Author Topic: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.  (Read 5636 times)

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Offline Phil

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Offline Luigi Dude

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2014, 09:14:30 PM »
Nice to see it's finally going to come out.  Now I just hope it's actually good since the gameplay looks pretty interesting.
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Offline Triforce Hermit

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2014, 07:02:08 AM »
Sounds like Shadow of the Colossus concept (one of the screenshots showed an enemy which looked similar to a colossus, albeit the art style). Now I am vastly interested.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2014, 07:04:38 AM by Triforce Hermit »
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Offline Tamazoid

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2014, 08:00:48 AM »
Great to see. I do get some NiGHTS vibes from Rodea, which is always welcomed.
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Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2015, 10:45:05 PM »
http://nisamerica.com/games/rodea-the-sky-soldier/




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Offline Nile Boogie Returns

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2015, 12:03:44 AM »
In there, just read about this games in Nintendo Force on the way from the airport. I'll be there.

Offline broodwars

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2015, 12:04:46 AM »
I've never heard of this game, but this seems pretty neat and getting 2 versions of the game in one package is a pretty cool deal.
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Offline ShyGuy

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2015, 12:04:54 AM »
well huh!



Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2015, 12:20:15 AM »

Here's the Wii version for contrast. Pointer controls better than touchscreen controls?


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Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2015, 09:07:49 AM »
Very surprised to see my local Gamestop had 6 copies of the Wii U game. Of course the guy at the counter had no idea what I was talking about, and the game was still in the backroom. At this point though, I'm only in this game to play the Wii version.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2015, 01:06:00 PM »
Received my collector's edition last night, will start playing the Wii version tonight and post my extensive impressions of the whole thing soon. Also will play through the Wii U version afterward, and compare both.
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Offline broodwars

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2015, 02:06:02 PM »
In a really nice touch, the cover's actually reversible, with the Wii version's case & legal info, etc. on the other side.
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Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2015, 03:36:33 PM »
At this point anyone getting this game is only doing so for the Wii version. And yes, the reversible cover is a very nice touch.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2015, 04:40:07 PM »
If the Wii version is the best then I wonder if they will print up more copies of it.

Offline Evan_B

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2015, 11:11:42 PM »
What they SHOULD do is offer it up as a Wii U eShop game, since it bundles with the Wii U version at no additional cost (or perhaps, the Wii U version being a scaled-up version of the 3DS version was worth about half of a normal Wii U game and the Wii version makes up the other half). It really deserves as wide a release as possible since it is the definitive version of the game.

I've played up to Chapter 7 in the Wii version, which is right before the first Rodea-sized boss. I am really enjoying the game so far, the cutscenes are way better in Japanese, though the pacing is a little strange and I was hoping Rodea would take a bit longer to recover from his blank slate personality. The gameplay is really fun and solid. The camera could use some sensitivity options, as the boundaries for turning the camera are a little slow. Honestly, the game's mechanics more than make up for it, though, as the range for Rodea's flight capabilities is really forgiving and the game is never too fast-paced. The powerup system is awesome, each new one you get makes the game feel more like Sonic and NiGHTs combined (though I do wish the blaster was a bit stronger and that the powerups carried over into other levels). I think the tiered nature of the damage system is smart, as it's not too-punishing but also makes every hit really count and makes the player really think about their approach. By the second "world" in the game they start throwing enemies at you that really change the way you engage and defeat them.

The scale of the game is really my favorite aspect, so far. The levels are massive, and even when you're blazing through them as fast as you can its pretty fun to appreciate how large and multi-layered they are. Even in its most linear moments, the level design has tons of nooks and crannies that allow you to explore and attempt to find its hidden collectibles, which are another key aspect of the game.

I am really digging the Wii version, and I'd say that so far, the camera is the weakest aspect but that's not even a huge flaw. The game is very much a Yuji Naka thing and I really like it.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #15 on: November 15, 2015, 11:52:38 PM »
I'm right at the final boss in the Wii version, so I feel that I can speak for most of the game. I haven't beaten it yet because the final boss is 13 minutes long, with no checkpoints, and the final sequence in the fight is something the game has never thrown at you.

That being said, I think that the Wii version of Rodea: The Sky Soldier is definitely worth a playthrough if you're a fan of Naka's previous work, mainly Sonic and NiGHTs. I mean, it's all there- the level design is very reminiscent of Sonic Adventure 2 though with more open areas (and plenty of alternate paths), and the flight mechanics are very solid. But it is so much a retread of those concepts that it won't surprise you very often. The sense of scale is really quite something, and the amount of levels and boss fights that are really huge is impressive, but the gameplay challenges themselves aren't mind-boggling and are often familiar.

While the first two bosses- both giant and Rodea-sized- don't do much in terms of difficulty, they are at least novel and enjoyable. However, the second half of the game really pushes the combination of giant battles and flight mechanics to the extreme, and its very satisfying. Even the Rodea-sized bosses change it up a bit, and it makes them feel unique rather than clone-like.

There's plenty to do in Rodea- collecting the massive amount of medals that are tucked away in each stage, as well as attempting to S-Rank missions in both time and gems (I find it hard to believe you can do both at the same time) contributes a great deal to the overall playtime. The battle mode is actually really rewarding because you can interfere with players as you race through the stages. If this were a game released in my childhood, I would have played the hell out of it and it would have become a favorite, for sure. But, I have already played a game very similar in design, and at that point in my life, as well, so I can say that I have enjoyed Rodea a whole lot, but it is not my favorite game. It's well-crafted and you can see a lot of effort was put into making a quality and unique Wii title, but it won't be remembered by anyone because of its limited release. That's too bad, because it is REALLY fun.
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Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2016, 12:25:00 PM »
Man....man...**** that final boss.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2016, 12:59:32 PM »
Oh yeah, it's ridiculous.
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Offline Soren

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Re: Rodea: The Sky Soldier is not dead after all.
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2016, 10:42:33 PM »
So I finally have more than a minute to put down some thoughts on this game.


I really want to like this game. I came in with open arms because, while I'm not a fan of Yuji Naka or the Sonic franchise, the premise of Rodea with a Wiimote caught my attention. I love games that put the pointer control to good use and felt that if motion controls were ever going to be "not a fad", they needed to go that direction. And for a while this game kind of succeeds. I agree with Evan on most of his points. I'll add though that I'm glad the game (for the most part) didn't ramp up the difficulty just by making enemies harder to kill. Yes there are a few nasty spiky things in the later chapter that require some crazy accuracy to destroy, but I liked that the game gave you the option to skip them and focus instead on your flying. I love the freedom the game gives you in flight and pulling off chained attacks all while not touching the ground is so satisfying.


The bosses are equally fun, but the massive ones suffer from a combination of bad camera and pointer sensitivity. That you can't change how fast you can pan from one side of the screen to another is a major oversight, and one that makes the final boss battle partly unfair. The power-up system was also a bit screwed. Losing all my power-ups meant losing all the speed and attack, basically making me useless. At that point I would rather die than fumble around trying to find a power-up. At one point in Chapter 16 the combination of no power-ups and the howling wind effect resulted in comedy of the highest variety. Here's the relevant bit:


But I can't totally hate on this game. The boss battles were very fun when I wasn't getting stuck on part of their limbs because the only thing I could target to move around was their bodies. And I think the challenge of speed running each chapter for an S-Rank then coming back and methodically exploring it again for another S-Rank is intriguing, but I don't think I want to go back to it.

I mean, I have no idea how people played that final battle on the Wii U/3DS version of the game.
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