nintendo

Game Corner [PokéMonth]: Pokkén Tournament DX (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. KLeave a comment

Upon the release of Pokémon: Blue Version and Pokémon: Red Version (Game Freak, 1996), a new craze swept through playgrounds across the world. Entire generations have grown up with Pokémon as clever marketing saw Nintendo’s newest franchise become a massively lucrative and popular multimedia powerhouse that endures to this day. Accordingly, February 27th is now internationally recognised as “National Pokémon Day”, which I’ve expanded to an entire month of Pokémon every Tuesday in February.

Released: September 2017
Originally Released: 16 July 2015
Developer: Game Freak
Also Available For: Arcade and Nintendo Wii U (Original Release)

The Background:
Ever since it was brought over from Japan, the Pokémon franchise has been all about spin-offs and ancillary media; the first generation of videogames and tie-in merchandise ensured that Pokémon was an instant cultural phenomenon, taking playgrounds by storm through the games themselves, the trading cards, stickers, magazines, and toys galore. It didn’t take long at all for spin-off videogames to be produced alongside the main series; we got a videogame of the aforementioned trading card game, some pinball and puzzle games, and even a much-loved on-rails photography videogame. Although battling is very much at the heart of the Pokémon series, the closest it came to being featured in a one-on-one fighter was the inclusion of Pokémon characters in the Super Smash Bros. series (Various, 1999 to 2018) until Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara brainstormed new ideas for the franchise with Tekken (Various, 1994 to 2018) producer Katsuhiro Harada and Soulcalibur (Bandai Namco Studios, 1995 to 2018) producer Masaaki Hoshino. While Ishihara wanted mainly Fighting-type Pokémon featured in the game, Hoshino pushed for more variety amongst the playable fighters, and the game was initially released as a somewhat unpopular and unprofitable arcade fighter before being ported to the Wii U, where it was received much more favourably. An enhanced port was then released for the Nintendo Switch a few years later; this new version of the game included all the previous downloadable content (DLC) and was also met with largely positive reviews.

The Plot:
The player’s created character aspires to reach the top of the Ferrum League alongside their partner Pokémon. However, the tournament is soon interrupted by a mysterious and violent Shadow Mewtwo, which has been corrupted by a strange phenomenon in which Gaia, the energy that allows Synergy Stones to bond the humans and Pokémon in Ferrum, is draining away.

Gameplay:
Pokkén Tournament DX is a 3D fighter in which players customise a 2D avatar and synch up with one of twenty-one different partner Pokémon using a “Synergy Stone” to not just command them to battle as in the mainline games, but effectively battle as the Pokémon in what basically amounts to a series of never-ending battles in different towns across the Ferrum region in the appropriately named Ferrum League. Unlike in the mainline Pokémon games, you won’t actually be traversing an overworld map; instead, the Ferrum region is represented by a simple map screen where you can navigate to different towns, each of which allow for different options, such as initiating online battles, changing your game settings, customising your avatar and Pokémon, or partaking in the single-player story mode, or single or team-based battles. Before you jump into the story or an actual battle, your guide, Mia, strongly advises you to check out the game’s tutorial and this is heavily advised as well, though the game’s controls actually aren’t as complicated as the tutorials make you think (it doesn’t help that there are a lot of tutorials, with each aspect of battling being broken down into separate categories and sections).

Battles take place on two panes and your attack choices depend on what your opponent’s doing.

Still, the tutorials relate the basics of battle: X unleashes a strong attack while Y sends out a weaker or ranged attack, and mixing and matching these inputs (along with movements of the analogue stick or control buttons) will allow you to string together combo attacks to deal additional damage. B allows you to jump, and you can also attack in mid-air, while A performs one of a series of Pokémon-specific attacks, some of which can drain your hit points (HP) or inflict status ailments on your opponent. You can bring up your Pokémon’s attacks, special moves, and combos from the pause menu at any time, and even alter the controls to suit your specifications, but there really isn’t that much depth to the combat; I got along pretty well just using a standard series of combos and heavier attacks, but the tutorial also details how you can hold the R trigger to block, roll and dash out of harm’s way, and initiate a switch between the “Field Phase” and the “Duel Phase” using certain attacks, charging a “Piercing Attack”, or grabbing your opponent for a throw by pressing Y and B together. When in the Field Phase, you’re free to navigate the fighting arena, restricted only by the energy fields that surround you, and easily able to jump over, counter, or charge right through attacks. The Duel Phase switches to a 2.5D sideways perspective like a classic Tekken game and slightly alters the controls to accommodate this, allowing for low attacks and high-stance attacks to knock your opponent’s feet from under them or intercept an aerial attack. This makes fights more about getting up close and personal with your opponent, and you’ll quickly find yourself pummelled unless you counter incoming attacks with X and A or block against hem (though beware as you’ll get staggered if the opponent breaks your guard). Although Pokkén Tournament DX doesn’t include the usual Type-advantage where Water-types trump Fire-types and so forth (despite Mai claiming attacks to be “Super effective!” during battle), each Pokémon favours either power, speed, long-ranged attacks, or is a slightly more well-balanced fighter, and it also features variation of this in the “Attack Triangle” feature. This allows counter moves to trump normal attacks, grabs to win over counters, and normal attacks to fend off grabs, and successfully timing each attack based on what your opponent is doing will not only deal damage and potentially change the battle field, but also refill a small amount of your HP and fill up your “Synergy Gauge” and “Support Gauge”.

Burst Attacks and Support Pokémon can fundamentally change the course of a battle.

When your Synergy Gauge is full, you can press L and R together to enter “Burst Mode”, which will change your Pokémon’s appearance (generally to a Mega Evolution) and not only power-up their attacks but also allow you to pull off a devastating “Burst Attack” which unleashes their most powerful move against your opponent, though this can be blocked and even countered. Filling up the Support Gauge allows you to call in a temporary Support Pokémon; you’ll pick from a whole bunch of these before each battle, and they come in groups of two. While you unfortunately can’t mix and match these to create a customised support team for yourself, each Support Pokémon has their benefits; Support Pokémon will either attack your foe, disrupt them in some way (usually with status effects), or enhance your fighter, meaning you could get a temporary speed, power, or health buff or your opponent may become stunned or disorientated, and timing the use of a Support Pokémon is key to turning the tide in a battle. Battles are fought in a best-of-three format and, between rounds, you must switch to a different Support Pokémon, though you can assign “Cheers” to Mia that will boost your gauges in different ways and potentially allow you to summon a Support Pokémon automatically in the next round. While the Support Gauge fills over time, and you can pick up “Synergy Power” across the arena to boost both gauges, Pokkén Tournament DX definitely emphasises fast-paced, arcade-style action over any kind of patience as your battles are timed and your opponents quickly become very aggressive, though you can alter some of these settings in the options menu. While the tutorials make it seem like battles are quite complicated, they’re really not; I barely even used the block button, and found it annoying that the counter option wasn’t mapped to it as well. Consequently, I found it much easier to spam some ranged attacks at the start of a fight, hit a grab, and charge a Piercing Attack to pummel my opponents, landing a few character-specific attacks here and there (this was risky as I fought with Shadow Mewtwo, and a lot of its special attacks drained its HP) before finishing them off with a Burst Attack.

You’ll find yourself battling endlessly to clear the Ferrum League and complete the optional missions.

Mia claims that you need to learn about the different opponents and arenas but, again, you really don’t; you can best most opponents by attacking aggressively and, while Synergy Energy does spawn differently in each arena and they are either bigger or more enclosed, the fights quickly became very monotonous for me. This wasn’t helped by the success criteria for the single-player story, which sees you battling through the Ferrum League over a series of battles. You start at Rank D and must win a certain number of fights, either in single battles or by tackling five opponents in a row in League Matches, to increasing your standing in the rank. Once you’ve won enough fights, you’ll enter an eight-man tournament, which you must win to face the League Master in a “Promotion Test”. Win that battle and you’ll move on to the next rank to do it all over again, battling more and more opponents to qualify for more fights and finding your foes becoming faster and more aggressive with each Rank. After every fight, win or lose, you’ll receive a star grading based on your performance; varying your attacks and ending with a Burst Attack flourish will score you more points and earn you more PokéGold, which buys clothing and outfits for your avatar and Mia. You’ll also earn experience points (XP) from each victory and loss; when you earn enough XP your Partner Pokémon will level-up and you’ll earn Skill Points that you can use to upgrade their attack, defence, the speed their gauges charge, and how long their gauge effects will last when triggered. Each Rank also comes with some missions for you to complete; these generally involve winning a certain number of battles, winning in a certain way or using a certain number of specific attacks, and summoning specific Support Pokémon a set number of times. With enough victories, you’ll be given one Bonus Key per mission board to automatically complete a mission, and successfully completing them all will complete a picture puzzle, net you additional PokéGold and titles and clothing for your avatar, and will load up another board with more missions to complete. If single battles start to wear thin for you (and, trust me, they will), you can take part in team battles from the main map. This sees you pick a team of three Pokémon to battle against another team of three in an elimination battle; the damage you take and the amount your gauge is full carries over between rounds, but you can still set your Support Pokémon between each round. Sadly, these battles don’t ever appear in the main story, meaning there’s little incentive to deviate from your chosen Partner Pokémon as that’s the easiest way to stay strong enough to compete with the higher Ranked matches.

Graphics and Sound:
While it lacks some of the more memorable tunes seen in the mainline games, Pokkén Tournament DX makes a great first impression with a spectacular CG opening sequence; sadly, such cinematics are few and far between during the bulk of the game. They’ll pop up here and there, but the majority of the game’s story is told using 2D avatars that barely move and using text and dialogue boxes rather than cutscenes. This, as much as the pretty generic battle music, really lets the game down; I get that it’s just a standard arcade fighter, but a little bit more effort could’ve gone into the story and the presentation of the game outside of the main battles. Instead, the story is very secondary; occasionally, your opponents will talk smack to you before and after battles, Mia will chime in with some story-specific spiel to advance the narrative, and you’ll have to move to areas outside of the main overworld map to meet story objectives, but it’s all very cheap and not very becoming of a game that carries such a hefty price tag. Additionally, the map screen is as basic as it gets, and you’ll be absolutely bombarded with Mia’s “helpful” advice during battles unless you shut her off in the main settings.

The opening cutscene and in-battle graphics are where the game’s presentation really shines.

Once you actually get into a battle, things noticeably improve; all the game’s Pokémon are beautifully rendered in just the right balance between realistic and fantastical, very much in the same style as seen in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Letterman 2019). Pokémon have a number of different intro and outro animations, and these change depending on whether you’re in Burst Mode or not, and will take on different colours in mirror matches. Attacks are big, colourful, and eye-catching, with Pokémon like Sceptile, Gengar, and Charizard impressive with twisting vines, portal-based spectral fists, and plumes of fire, respectively. Also impactful are the Burst Attacks, which basically amount to a short cutscene when your Pokémon will unleash their most powerful attack, and this really helps to sell the danger of these moves so you definitely want to make sure that you unleash yours before your opponent does. Unfortunately, the arenas don’t fare anywhere near as well as the fighter’s character models; I barely even noticed any difference between each arena, even when inside a haunted house or on the deck of a ship with Magikarp flailing about. You can see buildings and other Pokémon in the background in almost every arena, but there’s really nothing much there to make them all that interesting; there are no stage hazards to worry about, no weapons to pick up, and the only things that really change between them are how restrictive they are and where the Synergy Energy spawns in. Thankfully, battles are generally too fast to really make this much of an issue but you’re forced to have so many fights that it’s hard not to notice that the areas are pretty bland and almost interchangeable.

Enemies and Bosses:
In true fighting game fashion, every single Pokémon you can select from will be your opponent at some point in the game. I would say that it pays to get to know what each Pokémon is capable of, but that’s not really that true; sure, Machamp is bigger and slower than, say, Lucario and will buff itself up rather than striking fast and using ranged attacks, and Croagunk is a sprightly little bastard who can whittle down your health pretty quickly with its lightning-fast attacks, but what works against one will generally work against all. There’s a decent array of Pokémon on offer here; while the absence of guys like Hitmonlee and Hitmanchan is questionable (and I don’t really get why we needed two Pikachu…), the inclusion of Suicune, Chandelure, and Darkrai helps to make the available roster very varied so it’s not all focused on Fighting-Type Pokémon. As mentioned, it is useful to take note of what your Pokémon can do; I stuck with Shadow Mewtwo the entire time, whose special attacks drained its HP, but some Pokémon are better attacking from a distance, so you need to be more aware of the field and where you are, while others need to be up close and personal to deal heavy damage. When battling them, though, a simple strategy of dodging, jumping, and keeping up the aggression until you can call in a Support Pokémon or hit your Burst Attack will win you the day more often than not, and the only time I really struggled with anything other than this was when I was trying to complete the different missions and had to hold back on my attacks as a result.

Alongside challenging the Ferrum League, you’ll also contend with the super powerful Shadow Mewtwo.

To advance up to the next Rank, you’ll need to best the League Master. While you’d think that these battles offer something different, they really don’t; League Masters will use Pokémon you’ve probably fought five or six times up to that point, and the only real difference is that they might be at a higher level, and thus have more HP or be more aggressive. After you best each League Master, however, the story will kick back in and you’ll have to battle Shadow Mewtwo; this thing is pretty much well beyond you for the majority of the story, boasting HP in the thousands and making short work of you. I think it might be possible to beat it early on, but I sure as hell couldn’t; in fact, I was barely able to eek out a victory when the story culminated in battling it head-on since it’s easily the toughest fight you’ll have in the story mode. Before you battle it, you’ll have to face three trainers in three new areas a bid to try and cure Mewtwo of its corruption, and these fights actually offer something different as you’re denied the use of Support Pokémon and/or your Synergy Gauge. When you finally battle Shadow Mewtwo for the last time, you must endure the first round without your Synergy Gauge and your Support Gauge will only fill up once Shadow Mewtwo is constantly in Burst Mode in this fight and you’re also denied the buffs Mia provides between rounds. In the second round, you’ll also enter a permanent Burst Mode but will only be able to use your Burst Attack once and there’s no Synergy Power to collect, meaning that these battles can be extremely gruelling as Shadow Mewtwo is a very fast, very aggressive foe who’s constantly coming at you and looking to land his Burst Attack.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Your primary power-up during a fight will by the Synergy Power that spawns in across the arenas; you’ll need to get in their quickly as your opponent can pick these up as well, and it means the difference between filling your gauges or being on the receiving end of their Burst Attacks. It’s a good job the game subjects you to endless battles as you’ll quickly see the benefits of applying Skill Points to your Partner Pokémon; I’m much more focused on attacking so I tended to boost the attack stat above the others, but lengthening the duration of your burst and speeding up your gauges can really help make the tougher battles a lot easier. Unfortunately, though, that’s about it; you don’t learn any new moves, you can’t assign different items or power-ups to your Pokémon, and just about the only other thing you have at your disposal are the Burst Attacks and Support Pokémon. Support Pokémon are a mixed bag; each one charges up at a different speed, and they each have positives and negatives, but it sucks that you can’t customise your own little support team and are stuck with what the game gives you.

Additional Features:
You might think battling through the main leagues will be the end of your journey here, but sadly it’s not. After you purge Shadow Mewtwo, two more unlock, with the last one full of the game’s toughest challenges. You can also revisit the Shadow Mewtwo stages from the story mode whenever you like to take on those unique gauge-less battles, return to each of the leagues you’ve already cleared to mop up any outstanding missions you have left, and you’ll even unlock a new arena to battle in after clearing the story. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll amass a great deal of PokéGold; unfortunately this is all spent on clothing and gear for your avatar and Mia rather than interesting stuff like new arenas or fighters. The clothing options are kind of limited, despite there being a decent variety and colour options, since you can’t mix and match them. New items unlock when you hit certain milestones or complete missions, and you’ll also unlock titles for your avatar and can assign them taunts. There’s an online battle mode, and daily challenges to complete as well, but there really isn’t anything all that fun to unlock. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this “DX” version of the game isn’t even complete as you need to shell out to purchase two more fighters, which also come with two more sets of Support Pokémon and outfits for Mia, which really soured me on the game as I expect a “DX” version to include everything available from the game.

The Summary:
I was really excited to get my hands on Pokkén Tournament DX; I’m not a big Tekken fan but the game looked and seemed really unique and exciting and I was hoping for a really fun brawler that did new things with the franchise. Technically, I got that: Pokkén Tournament DX is very similar to other 3D fighters you might find available as online-exclusive releases in that it has a minimalist approach to its interface and story and focuses on frantic, hard-hitting action with just enough bells and whistles to keep you interested. Unfortunately, it’s lacking in a lot of depth; the customisation, battle, and story options are extremely limited and it’s ultimately pointless earning all that PokéGold and those titles once you’re satisfied with your avatar. There’s also very little incentive to try out the other Pokémon as this actually puts you at a disadvantage due to the level-up mechanic; if the emphasis on the different fighting styles had been more prominent, and the story mode different depending on which Partner Pokémon you chose like other fighters, this might have encouraged experimentation but, for me, it really didn’t. Also, the game becomes very laborious very quickly; after about an hour, you’ve pretty much seen everything it has to offer and there’s very little to keep you engaged as it’s just battle after battle, with the same tactics triumphing 99% of the time, in bland arenas with an excitable girl bellowing annoying statements at you. While the game’s fighters look great and the presentation is pretty impressive at times (in battles and the rare CG cutscenes), the whole package feels very cheap and like it should have just been a budget digital-only title, making for an overall lacklustre experience that left me disappointed since I was expected a little but more (and definitely not expecting to have to pay for additional content!)

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you ever played Pokkén Tournament DX? If so, did you enjoy and where did you first play it? Which Pokémon was your go-to fighter, who was your favourite support duo, and which Pokémon was your least favourite? Did you enjoy the focus on continuous battling or did it grow tiresome for you, as well? What did you think to the plot involving Shadow Mewtwo and did you ever conquer all of the leagues? Would you like to see another game in this style sometime, and if so what improvements would you make? Which Pokémon spin-off is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating National Pokémon Day this month? Whatever your thoughts on Pokkén Tournament DX, share them below or comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other Pokémon content.

Game Corner [Zelda Month]: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K3 Comments

On 21 February 1986, The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo EAD, 1986) was first released in Japan. The creation of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda launched one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. This year, I’m dedicating every Wednesday to Nintendo’s most famous silent protagonist, Link and his vast and enduring fantasy world of sword and sorcery.

Released: 16 January 2019
Originally Released: 14 January 1987
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Nintendo R&D4
Also Available For: Famicom Disk System, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console), Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), NES Classic Edition, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U

The Background:
The brainchild of designer Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda purposely emphasised exploration and experimentation based on Miyamoto’s childhood love of exploring forests and caves. Selling well over 6.5 million copies, the game was a massive success and has been widely recognised as one of the greatest adventure games ever made. A sequel was released the very next year, one that proved to be one of the more divisive titles in the franchise for abandoning almost all of the original’s gameplay mechanics, This, however, was Miyamoto’s intention all along; he assembled an all-new team for Zelda II and infused traditional role-playing game (RPG) mechanics with both the adventuring gameplay of the first game and the sidescrolling action of the likes of Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo R&D4, 1985) and CastleVania (Konami, 1986). Emphasising tactical combat, obscure dialogue, and levelling-up to improve your abilities, Zelda II was a stark contrast to the first game but, surprisingly, this didn’t impact its sales or reception at the time. The game sold nearly 4.40 million copies worldwide and was apparently met with positive reviews for its unique presentation, expansion of the formula, and challenging gameplay. However, while many consider it a hidden and underappreciated gem in the series, Zelda II retains a largely negative reception; interestingly, while Miyamoto returned to the familiar top-down formula for the far more successful sequel, Zelda II went on to influence the franchise’s larger narrative and jump to 3D. The game has been re-released multiple times, though never with any enhancements beyond save states and rewinds, to allow new generations of players to form their own opinions of this black sheep of the franchise,

The Plot:
After saving the kingdom of Hyrule, fated hero Link must embark on a new quest to awaken Princess Zelda’s slumbering ancestor by placing six crystals in six temples, all while contending with monstrous forces seeking to revive the Dark Lord, Ganon, using Link’s blood!

Gameplay:
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a 2D action/adventure game in which players assume the role of the titular green tunic-clad protagonist and journey across the fantasy land of Hyrule, which is divided into forests, deserts, caves, and towns, searching for six crystals to revive a sleeping princess. At first glance, things are somewhat similar to the last game; you’re given three save files which you can name (though this name isn’t reflected in the in-game dialogue) and dropped into the game world after a bit of story text for context. However, as soon as you take control of Link, the differences between the first and second games become immediately apparent; firstly, Link begins in Zelda’s throne room in a traditional sidescrolling format like Super Mario Bros. This comparison becomes increasingly apt as you play with the controls and progress through the game; pressing B or X will see Link swipe with his sword, unleashing his patented Sword Beam when at full health, while A jumps! Jumping?! In a Zelda game? Outrageous! Link can also crouch (though less to duck beneath projectiles and more to perform a low attack) and holds a shield that will defend against some incoming ranged and melee attacks, but that’s it for his options at the start of the game. As soon as you leave the throne room, the game suddenly switches to a top-down view, but one markedly different to that of the first game; rather than presenting an action-oriented overworld, Zelda II takes more inspiration from traditional RPGs like Final Fantasy (Square, 1987) this time, with a few interactable elements and swarms of random battles appearing on the map. 

Gameplay is now infused with RPG elements, placing more emphasis on interaction and combat.

Yes, as you move around the overworld, little black monsters will randomly appear and make a beeline for you; if you come into contact with them, you’ll be warped to a sidescrolling section where you’ll either have to battle past enemies, simply walk offscreen, hop between platforms and over hazards, or collect special items to exit to the overworld. The enemies you face are determined by the sprite that touches you, the area you’re in, and how far into the game you are; touching a Bot-like enemy usually puts simpler enemies in your path, but touching a larger monster will spawn a greater challenge. Sometimes, these sidescrolling sections are mandatory to progress; you’ll randomly be deposited into a lava-filled cave, onto a bridge swarming with Bago-Bagos, or into a haunted graveyard and will have to fight your way out to move on. Defeating enemies will usually (but, annoyingly, not always) award experience points (EXP); yes, like other RPGS, Link must now gain EXP to level-up and increase his attack, health, and magic, all of which is essential for overcoming the game’s more challenging enemies and bosses. Occasionally, you’ll find Point Bags (either out in the open or dropped by defeated enemies) which will give you an EXP boost, and conquering each of the game’s Palaces will automatically award you with a free level. Link can level-up to a maximum level of eight and you’ll be able to select whether its your health, magic, or attack that’s increased each time you level-up, but the amount of EXP you need to level-up increases each time so it’s definitely worth defeating as many enemies as you can and grabbing all the Point Bags you see to get stronger faster. If you were paying attention there, you’ll have seen I mentioned magic; Zelda II introduced magic to the franchise, though it’s used a little differently than you might think. Each town Link visits shelters a wise old man who will freely teach you a spell (though sometimes you need to perform tasks, such as talking to specific non-playable characters (NPCs) or jumping down chimneys, to reach the old man). Pressing + brings up your list of spells and displays how many points they cost to use; you can then press – to perform the spell, though you can only perform them in sidescrolling sections, and the effects will only last for as long as the screen you’re on. Spells range from reducing the damage you take to changing your Sword Beam into a fireball and increasing your jump height and they’re absolutely essential for clearing the game’s Palaces. 

Zelda II is frustratingly obtuse at times and features an inconsistent difficulty level.

The first game is notoriously obtuse, rarely giving you much guidance about where to go and what to do, and Zelda II tries to address this by placing more emphasis on interacting with NPCs but, unfortunately, mistranslations muddy the water and leave you either with nonsense vagaries or out-right lies. In each of the game’s towns, Link can talk to NPCs for “hints” or have his health and magic restored, though some NPCS are actually enemies in disguise! There are also times when you need to perform fetch quests or talk to specific NPCs to gain new items or access to new areas; it’s again all annoyingly vague so I’d recommend just cutting out the middleman and using a guide right from the start. All the walkthroughs and level-ups in the world can’t help you when it comes to the game’s difficulty, though; while Zelda II is light on puzzles, requiring little more than the acquisition of keys and the use of certain items on the overworld, its Palaces are often sprawling mazes filled with instant-death lava or water and frustrating enemies, many of whom either take multiple hits to defeat or can resist your Sword Beam, making it useless a lot of the time. While enemies won’t respawn screen to screen, some come in seemingly endless swarms, others are invisible or invincible without certain items or spells, and others are placed in cramped hallways, making attacking and avoiding their attacks extremely aggravating. Perhaps because he’s not used to hopping over platforms, Link’s momentum is a bit janky here, meaning it’s easy to slip or bounce into death pits, and he also flies back upon taking damage, easily costing you a life. Yes, Zelda II also uses a life system; you start with three lives and, when they’re drained, you’re given the option to save your game or continue, which will return you to North Castle or the start of the current Palace, respectively, reducing your current accumulated EXP to zero in the process. While I can just about forgive a lot of the game’s oddities, the combat is awful here; since many enemies block your Sword Beam, you’ll be relying on jumping slashes to attack them, and Link’s range of attacks is sadly limited even after he gains new sword abilities, meaning combat is often as much of a chore as the tricky platforming and insane difficulty spikes peppered throughout the game. 

Graphics and Sound:
Fundamentally, Zelda II is graphically superior to the last game; the sidescrolling sections allow for greater detail in the sprites, particularly Link, and more detailed backgrounds than in the last game. Depending on where you are, you’ll load into various different areas on the overworld, from swamps that restrict your walking speed, to forests and traditional caves. The game’s Palaces share the same Roman-inspired aesthetic, featuring bricks and columns and statues and elevators, but each has a different colour palette and utilises its labyrinthine nature in different ways, such as incorporating crumbling platforms, destructible or falling blocks, lava pits, hidden drops, or pits that lead to lower areas. While Link looks more impressive than in the last game, he has no idle poses and his animation frames are severely limited; his sprites change when you acquire new moves or utilise certain spells, but he’s still limited by the NES hardware so he’s little more than a clunky lug here. Indeed, Zelda II may have been a little too ambitious for the time as the game’s performance struggles noticeably when enemies swarm on the overworld and when there are multiple sprites onscreen in the sidescrolling sections. Sprite flickering, slowdown, and even some glitches are surprisingly commonplace, which is odd considering how well made the first game was and how simplistic so much of the game is. Zelda II even struggles in the various towns, when NPCs wander around, going in and out of houses, to say nothing of the haunted graveyards and hazardous bridges, and you’ll see a lot of sprite tearing and performance issues when battling against the game’s bosses, too. 

While the game is a graphical improvement, it’s perhaps too ambitious for the NES hardware.

On the plus side, Zelda II includes some chirpy and memorable tunes; the main Zelda theme is here, of course, and the main Palace and boss themes are fun little earworms (which is good as you’ll be hearing them again and again). Sound effects like Link’s Sword Beam and blocking projectiles and nice and clear, too, and there’s a decent amount of variety in the game’s locations, if not in the Palaces, which are very copy/paste even with their different colour schemes. Occasionally, you’ll find areas on the overworld where you need to use certain items, either manually (like the hammer and flute) or automatically (like the raft), and there are even some hidden paths and tiles that lead to Point Bags, Magic Jars, or upgrades to your health or magic bar.  Although Zelda II emphasises interacting with NPC, dialogue is extremely limited and littered with mistranslations; thankfully, you can simply hit B to skip dialogue without missing out on the benefits, such as having your health restored. Cutscenes are basically non-existent here; there’s a little animation on the title screen, some story text, and some flashing visuals when you defeat a boss, but that’s basically it until you reach the final Palace. Zelda II is one of the few Zelda games where series antagonist Ganon doesn’t appear at all (unless you lose all your lives and then he’ll taunt you from the Game Over screen) and it also doesn’t feature Link’s iconic secondary weapons like the boomerang or bow and arrow, meaning things get very basic and repetitive very quickly. 

Enemies and Bosses:
A wide variety of monstrous beings will dog Link’s progress in the game’s sidescrolling sections and Palaces, many of them new and unique to this game (as far as I can tell). We’ve got the standard bat-, bird-, snake-, spider-, and jelly-like cannon fodder that swoop, spit, and pounce about, annoying skeletal fish that leap out from water and spit projectiles, and ghostly eyeballs and floating heads that swarm the screen endlessly, bobbing about and decimating your health bar in seconds. It’s not long before you’re challenged by more frustrating enemies; Moblins, Iron Knuckles, Lizalfos, and Stalfos quickly become commonplace, defending against your Sword Beam and attacking with daggers, swords, maces, tridents, and even jump attacks. It can be difficult to land hits on them since you’re reliant on your jumping attacks and their projectiles can be incessant, making them frustrating encounters even when you’re at a higher level. This threat is escalated by the likes of the Doomknockers, Fokkas, Fokkerus, and various teleporting wizards; these guys will hop about, toss a barrage of axes or flames, and need the use of a spell in the latter’s case to even defeat. Toss in the barrage of damage sponge Bubbles, expendable Wosus, fireball-spitting statues, and worm-like creatures and it quickly becomes an uphill battle getting past even the simplest of areas as you have to avoid attacks or switch up your playstyle to overcome the enemies before you.  

The game’s enemies and bosses can be aggravating due to the clunky combat mechanics.

Seven crystals in seven Palaces means, you guessed it, eight bosses to overcome in Zelda II, including the game’s true final boss. This time around, the bosses all have a life bar, similar to the Mega Man series (Capcom, 1987 to present), and drop a key after being defeated, which unlocks the Palace exit. The first boss you encounter is the horse-headed Mazura, whose armour protects him from all your attacks and whose swinging mace will decimate you if it makes contact. Your best bet here is to avoid being backed into a corner and activate your Shield spell to reduce the damage you take since you’ll need to use jumping slashes to hit his only weak point, his head. You’ll use these same tactics against the second boss, Jermafenser, a massive armour-clad knight whose head will detach after a few hits! However, Jermafenser is a bit of a joke; your shield will block his projectiles and, by this point, you should have the downward thrust, which makes short work of him, meaning the journey through Death Mountain and battles against the aggravating Dairas is more of a challenge! The third boss you encounter, Rebonack, is essentially a blue Iron Knuckle on a mechanical horse. He’ll charge across the screen and try to skewer you with his lance, meaning you need to time a downward thrust to rob him of his steed, after which you simply need to block, jump, or duck to defend against his barrage of daggers and attack his head as you would a normal Iron Knuckle. What makes Rebonack unique, though, is that you battle him again later in the game as he appears twice more as a mini boss in Three-Rock Palace, though he’s even easier in these encounters since you’re more powerful at that point. When you reach the Great Palace, you’ll also encounter another mini boss-like enemy, a Giant Bot that splits into several regular Bots upon being hit and slows the game to a crawl as a result. 

Many bosses are surprisingly disappointing and nowhere as challenging as the journey to them.

Journeying through Maze Island Palace will see Link clash with the wizard-like Carock, which is essentially a larger Wizzrobe variant. Because of this, battling it is extremely easy as you can simply activate the Reflect spell and crouch down in a corner; Carock will teleport about firing energy waves at you, but Reflect will send them right back, killing it in seconds. In comparison, the hulking Gooma is more of a challenge; slow and lumbering and wielding a spiked, chained ball, this monster requires a lot of patience as you use the Jump, Shield, and Life spells to avoid and endure his attacks and land hits to his torso. The dragon-like Barba was probably a lot harder in the original game but is made a lot easier with the Nintendo Switch’s rewind feature; it randomly rises from one of three lava pits to spew easily-voidable flame breath at you, so you need to be in the right spot to attack its head when it appears, which is easy to do when you can rewind the game on the fly! The penultimate boss, Thunderbird, poses the most significant challenge; not only must you reach it with a full magic bar since you need to cast Thunder to make it vulnerable, but it floats about spitting endless fireballs and can only be damaged by hitting its face. Once you defeat it, you’ll go straight to the final room and boss, with the damage and magic you lost fighting Thunderbird carrying over. Thankfully, the final boss, Dark Link, can be a bit of a let down; while Link’s shadow copies all his sword attacks and blocks yours with his shield, you can crouch or stand in the corner and easily cheese him, making the final challenge extremely anti-climactic considering how tough the rest of the game is. 

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Unlike most Zelda games, Zelda II doesn’t include Rupees or shops and defeated enemies will not drop hearts to refill your life meter. The only way to restore Link’s health is to find a fairy on the overworld or in a sidescrolling section, level-up, visit an NPC at a town, or find a Heart Container, meaning you’ll mostly be relying on spells like Shield and Life to help reduce damage and restore your health. On the plus side, NPCs will aid you for free, though you’ll sometimes have to jump through some hoops to reach the old man and helpful knights who provide new spells and attacks. Although Link doesn’t get to use iconic sub-weapons like the bombs or hookshot, he can acquire items in each Palace to aid his quest; many of these are passive, automatically activating once you acquire them, such as the candle, raft, boots, key, and magic cross. These automatically light up dark areas, reveal hidden enemies, allow you to traverse streams or bodies of water, and open every door in the game unlike items like the hammer, flute, handy glove, which are activated on the overworld in the case of the former and powerup your sword attacks in the case of the latter to let you smash blocks. 

In place of his usual weapons, Link utilises spells and new sword attacks to progress.

Link is taught eight spells throughout the game that are required to conquer the Palaces. Some are more tactical than others; for example, you don’t have to cast Shield or Life if you’re skilled enough to defeat enemies and bosses with little to no damage, and I only cast Spell a few times in dungeons swarming with Girubokkus and Moas since it turns them (and many other enemies) into harmless Bots. However, you absolutely will need to cast Jump to increase your jump height and reach new areas, you’ll need Fairy to transform into a tiny fairy and bypass larger gaps, and Fire and Reflect are both necessary to defeat certain enemies. Thunder, the most powerful spell in the game, will obliterate all onscreen enemies but it costs so much to use that I only employed it against Thunderbird since that’s the only time it’s unavoidable. Link can also learn two additional sword attacks, the downward and upward thrust, which are super useful for defeating enemies beneath and above him, though it’s not going to help you against Iron Knuckles and other similar enemies, which is annoying. Finally, in addition to finding Point Bags and magic jars, you’ll occasionally come across Link Dolls that will grant you an extra life, though this is sometimes detrimental as it means wasting more time just trying to save the game. 

Additional Features:
As is tradition for the Zelda franchise, numerous Heart Containers can be found all across Hyrule; acquiring these will refill and extend your health bar, and you only need to find one to do this rather than four or five like in other games. Additionally, Magic Containers will do the same thing for your magic bar, so it’s worth exploring a bit to find these, even if it means battling more enemies. As alluded to earlier, some NPCs will only help you after you’ve performed certain tasks or spoken to certain characters; there’s a mirror, water, and kidnapped child to find in order to learn certain spells, Link will need to use Jump and Spell to reach certain houses or unearth areas, and you’ll need to use the flute and hammer on the overworld to eliminate otherwise impassable monsters or reveal hidden areas. Finishing the game allows you to save and alters your save file; selecting it will begin the game anew, with all your spells and level-ups intact, though you’ll have to find all the items and beat all the Palaces again. You can skip to this game by selecting the “SP” version from the Nintendo Switch Online menu, and of course you can abuse the rewind and save state feature to make the game a bit less challenging, but it’s still a tough experience even with these quality-of-life features. 

The Summary:
I put off playing Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for years; I purposely downloaded it for the Nintendo Wii just to play it years ago but never actually sat down with it until this playthrough, and even then I was very reluctant after all the negativity surrounding it. Unfortunately, I have to say that the criticism this game often gets is entirely justified; it’s such a radical departure from the first game that it’s almost like a completely different game, and the challenge it offers is neither fun or rewarding. Things start out okay enough, but the difficulty spikes dramatically once you reach Death Mountain (the second area of the game, I might add!) and then becomes wildly inconsistent after that. Sometimes you’ll be bombarded with small, annoying enemies and projectiles or forced to fight tricky enemies like Iron Knuckles in narrow hallways, and other times rooms will be largely empty or contain simple platforming sections. I wasn’t a fan of the basic overworld, the aggressive random battle system, or the switch to a sidescrolling perspective; this only works in small doses in Zelda games and the NES just isn’t capable of giving Link the range of movement or attack options required to best utilise this perspective. I didn’t mind the level-up mechanics, or the use of spells, and grinding wasn’t too much of a slog for me unless I was battling Iron Knuckles, but the spells were quite mundane and circumstantial, and I missed using other weapons and solving puzzles. Instead, the game relies on mazes, vague hints, and trial and error to nudge you along, making for a confusing and aggravating experience as I don’t like referring to a walkthrough when I’m playing games. I liked the music, and aspects of the graphics, and the bosses were visually quite impressive, if mostly ridiculously easy compared to what you go through to reach them. Ultimately, I don’t think you’re missing out if you’ve never played this one; it’s a curious oddity in the franchise, one that’s easily skipped over in favour of the more enjoyable sequels, but it could provide some enjoyment for nostalgic gamers seeking to relive the days when videogames were unnecessarily difficult.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you ever played Zelda II: The Adventure of Link? Were you put off by the changes to the gameplay and mechanics, or did you enjoy that it mixed up the formula? What did you think to the game’s difficulty and use of RPG mechanics? Did you struggle to work out where to go and what to do? Which of the game’s spells and bosses was your favourite? What did you think to the final boss? Would you like to see Zelda II remade or a return to this style of game for the franchise? How are you celebrated The Legend of Zelda this month and where games are your favourite? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below and maybe check out my other Zelda content. 

Movie Night [PokéMonth]: Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened

Dr. KLeave a comment

Upon the release of Pokémon: Blue Version and Pokémon: Red Version (Game Freak, 1996), a new craze swept through playgrounds across the world. Entire generations grew up with Pokémon as clever marketing saw Nintendo’s newest franchise become a massively lucrative and popular multimedia powerhouse that endures to this day. Accordingly, February 27th is now internationally recognised as “National Pokémon Day”, which I’m expanding to an entire month of Pokémon every Tuesday in February, which is even more fitting given that February 6th is the day that Mew successfully gave birth to my favourite Pokémon, Mewtwo!

Released: 13 July 2013
Director: Kunihiko Yuyama
Distributor: Toho
Budget: Unknown
Stars: Sarah Natochenny, Miriam Pultro, Scottie Ray, Samia Mounts, Eileen Stevens, Jason Griffith, and Ikue Ōtani

The Plot:
Ash Ketchum (Natochenny) and his friends arrive in Pokémon Hills, where a Red Genesect (Ray) and its brethren seek to forcibly make their home. This attracts the attention of the Unovan Mewtwo (Pultro), who seeks not only to challenge the Genesect’s power but to shield them from the abuse of their human creators.

The Background:
It would be foolish to deny how influential Pokémon (Nintendo/Creatures/Game Freak, 1995 to present) has become ever since the first games were released. The success of the game is only ever half the story when it comes to Pokémon, however; the franchise has dominated a wide variety of media over the years, thanks in no small part to the still-ongoing anime series (1997 to present). Following the financial success of the aptly-titled Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back (Yuyama, 1998), animated feature-length productions became commonplace for the franchise, with fifteen released by 2013 and the last three focused on promoting the fifth generation of the videogames. Reportedly, Genesect and the Legend Awakened drew inspiration from New York City for its setting but the main story surrounding the film was its inclusion of Mewtwo. While this isn’t surprising considering Mewtwo is one of franchise’s most popular characters, what made this different was that this version of the character was entirely new due to legal issues and therefore more recognisably female. Debuting at number two at the Japanese box office and going on to become the tenth highest-grossing film of the year in Japan, Genesect and the Legend Awakened received mostly mixed reviews; some praised for its darker tone and cinematic scope while others criticised the inclusion of a new Mewtwo and largely derivative plot.

The Review:
By the time of Genesect and the Legend Awakened, the anime was firmly entrenched in the Unova region and Ash and his faithful friend Pikachu (Ōtani) were traveling alongside Iris (Stevens), a Gym Leader specialising in Dragon-Type Pokémon and accompanied by Axew (Kayzie Rogers), and Cilan (Griffith), another of the region’s Gym Leaders who favoured Grass-Types. My experience with these seasons of the anime is almost entirely limited to the feature films that were released around this time, though the dynamic between the three really isn’t all the different from what was seen between Ash and his other travelling companions; they function as his moral support and guidance, but there are some interesting distinctions, such as Iris being a bit of a wild child and Cilan being very loquacious. The three find themselves in New Tork City, a bustling island metropolis that features a grand park right in the middle (a “Central Park”, if you will), Pokémon Hills, in which various Pokémon roam freely beneath a special dome and where Ash encounters the mysterious, armoured insectoid Pokémon known as Genesect (Stevens). Immediately intrigued by the strange creature, Ash is blown away when it showcases the ability to switch between a bipedal form and a super-fast, aerodynamic form that’s perfect for flying (and sky-surfing), and further stunned when it exhibits the ability to talk using telepathy. Ash and his friends are moved by the lost Genesect’s plight; it’s desperate to return “home” and Ash is determined to help it, only to incur the wrath of its overprotective patriarch, the Red Genesect, who regards all humans as a threat.

Ash and his friends are astounded by the Genesect and the sudden appearance of an all-new Mewtwo.

Luckily, Mewtwo is on hand to defend them, but its priority is safeguarding Pokémon rather than humans; although Ash briefly expresses familiarity with Mewtwo, he mentions nothing of his previous encounters with it and the two are strangers to each other, largely because this isn’t the same Mewtwo he’s met before. While Mewtwo focuses on helping the Genesect and defending the local Pokémon, Ash and the others are also assisted by a concerned Sableye (Bill Rogers) that’s driven from Pokémon Hills by the Genesect’s aggressive invasion, and befriend the friendly, childlike Genesect they first encounter. This friendly Genesect opposes Mewtwo’s belief that all the Genesect crave destruction and simply wants to go home, where its beloved Panna Lotus flowers bloom, a desire shared by its brethren and which makes them susceptible to the Red Genesect’s destructive whims. As ever, Ash is shadowed by Jessie (Michele Knotz), James (Carter Cathcart), and Meowth (ibid) of Team Rocket and meet a new friend, Eric (Jake Paque), a park ranger who oversees Pokémon Hills and brought and ancient Panna Lotus flowers there from Absentia Natural Park, an achievement he’s very proud of given the rarity of the flowers. Naturally, Eric primarily delivers exposition regarding the city and its famous Pokémon reserve and realises that the Genesect’s invasive nest poses a significant threat to the city as it directly siphons its power supply and he proves instrumental in restoring power to the city while the genetic Pokémon engage in a furious battle. Team Rocket’s desire to kidnap Pikachu gives way to a plot to capture the Genesect, and Mewtwo, not to curry favour with their boss but to realise their own ambitions for power. Of course, they’re easily dispatched by the Genesect, once again reducing them to a throwaway gag that has little impact on the plot. Similarly, there’s not much for Iris or Cilan to do here; when they are useful and bring a bunch of wild Pokémon to help quell the Genesect’s attack, they quickly realise that the brutal fight is misguided as the Genesect simply want to live in peace and are largely being forced to attack by the red-hued leader.

Mewtwo is compelled to help the Genesect, but the Red Genesect is determined to enforce its will.

One of the things I absolutely loved about Mewtwo Strikes Back was the sense of mystery and foreboding surrounding Mewtwo (Philip Bartlett). The entire opening sequence was devoted to its tragic origins and painting it as a destructive and slighted Pokémon, and from there it was kept shrouded in shadow and mystery before its big reveal. Much of that is tossed out of the window here; Mewtwo is the first character we see onscreen, blasting through the skies over the Unova region, and she is presented as being sociable with local Pokémon and enjoying testing her limits by freely assuming her Mega Mewtwo Y form. Although Pokémon are rarely identified by their gender in the anime (even Pikachu is generally just called “it”), I feel comfortable describing this Mewtwo as a female since her voice is clearly female and her Mega Mewtwo Y form clearly evokes female anatomy, all of which demonstrates that this is an entirely different character from the one we knew before even commenting on her more carefree nature.  In comparison, the Red Genesect and its brethren emerge from dark clouds and cross through frigid mountains, indicating that they don’t enjoy the same freedoms as Mewtwo. The Red Genesect is clearly positioned as the group’s leader; unlike its regular purple variants, it is forceful, commanding, and confident, exuding a maternal protectiveness over its kin and is fully capable of bending the other Genesect to its will when they hesitate to follow its commands. While all the Genesect see others, especially humans as a threat, they’re largely timid and childlike; the Red Genesect, however, is aggressive and forceful, attacking Mewtwo even after she helped its kin and leading the Genesect in an all-out assault against Pokémon Hills in order to build their nest.

The Nitty-Gritty:
The visual inspirations of New York City are undeniable in Genesect and the Legend Awakened; it’s normal for Pokémon to base its regions and towns on real places but the influence is so strong here that New Tork City may as well be the famed City That Never Sleeps. Not only is it a lively megalopolis with a central reservation for wild Pokémon, its skyline is dominated by skyscrapers, sirens are everywhere, it’s lit up at night with hustle and bustle, and humans and Pokémon work together to maintain the city. One thing I will say about the Pokémon movies is that their presentation definitely improved as the years went on; the blend between traditional animation and CGI is far less jarring than before and used to great effect whenever the Genesect and Mewtwo engage in battle or multiple Pokémon fill the screen. The Genesect are very unnerving Pokémon; they’re very rigid and almost robotic, but also capable of unleashing powerful elemental attacks with their different “Drives” and transforming into a faster form at will. Their childlike demeanour and blank expressions are also quite unsettling, making the Red Genesect’s domineering personality all the more unnerving as it barks orders and forces its kin to assert themselves even when they have no desire to.

Inexplicably, we have a new, female Mewtwo who distracts from the enjoyable moments.

So, it’s clear from the moment we first meet this Mewtwo that she’s different from the last one; this Mewtwo enjoys testing her powers, especially her Mega Evolution, even going so far as to breach the upper atmosphere to go beyond her limits. Like its more recognisably male counterpart, this Mewtwo was created by a group of scientists using Mew’s genetic material; however, she endured horrendous torture at the hands of her creators, seemingly destroying them in a bid for freedom and finding acceptance and friendship with Unova’s wild Pokémon rather than being driven to destroy humanity. Thus, just as the male Mewtwo wished to liberate Pokémon from human control and fought valiantly to keep its clones safe from persecution, this Mewtwo is very protective of Pokémon. She doesn’t hesitate to swoop in and carry the Genesect to safety when they’re threatened by an avalanche or to shield others from the Genesect; however, while she has no love for humans, she’s far less aggressive towards them and simply chooses to ignore them rather than directly target them. Mewtwo feels a kinship with the Genesect due to their similar backgrounds; like her, the Genesect were genetically recreated against their will after Team Plasma extracted their DNA from fossils. The comparisons don’t end there; just as Mewtwo was scientifically augmented to have incredible psychic powers, the Genesect were outfitted with powerful laser cannons, and they too also went on a destructive rampage soon after being awakened and have been searching for their place in the world ever since. Mewtwo’s first instinct is to help them but, when the Red Genesect proves hell-bent on destruction, she stands against them purely to protect the native Pokémon. Even now, I find the decision to introduce an all-new Mewtwo incredibly bizarre; I get that there were legal issues, but I feel like a more creative solution could’ve been found, or maybe just excise Mewtwo from the script altogether as it’s really weird that another Mewtwo was created by the exact same methods and resulted in an almost identical character; maybe if she had been shiny or spent the entire time in her Mega Evolution form it would’ve helped but, as is, it’s very confusing and distracting from everything else happening in the film.

After a selfless sacrifice and a vicious battle, the Red Genesect finally ceases its relentless attack.

Since Mewtwo so strongly associates with the Genesect’s plight, she’s eager to help them but is met with aggression at every turn from the Red Genesect, which refuses to listen to reason and forces Mewtwo to battle it in the heart of the city in an action-packed fight that resembles a kaiju battle! Mewtwo’s Mega Evolution gives her the speed and power she needs to match the Red Genesect’s unrelenting assault; she shields herself from its energy beams, vanishes in the blink of an eye, and moves so fast that time slows around her. Once again, Ash is compelled to throw himself in the line of fire to shield innocents from the Genesect’s relentless attack, only this time it’s the friendly Genesect that takes the hit, sacrificing itself to save its new friend. This only compels the Red Genesect to redouble its attack, however, which Mewtwo is more than willing to match; using her Mega Evolution, she takes on the Red Genesect and three remaining kin all by herself, easily dodging and countering their attacks with her blinding speed. Unfortunately, the city’s power supply is damaged during the fracas and the nest goes up in flames, trapping and threatening all within. Thankfully, the downed Genesect is revived by the sight of its beloved flowers and fights to put out the flames alongside the other Pokémon, saving the other Genesect and proving to them that they need not fear the world. Blinded by rage, the Red Genesect refuses to back down and even opens fire on its brethren; frustrated by the creature’s stubbornness, Mewtwo pushes herself beyond her limits to force the Red Genesect into the upper atmosphere, where they both finally realise that their lives have more meaning than pure destruction and that even anomalies such as them can coexist in the world. Moved by the sight of a world without boundaries, the Red Genesect finally relents, and the other Genesect work alongside the other Pokémon to save the two as they plummet to the ground on re-entry. Thanks to Ash’s friendship and help, Mewtwo relaxes her prejudices against humanity and, in the aftermath, the protagonists help their newfound friends construct a new nest in Absentia Natural Park, where the Panna Lotus flowers are plentiful, finally allowing them to build the home they’ve longed for since their resurrection.

The Summary:   
Genesect and the Legend Awakened is definitely one of the poignant Pokémon movies; generally, the films teach similar messages about acceptance and friendship and equality but, by retreading some of the same ground that we saw in Mewtwo Strikes Back, the film touches upon some of the more mature themes regarding identity and acceptance that made that first movie so memorable. As is often the case, there isn’t much for Ash’s supporting cast to do here, but there’s a decent enough reason for that; the plot is firmly focused on the dynamic and parallels between Mewtwo and the Genesect, especially the hyper-aggressive Red Genesect, which embodies all of the destructive prejudices of Mewtwo’s male counterpart and cares for nothing other than the survival of itself and its kin. This parallel works well in the film, since Mewtwo may not care for humans but she absolutely cares for the safety of Pokémon, and results in some explosive action sequences as we finally see Mewtwo unleashing her true power, but it’s hard to really be that invested since this isn’t the same Mewtwo we’ve come to know. I wish I could say that the movie is able to overcome this but, while it is entertaining in its own right, it just sticks out like a sore thumb; had this been the same Mewtwo, the juxtaposition of one genetically-engineered Pokémon opposing another, one that has learned to set aside hatred and violence, with a less morally inclined counterpart would’ve landed so much better. Ash could also have been more invested in Mewtwo’s battle, rather than simply helping out because he’s such a friendly kid, and Mewtwo’s story could’ve come full circle in a satisfying way. Instead, I just can’t help but keep asking why there’s another Mewtwo, how she can possibly be so similar to the other one, or wondering where the male Mewtwo is or if it even exists! If you’re able to set all this aside then this is a pretty decent Pokémon feature, one that delivers an important message, but personally I can’t really get past this decision and it makes the film more of an anomaly than anything else.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think of Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened? Were you put off by the bizarre inclusion of a new version of Mewtwo or did her Mega Evolution make up for this? What did you think to the Genesect and their plight, specifically the Red Genesect’s vendetta? Were you disappointed that the supporting cast didn’t have much to do or did the visual spectacle distract from this? How are you celebrating Mewtwo’s birthday this year? Whatever you think about Genesect and the Legend Awakened, Mewtwo, and Pokémon in general, leave your thoughts in the comments below or leave a reply on my social media.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Metroid Prime Remastered (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K3 Comments

January sees the celebration of two notable dates in science-fiction history, with January 2 christened “National Science Fiction Day” to coincide with the birth date of the world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and HAL 9000, the sophisticated artificial intelligence of Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), being created on 12 January.

Released: 8 February 2023
Originally Released: 18 November 2002
Developer: Retro Studios, Iron Galaxy Studios, et al
Original Developer: Retro Studios
Also Available For: GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U

The Background:
In August 1986, Nintendo introduced gamers to Samus Aran, the kick-ass bounty hunter protagonist of their Metroid series (Various, 1986 to present). Praised for its challenging gameplay and eventually lauded as one of the greatest games ever, Metroid helped popularise the “Metroidvania” sub-genre. Following the largely divisive Game Boy-exclusive sequel, Metroid made a universally acclaimed comeback on Nintendo’s ground-breaking 16-bit console and then strangely disappeared for over ten years save for being represented in the Super Smash Bros. franchise (Various, 1999 to present) despite rumours of a Nintendo 64 title. In 2000, legendary videogame producer Shigeru Miyamoto visited Retro Studios and, impressed by their first-person shooter engine, tasked them with creating a new Metroid title for the GameCube, which Retro Studios developer John Whitmore believed was due to Miyamoto not caring if the game succeeded or not. Still, the developers threw themselves into the task, working up to 100 hours a week to transition the Metroid formula to a 3D shooter as Miyamoto desired. The developers aimed to make exploration fun, putting more emphasis on challenging boss battles so as not to deter players from wanting to explore, though time constraints saw certain series staples cut from the title. Upon release, Metroid Prime became one of the best-selling GameCube games and was universally praised for its detailed environments, engaging atmosphere, and complex level design. It was followed by two equally successful sequels, making a highly regarded trilogy that breathed new life into the long-dormant franchise, but was stuck on obsolete hardware for over twenty years before this highly praised and successful remastered version was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2023.

The Plot:
After intercepting a distress call, bounty hunter Samus Aran is attacked by Meta Ridley and crash-lands on Tallon IV, whose Chozo inhabitants have been eradicated by an infestation of Phazon, a substance that Ridley’s Space Pirates seek to control to breed more powerful and aggressive Metroids.

Gameplay:
Metroid Prime Remastered is a first-person shooter in which players take on a far more intimate role as the famous bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and explore the various futuristic hallways, Phazon mines, frigid cliffs, and lava-hot caves of Tallon IV. Essentially a 3D, first-person remake of Super Metroid, including many of the same mechanics and elements of that classic 2D adventure, Metroid Prime Remastered emphasises exploration and backtracking as much as varied, frantic gun combat and will have you jumping, rolling, and scanning high and low for new upgrades and ways to progress.The game offers a variety of settings to fine-tune and tailor your experience, from removing Samus’s helmet display, to customising the heads-up display, to choosing different control styles to recreate the original Wii experience, if that’s your jam. Like Super Metroid, Samus begins the game with her full arsenal and abilities, but these are lost after Meta Ridley’s attack, and you’ll have to reacquire them (and more) on your journey. However, you still have your trusty arm cannon, which lets you lock onto enemies with ZR and blast them with A or ZR (charging up a shot for additional damage). Samus can also jump with B or the L trigger, eventually learning a double jump technique, or squeeze through tight gaps by turning into a ball with Y, switching the camera to a third-person perspective in the process. While in your Morph Ball form, you can also hop, drop bombs, and eventually attach yourself to magnetised rails with the Spider Ball upgrade.

Samus’s various beams and visors are crucial to battling and navigating through Tallon IV.

Samus can also upgrade her arm cannon to fire various additional blasts, missiles, and streams of elemental energy; these are required to open certain doors, destroy certain objects, and defeat certain enemies, all of which are usually colour-coded so you know which weapon to switch to using the X button in conjunction with the directional pad (D-pad). Samus can fire regular missiles and, eventually, unleash a barrage of Super Missiles in addition to a flamethrower, freezing stream, and a burst of electrical energy, all of which require missile ammo to utilise. Thankfully, defeated enemies and destroyed crates will drop orbs to replenish your health and ammo for these weapons, both of which can also be upgraded to increase your maximum health and ammo capacity. Samus also has a high-tech visor that allows her to scan her enemies and the environment, adding them to her Log Book (essentially unlocking character models and other goodies in the ‘Extras’ menu) to help you combat enemies or traverse the environment. Later, Samus acquires upgrades to her visor that allow her to see in infrared and utilise an x-ray vision, exposing hidden platforms and heat signatures to find new paths. You can switch between these with the D-pad, a system I found rather cumbersome as there was a noticeable delay when switching visions and I often accidentally changed my vision when I was trying to change my weapon, temporarily disorientating and blinding me. Samus’s abilities only increase as you explore, adding a grapple beam to her arsenal that allows you to swing across gaps with ZL when prompted, drop more powerful bombs to open new passageways, and freely move when underwater or survive the intense heat put out by the Magmoor Caverns and Phazon Mines.

You’ll need the Morph Ball and the intricate 3D map to properly explore your enviroment.

Samus’s helmet also comes equipped with a radar to highlight nearby threats and a 3D mini map, which you can expand by finding various Map Stations in each area. This allows you to view and rotate the complete 3D map from the + pause screen, where you can also read up on your weapons, abilities, and review your in-game progress. The map can also be a bit cumbersome to navigate; there’s no onscreen compass pointing you to your next objective, no way to set waypoints, and no fast travel system, so you’ll need to constantly pause and review the map to find your way to where you need to go. Tallon IV has many lifts to its various locations, some of which need activating with your visor and others which require upgrades to access, all of which are easily identifiable on the map even if finding the exact route can be difficult. Unfortunately, despite being a modern version of the game, Metroid Prime Remastered still utilises an archaic manual save system; you’ll only be able to save at specific Save Sections, which will also restore your health, so you’ll have to proceed with caution lest you die and have to reload from a save point some ways back. Finally, missile charging stations will fully replenish your missile ammunition and you’ll get regular updates on planetary disturbances that point you towards where you’re supposed to go next. Naturally, as a Metroid title, Metroid Prime Remastered involves a great deal of backtracking; you’ll revisit the same areas many times over, with new sections opening up the more you upgrade Samus’s abilities and new, tougher enemies popping up in previous sections. This means you’ll quickly become accustomed to Tallon IV’s various areas, but also means slogging through the same pitch-black, underwater, or aggravating maze-like sections multiple times thanks to a lack of a fast travel system.

Exploration, platforming, and puzzle solving are as important as the gun combat.

Initially, Metroid Prime Remastered has two difficulty settings (“Casual” and “Normal”) with a third “Hard” mode unlocked after your first playthrough on either setting, but the game gets progressively difficult as you play. In addition to the tougher enemies spawning in across the planet, you’ll contend with a variety of hazards, from acid pits, flame bursts, auto turrets, and radioactive Phazon. The more abilities you possess, the more options become available to you to solve puzzles and open new areas; this can mean charging up Morph Ball spinners, destroying coloured lights or defeating all enemies in an area to unlock doors, hacking laser cannons or blowing up obstructions with your more powerful bombs, hopping and dropping to magnetic rails, activating switches and lifts, and taking claustrophobic tunnels in your Morph Ball form. In these 2.5D sections, you’ll need to drop bombs to destroy obstructions or hop to higher platforms, use the boost ability to awkwardly gain enough momentum to fling yourself higher, or dodge pistons and temporary surfaces. Samus will also explore murky underwater areas, hop to a variety of platforms (some of which must be created by blasting stalactites or large, rock-like enemies), melting ice, and charging up electrical nodes to power up doors. Although you’re free to explore at your leisure, your way will inevitably be barred if you don’t have the right equipment, which can be frustrating; it’s doubly difficult remembering these areas when you do have the right equipment, especially as areas can change between visits, seeping them in darkness, flooding them, or spawning in tougher enemies. Compounding matters is the fact that enemies respawn each time you leave and enter an area or save, the need to switch between your visor and weapons quickly to take out groups of enemies, and annoying puzzles that have you blasting runic symbols, activating Morph Ball ports, and rotating magnetic paths to progress.

Graphics and Sound:
Graphically, Metroid Prime Remastered is very impressive; I’ve never played the Metroid Prime games before and am always a bit wary of first-person shooters, but the game looks amazing, including some striking atmospheric effects to add to the immersion. Samus’s visor mists up, rain splatters against it, her reflection appears when lightning flashes, and you’ll hear here grunt in pain whenever she takes damage. Although many of the environments can become stale, especially those set in futuristic labs or comprised of metallic hallways and rooms, Tallon IV is a very diverse alien world, including rainswept ruins, dark caverns, frigid cliffs, and volcanic caves. Each area is connected to each other by a series of lifts, meaning you’ll have to pass through the Chozo Ruins to reach the Magmoor Caverns to access the Phendrana Drifts and explore a submerged ship to reach the fungus-infested Phazon Mines. Environmental hazards are rife in each area, as are the relics of the Chozo civilisation, with statues and runes left behind to guide you as much as the literal ghosts of the past appear to test you. As you upgrade your abilities, you’ll be able to access new areas of each environment, traversing tunnels, platforms, and Space Pirate facilities built into each. Here, you’ll find computer stations and biological experiments housed in glass chambers that will break free to attack you.

The game looks incredible, with some diverse environments and impressive graphical touches.

Although you rarely see Samus in full form, she appears sporadically as you play and in cutscenes; here, she’s entirely mute, dictating her intentions through her body language and leaving the bulk of the game’s story to be told through the optional narration and various texts you scan and log throughout the game. It’s a bit of a shame as Samus looks great; she’s sleek, powerful, and sexy and her suit noticeably changes as you acquire upgrades, but you will see her adopting various poses as you switch weapons or stay stationary. Enemies also exude a lot of menace and personality, particularly Meta Ridley and the squealing, annoying Metroids that fly at your face and drain your energy. Still, the very nature of the first-person perspective means the graphical emphasis is on the environments, which all do a fantastic job of recreating and updating similar elemental and runic areas from Super Metroid. You’ll be hopping across crumbling, frozen buildings, decaying walkways, and traversing pitch-black, luminous caverns with your thermal vision, to say nothing of exploring the dank depths and accessing new (or secret) paths by utilising your abilities in unique ways. Metroid Prime Remastered also features an immersive soundtrack; not only are some classic Metroid tracks included and updated to keep the adrenaline up when enemies and bosses appear, but the game also makes great use of silence and ambient sounds to build tenson or establish a sense of calm following a frantic gunfight.

Enemies and Bosses:
Tallon IV is home to several insectile enemies that will chip away at your energy or exist primarily to annoy you or be farmed for health and ammo; wasp-like bugs, swarms of insects, plant-like enemies, and literal balls of plasma are commonplace, with even some of the smaller enemies being impervious to your standard cannon and requiring upgrades to finally take them out. Some, like the Reaper Vines, are virtually indestructible and simply disappear for a bit before whipping back out at you; others, like the Stone Toads, exited solely to aggravate you as you struggle to build enough momentum to reach higher levels. Some enemies, like the Baby Sheegoths, Jelzaps, and Plated Beetles are heavily armoured and can only be damaged from behind or when they expose their weak spots; others, like the various burrowing insects and the dragon-like Magmoor, burst up from the ground, ice, or lava to attack you. As you progress, you’ll encounter several different Space Pirates (known as “Troopers”); these slash at you up close or fire at you from a distance and come in different colours, rendering them weak to your different cannons but also allowing them to appear invisible, cling to ceilings and walls, and afford them greater mobility in the air and underwater thanks to their jetpacks. By far the worst and most annoying regular enemies are the Chozo Ghosts (which do become easier once you gain additional visors, but the reduced visibility meant I often just ran past them) and the various Metroids. These jelly-like bastards attach themselves to you to drain your energy, can multiply when damaged, and even take on coloured forms to force you to switch weapons and appear in more aggressive octopus-like variants. They can also absorb a great deal of damage, meaning it’s often easier just to try and avoid them and rush to the exit.

The game’s monstrous bosses require a bit of strategy to bring them down.

Samus will have to overcome some monstrous alien enemies to rid Tallon IV of the Space Pirates’ influence, only one of which I recognise from the previous games, that being recurring antagonist Ridley. The game begins with Samus exploring the Space Pirate frigate Orpheon and encountering the Parasite Queen, a massive insectile creature shielded behind a rotating energy barrier. The Parasite Queen swipes its scythe-like claws and spits acid at you and forces you to stay on the move and fire between the gaps in the barrier, and then you’re given seven minutes to flee before the Orpheon explodes. After navigating the intense heat and acid pits of the Magmoor Caverns, Samus is confronted by Flaahgra, a horrific amalgamation of snake, bug, and plant that pollutes the water supply and spews acid at you. To damage Flaahgra, you need to blast up to four nearby dishes with your Charge Beam to stun it, giving you just enough time to roll up the narrow tunnel and drop a bomb at its base and set it ablaze until it finally dies. You’ll also get to put your thermal vision (and your patience) to the test against Thardus, a rock monster that guards the Spider Ball upgrade; the only way to damage Thardus is to locate the glowing weak spots with your thermal vision and unload with Super Missiles, a task compounded by its shockwave attack, the rocks it throws at you, it rolling into a nigh-impenetrable ball, and the weak spots constantly moving and disappearing. The Ice Ruins of Phendrana Drifts are home not just to the annoying Chozo Ghosts but also the gigantic Adult Sheegoth, both of which become semi-regular enemies but the latter of which proves particularly problematic since your regular beam attacks will simply be absorbed by the ice crystals on its back and turned into electrical shockwaves. Luckily Super Missiles and your flammable Plasma Beam can turn the tide, and you can simply ignore the later ones that appear.

Unlike the Elite Troopers, Meta Ridley represents the game’s toughest challenge yet.

As Samus explores the laboratories and facilities hidden on Tallon IV, she will also be attacked by larger, more aggressive Space Pirates. The Phazon Elite is a Space Pirate empowered by Phazon and, like the Elite and Omega Pirates, wields a massive energy cannon on its shoulder. All three of these can absorb your Charge Beams and unleash a shockwave attack, but sporadically prove vulnerable to your Super Missiles; the Omega Pirate variant also sports a cloaking ability, plasma cannons, and limited regenerative capabilities, but all three are surprisingly easy to take down thanks to you being able to target their cannons with your thermal vision. In comparison, their leader, Meta Ridley, is quite the foe; after collecting twelve Chozo Artifacts, you’ll engage in an intense battle with Ridley that sees him flying overheard and far out of range, raining fireballs and breathing fire at you and charging at you to deal massive damage. You can take cover behind the stone columns, but Meta Ridley’s ranged and melee attacks will destroy these, and the only way to damage him is to fire Super Missiles right before he unleashes his flame breath. A huge hurdle here is your ammo; if you run out of missiles, your primary charge beams will only chip away at Meta Ridley’s health bar, so it definitely pays to upgrade your energy and maximum ammo.

Metroid Prime is an aggressive, tricky final boss who will have you constantly on edge.

This is also true of the game’s final boss, the titular Metroid Prime. Before you can even reach this spider-like grotesque, you’ll have to endure an aggravating obstacle course through lava and caustic Phazon, dodging Metroids and hopping to platforms and magnetic rails with only one save station right at the start of the endurance round. Metroid Prime is fought in two phases; in the first, it is protected by a hard outer shell that sporadically cycles between different colours, meaning you’ll have to quickly switch your weapons to deal damage. Again, your charged beams won’t do much so you’ll be relying on your Super Missiles and more powerful attacks like the Wavebuster and Flamethrower but, luckily, Metroid Prime’s projectiles can be destroyed to replenish these (and, occasionally, your health). Metroid Prime is a hell of a challenge, drawing you in with a tractor beam, raining explosive plasma, firing a sustained, powerful laser, spitting toxic balls, and scuttling at you, meaning your only way to avoid damage is to use the clunky dodge move and Morph Ball. After battling it down several layers to the planet’s core, it’s outer shell will shatter for the second phase, exposing Metroid Prime’s luminous, Lovecraftian, octopus-like true form. In this state, it charges up a shockwave attack that can be tricky to jump over and spawns various Metroids to distract you. It also cycles through different stages of invisibility depending on which visor you have, meaning you need to frantically change your vision mode to find it, though it’ll remain completely immune to your attacks until it starts leaking Phazon. You can temporarily use these pools to enter “Hyper Mode”, allowing you to finally deal some damage, but you’ll need to repeat this process a few times to finally end it, which can be an aggravating task thanks to the Metroids, the great range of attacks, and the clunkiness of switching between your vision modes.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As mentioned, Samus can replenish her health and ammo by destroying enemies and finding Save and Mission Stations; her maximum health and ammo can also be enhanced with various hidden upgrades so it pays to explore, cycle through your vision modes, and blast open columns and rocks to see what you can find. Samus starts out with a regular arm cannon that’s serviceable enough but soon gains the Wave, Ice, and (eventually) the Plasma Cannon; these fire bursts of electrical, ice, and fire energy that are crucial for solving later puzzles, opening doors, and defeating enemies but I found it annoying switching between them using a button combination. Similarly, Samus’s visor can be tricky to cycle between, though it does allow you to navigate pitch-black areas and locate hidden platforms and such. Samus’s Morph Ball also gets upgraded to allow her to drop bombs, boost along, and drop limited Power Bombs for greater damage; her grapple beam lets her swing across gaps; and her various suit upgrades allow her to withstand intense heat (though not lava) and no longer be damaged by Phazon deposits, changing her appearance and giving her greater range of movement. As you explore, it pays to scan everything in sight to expand upon the game’s lore and learn secrets, and you’ll even uncover optional upgrades like the Wavebuster and Flamethrower this way. Sadly, there’s no way to pilot or utilises Samus’s ship, but it does fully replenish your health and ammo so it’s worth returning to when you get the chance.

Additional Features:
Tallon IV is a sprawling, interconnected landscape with many secrets to find; many of these increase your maximum health and ammo or award you with upgrades to your arsenal, while others hide Chozo Artifacts. There are twelve to find and you’ll need to locate them all to reach the final section of the game, which is a bit annoying as it unnecessarily pads the game out and basically forces you to use a guide since the hints given are quite obtuse. Finally, you’re encouraged to scan everything in sight; the more you scan, the more lore you unlock, and the more extras are accessible from the main menu, including music tracks, concept art, and character models for both the original and Remastered version of the game. Beating the game on any difficulty setting unlocks “Hard” mode; it’s recommended that you make a copy of your save file ahead of venturing into the final area, though, as trying to start a new game on “Hard” mode will erase your existing save file. Finally, you’re awarded with a different ending, and a different view of Samus in her suit, depending on how fast you beat the game and how close to 100% completion you are when you defeat Metroid Prime.

The Summary:
I was very anxious heading into Metroid Prime Remastered; I always am when tackling an FPS as I don’t like being shot in the back, and especially when taking on a Metroidvania title, but I’d heard nothing but good things about the game (and the entire trilogy) so it was exciting to play this enhanced version on the Nintendo Switch. Technically speaking, Metroid Prime Remastered delivered; the game is beautiful, the locations detailed and varied, ever-changing and interactive, and I had fun blasting enemies, exploring, and upgrading Samus’s suit and abilities. The bosses, especially, were a highlight, being big and monstrous and asking more of you than simply blasting away, and it was amazing seeing how well the developers took the gameplay and mechanics of Super Metroid and translated it into a 3D first-person shooter. Unfortunately, I quickly grew annoyed with the backtracking; the locations might be amazing, but it gets aggravating having to revisit them time and again and being forced to rely on a guide. A fast travel system allowing you to teleport between Save Stations would’ve been greatly appreciated here as it was very frustrating playing long sections of the game or ploughing through lava to reach a save point. I was also annoyed by the vision and weapon selection system, which proved unintuitive and clunky at times, making the colour-coded combat a chore in the endgame sections. It was equally irritating having to scan everything around you to unlock extras, a gameplay mechanic that cropped up all-too-often around this era, and first-person platforming will always be the bane of my life. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here; I managed a good 70% of the game before I required a guide and had a lot of fun blasting enemies and exploring, but there’s definite room for improvement here; thankfully, I enjoyed enough of Metroid Prime Remastered to be motivated to try out the sequels and see how the gameplay was refined, if at all.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the remaster of Metroid Prime? Did you enjoy the technical enhancements on offer? Were you impressed by the franchise’s transition to 3D or were you also annoyed by some of the mechanics on offer here? Which of the bosses and upgrades was your favourite? Did you ever hit 100% completion on the game? Which of the Metroid Prime games is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Metroid content across the site.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Super Metroid (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K6 Comments

January sees the celebration of two notable dates in science-fiction history, with January 2 christened “National Science Fiction Day” to coincide with the birth date of the world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and HAL 9000, the sophisticated artificial intelligence of Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), being created on 12 January.

Released: 5 September 2019
Originally Released: 19 March 1994
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems
Also Available For: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

The Background:
In August 1986, Nintendo fans were introduced to Samus Aran, the bad-ass bounty hunter protagonist of the Metroid series (Various, 1986 to present). Well-received upon release for its challenging gameplay and now heralded as one of the greatest games ever made, Metroid helped popularise an entire sub-genre of gaming; “Metroidvania” titles became known for being action-orientated games that emphasised exploration and the acquisition of power-ups to progress. Metroid was followed by the Game Boy-exclusive Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo R&D1, 1991), which was both my first experience of the franchise and a largely divisive title that nonetheless directly influenced, at least narratively, the franchise’s jump to Nintendo’s ground-breaking 16-bit console. Producer Gunpei Yokoi and much of the original team returned for Super Metroid, which took two years to develop and took advantage of the SNES’s greater processing power to allow Samus to fire in all directions and explore a far larger, interconnected environment with a detailed map system. This also allowed the team to pull off more diverse visual effects, including more cinematic cutscenes that allowed them to pay greater homage to the Alien franchise (Various, 1979 to present), alongside a team of young, hungry developers. The result was a game met with universal critical acclaim; despite disappointing sales in the United States due to a poorly-timed release, Super Metroid was lauded for its impressive visuals, tight gameplay, and balancing combat with exploration and a steep challenge. A quintessential title in any SNES library, Super Metroid was accompanied by a Nintendo Power comic and ported to numerous consoles, including the Nintendo Switch Online service soon after it launched, allowing new generations of gamers (and myself) to experience it for the first time.

The Plot:
After a Metroid larva is stolen from the Ceres space colony by the monstrous Ridley, bounty hunter Samus Aran returns to the planet Zebes to retrieve the sample and exterminate Ridley and his Space Pirates once and for all!

Gameplay:
Super Metroid is a 2D action-adventure game in which the player once again assumes the role of Samus Aran, a highly capable bounty hunter, and sets off on a quest full of jumping, running, and backtracking (oh, so much backtracking) in order to eradicate the Space Pirates. Essentially, it’s a remake of Metroid in very much the same way Super Castlevania IV (Konami, 1991) is a remake of Castlevania (ibid, 1986); it takes many of the same mechanics, locations, and bosses of the first game and gives them a whole new, super sexy 16-bit makeover. Right away, the player can select between English and Japanese text and has access to three save files (though the Nintendo Switch’s save states and rewind functions negate a lot of this); the player can also customise the game’s controls and choose to turn Samus’s new “Moonwalk” ability (where she effortlessly slides backwards while shooting forwards) on or off. By default, Samus shoots her currently-equipped shot with X, jumps with A (the button can be held for a longer and higher jump), dashes ahead by holding B, and can switch weapons with the ‘Select’ button. Items can be cancelled with Y (though I found no use for this) and Samus can aim diagonally up and down using the L and R triggers. I found the default controls a little clunky so I swapped the jump to B, the shot to Y, and the dash to A, and even then I sometimes still got a little confused about whether I was shooting or jumping and found it annoying that there wasn’t an easier way to cycle between Samus’s different ammo.

Explore and upgrade Samus’s arsenal and skills to reach new areas.

Samus is gifted with infinite ammo for her basic arm cannon; the player can hold down the fire button for a rapid shot, but this later gets swapped out for a charged attack. However, the player can further customise Samus from the pause menu; here, you can equip and unequip the various weapon and armour power-ups Samus obtains, though I preferred to keep them equipped at all times. Unlike the previous games, a small, grid-based map appears onscreen at all times which makes exploration so much easier this time around. Using the pause menu, you can view the full map and better figure out your route, though you’ll need to access map terminals to unlock each location’s map. Pressing down on the control stick or directional buttons will see Samus curl up into a Morph Ball when she acquires the relevant power-up; this allows her to squeeze through small gaps and access areas that aren’t readily apparently. It’s worth shooting, placing bombs, and jumping to find hidden areas and alternative routes, too; the game gets very big and complicated very quickly so any shortcuts or additional resources are always a welcome bonus. Planet Zebes is a veritable maze of doors that must be shot open; they’re colour-coded so you always know which weapon to switch to, but you’ll also be asked to perform a fair amount of horizontal and vertical jumping. While Samus’s later techniques help with this, her wall jumping ability is absolutely nerfed; rather than simply jumping at a wall and hitting jump again, you need to awkwardly hold back and press jump with frame-perfect timing to actually execute the move, which can be needlessly frustrating at times.

Although Samus controls well, her wall jumping and vertical abilities can be frustrating.

Similarly, Samus later acquires the Space Jump power-up; with perfect timing, this allows her to infinitely jump, cross wider gaps and reach higher areas, but the timing required is just too finnicky and random at times (it would’ve been so much easier to just keep hitting jump for a sustained effect). To make matters worse, enemies again respawn when you leave the screen; sometimes, smaller enemies will constantly spawn in certain screens, allowing you to “farm” health and ammo. You’ll also sometimes need to hop into the hands of a Chozo Statue while in your Morph Ball form to clear the path and you’ll find numerous helpful areas where you can catch your breath; save rooms, restore points to refill your health and ammo, and Chozo Statues gifting either new gear or upgrades to your existing equipment, total health, and total ammo. It’s well worth hunting these down as you’ll need your more powerful weapons to defeat the game’s bosses and more formidable enemies; both drop health and ammo when defeated but things are much easier if your maximum level is increased. Although well-equipped, Samus struggles against hazards like water, lava, acid and spike pits; suit upgrades allow her to negate some of these, and her Grapple Beam allows her to swing over hazards but, again, the timing required can be difficult to master. Super Metroid starts out fairly linear but you very quickly become restricted in where you can go, necessitating the acquisition of new power-ups; the more you obtain, the more you’ll need to remember cervices, destructible walls, and unreachable areas. You’ll be constantly backtracking, searching for new paths to the main four bosses, which may mean you’re over or under-equipped for certain encounters. Thankfully, the game is usually quite helpful and won’t leave you trapped in a room because you don’t have the High Jump Boots, but it can be a pain trying to figure out where you need to go and what you need to do.

Graphics and Sound:  
As a SEGA kid, I’ve long been envious of Super Metroid; for me, it’s one of the premier SNES titles and its visual appeal is a huge part of that. In fact, I admit that I was more excited to experience the game than I was to play it because of the difficulty involved in the constant exploration and the frustration of having to use a guide to find my way. Obviously, the game is a quantum leap ahead of its predecessors; Samus had never looked more colourful and lively before (and wouldn’t for many years aftwards), despite lacking much in the way of idle animations. She moves with a fluid grace that is both clunky when it needs to be and slick when she’s showing off her new abilities, spinning and curling and Moonwalking about as she blasts apart Space Pirates. The game’s story is told through text and simple to understand, cinematic cutscenes that utilise both the in-game graphics and a sprinkling of “Mode 7” for extra flair, with much of the ambiance and visual style influenced by the classic sci-fi action/horror Aliens (Cameron, 1986). Space colony Ceres and some levels of Zebes featured dead bodies scattered about, flickering lights at times, and rising bodies of water of varying danger, while the surface is rocked by a constant storm of acid rain not unlike the surface of LV-426.

The game is visually stunning, with a fantastic soundtrack and a strong aesthetic appeal.

While the game’s action is confined to Zebes, Super Metroid isn’t short on visual variety; this is used somewhat sparingly, and to great effect, so the rocky vegetation of Brinstar contrasts nicely with the sunken depths of Maridia and the lava-infested Norfair despite each location sharing similar layouts. Generally, Samus travels left to right from room to room but you’ll also be met by long vertical corridors and have to blast through the environment to progress. It’s not always clear which weapons or abilities you need to progress but there are some visual hints; blasting blocks or walls can reveal the symbol of certain weapons or arrows, indicating how to blow them open or to use your dash, or helpful little gremlins or dangerous digging machines can open new paths. Samus will discover a derelict ship that is plunged into darkness and lifeless until she restores the power; she can also break open glass tubes to further explore the depths of Maridia, blast and pass through certain blocks to drop into hidden areas, and even sink into sand to find new rooms. While there’s not always a lot happening onscreen, this allows each area to stand out all the more and the game to perform consistently, and each location expands and changes with your increased abilities, allowing you to make jumps you couldn’t before to navigate past hazards more effectively. The game also sounds fantastic; there’s a beautiful balance between silence, ominous ambient sounds, creepy tunes, and bolder, more blood-pumping music. Super Metroid ramps up the tension and adrenaline with its boss themes, especially when fighting Ridley and Draygon (who both sport Anguirus’ signature cry). Finally, the game is quite graphic at times; there’s the aforementioned dead bodies, Samus explodes in a similar fashion to Mega Man when killed, and Crocomire’s flesh melts from its bones upon being forced into a lava pit!

Enemies and Bosses:
Samus must blast her way through a slew of alien baddies to win the day, with many of them being variations of the standard, mantis-like Space Pirates. These insectoid aliens clamber on walls, march along the floor, and even hop overhead, firing jagged projectiles and often shielding themselves from your attacks with their claws, necessitating a weapon upgrade or a more convoluted attack pattern. Smaller enemies also pepper the game’s environments, ranging from wasp-like Zebbos, crab-like Scisers, and bat-like Skree, all of which are easy prey for you to farm some resources. Rippers can be temporarily frozen to act as platforms, Kilhunters will buzz about on their insectile wings, spiked Geemers slither about on small platforms, clunky Workrobots stamp about shrugging off your beams, and Evirs emerge from acid to fire projectiles at you. Enemies like the Beetoms and Metroids are a real headache as they can shrug off your regular shot and will latch onto you to drain your health, while Namihes and Funes spit fireballs from walls and guys like the Alcoon and Oum tend to burst out of nowhere for a surprise attack!

Samus faces some mammoth, formidable bosses, including long-standing nemesis Ridley.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there are eleven bosses to battle here, with a couple being very similar battles fought in different circumstances. You’ll encounter Samus’s archenemy, Ridley, early on; confined to an enclosed arena, Ridley will swoop at you, spit fireballs, and swipe with his Xenomorph Queen-like tail, but you don’t actually need to defeat him here, just survive until he flies off with the Metroid larva. Ridley, returns, far more formidable, as the penultimate boss; this time, you’re confined to a small platform with health-sapping lava underneath and Ridley hides high above, swooping in to grab and squeeze the life out of you. He also breathes fire and becomes extremely aggressive as the fight goes on, though he is vulnerable to all of your weapons, with the charged Plasma Beam and Super Missiles being the most effective, but he’s certainly no pushover even with all your upgrades. Similarly, you’ll battle two malevolent Torizo Statues, one just after acquiring the Morph Bomb and one later on. You’ll need to make use of the Morph Ball in the first encounter to dodge its projectiles; both stomp about to smash into you and swipe with their claws, but the golden one will sidestep missiles and catch and toss your own Super Missiles back at you and was, honestly, one of the toughest bosses in the game for me! Another early boss encounter is against the Spore Spawn, a gigantic, genetically-engineered plant that bobs about, launching itself at Samus and causing small spores to rain across the screen. These can be blasted for ammo and health, which you’ll need as this alien plant can only be defeated by shooting its central core, which only opens up for a brief window. Defeating it earns Samus the Super Missile power-up and sees the environment wither and decay.

The game’s bosses are monstrous and require a bit of strategy on your part to best.

The first major boss of the game is against Kraid, now much bigger and even more imposing than before (though a smaller version is again encountered beforehand). Now taking up a good chunk of the screen, with the bottom littered with spikes, Kraid lunges at you, spits rocks, and causes boulders to rain from above. Kraid’s only weak spot is his eyes and, when you’ve dished out enough damage, he raises up and you need to make use of small platforms to avoid his projectiles and fire at his head whenever he roars. In the lava-soaked depths of Norfair, you’ll battle the all-but-invincible Crocomire; immune to all of your attacks, you need to force Crocomire   into a lava pit before it skewers you on a wall of spikes! Watch for its projectiles and its skeletal remains, which will burst through said wall in a last gasp attack! Whilst exploring the wrecked ship, you’ll be attacked by ghost-like aliens and eventually face off against their master, Phantoon, a giant, squid-like alien wraith that hovers around the room dropping blue flames, though you can dispense them with your shot to grab some resources. This guy also disappears and reappears about the arena and can only be damaged by shooting at its single, ugly eye, though neither it nor the worm-like Botwoon should cause you too much trouble if you keep your beam charged and have plenty of missiles on hand.

After besting her minions, Samus must do battle with the fearsome Mother Brain!

The same can’t be said of Draygon, which acts as something of a teaser for the later Ridley fight. Draygon will swoop down and grab you, slamming you against the wall if you’re not careful, requiring a unique strategy beyond just dodging and shooting. If you let it grab you, you can shoot your Grapple Beam at an electrified wall panel; you’ll take damage, but you’ll also toast Draygon in the process, leaving her insectoid children to mourn her corpse. I wouldn’t underestimate the Silver Space Pirates, either; this duo is fought in Ridley’s lair and are only vulnerable when they flash gold, making them an exercise in frustration as they flip and slice and kick to whittle you down. Once you’ve defeated the main bosses, you’ll be able to access Tourian, a metallic landscape where Metroids wander freely. Here, you’ll encounter the titular Super Metroid, which proves invulnerable and will drain your health to almost nothing before fleeing. Eventually, you’ll battle Mother Brain once more; like before, this massive brain sits in a jar and is protected by laser walls, a constant spread of projectiles, and a lava floor. Once you shatter her protective casing, she rears up into this monstrous bipedal monstrosity that stomps about in a claustrophobic area, spitting explosive breath and blasting you with laser beams from her eyes! When you deal enough damage, she’ll decimate you with an unavoidable rainbow laser; luckily the Super Metroid comes to your aid, sacrificing itself to restore your health and gift the Hyper Beam, which cuts down Mother Brain. Once she’s defeated, the whole planet crumbles around you and you have three minutes to escape to the surface, whereupon you’ll be granted a special image of Samus depending on how well you played.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Samus starts with ninety-nine units of energy and her regular arm cannon but it’s not long before you’re increasing her exploration abilities with the Morph Ball and upping her arsenal with the missile and Super Missile, which both deal far greater damage than her regular shot, and increasing her maximum energy with the fourteen Energy Tanks. You can also find four Reserve Tanks to have some health restored after death, can use the X-Ray Scope to search for these, and hidden paths, in the environment, and grab the Speed Booster to run through walls and enemies alike and the Grapple Beam to latch on to overhead blocks and certain walls (if you can get to grips with the controls). In addition to finding numerous energy recharge stations, you can also fully refill your ammo at similar stations, usually located near a save room, and you’ll find loads of power-ups to increase your maximum ammo for each bomb. Samus can also upgrade her suit to allow her to freely move underwater, increase her defence, and allow her to resist certain types of lava, all of which is essentially for exploring the entirety of Zebes, Samus’s main cannon can also be upgraded to allow her to charge a more powerful attack that’s great for inflicting big damage against bosses, temporarily freezes enemies to create extra platforms, and allows her to fire three beams at once that go through walls and enemies alike. You’ll also acquire the ability to drop balls when morphed (clearing obstructions in tighter spaces and boosting you over small ledges), a screen clearing Power Bomb, and the Spring Ball that lets you jump while morphed. The High Jump boots increase your jump height, the aforementioned Space Jump allows you to clunkily continuously jump, and the Screw Attack adds an electrical crackle to your jump spin to damage enemies.

Additional Features:
Upon finishing Super Metroid, you’re given a percentage showing how many of the game’s secrets you found. You can freely load up your save file to backtrack and hunt down anything you missed if you like, but the game’s endings are based on how much time you took not how much you found. You’ll only get to see Samus in her skin-tight under garments if you beat the game in under three hours; playing between three and ten will see her remove her helmet, and playing for more than ten hours sees her preserve her modesty behind her suit and you settling for a thumbs-up. In the final escape sequence, you apparently have the option of saving the trapped Dachoras and Etecoons, though I didn’t notice them in my playthrough and it appears to add nothing to the ending but personal pride. This version of the game naturally allows you to create a save state at any time and make use of the Nintendo Switch’s rewind function, which is perfect for the game’s many aggravating sections, and you can also take advantage of a special save state version of the game that lets you skip right to the end with all of Samus’s upgrades.

The Summary:
Of all the Metroid games I’ve played, I’ve played Super Metroid the most but I never managed to finish it before this playthrough. The game is absolutely gorgeous, with a visual appeal that’s matched by its soundtrack and massive, action-packed bosses and the appeal of its main character. However, the large-scale nature of the game and the copious backtracking were always intimidating for me as I really didn’t want to have to keep referring to a guide; luckily, I was able to get through Super Metroid without too much help in this regard, but it can be frustrating when you seem to have exhausted all your options only to have missed a destructible block tucked away. While Super Metroid is impressively put together, with some fantastic detail, variety, and challenge on offer, playing the game from start to finish has made me see flaws in the game’s controls; wall jumping is absolutely atrocious and techniques like the Space Jump are needlessly finicky, ruining a lot of the platforming sections and making me wonder how anyone ever managed to succeed at the game without the aid of save states. The bosses are equally challenging, even when Samus is fully armed and powered up, making for a tough but ultimately very rewarding gameplay experience. Had these control issues been tweaked to be simple button presses, it would’ve been a perfect five out of five but Super Metroid is still one of the quintessential SNES titles and is well worth investing your time and patience.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Super Metroid? Would you agree that it’s one of the titles that defined the SNES era of gaming? Did you struggle with the controls at all and what did you think to the large, inter-connected game world? Which of the bosses and upgrades was your favourite? What did you think to the graphical upgrade and the level of detail on offer? Which Metroid game is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other sci-fi content across the site.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K6 Comments

January sees the celebration of two notable dates in science-fiction history, with January 2 christened “National Science Fiction Day” to coincide with the birth date of the world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and HAL 9000, the sophisticated artificial intelligence of Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), being created on 12 January.

Released: February 2023
Originally Released: November 1991
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems
Also Available For: Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U

The Background:
Brain-blasting bounty hunter Samus Aran shocked the gaming world when she was revealed to be a woman in the challenging Nintendo classic, Metroid (Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems, 1986). Although highly praised and crucial to the popularisation of the “Metroidvania” sub-genre, Metroid’s sequel came not on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) like Nintendo’s other franchise characters, but on their revolutionary (and incredibly popular) handheld system, the Game Boy. Many of Metroid’s developers returned for the sequel, which separated itself from other Game Boy titles with graphics comparable to its 8-bit counterparts and expanding upon Samus’s abilities and narrative in ways that would influence future games. Not only was Metroid II my first experience of the franchise, but it also included a unique palette for when played on the Game Boy Color, though it largely divided critics upon release. Reviews praised the quality of life improvements and expansion upon the gameplay of its predecessor, while also criticising the music and limitations of the Game Boy hardware. Yet, Metroid II endured; a fangame remake was scuppered by Nintendo prior to them remaking the game for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, with Metroid: Samus Returns (MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD) being largely well received. The original version of the game also found a home on Nintendo’s online services, including this Nintendo Switch Online version, to help keep this cult classic alive for new gamers.

The Plot:
Following her encounter with the Metroids, bounty hunter Samus Aran is sent to the Metroid home world, SR388, to destroy the entire species.

Gameplay:
Metroid II: Return of Samus is a run-and-gun adventure game with an emphasis on exploring the various alien landscapes of SR388, upgrading Samus’s suit and abilities, and hunting down forty Metroid variants to curb the malicious species. Players once again assume the role of the intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran, who sports the same abilities from the first game and more, most notably the ability to shoot upwards and while crouching, simple additions that make blasting aliens and destructible blocks so much easier. You’re given three save files to play with, which can be switched to or deleted from the main menu, though there are no options to reconfigure any game settings, like the controls or difficulty. However, since it was originally a Game Boy title, you’ll only make use of two buttons during gameplay: A lets you jump (and you can hold it to jump a little higher) and B lets you shoot (and you can hold it to continually fire at foes). Samus will compress into a spherical Morph Ball if you press down on the directional pad twice, and you can switch from her infinite gun arm to her finite supply of missiles by pressing the – button. The + button pauses the game, but you again won’t find a map screen, here, meaning exploration is still a chore, despite Metroid II being a slightly more forgiving and straightforward title.

Run, shoot, and roll your way through a confusing alien world hunting Metroids.

Unlike in the last game, players can make use of save stations to save their progress and sporadic refill pods for their health and ammunition, reducing how often you’ll blast away at enemies to farm for resources. As before, enemies will respawn whenever you enter an area, though this time around to you must alter the environment, clearing lava and other hazards so you can progress further. Puzzle solving isn’t really a thing in Metroid II; the closest you get are blasting certain doors with your missiles to open them and navigating deep chasms, some of which are somewhat maze-like and have hidden holes that drop you to lower levels, though you’ll sometimes have to use Samus’s Bomb power-up to blast away boulders. This game debuts the Spider Ball, which allows Samus to slowly crawl up walls and ceilings, and you’ll be using this a lot to scale cliffs and ruins, especially as the game progresses. However, your primary objective is to hunt down the forty Metroid variants hidden around SR388; you can keep track of how many remain using the game’s limited heads-up display, but you won’t be given any hints or direction about where to find them beyond hitting dead ends until you’ve acquired new power-ups. Occasionally, Samus will dive into water or must traverse sticky goop; spikes and lava pits are commonplace, as are destructible elements like weeds and sandstone, and you’ll also have to navigate a pitch-black area later in the game that’s incredibly frustrating as there’s no way to light your path. Mostly, though, you’ll be exploring long corridors, deep shafts, and crawling up walls and through narrow tunnels, blasting enemies and hoping the path leads to an upgrade or another Metroid.

Graphics and Sound:
Releasing a couple of years after the debut of the Game Boy, Metroid II is quite a bland looking game, especially as far as the backgrounds are concerned. Backgrounds are largely completely blank, either white, black, or that weird green colour the Game Boy favoured, with very little in the way of foreground details, for the most part. Some areas are the exception to this rule, of course, with an abundance of overgrown stone ruins, rocky caves, and biomechanical areas peppered throughout the game so you know when you’ve transitioned from what could loosely be called the overworld to an area of some significance. Many areas contain lethal lava, dank water, or gloopy muck that restricts your movements but are largely indistinguishable from each other; sometimes the rocks look more like peanuts, sometimes they’re metallic, and sometimes they’re almost like bubbles, but the game becomes disappointingly and confusingly uniform very quickly. Caverns, ruins, and mechanical trappings signpost areas containing Metroids and power-ups, but it’s easy to think you’ve accidentally backtracked as SR388 isn’t exactly divided into elemental sections. Having the overworld be rocky and the main sections be distinctly water-, metal-, botanical-, or lava-themed would’ve helped to distinguish them but, as is, there’s only a handful of areas that impress when it comes to their aesthetics. While this is commonplace on the Game Boy, it’s not as if there weren’t games that were able to do a little more with the hardware, so it’s pretty disappointing here, especially as the game lacks a map.

As impressive as many of the sprites are, the backgrounds, locations, and music suffer.

On the plus side, Samus looks great, far better than she did on the NES and showcasing a surprising level of detail. While she doesn’t have any idle poses, her suit changes to reflect her upgrades and she has more poses to assume thanks to her expanded moveset. In addition to her iconic ship sat in the opening section, you’ll always know when a Metroid is nearby by the presence of a hatched Metroid egg, there are a couple of cutscenes showing the Metroids evolving into new, more powerful forms, the Chozo Statues are nice and big (with one even being destroyed), and there are usually some fun hidden paths to take towards goodies. Sadly, the music isn’t all that impressive, aiming for claustrophobic and ominous but being limited by the Game Boy hardware. However, the biggest disappointment for me was the complete lack of any story; there’s no story text, the title screen is incredibly bland, there’s no introductory cutscene, and the game just…ends, albeit with an impressive large sprite of Samus running alongside the credits that changes depending on how fast you beat the game.

Enemies and Bosses:
In addition to the indigenous Metroid population, SR388 is home to a whole host of alien lifeforms, from bug-like creatures to robotic forces and defences that I have assume were left behind by the Space Pirates. All of these will respawn after you exit an area and, while most can be defeated in one or two shots, others will be almost invulnerable until you acquire new power-ups or continually spawn and chase after you to bash you into spikes or lava. We’ve got floating slug-like enemies, laser turrets, hopping toad-like creatures, tiny bugs that drop from ceilings, weird flying proboscis-type things that drop you towards hazards, bat-like drones, and slug-like fish that slither around platforms. Speaking of which, the bone-armoured Motos resist your blaster and can only be taken out from behind or with the Screw Attack (though they often drop larger health orbs); they’re often found alongside Ramulken, who are similarly armoured but jump about the place, though most enemies can simply be blasted or outright avoided, especially if you’re close to a health point. The only boss-type enemy you’ll encounter that isn’t a Metroid variant is the armadillo-like Arachnus, which disguises itself as a Chozo Sphere and not only spits projectiles at you but completely resists your attacks when rolled up. However, it’s vulnerable to your bombs, so you can lay a bunch of those to take it out and pry the Spring Ball from its remains.

You’ll need plenty of missiles (and patience) to snuff out the various monstrous Metroids.

As in many Metroid games, the titular, jellyfish-like aliens will appear near the end of the game, latching onto you and draining your health and only being vulnerable when frozen by the Ice Beam and peppered with missiles. The forty other Metroids you battle in several mini boss encounters are evolved Metroids that take on an insectile, ant- or wasp-like form that allows them to fly. The most common of these are the “Alpha” variant, which are largely harmless and simply float about the place, meaning the “Gamma” variant is quite the sharp difficulty curve with its more monstrous appearance and lightning bolt appendages. They’re a joy compared to the “Zeta” Metroids, though, which frustratingly badger you from behind, spit fireballs, and can only be damaged when blasted in the face with missiles. Similarly, while the “Omega” Metroids are far slower, they spit electrical sparks that produce splash damage and float about the place, making them a difficult target despite their size. Each of these may also be fought in enclosed arenas, above spikes or lava, within sandstone, or in areas with small platforms or blocks to make avoiding damage even more troublesome. Once you’ve destroyed thirty-nine of them, nine more regular Metroids need to be dispatched before you face off with their monstrous, dragon-like queen. While technically a simple battle, requiring only that you use the Screw Attack to escape damage and blast the queen with missiles (you can even Morph Ball to safety to refill your health and ammo using a convenient tunnel), this is a laborious and dull fight thanks to the restricted area, the aggressiveness of the queen, and the fact that you need to hit her with 100 missiles! Apparently, there’s a way to Morph Ball into her mouth and lay a bunch of bombs in her, but I couldn’t manage that so it was a lot of tedious evading, blasting (missing), and rewinding when I took too much damage.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As ever, enemies will drop health orbs and missiles to refuel you but, this time around, you can also find larger, dedicated, and inexhaustible refuel stations to top these up in a pinch, and they’re not always hidden away either. Similarly, you can find Energy and Missile Tanks to expand your health bar and maximum ammo (though these are often hidden away or at the end of winding tunnels). As is often (if not always) the case, Samus mysteriously loses all the upgrades she got in the last game and needs to reacquire them from Chozo Statues hidden throughout SR388. You can upgrade her arm cannon to the Wave Beam (which increases accuracy), the Ice Beam (which temporarily freezes enemies), the Spazer Laser Beam (which fires a triple shot), and the Plasma Beam (the most powerful, which passes through objects and enemies), and will even get the chance to switch back to them at one point (with the Ice Beam being required for the final section). Samus’s jump can be extended with the High Jump Boots before allowing her to reach higher, further areas (through carefully timed taps of A) with the Space Jump, before becoming an offensive move with the iconic Screw Attack. Her Morph Ball can also be upgraded to drop bombs, bounce, and cling to walls, which, while slow, is basically a requirement in some areas.

Additional Features:
Sadly, there’s not much to Metroid II. Like I said, there are Energy and Missile Tanks to find that you could conceivably miss but that’s about it. The only reason you’d replay the game beyond enjoying wandering around a confusing handheld landscape is to try and beat the game in under three hours so you’ll be treated to seeing Samus in a bikini; otherwise, there are no bonus or extra features to speak of here. As ever, you can make liberal use of the Nintendo Switch’s rewind and save state features to make the game a lot easier, though it’s still a challenge at times.

The Summary:
I’m glad I finally played through Metroid II: Return of Samus; when I was a kid, I had the original cartridge for my Game Boy, but I remember getting stuck fairly soon into the game. Low and behold, I hit the same dead end here and quickly became reliant upon an online guide, which is not my preferred way of playing any game. Sadly, it’s basically required here as there’s no map system, which is weird as I definitely think a rudimentary map could’ve been inserted whenever you pause the game. Ultimately, this was a tough one for me; I liked how much the gameplay mechanics of the original were improved, even if only in basic ways, but I don’t think this kind of game works on the Game Boy; Metroid is all about exploration and backtracking and, while Metroid II is a bit more linear than others in the series, it still requires more than the Game Boy is capable of delivering. Yes, the sprite work looks good, but every area is too constricted and repetitive to stand out like they would on even the NES and it gets a bit boring facing the same batch of Metroids over and over again. There is a lot to like here, with some fun encounters and areas and the thrill of upgrading Samus’s suit and abilities, but I think Metroid II was trying to be a little too ambitious for the Game Boy. I’m tempted to see what the Nintendo 3DS remake is like to compare it but, sadly, it’s ridiculously expensive to get hold off so I’m left with this paradoxically technically impressive and technically limited entry in the series that felt too much like a chore to play through for mee to properly enjoy.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Are you a fan of Metroid II: Return of Samus? Did you own it on the Game Boy and, if so, how did you cope without a guide or the rewind features? Were you impressed with Samus’s new abilities and combat options? What did you think to the more linear mission and Metroid-hunting gameplay? If you’ve played the Nintendo 3DS remake, how does it compare to the original? Which Metroid game is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below or on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Metroid reviews.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Metroid (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K7 Comments

January sees the celebration of two notable dates in science-fiction history, with January 2 christened “National Science Fiction Day” to coincide with the birth date of the world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and HAL 9000, the sophisticated artificial intelligence of Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), being created on 12 January.

Released: 14 November 2018
Originally Released: 6 August 1986
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems
Also Available For: GameBoy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U

The Background:
It’s probably fair to say that, compared to Nintendo’s other heavy-hitters like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda (Various, 1986 to present), the Metroid franchise (Various, 1986 to present) is maybe one of the company’s more under-rated properties. I actually have had very little experience with the series outside of the Super Smash Bros. series (Various, 1999 to 2018) and brief experiences with Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo R&D1, 1991) and Super Metroid (Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems, 1994), though this is mainly due to growing up as a SEGA guy. Metroid came about after Nintendo had seen success with their early titles for their industry-saving console, the NES. Producer Gunpei Yokoi and directors Satoru Okada and Masao Yamamoto collaborated on the title, which was heavily influenced by Alien (Scott, 1979). The developers sought to create an action-orientated game in which power-ups would be not only permanent, but necessary to completion, and with a strong emphasis on non-linear exploration. Metroid ended up being so successful in this regard that it, and Castlevania (Konami, 1986), spawned an entire videogame subgenre dubbed “Metroidvania”. Metroid was well-received upon release; reviews praised its challenging gameplay and it has since been recognised as one of the greatest games ever made. Metroid would spawn a number of sequels and spin-offs, and was ported to many subsequent Nintendo consoles either as an unlockable bonus or as a full-blown remake. Considering how popular and influential the series, and this first game, have become over the years, it’s no surprise that Metroid was included in the Nintendo Switch Online service soon after it launched, which also allowed me the chance to play it for the first time.

The Plot:
Bounty hunter Samus Aran journeys to the planet Zebes to retrieve the parasitic Metroid organisms from the malicious Space Pirates, who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons in their mad plot for galactic conquest.

Gameplay:
Metroid is a 2D, sidescrolling, action/platformer with a strong emphasis on run-and-gun action, horizontal and vertical jumps, backtracking, and exploration. Players take on the role of Samus Aran, an armoured bounty hunter with a blaster for an arm, and must explore the planet Zebes, which is comprised of five relatively distinct areas all joined together in a huge game map. Samus begins the game able to shoot directly ahead or above and to jump, and you’ll quickly find that ground-based enemies are beyond your ability to destroy in the early going as Samus can’t shoot downwards or defeat enemies by jumping on them. You’ll also, literally, run face-first into a wall if you give into your gamer’s instinct and head to the right; instead, you should go left from the starting area, where you’ll find your first Chozo Statue and your first power-up, the Morph Ball, which lets you curl up into a ball by pressing down and thus slip into small tunnels and areas. From there, the sheer scope of your mission quickly becomes very daunting; not only do enemies respawn when you leave the immediate area (not the immediate screen, as you can scroll to the left and then go back to the right and your enemies will be back) but you’re missing the most crucial aspect a game like this needs: an onscreen map. I have absolutely no idea how gamers managed to play Metroid without this simple convenience, and have heard that they either drew their own maps or consulted magazines at the time just to get an idea of where the hell you’re meant to go. Since you acquire different upgrades along the way that help you access new areas, and a lot of the areas look very similar save for some different colours and flourishes, you’ll need a good memory and a lot of experimentation to figure out where you’re going and what you’re doing.

Explore a large, interconnected map finding upgrades to reach new areas.

Thankfully, you can at least hold down B or X for a rapid fire function and hold A to jump a little higher, and Samus is relatively durable; her health is measured in numerical units, and her default weapon has unlimited ammo, but you will have to deal with some difficult jumps (made all the more frustrating by some horrendous enemy placement and movements) and knockback damage that can send you dropping into lava or spikes, where your health will whittle away to nothing in no time at all. Metroid gives you just one chance to finish the game; if (well, when, really) you die, the game is over and you’re given a ludicrously long password to continue but, thankfully, the Nintendo Switch version allows for both save states and a rewind function if (again…when) you make a mistake. Health and ammo is dropped by enemies and there are numerous points where you can simply stand there, blasting at constantly respawning enemies to farm health or missiles, but take care as enemies can pounce from behind and more spawn in the moment you pick up your item. Your primary goal in Metroid is to find and defeat two bosses to create a bridge that leads to the final area, Tourian, to confront Mother Brain but, to reach these bosses, you’ll need to find new upgrades to open doors or reach new areas with a higher jump, temporary platforms, or dropping down through destructible blocks. Although areas start out pretty simple, it’s not long before you need to blast at stone blocks to create pathways and platforms (though you need to be careful as the blocks will damage you if you’re standing there when they spawn back in), hopping over tiny rocky platforms floating over lava, and dodging past tougher enemies. Luckily, there are no instant death hazards here, but you can easily get trapped in a dangerous position where enemies and hazards drain your health, or you’re left with such little health that you’ll die soon after anyway. All of this means that Metroid is a pretty touch experience, even with the quality of life features offered by the Nintendo Switch; it doesn’t take much for a simple mistake to lead to disaster, enemies can take quite a few hits before being dispatched, and it’s ridiculously easy to get turned around and completely lost. Luckily, there’s no time limit to worry about, and the game is much more enjoyable with a detailed map to help you out.

Graphics and Sound:
Given that it’s an 8-bit title, Metroid is quite the pixelated adventure; Samus, especially, stands out against all of the game’s dark backgrounds thanks to her orange armour but, as you might expect, doesn’t really have many frames of imagination. She ambles along at a decent pace, even able to shoot and run at the same time, but you’ll notice that the game suffers from severe slowdown when too many enemies or items are onscreen at the same time. Each area of Zebes is accompanied by a funky little tune, with the now-recognisable Metroid theme being the catchiest of them, but you won’t encounter any context or story-related text until the final moments of the game, meaning you’ll need the instruction manual to have any idea of what the hell’s going on.

While areas can be distinctive, there are many screens and sections that are confusingly similar.

Planet Zebes is split into five areas: Brinstar, Kraid’s Lair, Norfair, Ridley’s Lair, and Tourian, with each one connected by stone or mechanical tunnels and lifts that you can descend and ascend. Each area has a different colour scheme to help differentiate them a little (blue, green, grey, purple, etc) but they’re also very similar and feature nearly identical tunnels and screens in each area, meaning that it’s very easy to lose track of where you are. Some areas feature cloud platforms, stone columns, lava, bubble or monstrous platforms and ceilings, while others are long vertical shafts you need to make your way up. These long shafts can be safer spaces where you can restock on your supplies, but you’ll also need to make use of your Bomb to blow up blocks and descend downwards to give your Morph Ball a little boost to enter into seemingly impassable walls. While lava pits are best avoided, some are actually fake and lead to new areas; other times, you’ll need to navigate through tubes, avoiding or blowing up enemies and hoping you don’t end up being boiled alive. Little touches like moss, different types of stones or foreground elements, and minor visuals help to make some screens a little more distinct but it’s very easy to get confused as some screens are literally identical but at different points on the map and you’ll no doubt be driven made by the constant beeping when your health is low.

Enemies and Bosses:
Planet Zebes is host to all manner of alien baddies who will hop, swoop, and fly right at you without a second’s hesitation. While some of the smaller, weaker enemies can be destroyed in one shot, others take multiple shots and even the simplest of enemies can cause a major problem as they respawn constantly from all angles and it’s easy to get hit by one (and knocked into lava…) Spiked Zoomers are the easiest and most frequent enemy, though you’ll probably be farming pick-ups from Zebs quite often as well. Skree drop from the ceiling and will explode if you don’t destroy them quickly, Wavers, Rios, Multivolas, and Sidehoppers bounce around the screen erratically, Dragons spit fireballs at you in an arc from lava, and Rippers travel back and forth and make for useful temporary platforms oney you acquire the Ice Beam. In Tourian, you’ll encounter the titular Metroids, bug-like parasites that float around and home in on you to suck your energy away and which can only be destroyed with your limited supply of missiles.

After besting Ridley and Kraid, you’ll face your toughest challenge yet in Mother Brain’s defenses.

Considering the size of its map, Metroid only features three bosses; I assume you can theoretically tackle Kraid and Ridley in whatever order you like (assuming you take the right paths using a guide) but I fought Ridley first. This stubby little purple dragon hops up and down in the middle of the arena shooting projectiles at you. These also form a kind of protective shield that will block your shots, but can be destroyed with your weapons. Ridley doesn’t really need to do much else as he can absorb a huge amount of punishment before finally exploding, and the same can also be said about Kraid. Kraid is a little more formidable; he meanders back and forth across a platform surrounded by acid and constantly fires missiles and throws bladed projectiles at you, all of which you must dodge and shoot through in order to land the necessary multiple hits on the bulbous monster. There’s also a fake version of Kraid hiding in his lair, which will respawn upon defeat, and only by destroying the real Kraid can you complete the bridge and enter the game’s toughest and most unfair area by far. Mother Brain is a stationary brain inside a glass jar but is protected by an intricate and unrelenting arsenal of wall-mounted lasers, bubble-like projectiles, and barriers which you must blast through with your missiles. As if that isn’t bad enough, you’re given precarious platforms to stand on to shoot at her and must battle over a lava pit, constantly dodging and being pummelled by projectiles as you desperately try to fire your missiles at her through the narrowest of openings. Once she’s defeated, you’re then given about 999 in-game seconds to navigate up one final shaft and get to safety before the whole place explodes, making for a heart-poundingly tense and massively frustrating finale to an already challenging game.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Samus will find a wide variety of useful, permanent power-ups to gradually make her journey a little easier. It’s well worth taking the time to explore (or use a map…) to seek these out as you can increase her health by finding Energy Tanks (which will add another block of 99 health units to your total) and increase her maximum supply of missiles up to 255 with Missile Tanks. Since you need missiles to open doors and deal the maximum amount of damage to enemies, and will find yourself absolutely crucified in Tourian without these, these are both well worth seeking out. As mentioned, you’ll need the Morph Ball to progress past the first few screens, and soon acquire the Bomb to use in this form to destroy ground-based enemies or propel Samus into tunnels. The Long Beam will extend the range of Samus’s default weapon, which can also be upgraded to the Ice Beam (which, naturally, freezes enemies and turns them into temporary platforms but be warned as a subsequent shot will unfreeze them) and, eventually, the Wave Beam (which increases the firing range of your main attack). Samus can also find the High Jump Boots to extend her vertical jump, the Screw Attack to damage enemies with a spinning jump attack, and the Varia Suit to reduce the amount of damage she takes from enemies and hazards.

Additional Features:
As mentioned, the Nintendo Switch version allows for up to three save states and includes a rewind feature, both of which are incredibly useful for when you land in a sticky situation or want to take a break. If you fancy jumping ahead, you can also play an “SP” version of the game that bestows you with all the available equipment and upgrades and drops you right outside of the battle with Ridley. Unlike many videogames of its era, Metroid doesn’t feature a high score system but it does include multiple endings; the faster you finish the game, the more of Samus’s true form will be revealed in the ending. Additionally, after finishing the game, you’ll automatically start over in a new game with all of your power-ups (though without the additional Energy and Missile Tanks you acquired) or even garbed in a skin-tight outfit rather than armour.

The Summary:
I may not have ever properly played a Metroid game before, but I was fully aware of the franchise and its emphasis on backtracking and exploration. Consequently, I was a little intimidated to play through Metroid, especially as my limited experience with the series had left me struggling to find my way around. Although it is a real problem that Metroid doesn’t feature any kind of map (which is weird, as The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo R&D4, 1986) released earlier that same year and featured a rudimentary map system), it’s nothing you can’t solve with a quick Google search, meaning your only remaining hurdle is the challenge offered by the gameplay. While the controls are tight enough, Samus is a bit slippery and floaty at times, and her inability to fire in all directions makes things problematic, but nowhere near as annoying as the respawning, erratic enemies and tricky platforming sections. The various upgrades definitely help with this, and once you have a bit more health and a more powerful main attack and have gotten used to the repeating rooms and enemies, the game becomes a lot of fun. It’s definitely rough around the edges, though; when playing retro games on modern consoles, I always try to imagine how gamers coped back in the day and, in the case of Metroid, I can only assume they got through it with a great deal of patience and trial and error. Still, this was a decent experience and I’m glad that I finally played through it; it’s maybe a little too challenging and confusing at times for just a casual playthrough, though, so I’m interested to see if I find the later releases more appealing with their improved graphics and controls.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Have you ever played Metroid? If so, what did you think to it and how do you think it holds up today, both against its subsequent titles and other games from that era? Did you struggle to navigate the inter-connected game map? Which of the bosses and upgrades was your favorite? Have you ever finished the game without using modern enhancements, and what’s the best ending you’ve achieved? Which Metroid game is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below or leave a reply on my social media, and be sure to check out my other Metroid reviews.

Game Corner [DK Day]: Donkey Kong Country (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K6 Comments

In 1981, Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo R&D1 created Donkey Kong, an arcade title that was not only one of the earliest examples of the platform genre but also introduced gamers everywhere to two of Nintendo’s most recognisable characters: Mario and Donkey Kong. Mario, of course, shot to super stardom but today’s a day to celebrate everyone’s favourite King Kong knock-off and to say: Happy birthday, Donkey Kong!

Released: 15 July 2020
Originally Released: 18 November 1994
Developer: Nintendo
Original Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), SNES Classic Edition

The Background:
After establishing themselves in the United States with the financial and critical success of Donkey Kong (Nintendo R&D1, 1981), Nintendo then captured the home console market with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and their moustachioed mascot, Super Mario. Although Donkey Kong wasn’t completely forgotten during this time, featuring in sequels and spin-offs during the NES’s lifecycle, it was legendary British developers Rare who breathed new life into the cantankerous ape with their Donkey Kong Country series (Rare, 1994 to 1996) that pushed the SNES hardware to its limits with their revolutionary pre-rendered graphics. Rare impressed Nintendo back in the day with their ability to reverse-engineering the NES and publishing over sixty titles for the console, and by utilising Nintendo 64 workstations to produce SNES titles. Wishing to compete with SEGA’s Aladdin (Virgin Games USA, 1993), and seeing the long-dormant Donkey Kong franchise as low risk, Nintendo handed the character to Rare and they assembled a team of twelve developers (their biggest yet) to develop the title. Inspired by the level design of Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo R&D4, 1988), Rare sought to make the game’s levels short bursts of challenging fun that tailoured to a player’s increasing skill level. Kevin Bayliss redesigned Donkey Kong to be more muscular and cartoonish to aid with animation and Rare were given license to completely redesign Donkey Kong Jr. into a brand-new character, Diddy Kong, to act as DK’s physical opposite. Donkey Kong Country was one of the first videogames to utilise pre-rendered 3D graphics; their computers ran night and day to decompile the 3D models into traditional 2D sprites and, although physically taxing for the team, the result was the third-bestselling game on the SNES. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with the game seen as a significant benchmark in the presentation of videogames; the visuals and soundtrack have stood the test of time and the game is still heralded as a classic. Donkey Kong Country re-established the popularity of the brand was followed by a couple of equally well-regarded sequels but has only been sporadically released on other hardware due to legal issues. Thankfully, it was later included in the SNES Classic Edition and to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in 2020 and developers Retro Studios made the franchise relevant again with their 2.5D rebranding of this influential title.

The Plot:
When the greedy King K. Rool steals his beloved banana hoard, Donkey Kong and his nephew, Diddy Kong, set out to recover them from the king’s Kremling army.

Gameplay:
Donkey Kong Country is a 2D, sidescrolling action/platformer that, thanks to the benefit of its pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds, takes on a bit of a 2.5D aesthetic at times. Players take control of the titular ape, now reimagined as a tie-wearing, banana-obsessed scamp more likely to bop on a lizard’s head than toss a barrel at a plumber, but the game does support two players and offers two characters to control. You can go it alone, tagging between the brutish Donkey Kong and his nimbler nephew Diddy Kong with the A button, or play with a friend in simultaneous co-op not unlike Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992), or take it in turns to clear levels in a competitive contest mode. Both Donkey and Diddy Kong share many of the same abilities but are physically distinct in a number of ways: B allows your Kong to jump, Y sees Donkey roll into enemies and Diddy cartwheel into them and also allows both Kongs to pick up and throw a variety of barrels. Donkey Kong is slower, a far larger target, and has a bit of a stunted jump compared to his more agile nephew, though he can slap the ground by pressing down and Y, but you’ll probably want to switch to Diddy to make getting past larger obstacles a little easier or have more control when making jumps. Both Kongs can also squeeze through small gaps and act as the game’s health system; if you have both Kongs onscreen, a hit from an enemy or obstacle won’t kill you, but it will send your partner running off, though you can call them back by finding and tossing one of the many DK barrels scattered across the game’s environments.

The Kongs can use their allies, jumping abilities, and barrels to progress through levels.

For the most part, Donkey Kong Country has you hopping across gaps (often with the aid of swinging ropes), bopping on enemies and collecting bananas. It’s not long before you’re jumping into barrels to clear greater distances and progress forwards; some of these rotate or move side to side and up and down, some automatically fire you and some are activated by a button press, with timing being key to avoiding a fall down a bottomless pit or damage from a spiky Zinger. Platforming quickly becomes trickier as the game progresses, with gaps becoming longer, requiring a roll or cartwheel into a jump for a longer jump, slanted platforms and greater hazards all testing your reaction times. Some stages require you to jump at special Stop & Go barrels to briefly light up the area or deactivate Rockkrocs so you can progress, others are set underwater and see you swimming about with no means of defending yourself unless you find one of the Kongs’ many animal friends, Enguarde. One of the most prominent stage designs are those set in the mines where you’re stuck in a runaway mine cart and must make split second decisions to jump over gaps, hazards, and from mine cart to mine cart to progress, which can be difficult with the low lighting and oncoming enemies. Level hazards soon play their part in the platforming as well, with snowy stages robbing you of your traction, Gnawties trying to crush you in giant wooden wheels, and flaming oil drums not only spitting out an endless supply of baddies but also charbroiling you when you hop to them as temporary platforms. As if falling and moving platforms didn’t make things difficult enough, there’s also a time where you’re forced to jump from a moving conveyor belt to grab fuel drums; you can’t afford to miss a single one or else your platform will fall and won’t come back so you need to make quick decisions about when to jump.

Use lighting, runaway mine carts, and animal buddies to progress and rack up those extra lives.

The game features forty levels, all accessed via a word map; between levels, you’ll automatically progress onwards into new areas, including jungles, rainforests, temples, mines, and caverns, and interact with the Kongs’ allies. Funky Kong allows you to fast travel across the island once you’ve visited at least two areas, Cranky Kong offers fourth-wall breaking advice that comes across more like bitter criticism, and Candy Kong allows you to save your progress (though you can obviously create a save state at any time using the Nintendo Switch’s menu options). The Kongs are also aided by allies within levels as well; they can ride Rambi, Enguarde, Expresso, and Winky to bash through enemies, charge through water, temporarily fly, and spring up even higher, respectively, while Squawks will light your way with a useful lantern. These buddies also act as another hit point and, if you’re hit or jump off them, you can often hop back onto them as they run around the environment, and you can use their abilities to find secret areas in each level. These lead to hordes of more bananas, balloons, or K-O-N-G letters. Collecting a hundred bananas, all four K-O-N-G letters, or a balloon awards an extra life and you’ll be stockpiling a fair amount of these without even trying, but you’ll also find golden buddy statues that will take you to bonus games where you control that animal and must collect as many bananas as possible within a time limit. This all adds to your completion percentage and injects a little gameplay variety to the title, but also encourages exploration as sometimes bananas floating just out of the way indicate a hidden barrel or tossing an explosive barrel at a wall will open up a new bonus area.

Graphics and Sound:  
If I’m being brutally honest, I never really thought too much of Donkey Kong Country’s visual presentation; even as a kid, seeing these pre-rendered 3D models pixelated down to 2D sprites looked a little messy and not quite as crisp as other 2D platformers of the time. However, having said that, I rarely had the chance to be hands-on with the game as a kid, or in the years since, so this is my first time actually playing it from start to finish and the visuals work really well when in motion. Donkey and Diddy Kong are full of life and personality, sporting idle animations and having distinctive movements and quirks when performing the same or similar moves. Their enemies are equally charming, sporting that exaggerated anthropomorphic quirkiness that Rare did so well back in the day, though their animations are noticeably less varied than the two protagonists. One thing I did enjoy was how clean the screen is; the heads-up display is absent until it’s actually required (appearing when you grab pick-ups or earn or lose a life), allowing you to really appreciate the variety of visuals on offer here. While you’re not going to see anything you’ve not seen in a hundred other platformers from Donkey Kong Country’s environments, the game presents them in a wholly unique way with its pre-rendered aesthetic. You’ll be swinging through jungles, jump to broken mine cart tracks in dank mines, and hopping to conveyer belts in a rusted factory all while some absolutely jamming tunes play throughout the game.

The pre-rendered graphics, while a little fuzzy, definitely add to the game’s visual appeal.

There are some opportunities for exploration and experimentation (try charging walls when on Rambi or jumping to bananas up above on Winky) and the game does a fairly decent job of recycling its level tropes with new hazards and such, like having Croctopi chase after you in later underwater sections rather than just spinning around or having you bounce on tyres on moving platforms to cross gaps and gain the extra height needed to avoiding enemies and obstacles. Even better, the game’s locations are bolstered by some environment effects; day turns to night, jungles are battered by thunder, lightning and rain, the frozen mountains become swamped by blizzards, and the mines and caves are seeped in low lighting. Often, there’s no lighting at all, with your sprites being the only things being visible onscreen until you free Squawks or activate a light-up barrel, and the use of lighting and foreground objects really helps to add to the tension when trying to avoid slipping off the edge of a platform and jump to another. Although the game is light on cutscenes, they story is effectively told using dialogue strings between the Kongs and their allies, though the focus here is very much on dropping you into the next action-orientated area to take on an ever-escalating challenge rather than trying to overcomplicate the simple plot. All you need to know is that the banana hoard has been stolen and Cranky is better than you.

Enemies and Bosses:
Donkey and Diddy Kong will face a number of King K. Rool’s most disposable pawns in their quest, from regular Kremlings like the Kritters to their more jumper variants, to voracious little crocodiles, sharks, and slippery snakes. Wasp-like Zingers will often be found hovering around in mid-air, usually surrounding a platform or a barrel you need to blast to; larger enemies will prove difficult for Diddy to take out without a barrel so you might want to switch to Donkey Kong if you’re having trouble, and orangutans will incessantly throw barrels at you in a fun call-back to the original Donkey Kong. Spiked wheels, hungry fish, and vultures will also cause a headache, especially the latter as you’re often asked to fire your Kong/s at a flock of vultures to bounce off them and reach out of the way platforms, which can be tricky to do as if you hold the directional pad for too long you could overshoot and if you don’t hold it long enough then you’ll undershoot.

While Queen B. stands out, the repeats of Gnawty and Necky were disappointing to see.

Each area of Donkey Kong Country houses a boss battle; victory against one of King K. Rool’s elite earns the Kongs a large, Nintendo-branded banana and allows them to progress onwards to the next area but, while you’ll fight seven bosses in the game, only three of them are unique and the others are, disappointingly, reskins and repeats of each other. The first boss you’ll take on is Very Gnawty, a giant beaver who hops about in a cavern full of the Kongs’ bananas; with each hit he takes, his jumps get a little faster, but it doesn’t take much at all to put him down. It’s thus disappointing when this same boss is repeated for the fourth battle, even though Really Gnawty jumps much higher and is noticeably much more aggressive in his attack patterns. The second boss you’ll fight is the Master Necky, a huge vulture who pops his head in from the left or right side of the screen to spit bouncy coconuts at you; thankfully, there’s a tyre conveniently placed in the centre of the boss room that you can use to avoid his projectiles and hop onto his head. This boss is recycled for the penultimate boss battle as well; again, Master Necky Snr. might have a different colour palette and be a bit more aggressive, but he’s essentially the same boss battle, which I can’t help but be a little let down by considering how good the game is otherwise. Thankfully, Queen B. mixes things up a little bit; this gigantic Zinger flies around the arena in a specific pattern, immune to all attacks except a barrel to the face. However, she becomes temporarily invulnerable and hyper aggressive after each hit, so you’ll need to position yourself in the right place to avoid her erratic swoops.

While Dumb Dum destroys itself, King K. Rool tricks you into thinking you’ve won…

Dumb Drum also stands out as a unique boss battle; a giant, sentient drum, this guy tries to crush you from above and spits out a number of enemies into the area that you’ll need to take out. You can’t damage Dumb Drum no matter how hard you try; you simply have to outlast it and it’ll take itself out from ramming the ground once too often. Finally, you’ll confront the Kongs’ mortal enemy, King K. Rool, onboard his pirate ship, which stands as the final area of the game. King K. Rool has two methods of attack; first, he’ll run from one side of the screen to the other and try to charge into you, then he stands on one side and tosses his crown at you as a projectile. When he does this, it leaves him vulnerable to attack so you can jump on his head and, after a few hits, he’ll fold like paper and the credits will roll. Well, the “kredits”, at least, and it turns out that this is a fake-out as King K. Rool pops back up for another round. This time, his charge is much faster, and he also causes bouncing cannonballs to rain down from above, which can be difficult to avoid unless you make use of Diddy’s smaller hit box. Otherwise, your strategy remains the same; jump over him, avoid his projectiles and hazards, and hop on his head until he’s done in for good and you get to enjoy the real credits sequence (and Cranky’s embittered criticism of your performance).

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Your primary power-up in Donkey Kong Country will be those DK barrels; you’ll want to break these open every chance you get to have both Kongs at your disposal and stave off a death from your next hit but be sure to not accidentally break them if you don’t need them. Star-branded barrels acts as checkpoints and a number of other barrels (wooden, metal, and TNT ones) can be thrown as projectiles to take out one or a whole group of baddies in single throw. Otherwise, you’ll want to collect every banana you see and hunt down those K-O-N-G letters and red balloons to rack up some extra lives and keep an eye out for golden buddy statues or hidden rooms where you can earn more of them to access bonus stages. Finally, of course, there are the buddies themselves, with Enguarde being especially useful to making navigating those maze-like coral reefs that much easier.

Additional Features:
The ending you get (or, at least, the feedback you get from Cranky Kong) is directly tied to how many of the game’s secrets you uncover; this includes finding all of the K-O-N-G letters, hidden rooms, and bonus areas, all of which adds to the completion percentage seen on your save file. However, while you’re free to revisit and replay every level in the game and try to find every secret, it’s not actually necessary and you don’t get anything for it except for bragging rights. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch Online version of the game allows you to make use of the save state and rewind features to make playing this game a breeze; now, if you make a mistake, you can just rewind or reload your game and try again, which is a God send in some of the game’s trickier sections.

The Summary:
It’s always exciting for me, a childhood SEGA boy, to finally play classic Nintendo titles. I’ve always had a fascination with the SNES and love to get my hands on the system’s most famous games whenever I can, and a full playthrough of Donkey Kong Country has been a long time coming for me. Despite my apprehension concerning the graphical style, the game holds up really well; environments pop through some fun and unexpected weather and lighting effects and Donkey and Diddy Kong never fail to impress when they’re onscreen, controlling and animating beautifully. Enemy and hazard placement becomes increasingly challenging, but not impossible, and I liked how many of the levels were short, sharp bursts of action that tested your reaction times. I can’t imagine playing the game on the original hardware without the aid of save states or the rewind feature, however, as I think it would’ve become quite frustrating quite quickly even though the game dishes out the extra lives like they’re going out of business. It’s a little disappointing that the game didn’t do more with its levels and bosses; repeating boss battles is always as much of a let down for me as a boss gauntlet, but I enjoyed the addition of ridable animal buddies, the hidden secrets and bonus rooms, and that trademark Rare humour that pushes you to find everything. In the end, I can see why Donkey Kong Country is so beloved; I’ve definitely played better 2D platformers but there’s so much more happening here than the unique visual style and it’s easily one of the best, basic platforming adventures of the 16-bit era.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to Donkey Kong Country? Did you own the game for the SNES as a kid and, if so, were you surprised by Donkey Kong’s dramatic visual overhaul? Did you find all of the game’s secrets and bonus rooms? Which of the animal buddies was your favourite to control and did you favour Donkey or Diddy Kong when playing? Were you disappointed that the boss battles weren’t more diverse and what did you think to the fake-out ending? 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 or share them on my social media.

Game Corner [Turtle Tuesday]: TMNT: Turtles in Time (Xbox Series X)

Dr. K8 Comments

The first issue of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) was published in May of 1984. Since then, the TMNT have gone on to achieve worldwide mainstream success thanks not only to their original comics run but also a number of influential cartoons, videogames, and wave-upon-wave of action figures. This year, I’m emphasising third entries and time travel shenanigans in the popular franchise every Tuesday in May!

GameCorner

Released: 30 August 2022
Originally Released: March 1991 (Arcade) / 24 July 1992 (SNES)
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Original Developer: Konami
Also Available For: Arcade, GameCube, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S

The Background:
Back in the late-eighties and early-nineties, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (or Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles for us Brits) took the lives of children everywhere by storm. Before Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (1993 to 1996) and Pokémon (1997 to present) dominated playgrounds, Christmases, and birthdays alike, kids were transfixed by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 to 1996) animated series. A toned down version of the original, far darker Mirage Comics publications, the “Heroes in a Half-Shell” were so popular that they spawned not just a series of live-action movies (of varying quality), but also additional comic book spin-offs, a beloved line of action figures, and a whole host of videogames. It was Konami’s efforts with the original TMNT arcade game that laid the foundation for some of the franchise’s most influential gaming ventures and the developers sought to expand upon those efforts with this equally beloved sequel. Bigger, better, and longer than its predecessor, much of Turtles in Time’s impact can be attributed to the surprisingly faithful home console port that wowed SNES gamers back in the day, and the game was so memorable that it received an unfairly lambasted 2.5D remake in 2009. Though ports of Turtles in Time have been sporadically available, its remake was de-listed from digital stores for the better part of eleven years, meaning Turtles in Time was (ironically) lost to time until it was included in this Cowabunga Collection for modern consoles alongside a host of other games and quality of life features. As both the arcade and SNES versions are included in this collection, and the differences between the two don’t really warrant two separate reviews, I’ll be including both versions in this review.

The Plot:
The Turtles leap into action when Krang steals the Statue of Liberty, only to be sent hurtling through time courtesy of a time warp activated by their archnemesis, Oroku Saki/The Shredder, forcing them to fight Shredder’s army in both the past and the future in order to get home.

Gameplay:
Like its predecessor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is a sidescrolling beat-‘em-up that supports up to four players; supposedly, two-player arcade cabinets were released and the arcade version never made it over to Japan, but this version of the game allows both on- and offline co-operative play, though the SNES version of the game is limited to two player simultaneous co-op. As ever, players can select from one of the four Ninja Turtles who all control exactly the same but play slightly differently depending on the reach of their weapons (putting Raphael at a disadvantage). Gameplay is limited to two primary buttons, with X allowing you to attack and string together basic combos and B letting you jump; you can press X in mid-air for a flying attack and press X and B together to perform a power attack that doesn’t seem to drain your health meter. Once again, you have no dash options or dashing attack, but you can now slam and hurl enemies about by hitting X when up close to them and you can pull off a “back attack” to fend off enemies attacking from behind.

Despite a dip in graphics, the SNES version holds up surprisingly well to its arcade counterpart.

Turtles in Time is much bigger and longer than the last game, sporting nine levels to play through, each of which being far livelier and with more opportunities to interact with the environment. You can hit traffic cones, hydrants, explosive barrels, and boxes of fireworks to take out enemies but, even better, onscreen hazards like wrecking balls can also damage enemies. Hazards like these are far more plentiful this time around, including loose floorboards, mines, and electrical bolts from turrets and Krang’s massive exosuit so it pays to keep your wits about you and not just charge blindly ahead. Gameplay is mixed up a bit with two levels dedicated to fast-paced, autoscrolling action, first on a hoverboard in Sewer Surfin’ and then on a floating disk in Neon Night Riders; your combat options remain the same here, but some enemies are a little harder to hit as they’re floating above you and you’ll need quick reflexes to dodge hazards like the spiked gates and mines. The SNES version offers not only an additional score bonus for these stages but even includes an extra level, complete with a traditional elevator gauntlet.

Graphics and Sound:
Visually, the game is very similar to its predecessor; I’m pretty sure the sprites are all exactly the same, bar maybe a few additional animations and enemy variants, but they’re just as colourful and full of life as before. Every character pops against the background, has some limited idle animation, and the likes of Splinter and April O’Neil (depending on which version you’re playing) will appear to hurry you along if you dawdle. Voice clips are used to great effect, especially in the arcade release, with the Turtles shrieking, “My toes! My noes!” when hurt by spikes and ending every stage with a triumphant cry of “Cowabunga!” alongside a victory animation. Voice samples are far sparser and more dulled in the SNES version, naturally, which relies more on subtitles and its own sound effects, but both games still perfectly capture the quirky and slapstick nature of the cartoon. The SNES version also presents a different version of the Neon Night Riders stage, with the action taking place from behind the characters and the stage tweaked to make use of the console’s “Mode 7” features.

The game is noticeably bigger than before, with the SNES version even boasting new features.

Environments are far more varied this time around; thanks to the time travel plot, the TMNT don’t just fight through the streets and sewers of New York City but are also transported back to a prehistoric jungle (complete with shimmering heat effects from the lava and a cave full of falling stalactites), a pirate ship full of loose planks, a speeding train in the Old West, and the neon streets of the far-flung future! Levels are noticeably longer and with more enemies, with no visible slowdown, though the SNES version is automatically slower since you can’t activate a “Turbo Mode” to speed things up. The SNES version of the game does add a whole new Technodrome level, however, and swaps some bosses around, even replacing one entirely with one of my favourite villains from the series. Both versions of the game use big, colourful art to tell their story, with the SNES version offering different endings depending on the difficulty setting you played on. Finally, while the SNES version features some popping tunes and a decent rendition of the TMNT theme song, the arcade version impresses with its funky, adrenaline-pumping soundtrack and even boasts a rendition of “Pizza Power” for its introduction sequence.

Enemies and Bosses:
As is tradition for a TMNT videogame, you’ll primarily be fighting your way through hordes of robotic Foot Soldiers; these come in all different colours and variants, from the regular, easily dispatched purple ones to weapon-wielding goons garbed in red, silver, or yellow. These guys will toss shuriken at you, stab at you with spears and swords, toss giant bombs, or swing axes; they also come flying in on dinosaurs, charge at you on fire-breathing Velociraptors, and pilot flying machines. Robots also return as notable enemies, with one wildly swinging its boxing gloves at you, though you’ll only encounter Mousers in the SNES version of the game. There are some new enemies in Turtles in Time, too, including the Xenomorph-like Pizza Monsters and the Rock Soldiers, who charge at you and wield high-powered weapons of their own.

Bosses are more visually varied, especially in the SNES version.

Also, as is to be expected, some of the TMNT’s most recognisable foes return to dog you as end of level bosses. The first you’ll encounter is Baxter Stockman, now mutated into his human fly form; Baxter hovers overhead firing at you with a machine gun, only to switch to sending out plasma fists after you’ve damaged him enough. At the end of Alleycat Blues, you’ll battle Metalhead, who attacks from a distance with his extendable arms and legs and flies at you courtesy of a rocket-powered kick, though he has a tendency to stop and gloat and leave himself open to a counterattack. Sewer Surfin’ doesn’t feature a boss in the arcade version, instead forcing you to fend of a swarm of Pizza Monsters, but you’ll take on the Rat King in the SNES version, which is much more interesting and exciting as he’s in his little hovercraft and fires missiles and mines at you. Similarly, you face the underwhelming Cement Man in the arcade version of the Prehistoric Turtlesaurus level, with the mud-like goon sliming about the place and trapping you in mud, but the SNES version replaces him with Slash! This deranged doppelgänger is far more formidable, slashing at you with his jagged blade and spinning about the place as a whirling shell of bladed fury, making him a far worthier adversary.

Boss battles feature different phases and more formidable attack patterns this time.

After battling across the deck of a pirate ship, you’ll face both Tokka and Rahzar; while they simple charge, swipe, and hop about in the arcade version, they’re much more formidable in the SNES version, where they appear in the new Technodrome stage and sport flame and freezing breath and act as sub-bosses. In the SNES version of the pirate ship level, Bepop and Rocksteady take Tokka and Rahzar’s place; garbed in theme-appropriate attire, they attack you with a whip and sword, respectively. The hulking Leatherhead awaits at the end of the train stage, scurrying about the place, lashing at you with his tail, and tossing daggers your way, while you’ll go one-on-one with Krang while racing through the futuristic streets of 2020 A.D. Krang’s a lot less of a threat compared to the last game, dashing at you with a kick, smacking you with a clap attack, and firing missiles from his chest, but he resurfaces in the Technodrome stage. Now flying a UFO, he drops Mousers into the arena and teleports about to avoid your attacks, but the SNES version also adds a bubble-like projectile to his arsenal and has him more erratically which, in conjunction with his height, can make him a difficult target.

The Shredder is far more persistent and dangerous in the SNES version of the game.

Naturally, you’ll also do battle with the TMNT’s mortal enemy, the Shredder. However, in the SNES version of the game, you actually battle him twice and the final battle is noticeably different in both versions. The first time you face him is at the end of the new Technodrome level, where he hops behind the controls of some unseen giant mech and blasts at you with bullets while swiping with a retractable claw arm in perhaps one of the game’s most memorable boss battles. To defeat the Shredder, you need to avoid his targeting reticule and hurl Foot Soldiers at him in a fun bit of innovation, though this can be tricky to do due to poor visibility and the sheer number of enemies and projectiles. The Shredder awaits in the final stage of the game, too, where the Statue of Liberty looms in the background; in the arcade version, he attacks with his sword and martial arts skills while also sending out plasma hands similar to Baxter and once again sporting an instant death regression blast that turns you back into a regular turtle. In the SNES version, Shredder immediately transforms into his far more formidable Super Shredder form; protected by a flaming aura, Super Shredder sends fireballs flying your way, shoots flames along the ground, and fires bolts into the air while dashing about the screen at breakneck speed.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Unfortunately, for all the additions Turtles in Time sports, power-ups are not one of them. You can still replenish your health with the odd pizza box but the only other power-up available to pick up is a bomb pizza item that sends you into a frenzy for a few seconds.

Additional Features:
As is to be expected, the arcade release is limited in its options; you can play with up to four other players both on- and offline and try to out-do your last high score, but there’s not much else on offer beyond playing through this awesome game as a different character. The SNES version might have taken a graphical hit but actually boasts a few interesting additional features: you can go head-to-head against a friend in versus mode, take on three courses in a time trial mode, pick from three difficulty settings (with different continues and endings assigned to each), set your maximum number of lives, and enjoy the benefits of a sound test. You can also pick between two colour schemes, “Comic” and “Animation”, which gives the TMNT new colour palettes, which is a nice touch. Naturally, the Cowabunga Collection adds a number slew of extra features to the list, however; first, you’ll gain a 70G Achievement for finishing each game, you can use the Left Bumper to rewind, and use the Right Bumper to access save states and display options. The arcade version can be further enhanced with a level select, God Mode (which makes you invincible and allows one-hit kills on most enemies and bosses), the removal of the penalty bombs that kill you if you linger about, and the ability to activate the far harder “Nightmare Mode” and speed things up with Turbo Mode. The SNES version isn’t lacking in similar options, boasting a level select and additional lives, while also providing every boss with a helpful life meter. Even better, you’ll still get your Achievements even with these enhancements activated and you can again peruse a strategy guide, switch between the American and Japanese versions (with minimal differences that I could see), view the game’s box art and manuals, and even choose to simply watch the game play itself.

The Summary:
There’s a reason Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is remembered so fondly; it really was the quintessential TMNT videogame at the time, taking everything that was so good about the original arcade release and expanding on it with larger, more varied stages and far more interesting boss battles. While the gameplay remains very much the same and there’s a distinct and disappointing lack of power-ups, the game is much more enjoyable than its predecessor, offering more enemies and more visually interesting environments to battle through. The SNES release, while noticeably lacking in visual and audio quality, is a surprisingly faithful recreation of its arcade counterpart; sporting some nifty additional features and new levels and bosses, it’s easy to see why it was a must-have game for the system back in the day. The Cowabunga Collection only adds to the appeal of both games, offering numerous quality of life options to make gameplay a breeze and preserving these two classic arcade beat-‘em-ups for a whole new generation. There may be better beat-‘em-up titles out there, with more gameplay variety, more power-ups, and more options available, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles videogames didn’t get much better than Turtles in Time when it was released and it’s a joy to see it more readily available so others can experience the fast-paced, action-packed pick-up-and-play thrill of these simplistic brawlers.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you ever play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time out in the wild? How do you think it compares to other TMNT videogames and similar arcade fighters? Did you own the SNES version? If so, what did you think to the new levels and bosses and were you impressed with the conversion from the arcade original? Which of the characters was your go-to and which of the game’s bosses was your favourite? What did you think to the additional features added to the Cowabunga Collection? Which of the four Turtles is your favourite (and why is it Raphael?) Whatever your thoughts, I’d love to hear your memories of Turtles in Time down in the comments!

Game Corner [Turtle Tuesday]: TMNT III: Radical Rescue (Xbox Series X)

Dr. K1 Comment

The first issue of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) was published in May of 1984. Since then, the TMNT have gone on to achieve worldwide mainstream success thanks not only to their original comics run but also a number of influential cartoons, videogames, and wave-upon-wave of action figures. This year, I’m emphasising third entries and time travel shenanigans in the popular franchise every Tuesday in May!

GameCorner

Released: 30 August 2022
Originally Released: 25 November 1993
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Original Developer: Konami
Also Available For: Game Boy, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S

The Background:
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were almost unrivalled in popularity back in the late-eighties and early-nineties; known as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles here in the UK, the “Heroes in a Half-Shell” dominated an entire generation with their comics, cartoon, extensive toy line, and videogames. Konami’s efforts not only proved a hit at arcades but also took 16-bit gamers by storm and helped to make Nintendo a household name in the UK. Additionally, Konami produced three handheld TMNT titles for Nintendo’s ground-breaking portable console, the Game Boy; though restricted by the Game Boy hardware, the first two games impressed in their ambition and even tried to incorporate elements from the arcade releases. However, for this third game, Konami chose to completely overhaul not just the graphics and gameplay, but the genre too; unlike the previous two handheld efforts, Radical Rescue was a “Metroidvania” title with a heavy emphasis on exploration rather than mindless brawling. This resulted in mixed reviews, with some criticising the decision due to the Game Boy’s hardware being insufficient for such a genre and others praising the genre shift as a means to improve upon its predecessors. Either way, Radical Rescue remained a Game Boy exclusive title for nearly thirty years before it was finally re-released in the 2022 Cowabunga Collection alongside a host of other TMNT games and quality of life features.

The Plot:
When their arch-nemesis, Oroku Saki/The Shredder, strikes again by kidnapping their master and father-figure, Splinter, the TMNT leap into action one turtle short. Now Michelangelo must venture into the Shredder’s hazardous mine to rescue his brothers, and their master, and put a stop to their enemy’s latest scheme.

Gameplay:
As mentioned, Radical Rescue is a 2D adventure game with a heavy emphasis on exploration as much as combat; it thus falls under the “Metroidvania” banner and will have you constantly consulting a barely useful grid-like map to discover new paths and areas to explore in your quest to locate the other TMNT. This means that, unlike every other TMNT game I’ve ever played up to this point, you can’t select a character from the start; instead, you’re stuck with Michelangelo and must defeat bosses to acquire keys to free his brothers and then hunt down key cards to access new areas, using each turtle’s unique skills to get past enemies and obstacles. Each turtle controls the same; you use X to attack and A to jump and press X while jumping to do a flying kick. Unlike in the TMNT’s last two Game Boy outings, you can neither throw shurikens or perform a slide kick with down and X, though you can toss shuriken when climbing ladders and you’re able to switch to one of the other turtles at any time from the pause menu and each one not only has their signature weapons but comes with different abilities to get past hazards and access new areas of Shredder’s diabolical mine. Mikey actually ends up being one of the most useful characters; I found myself defaulting back to him a lot as he can perform a helicopter-like glide with his nunchakus when you press and hold A while jumping, which is great for drifting past spike pits or reaching out of the way platforms.

Each turtle has their own unique abilities to aid with exploration as well as combat.

While I can’t be certain, I’m fairly sure that the game forces you to rescue each of Mikey’s brothers in a specific order; I definitely found myself following a particularly path but then my logic was based simply on going for whichever boss and key card was closest to where I was. Thus, the first turtle I rescued was Leonardo, who’s given the bizarre ability to burrow through certain blocks by pressing down and A, effectively turning him into a living drill. Next, I rescued Raphael who can pop into his shell with down and A to pass harmlessly over spikes (until you inevitably have to jump up to a platform) and through small gaps and tunnels; this also makes him immune to certain attacks, which is helpful. Finally, I rescued Donatello, who can cling to and scale walls by jumping at them, which is basically required to access the final areas of the mines. Naturally, each turtle has their own strengths and weaknesses in combat, with Raph and Mike limited in their reach compared to their brothers, but I found myself favouring Mike since there’s more emphasis on jumping than any of the turtle’s other abilities. Every time you defeat a boss, your health will be fully restored, which is useful; rescuing a turtle (and, later, Splinter) grants you a password that you can jot down from the pause screen to continue if you fail in your quest, but your main enemy here will be trying to find your way around the mine and surviving its mechanical trap rooms.

Exploration and backtracking are greatly emphasised to find secrets and rescue your allies.

Radical Rescue all takes part in one large interconnected map; you start on the outside of the main area and venture out here a couple of times to reach other otherwise inaccessible parts of the mine, and will go through doors (either using a key card or passing through from a certain direction) to enter mechanical areas where a boss lurks. These areas, and the mine itself, and crawling with respawning enemies and numerous hazards; we’ve got falling boulders, spike pits, wall lasers, bursts of flame, ceiling spikes, Foot Soldiers trying to run you down in giant mine carts, and extremely annoying bubble-like projectiles that clog up the screen and follow you incessantly. The Cowbunga Collection allows you to activate “helpful map icons” and I’d definitely recommend doing this; it doesn’t help the basic nature of the map but it’s useful to know that you’re heading to a boss, key card, or captive in need of rescue. This will serve you well when it comes to exploration; naturally, you’re somewhat limited in how far you can go in the mines when you only have one or two turtles on hand but, when you have them all, it’s very easy to get turned around because the map is so simplistic and many of the game’s environments all look the same. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to locate a captive turtle but not have a key or to run into a door that requires a key card you haven’t gotten yet, or to have to backtrack halfway across the map to get an item you require. Once you get used to the map and have all four turtles rescued, exploration gets a little easier; you can take shortcuts by climbing or digging down certain areas, for example, but a quick travel system to the four compass points of the map would’ve been much appreciated.

Graphics and Sound:  
To be fair, Radical Rescue is a step up from the TMNT’s last two Game Boy titles. Sprites are smaller now, but actually benefit from it; you get more screen space to work with and the game runs much smoother by default. As a trade-off, though, the game’s taken a step back in some areas; Leo and Raph only hold one of their weapons again, there are no idle animations, and the common Foot Soldiers simply wander about the place. However, the TMNT are far more versatile this time around; their new abilities help them to be more unique and offer up some new ways to play and some new animations and the boss sprites are far bigger and more visually interesting. Additionally, the story cutscenes are the best yet for a TMNT Game Boy title; text and large sprite art are used to convey the general plot and whenever you rescue an ally and, while these barely contain any frames of animation, they’re much more detailed than in the previous games.

The visuals are far better but environments are too similar to impress all that much.

The game’s music isn’t bad, either; while sound bites are at a minimum this time around, Radical Rescue still features a pretty good version of the classic TMNT theme and each area of the game has different music associated with it. However, where the game falters, for me, is in the variety of its presentation; while it’s nice to not be ploughing through the sewers, streets, and Technodrome again, I question the logic of setting the entire game in a drab, repetitive mine. Sure, there are ladders, lanterns, and some different rocky formations here and there but the Game Boy simply isn’t powerful enough to make this large and boring environment visually interesting. When you’re outside, it’s a different story; the background is still quite plain and generally just shows clouds or mountains, but it’s a nice change of pace from rocks and shit. The mechanical areas do help to break things up as well, but these all look and feel the same as well; it’s way too easy to get lost because most of these areas are largely indistinguishable from each other. I think it would’ve helped to theme them after the elements; have one take place under water or covered in snow, one have more lava pits and fire hazards, maybe implement a wind theme…anything but the same screens over and over. In this way, while Radical Rescue is easily the biggest and most involved of the TMNT’s Game Boy adventures, it also paradoxically feels the least innovative because it’s just not very engaging to plod from one dark cave to one mechanical hellscape and back again.

Enemies and Bosses:
As is to be expected, the Shredder’s Foot Soldiers are all over the place. Unlike in the TMNT’s last two Game Boy games, they’re a little bit more competent here; they mostly just wander around but the greater emphasis on horizontal and vertical exploration means they’re often in awkward places and the fact that they constantly respawn can make traversal a bit difficult at times. The Foot Soldiers will toss grenades at you (which you can destroy), wield pickaxes, and fly overhead with jetpacks to drop bombs on you, as well as try to run you down in large mine carts. You’ll also encounter little laser firing spider-like robots, these weird rock-like humanoids, and mechanical frog-like enemies that hop about and fire at you. Traditional TMNT enemies like Mousers and Roadkill Rodneys are absent here, replaced by swooping bats and an abundance of environmental hazards, such as homing missiles and spikes. Another area where Radical Rescue is a step back from its predecessors is its bosses; the game boasts only five boss battles, with all but one being some of the TMNT’s more obscure enemies (at least for me). Each one sports a health meter and each boss fight takes place in an enclosed arena that’s ripped right out of the Mega Man series (Capcom, 1987 to present).

Bosses are fought in enclosed arenas and will test your patience at times.

The first boss I thought was Scratch, who jumps about, swipes at you up close, and hurls a ball and chain at you from a distance. Scratch very much sets the standard for Radical Rescue’s bosses in that they have quite large hit boxes, deal quick, heavy, and nigh-unavoidable damage up close, and you need to get into a bit of a rhythm to land an attack; rather then simply tank through their hits and whittle their health down, it’s better to keep your distance and play things smart, something that serves you well in the fight against Dirtbag. This mining mole dashes at you with a super annoying uppercut and swipes with his pickaxe, but will also leap into the air and stun you if you’re touching the ground when he is. It’s pretty hard to avoid him as he always aims to land on top of you, so you need to jump away and then quickly double back to hit him and then jump away again to avoid taking damage. I was probably getting the hang of the game by the time I fought the Triceraton as he actually seemed a bit easier; for this fight, stay out of his crosshairs and avoid the lighting bolt he fires out while being mindful of his charge attack, but otherwise he’s not too dissimilar from the Rocksteady and Bebop bosses of previous TMNT games.

As if battling these tricky bosses wasn’t bad enough, you’re forced into a boss rush before the finale.

Lastly, you’ll battle with Scale Tail, probably the most difficult of the four main bosses; Scale Tail lashes at you with his tail when you’re up close and spits a projectile at you that becomes a plume of fire. If you manage to avoid this, the snake will try to blow you into the hazard, though this is actually your best chance to attack him providing you can fight against the rush of air and avoid taking damage from his large hit box. After battling through the hazardous final section of the game, you’ll have to fight all four bosses again, one after the other, with no health items or reprieve between each bout! While this is easily one of the laziest gameplay mechanics of any game, I actually found the bosses a little easier the second time through, probably because I was more aware of their attack patterns and had a tried-and-tested strategy in mind for beating them. After defeating them all again, you’ll get to take on “Cyber Shredder” in a two-phase boss battle where he gets a whole new health bar after the first round while you get nothing, making for easily the toughest segment of the game. Shredder flies across the screen with a knee attack, levitates overhead and spams a diving kick, throws kicks at you up close, and launches an orb-like projectile that becomes a plume of fire. In the second phase of the fight, these flames are bigger, the Shredder gains an aerial projectile, and his attacks become faster and more aggressive.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Unfortunately, despite being a Metroidvania adventure, Radical Rescue doesn’t offer anything that new in terms of pick-ups and power-ups. Each turtle acts as a power-up in a way, offering new traversal options, but the best you’ll hope for in any tangible way is the odd slice of pizza dropped by defeated enemies to refill your health. Two new aspects though, are the ability to pick up and store a whole pizza, which will replenish your health bar when it’s drained (a literal lifesaver in boss rooms) and the ability to permanently extend your health bar by picking up hearts hidden throughout the game.

Additional Features:
Another way Radical Rescue is a bit of a step back is the lack of any in-game options; there are no difficulty settings here, no bonus games, and the only real option available to players is to continue their progress with the password system. When playing the Cowabunga Collection, you’ll net a sweet 70G Achievement for completing the game; you can also check out the game’s box art and manuals, switch between the Japanese and American version, apply various borders and display options (including an LCD display to recreate the feeling of playing on the Game Boy’s eye-watering screen) and make use of a strategy guide for some helpful tips. While the only enhancement on offer is to activate helpful map icons, you can still rewind the game with the Left Bumper and access save states using Right Bumper, both of which are incredibly helpful during the game’s trickier platforming and boss sections.

The Summary:
I was completely caught off-guard by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue; I was not expecting it to be this sprawling Metroidvania-style game and it took me some time to come to terms with the dramatic genre shift compared to the more action-oriented TMNT games I’ve played. That’s not to say there’s a lack of combat here; you’ll still be busting plenty of heads, but the emphasis is much more on exploration, back-tracking, and thinking about how to get past obstacles and progress to new areas. In some ways, this is much appreciated; the game is surprisingly big, definitely offers something different from the TMNT’s usual games, and I liked that the TMNT each had their own abilities to help differentiate them. While I appreciate that it’s offering something different, it’s pretty tough to find your way around the repetitive environments and I’m unimpressed by the mine setting, as large as it is. There was also little incentive for me to switch between turtles, the bosses were unnecessarily troublesome at times, the inclusion of a boss rush was beyond lazy, and I don’t think the enemies, environments, or bosses really captured the depth of the TMNT license. Still, the gameplay wasn’t bad and it’s clear that Konami had finally come to grips with the Game Boy’s capabilities by this point so it’s probably worth another go-around as long as you play this version of the game, with all the handy features to get around its more frustrating aspects.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue in your Game Boy library back in the day? What did you think to genre shift towards exploration and Metroidvania mechanics? Which character’s ability was your favourite and which one did you play as the most? What did you think the the game’s presentation and the boss battles? What’s your favourite Metroidvania title? Whatever you think about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue, feel free to share them in the comments below or leave your thoughts on my social media.