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[A new coat of paint laid onto an aging platformer.]

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TalkBack / Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX (Switch) Review

« on: August 31, 2021, 03:43:08 PM »

A new coat of paint laid onto an aging platformer.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/58244/alex-kidd-in-miracle-world-dx-switch-review

Sega released Alex Kidd in Miracle World in 1986 for the Master System and the series has seen six total releases up to 1990. Now, Merge Games and Jankenteam look to revive the franchise with Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX; a remake that offers up a new visual style, additional levels, and some extras. Unfortunately, this brutal retro platformer is best left in the past.

The simple “boy saves the kingdom” story that’s typical of games for the time is present, but it’s nothing to write home about. It works as a vehicle to motivate to give the journey a purpose but nothing more. The best part of this new rendition is that the visual style of Alex Kidd DX is gorgeous. Colors pop and environments are richly detailed. Each area is very distinct with its own visual flair. The title runs at a solid 60 frames per second which is vital for a 2D platforming title. Alex Kidd himself is animated very well, but the enemies are a mixed bag. Granted not everything needs to have the same amount of detail as the title character, but the models and animations are very minimalist except for certain bosses. The art style is very charming, which is the game’s greatest boon and metric of quality, and there are some neat additions to this release. One thing I always can appreciate in titles like this, is the ability to switch between different aesthetics. At any point in time with a press of the ZR trigger, you can seamlessly switch between the 1986 version's artwork and DX. The remake keeps the physics and controls of the new release, akin to changing palettes in Super Mario Maker.

The levels work on a grid and Alex is twice as tall as one block. A very bare bones and simple way to describe it is if there is a solid wall of blocks, Alex needs to exactly clear out two blocks next to each other to clear a gap. As the levels continue, clearing gaps is much harder since blocks are the primary environmental obstacle and gaps limit his movement. There are shops at the start of levels that provide items that allow Alex to break blocks in a line or fly. Money for these is gained from golden blocks and enemies that drop bags. While this can alleviate the pressure, any items you use are lost upon death.

Credit where it’s due, the developers knew that the original version was hard and provided an infinite lives option. This is a fantastic addition for platforming titles from the past coming back, and I recommend turning this on by default. Alex Kidd is a typical 2D platformer with obstacles and enemies, but how to get to the objective at the end is extremely limited. I often had trouble with certain obstacles for what felt like way too long, and that mainly came down to the way Alex controls. He can jump and punch. The level layouts sometimes feel claustrophobic and punching complicates them. One hardware limitation that Miracle World DX decides to keep from the original is that once things scroll off the left or top side of the screen, they are removed from the data of the level. In other words, Alex cannot go backwards to regain an item or money. This is especially annoying when a checkpoint places Alex right ahead of an item that could’ve been very useful.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX’s physics are unreliable when adjusting where to land consistently. Once you jump, you usually are committed to where to land. The movement can feel a bit slippery in the tighter platforming sections, so being overzealous might cause trouble. I was encouraged to avoid as many enemies as possible, so this seems to be at odds with itself.  Alex cannot stomp enemies. If he touches one at all unless it’s through a punch, it’s instant death and you're put back to an earlier checkpoint. Three deaths and it’s back to the start unless unlimited lives are on.

Upon finishing, players unlock two bonuses. A boss rush mode that compiles all of the rock-paper-scissors style bouts with the more unique fights that must be completed without fail. The other is an upscaled port of the Master System version. These are appreciated for those who either want a greater challenge, or want a more authentic experience. Even with these additions to the overall package, it is weighed down by a dated control scheme and brutal difficulty.

Alex Kidd makes a return with mixed results. The aesthetic of Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is very eye-catching and can make it fun to watch being played by speedrunners or those familiar with the series. For those looking to have a more classic experience, the swappable color palette available in the main mode and the unlockable port are worth a look. The release is rounded out with a boss rush mode to serve up a challenging 2D platformer that’s worth a try before the game shows itself as a product of its time.

[Colorful but clumsy third-person action]

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TalkBack / Earth Defense Force: World Brothers (Switch) Review

« on: August 23, 2021, 05:09:31 AM »

Colorful but clumsy third-person action

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/58170/earth-defense-force-world-brothers-switch-review

On the surface, Earth Defense Force is a game series about killing giant ants. Just like a Hollywood B-movie, each title of the series knows what it strives to achieve: a silly, cheesy, science fiction title about shooting giant insects and aliens in the face. What more could one ask for? In an attempt to bring a new spin on the formula, developer Yuke’s takes the reins to make a colorfully comical entry that works well in a few places, but fails to hit the mark in many others.

To say it straight, the EDF series has never really cared for a deep narrative outside of a serviceable premise and solid way to motivate the player to fight hordes of ants. This works perfectly fine in the comical B-movie scenarios the series has dulled out over each installment. This time, the block-shaped Earth is shattered to pieces and it’s up to you to rescue and enlist those willing to join the fight against invading alien forces. While a great jumping off point for the stereotypical “power of teamwork” type of story, there is such a thing as too much comedy to the point where things just become too silly for their own good. The main culprit of this is likely its approach to voicework.

I was surprised as to how much voicework there is. This is because of the sheer amount of playable recruits that can be used in a four-person EDF crew. However with the volume of playable “brothers and sisters” comes an astronomical amount of voice lines. The problem isn’t how many there are though, but how often they’re used. Each of them will spout the same several lines over and over when playing as them to the point of becoming very annoying. If the progression system encouraged players to constantly swap characters in and out of the team on a consistent basis, this wouldn’t be that bad of an issue. This isn’t the case.

Rescuing brothers and sisters to the roster is quick and easy; there are three to save in each level. The positive side to this is that each of their weapons is also available to the player, giving recruits the ability to change weapons but still keep their skills like sprint, flying, or throwing grenades. Each character has their own ultimate ability as well to use late into a mission. The downside to this though, is that they can’t just change weapons out the gate; they need to be upgraded first. At the end of a mission, only the active party gains armor so it pays to stick with a party and two or three substituts on standby. This diversity does little to nothing if you’re encouraged to stick with a limited number. At that point it feels like you’re unlocking new weapons instead of members of a crew. Still, there are plenty of weapons to experiment with to try to keep things interesting.

The art style is really appealing. World Brothers looks vastly different from other games in the series, offering a more colorful look with its voxel based models and environments. The roster of character models and monster designs are appreciated too, keeping the art fresh throughout. I welcome a change like this as it sets this EDF game apart in a really bold fashion that gives it a unique identity. Even with charming art, the game is barely smooth to play.  

The Switch version leaves a lot to be desired. While the whole series is known to have unstable framerates with the amount of enemies on screen, this title takes things down even further. The developers do use reliable strategies such as level of detail management and dynamic resolution to try to keep the target framerate. The simple visuals too do well to set a 30 frames per second ceiling and it’s kept there relatively in lighter encounters. However, once chaos ensues with enemies flooding the screen, the framerate tanks harder than most games on the console making controlling difficult. How Earth Defense Force evolves its difficulty is by throwing more enemies on screen to clear so the higher the difficulty, the more often framerate issues persist. The game looks very blurry and feels sluggish as a result. The Online mode was not tested for this review, but one can imagine that performance would suffer even further depending on network stability.  

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers ultimately falls short of accomplishing its mission on Nintendo Switch. The roster variety is hindered by the progression system which discourages changing party members before each mission. The color palette and art is very vibrant and colorful, but the game looks more blurred and choppy as more and more enemies are thrown at the player in the pursuit of a challenge which is the World Brothers’ downfall. For EDF fans and newcomers alike, this call to action isn’t worth answering.