Hiiiiiii again!

My review: Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is Kirby's Return to Dream Land, with more stuff. You'll probably dig it because Return to Dream Land ruled. Goodnight everybody!

[caption id="attachment_364232" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe (Switch)
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: February 24, 2023
MSRP: $59.99

Whoa, this thing is 60 bucks?! Well, you probably want a full review. It's worth 60 bucks. Goodnight again! But seriously folks, it's worth it. Over a decade ago, it could be tough to explain to people why I was originally so drawn to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and barely anyone even asked. Maybe it was because it released at the tail-end of the Wii's lifecycle, but people barely talked about it back then, or since, in my circles. Hopefully that'll change with this re-release on Switch.

If it had to describe it in brief why this game works so well, I would say that it's just a plain old "clean" Kirby experience. There's not a lot of nonsense here, and the hook of fixing up newcomer Magolor's ship is a tad more interesting than "Dedede or some other upfront big bad most be stopped again." There are a few hiccups that are still present. I'm not a big fan of the "Super Ability" mechanic (where Kirby basically goes Super Saiyan in select sections and destroys everything on-screen with the press of a button), especially in multiplayer where the other three characters are taking a backseat. But those sections are usually at the end of an already great stage, and bookended by a dimensional challenge room that you can open up with said Super Ability.

That's the beauty of the Kirby formula. Most of the lows you'll encounter are over in a flash, and it's time to move to the next thing. With the ability to have four players tap in as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee (or any number of Kirbys), it also becomes a lightning rod for a relaxing multiplayer affair. Drop-in/out support further adds to the laid back feel of this packed game, made for pretty much everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWoeRuFWo8

Return to Dream Land has a tight collective of copy abilities too, backed-up by the fantastic additions of Mecha and Sand — which are completely new to the Deluxe/Switch edition — as well as the returning ability of "Festival," which was added from Kirby Star Allies. Sand in particular became a new all-time favorite of mine, and I found myself going for it frequently when I had the choice in pre-boss-battle rooms. It has just enough simplicity to it with the right amount of flair, as it's a mixture of short and mid-range sand flinging and grabbing; to the point where you need to be in the thick of fights with a more active playstyle. A few existing copy abilities have been tweaked too to give them more mechanical options.

More Deluxe-specific tweaks include a "Helper Magolor" option, which saves you from pits like Beat in the Mega Man series: perfect for youngsters or first-timers who might sap the collective extra life pool. The addition of masks in Return to Dream Land Deluxe (which are like aesthetic optional collectibles you can paste on your face) is a cute idea, barring the fact that some of them look like you're wearing other character's skin (my wife had a field day picking out the most disturbing combinations).

OK, so onto the new stuff. One big draw of this re-release is the post-game mode Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler. Unlocked after clearing the core game for the first time (which will take you roughly five hours), this new mode will take you a few more hours to finish, and deals with Magolor's redemption arc, who is playable (and full four player support, with everyone using clones of Magolor). I wouldn't go in expecting anything really crucial lore-wise (which is kind of a given for a Kirby game), but it's a fun little few-hour romp that puts you in the driver's seat of Magolor himself, with some tricks of his own.

[caption id="attachment_364233" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Little Mag can levitate, toss fireballs, chuck bombs, trigger a Shinku Hadoken blast special, and so on. At first you'll have very little in terms of powers at your disposal, but you'll quickly change that as you earn level/skill-up currency through collectibles and simply clearing stages. Those stages are designed with his abilities in mind, but sadly, the vast majority of enemies (even bosses) are reskins. That said, it makes up for that shortcoming in other ways. It has an addictive low floor/high ceiling formula, where you can technically clear everything without much trouble; but earning the Platinum ranking for each stage could take some time. When combined with the progression system, it's a nice little extra on top of everything else. About that!

Merry Magoland is another new addition, which makes it way easier to play through the minigames present in the original, with some extras. My local group got sucked into Merry Magoland pretty easily, as it provides 10 distinct subgames to play with friends, with some variants/extras/additional difficulty settings. Think of stuff like the classic Samurai Kirby reaction time game, a shooting gallery (with reticles to boot), and so on. Every few levels we'd swap between the two and have a bit of friendly competition.

"Extra" mode also returns from the original (which is a riff on the series' popular second, tougher challenge-like run), as does the arena challenge series. It's neat how both the core game and Merry Magoland feed into each other too, as you can earn stamps for the latter in the former, and use mask rewards in any mode. Both even have a easy-access "swap to the other mode" button when you're in both hubs. Synergy!

[caption id="attachment_364234" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is going to be a hard sell at full price for folks who already felt like they got everything they needed out of the original release: but if you remotely like Kirby and haven't picked any series entries up in a while, it's hard to go wrong with this one. HAL Laboratory has perfected the formula over the past three decades or so, cramming in tons of stuff to do and catering to a more hardcore aged-up Kirby audience: without forgetting the original ethos of the franchise. Hopefully with the Switch's high install base, it'll get the attention it deserves this time.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe appeared first on Destructoid.

Is mayonnaise an instrument?

When SpongeBob SquarePants debuted in 1999, I had just said goodbye to Nicktoons and Nickelodeon as a whole. Arguably, I should have parted with that part of my childhood a few years earlier, but I was a late bloomer. Nevertheless, the misadventures of the little yellow sponge that lived in a pineapple under the sea would fly under my radar for several years. It wasn't until my final year of high school that I, bored at home one afternoon, decided to give the show a go during one of its many marathons.

I remember the first episode I saw. It was "Graveyard Shift," the episode where SpongeBob and Squidward have to work 24-hour shifts at the Krusty Krab. If you've seen it, you know the episode goes for kid-friendly horror and ends with an out-of-left-field cameo from Count Orlock. It was bizarre, it was beautiful, and that was the day I realized I wasn't too old for kids' cartoons.

More than 20 years later, I'm still laughing. While I don't always have a chance to check it out when new episodes release, I always know that sponge will be able to put a smile on my face. And with SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, I was smiling nearly every second I spent with it.

[caption id="attachment_360280" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake (PC, PS4, Switch [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Purple Lamp Studios
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Released: January 31, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake sees everybody's favorite pineapple-dwelling sea sponge causing a ruckus for the people of Bikini Bottom. This time, while trying to enjoy a night out at Glove World, SpongeBob comes across the mysterious mermaid Madame Kassandra who absentmindedly sells him a glowing bottle of bubble formula that has the power to grant wishes. Cut to a few hours later, and SpongeBob has blown bubbles that'll grant wishes to everyone he knows. When those bubbles pop, the universe is torn asunder and his friends are scattered around several different universes that take recognizable locations from the show and mash them with a new theme. With a magic bubble wand in hand, SpongeBob must travel to each of these worlds with his balloon-ified best friend Patrick to get everyone back and restore Bikini Bottom.

Mechanically and structurally, The Cosmic Shake plays similarly to the licensed platformers of the GameCube/PS2/Xbox era. SpongeBob has a double jump, a spin attack, a jump-slam attack, a cartwheel dodge, a bubble projectile, and a weak pizza box glide ability. Throughout each world, there are specific areas where you can use techniques like hook swing and karate kick to access new areas or make it over deep chasms. Levels are linear, usually consisting of a few small open areas connected by long platforming or action sequences. It's somewhat similar to what we got a few years ago with the remaster of Battle for Bikini Bottom, also from Purple Lamp Studios.

That game, for whatever reason, didn't really work for me. The Cosmic Shake, however, does, and I am dumbfounded by how much I enjoyed going through it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KZFL20XDqM

Arguably, the game didn't make a great first impression. The opening tutorially didn't give me a lot of hope for things to come, and the first 20 to 30 minutes of the game's Wild West Jellyfish Fields threw me into some poorly controlled seahorse action sequences. Once it slowed down enough to let me get my footing, I started to realize the excellent job the developers did putting this game together and how they were able to keep things fresh and new throughout.

Each world brings with it a unique feel and presentation, from chasing down some cosmetics in Medieval Sulfer Fields to setting up a light show in Halloween Rock Bottom. It's truly wonderful to see just how much diverse gameplay Purple Lamp Studios are able to get out of Cosmic Shake's simple formula because they really do take it to fun and exciting places. Outside of the levels, you can explore the Bikini Bottom hub world that expands and populates as you work your way through SpongeBob's quest.

The platforming sections throughout the game are pretty top-tier for a licensed 3D platformer and the different jelly enemies you face provide enough of a challenge that I had to use every single tool in SpongeBob's arsenal to make it through several of its fights. That includes the boss battles, which can be mighty tough, but thankfully the game is generous with respawns, checkpoints, and auto-saves, so it was never really much of a hassle if I got knocked out.

The game's wonky nature, however, did prove to be something of a hassle, though the developers are aware it needs some work. The framerate is constantly in flux, some of SpongBob's actions weren't entirely reliable–there was a 1-in-50 chance his pizza box glider wouldn't work and the karate kick attack isn't always available when it should be — and it wasn't unusual for character models and objects to straight-up disappear during cutscenes. At one point when running around Bikini Bottom, everything on the screen beside the UI went black and I had to restart the game. As mentioned before, the seahorse controls aren't so great and there are more than a handful of jumps throughout the game that requires overly precise execution and timing of the double jump glide. Cutscenes can often feel like they all end with a smash cut, but I suspect that's intentional as it plays into the game's humor.

[caption id="attachment_360279" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

And what humor it has. The writer's behind Cosmic Shake have effortlessly tapped into the comedy of the show, bolstered by pitch-perfect performances from the SpongeBob SquarePants cast. I would argue the game could use an option to cut down on some of the repetitive soundbites, but beyond being constantly reminded that Krusty Krab pizza is the pizza for you and me, this is one funny game from beginning to end. It's also one with a soundtrack that is far better than I could have anticipated. I don't often pay attention to the music in games, but I couldn't ignore it here.

If there is one area of Cosmic Shake where I was slightly disappointed–outside of the Krabby Patty minigame that doesn't seem to do anything at all–it's with the game's costume system. Part of the gimmick of SpongeBob traveling to different worlds is he'll be given new costumes that blend him into the environment. These costumes look great, but that's all they do. There's no gameplay advantage to using one costume over another, and you don't even have to wear a costume that fits the theme of the world if you don't want to. There are a lot of costumes to unlock, and doing so is what I suspect will make up the bulk of the post-game experience. It would be nice if each costume had some unique ability tied to it, but it is what it is, and the simplicity of the feature didn't detract one bit from my enjoyment of this adventure.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is an astoundingly good game. There is so much creativity packed into its seven different worlds that I could not stop playing it over the past weekend because I was too excited to see what was next. This is, without a doubt, the best SpongeBob game I've ever played, and I hope Purple Lamp Studios keeps the keys to the license for years to come.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake appeared first on Destructoid.

Let us make a journey to the cave of monsters...

As the year closes out, the retro enthusiasts over at Hamster Corp have one more offering for 2022, bolstering the Arcade Archives range with nothing less than one of the most iconic video games of all time: Taito's Bubble Bobble.

Released to the freshly rejuvenated arcade scene in 1986, Bubble Bobble practically needs no introduction. This single-screen platformer sees one or two players step into the scaly suits of bubble-blowing dinosaurs Bub and Bob, as they descend through 100 levels of monsters and mayhem on a quest to rescue their abducted sweethearts. Facing off against a plethora of strange and instantly recognizable villains — including the notorious Baron Von Blubba — Bubble Bobble provided aracde goers one helluva challenge, and remains a fun and compelling experience decades down the line.

Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber AL82 Longplays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTR0xqRCfUk&ab_channel=AL82RetrogamingLongplays

Thanks to its super-cute characters, colorful world, and instantly recognizable theme tune, Bubble Bobble would become one of the most financially successful arcade games of its day, leading to a series of home ports, various sequels and spin-offs, and a place in the annals of game history. Bub and Bob would go on to continue their adventures in 1987's Rainbow Islands, and would make a notable comeback with the block-busting smash hit series Puzzle Bobble. This is not to speak of a multitude of remakes, remasters, and rereleases, or Bub and Bob's frequent cameo appearances in many of Taito's other hits.

Bubble Bobble is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.

The post Arcade Archives closes out 2022 with the iconic Bubble Bobble appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't panic, but the floor *is* lava

It's a great feeling to be the good-news bearer when one of your favorite co-op games gets new content and you get to excitedly tell your partner all about it. For those of us who like the puzzle-platformer antics of Human: Fall Flat, there's a new level, Tower, out now on Steam. Including the original and post-launch stages, it's the 21st level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkzAQCA4r1o

The name speaks for itself. With such a precarious layout, I'm afraid of my pudgy boy plummeting to his doom, but at least Human: Fall Flat is generous with checkpoints.

"Dreamed up by creative mastermind Fennecai and brought to life by the fiendishly talented David," Tower is the winner of the game's 5th Anniversary level design competition. And right on cue, Curve Games says there is "still more to come."

As usual, console players have to wait

Unfortunately, the console versions aren't in sync with the Steam edition, so PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch players will have to wait to play the Tower level in Human: Fall Flat. That said, if it's been a while, you might have new-to-you levels ready to go.

I recently checked back in and found a couple of levels — Red Rock and Lumber — in our backlog. We blasted through them. Even with overlapping ideas, I'm still having fun.

With 30 million copies sold and more content updates lined up, I'm wondering when, if ever, we'll see a sequel. I'm pretty happy with the split-screen performance on a PS5, but it would be nice to see an overhauled sequel that feels more refined. Just a bit.

For now, they're squeezing every last drop — and I'm okay with it.

The post Human: Fall Flat has a new Tower level to fumble through with friends appeared first on Destructoid.

Dig dig dig from early morn till night

Shovel Knight may never die — and I'd be completely okay with that! The franchise, born in 2014 with the original entry, created a cottage industry for Yacht Club Games, who incorporated the series into multiple projects and has spawned an empire of sorts. While we wait for Mina the Hollower to arrive, there's more Shovel Knight coming your way this month.

Shovel Knight Dig, a roguelite platformer, is the latest attempt to mix things up. Thankfully, it's very close to the spirit of the original game.

Shovel Knight Dig (iOS [Apple Arcade], PC [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nitrome, Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Released: September 23, 2022
MSRP: $24.99

Ingeniously, Shovel Knight Dig slots nicely into the lore as a theoretical side story. Since the events of Dig are kicked off when Drill Knight steals your stuff at a campsite (between any given level in the main entry), it simultaneously explains why Shovel Knight has to start over with no powers, and answers when it can possibly take place. None of this truly matters as Dig is a standalone project, but it's nice to see a bit of continuity here, including returning bits and pieces (like character models and designs) that worked in the past. "Nostalgia for Shovel Knight" is a weird concept indeed, but it has been eight years after all.

While Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon was a bigger departure for the series, Dig mostly maintains the platforming angle of the first entry with a new spin. Your job is to get to the bottom of the titular "dig," and put a stop to Drill Knight's shenanigans. To do that, you'll burrow through "stages" (with fixed themes, and three distinct parts per stage), accompanied by randomly generated layouts. "Roguelite" really rings true here, as you do get some carryover items, and there's a way to unlock/buy shortcuts so you aren't starting over from square one every time.

After just one run, the ethos of Shovel Knight Dig became crystal clear. It's addictive, and it does have that Spelunky-esque well-intentioned design foundation where if a run goes wrong, it's usually your fault. From there you'll regroup, re-assess, and pick up on strategies to keep going a little further — a little better — until you reach the apex (or in this case, the bottom). Every run will be wildly different, but there is a consistent framework.

There's three gears to collect in each section, which provide bonuses at the very end of that same section before making your way to a new level. Most of your cumulative gems (the main currency of the game) are stashed after a failed run, which let you purchase a small selection of permanent upgrades from the hub zone (like extra slots to carry items, or armor that can change your playstyle). You'll continue on this loop until you reach the end. Cutely, the hub will slowly build up over time and add more NPCs and shops (including some fun in-universe cameos). You can choose to go for daily (a limit of once per day) or weekly (unlimited attempts) runs, and check out the global leaderboards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEmAmabHe84

You do have a degree of control over your run, too. Shops periodically offer temporary upgrades/relics that can provide menial bonuses like extra max health, or higher jumps. At the very end of each section, there's typically a forked path of two options to dig into, with vague signposts that serve as warnings or guides as to what the next part entails (such as the abundance of a certain type of enemy). If you collected all three gears in that section, you can also heal to full or gain a random upgrade. One gear provides bonus gems, and two gears will reward you with gems/a small healing item. Getting the trio of gears in each section consistently is really satisfying, like you earned your little treat. It's a clever way to add more control to the generally chaotic genre.

All of this also creates an interesting meta of push/pull and pressing your luck. If you spend your entire run taking damage, you could heal to full (provided that you earned the right to do so), but you'd miss out on more upgrades that could, in turn, save you from getting hit as much. Some gear placements are dastardly, and force you to make snap decisions that may only offer up one small window of opportunity to snatch them. The more you play, the more you'll pick up on these little tricks and subvert them. You can't spend forever and a day trying to hit that perfect jump to get any given gem, gear, or item either: lingering for too long will cue a one-hit-kill drill that slowly attempts to take you out.

Those shortcuts I mentioned help alleviate a lot of frustration of the unevenness of the genre, but it's still present. In some runs, I noticed repeating layouts (albeit with different item/enemy placements), and there are select maps that are outright easier than others (the same goes for random shopkeep wares). I also have a bone to pick with some enemies that are off-screen and zoom into your hitbox. It can lead to a cheapness of sorts where some runs are more fruitful than others through no fault of your own. But again, this is where the tightness of the platforming comes into play, as you can directly counter a lot of what Shovel Knight Dig throws at you through raw skill and game knowledge.

The theming of each zone also really sold me on continuing with the game in a marathon fashion. Now, some will probably be championed over others, but the distinct musical choices and enemy variety for all of the themes are top-notch. I can recall all of the nuances of every area in my head even after just a few runs, which contributes to how fresh Shovel Knight Dig is attempt after attempt.

In that same vein, bosses feel straight up like Shovel Knight bosses. Enemies, even when squeezed into smaller, vertical-oriented levels, come across as deliberately placed. Even with some vexation and anger that comes with the territory, I found myself mashing that "another run" button constantly. It's so easy to get into a groove where you're just going for run after run, and since gems are banked, you don't feel like you're losing anything massive after death. Optional accessibility toggles (extra health, more food, more gems, additional attack power, and lowering the game speed) assist in ironing out some personal wrinkles.

Shovel Knight Dig manages to marry a lot of the best parts of the roguelite genre with the quirks of the Shovel Knight series, and I really enjoyed my time with it. Because of the charm involved and the intuitive nature of many of its puzzles and layouts, I can see myself returning periodically to start a brand new run, likely discovering new things along the way.

The post Review: Shovel Knight Dig appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a tip to make "Gotta Catch 'em All!" easier

As a 3D platformer fan who loves scooping up collectibles, Tinykin is such a breezy time.

Playing as a shrunken explorer in a gigantic bedroom with insect citizens just living their lives, you're constantly on the lookout for glowing bits of pollen to collect and new (Pikmin-like) tinykin creatures to command. For folks like me, it feels like a continuous brain massage. The game's sense of progression is so fast, you're usually just seconds away from finding something to pick up. It maintains this pace the whole way through its six-hour run. That is until you start nudging your way toward 100 percent completion.

Without spoiling anything, Tinykin has two main collectibles — pollen and tinykin — and there isn't a radar or ability to help sniff them out. You've got to scope out every inch of every room from every conceivable angle; this stuff can be really tucked out of view.

If you're playing casually, you shouldn't run into progression-blocking bumps in the road. It's pretty much go-go-go all the way through, without the need to hunt obsessively.

But if you're after the "Gotta Catch 'em All!" trophy or achievement for finding every tinykin, you'll need to put on your explorer's cap and get to work. It took me 10 hours to do it all, and one bit of community info saved me a lot of trouble in the home stretch.

[caption id="attachment_342683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{With hundreds of tinykin eggs to hatch, it's easy to gloss over some.}[/caption]

It's best to get all of the pollen first

On the pollen front, YouTuber WheatYT has a playlist of full-level playthroughs.

So if you're just missing a handful of pick-ups, and you swear you've looked absolutely everywhere, some of these fast-forwarded guide videos can do the trick.

My real concern was finding every tinykin. This is trickier — unlike pollen, which has a known total for each level, there isn't a tracker for tinykin you're missing. As such, the "Gotta Catch 'em All!" trophy and achievement can be nerve-wracking. It was my last one.

**Spoilers below**

There are six main zones in Tinykin, and the idea of going back through them all again — not knowing which ones I'd already fully finished, and which ones were still incomplete — was less than ideal. Thankfully, some players have numbers for us to work off of.

You can't see how many tinykin you're missing, but you can see how many tinykin you've currently got (in the pause menu). Pink, green, and yellow tinykin will stick with you, but red and blue tinykin complicate things — they are "used up" in puzzle-solving.

[caption id="attachment_342682" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Checking how many tinykin I've got left after doing everything in the City of Sanctar.}[/caption]

How to figure out which tinykin you're missing

After you've finished the story and you've done everything except the "Gotta Catch 'em All!" challenge, you can reference these tinykin "final totals" from ItsGamer FURY and AusFinalBoss on TrueAchievements to see which levels still have tinykin to find:

• Transidor Crossing — 30 pink, 8 red, 25 green, 12 blue
• City of Sanctar — 41 pink, 22 red
• Foliana Heights — 26 pink, 17 red, 30 green
• Waters of Balnea — 40 pink, 24 red, 22 green, 37 blue
• Lands of Ambrose — 42 pink, 22 red, 20 green, 10 blue, 86 yellow
• Celerion Park — 42 pink, 8 red, 30 green, 21 blue, 60 yellow
• The Last Refuge — 0 (4 red used to progress the story)

If you've done everything in a given level, your red tinykin total should perfectly match these numbers — there are finite obstacles to explode with the little fellas. So if you've "used up" every red tinykin you possibly can, you'll be left with the numbers shown above.

Blue tinykin are used to form chains of electricity, and since there's wiggle room to be less than perfectly efficient when forming a stretched-out line, you may use more — or less — tinykin than other players. That said, the blue tinykin you've "used" will be exactly where you left them in the level, so you can look at your pause menu total, then manually tally up the rest of them that are out in the world all electrified and stationary.

If your pause menu figures are different, then you should search that specific level.

Thankfully, I was thorough with the little blue guys. I was missing three red tinykin in Celerion Park, and ended up finding them before too long thanks to this info.

It would be nice to see Splashteam patch in a tinykin tracker, so players know precisely which levels to revisit, but if that never happens, at least there's a way to math things out.

The post How to figure out which tinykin you’re missing appeared first on Destructoid.

Ahead of the November 2022 launch, here's a bit of gameplay from the remake

Certain video game sound effects never quite leave us, and I can safely say that the "smacking a caveman" noise from Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics is still living in my head rent-free all these years later. It may not be my favorite arcade-ish action-platformer series, but I've got a soft spot for it in a surprisingly deep sea of retro caveman games.

As previously announced, Joe & Mac is coming back this year with a remake called New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja — and here's a (ridiculously) quick look at it in action.

https://youtu.be/VEtrfSIQCPQ

This Data East revival is being developed by Mr. Nutz Studio and Microids, who also handled the Toki remake, and while the spruced-up new art will be a hard sell for some, I'm happy to see this dinosaur-whacking duo back in action; I'll take what I can get!

After seeing this footage, I'm not any more or less "sold" on the remake's clean new art than before. It's something I'll likely get used to over time. It is an adjustment.

Along with the original arcade experience, New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja will have a "longer version of the story mode" under an Extended banner. The remake is also bringing back two-player co-op and including a speedrun mode, training, and even a boss rush.

Microids showed off the physical T-Rex Edition

The PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch physical copies of New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja come with two sticker sheets, a retro trading card, and a tyrannosaurus keychain.

[caption id="attachment_342249" align="alignnone" width="1128"] _{What's included in the T-Rex Edition for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.}[/caption]

The game is also launching on Xbox Series X/S and PC, albeit only as a digital release.

In all cases, New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja will release in November 2022.

If you're feeling nostalgic and you've got a (basic) Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you can revisit Joe & Mac and Joe & Mac 2 in the SNES library. I vastly prefer the sequel, especially after comparing notes with Chris Moyse, but you do you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzVZKissEIc

The post New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is out in November with a physical edition appeared first on Destructoid.

An easy recommendation for 3D platformer fans

Tinykin isn't the Pikmin-inspired game I thought it would be, but that's okay. More than okay, actually. It's still a great 3D platformer with a slick sense of speed, an interesting world to explore, and yes, some nods to Nintendo's creature-chucking strategy series.

If you're someone who enjoys hunting down collectibles, it's a must-play. If you're more on the fence, and run the risk of feeling overwhelmed with too many trinkets to find, I can still recommend Tinykin. It's never unreasonable, and there's little if any downtime.

The indie game scene has been killing it with shorter yet still satisfying experiences, and this one's a fantastic distillation, albeit with a few elements I wish went further.

Tinykin (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Splashteam
Publisher: TinyBuild
Released: August 30, 2022
MSRP: $24.99

The story isn't necessarily a huge focus, but there's enough to latch onto with animated sequences to set the stage and insect NPC chatter to fill in some of the gaps.

In search of humankind's origin, an archeologist and researcher, Milodane, has left his advanced home world of Aegis to follow an ancient signal to a nearby galaxy. That's where we come in as players. Milo mysteriously surfaces in a cluttered house that's stuck in the '90s and run by colorful insects, and, well — he's their size. It's another shrunken setup.

There's no sign of humans, and to return home, Milo will need to finish building a special machine — envisioned by a fabled figure named Ardwin — using six specific household objects. During this search, Milo will be guided by the wise old Ridmi, and use tiny throwable creatures to solve problems and open up new paths for exploration.

This isn't a Pikmin clone

On paper, this all might sound heavily Pikmin-esque. And it is, to a point. But it's worth stressing that Tinykin has no combat, no day cycle, and there's a finite number of tinykin, so death is never a concern. Instead, you can think of them as another type of collectible.

This game is a true 3D platformer — one that just so happens to have little fellas who carry giant objects, blast open obstacles, form bridges, and conduct electricity.

Traversal is quick and snappy

Once I realized this would be format, I was committed. It just feels so smooth.

Shortly into the six-hour-or-so adventure, you'll have access to a skateboard-like soap bar that you can whip out at any moment and even use to grind across tightropes. Paired with a hovering bubble ability, and a fantastic insta-ladder you can form with a certain type of tinykin, you can quickly get to where you need to go, even if it's far off or high up.

Tinykin gives off the wondrous vibe of a Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie in that it's inherently fun to check out every inch of the world. That said, it's also streamlined.

Instead of collecting high-impact stars or jiggies, you're on the lookout for tinykin eggs to hatch, hundreds of bits of pollen (to upgrade your bubble), a few side-objectives lurking around, and whatever's needed to get the area's machine part. These coveted parts usually involve multiple steps before you can convince the resident insects to cooperate.

There's some wiggle room depending on how obsessive you get, but for me, every level took about an hour — a good length, given their hub-like nature. I wasn't overwhelmed, and I never dreaded treading the same ground. Tinykin nails its movement and flow.

And the puzzles feel natural

Similarly, the puzzles are breezy. If the solutions aren't immediately clear, more often than not, you'll figure out how to solve them as you get a lay of the land. The more you explore, the more followers you'll have, and the more areas you'll be able to reach. Some of the zones include a bathroom with towers of tissue paper, a carnival with a loop-filled toy race track, and a church with a compact-disc-based canticle. I loved the "DIY" level design.

The tinykin are great about holding onto (smaller) stuff until you need it for a quest, and in general, there's no need to "babysit" them, either. You can dash around like a madman and they'll always pop up right behind you, no matter the death-defying acrobatic feat.

I'm a little torn on the explosive tinykin, though. They're used to blast open barriers and unfurl shortcut strings for you to climb up, among other expendable jobs. More than any other form of tinykin, these ones feel less like living creatures, and more like ammo in a video game. This didn't outright bother me — and from a gameplay perspective, it all feels good — but in terms of my attachment (something Pikmin excels at), it lost me a bit.

And as much as I adored the standout character designs, I didn't always feel the need to stop and chat with every random insect. The dialogue has some decent lighthearted humor, but I enjoyed Tinykin's cleverly-defined factions on a more... thematic level. Most of the interactions are optional, though, and the main story beats aren't verbose.

Not too long, not too short

With so many directions to head in and collectibles scattered every which way, it's impressive how well Tinykin flows. It doesn't get bogged down with minutia that can threaten 3D platformers. Every level feels like it's spaced out just right, and there's almost always something drawing your gaze. Even when there isn't, it's a joy to zip around.

If you're looking to do "all of the main stuff," expect a pretty methodical six hours. If you're a full completionist, you'll probably need a few extra hours to circle back around and mop up any of the optional pollen pick-ups you missed in each level — some of them are so tucked away. I appreciated the extra challenge and eventual a-ha moments.

Even if I would've liked a touch more Pikmin-style horde-commanding strategy, and maybe one more traversal ability to shake things up, I still really enjoyed Tinykin as a fluid and fun gotta-find-'em-all platformer. It's polished enough to stand out in the crowd.

The next time you're in the mood for a no-nonsense 3D platformer, give Tinykin a look.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Tinykin appeared first on Destructoid.

Uh, I'll believe it when I see it

A Funko platformer? Uh, maybe I'd play it! I mean it is Funko. But it's also a platformer! I'm erring on the side of "this won't excite a lot of people."

As for the details, well there isn't much, but there's something! Funko actually revealed the news at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this past weekend, noting that the partnership involves a development deal with 10:10 Games, and "some of the industry's best creators." The UK studio has no real pedigree right now as an organization (it formed in mid-2021), and the "AAA Funko platformer" due in 2023 will be their first test.

Right now they're focused on "developing AAA content for current and next-gen consoles and PC," and the project itself is untitled. Strangely, the game is aiming for a "T for Teen" rating, which will be wild to see play out in real time. Hopefully it ends up faring better than the now-closed Gears Pop game.

That said, if this is somehow as far removed from the Funko aesthetic as possible, a "AAA platformer" sounds enticing on paper. You just don't see very many of them anymore, as that's mostly reserved for the indie space. Sadly, Toys for Bob and Vicarious Visions could have had that area on lock, but they were folded into various bits of Activision as support studios.

The post Funko claims it has a “AAA action platformer” in the works appeared first on Destructoid.

Why yes, there *is* a Nintendo Switch version

As you might've seen in the summer gaming streams, there are too many frog games to keep track of this year (arguably a good problem to have!), but one of them, above all, is not leaving my sight. Frogun is a collectible-grabbing 3D platformer inspired by the Nintendo 64 and PS1 era, and its protagonist, Renata, wields a frog that is also a "gun."

It's a genre close to my heart, with a cute style, and I'm all about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf2Mzf-GcZo

After making the wholesome rounds and recently sharing a demo on Steam, developer Molegato is now in the home stretch. Frogun will release on August 2, 2022, across Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. That's... pretty soon!

If you're interested in a physical copy, there's good news. During its LRG3 showcase, Limited Run Games announced a physical release of Frogun for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. There's not much else to say at this point other than "it's happening."

"The folks at Top Hat Studios and me have been working hard on the finishing touches of the game development, with special attention to all of the feedback we got from Steam Next Fest," said the developer. "Looking back at the start of the project, it seems insane that it's been only about a year and a half. It's been so much work, so many experiences shared, and so many new friends made along the way! I've learnt a lot during this time, and humbly hope that the game is everything you have been hoping for it to be."

[caption id="attachment_333592" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Lava level? ✔️}
[/caption]

Collect 'em all

"From lots of optional collectibles, to hidden shortcuts, cute enemies, and goofy dialogue, Frogun is a lot more than what I was aiming for it to be at the start."

With a froggy grappling mechanic at the center of the game, I'm sure there will be plenty of sneaky shortcuts and hidden items to find. With the coins you pick up, you'll be able to trade for "hats, bestiary entries, behind-the-scenes looks at concept art, and more."

There's also a reward for finding everything, which I'm into. If you reach 100% game completion, you'll nab an "expert time trials mode" with "pro times" to topple.

I don't always set out to collect every last trinket in these sorts of games, but if I stick around long enough, that becomes my inevitable fate. After recently playing and finishing Ape Escape for the first time (it's now on PS4 and PS5), I don't want to lose this feeling.

The post Frogun, a 3D platformer with warm and fuzzy vibes, is out in August appeared first on Destructoid.

$1 million committed to upcoming projects

Publisher Humble Bundle announced that it has committed a further $1 million USD to its Black Game Developer Fund (BGDF), an ongoing initiative to provide funding and other financial support for projects homegrown projects conceived by Black game developers and Black-led studios.

Since its initial inception back in 2020, The Black Game Developer Fund has helped to finance over 30 independent developers with the conception, production, and publishing stages of their respective releases. This year's investment will be directed toward the following five in-development projects:

Code Blue Games — 6Degrees: A cyberpunkian action-adventure set within a dystopian universe.

GXGrainSon — Arcus Chroma: Dimensional Shift: A revamped edition of the colorful 2D fighting game.

Weathered Sweater — Unannounced: A new title helmed by Trinidadian-American dev Ryan Huggins.

Ritual Games — Unannounced: A new title from the young, retro-gaming-inspired studio.

Joseph Hooker — Unannounced: A new title promising "retro aesthetics, modern rendering," and a "compelling gameplay loop."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4V3R0QBCzI&list=TLGGA52aLKDx43MwOTA2MjAyMg

In addition, Humble Bundle has signed a new deal with one of the initiative's original seven beneficiaries, Adam Kareem, to publish their action platformer Protodroid DeLTA. The hi-tech, sci-fi, "solarpunk" adventure, is expected to launch on PC in early 2023 and is available for wishlisting over on the Humble Store right now.

For more details on the BGDF, or to check out some of the games, developers, and studios that have benefitted from the initiative — as well as information regarding project application — be sure to check out the official Black Games Developers Fund website.

https://twitter.com/humble/status/1534550962504859648?s=20&t=xNY_eN1yE8emzBk393qCmQ

The post Humble Bundle invests a further $1 million in Black Game Developer Fund projects appeared first on Destructoid.

Snow reason for this

For whatever reasons, Snow Bros. rented space in my brain as a youth. I think a cabinet was only briefly available in my hometown’s hockey arena, but a brief sight of it was enough to get me itching for more time with it. Why were the longest-running cabinets in that arena Altered Beast and Pang? I wanted to find a home version of it, but the only one I would have had access to was for the NES, and my family traded ours away when I was very young.

That doesn’t mean much, though. Like many kids, I was stupid. However, it still resulted in a lasting soft spot for Snow Bros. Not enough to play the mobile titles that have come along since, but enough that when Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special was announced, it caught my attention. However, years of less-than-fantastic arcade revivals have left me rather cynical, and, okay, maybe I was expecting the worst. Whether or not it’s actually successful is probably going to come down to what you expect from such a return.

Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special (Switch)
Developer: TOAPLAN
Publisher: Daewon Media
Released: May 19, 2022
MSRP: $19.99

It’s a pretty simple formula. Snow Bros. is often compared to Bubble Bobble. You’re playing as normal humans who have been turned into freaks. In this case, snowmen. Instead of bubbles, you have to cover your enemies in snow, then roll them into the other enemies. It’s single screen and extremely basic, which makes it a strong little quarter-muncher.

So, why not just do an Arcade Archive release? Good question. For Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special, the graphics have been reworked and the number of levels has been upped from 50 to 80. That may seem significant, but even though the levels are laid out differently, they’re all functionally the same. There are additional bosses, but I never found the bosses to be a particularly strong point of the original. There’s a survival mode and a time trial, but those are just different ways to play through the 80 levels.

Finally, there’s a Monster Challenge mode, but that’s $10 DLC that should have been included in the main package. It was released at the same time, why lock what might be the most unique addition behind nickel and diming?

Old Man Winter

You can play with the original or remixed music, but for some reason, you can’t play with the original graphics. The new graphics are fine. They’re reasonably similar to the original sprite work, but when I can’t play with a game’s familiar pixels, I feel like I’m being forced to accept a new look. I’m old. New things scare me.

In the normal arcade mode, you play with unlimited credits. I have mixed feelings. Being able to continue indefinitely in a game like this means that a lot of the challenge is removed. Not all of it, some of the bosses are still kind of tricky, but even if you bumble through it, Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special only lasts an afternoon at best. Again, this kind of makes the extra stages lose some of their value since you can fly through them. Survival mode limits your continues if you want the extra challenge.

It puts Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special in this position where it doesn’t actually prove why it’s not just a re-release of the original. Not convincingly at least. If you compare it to, say, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends it doesn’t hold up. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends had its own deficiencies, but the developers at least looked at the gameplay and did something more than just adding levels. Depth was layered over top to give it a sort of puzzle feel to it. Then you could also play the original Bubble Bobble if that’s what you were looking for. The asking price was a lot higher, but it at least argued well for its existence.

Enh

As for Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special; it’s fine. At $20, it’s not a ridiculous proposition, but it’s not an outstanding one either. Snow Bros. isn’t exactly a classic, so while I’m happy to see it pop up again, I’m not very enthusiastic enough about the end result to start throwing around recommendations. It’s not a game that has been ported very often, so having it available at all is worth the release.

However, it could have just been a port. Better yet, the original version could have been included. A lot of things could have been thrown in to make it a more tempting purchase. Why not throw in the lesser-known sequel? I don’t think it was even released in North America. Instead, we get a reasonable but unexceptional update of a worthwhile but unspectacular arcade game. Enh. It’s enh.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the author.]}

The post Review: Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special appeared first on Destructoid.

It's cool to see someone carry this torch

Not that long ago, I was out here publicly wishing that Wario Land 4 would show up on Nintendo Switch Online as my one true hail-mary GBA pick, and I'm still trying not to get my hopes up. Admittedly though, my attention is better spent on Antonblast, an upcoming PC and Nintendo Switch indie platformer that taps into the dearly departed series' vibes.

Antonblast is already winning over fans on Kickstarter, who have pushed past the game's baseline $75,000 goal on Kickstarter with a month left in the crowdfunding campaign.

If you're anything like me, the retro action-platformer footage sells itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEuT3k1Y2ts

Summitsphere, the studio behind Antonblast, says it was directly inspired by Wario Land 4, Crash Bandicoot 2, Metroid Dread, Sonic CD, Shovel Knight, and Cuphead — quite the list!

The developers are specifically focused on delivering "tight platforming, hand-drawn animation, banger music, and crazy characters," and they're coming off of Antonball, a brick-breaking game in the vein of Mario Bros. that we've covered before on Destructoid.

One interesting wrinkle gleaned from the Kickstarter pitch: every world in Antonblast is a "mini-metroidvania with a half-hour or more of exploration each on first run."

They're echoing Wario Land's end-of-level "hurry up!" concept, which is something I used to stress over but have come to really appreciate later in life. The pitch also mentions Hard Mode, Time Trials, and a Boss Rush to complement the "five-hour" main story mode.

[caption id="attachment_323101" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Dynamite Anton in the flesh.}[/caption]

"Thank you all sincerely for your support," tweeted studio producer JB Long.

"This is a life-altering moment for all of us at Summitsphere, including myself. To see something we created rocket to viral overnight & raise its entire budget in like 7% of the allotted time is nuts. I still don't quite 'feel' it."

PlayStation and Xbox are stretch goals

Should the Kickstarter drive continue down its current path, I'd expect to see players knock out at least a few more stretch goals starting at $100,000 — more worlds, alternate playable characters, and PlayStation and Xbox versions are also possible.

Antonblast is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC, and $20 pledges include digital access to the finished game once it's out. There's a free demo, in the meantime.

The post Antonblast has real Wario Land energy and it’s coming to Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Can you keep a secret?

A scant minute of footage has been released from Sega's upcoming compendium Sonic Origins, which is currently in development for PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms. The clip gives fans a sneak peek of some of the title's features ahead of its official release on June 23.

The video, which debuted as part of the Rulicon broadcast in South Korea, offers a whistlestop tour of Sonic Origins, including a look at the game's menu screens, as well as short clips from Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 (w/Sonic and Knuckles), and Sonic CD. We see The Blue Blur in action alongside compadres Tails, Knuckles, and even his final form, Super Sonic — accessible in all included Sonic titles.

The clip also gives us a look at the Hidden Palace Zone, a secret stage that was cut from the original 1992 release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and will be returning as a part of Sonic Origins. The compendium will also boast new intro and ending sequences, new modes and challenges, and a host of unlockables for the nostalgic in-game museum. Sonic Origins hopes to be a definitive collection of the 16-bit adventures that defined a legend, and is looking to be a must-buy for any Sonic fan willing to negotiate its bizarre pre-order shenanigans.

Sonic Origins launches June 23 on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

https://twitter.com/TailsChannel/status/1526260799177732097?s=20&t=uGFRF5lCUyIjwMxsx68xdg

The post Sonic Origins footage offers a fresh glimpse of Hidden Palace Zone appeared first on Destructoid.

Just "one more" New Game+...

After Dead Cells, Hades, and Spelunky 2, it's tough to name an all-time favorite roguelite. Rogue Legacy 2, a flashy new castle-storming sequel, only complicates that conversation.

I briefly checked in with Rogue Legacy 2 a few times during its Early Access period — most notably at launch in 2018, then again last year when the sequel surpassed the original game in terms of raw stuff. It's not just "more content," though. It's a fantastic evolution.

I've had a blast with this game every step of the way, and that counts for a lot. Other popular roguelites, many of which I adore, can still have dicey moments of despair. But I never felt like any of my lost progress was in vain. As expensive as perma-upgrades eventually get, you're always earning in Rogue Legacy 2, and the game isn't afraid to hand out stepping stones to let you focus on your next milestone. There's always hope.

Rogue Legacy 2 has left the Early Access zone, and I'm happy to say the wait was worth it.

[caption id="attachment_319114" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The home base is convenient and cozy.}[/caption]

Rogue Legacy 2 (PC [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Cellar Door Games
Publisher: Cellar Door Games
Released: April 28, 2022
MSRP: $24.99

Circling back around to the first Rogue Legacy for a quick 2022 spot-check, it's wild how much of an upgrade Rogue Legacy 2 is. The first game cemented the appeal of the roguelite action-platformer genre for a lot of players. People loved it; many still do!

Running through randomized floors as a sometimes lucky, sometimes laughably doomed lineage of heroes was novel back then, and the permanent stat-boosting Manor unlocks accumulated in a satisfying way. You know the oft-spouted saying: "one more run."

It's pretty incredible, then, that Rogue Legacy 2 manages to bottle up those fond memories while presenting fresh-looking, snappy-feeling, far more refined gameplay. It's essentially Rogue Legacy, again, but more ambitious and confident than ever. Talk about a glow-up.

It's worth stressing, though: you can jump right in without any prior experience. And one of the best aspects — a House Rules toggle for granular accessibility options if and when you need them — will open up Rogue Legacy 2 to a wider audience. It's a challenging game, for sure. A run can go sour in an instant. But through a combination of enemy and boss pattern recognition, gradual character boosting back at base, and sheer skill, you can reach the end. I know you can. And then you can climb the steep New Game+ ladder.

[caption id="attachment_319110" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Heirs come in many shapes and sizes.}[/caption]

On just a base level, without even considering the longer-term progression hooks that provide extra back-of-your-mind motivation in Rogue Legacy 2, I can't get enough of this combat and platforming. It's this fluid fusion of speed, reflexes, patience, and wits.

Early on, I felt like I could show up to slice skeletons, dash past spike and arrow traps, and crack open (most) treasure chests with stringent don't-get-hit-in-this-room criteria. At the same time, I'd still take chip damage here and there. I'd make stupid slip-ups like squeezing in one too many greedy swings at a charging knight or fire-blinking eyeball.

I would consistently reach the first boss, a spellsword named Lamech who dashes and flips like a madman, but my current hero — whether it was a Barbarian, a Mage, a Valkyrie, a Gunslinger, or even a Chef — couldn't quite outlast his beefy HP bar.

There's a tinge of disappointment at first, sure. "Damn, I thought that was the run..."

But you shake it off, roll a new heir, spend whatever gold you just hoarded to buy a persistent upgrade or better gear, and hop back into the ever-shifting castle. Eventually, through good old practice, gradual know-how, lucky random mid-run Relics, and some brute-forced stat increases, this run becomes The Run. It went that way for me in all six biomes against all six bosses, as well as the final tricky fights. They were all memorable.

[caption id="attachment_319116" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Bosses are fun to learn and tough to master.}[/caption]

Whereas some roguelite games just keep going and going in a way that wears me out, Rogue Legacy 2 can be broken down into smaller chunks, each with its own lifecycle.

With that in mind, you don't need to complete Rogue Legacy 2 "all in one go," which I think some people might be mistakenly expecting. The main goal is to keep your character alive long enough to find and dispatch the area's Estuary, at which point they're done and dusted — you won't fight the boss again (well, not until New Game+). Back at the castle entrance, their portrait will be filled in, and it's onto the next biome on your list. Of course, you can revisit any "old" zone you want, when you want, but it's not forced on you.

The format works! It really suits what Rogue Legacy 2 is going for as a tough-but-fair roguelite game. Being able to break away from a brick-wall boss so you can grind elsewhere or just aimlessly explore for a while can make all the difference. Sometimes, that was what it took for me to return with renewed confidence. Finally, a breakthrough.

As long as you plan ahead, it's trivial to unlock teleporters that will send you to all of the different biome entrances within seconds of starting a new run — each warp is a one-time, across-all-runs purchase from a pizza-loving character. (This game has some fun NPCs.) Now, actually reaching those biome entrances to buy their specific teleporter is another matter. There are a handful of metroidvania-ish traversal abilities in Rogue Legacy 2 that are useful in combat and also necessary to reach later areas. So, while you can poke around the wider world to get a lay of the land, there's a preferred order to this stuff.

Those abilities, Heirlooms, are unlocked in scattered "beat it once and you're good to go" challenge zones that spice up the usual proceedings and also serve as a puzzle/tutorial. Moves like air dashes, double jumps, and bouncing spin kicks might not be groundbreaking on their own, but when you're fully kitted out in Rogue Legacy 2's home stretch, it feels amazing to whip them out mid-combat. Zipping around this world is a pleasure.

[caption id="attachment_319108" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Rogue Legacy 2's Astromancer class can summon black holes — and their center is a critical attack.}[/caption]

Much of what I'm saying about Rogue Legacy 2 can be applied to the first game. What makes it so much better? For me, it comes to the biomes, the bosses, and the classes.

I may not be able to remember every biome by name, but I can absolutely visualize them all as distinct entities that require different approaches. Some are long, some are tall, some are dark, and all of them have their own flair. Even though the room-by-room layout changes on every run, you can still get a sense of what's ahead, which lessens the chance you'll be caught off-guard. It's not just a matter of various visual themes — the biomes are actually built differently from one another. I love that! And the same can be said of the bosses in Rogue Legacy 2, which are some of my favorite fights in a roguelite action game, period. Learning their moves (and not forgetting them in the heat of battle) is a blast.

With lore books to find and read (or totally skip over), Rogue Legacy 2 does a good job of introducing bosses before you ever face them so that they'll feel like a threat when the time comes. It's a lighter storytelling touch that I appreciated. For me, it's more about the raw action gameplay and overall mood; I don't need to know every tiny detail, or strike up lots of conversations, to become invested in the world. It just naturally pulled me in.

The completely overhauled art direction — from quaint pixel art to a hand-drawn-meets-2.5D style — also makes a splash, of course. But it's the way the sequel refined Rogue Legacy's gameplay concepts that kept me coming back without ever getting bored.

[caption id="attachment_319115" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Some trap rooms are too tempting to skip.}[/caption]

As for classes, Rogue Legacy 2 is still running with the concept of randomly-pulled characters who may or may not have funny traits. Those quirks come with a significant gold-earning boost, so there are clear moments when it's ideal to just grind, or it's time to take another serious stab at a boss. Every chance I got, I went with the Ronin, a fragile hero with a far-reaching katana whose tip results in a guaranteed critical attack. My other favorite was the nimble Boxer, who can combo foes and trigger a KO. It's also fun to switch things up with ranged classes like the Mage or oddball picks like the Bard.

More than just statistical shakeups, the classes all play distinctly from one another and have varying pros and cons. Some of the skill ceilings are really high; others feel low.

The fact that I can be amazing at one class and god-awful at another is just the way I like it. While players will latch onto their favorites, it's worth it to make the rounds — classes gain their own XP that funnels into Mastery levels, which are another way to bump up your capabilities across the board. Extra vitality, armor, and equip weight can pay off.

There's also a Resolve system that lets characters pick up Relics — powerful items with sometimes risky effects that you can find mid-run. Relics can be game-changers and help you get through a gauntlet in one piece, especially items like the Gnawed Bone (a 25% chance to survive a fatal blow) and Lachesis' Measure (killing enemies with a crit restores 6% of your max health). In exchange for these boons, though, you might need to shave off some of your HP bar if you're running low on Resolve. It's often a thoughtful trade-off.

[caption id="attachment_319117" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The Gravity Beam is one of the flashier spells in Rogue Legacy 2.}[/caption]

If I have complaints about the sense of progression, it's that the (branching) Manor upgrades can be a little bewildering at first before you've acclimated to Rogue Legacy 2. I also feel like the prices for any incremental multi-tier purchase can really skyrocket later on. That's kind of the idea, though. It feels like a great feat to topple the final boss, but you're really meant to loop back around for numerous New Game+ playthroughs.

"Threads" take cues from Hades in that you can flip on gameplay modifiers to spice up each NG+ cycle, and yes, that means ushering in new content, too. But unlike the Pact of Punishment, the "burdens" in Rogue Legacy 2 are locked in place for your whole New Game+ playthrough, not for an individual character's run. (You can reset the world state if needed, so don't be afraid to experiment.) The higher the pain, the better the rewards.

At the time of this review, I've invested 20 hours into Rogue Legacy 2, and I'm partway into New Game+. My motivation for continuing is partially to see those numbers go up — who wouldn't want to max out their bonuses and dominate once-great threats? — but also to find whatever else is still out there. One of my favorite parts so far has been Scars.

There are well-hidden secrets throughout the main dungeons that unlock Scars, which are one-off challenges you can face from the comfort of your home base. One challenge is a target-breaking drill, and plenty of others are dual-boss skirmishes. You'll get a rank for each Scar you clear — one for every class' best attempt — and if you earn enough points collectively, you'll earn a rare currency that feeds into another upgrade tree with fun unlocks like alternate classes. Again, New Game+ is a big focus for Rogue Legacy 2.

[caption id="attachment_319112" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Fabled Weapons like the Enkindled Gauntlets can be high risk, high reward.}[/caption]

It took a lot of effort for me to reach the end, and I felt like the game adequately tested me every step of the way. For some players, the balance — especially in relation to their desire to grind — might be out of whack from time to time. For that reason, it's worth giving the House Rules another shout-out. These options can be flipped on or off mid-run, and you can alter enemy health or damage (from 50% up to 200%), disable "contact" damage with foes, enable flight, and slow time while aiming, among other settings.

All in all, I found this game to be super satisfying. Some character classes are so enjoyable, I could play a whole separate game (not necessarily even a roguelite!) with only their base mechanics — all of the other assorted archetypes that I don't typically choose are just icing on top. For me, the classic Rogue Legacy roguelite hooks are still potent in the sequel, and the agile combat and platforming feel fantastic. Once you're in, it's hard to walk away.

I knew from my limited time with the Early Access version that Rogue Legacy 2 would be great, but I didn't necessarily think it would go on to become one of the best games of 2022 and one of my favorite roguelite games. The competition is fierce, but it's ready.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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And now I've hit the point of no return

I was genuinely on the fence about getting LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but I took a chance that my burnt-out Star Wars fandom wouldn't botch what seemed to be the culmination of TT Games' tried-and-true LEGO collectathon formula. Now, I'm one of three million people zipping around the galaxy in search of near-endless Kyber Bricks.

To my fellow collectible obsessors — to folks like me who love Donkey Kong 64, hold the caveats — this game is pretty sweet. It's the kind of experience you can breezily chip away at for months on end, and it's a near-nightly co-op pastime for me at this point.

To put it in perspective, Powerpyx's Trophy Roadmap breakdown marks LEGO Skywalker Saga as a 2/10 on the difficulty scale with a 70- to 90-hour Platinum trophy estimate.

I expected a pleasant enough slow-burn experience as a fan of prior LEGO games like Jurassic World, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel Super Heroes (the GOAT), but I was blown away by the sheer scale of this nine-film juggernaut. The whole game could've just been the Free Play hub worlds, and I would've been fine with that; in fact, I might've preferred it.

[caption id="attachment_318760" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Surrounded by collectible markers in a fresh Galaxy Free Play planet.}[/caption]

A rocky start on Naboo

You can begin the story on Episode I, Episode IV, or Episode VII. But choose carefully.

Running back and forth to NPCs in Episode I without any excitement between beats felt like a bad omen, but the worst segments of LEGO Skywalker Saga won't last too long. On the flip side, the best bits — scenes that clicked with my Star Wars nostalgia — also felt super brief. It's fascinating to see what did, and didn't, make the cut. ~So much~ didn't.

When everything was said and done, I ended up skimming certain thick-as-hell wiki entries, which I had zero expectation of doing going into this game. As someone who hasn't really thought about Star Wars since seeing Episode IX in a theater, there's mental whiplash. LEGO has been a palatable way for me to reopen some wounds and heal others.

All told, the campaign was a nice main-series refresher, though I'm not looking forward to re-running some of these levels for optional hidden trinkets. Unfortunately, I'm at the point of no return. I've accumulated enough Stuff that I won't be able to leave my save file hanging until everything — everything — is scratched off the game's monstrous checklist.

[caption id="attachment_318758" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{If you're aiming to do everything, expect to see this transition A LOT. I always fly toward the center to entertain myself.} [/caption]

Co-op is the way to go if you can swing it

It took quite a bit of convincing to get my fiancée — who isn't into Star Wars and doesn't care for LEGO games — to join me. But she did, so long as I stayed one session ahead.

Our joint Episode I excursion did enough damage that I then had to complete the entire rest of the story on my own so that we'd have access to new, not-yet-100%'d worlds in the Galaxy Free Play mode — she refused to tag along for any other story missions. Randomly exploring open-ended landscapes to find and solve light puzzles, though? We're both hooked. We go through a couple of planets a night now. It's nice!

LEGO Skywalker Saga is easy and only seems to get easier as you go. There's an obscene amount of content with an understandably high amount of repetition. There are only really so many puzzle solutions for the collectible Kyber Bricks with only so many uniquely capable characters to leverage, though I don't necessarily hold that against it.

I'm loving the ability to mostly shut off my brain and still make steady progress night after night. Alone, the core gameplay experience can approach diminishing-returns dullness; in co-op, our divide-and-conquer approach works wonders. It's more interesting to split up and earn collectibles as fast as possible. The urgency of co-op adds another layer.

Quick aside: If there was a Most Valuable Minifig statistic, Jango Fett would be off the charts for me — his jetpack and upgraded blasters make such short work of so many platforming puzzles and combat challenges. I almost feel guilty skipping 99.9% of the playable cast, but I've got my core crew solidified. Shaak Ti is also locked in.

[caption id="attachment_318756" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{We're only (only!) at 67% completion and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.}[/caption]

Free Play is where it's at for collectible hunters

Galaxy Free Play — just running around and grabbing shiny pickups — is my preferred way to experience the game. And that's really it. That's the point of this article.

If you're a collectible-minded player who hasn't had the best track record with LEGO games in the past but thinks this one might be different for you (or the timing might now be better), I hope some of these thoughts give you the nudge you need. That said, it's natural to want more from LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. I do have hangups.

The more hours I burn away by grabbing "just a few more bricks," the more I see technical cracks in the foundation with small-but-irritating bugs and even random crashes; the more I realize just how thinly stretched some of these story levels are; the more I wish I could skip takeoff and landing sequences on drawn-out, multi-planet fetch quests.

With respect to the bugs, I am afraid about certain goals, like finding the Wandering Wookie on every planet, somehow wigging out before I wrap them up. I'm trying not to dwell on that fear, though. If it happens, it happens, and I hope the patches are frequent.

Speaking of, for other co-op players' sake, I hope the developers add horizontal split-screen. It's vertical only right now, which I'm used to, but you very well might not be.

[caption id="attachment_318759" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{There's no such thing as too many studs.}[/caption]

Let the post-Elden Ring recovery begin

While it's easy to pick apart so much of LEGO Skywalker Saga critically speaking, weirdly enough, this has ended up becoming the exact right kind of collectathon game I needed to throw myself at after Elden Ring. It's perfectly low-stakes. Comfy, even. There's a lot to like about it, even as an infrequent LEGO player who's (otherwise) tuning out Star Wars at large.

If nothing else, take this advice: before you're in too deep, consider listening to a podcast or music or literally any other audio source every now and then as a shakeup. Otherwise, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will fill your head with unshakable earworms. I hear John Williams fanfare when I go to bed, and the music is still playing when I wake up.

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A throwback 3D platformer for Switch and Steam

Super Kiwi 64 looks like it's exactly what it needs to be, which is to say a nice — but also slightly sinister — 3D platformer that would feel at home on a Nintendo 64. While it's capturing that "low-poly late '90s console look," according to its creator, Siactro, this collect-a-thon game is on the way for Nintendo Switch and Steam. The perfect duo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1urHoR60wz8

The announcement trailer is all gameplay footage, so you'll get a sense of the kiwi hero's jumping, diving, and gliding. There's also a new-to-me ability in which the bird can climb walls by piercing them with its beak. There's just enough going on, mechanically.

From what I remember of Macbat 64, I would expect Super Kiwi 64 to be on the shorter side, and not outstay its welcome. On that note, if the mere mention of a "collect-a-thon" pushes you away, it's worth mentioning that "levels can be played in any order, and not every level needs to be finished in order to collect enough to reach the ending." I mean, I'm still going to meticulously comb through them — but you don't have to!

I can't talk about this kiwi game without mentioning another: KeyWe. If you haven't yet played this co-op mailroom game, I highly recommend it — it's flying (well, strolling) under the radar. We must embrace our flightless bird games every chance we get.

[caption id="attachment_316013" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Gliding over greenery in Super Kiwi 64.}[/caption]

While we wait for Super Kiwi 64, you can brush up on Siactro's other retro-inspired games: Toree 3D and Toree 2. They're also available on Steam and Itch.io; the price is right.

I'm sure some of you will bring this up as well, but it warms my heart to see indie game creators recapture that '90s 3D look. Even if it's not always "pretty," I like seeing the Nintendo 64 (and PlayStation) aesthetic back in style when the project calls for it.

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Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I remember the first time I stumbled across the existence of Kirby. It was in a Nintendo Power magazine, promoting the NES game, and I knew I just had to play it. The whimsical designs were so different compared to a lot of other platformers at the time, and once Kirby Super Star rolled around, I became a fan for life. For the most part, Kirby has been good to me throughout its 20 year existence. Kirby and the Forgotten Land keeps that streak going.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: March 25, 2022
MSRP: $59.99

Kirby and the Forgotten Land keeps the same "pick up and play" simplicity of past games in the series, but it also had the added ability to keep surprising me.

Forgotten Land's secret ingredient is that it's as relaxed or as involved as you want. Levels have hidden tasks to do so you can rescue all of the Waddle Dees (the main "collectible") in any given zone, but you don't need to do them. Worlds provide ample challenge rooms that task you with mastering individual forms (both of the copy ability and Mouthful variety), but they're optional. Going hard on the former will open up more of the hub village (which includes shops, minigames, and such), and the latter will provide more copy ability evolutions, which level-up and alter Kirby's powers.

It's a loop I can really sink my teeth into, and adapt to. If there's a particular level I really dug, I was happy to go back and comb over every nook and cranny. If there was a location I didn't feel the need to do again immediately, I'd move on, and feel like I missed nothing. The pacing is absolutely mesmerizing, and when you add in the ability to do drop-in/drop-out co-op at any time, Kirby's your uncle.

While scurrying around the map you'll take on core levels and optional challenges, culminating in a boss fight that unlocks the next world. The formula is straight-forward, but there's a lot of layers involved at each step. That said, I’ve always appreciated the simplicity of a level based map. Galaxy 2 did this wonderfully and Kirby traditionally does too, so I'm glad they kept it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oTBOQ5rp58

The secret Waddle Dees are where things start to get more complicated. During the course of a level you'll typically see "???" prompts showing you that some of them are available to find, and only when you actually uncover them or finish a level will those question mark prompts reveal themselves, or provide a hint, respectively. It's a chill vibe that encourages you to seek out the road less traveled, but doesn't force you to tediously run down every path if you don't want to.

Some of them are skill-based (like "don't drive off the edge during this portion of the level where you're controlling a car"), some of them are seek and finds ("eat three snacks off tree stumps"), and others are straight-up "find this hidden area." Many of them are so well hidden you'll miss them the first run through, and I love the idea of people potentially using a guide for a Kirby game.

Hidden Waddle Dee challenges even apply to boss battles, including a time trial "finish the boss before this time" requirement, or "kill the boss with [x] copy ability." It drives the replay value up and compliments the hassle-free gameplay. These quests/missions for each stage add some depth to the otherwise straight forward foundation of the Kirby formula.

Those challenge rooms I was talking about earlier are actually called "Treasure Road Challenges," and they're timed courses centered around one power: they remind me of the Mario Sunshine FLUDD-less levels, but less intense. Because they're timed you can try and get the best possible score, and although there isn't much pressure to actually clear them, the "recommended" par times for bragging rights can get pretty tight.

The Waddle Dee Town hub is a lot more fun than I expected, and I found myself going back every few levels or so just to check it out. You can dine at the local cafe (and do a Diner Dash-esque minigame with three difficulty levels and co-op support), go watch movies in a town theater, buy items to take with you at a store, challenge the colosseum, fish, collect gacha (the other main collectible), upgrade your copy abilities, and a few other surprises.

It feels like everything funnels into one clear path of progression, since levels innately reward Waddle Dees and provide you with a little extra oomph for unlocks without even trying to laboriously finish every secret challenge. Upgrading (evolving) abilities is another huge hook. Initially I skipped over a lot of challenges, but around the second world or so I after I had started acquiring "blueprints" to unlock more copy alterations I got addicted and cleared all of the Treasure Road levels out.

Copy ability evolutions are incredibly fun to experiment with, and you can even set a "default" option for them when swallowing up enemies. In other words you don't need to worry about needing to find "Blade Knight B" enemies to use the second evolution of the Blade Knight: you can just swap to it in the hub town, go into a level with it, and get it back every time you swallow any form of the Blade Knight. By the game's end I had a wide array of evolution defaults that I mixed and matched.

The base copy abilities feel great mechanically, and so does the new "Mouthful Mode," which basically amounts to Kirby choking on a car or vending machine temporarily — without being able to swallow it — to use it as a temporary means of travel or attack. The car is self-explanatory, as Kirby can drive around in the specific portions of the game that Kirby and the Forgotten Land lets you use Mouthful Mode, but other objects let him spew projectiles that can open up walls, glide, or fit in tight spaces.

I found that at its absolute worst, it never got in the way; especially since you can use Mouthful mode and keep your original copy ability (a good quality of life choice that makes it a lot less annoying). In all it reminded me of when Yoshi would occasionalyl morph into a vehicle in Yoshi's Island or I'd pilot animal friends in Donkey Kong Country. Often times, especially in the mid-to-late game, it would lead to a few interesting level designs.

Again, the entire game can be played in co-op after the short tutorial, and I played roughly 50% of the game with a Waddle Dee by my side (which has a limited moveset and can't use copy abilities). It's convenient, optional, and if the second player dies, their life bar slowly refills and they respawn: easy. It's a perfect way to involve a family member whenever they feel like joining you, but I can't help but wish that co-op had a meatier presence. It would have been even better if there was a character select option that highlighted different playstyles, as the person controlling Kirby is constantly swapping around and doing drastically new things multiple times per level.

If you try and do everything: as in finish all the evolutions, get every gacha toy, and save every Waddle Dee, it could take up a good chunk of time. Again, it's old school in that there's a lot of stuff to do in the base game, but it has a new school approach of not gating a lot of it off. Sometimes HAL and Nintendo really show up a lot of the competition with a retro mindset.

I'm an easy sell when it comes to Kirby, but Forgotten Land is easily one of my favorite entries in the series, and possibly my top game outside of Kirby Super Star (an all-time classic). I came in expecting a very serviceable Kirby adventure and got a lot more, but with those same straightforward and effortless virtues that past games have commanded.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Curiouser and curiouser...

A cult platforming classic has returned to the Steam platform some five years on from its initial disappearance. Alice: Madness Returns, the second title in the twisted American McGee's Alice series, was pulled from the Steam platform by publisher Electronic Arts back in 2016, but was quietly returned to the PC platform this past weekend.

Developed by indie outfit Spicy Horse and originally released back in 2011, (yep), Alice: Madness Returns sees our gothic heroine tumble down the rabbit hole once again, spells in tow and rusty carving knife, (or "Vorpal Blade"), in hand. The sequel to the severely underplayed 2000 release American McGee's Alice, Madness Returns featured frenetic combat and abstract puzzle-solving, all set against a weird and dystopian take on Lewis Carroll's literary Wonderland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFrs5UGB-ns

Launching on PS3, PC, and Xbox 360, the PC edition was suddenly removed from the Steam platform due to verification issues, though it was still available via EA's own dashboard store, Origin. Desperate fans have since been known to roll out big bucks for legacy Steam keys in order to add the title to their Steam libraries. But it seems that this market will no longer be necessary, as Alice: Madness Returns is now readily available to purchase on Steam once again, priced at just under $20.

As for a sequel, well, it continues to be an ongoing struggle. American McGee has pitched the idea multiple times, even drawing up a concept package, but is yet to convince EA to take the plunge. Outside of the gaming realm, the long, long-running efforts to adapt American McGee's Alice for the big-or-small screen continue. David Hayter, the voice of Metal Gear Solid's Snake, is currently penning a TV adaptation for Radar Pictures, with hopes to attract the attention of a broadcaster or streaming service.

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This two-game compilation is coming to Nintendo Switch first on July 8, 2022

During today's Nintendo Direct, the one and only Klonoa resurfaced — the kind of news that will come and go for many (if you missed it, Nintendo announced what felt like 50 things), but hit hard in a laser-focused way for a certain group of platformer fans. Bandai Namco is bringing Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil to Nintendo Switch under one roof in a release known as Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series.

This "remastered anthology" is hitting Switch first on July 8, 2022, with more console and PC versions — PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam — to follow.

https://youtu.be/3fsvwAXqTFA

In terms of what's new in Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, Bandai Namco has focused on touting the graphics (as expected for this sort of revival), "adjustable difficulty settings," and two-player co-op. It'll be nice to have an easy, modern entry point to this franchise.

I don't know what it is with all of these two-game remaster/remake compilations showing up lately, but I'm here for them. Win over some new fans. Grow that base.

Worth noting: Klonoa turns 25 this year in Japan, so the timing feels spot-on.

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The free 'Villain's Burger' prologue is worth playing on Steam if you dig action-platformers

If you've run out of retro games to satisfy your nostalgia cravings, then chances are pretty good that you've looked around for "hidden gems" for your old-school platform of choice. After tearing through the cream of the crop and the cult classics, it's natural to start lowering your standards a smidge for flawed, interesting, memorable oddities — the kind of games that get lovingly lumped together in "underrated" or "overlooked" lists.

Mago, an upcoming action-platformer for PC, doesn't qualify exactly. It's new! But to me, it captures some of that "wow, how have I never heard of this?" factor. It's pretty dang neat.

I haven't played Mago yet, technically — but an extensive free prologue called Mago: The Villain's Burger just dropped on Steam this week, and it was half an hour well spent.

After seeing a wide-ranging trailer that featured spell-slinging, mech punch-outs, and plenty of out-there boss battles, I knew it'd be a good fit. Mago calls back to the time when we had loads of games with cavemen protagonists, because hey, we're allowed to do that. There's a lot going on with this game. In a good way! I'm not sure how "cohesive" everything is, but that also doesn't necessarily work against it. I appreciate the variety.

I also have to shout out the explorable overworld map, as pictured above — it's nice to just walk around in between levels and catch your breath. It's a choice, and I respect that.

During Mago's bread-and-butter levels, you'll fire a spell to stun enemies or unfurl vine walkways and also dash, swim, bounce, and collect orbs scattered along the way for eventual character upgrades. There's a snappy sense of momentum, and the sprites — including our nimble sorcerer protagonist — are pretty beefy. Think Wario Land 4 beef.

This prologue version of the game also includes some auto-run challenges in which you'll hop over foes and pitfalls as an ever-charging bird. With speed boosts to nab and speed downs to try and dodge, it's got a bit of that Donkey Kong Country mine-cart-level trickery to it; some of the item placements can be devious fakeouts. These sections were a bit basic in Mago: The Villain's Burger, but the trailer for the full game shows more flexibility.

Instead of spending my orbs on more health or an alternate look to replace my sorcerer's robe, I went ahead and blew it all on a frantic time trial with stitched-together rooms.

Even though the timed challenge is mostly the same kind of platforming with the same general obstacles, the pressure is on — both in terms of an on-screen countdown and the fact that you have to spend orbs on every attempt — and that got the better of me. Sometimes, I'd have to double back to get a key to escape my current room. One particular segment, a "run out the clock" survival room with a bouncing spiky enemy, was my undoing. I knew its path, I swear I did, but I cracked under pressure. I had fun either way.

In other words, I haven't seen every morsel the Mago prologue has to offer, but I've had a good enough time so far to want to invest more into it. The demo did its job.

Whether you're only curious enough to try this precursor or you think you'd be down for the complete experience, Mago is worth watching. Dream Potion Games and HypeTrain Digital haven't announced a release date just yet, so sample away.

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A fresh look at Splashteam's adventure platformer

Sometimes, you hear about a game, take a look, come away feeling positive, and put a pin in it. That's where I was at with Tinykin, a critter-flinging insect adventure from Splashteam and TinyBuild that's building off some of my favorite Nintendo titles — Pikmin and Paper Mario — in different ways. If you've heard of Tinykin before, you'll get where I'm coming from here; if not, this latest story trailer is the perfect jumping-off point. It's a polished-up package that's selling me on a game I thought I was already plenty sold on.

Let co-directors Marie Marquet and Romain Claude paint a pint-sized picture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVlrPvssCI

As they explain in the gameplay-filled trailer, Tinykin is a journey about a shrunken boy, Milo, in a strange land of insects. Unlike Obsidian's Grounded, though, this isn't a surprisingly scary survival outing — it's a more laid-back exploration-platformer vibe.

And those insect designs! They look so crisp and creative. Let's run through a few.

*Solaria*, huh? I already want to team up with this hero

Don't be alarmed, but there are religious dragonflies

And shifty-looking postal workers

Dung beetles can be cuties, too

Someone needs to keep the wine flowing

The orchid mantis aesthetic is top-notch

Even if the visuals were a bit lacking, I'd be pretty into this basic concept of roaming an unfamiliar land while strategically bossing around little pipsqueaks to carve a path forward and return home. But the clean 2D meets detailed enough 3D art direction makes a strong impression. In the tireless war for players' attention, we're at a point where good gameplay and good art aren't enough on their own in so many cases, so it's nice to see this pairing in a less commonly seen sub-genre. (Here's to you too, Wild at Heart.)

This isn't the first or last we've heard from Tinykin, but I thought it was worth a refresh.

For more, circle back on the prior gameplay trailer. Splashteam is aiming to release Tinykin in summer 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

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Rare's jolly 3D platformer returns on January 20

Ever since Nintendo teased that Banjo-Kazooie was coming to Nintendo Switch in January, I have been counting the days for one of those kinda sorta out-of-nowhere "here's the release date!" tweets. We got exactly that tonight, and the date is set for this Thursday, January 20. Rare's classic Jiggy-collecting adventure is one of my most anticipated Switch Online additions, at least in terms of the confirmed N64 roster. I mean, the music alone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWrWuXE6RHw

I know myself well enough to know that I can't just peek around Grunty's Lair and pick up a few Jinjos in Mumbo's Mountain and call it a day. Nah, I'm gonna need to play Banjo-Kazooie until I find every last collectible trinket and face that quiz show, which is still nerve-wracking to this day. So much of this game holds up. And the best bits — especially the layered hub-based exploration and timeless tunes — are a one-of-a-kind vibe.

Of course, Banjo-Kazooie isn't getting a direct port that you can go out and buy on the eShop — it's arriving on Switch by way of the pricey, annual-only Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service, which seemingly all of us have many thoughts about, more bad than good. For as much mileage as I'm getting out of it with bangers like Paper Mario, the slow release schedule is needlessly grating. And again, that price.

Then again, I don't need to open that can of worms every time. The famed bird and bear duo is back on a Nintendo platform after way too long. It feels strange. Good, but strange.

I know it's going to be hard for fans of 4J Studios' excellent Xbox version to adjust to the less-than-ideal emulation that Nintendo is using for these Switch Online offerings, but I am pumped to revisit one of my all-time favorite games either way. It's gonna get so cozy.

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Worst case, this fan game is a cool what-if

Fan games are a tricky balancing act on multiple fronts. Living up to players' expectations after releasing a cool trailer, feeling on-brand without being too much of a retread, and just generally finishing the project before the well-meaning team's passion dries up or the license holder's wrath is incurred — the list of pitfalls stretches on and on. Just because a team has a great idea for a fan game and a willing audience that's extremely ready to hop in, there are no guarantees that their vision will make it out into the world. With all that said, man, Castlevania: Seal of the Eclipse looks sick as hell! You need to see the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19bYGamq3Dk

If you're well-versed in Castlevania lore — specifically, the Demon Castle War — then you're going to lap this up. It's one of those background events that is acknowledged in-game (in this case, in Aria of Sorrow) but still conveniently left open for interpretation.

The Steel Plate armor in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow describes a "uniform worn by a soldier who fought in the Demon Castle War," while a library entry in the DS jam Dawn of Sorrow sums up the 1999 conflict as "the battle that permanently destroyed Dracula."

If those wiki-residing words don't mean much to you, no worries, and also, kinda same — even without that context, Seal of the Eclipse looks like a neat retro Castlevania romp.

On the Castlevania Dungeon forums, Dracula9 posted a rundown of the project's origins, which include a pivot away from another hopeful, more resource-and-time-intensive Castlevania fan project called Umbra of Sorrow. The hope is that by focusing on a "downsized" retro aesthetic, there will be a "significantly lighter load on everyone's backs." Given the game's multi-hero premise, the animation workload can quickly pile up.

"With a (comparatively) reduced emphasis on exploration, backtracking, and puzzle-solving, the focus for this has become rather akin to how [Curse of the Moon 1 and 2] and CV3 and DoS handled things — pushing the formula of standard platforming to accommodate multiple player characters who all have different strengths and weaknesses," wrote Dracula9. "Obviously this is not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination, but with its goals being smaller in scope it allows more intense exploration of how to get those key elements just right, and polish them to a shine wherever possible."

In a tweet today, the Seal of the Eclipse team reiterated that this is "a fan project, we have no affiliation with Konami, and we *DO NOT* accept any kind of compensation for our work. Our project is free and born out of love for the Castlevania franchise."

As for the risk of posting an early reveal trailer, well, they're aware. "A conscious decision was made based on all the information we have, and we chose to make it anyway," the creators said in a YouTube comment. "'Hiding' isn't as effective as some might think it is, and is a gross underestimation of any given company's online awareness."

We'll see how this story plays out, and how the game progresses, as these projects tend to be a marathon, not a sprint. In any event, I thought it was too cool not to share.

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March is kinda soon!

We now have a Kirby and the Forgotten Land March release date: that's sooner than I expected! March 25, to be exact. It was only four months ago that the existence of the game leaked!

To celebrate, Nintendo put out a new trailer and released some details for the game, which is indeed a 3D adventure. Your job is to save Waddle Dees from being kidnapped by the "Beast Pack," alongside of a new companion named Elfilin. As a reminder, co-op is in via a Bandana Waddle Dee playable character, who wields a spear; and the "drill [attack from below] and ranger [ranged]" copy abilities are touted as the new additions.

https://youtu.be/ccB7B_LCCQw

One of the biggest elements of Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the hub zone: "Waddle Dee Town will be the central hub of your adventure. The town will develop more and more based on the number of Waddle Dees you rescue as you progress. You will notice different shops opening and be able to enjoy some of the townsfolk’s favorite games. Kirby can even help out in the Waddle Dee Café. You’ll need to quickly prepare customers’ orders to keep them satisfied and aim for a high score."

Nintendo says that all of this is partially a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kirby; and the mere acknowledgment of an anniversary is more than a lot of other classic Nintendo games get!

The post Kirby and the Forgotten Land is out in March, here’s a new look at it appeared first on Destructoid.

Long-lost arcade title back for good

ININ Games has announced that the Westone Bit's long-lost platformer Clockwork Aquario will be leaping onto PC and Xbox One later in 2022. The revitalized arcade platformer will be released on the aforementioned platforms this summer, following on from its happy return on PS4 back in December 2021.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YbN_pnWass

You know the tale by now, but Clockwork Aquario is a colorful arcade release that was abandoned just a sliver from completion back in 1994. Thanks to the determined efforts of publisher ININ Games and boutique retailer Strictly Limited, the source code for the forgotten title was recovered and completed, allowing the fun adventure to finally get its day in the spotlight, bagging a world record in the process.

And it's most certainly a cheerful cherub of a game, as heroes Huck Londo, Ellie Pie, and Gush journey their way through a series of sickening cute environments in a quest to stop troublemaking fish Dr. Hangyo from conquering the planet. Developed by the team behind the classic Wonder Boy titles, Clockwork Aquario is infectiously cute and full of character — even if the gameplay is understandably a little old-school-shallow.

Clockwork Aquario launches on PC and Xbox One this summer. It is available on PS4 right now.

https://twitter.com/ININ_Games/status/1479460369685000194

The post Clockwork Aquario comes bounding onto PC and Xbox in 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

The PlayStation and Xbox ports are here, but the Nintendo Switch version is coming in January

Almost nine months later, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is available on some — but not quite all — consoles, and I figured a PSA was in order. It's a neat game!

If you missed the PC release of this Symphony of the Night-lookin' action-RPG, perhaps you'll be more into the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X/S ports. Those console versions are all available as of this week from Team Ladybug, priced at $24.99 a pop, while the Nintendo Switch edition is held up until January 28, 2022, due to a last-minute delay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5IUiPqSOL8

Crucially, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a part of Xbox Game Pass, and that's actually how I've been playing — with cloud streaming in my browser, in fact. I played up through the first boss to get an impression, and while it's got a more straightforward structure (which could be a pro or con depending on how much exploration you want in your Castlevanias and/or metroidvanias), the pixel art is sweet and the wind, fire, and bow mechanics are pretty interesting. Whether the short run time matches the price will be up to you.

I don't know the first thing about the source material — we've got Chris for that! — but Zoey said that was fine in her review of the PC version, and so far, I tend to agree.

If you're hoping for a physical release, one's coming. Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is gearing up for a physical version on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch from Red Art Games. And as a status check of sorts, Playism says the Steam release has cleared 100K sales to date.

With such a late-in-the-year launch, I could easily see this going under the radar. Hopefully it connects with the hungry SotN crowd, even if it's not on that level.

The post Now that it’s on consoles, don’t forget about Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth appeared first on Destructoid.

Turn Back Time

In an industry of glum news, it's a happy story. A modest story, sure, but a happy one all the same. Way back in 1992, Wonder Boy developer Westone Bit Entertainment received news from publisher Sega that production was to cease on its upcoming arcade platformer Clockwork Aquario. While the cute 'n' colorful title was just a sliver from release, it was decided that the scene had moved on, with the kids' quarters now being poured into brawlers and fighting games. In a world of Ryus and Scorpions — and with Sonic and Super Mario Bros. cornering the platform market — Clockwork Aquario was consigned to the vaults, never to see its day in the sun.

And yet, here we are. It's three decades later, I'm three decades older, and somehow I'm reviewing Clockwork Aquario for the good ship Destructoid. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of publishers ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games — who have spent the last two years digging up the source code, acquiring the rights, and even going as far as to reassemble members of the original development team — this long-lost release can finally be experienced, just a tad late to the party. Clockwork Aquario is one of the "lucky ones." Who knows how many dusty games lie in dusty attics, canceled just a smidgen shy of completion? Every single relocated game represents a tiny bit of an industry, an art form, and a hobby — our hobby — lovingly restored.

And even if the game itself doesn't turn out to be a true gem, at least we might get a Guinness World Record out of it.

Clockwork Aquario (PS4 [reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Westone Bit Entertainment
Publisher: ININ Games, Strictly Limited Games
Released: December 14, 2021
MSRP: $19.99

Right from the off, Clockwork Aquario is a reminder of arcade gaming of old, a time when backstory and a time when plot was iterated in seconds, gaping holes be damned. In this instance, a lightning-fast attract mode informs us that the world is under siege from devious fish Dr. Hangyo, who has risen up from the depths to attack our planet, (and kick over childrens' sandcastles), with the help of his mechanical (Clockwork) undersea (Aqua) army. In order to save the world from this fishy fate, three intrepid heroes venture into Dr. Hangyo's undersea kingdom of Aquario to shut down the mad mechanic's devious scheme. It goes without saying, this was a much simpler time in regard to video game narratives — Abby Anderson would shit bricks.

Thus begins Clockwork Aquario, an almost unbearably cute, side-scrolling platform adventure, designed for a world that had given rise, (and oodles of cash), to franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., Zool, and even Bubsy the Bobcat. Combining elements of its genre brethren, then splashed with lashings upon lashings of Konami/Taito-style Japanese charm, Clockwork Aquario sees one or two players take up the role of three distinct heroes — proto-steampunk kid Huck Londo, pink-haired cutie-pie Elle Moon, and rotund robot Gush — before embarking on a madcap journey into Dr. Hangyo's world, laying waste to his wind-up warriors and... erm... popping lots of balloons. I don't get the last bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YbN_pnWass

Clockwork Aquario, it has to be said, does not rewrite the book on platformers. Featuring large, colorful sprites, a relatively fast pace, head-bouncing attacks, invulnerability power-ups, and a helluva lot of jumping, Westone Bit's final release certainly ticks all of the boxes required by the side-scrolling releases of its day. What this arcade does bring to the party, however, is bagfuls of charm, absolutely delightful sprite work, and some lavish and superbly detailed backgrounds. Clockwork Aquario is, without doubt, a great-looking game that, despite its age, can effectively charm the player with its cute charisma, cartoonish personality, and whimsical soundtrack. One can almost compare its style to that of WayForward's catalog today. Despite its age, Aquario's characters, enemies, bosses, and locales are highly impressive.

The gameplay itself is a standard affair. Our heroes dash from left to right, leaping chasms and dispatching villains with a solid slap or a good, old-fashioned head-bounce. Once stunned, a villain can then be picked up and tossed, Koopa-shell style, at other enemies. Valuable score pickups, extra lives, and invulnerability power-ups are awarded for chained attacks. It's a slick system, and it can be very satisfying combining slaps, tosses, and head-bounces to efficiently clear a screen of enemies. Take a hit, and your chosen character looks a little worse for wear, take another hit, and it's ghost town.

The player presses ever-forward, negotiating the environment and bashing bad guys en route to a confrontation with each stage's sub-boss, before facing off against Dr. Hangyo in one of his monstrous contraptions. In keeping with the Aquario aesthetic, the baddies are all of the undersea variety, from crabs and oysters, to squid, eels, and barracudas — all delightfully designed with that '90s anime aesthetic... All big tears and bursting blood vessels. Cute game. Real cute game.

Of course, it has to be clearly stated that as an arcade title, Clockwork Aquario can be finished in almost no time whatsoever. It is mostly up to the player to provide their own challenge by strictly limiting (no pun intended) the number of continues made available to them. This very nature of re-releasing a game initially designed to be played in 30-odd minutes gives way to one unfortunate inevitability of this entire project: $20 for a 20-30 minute game, designed with three-decade-old sensibilities, is a big ask. The price is likely a necessity, given that the publisher will look to make a return (or at least break even) on the investment spent on making this lost release a reality. Add to that the niche audience factor, and the publishers will be looking to squeeze every dollar they can.

Aside from the main game, there isn't a whole lot of bang for your buck here. There is a restored bonus round for two players, a small gallery, a music player complete with awesome remixes of Clockwork Aquario's fab score, and a selection of screen filters for those who dig their scanlines, CRT curves, and fuzzy pixel filters. Ultimately, the player is mostly recuperating for the restoration itself, an expensive task that saw the publishing team pull Clockwork Aquario from the edge of oblivion. This makes the title a hard sell for your average video game buyer in gaming's ninth generation.

Fortunately, for the historians and retro fans among us, Clockwork Aquario is a fun title. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it plays great, looks wonderful, and sounds splendid. I found myself instantly transported to a world of Tumble Pops and Pangs, of Rainbow Islands, New Zealand Stories, and all of the other brash and colorful games that lit up the dingy walls of the arcade. In 2021, I don't expect Clockwork Aquario to be a smash hit, and I certainly don't expect people to "take a chance on it" at $20. But for those who care about video game preservation, those who can afford to support the cause, or those who just really love old-school platform gaming, an enjoyable trip to the past awaits you.

Clockwork Aquario is here. 30 years late, but soaked in old-school style. Westone Bit Entertainment's final release would not win any awards for originality, but offers a short, fun, and attractive journey to the halcyon days of the '90s arcade renaissance. The package on offer is a little thin, and the price will be a tad high for the average player's taste, but important work has been done by publishers ININ Games and Strictly Limited — here's hoping they will be rewarded in kind.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Clockwork Aquario appeared first on Destructoid.

Da huh?

Banjo-Kazooie Switch Online? Believe it. One of the most iconic non-first-party games is coming to the service in January of 2022.

The news was confirmed via a tweet from the Japanese Nintendo account, which showcased Paper Mario 64 as the December release for the Switch Online Expansion Pack, followed by a low-key tweet for Banjo-Kazooie in January (and later, a Nintendo of America tweet). Does this mean we could get Diddy Kong Racing and other Rare classics? I hope so! Given that Microsoft and Nintendo have been friendly for a while now, it's likely on the table: as is Banjo-Tooie.

So at this point it seems like the cadence is one to one-and-a-half months for a single game. To be frank, it's not great. And in all this, there's no mention of further support for the Genesis part of the Expansion Pack, which comprises have of the add-on.

It feels like Nintendo hastily put this out before the holidays, because given the quality of the engine itself, it's a hard sell. With that in mind, Banjo-Kazooie is also on Microsoft platforms, and fully remastered with modern enhancements at that. Side by side, I hope this Switch Online version is even remotely comparable.

https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/1469219580577198082

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Better Late than Never

Last week saw the European release of Westone Bit Entertainment's long-lost arcade game Clockwork Aquario. Thanks to the tireless efforts of publishers ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games, the abandoned '90s platformer is finally available to purchase on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, bagging itself a legitimate Guinness World Record in the process.

Yes, Clockwork Aquario now officially holds the record for the longest time between a video game project starting and its final release. At 30 years, (1991-2021), the cutesy adventure beats out previous record-holder Duke Nukem Forever (14 years), which will at least give the new coin-op a bit of a marketing boost for its North American launch next week, even if it is something of a dubious accolade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YbN_pnWass

Originally developed for the arcade market, Clockwork Aquario was abandoned by original publisher Sega just a sliver from completion, as Sega believed that "the moment" had passed for cute platformers, with arcade players fully invested in fighters and racing games. The collaborative efforts of ININ Games and Strictly Limited secured the rights to the forgotten title back in 2019, before bringing together members of the original development team — including programmer Takanori Kurihara, composer Shinichi Sakamoto, and Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa — to finally complete the project.

Clockwork Aquario finally launched in Europe, for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, on November 30 — a very happy end to a very long tale. The North American release will hit digital stores on December 14, with a variety of physical editions already available exclusively at Strictly Limited Games. Will anything break this record? Can anything break this record?

It's unlikely... but never say never... Right, Dead Island 2?

The post At 30 years, Clockwork Aquario now holds World Record for longest delay appeared first on Destructoid.