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Bionic Commando (Evercade): COMPLETED!

Posted on 19/03/2023 Written by deKay

I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever played the NES version of this before, and my understanding is that it’s very different. Perhaps you can even jump in that? You can’t in this, the original arcade version, in any case. (EDIT: You can’t jump in the NES version either. Curious.)

So, as I’m finding with these Capcom arcade games on the Evercade EXP, Bionic Commando is another money-eater. There’s no way in hell you’re supposed to be able to finish this without dying more times than numbers exist for – you just have to keep feeding it (virtual) coins. Well, after the first level or so anyway, as until then it’s probably possible.

The gameplay is a bit hit and miss. You can’t jump, so can only traverse by shooting out your bionic arm to grapple platforms and then pull yourself up or over. Problem is, baddies keep getting in the way. And some of the gaps are almost impossible to get into the right place for. And the responsiveness and collision detection appear to be all over the place. But just keep those e-10p pieces coming and eventually you’ll get to the end, like I did.

Not a great game, it has to be said. Was it ever?

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Switch): COMPLETED!

Posted on 19/03/2023 Written by deKay

After completing the first Kirby’s Dream Land (again) recently, Nintendo were kind enough to put the sequel up on their Switch Online service for me to play. And oh my did they add a lot to the game.

In Kirby’s Dream Land 2, Kirby now has his trademark enemy ability duplication capabilities, but there’s also an overworld, way more levels, and three “animal friends” for Kirby to ride. A fish, a hamster and an owl, who have their own abilities – the owl can fly, the hamster can (of course) walk on ice without slipping, and so on. On top of that, though, they too take on the powers of enemies in varying ways. It means there’s much, much more to the game than the original, which is great.

It’s still very, very easy though. As in, I didn’t die once. Not that it really matters. And I didn’t access all the secret areas (many of which require you gaining a friend or power from another level first), which would add some difficulty. Fun though.

Ori and the Blind Forest (Switch): COMPLETED!

Posted on 18/03/2023 Written by deKay

You’d think I’d have hopped on this earlier, what with it being a Metroidvania and having a great reputation and stuff, but for some reason it took until I saw it for about £6 on the Switch eShop before I bought it.

And oh boy is it pretty. Sure, so it’s a 2.5D game and not the next Call of Duty, but it’s still very impressive for a Switch game. The lighting and colouring effects are amazing, and there are a few areas where your surroundings change if you carry a certain item and the effect is very clever. It sounds just as good too.

The story is probably deep and meaningful but to be honest I got confused as to whether the tree, who might be your parent, was good or bad. Because it seemed to destroy the forest but then also wanted you to repair it? I dunno. It doesn’t matter.

The gameplay reminded me a lot of Guacamelee, mainly because of the tricky platforming. There are a number of sections where you have to perform perfect sequences of moves with precise timing, which Guacamelee threw at you a lot. The combat, however, is completely different as your little spark wisp thing acts like a short-range homing missile, so you don’t need to aim or get especially close to fight.

The combat sections are also incredibly easy, whereas although obviously doable, the “chase” platforming sections are quite the opposite. It makes the game feel a bit imbalanced, but not damagingly so. The exploration and gaining new abilities to explore further is the core fun of Ori, like all good Metroidvanias, and it nails that perfectly with some unique powers (like the sort of grapple move) and lots to find.

Being a Microsoft game, it was really odd to sign in with my Xbox account, on my Switch, and gain Xbox achievements as I played. Of course, it doesn’t change the game at all, it just felt weird. Like when Sega started making Nintendo games.

Anyway, with that completed I just need to wait for the sequel to drop in price…

Forgotten Worlds (Evercade): COMPLETED!

Posted on 13/03/2023 Written by deKay

Aside from a demo for the Spectrum version of this scrolling shoot ’em up, I don’t think I’ve ever properly played Forgotten Worlds before. I know Your Sinclair raved about it, but the controls (which are crying out to be twin-stick before that was a common thing) always seemed too fiddly to bother with, so I never really tried.

Turns out, that I was right.

OK, so in the arcade you have a stick to move, and a rotary dial to aim your shots. Without a dial or a twin-stick setup, that’s never going to work well when translated to other devices, and the Evercade doesn’t have either. Instead, it does what other versions of the game did, and rotated with buttons. Which is rubbish, and meant that I rarely bothered trying because it was too slow and inaccurate, especially when things got a bit hectic. Turns out, you don’t actually need to change your aim that often.

What you do need to do, often, however, is insert virtual coins, because Forgotten Worlds is REALLY BLOODY HARD. The first few levels are very easy, but by the time you’re over halfway through the game dying every 20 seconds is the norm. It’s also not even that good a game, so why I persevered, I don’t know. It has elements similar to Parodius and Fantasy Zone, with levels that have themes which seem to riff on Greek myths and Egyptian gods, as well as a mid-level upgrade shop, but it’s not as good as either of those. That said, I’m not a massive fan of shoot ’em ups but Parodius and Fantasy Zone are two of the few I enjoy, so who knows what the problem I have with it is.

Metroid Fusion (Switch): COMPLETED!

Posted on 12/03/2023 Written by deKay

Like Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion is a GBA game I haven’t played for a very, very long time. Also like Minish Cap, I have it on my 3DS, also unplayed. But let me not talk of what I haven’t played, for this appeared on Switch Online and I did play it.

Metroid Fusion is a more linear than usual Metroid title. That’s not to say there isn’t any backtracking or hidden things, more that it’s very hand-holdy and you’re told where to go (usually exactly) frequently, and sometimes even how to get there, so random exploration isn’t really a part of it. What is a part of it, however, is often getting stuck somewhere with seemingly no way of getting out, and it is only by bombing and shooting everything in sight and trying to climb into walls which don’t obviously show they’re hollow, that you escape. Or at least, that’s what happened to me. A lot.

It’s also quite a lot easier than most Metroid games, and certainly easier than I remember it being. Apart from Nightmare, who was a right old pain and I’m pretty sure I fluked it past him. Oh yes, I knew how to hit him, but avoiding him seemed completely impossible to plan for and somersaulting around him (shades of one of the Dread bosses there) was tricky because of his erratic movement and the lack of space. Those Core-X things that come out after bosses that also need defeating caught me out a few times too.

I can never remember if it’s Fusion or Zero that is supposed to be the “good” one. I thought they both were, but one was more loved than the other? Well, this is certainly excellent so if Zero is better, I can’t wait for that to appear on the Switch Online service at some point.