Post by Zenks Renway on Jan 29, 2009 22:06:36 GMT
I've seen this game pop up a couple of times around second-hand stores. I didn't buy it because the cover-art sucked and I didn't like the creator's (Eric Cahi) previous title, Another World ('Out of this world' in the US). However, after seeing a used copy for about 2 quid, I bought it, and I was quite surprised at how good it actually was.
Upon starting the game, some pretty boring menus lie about at the beginning. After starting a new game though, I was quite impressed by the game's intro. Here's the whole premise here.
You're a kid called Andy. Far away in the Heart of Darkness, the Master of Darkness decides he wants to kidnap Andy for... some reason. He accidentally kidnaps Andy's dog, Whisky, instead, so what does Andy do? Pick up his helmet and laser cannon (because what's a 10 year-old without them) and fly to the rescue. The rescue goes awry though when Andy crashes his ship into the side of a canyon and then you have to go through the world by foot.
It sounds stupidly cheesy, yes, but the plot is actually quite good.
The game is basically a 2D platformer that plays like Another World or Prince of Persia, but the game is actually good. The controls are tight and despite the fact that there's only 2 weapons you'll use at certain points in the game (Laser cannon, which you only have for the 1st and last levels, Plant Shot, which isn't as powerful, but you need it to do puzzles), you'll find that they're mandatory to get through the many puzzles in the game. One of the main enemies in the game are Shadow Demons. You'll vaporise them easily but you fight hordes of them throughout the game. For once, I have played a game that actually gave me a decent challenge. As you progress, certain puzzles need a bit of thinking to be solved, like blasting away stray chunks of debris so their shadows don't come to life and kill you.
Speaking of killing, for a kid's game, the deaths are quite gory and detailed for 2D sprites. Poor Andy dies in many ways, including having his spine broken in two by a Shadow Demon, having his head bitten off by a giant, and being sucked into a cliff face and munched on by worms. Nasty.
The animation is very fluid and detailed and the music is quite atmospheric.
The disappointing thing about the game was its length. Despite being on 2 discs, the game will only last about 3 hours, or less if you're a speed-runner. As for people who are looking for another mind-perplexing platformer, this is it.
Gameplay: 9/10 Tense all the way. Doesn't last long enough though.
Sound: 10/10 Epic. Also the first game to have its music composed by an orchestra.
Graphics: 10/10 A definite overhaul of Another World. Also well-animated.
Appeal: 6/10 Other folks might be skeptical of me, but you really have to play it to believe it.
Overall: 93% I recommend anyone who still has their PS1 to hunt down this game on Ebay, seeing that it's quite rare. Cheap though.
Upon starting the game, some pretty boring menus lie about at the beginning. After starting a new game though, I was quite impressed by the game's intro. Here's the whole premise here.
You're a kid called Andy. Far away in the Heart of Darkness, the Master of Darkness decides he wants to kidnap Andy for... some reason. He accidentally kidnaps Andy's dog, Whisky, instead, so what does Andy do? Pick up his helmet and laser cannon (because what's a 10 year-old without them) and fly to the rescue. The rescue goes awry though when Andy crashes his ship into the side of a canyon and then you have to go through the world by foot.
It sounds stupidly cheesy, yes, but the plot is actually quite good.
The game is basically a 2D platformer that plays like Another World or Prince of Persia, but the game is actually good. The controls are tight and despite the fact that there's only 2 weapons you'll use at certain points in the game (Laser cannon, which you only have for the 1st and last levels, Plant Shot, which isn't as powerful, but you need it to do puzzles), you'll find that they're mandatory to get through the many puzzles in the game. One of the main enemies in the game are Shadow Demons. You'll vaporise them easily but you fight hordes of them throughout the game. For once, I have played a game that actually gave me a decent challenge. As you progress, certain puzzles need a bit of thinking to be solved, like blasting away stray chunks of debris so their shadows don't come to life and kill you.
Speaking of killing, for a kid's game, the deaths are quite gory and detailed for 2D sprites. Poor Andy dies in many ways, including having his spine broken in two by a Shadow Demon, having his head bitten off by a giant, and being sucked into a cliff face and munched on by worms. Nasty.
The animation is very fluid and detailed and the music is quite atmospheric.
The disappointing thing about the game was its length. Despite being on 2 discs, the game will only last about 3 hours, or less if you're a speed-runner. As for people who are looking for another mind-perplexing platformer, this is it.
Gameplay: 9/10 Tense all the way. Doesn't last long enough though.
Sound: 10/10 Epic. Also the first game to have its music composed by an orchestra.
Graphics: 10/10 A definite overhaul of Another World. Also well-animated.
Appeal: 6/10 Other folks might be skeptical of me, but you really have to play it to believe it.
Overall: 93% I recommend anyone who still has their PS1 to hunt down this game on Ebay, seeing that it's quite rare. Cheap though.