooks and anchors carry you to higher platforms. Pirates’ Island includes a water cannon gimmick where you aim, fire, and grind along water streams, crystals allow you to float across deadly gaps in Sky Babylon, and the Haunted Ship’s cannons blast you through the sky, allowing you to press buttons to score points off rings. Occasionally, the game switches perspective, shrinking you to the background, bringing you to the foreground, and putting you in a third-person view as you switch tracks in a mine cart or grind across spiked vines.

The touchscreen is wonderfully utilised in third-person and sea-based race sections.

The “adventure” aspect of the game comes into play in the overworld. You’ll travel across the sea to reach each island and challenge the game’s Zones, which you can only do with Tails’ various sea craft. After plotting a path, you’re placed on the bottom screen and use the stylus to control Sonic as he grabs Rings, performs tricks off ramps, and avoids enemies. In these sections, tricks and other actions are performed by swiping or tapping the screen, which builds your “Boost Gauge” and allows you to rocket ahead by double-tapping the screen or pressing the Left or Right triggers. Clearing Acts awards various materials and a letter grade; the higher your grade, the more materials you acquire. These can be brought to Tails to create newer, more diverse sea craft, such as a submarine and a hovercraft. As each craft needs specific materials to be built and further upgraded, you’ll be revisiting Zones again and again to “farm” for these materials. These can also be located on the sixteen Hidden Islands, which act as brief obstacle courses designed to test your skills and award materials, and you must do this to progress though the story. Sonic starts with the Wave Cyclone, a simple hoverbike, before Tails builds the Ocean Tornado, a sailboat you control and fire the weapons of (comprised of a gun turret, cannon, and flamethrower). The Aqua Blast hovercraft is similar to the Wave Cyclone but players must move it side to side to avoid rocks and other hazards and fire its laser cannon in either short or charged bursts. The last craft you get direct control of is the Deep Typhoon, a heavily armed submarine that sees you exploring the ocean’s depths, tapping commands similar to a quick-time event to lock-on to and destroy enemies and hazards, as indicated by a radar. Additional power-ups are also found in these stages to repair your craft or fill your Boost Gauge, and they certainly offer a fair bit of variety, though the grinding for materials can get tedious at times.

Presentation:
Like Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure utilises traditional sprite art for its backgrounds alongside polygonal assets. These are primarily seen in the character and enemy models but various interactive elements (such as drums and bouncy ropes and the end goal treasure chests) are 3D models as well. Sonic and Blaze’s models seem to be copied wholesale from the last game, sporting the same animations, playstyles, and voice clips as before and therefore being just as blocky and clunky. Again, I wonder if it might’ve been better to swap things around and have fully polygonal environments and sprites for the characters, though these models do look a lot better when the action switches to the touchscreen for the sea sections or brief third-person sequences. As you might expect from the title, Sonic Rush Adventure places more emphasis on the story, meaning more cutscenes using both 3D models and still images and more interactions with NPCs. The standout of these is the now sadly forgotten Marine, a plucky raccoon girl with a love for the sea and its craft and who hides incredible power behind her boisterous personality. Sporting a quirky Australian dialect, she furthers Blaze’s development from a stoic princess into a more laidback defender of her world and is a joy to talk with, as are the various amusing koalas who help you. Sonic Rush Adventure incorporates a more sea-faring flair to its soundtrack, peppering every stage with upbeat tunes that match the fast-paced gameplay. The opening theme, “A New Venture”, is infectious in its whimsy though it was surprising and a little disappointing to find the game didn’t include voice acting to go with its cutscenes and still relied on simple text. For most of its length, Sonic Rush Adventure focuses on two new antagonists, Captain Whisker and Johnny, and doesn’t reveal Dr, Eggman and Eggman Nega’s involvement until later, though I genuinely think it would’ve worked just as well, if not better, to omit the Eggmen entirely and focus on his pirate-theme doppelgänger and Sonic’s latest rival, just to mix things up a bit.

The game shines through its increased emphasis on story and a unique pirate-aesthetic.

Sonic Rush Adventure is one of the more visually unique Sonic games, especially in its environments. While Zones blast along a mile-a-minute and it’s easy to overshoot ramps or plummet down the many bottomless pits, the new, sea- and pirate-themed aesthetic really benefits the visuals. This is immediately apparent in the heads-up display, whose font is a far cry from the usual, generic lettering in other Sonic titles and more akin to the short-lived “Storybook” games on the Nintendo Wii. Things start pretty standard in Plant Kingdom (which features vines to swing from and grind on, bouncy mushrooms, and robotic dinosaurs) before delving into steampunk in Machine Labyrinth. Similar to Metropolis Zone, Machine Labyrinth features steam-based springs and winding tubes alongside the hang glider, pinwheels, and massive drums that pinball you about. Coral Cave is a coral spin on a mine, featuring crystalline coral, coral bridges, and a partially flooded grotto alongside abandoned mine carts and tracks and waterfalls. Similar to Pirates’ Island, you must pay attention to the top screen or you’ll get crushed by falling hazards that are used as platforms to higher areas, and giant anchors will swing you about, too. The Haunted Ship was probably my favourite Zone. Featuring a misty graveyard of wrecked ships in the background and seeing you dash up ropes and mainsails, you’ll explore the dishevelled interiors, bash robotic pirate ghosts, and blast between ships using massive cannons. You’ll also bounce up to higher areas using special ropes or be forcibly dragged up by barrels. Sky Babylon was also visually very interesting, sporting a green night-time sky and strange, neon-glowing ruins in a mish-mash of Marble Garden, Sky Sanctuary, Altitude Limit, and the Babylon Garden. Strange floating orbs drag you higher, destructible platforms drop you past flaming hazards and to the ever-present electrical bolt lurking below, and you explore both the background and foreground. Blizzard Peaks started strong with its snowboarding section, which allowed some fun grinding, and with its snowy slides and giant icicles that you must jump between. Pirates’ Island is, essentially, Sonic’s version of Venice, featuring stone buildings, flooded ruins, spring-loaded fountains, and helpful dolphins to navigate its waters. These environments and their gimmicks are all recycled for the Hidden Islands, and there’s even a degree of choice in which locations you visit depending on which ships you have.

Enemies and Bosses:
Sonic Rush Adventure bolsters its unique environments with a slew of all-new Badniks, each one the creation of the Dr. Eggman/Eggman Nega duo and in keeping with the nautical/pirate aesthetic of the game. The most persistent of these are the various “Kaizoku” Badniks that toss explosive barrels, glide around on hang gliders, fire small, shoulder-mounted cannons, hide in snowballs, or attack with a cutlass. The Kaizoku Hogan variant is a touch tougher than the usual Badniks, swinging a ball and chain and sporting a health bar. The Hover and Gunner variants fly about using jetpacks, and the Skeleton versions float around like wandering spirits and toss bone sat the player. These Badniks are bolstered by the “Shisaku-gata” series of mechanical miscreants who chuck spanners, hover using steam-powered jetpacks, and push you back with jets of steam. More traditionally designed Badniks also appear, such as the Barrier Angler (a robotic angler fish, which also has an electrical variant), the Jaws-like Nibbles, the Dive Bat (another of Dr. Eggman’s many bat-themed Badniks), and the Rabid Crab (which focus more on melee attacks than Crabmeat’s projectiles). The Triceratank charges you with its horn similar to the Rhinobot, Ptera swoop from the skies, Sky Moons fire projectiles while hovering in the path of your jumps, and steam-powered Bomb Ghosts wander the Haunted Ship ready to explode in your face! Each Zone ends in a boss battle against one of Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega’s gigantic robot creations. Unlike in the last game, where you were restricted to either a platform or a ring, Sonic Rush Adventure features more variety to its boss battles. You’re still restricted to a set area, but the arena and boss strategies alter as the fight progresses, switching between the screens. Each also possesses a health bar, though you no longer have your allies cheering you on, and ends with a dramatic, slow-motion final blow against the mech.

The massive bosses are far more visually interesting and complex than before.

The first boss you encounter is the Ghost Rex, a gigantic, robot Tyrannosaurus rex that stomps around in the background, stalks around your small stone platform, and tries to munch you with its powerful jaws. Dodge this attack to attack its head and repeatedly strike it when it tries to charge from either side of the platform and you’ll eventually fall to a cavern, where the Ghost Rex elongates its neck to try and crush you and cause shockwaves. The Ghost Pendulum is fought on a ring and stays out of reach and you must run around in a circle, striking its low-hanging fruit to smack them into it. As the fight progresses, more balls appear, with some sporting spikes and electrical barriers and the boss dropping to create shockwaves, which can all be tricky to avoid. The Ghost Kraken is also fought on a ring; it spins its tentacles to attack you, but you can smack these (especially the jewelled one) to damage it. It also tries to grab and slam you into the ground, forces you underwater, and spits ink to either stick you in place or obscure the screen. The Ghost Pirate awaits on the Haunted Ship, spewing fireballs and flaming vortexes and attacking with kicks and its cutlass. You must target the glowing red core, which eventually detaches and must be chased around to deal more damage, which can be tricky, especially if the ship’s swaying. The Ghost Whale is one of the most unique bosses as it’s fought on a rapidly deteriorating ice float. You must smack it when it charges to jump inside, where you have thirty seconds to battle to its inner core, destroying pods for more time and avoiding freezing hazards and ridable missiles.

Sadly, the new baddies are usurped by the Eggmen, who power-up to battle for the fate of both worlds.

The Ghost Condor was probably the toughest of the regular bosses for me. You’re running on a never-ending path on the bottom screen, avoiding mines, spiked platforms, and the boss’s charge. You must hit the green mines to fly up and smack the boss’s weak spot, landing on the platforms to deal additional damage, though the hazards, speed, and aggressiveness ramp up over time. Captain Whisker and Johnny first attack as a duo on a stage full of buzzsaw-spewing platforms. Captain Whisker fires his rocket arms and performs a ground pound to produce a shockwave and Johnny torpedoes at the player, and they have a team attack that must be repelled. Both must be defeated but this looks more intimidating than it is and it’s pretty easy to pepper them with hits. Captain Whisker then jumps into the Ghost Titan for a penultimate showdown not unlike the battleship bosses from the last game. You must hit its missiles to lower the shields on the cannons, then line up the aiming reticle to attack. The Ghost Titan also delivers a big punch, fires laser-guided flame blasts, litters your platform with bullets from its crotch, and spreads flames across the ground. Though there’s a lot happening at times this was a big, fun, boss made even more intimidating by it boxing you in with insta-kill lasers at the end. After collecting the seven Chaos and Sol Emeralds, you’ll battle the true final boss, the Egg Wizard, a super-powerful mech piloted by Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega and wielding the fabled Jeweled Scepter. This is a three-phase battle that takes place from a top-down perspective in the molten core of Blaze’s world. You control Super Sonic and Burning Blaze, collecting Rings to sustain your transformation and switching between the two with R. In the first phase, you reflect boulders using Super Sonic’s A attack. You must then reflect the Egg Wizard’s fireballs and three flaming dragons to deal damage or switch to Burning Blaze and fire single or charged fireballs with A. Deal enough damage and the Egg Wizard regains some health and adds a targeted meteor, a flamethrower, and gigantic missiles that must be avoided or reflected to deliver the final blow. It’s not the hardest final boss but, with no checkpoints, few Rings, and many of the attacks stunning you, it can be a trifle aggravating to contend with.

Additional Features:
When exploring the seas of Blaze’s world, you’ll inevitable cross paths with Sonic’s latest rival, the arrogant robotic shark, Johnny. When you do, Johnny challenges you to the race, with the prize being a legendary Chaos Emeralds. These races take place on the Wave Cyclone and are thus performed using the touchscreen and stylus. Players can follow Johnny’s trail for a boost and must dodge his mines or they’ll suffer irreparable damage and lose. To stay ahead, you collect Rings and perform tricks off ramps to build and maintain your Boost Gauge, though you can replay each race as often as needed to score the Chaos Emeralds. Like before, Blaze doesn’t get Sol Emeralds from Special Stages like these. Instead, you talk to NPCs to take on various missions, with seven of the 100 available missions specifically relating to the Sol Emeralds. These are acquired by finding Hidden Islands or beating certain bosses again, and only by getting all seven of both will you unlock the game’s true ending. Other missions also challenge you to reach the goal within a certain time limit or while holding a set amount of Rings. You can also explore to find the sixteen Hidden Islands and replay previous Acts to get materials to build and upgrade your craft and score better rankings, and take on a time attack mode. Sonic Rush Adventure also includes a multiplayer component where players race against each other to finish Zones and defeat bosses the fastest, though I’ve never played this mode. Finally, there’s a sound test and movie viewer mode available and you can take on the bosses and Johnny’s race at any time by chatting to NPCs.

The Summary:
Sonic Rush was a fun, if barebones, return to form for Sonic, a natural progression of the Game Boy Advance titles and a nice taster of what the Nintendo DS could do with the franchise. Sonic Rish Adventure takes everything that worked and adds a bit more to it, expanding the narrative and the scope of both Sonic and Blaze’s world and delivering a fresh take on the usual, formulaic events by assuming a pirate aesthetic. I really enjoyed the sea-based sections, exploring the map and playing about with each craft. It was a fun use of the touchscreen that never outstayed its welcome, though it does get a touch tedious having to grind for materials. It might’ve been better if Tails built the ships as the story progressed and the materials were purely to upgrade each one to give you an edge in combat or against Johnny. The Zones were some of the most unique and visually interesting the series has ever seen, finally moving away from tried-and-tested tropes and embracing new aesthetics. The gameplay is fast-paced and fun, with lots happening at once and really gave me a sense of empowerment, though it’s still dogged by bottomless spits, insta-kill hazards, and unavoidable traps. Captain Whisker, Johnny, and Marine are some of the best new additions to the franchise and I’m honestly annoyed that they’ve never been seen again. I’ll reiterate that neither Eggman was necessary for this game, and it might’ve been better without them as Captain Whisker was a familiar enough threat given a quirky edge by being a pirate. It’s a shame that Sonic and Blaze’s gameplay was basically unchanged from Sonic Rush, with no new moves or abilities or playable characters added to the mix, but the 2.5D Boost gameplay was arguably better than it’s ever been here. It really feels like Sonic Rush Adventure filled in some of the blanks of the last game, adding more diversity and complexity to the boss battles, switching up the stage aesthetics, and placing more emphasis on the story. Add to that the fun sea mini games and races and opportunities for exploration and you have a really solid title that definitely deserves more love than it gets as I never see anyone talking about this one, and that’s a real shame.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you play Sonic Rush Adventure back in the day? What did you think to the new setting and the quirky new characters? Did you enjoy the pirate aesthetic to the stages and trying out new sea-based craft? What did you think to the grinding mechanic and the changes made to the boss battles? Did you ever defeat the Egg Wizard, and do you agree that Captain Whisker and Johnny were strong enough antagonists by themselves? Which of Sonic’s handheld adventures is your favourite and how are you celebrating him this month? I’d love to know what you think about Sonic Rush Adventure so leave a comment and be sure to check out my other Sonic content.

Game Corner [Sonic Month]: Sonic Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance)

Dr. K2 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Released: 19 December 2002
Developer: Dimps / Sonic Team
Also Available For: Nintendo Wii U (Virtual Console, Japan only)

The Background:
After a lengthy development process and a conscious effort to create a mascot iconic enough to challenge Super Mario, SEGA’s initial success with Sonic the Hedgehog exploded into mainstream popularity with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992). This was followed by the spectacular Sonic 3 & Knuckles (ibid, 1994) a game too big for one cartridge, but, oddly, one of the best Sonic games led only to many disappointing spin-offs. Following Sonic’s well received jump to 3D, numerous delays, blunders, and costly decisions saw SEGA withdraw from the “Console War”. Alongside ports of their games for other manufacturers, SEGA teamed with Dimps for Sonic Advance (2001), 2D throwback to the classic games that became a best-seller for the Game Boy Advance renowned for its visuals and gameplay. Having solidified SEGA ’s new relationship with Nintendo, development of a sequel was said to have started immediately following the first game. Sonic Advance 2 built upon the existing engine and sought to make a more action-orientated, faster title. The game saw the debut of a brand new character, Cream the Rabbit, who was specifically designed for younger players, and it also went a long way to popularising the “Boost” mechanics of later games. A commercial success, Sonic Advance 2 was praised for its cartoonish sprites, catchy soundtrack, and replay value. While its difficulty deterred some players, Sonic Advance 2 is largely regarded as one of the best Sonic titles and it was followed by a third game just two years later.

The Plot:
When Doctor Eggman vies for the legendary Chaos Emeralds and tricks Knuckles the Echidna into helping him, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends – Miles “Tails” Prower, Amy Rose, and newcomer Cream the Rabbit – race to end his latest scheme for world domination.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Sonic Advance 2 takes the basic engine and core mechanics of the first game, which was already an interesting mash-up of the 2D and 3D gameplay, and expands upon them to create a high-octane, action-packed 2D sidescroller that puts a great deal of emphasis on blasting along at high speeds while holding right on the directional pad. The controls, already heavily borrowed from the 2D games, thus remain relatively unchanged: you can still jump with A, performing a Spin Attack in the process to bust Badniks and power-up pods, perform your character’s signature moves with B, and execute various mid-air “tricks” by pressing B or the Right trigger in mid-air off springs and ramps. Pressing up or down scrolls the screen vertically and pressing down and A charges a Spin Dash, allowing you to blast ahead (even as Amy this time). Although there are five playable characters to pick, each with their own special moves to slightly alter their gameplay, only Sonic is available at the start. The others are unlocked by playing the story mode and, in Amy’s case, by collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds with the four main characters. You play through seven main levels (referred to as “Zones”), each with two stages (or “Acts”) and a dedicated “Boss Attack” stage, with two additional Zones unlocked when certain criteria are met. As ever, Golden Rings are your lifeline; as long as you have at least one, you’ll survive enemy attacks. Every Act is played against a ten-minute time limit, with you losing a life once this expires, though you can disable this from the “Options” menu. You can also switch between “Easy” or “Normal” mode from this menu, though this simply reduces the hits that bosses take to defeat, and select different language options, something far more relevant this time since there are more cutscenes and text dialogue than before. As you might expect, you can also grab various power-ups as you play: you’ll get a 1-up (also from collecting 100 Rings), 5, 10, or a random number of Rings, a shield (and a magnetic variant to attract Rings), a temporary invincibility, and a new power-up that instantly puts you at maximum speed (though is, essentially, a variation on the classic speed up power-up).

Cream lends her game-breaking cuteness to the increased emphasis on speed and tricks.

Much of this is carried over from Sonic Advance and the same is true of your character’s abilities. Each one plays a little differently, which can alter how difficult the game is. Tails and Cream, for example, can fly, easily avoiding the many pits that spell Sonic’s doom. Every returning character sports the same special moves as in Sonic Advance, with Sonic performing his Insta-Shield by pressing A twice, sliding ahead with B, and executing a fairly useless mid-air dash and Homing Attack when in mid-air. Sonic can also now bounce to the ground by pressing B in mid-air, similar to his bounce ability from Sonic Adventure 2 (Sonic Team USA, 2001) and almost as a precursor to the Drop Dash. Tails flies, as normal, and takes out enemies with a tail swipe with B, Knuckles glides and climbs walls and executes a three-punch combo with B and also now drills downwards when you press B in mid-air. Previously the most unique and difficult character to use, Amy now has a Spin Attack and Spin Dash just like her friends, meaning she’s a far more viable character this time (if you can unlock her!) She still swings her Piko-Piko Hammer with B, dives ahead, and uses it to attack aerial enemies. Every character can also grind on various rails, grab overhead poles, swing from vines and such, and blast ahead at break-neck speeds after building momentum. Flying off ramps sees you pull off mid-air tricks, which are essential to clear bottomless pits and reach higher areas and can spell your doom if you fail them. Since every character essentially adopts Sonic’s super-fast gameplay, there are far less opportunities to use their unique special moves beyond flying and gliding and each one loses a lot of their appeal as a result. There is a mild saving grace in newcomer Cream, however. Essentially the “Easy” mode character, Cream can fly like Tails (though seemingly for less time) and, crucially, fire her Chao companion, Cheese, like a homing shot with B. This absolutely decimates bosses and even surrounds her with a protective barrier when used on the ground, making Cheese the go-to choice for the game’s tougher Zones and bosses.

The fast-paced, action-orientated gameplay means bottomless pits and cheap deaths and commonplace.

Sonic Advance 2 structures its Zones like high-speed races and obstacle courses; the “rollercoaster” aesthetic has never been truer than in this game as rails, ramps, loops, springs, and boost pads litter every environment. There is still the occasional instance of water, putting you at risk of drowning, though you’re far more likely to run across the water than sink into it. Moving and temporary platforms also still appear, often placed at the end of solid ground to screw up your jumps, as do slopes, poles, destructible elements, and bouncy surfaces. This latter gimmick is most prevalent in Music Plant, which has you bouncing around on keyboards and cymbals, while Hot Crater is more about overhead rails and annoying spikes. While things start familiar enough in Leaf Forest (functionally an amalgamation of the classic Green Hill Zone and Green Forest) and Ice Paradise is like a fancy do-over of the previous game’s Ice Mountain, things take a turn for the worst in Sky Canyon. Bottomless pits, poor hazard placement, and tricky jumps appear before this point, but Sky Canyon really ramps them up, hiding ramps and springs and platforms behind clouds and forcing you to make split-second decisions at high-speeds that will quickly drain your pathetic stock of lives. It’s very easy to miss jumps or overshoot your landing, or to plummet to your death since you often drop through rails rather than landing on them. This continues in Techno Base and Egg Utopia, which borrows gimmicks like the light-based bridges and topsy-turvy gravity from Sonic 3 & Knuckles’ Death Egg Zone and marries them with rails and pits, pits, pits! Sonic Advance 2 quickly conditions you to “hold right to win” with its emphasis on speed; Badniks are few and far between and everything is geared towards propelling you ahead at incredible speeds. It’s thus incredibly frustrating to settle into this mindless gameplay loop and fall down an endless chasm, get skewered by spikes, or miss a ramp or a rail and drop to your death.

Presentation:
If there’s one area where Sonic Advance 2 truly excels, it’s the visuals. Again, there’s a reason I used these sprites and backgrounds when made sprite comics; they’re so vivid and detailed and really bring the characters to life like never before in 2D. While Sonic Advance 2 features some recycled animations from the last game, every character has loads more frames of animation either in their poses, tricks, or when performing basic functions. Every main Act starts with your character taking their marks and getting ready to race ahead as a countdown ticks place, they’re followed by shadowy afterimages when at top speed, and their run cycles are vastly improved as the game ditches the classic “rubber band legs” animation to more closely emulate the 3D games of the time. This racing aesthetic continues when you finish an Act as you’re no longer passing a signpost or reaching a Goal Ring; instead, you run through a finish line and your character poses while running and your score is tallied. While the introductory cutscene is nothing special (and is actually worse than in Sonic Advance since it just focuses on the island, Sonic Advance 2 utilises a map screen for its stage select that’s almost an exact copy of Sonic Adventure 2’s, and includes bigger, more detailed and cartoonish sprite art for its cutscenes. As you clear Zones, Sonic rescues his friends, chatting with them and unlocking them to be played, though these cutscenes only appear when playing as Sonic and only once. Once you’ve cleared the game, you can’t view them again and the game is irrevocably changed. Cream is no longer held hostage when you fight the EggHammerTankII and Dr. Eggman pilots the Egg Saucer on subsequent playthroughs, as opposed to Knuckles. While the Game Boy Advance sound system is still grating, Sonic Advance 2 features far catchier tunes and more musical variety than its predecessor. Bosses and Acts have differing tracks and game’s more frustrating moments are somewhat alleviated by the jaunty music, with Ice Paradise being a particular highlight.

More story and detailed animations contrast with some garish environments.

Although Sonic Advance 2 doesn’t exactly break the mould with its Zone aesthetics, the presentation is far better than its predecessor. Sonic Advance had a rather blurry, pixelated, bland look that’s been completely overhauled into a smooth, sleek, almost plasticine-like aesthetic. Admittedly, this can make some of the foregrounds more generic and the Zones do suffer from being far more linear, with ramps and long raceways being predominant, but there’s no denying the graphical upgrade. Sonic Advance 2 also borrows more from Sonic Adventure 2 for its overall presentation, especially in Zones like Leaf Forest and Sky Canyon, with the latter basically being a 2D version of Rail Canyon. Given the game’s emphasis on speed, ramps, springs, loops, and boost pads are common gimmicks in each Zone, somewhat robbing them of their individuality, though unique gimmicks can still be found (however sporadically) amidst the cheap-ass pits and hazards. Hot Crater, a mechanical base built into a volcano, features overhead rails, a heat effect to the background, and hooks to fling yourself upwards. Music Plant is a garish slice of ridiculousness that looks like it’d fit right in in Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension (Gremlin Graphics, 1992) and begins an annoying trend in Sonic games of this era of featuring an overly kiddified level. Ice Paradise has a Christmas theme to its soundtrack, features a bustling city in the background, flurries of snow, and big neon signs, giving the impression of a ski slope. Sky Canyon is a mess of pits and vertical columns, featuring windmills, those fans from Starlight Zone, and balloons to carry you up. Techno Base is a mess of hexagons, lights, lines, and vulgar colours; it’s essentially a new version of Cosmic Angel Zone from Sonic Advance, though with digitized spikes and some pinball mechanics. Egg Utopia is essentially a 2D version of Final Rush/Final Chase mixed with the Death Egg Zone, featuring rails between different areas of the space station set against the background of space, a gravity gimmick that has you running on the ceiling, cannons, and spiked balls. This aesthetic is carried over to XX, which is simply an autorunner (like all the game’s bosses) gauntlet before the final showdown, while True Area 53 takes place in the void of space with the Earth in the background.

Enemies and Bosses:
No doubt due to the game’s focus on fast-paced action, Badniks are few and far between in Sonic Advance 2. The game would rather surprise you with spikes or bottomless pits than have you free critters from robotic shells, something further emphasised by the lack of capsules at the end of each Act. When Badniks do appear, they’re generally awfully placed to screw up your jumps or tricks and send you plummeting to your death, and they’re largely recycled throughout each Zone. Some of their designs may be familiar to long-time Sonic fans, though: the Geji-Geji aren’t too dissimilar from Caterkillers, the Circues are reminiscent of the monkey-like Kikis, Flickey is literally a robotic version of Flicky, and the Buzzers return wholesale from Sonic Advance. Kikis hide in trees and toss coconuts like in the 3D games and like their predecessor, Coconuts; Spinners return from the 3D games and can be bounced on to cross gaps; and little robot mice scurry about on the ground. Mechanical penguins launch themselves across the snow like Penguinators, clown-like robots swing their own Piko-Piko hammers, and large robotic hammerheads await in the waters at times. Each one releases a woodland critter and adds to your score tally, but they’re mainly there to get in your way and are such a non-factor that it’s easy to be blindsided by them. The E-100 “ZERO”-like Robot Guard also appears, relentlessly pursuing you in Special Stages, sapping your Rings and kicking you out of the stage if it touches you. Having somehow been tricked by Dr. Eggman, Knuckles is battles you in your first playthrough, piloting the Egg Saucer at the end of Sky Canyon, though his presence doesn’t change anything except the cockpit sprite.

The autorunning mechanic used in boss battles makes them needlessly annoying at times.

Therefore, you’ll be battling Dr. Eggman’s newest machines at the end of each Zone. Unlike in Sonic Advance, every single boss battle is an autoscroller that sees you constantly running on an endless loop, snagging Rings and timing attacks and compensating for the knockback and the tougher “pinch” mode, which can get so aggravating that it’s often easier just to cheese the bosses with Cream. Things start off familiar enough with the EggHammerTankII, an upgrade from Sonic Advance that also attacks with a giant hammer but this time it can extend its reach. While the hammer is a large hazard to avoid, this isn’t too tricky. The Egg Bomber Tank is a bit trickier as you can only attack its cannon in the first phase; the main body can only be attacked in the second phase, and both see you avoiding bouncing, explosive cannonballs. Though functionally simple, the autoscrolling gimmick makes the Egg Totem a bit difficult since it’s hard to get up to speed and hop to its spiked platforms to hit the cockpit. Each platform sprouts turrets that must be destroyed to clear the field of projectiles and they also move quiet erratically to screw up your jumps. The Aero Egg also causes problems as its bombs have wide splash damage and you can only attack it by bouncing off its tail platform (unless you just aggressively fire Cheese). Things can get very frustrating against the Egg Saucer as the laser cannon has a wide range and the robotic hand can instantly kill you with its slap attack! Your best bet is to take out the cannon and hang back, way back, running in whenever the cockpit spins into view.

You’ll need to overcome all the bosses again and get the Chaos Emeralds to fight the true final boss.

The Egg-Go-Round was much easier in comparison. This machine flies along on a rail and is protected by four platforms, two that sprout spikes and two that fire projectiles. It can be tricky avoiding these but it’s a hell of a lot easier to ram the cockpit than the Egg Saucer. The Egg Frog is a different matter entirely, though. This boss incorporates the Egg Utopia’s gravity gimmick, hopping to the floor and ceiling and dropping carpet bombs that are very difficult to avoid. While you can switch to the floor and ceiling by holding up and down, the Egg Frog’s hit box is so large and the window of opportunity so small to hit it that it’s better to just give up and use Cheese to decimate it. Similar to the last game, XX features a boss rush…but this time its against all the bosses you previously fought! Though they take less hits to defeat, the only checkpoint occurs after defeating the EggHammerTankII and this gruelling prospect means you’ll likely be low on lives and/or Rings by the time you reach the Super Eggrobo Z, a modified version of Sonic Advance’s true final boss. This giant mech takes up the entire right-side of the screen and fires its claw arms (which can be destroyed) and a sweeping laser from its eyes. Platforms will raise, allowing you to attack its main weak spot (the head) but also putting you at risk of being skewered or crushed against the ceiling spikes. After a few hits, the mech’s attacks increase but, again, you can make a joke of it by using Cream, destroying Dr. Eggman’s newest space station and treating you to a character-specific ending. However, this isn’t the true final boss. Collect all seven Chaos Emeralds with the four main characters and you’ll be taken to true Area 53 where, as Super Sonic, you battle perhaps Dr. Eggman’s most visually disappointing final mech ever, an unnamed, worm-like cannon. I’ve never battled this boss, but you’re limited, as ever, by your Ring count and must bash its missiles back at it, watching for the mech’s freeze ray and suck attack while also avoiding projectiles and dealing with its invisibility gimmick.

Additional Features:
Just like in the classic games, you can challenge Special Stages to collect the seven legendary Chaos Emeralds, which unlocks the game’s true final boss and ending. Unfortunately, if you thought Sonic Advance’s hidden springs were a pain in the ass, let me introduce you to the “Special Rings”. Seven of these are hidden in each of the main Acts and all seven must be collected to enter the Special Stage. If you lose a life in the Act, you’ll lose all the Special Rings you collected and you probably won’t be able to backtrack to get them, especially as Sonic, since many are hidden in hard-to-reach areas. If you somehow find them all, you’re taken to a large, pseudo-3D checkerboard arena and must race around collecting Rings, gaining multipliers and utilising boost pads, all while the Robot Guard chases after you. Because of how difficult the Special Rings are, I’ve never entered a single Special Stage and have therefore never collected even one Chaos Emerald, which is extremely frustrating as a life-long Sonic player. To make matters worse, you must beat every Special Stage with the four main characters to unlock Amy Rose, a needlessly obtuse criteria for a character who was available by default in the last game. Sonic Advance 2 also includes a time attack mode and a Tiny Chao Garden, where you raise and play with Chao and even transfer them to and from the 3D games, though you’ll only unlock this after collecting the seven Chaos Emeralds with a single character. Similarly, you can unlock a boss rush by beating the game with three characters and all seven Chaos Emeralds, which you’d think would invite replayability but instead makes me want to tear my hair out since entering the Special Stages is so ridiculously difficult. You can also play a single- or multi-pack multiplayer mode, racing to the finish or collecting Rings against other players and utilising the additional Attack, Brake, Confusion, and Warp power-ups to gain an advantage.

The Summary:
The visual upgrade between Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2 is as startling as the differences between the first two Sonic games. Where one was colourful and fun but handicapped by a slow, meandering pace, the sequel is both brighter, slicker, and much faster and more action-packed in its design. Sonic Advance 2 brings its characters to life like never before with some truly incredible, amusing, and charming sprite work. The animations are great, making the game resemble its 3D counterparts and a cartoon, and the upgrade to the environments makes everything pop so much more. Things are a little tame at times and the Zones can be annoyingly linear, but this ties into the focus on high-speed gameplay. Unfortunately, this approach does hamper the gameplay somewhat since everyone blasts ahead at full speed like Sonic, meaning their individual playstyles fall further to the wayside. This wouldn’t be so bad if the game didn’t throw bottomless pits, annoyingly placed enemies and hazards, and cheap deaths at you in a paper-thin attempt at increasing the game’s challenge. Pits definitely should appear in Sky Canyon and difficult sections should definitely appear by the end, but scattering them throughout every Zone really stunts my enjoyment as you must either memorise the Act layouts or have split-second reactions to make unfair jumps. While I enjoyed the bosses, the autoscrolling mechanic got old fast and I didn’t appreciate the boss gantlet in XX. I think the autoscrollers would’ve worked better if it had only be used, say, three times. I did like the emphasis on story and how the bosses changed because of it, but not that these changes were undone upon beating the game. It’s also maddening that the Special Stages, Amy Rose, and true final boss are all-but inaccessible thanks to the irritating Special Ring mechanic and the fact you need to get the Chaos Emeralds with every character. I liked Cream, she was cute and fun and made the bosses a joke, and the visuals still blow me away, but the difficulty curve is a nightmare. Because of all this, I can’t rate Sonic Advance 2 higher than the original, even if it is technically and visually a better game since my enjoyment is constantly soured by my inability to experience everything it has to offer.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Are you a fan of Sonic Advance 2? How do think it compares to the original and the third game? What did you think to Cream and her boss-breaking powers? Were you a fan of the increased emphasis on speed? What did you think to the reliance on bottomless pits and boost pads? Did you ever collect the Chaos Emeralds and unlock Amy…and, if so, how? Which of Sonic’s Game Boy Advance titles is your favourite and how are you celebrating Sonic’s anniversary this year? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic Advance 2, leave a comment below and go check out my other Sonic content!

Game Corner: Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues (Xbox Series X)

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Released: 22 November 2023
Originally Released: November 1994 (SNES), February 1995 (Game Boy)
Developer: Carbon Engine
Original Developers Ocean Software
Also Available For: Game Boy, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Xbox One, Xbox Series S

The Plot:
When BioSyn (or a power outage) cause trouble on Isla Nubar, the island site of Jurassic Park, palaeontologist Doctor Alan Grant either goes it alone or teams up with tactical sergeant Michael Wolfskin to subdue the genetically engineered dinosaurs and escape alive.

The Background:
Michael Crichton’s bestselling 1993 cautionary tale about a chaotic dinosaur theme became a blockbuster critical and commercial hit that spearheaded many now-standard CGI techniques. Alongside an aggressive merchandising campaign, Jurassic Park (Spielberg, 1993) was accompanied by toys, comics, and multiple videogame adaptations released on different consoles. While BlueSky Software developed the Mega Drive adaptations, Ocean Software handled Nintendo’s efforts after securing the license for an undisclosed six-figure sum. Their three releases received widespread praise and, while readers and audiences had to wait two years for Crichton and Spielberg to produce a sequel, gamers got a far faster turnaround when Ocean produced a standalone sequel just one year later. The Game Boy and SNES titles had slightly different stories and mechanics, and both received mixed reviews. While the SNES obviously had better graphics and sound, the simplicity of the Game Boy version was praised, especially compared to the high difficulty and awkward controls of the SNES version. Both games were basically lost media for decades until they were included in a modern re-release to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, alongside modern quality of life features, to largely thankful and positive reviews.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues is a sidescrolling shoot-‘em-up that acts as a non-canon continuation of the original movie and its videogame adaptations. While the SNES version is more obviously framed as a return to Isla Nubar thanks to the presence of Biosyn, both can be seen as re-dos of the movie and its videogames since they don’t stray too far from the gameplay mechanics previously seen. While only the SNES version offers different difficulty modes, both see you jumping with A (defying gravity with a higher jump the longer you press the button in the Game Boy version) and shooting with X. Y and B also shoot in the Game Boy version and both versions allow you to rapid fire by holding the button, though this will charge your cattle prod in the SNES version and deplete most of your ammo here, too, save for your weakest lethal weapon and cattle prod. In the Game Boy version, you can switch to grenades by pressing the ‘View’ button; you can’t move and throw them but you have an unlimited supply. You switch weapons with the Left and Right Bumpers in the SNES version, LB cycles through lethal ammo types (such as a machine gun and shotgun spread) while RB cycles through non-lethal options, like tranquilizer darts. All enemies disappear regardless of which ammo you use but there’s a counter that ticks down when you kill any dinosaur that’s not a Velociraptor or what could loosely be described as a boss. Kill too many dinosaurs and your game ends, so be sure to cycle back and forth between lethal and non-lethal options. This crutch isn’t present in the Game Boy version; it’s an all-out platform shooter as Dr. Grant blasts dinosaurs with his unlimited shotgun! Both games also allow you to crouch and shoot, shoot while jumping, and shoot upwards and diagonally, though you must collect ammo in the SNES version by pressing down on the ammo item. This is also how you’ll collect the rare first-aid kits lying about Isla Nublar. These, and the odd 1-up, are automatically collected in the Game Boy version, which also incorporates a scoring system, though only the SNES version allows for a two-player co-op mode.

Blast your way past dinosaurs, grabbing vines, racing a timer, and collecting key cards to progress.

While the Game Boy version uses a lives system, you only get one shot to beat the SNES version. If you’re killed, you restart the mission from the beginning, with no checkpoints or continues or passwords to help. Although the Game Boy version follows a linear narrative, tasking players with guiding Dr. Grant through four stages (called “Zones”) with two levels and a boss battle each, the SNES version lets you freely pick a mission. Each mission has two screens of action and ends in an “Emergency” mission, where you must run around the maze-like environment disarming bombs, tracking down a spy, powering up a generator, and similar tasks against a very tight time limit. The labyrinthine nature of the levels doesn’t help with this. You’ll climb up ladders and jump between them, desperately pressing up and down (when you can even see the arrows!) to enter doors or change screens, with no idea of where you’re going or where you’ve been. These timed missions were some of the worst parts of the SNES version as the enemies respawn when you switch screens and the human enemies can be particularly aggravating, meaning it’s very easy to get lost and then be pummelled to death by grenades. While some of the Game Boy version’s Zones have multiple paths, reached by either hopping up branches or platforms or taking moving platforms, the levels are understandably much smaller and far more linear. Sometimes, you’ll venture underwater, tapping A to swim and attacking prehistoric fish with your harpoon; others, you’ll jump between conveyor belts or over spiked pits. Thankfully, these and other pits aren’t typically insta-death hazards in either version, though your character takes fall damage in 16-bit and must deal with a rather large hit box in monochrome. While you use overhead vines and poles to cross gaps in the SNES version, you can’t move and shoot when up there. Conversely, the Game Boy version requires you to search for a set number of JP Magnetic Cards. The exit will only open when you find them all, as indicated on the heads-up display, so you may need to backtrack to find them. Most of them are just out in the open; others fall from the sky. Zone 3-2 has you searching for 54 cards, but they’re helpfully collected in groups so it’s not as intimidating as it first seems.

Don’t be fooled by the decent visuals: both games are tough and aggravating in different ways.

Stage hazards are also a concern in both versions. Flame bursts, loose electrical wires, steam vents, miniature exploding volcanoes, and falling boulders can sap your health if you’re not careful. Platforming is more of a priority in the Game Boy version and much simpler thanks to the chunky sprites and Dr. Grant’s floaty jump. On the SNES, it’s easy to fall through the environment, miss ladders, and drop into lava thanks to the annoying enemy hoards. You must navigate a volcanic maze to place a bomb then out-run the explosion, locate a wounded ally, shoot switches, and defend Gallimimus in the SNES version. When faced with a time limit, you’re better off eschewing non-lethal ammo and avoiding enemies wherever possible, especially if you’re not consulting a guide to navigate the looping mazes. The Game Boy version offers two bonus areas where you’re pursued by a Tyrannosaurs rex. It’s instant death if the T. rex touches you, so you must waddle away from her, hopping to platforms and structures and collecting the JP Magnetic Cards for an extra life. You’ll also be back on the rapids in the Game Boy version, where the water instantly kills you if you fall while jumping to wooden bridges but is no concern when you’re on a raft and blasting prehistoric fish. While you do race away from a T. rex at one point in the SNES version and the game also culminates in a vehicle section, this latter mechanic only appears if you’re playing on “Medium” or higher. This means that you’re stuck in a continuous loop of run-and-gun action and frantic races against the clock, desperately hoping the poisonous gas doesn’t sap your remaining health or you don’t miss any power supplies. At one point, you’re destroying giant fans to avoid being skewered; in another mission, you’re scaling a cliffside to repair an antenna. Other times, the ground crumbles beneath your feet, mines explode when you least expect it, or you must destroy boulders to progress, all while frantically hoping you haven’t doubled-back on yourself!

Presentation:
It’ll be no secret that the SNES version wins in this regard. However, the Game Boy version is pretty impressive considering the hardware, especially compared to the previous Jurassic Park game on the system. It begins with a nice pixel-art recreation of the big gates, the first Zone features Dr. Grant’s vehicle in the background, and there’s some decent sprite art introducing each Zone. Dr. Grant is a big, surprisingly animated sprite. While this means he has a large hit box, I enjoyed seeing him pump his shotgun with every shot and look around warily when left idle. Sadly, only the bosses match Dr. Grant’s quality in the Game Boy version, with regular enemies appearing disappointingly gaunt and basic. While the Game Boy version’s backgrounds and environments are obviously much more basic, they do a decent job of recreating the visuals from the film. I recognised the electrical fences, towers, and dinosaur paddocks and it was at least easy to see where I was and what I was doing. The SNES version nicely trumps the Mega Drive’s two sidescrolling run-and-gun efforts, featuring dense jungles, a touch of parallax scrolling in the valley, and more appealing sprite work. While the art direction does make Dr. Grant completely unrecognisable and I’m not sure what the purpose of mapping a dramatic pose to the Y button was, he has a lot of fun animations, particularly when climbing ladders or crossing vines. The dinosaurs also fare a lot better, making it even more of a shame that there isn’t a large variety of them and we simply get palette swaps of ‘raptors for the most part. While neither game uses the iconic Jurassic Park score, the Game Boy version includes some awesome arcade-style music and the SNES incorporates the dinosaur’s roars and noises from the movie. The bigger ones, like the T. rex and Triceratops, are also beautifully detailed (if off colour). The Game Boy version does okay when bringing to life larger dinosaurs for its boss battles, but its T. rex is incredibly ugly and its ‘raptors are strangely stretched.

While the SNES’s visuals are impressive, the Game Boy does pretty well despite its limitations.

While larger dinosaurs simply blink out of existence or explode in the SNES version, they feature defeated poses in the Game Boy version, which is a fun touch, alongside a health bar so you can actually tell that you’re hitting them, which is a real issue on the SNES. Unfortunately, both games suffer when it comes to their environments. Sticking very close to the same ideas as the previous 8- and 16-bit games, both versions see you exploring the jungle (with various parts of the park, such as the gigantic electric fences, in the background), caves, a valley, and various InGen facilities. These are painfully generic in both games but even more so in the Game Boy version, where the hardware can’t do much beyond render some giant trees. There are some unique aspects to this game, such as algae-infested waters and the aforementioned rapids, but even this latter inclusion is similar to what we saw in the previous games (including hungry Brachiosaurs). While the SNES obviously benefits from greater processing power, sporting none of the admittedly rare sprite flickering seen in its handheld counterpart, it does force you to venture through the same jungle environment again and again. The interior locations are also recycled far too often, becoming indistinguishable from each other no matter how many pipes and vats and generators the developers sneak in. I like the incubators and Jurassic Park signage seen in the backgrounds, and that we get to revisit the Gallimimus valley. However, this is a strictly on-foot section and lacks the fast-paced action of the same area in Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition (BlueSky Software, 1994). I’m not sure why every Jurassic Park game has to feature a volcano, but this might be the worse one yet. The lava seems very disconnected, and it lacks the detail of the misty jungle. The cliffsides were okay, especially when they sported snow and you could see into the horizon, but they were very samey, just like the interiors, with little indication of where you need to go. The SNES version is bolstered by an animated introduction that also features voice acting, though this detail is strangely missing from the ending.

Enemies and Bosses:
As I mentioned above, neither version of Jurassic Park 2 impresses with its dinosaur selection. Dilophosaurus returns as a common enemy, standing stationary and spitting in all directions, while giant wasps, Pterodactylus, Dimorphodon, and Pteranodon fill the skies across each game. The Pteranodons are particularly aggravating on the SNES, endlessly spawning around the cliffsides, while their larger mothers simply flap around near their nests posing little threat. While you can take out the Gallimimus on the SNES, you’re meant to avoid them and off BioSyn’s soldiers to save the creatures. While Compsognathus are a constant headache on the SNES, you’ll find weird-looking Archaeopteryx, Hypsilophodon, and Parasaurolophus on the Game Boy, with the former jumping at you for extra annoyance. The underwater sections see you blasting prehistoric fish, trilobites, and anemone while baby Triceratops occasionally appear on land. On the SNES, you’re primarily faced with Velociraptors and Oviraptors, which leap at you and often attack in groups. Coming in different colours and proving quite durable, the ‘raptors fiercely defend their nest, but I found it best to jump over them and keep the fire button held down. The SNES version features exclusive human enemies to contend with. Not only will workers toss wrenches at you, scientists whip out pistols, and suited BioSyn executives dog your progress, their soldiers will be a greater threat than the dinosaurs most times. While the basic grunts just run about or stand in place, others can shoot in all directions or toss grenades, which are a bitch to avoid! Their bazooka soldiers are easily dispatched by crouching and shooting, a tactic that will serve you well against their flamethrower units. However, these bastards have a long reach and can roast you when you’re on ladders or hanging from pipes, meaning it’s always a pain in the ass when humans show up.

Sadly, the SNES version favours human boss battles over dinosaur threats.

While BioSyn’s armoured troops only pack a pistol, they can move, fire in all directions, and crouch and shoot, which can be annoying. You’ll also have to battle a larger enemy commander twice; this muscle-bound boss packs a flamethrower/machine gun combo and tanks even your best shots. Your best bet is to lure him in, blast him with your strongest shots, and back away, chasing him when he retreats. BioSyn’s attack chopper carpet bombs the Gallimimus valley, eventually swinging a dinosaur cage at you and peppering the screen with bullets and bombs. If you’re playing on “Medium” or higher, you’ll attack BioSyn’s bomber from an Ingen helicopter, firing in different directions with the face buttons and targeting the plane’s mini gun and launchers. True to its name, the bomber drops bombs but also fires homing shots, two projectiles that are extremely hard to avoid since your chopper is such a large, unwieldy target. The SNES version mainly throws bigger or more aggressive regular dinosaurs at you as pseudo-bosses, such as the Triceratops that guards the final explosive and must be lured in to charge and fend off, preferably with your shotgun. The T. rex chases you at one point, with you only able to force her back with your shots and jump to safety at the end. If you play on at least “Medium”, you’ll battle the T. rex in a fight to the death. Though big and slow and limited to a simple bite, it takes a shit load of your strongest shots to put her down. She chases you to a precipice, which will sap your health if you drop, and you’re also battling a tight timer. You must switch to your strongest shot and target her head, either by jumping or shooting diagonally, forcing her back to create space and jumping away to avoid being eaten. Since the T. rex doesn’t register damage, you’ll only know you’ve won when she explodes (naturally), which took me a fair few tries.

The Game Boy version’s bosses may be simple, but they’re big and at least they’re there!

The Game Boy version features far more traditional boss battles, with you battling a larger dinosaur at the end of each Zone. The first boss you face is a mummy Triceratops that stomps back and forth across the screen. You must dive into one of the nearby holes, duck down, and toss grenades at her. When the platform in the hole rises, you must dash to the other one to continue the assault, easily avoiding damage for the most part if you keep your head down. The Pteranodon is a bit more of a threat. This giant, bat-like dinosaur swoops down from either side of the top of the screen, dropping a boulder that’s a pain to avoid unless you race to the opposite side of the screen. Her smaller minions will attack after, though they’re easily taken out as you’ve been blasting them since Zone 1-1. The Game Boy version does offer one unique boss battle, one that takes place underwater and sees you attacked by a “Cephalosaure”. This giant, spike-headed squid darts in like an arrow from each corner of the screen, proving a large target that can be difficult to avoid because of the awkward swimming controls. Smaller, snail-like enemies will swim down after each pass but this is quite easy to hit, especially if you stay away from the centre of the screen. Oddly, the Velociraptor is fought between Zone 4-1 and 4-2, charging, hopping, or prancing in from either side of the screen. You can use the small block platforms to jump over them and they’ll try and bite you up close, but they’re not too difficult to avoid. On two occasions, you’ll be pursued by the T. rex, which cannot be killed and will instantly kill you if you so much as graze her. You must run from her, hopping between wooden scaffolding and taking out Compys, but you get to face her one-on-one in a painfully bland final battle. The T. rex stomps back and forth, occasionally charging, and takes a bite out of you up close. Dimorphodon come in to distract you, but this is actually your opening to pummel away at the T. rex’s head until she collapses in defeat.

Additional Features:
While the Game Boy version is the only one with a score system and final score, there is no high score table and the SNES version is the only one with a two-player mode and different difficulty options. Both games end with lacklustre congratulatory text, but you’ll only battle the T. rex and BioSyn’s bomber by playing the SNES version of at least “Medium”. The Jurassic Park: Classic Game Collection includes fun extras like each game’s soundtrack, different filters and borders, and the life-saving rewind and save state feature that greatly eases the pain of the SNES version’s difficulty. This version of the collection also has fourteen Achievements for you to earn, with two earned for these games, specifically. You’ll get an Achievement for beating the SNES version on any difficulty, and another for being it on “Hard”, so I advise just playing on “Hard” to snag them both. You got one Achievement on the Game Boy version for defeating the Velociraptors and another for clearing the game, which is a touch disappointing as there’s no incentive to shoot every enemy or play with a friend.

The Summary:
I was optimistic about Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues, especially the SNES version, as it was developed after five other videogame adaptations of the movie so surely the developers would’ve learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t. Technically, that is true as the game focuses much more on run-and-gun action, allowing you to blast dinosaurs and humans to your heart’s content while also encouraging you to merely stun most dinosaurs to maintain some semblance of preservation for the resurrected creatures. Visually, the game may be the best looking of the 16-bit Jurassic Park titles, but for some of the lacklustre backgrounds and the lack of originality in the locations. The gameplay loop does get frustrating very quickly, however. Even before mentioning the aggravating timed sections, including looping doors and paths without a map or any clear indication of where you need to go was a baffling and frustrating decision. Combined with the timed sections and you only getting one chance to beat the mission, this makes for a shameless handicap to force kids obsessed with the blockbuster movie to rent the game again and again. While the Game Boy version is more basic, smaller, and very less visually impressive, the music is fantastic and the simpler shoot-’em-up gameplay was far more appealing. I quite enjoyed searching for the JP Magnetic Cards and blasting the butt-ugly dinosaurs, though the hit boxes and mediocre levels did let it down, especially as the sprite work on the boss was pretty impressive. While there is a lot to like in each game, and some technical improvements that make them better than their predecessors, I think Jurassic Park 2 still misses the mark no matter which version you play. Neither offer anything new, especially compared to their predecessors or other similar games, and again just make me wish we’d had one ultimate 16-bit Jurassic Park release that had combined all the best elements from each game instead of leaving us with average tie-in games where we have to cherry pick the best parts.

Game Boy Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

SNES Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the Nintendo-exclusive Jurassic Park sequels? How do you think they compare to each other, and the previous Jurassic Park titles? Which of the two was your favourite and were you glad that they were ported to modern consoles? Were you also annoyed by the SNES version’s maze-like environments and the large hit boxes in the Game Boy version? What did you think to the Game Boy version’s bosses and the timed missions of the SNES version? Which Jurassic-inspired videogame is your favourite? How are you celebrating Dinosaur Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on these Jurassic Park videogame sequels, or dinosaurs in general, leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other dinosaur content!

Game Corner: Jurassic Park (Xbox Series X)

Dr. K2 Comments

Released: 22 November 2023
Originally Released: June 1993 (NES), August 1993 (Game Boy), October 1993 (SNES)
Developer: Carbon Engine
Original Developers: Ocean Software (Game Boy / NES); Ocean of America (SNES)
Also Available For: Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Xbox One, Xbox Series S

The Plot:
When an act of sabotage releases the genetically engineered dinosaurs of theme park Jurassic Park, palaeontologist Doctor Alan Grant must fight to curb the outbreak and escape the island.

The Background:
In 1993, director Steven Spielberg took Michael Crichton’s bestselling cautionary tale about a dinosaur theme park thrown into chaos and gave us Jurassic Park, a critical and commercial blockbuster that pioneered many of the CGI techniques we still see in Hollywood. Bolstered by an aggressive merchandising campaign, Jurassic Park inspired a wave of toys, comics, and numerous videogames, with multiple adaptations releasing alongside the film. Although games were also published for SEGA’s consoles, having made a name for themselves with their arcade tie-ins to other film releases, Ocean Software made the Jurassic Park games for Nintendo’s consoles after securing the license for an undisclosed six-figure sum. The developers were provided with numerous resources from Universal Pictures to recreate the visuals and likenesses of the film, utilising the Super Nintendo’s “Super FX” chip and ambitious texture mapping techniques to create first-person sequences on the 16-bit console. All three versions received widespread praise for their graphics, with the SNES version impressing with its large scope, though its first-person sections were criticised and the Game Boy’s more simplistic nature was noted. After decades of being essentially lost media, these three games (and four others) finally came to modern gamers in celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary, courtesy of Limited Run Games, alongside modern quality of life features, to largely thankful and positive reviews.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
These three Jurassic Park adaptations have a lot in common. They’re all top-down adventures set on Isla Nublar during the events of the film; they all have you control Dr. Grant; and they all centre around a mad search for numerous Velociraptor eggs. The only thing that really separates them, on paper, is the hardware they’re on, hence why I’m lumping all three into one review. Unlike in the movie, where Dr. Grant can only run and use his dinosaur expertise to outthink the reborn creatures, players are armed in these games. Dr. Grant carries a firearm that fires an electrical taser shot to stun smaller dinosaurs in the Game Boy and NES titles but is largely ineffective against bigger dinosaurs. In the SNES version, this weapon pushes back and eventually subdues the Dilophosaurus but it’s far too weak against the hyper-aggressive Velociraptors. However, you must also use it to power-up gears to create bridges and open the park’s electrified fences. Dr. Grant can also jump but he’s hardly an athlete. He can barely hop over Compsognathus’, brambles, and electrified flooring but you won’t be jumping to platforms or anything. The controls change between games, but all three see you switching your shot with the Xbox’s ‘View’ button. Dr. Grant can pick up more formidable, but limited, ammunition strewn around the park, including a bola shot, near useless smoke grenades, a shotgun, and a grenade launcher. In the SNES version, you can carry two of these shots at once alongside your taser shot, and the ammo respawns when you enter the park’s  buildings. Search hard enough and you’ll also find health kits and extra lives and, exclusive to the NES version, a temporary invincibility. Be cautious when collecting items in the Game Boy and NES versions, however, as many of them are boobytrapped to blow up in your face. Players get points for every dinosaur they dispatch and earn extra lives with enough points, and you’re also given a handful of continues should you lose all your lives, though each game must be beaten in one sitting.

Remember when Dr. Grant collected eggs and shot grenades at dinosaurs? It’s all recreated here!

Dr. Grant’s goal is to search the island for numerous ‘raptor eggs. These are essential in the Game Boy and NES versions, to the point where you can’t access buildings or progress until you’ve found all in each area. Collecting them all in these versions spawns a key card, though it’s not always clear which door you need to take so you’ll need to experiment a bit, which is tricky as the enemies respawn in these versions. Enemies don’t respawn in the SNES version, but the map is far bigger and you’ll be backtracking more. The only consolation is that you don’t need the eggs to access buildings, but you will be hunting high and low for identification cards to access computer terminals and locked doors. These terminals appear in each version but they’re far more detailed and prominent on the SNES, where you need the correct access to reboot the park’s security systems, unlock specific gates, radio the boat and the mainland, and access the ‘raptor pen and infested nest. Each game tasks you with destroying this nest using a nerve gas bomb; there are three bombs and three nests in the Game Boy and NES version and one aggravating labyrinth and one bomb on the SNES, found on the lowest level of the docked ship. When playing on the Game Boy and NES, players also control a life raft, dodging Dilophosaurus spit and swimming Brachiosaurus, while SNES players must dodge stampeding Gallimimus and dash into alcoves to avoid being trampled by a gigantic Triceratops. The Game Boy and NES versions also task you with rescuing Lex and Tim Murphy from a herd of Triceratops and a voracious Tyrannosaurus rex, with the Lizard King popping up on the main map on the SNES and the kids reduced to mere cameos as just two of many annoying pop-ups that completely obscure the screen. If you lose a life, you thankfully respawn right where you fell with all your ammo and inventory intact, which is useful, though the lack of passwords makes me wonder how anyone beat the SNES version without save states.

Each version has mildly unique sections, but the FPS parts are the worst of them all.

While the Game Boy and NES versions are essentially mission-based games that task you with collecting eggs and key cards and surviving each location, they also include some maze-like elements. The buildings and caves loop and turn you about, throwing miniature volcanoes and electrical pylons in your way and timing your escape from the ‘raptor nests before your bomb takes you out. Though the SNES version encourages you to exit the nest as quickly as possible, you appear to have unlimited time to escape, which is good as the nest is easily the most confusing area in the game. And that’s saying a lot considering all the interior locations are frustrating mazes that, surprisingly, switch the game to a first-person shooter (FPS). Clearly designed to showcase the SNES’s Mode 7 feature, these sections are slow, tedious slogs around repetitive locations with no clear indication where you need to go. You’ll be hunting for batteries to power your night vision goggles, grabbing ID cards to open doors and access terminals, powering up a generator and fiddling with the park’s systems, and taking elevators to sub-levels to explore further. Eventually, you’ll activate the park’s motion sensors, finally giving that obnoxious circular sprite on the heads-up display a purpose, and gain additional security clearance. This means you go back and forth between utility sheds, the visitor’s centre, the ship, and the ‘raptor pen desperately trying to remember where you couldn’t access the first time around. One mission sees you either wiping out the Velociraptors or blocking their entry with a wooden box, while another tasks you with destroying all the dinosaurs that’ve infested the ship. You must clear each mission in the SNES version to proceed; even if you have the right ID card, the game blocks you if you haven’t finished a mission. Of course, there’s no way to track your progress; the computer terminals help to a degree, but it’s limited to listing your ID card inventory and security clearance level.

Presentation:
Obviously, we’re working on a sliding scale between these three games. The SNES version is going to look the best, the NES version is passable, and the Game Boy version is…let’s say “quaint”. The NES version doesn’t make the best first impression; you can argue that the large T. rex sprite art is ambitious, but it just looks ugly. Ironically, it fares better on the Game Boy, where my expectations are much lower, though only the SNES version includes a detailed title screen of the film’s logo. In the Game Boy and NES versions, Mr. D.N.A. gives you an overview of your objectives. This is absent in the SNES version, but large, annoying text boxes regularly pop up to give you hints and the game’s bookended by Mode 7 effects applied to the island. The Game Boy and NES versions have extremely jaunty and fun chip tune soundtracks that remind me of Ocean’s arcade efforts. The SNES version opts for more subdued, ambient tunes, the ominous sounds of dinosaurs, and a handful of sound bites, though none of the games use the film’s iconic soundtrack or dinosaur roars. The SNES also performs far better; unlike its inferior cousins, I saw no instances of screen tearing, sprite flickering, or slowdown. These issues were rife on the NES version and also cropped up on the Game Boy version when too much was happening at once, though all three have a problem with the sprites having large hit boxes.

Each game faithfully recreates the movie, but the SNES version is the obvious standout.

Isla Nubar is represented on a reduced scale in all three games but is still surprisingly recognisable in the Game Boy and NES versions. You’ll start outside the iconic park gates in all three and explore the lush grasslands and forests surrounding the visitor’s centre, venture into the ‘raptor pen, and explore the nearby caves. Unlike its cousins, the SNES version portrays Isla Nubar as one big world map, with forests, streams, buildings, and recognisable locations all on one big, interconnected map rather being separated by missions as in the other two games. On the NES, the landscape changes colour and layout with each mission, introducing different buildings, forests you can pass through, containment fences, and rugged, hazardous mountain peaks. On the SNES, you venture up a cliffside many times as you revisit the docked ship again and again, will drown if you fall in the water, and must power up gears to progress. The helipad is your goal in all three games, though it’s only a separate region on the SNES and this version is the only game to accurately recreate the visuals of the film. Without a doubt, the overworld graphics are the best part of this version, featuring lush vegetation and detailed and colourful sprites, though the Game Boy version does boast surprisingly detailed sprite art recreating events from the movie. The SNES banks heavily on its FPS sections which, in my opinion, was a mistake as the game slows to a crawl and the visuals look pixelated, ugly, and repetitive. While the game recreates recognisable interiors from the film, every corridor looks the same. Some are ugly and grey, some are bronze and have nautical trappings, some are a light blue, and others are pitch-black, but everything looks the same so it’s easy to get lost. The sub-levels of the ‘raptor pen were the best parts, though, as you can see foliage through the windows, but these sections were a chore to play through. I really wish the developers had limited themselves to two or three FPS sections and used a traditional sidescrolling platformer perspective, like the Mega Drive titles, for the others, just for some variety.

Enemies and Bosses:
Jurassic Park is as disappointingly light on dinosaurs, though most of the creatures showcased in the movie make an appearance in all three games and you can even view an encyclopaedia of the creatures on the Game Boy. As you collect eggs, you’ll be relentlessly attacked by tiny Compsognathus. These aren’t much of a threat, but they do get annoying, so it was satisfying turning them into puffs of smoke with the cattle prod in the SNES version. Meganeura, prehistoric dragonflies, also appear in the SNES version alongside the easily spooked Gallimimus, who stampede and whittle your health to nothing if you’re not careful. Pachycephalosaurus also appear exclusively in the SNES version, attacking with an annoying headbutt if you get too close, though you’ll only see the gigantic, swimming Brachiosaurus, wandering Dimetrodon, and leaping Ichthyosaurus in the Game Boy and NES versions. One of the most common enemies you’ll face across all three games is the Dilophosaurus, rancid creatures who spit from afar and lurk in the game’s butt-ugly FPS sections (where they, like the ‘raptors, explode when shot, no matter what ammo you use). Equally, you’ll battle more than a few Velociraptors in all three games. Incredibly aggressive and often striking in twos, these creatures burst from trees and bushes and stalk the corridors of the SNES’s FPS sections. While enemies respawn seemingly endlessly in the Game Boy and NES versions, they’ll be down for the count on the SNES, especially in the FPS sections, except for the Velociraptors. You must also be wary of brambles, rushing streams, electrical bolts, falling boulders, and erupting volcanos. Those annoying explosive boxes will be your biggest enemy in the Game Boy and NES versions, though, and really got to be a pain in the ass after the first few caught me off-guard.

The Game Boy and NES versions may have dull bosses, but at least they have boss battles.

Oddly, considering the Super Nintendo’s greater processing power and the impressive nature of its sprite work, bosses only appear in the Game Boy and NES versions and, even then, they’re not that impressive. You must rescue Tim from the stampeding Triceratops in both versions, weaving between the gigantic beasts and trying to avoid their huge hit boxes in sections that I have no idea how anyone beat back in the day. You must endure this section twice in both versions, with Tim’s lagging speed often costing you and the creatures appearing in specific, much more manageable sections on the SNES. When the T. rex appears here, your only option is to run or momentarily stun her with tranquilizer darts, though you’re more likely to be left squirming in her jaws if you try and fight her. In the NES version, you battle the T. rex directly twice. The first time, you must rescue Lex from her, and the second time you must rescue Lex and Tim, with both being rooted to the spot by fear and easily chomped by the Lizard King if you don’t catch her attention. The T. rex is impervious to damage unless her head is lowered, but you must be quick as she’ll stomp over and eat you (or one of the kids) whole otherwise, and her hit box is predicably large, so you’ll have a hard to avoiding being hit. In the Game Boy version, this fight is turned into a desperate dash to the left-side of the screen, though thankfully there’s no risk of being trampled and her bite is easy to avoid. You must push the T. rex back with some shots and then usher Lex towards the exit, desperately trying to not get caught on the boulders scattered across the path. There is no final battle against the T. rex in the Game Boy version, making the finale disappointingly anti-climactic compared to the NES version, and no bosses at all in the SNES version. The closest you get are the many encounters with the Velociraptors, who pounce from the bushes and prowl around the corridors of the game’s interiors, which is a shame as I would’ve loved to see a proper rendition of the T. rex fight.

Additional Features:
The NES version is the only one of the three to offer a two-player option (presumably with players taking it in turns between lives), though all three offer a high score table for you to try and get your name on. Each game ends in the most lacklustre way possible, with simple text congratulating you, though you get to wander around the credits in the lesser versions. The Jurassic Park: Classic Game Collection offers a few fun extras, such as each game’s soundtrack, various filters and borders, and a rewind and save state feature that makes each game, but especially the SNES game, much easier. Each game also comes with a map, which is super helpful until you play the SNES version, where the developers didn’t include maps for the FPS sections! The collection naturally has some Achievements for you to earn; fourteen in total, with two earned for each game included. While you obviously get an Achievement for beating each game, an additional Achievement is assigned to each and tied to different objectives. You get an Achievement for starting the generator in the Game Boy version, saving Lex from the T. Rex in the NES version, and finding all eighteen ‘raptor eggs in the SNES version.

The Summary:
I’ve long admired the SNES version of Jurassic Park. I believe I played a port of it on the Amiga as a kid and I’ve always been captivated by the overworld graphics. Truly, the game is gorgeous to behold, and the 16-bit recreation of the film’s visuals is incredibly impressive. The foliage, the buildings, and the dinosaur sprites, especially, are all visually appealing, let down only by the lack of John Williams’ iconic score. Well, that and the awful FPS sequences. Believe me, I get the appeal of showcasing the Super Nintendo’s processing power, but these sections are slow, ugly, and a chore to play. It might not’ve been so bad if you didn’t have to keep backtracking to these areas again and again, each time getting more confused about where you’ve been and where you’re going. The Game Boy and NES titles are much simpler in this regard, being simple mission-based games rather than an odd mixture of action and adventure like their SNES counterpart. Yet, while the NES version tries, the Game Boy struggles to replicate its cousins. Sprite flickering and screen tearing are real problems in both, but this genre didn’t translate well to the Game Boy. Perhaps switching to a sidescroller would’ve been better, though I did like the subtle differences in the T. rex boss fight and the sprite art between missions. The tedious collecting wore out its welcome very quickly in both versions and is only marginally better on the SNES, where you still need to find them all but have a bigger map to explore. The SNES version is let down by those annoying pop-up boxes, a lack of boss battles, and no password feature, meaning the sprawling adventure must be beaten in one sitting. This is a laborious task even with the Classic Game Collection’s save state feature, so I have no idea how players managed it back in the day. In the end, I’d say the only one worth playing is the SNES version based on the overworld’s eye-catching visuals but, realistically, the NES version is probably the easiest for repeat playthroughs. What we really needed was one version that incorporated the best of all three games but, as is, there’s some fun and frustration to be had regardless son which game you play.

Game Boy Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

NES Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

SNES Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the Jurassic Park videogames released for Nintendo’s consoles? How do you think they compare to SEGA’s releases, and to each other? Which of the three was your favourite to play and were you pleased to see them made available for modern consoles? What did you think to the FPS sections and the tedious egg hunting? Did you ever beat the SNES version back in the day and, if so, how? Which Jurassic-adjacent videogame is your favourite? How are you celebrating Dinosaur Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on Nintendo’s Jurassic Park videogames, and dinosaurs in general, leave them below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other dinosaur content!

Game Corner: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K2 Comments

Released: 19 July 2019
Developer: Team Ninja

The Background:
For decades, few videogame publishers were as synonymous with Marvel Comics as Activision, who produced adaptations Marvel’s most popular properties. While some were better than others, Activision’s efforts were largely praised, especially after they partnered with Raven Software on the X-Men Legends games (2004; 2005). Activision and Raven Software expanded their scope to the rest of the Marvel universe with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006), a largely successful team-based brawer praised for improving upon its predecessors. Though now delisted, it was followed by a sequel three years later, courtesy of Vicarious Visions, which tweaked the gameplay with team-based attacks to encourage experimentation. Though Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009) was praised for its branching storyline, the stripped down roleplaying mechanics were criticised. While it was also delisted in 2020, fans were clamouring for a follow-up and, just ten years later, Team Ninja stepped in to work alongside Marvel in reviving the franchise. Seeking to place additional emphasis on combat, the developers explored the cosmic scope of the Marvel universe by including the Infinity Stones and lesser-known characters and chose to make the title a Nintendo Switch exclusive after developing a close relationship with Nintendo. Although Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was the sixth best-selling game in its first week and was later bolstered by extensive downloadable content (DLC), it was met with mixed reviews that praised the colourful action but criticised its lack of innovation.

The Plot:
While battling Nebula and Ronan the Accuser, the Guardians of the Galaxy stumble upon a plot by the mad titan, Thanos, to collect the six Infinity Stones. Although they scatter the Stones, Thanos’s acolytes, the Black Order, pursue the gems, prompting an alliance of Earth’s mightiest heroes to retrieve them first.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Like its predecessors, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a team-based action role-playing game in which players assemble a squad of four heroes from across the Marvel universe to battle various nefarious baddies, primarily the titular Black Order, who are hunting the six all-powerful Infinity Stones on behalf of their master, Thanos. The game offers five save slots, two initial difficulty levels, and a base roster of thirty-six playable characters, with many being encountered as you play through the story and joining your alliance either after fighting alongside you or being freed from some kind of mind control. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 offers three controller configurations, thankfully none of which involve motion controls, and allows you to toggle overlays, notifications, tips, and other onscreen elements from the “Settings” menu. These include altering the camera placement, which enables a lock-on feature by pressing in the right stick, though the camera generally remains more focused on whichever character you’re controlling rather than offering a bird’s eye view as in the last two games. Although you can fight alongside friends either locally or online, you switch between your teammates with the directional pad (D-pad) when playing alone and your computer-controlled partners are very useful in a fight, attacking, enabling team attacks, and reviving defeated characters without any input from you. Pressing A sees you interact with the environment to activate consoles, pick up or move certain objects, and talk to other characters. You jump with B, executing a double jump, swinging from webs, or flying depending on which character you’re playing as, and throw light attacks with X and heavy attacks with Y. These can be strung together to perform basic combos and you can also perform a mid-air attack and throw objects (like bombs and missiles) by pressing Y. You block incoming attacks by holding the Z trigger and tap it to dodge, and collect glowing red orbs from defeated enemies or smashed crates to restore health, blue orbs to refill your Energy Point (EP) gauge, and credits to spend on upgrades.

Combat is thick, fast, chaotic, and constant thanks to loads of enemies and character abilities.

As in the last two games, each character has specific abilities tied to their superpowers or superhero traits. You activate these by holding the Right trigger and selecting an icon using the D-pad; using Abilities drains your EP, however, and each Ability comes with a different cost. However, these attacks allow you to stun, stagger or deal elemental damage to enemies using Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s webs, Thor Odinson’s lightning, and Doctor Robert Bruce Banner/The Hulk’s incredible strength. Many characters have projectile attacks in their arsenal, such as Wade Wilson/Deadpool firing guns and Scott “Slim” Summers/Cyclops blasting his eye beams, while others cause splash damage or specific buffs, like Piotr Rasputin/Colossus being able to reflect projectiles and Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch healing her allies. Some, like James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine, have passive abilities that allow them to automatically regenerate health as they walk around; others, like Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider and Ororo Munroe/Storm, specifically deal in elemental damage. Character’s Abilities can also be mixed and matched by holding ZR and pressing one of the face buttons (or pressing A when prompted); this sees two characters attack in a combo for additional damage. As you dish out and take damage, you’ll also build the Extreme (EX) Gauge). Once full, you can press L and R up to three times to have two to four of your teammates perform a devastating combination attack that’s great against bosses. While the various cannon fodder you fight are easily dispatched, larger commanders and bosses need their “stun” meter drained before you can really put a beating on them and others (and certain treasure chests) require specific combination attacks to breach their shields. Defeating enemies sees your characters gain experience points (XP) to level-up, increasing their statistics (attack, defence, etc), though you can also use the various Orbs you find to manually level-up. Each character’s special Abilities can also be further enhanced using Ability Orbs and credits, reducing the EP cost and increasing their damage, among other benefits. You can also earn “Team Bonuses” depending on your team selection: pick a group of X-Men, for example, and your strength or resistance stat will increase, while picking characters of royalty ups your maximum energy stat.

Search for chests to gain currency and other expendables to upgrade and buff your alliance.

Although you can’t equip gear to your characters, the boss battle against the Destroyer armour sees you temporarily empowered by Asgardian magic and you can eventually equip your team with “ISO-8” crystals, coloured stones that enhance their attack power, resistance to elements, or critical hit ratio, among others. You can further upgrade these with credits and ISO-8 capsules, though some of the rarer ones will also debuff you (for example, your attack my increase but your defence will decrease accordingly). You’ll also inevitably gain access to the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.) Lab, which acts as the game’s skill tree. By spending credits and Enhancement Points (EP), you can further increase your team’s overall attack, defence, resistance, vitality, and such and even unlock additional ISO-8 slots (with more being earned by levelling-up). You can also enter the S.H.I.E.L.D. Depot from the main menu to purchase additional costumes and social icons by spending S.H.I.E.L.D. Tokens. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 is pretty forgiving (on the “Friendly” difficulty, at least), with multiple checkpoints in each area. When you activate a S.H.I.E.L.D. checkpoint, your team is fully healed, and you can swap or enhance them if you wish. If a teammate is defeated, you can hold A to revive them, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you absolutely have to. Not only are revives limited, but downed characters will eventually return to full health even before you reach a checkpoint so it’s not worth risking another character taking damage by healing a partner. Exploration generally leads you to treasure chests or special walls that require a special combination attack to open, or to a “Rift” challenge that takes you away from the main game to tackle a special challenge (usually a boss rematch or enemy gauntlet) for extra rewards. Your path is incredibly linear most of the time, hence why there’s no map, and the game’s primary focus is on chaotic combat and visually manic team-based attacks. Unlike in the last two games, you can no longer grapple or throw enemies (though you can still send them flying off certain platforms) and there are no character-specific team-up moves, meaning the action can quickly get quite tiresome.

Sadly, puzzles are practically non-existent, with only Rifts offering additional challenges.

Because of its focus on hectic combat, there’s even less room for puzzles than there is for exploration in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3. Puzzles boil down to activating a console to open a door or making a platform move and that’s it. Sometimes, you’ll hold A to move a block and avoid lasers or cannons, but mostly you’ll be timing jumps between said lasers to progress and simply hurling missiles at those cannons. Sometimes, you’ll rotate statues or press switches to progress; others, you’ll be avoiding toxic ooze in Hel or solving door puzzles at the Raft or in Avengers Tower. After hopping across the rooftops of New York City, you’ll infiltrate the heavily fortified fortress of the Hand, dealing with ninjas that drop from the sky and hidden arrow hazards. When in Wakanda, Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) corrupt T’Challa/The Black Panther’s defences, leading to an exasperating section where you must avoid snipers and being roasted by a giant panther statue’s energy blast. When transported to the Dark Dimension, you must use portals to reach new areas and defeat waves of demonic enemies to lower magical barriers and progress. Some attacks also screw up your controls or temporarily freeze you; some enemies are best defeated by tossing explosives at them; and many missions have an additional character fighting alongside you who’s often unlocked afterwards. However, a lot of the additional features of the previous games are missing; you can talk to other characters, but there are no dialogue options or character-specific interactions. There are no trivia quizzes, no optional side missions beyond the Rifts, and no character specific challenges to unlock extra stuff for each character. There aren’t even hub areas, in the traditional sense, with characters just appearing around S.H.I.E.L.D. checkpoints at times, though you can destroy a fair bit of the environment, and some encounters have you fleeing towards the camera as bosses chase you or present you with unwinnable battles.

Presentation:
Whereas the last two games primarily based their aesthetics on the comics books, especially the Ultimate comic line, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 adheres very closely to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), especially in the visuals of its locations. I was hard pressed, for example, to tell the difference between Asgard here and the Asgard to the MCU, with both the golden city and the rainbow bridge, the Bifrost, appearing almost exactly as they’re depicted in the films. The same is true for Wakanda, the Dark Dimension, and Knowhere, all of which are virtually indistinguishable from how they appear in the MCU. There are some differences, of course: Taneleer Tivan/The Collector’s museum, for example, uses coloured cube cages and Wakanda leans much more into traditional architecture than the pseudo-futuristic science of the films (likely because Black Panther (Coogler, 2018) released a year before this game was made). Xavier’s School for the Gifted is lifted almost exactly from the 20th Century Fox X-Men movies (Various, 2000 to 2020), however, including a hedge maze, 1:1 Cerebro room, and basketball court that doubles as a landing pad for the Blackbird. While the Dark Dimension and the cosmic mind trip that is Sanctuary also heavily borrow from the bizarre cosmic imagery of the MCU, the Raft and Avengers Tower are much more akin to their comic book counterparts, though they’re comparatively bland locations, lacking fun areas like the Danger Room or Wakanda’s Necropolis (though you do pass through Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man’s Hall of Armours in the tower). Although you only make a brief stop in Attilan to try and get help from the Inhumans, the architecture is far more visually interesting than that awful television show, seemingly being comprised of Celestial technology, and I enjoyed the ominous gothic presentation of Hel, with its restless Viking warriors and damaging sludge. Unfortunately, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 continues the trend of having disappointingly bland and forgettable music, opting for generic themes for each location, event, and character that are lost amidst the constant fighting.

A visually impressive brawler that takes obvious inspiration from the MCU films.

The game also opts for an almost cel-shaded, action figure-like aesthetic for its colourful cast of characters. While many again both look and sound like their MCU counterparts, there are some exceptions: Peter Quill/Star-Lord, for example, looks nothing like Chris Pratt and the X-Men are far closer to the comic books than Fox’s films. Despite you assembling a custom team of heroes, cutscenes depict either everyone or characters specific to the location you’re in (the corrupted Doctor Stephen Strange in the Dark Dimension, for example) as they’re better suited to advance the plot against the local baddies. With the game shifting to a more third-person perspective, you’re closer than ever to the action and can see more of the environment than in the previous games. However, this comes with some drawbacks: mainly, there are far less opportunities or incentives to explore. Second, environments are painfully linear, with dead ends or locked doors barring your progress. Third, and most frustrating, is the camera, which easily loses track of your opponent/s and often lumbers you with wireframe representations when the foreground blocks the view. Thankfully, you won’t be falling down pits and rarely have to worry about onscreen hazards, but it can be aggravating trying to figure out which platforms and crates can be jumped on and which can’t. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 offers a diverse cast of characters, each with their own idle poses and quips, though these do inevitably repeat. The game’s also surprisingly light on Easter Eggs: you’ll spot Deadpool singing away as he makes tacos in the X-Mansion, but not much else, and there are no optional missions or choices to encourage replaying missions. It’s a far cry from the first game, where there was always something to collect or an additional character to help out. Instead, it’s basically all combat, all the time in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3. Luckily, the game looks pretty good (everything’s very colourful and true to its inspirations) and performs really well, though there are some long load screens and it is annoying being forced to continue your game every time you challenge a Rift.

Enemies and Bosses:
All the usual suspects appear here as disposable cannon fodder for you to endlessly beat up, with many of the game’s goons sharing traits across the various locations. You’ll encounter Kree, Ultron Drones, agents of A.I.M., and Doombats who all pack various energy blasters. Ultron’s clones are the worst for this, relentlessly firing energy blasts and crashing through windows. The Raft’s unscrupulous prisoners attack in large groups, as do the restless Viking warriors who populate Hel, tossing axes from afar and luring you into toxic goop. Gargoyle-like Fire Demons also dwell here, offering a greater challenge with their swoop attack and fire breath, not unlike the monstrous Outriders and Mindless Ones who make up Thanos and the dread Dormammu’s forces, respectively. Alpha Primitives, Hydra goons, and towering Sentinels also appear, with the latter firing huge energy blasts from the palms and best attacked by throwing their explosive energy cores back at them. No matter where you are and what enemies you fight, more powerful commanders will also appear. Larger, tougher, and sporting a stun meter, these commanders should be your top priority as they’ll charge across the screen, cause shockwaves, and generally offer a far greater challenge even when you’re at a higher level. These minions often fight alongside their masters, generally so you can recover some health and EP to better damage the bosses, and will endlessly spawn in one of the additional modes unless you destroy their teleporters. Some of the game’s challenges or story-based missions charge you with defeating a certain number of enemies to progress. Other times, bosses appear in these waves, and you must occasionally flee or purposely lose some fights. This happens when Cain Marko/The Juggernaut comes tearing through the X-Mansion, for example, and in early encounters with the Black Order, who cannot be beaten or will chase you, raining lightning or other attacks from the sky and across the ground.

Few bosses require more than just hit-and-run tactics, even when augmented by an Infinity Stone.

There are loads of bosses to fight in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3, with some returning from the previous games, some teaming up, some having a couple of phases, and all boiling down to whittling down their stun bar, unleashing an EX attack and/or your most powerful Abilities, and avoiding damage until you can repeat this. The first ones you’ll face are Nebula and Ronan the Accuser, who often appear as a duo in optional challenges. Nebula is faster and more nimble, wielding blades where Ronan uses a massive warhammer. Both set a standard all bosses follow, which is that they’ll use either a jumping slam or an explosion of energy (or both) to send you flying. While quelling the riot in the Raft, you’ll encounter a version of the Sinister Six, with some unique variations to each battle. Flint Marko/The Sandman, for example, flings waves of sand and erupts his big sand fist from the ground as a large sand creature. You must use A to mount the nearby cannons and unload on him to chip away at his stun meter. Maxwell “Max” Dillon fights alongside Eddie Brock/Venom, raining lighting and electrocuting you with bursts of electricity, before he’s eaten by Venom and starts busting out electrically-enhanced symbiote powers. Venom joins the team after this fight and is tested against Quentin Beck, who first brainwashes Mile Morales/Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel to fight you and then unleashes a poisonous mist, teleports about, and confuses you with duplicates, Doctor Otto Octavious/Dr. Octopus is fought in a two-stage fight where you must first avoid his tentacles and scurry charge and then attack each arm to stun him. Finally, you’ll battle Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin for the Time Stone. The Green Goblin swoops overhead and lingers slightly out of reach, peppering the arena with his pumpkin bombs, charging at you, and freezing time to bombard you. He’s noticeably weak to his pumpkin bombs, however, so try and toss them at him before they explode in your face! After battling into the Hand’s fortress, you must first free Elektra Natchios from the Hand’s influence and then face Lester/Bullseye and Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin in separate fights. You must take out the ninjas feeding Elektra power, avoid Bulleye’s spread of razor sharp and explosive cards, and dodge the furniture and massive energy beam thrown by the Power Stone-enhanced Kingpin. The Kingpin also charges like a rhino, leaps at you to cause shockwaves, and even rips up stone columns to use as melee weapons!

Gigantic bosses and the quirkier villains help mix-up the otherwise tedious combat.

Avengers Tower is then attacked by Ultron and his drones, who assist him in battle. Not that he needs it as the Mind Stone allows Ultron to mess up your controls, to say nothing of his signature face and palm beams. Ultron then grows to gigantic proportions, sweeping the area with his eyebeams before Clint Barton/Hawkeye intervenes and Ultron merges with Ultimo. This is the first giant boss battle in the game and sees you blasting Ultimo with cannons and avoiding his massive swipes. The Infinity Sentinel is comparatively smaller, but no less dangerous thanks to its own face beam and missiles. Though you can damage it with Sentinel cores, it’s finished in a cutscene by Erik “Magnus” Lehnsherr/Magneto, who then tosses debris and throws you off balance with magnetic pulses while Juggernaut pummels you and Raven Darkholme/Mystique tosses daggers. After surviving Mystique’s Danger Room trials, you face Magneto, now even tougher thanks to the Power Stone, before being chased away and banished to the Dark Dimension by the Black Order. There, you battle past Loki Laufeyson (who boasts elemental attacks and duplication tricks) to eventually face the dread Dormammu, who wields the Reality Stone and is the second giant boss. You must subdue his minions and avoid his flame bursts, whittling down his magical barrier either directly or be destroying three nearby orbs, all while dodging his giant fists and ground spikes. The brief fight with Maximus Boltagon is far easier, even though the mad Inhuman carries a massive energy cannon and you must take cover in Thane’s energy bubble to avoid Maximus’s barrage of lasers. Ulysses Klaue/Klaw awaits in Wakanda and his sound-based energy blasts and waves must be overcome to rescue and recruit James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier. You then fight past A.I.M. to confront their master, George Tarleton/Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing (MODOK), who uses the Soul Stone to turn the Dora Milaje against you and attacks with a slew of appendages, from buzzsaw arms, poison gas, failing tentacles, and his signature forehead blast.

Battles with the empowered Black Order, Thanos, and Thane offer some of the most enjoyable challenges.

Though your goal in Hel is to confront Hela, you’ll actually battle the fire demon, Surtur, in another giant boss battle. This was a bit of a difficulty spike for me as Surtur’s flaming sword has a long reach and he causes the ground to erupt in flames, to say nothing of stun locking you with repeat sword strikes! Best him and Hela sets Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull on you, with the Nazi madman firing a powerful revolver and sapping your health with his “Dust of Death”. Hela gives the Red Skull a boost, protecting him with a shield and allowing him to fire a Bifrost-like laser, before placing his consciousness into the Destroyer armour. Though bolstered by Hydra forces and boasting a sweeping face beam, you can get a power-up from glowing crystals to overcome this destructive force. Finally, you venture to Knowhere and must run the Black Order gauntlet to retrieve the Infinity Stones, with checkpoints between each fight. Ebony Maw is first, firing a spread of projectiles and rocks and using the Soul Stone to create portals to trip you up. Supergiant tosses dark spheres and a golden homing shot that messes up your controls, though you can toss explosive cores from her minions to deal big damage. Cull Obsidian infuses his battleaxe with the Power Stone, sending out waves of purple energy and massive purple shockwaves, though he’s far slower and also susceptible to the nearby bombs. Corvus Glaive is much faster, landing multiple hits with his lance and using the Reality Stone to spring spikes form the ground and conjure duplicates who fill the arena with energy waves that can stun lock you. Finally, Proxima Midnight takes her fellow’s teleportation trick to the next level with the Space Stone and fills the arena with lightning bolts and strikes. All these powers are then recycled when you face Thanos, who gathers the six Infinity Stones into the Infinity Gauntlet to rain meteors, teleport, mess up your controls, freeze time, and fire his signature eyebeams. Thanos then joins you to battle Thane, who usurps him and boasts similar powers, though also upgraded by the Infinity Armour. Thane exhibits superhuman speed, traps you in a cube, fills the arena with portals and flames, and explodes in fury, though both battles were fun challenges rather than impossible tasks.

Additional Features:
Unlike in the previous two games, you won’t be finding data logs, action figures, or meeting certain requirements to unlock new attacks or costumes. You just fight over and over, earning whatever you need to unlock, buy, or upgrade whatever you wish and finding some concept art in treasure chests. A far harder (but more rewarding) “Superior” difficulty unlocks upon clearing the game alongside an additional “Nightmare” mode, accessible via the “Curse of the Vampire” campaign. You also unlock Thanos and can freely replay any mission on any difficulty (though you must start a new save to play on “Superior”) to grind and enhance your characters and ISO-8. Dimensional Rifts transport you to special challenges (not unlike the S.H.I.E.L.D. Simulator discs from the first game) that are often rematches with bosses or gauntlet challenges, though far tougher and gifting better rewards if you succeed. There are also three additional modes; however, though you can play a taster of each, you must purchase the expansion pass to fully unlock them. “Curse of the Vampire” adds vampiric enemies to the main story in “Nightmare” mode and offers a “Gauntlet” mode where you battle waves of enemies and bosses against both a time limit and a range of debuffs (including limited health restoration and draining EP). You can also tackle an “Endless” mode that’s pretty self-explanatory, and unlock additional characters like Frank Castle/The Punisher and Eric Brooks/Blade…if you buy the DLC. “Rise of the Phoenix” sees you form a four-person team and go head-to-head with a friend or the computer in three-round Danger Room scenarios. These see you tackling bosses again or wiping out hordes of enemies, awarding additional buffs and effects if you meet certain criteria (such as using any Ability or Synergy attack four times). You can only tackle the first challenge without the DLC, so I didn’t get very far, but this could be a fun distraction for those looking to test their skills against a friend. “Shadow of Doom” adds an epilogue story campaign that sees you return to Wakanda to oppose Doctor Victor Von Doom’s invasion. Dr. Doom’s Doombots endlessly spawn unless you destroy their teleporters, and you even battle the arrogant dictator in the recycled Necropolis, with him teleporting, firing lasers form his palms, and having his health restored by his Doombots. You’ll add Marvel’s First Family to your roster (alongside an alternative Thanos and other characters) by buying the expansion pass and battle Annihilus, a gigantic Celestial, and even “God Emperor” Doom!

The Summary:
I quite enjoyed the first two Ultimate Alliance games. They were mindless and largely repetitive, but I liked the large cast of characters and all the different references and locations from the comic books. Still, I put off Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order for some time, mainly because I was annoyed by it being a Nintendo Switch exclusive; however it turned out to be a decent enough brawler. Despite the different development team, a few tweaks, and an apparent disconnection from the previous games, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 offers a lot of the same gameplay and enjoyment as its predecessors, which is great for long-time fans of the franchise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t improve on these elements in a meaningful way and actually removes some content that I found enjoyable from the last two. There are no optional missions, for example, no alternative endings, no choices, and no character-specific challenges beyond fighting and levelling-up. I found this made the tedious combat even more aggravating after a while as I wasn’t being rewarded with gear or costumes or anything other than stat boosts. Even the skill tree was limited since you must grind to acquire enough credits and expendables to enhance your team, and I found the ISO-8 mode to be more confusing than engaging. The game also does little to improve the boss battles. Very few were very innovative or required more of you than to strike fast, avoid shockwaves and projectiles, and unleash your Extreme attack. The giant bosses were more of a challenge and I liked the final fight against Thanos and Thane, but I was hoping for a bit more complexity, especially given the possibilities offered by the Infinity Stones. There is a fun selection of characters, but they don’t offer much more than what we saw in the last two games and actually offer less as there are no character-specific team-up moves. While I enjoyed the visual influence from the MCU and the variety, I feel like Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 played things a little too safe by relying so heavily on combat and not mixing up the gameplay with a few other puzzles and challenges. Overall, it’s a good enough game and a worthy entry in the series, but it’s a shame that the developers didn’t try to be a bit more innovative and offer some more incentive to keep slogging away in endless fights.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order? How do you think it holds up against the previous two games? Which characters did you choose for your team? Were you disappointed that the combat was so similar to the last two games and the bosses so repetitive? Did you ever conquer all the Rift challenges? What did you think to the MCU influences and the final battle with Thanos and Thane? Did you ever play through the DLC? Would you like to see another Ultimate Alliance game? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other superhero content across the site.