With Club Nintendo shutting down in a few weeks I finally
made the hard decision of spending my last 450 coins on two 3DS games: Sakura
Samurai and 3D Classics: Kid Icarus. Both are priced at 200 coins leaving me
with 50 unredeemable coins. I do hope
Club Nintendo still has a surprise up its sleeve because I sure can’t rest well
with 50 coins still remaining on my account.
With my brief stint at Club Nintendo I got addicted to
adding eshop titles on my wishlist and hoping that a fairy from a magical land
of dead hopes and dreams would grant me the funds and memory space to get ‘em
all. I have knocked out a few titles off the list thanks to my ever so dominant
impulse buying strategy that sends me into despair every time I see the price
of Azure Striker Gunvolt. The 20 dollars that I added to my funds last Tuesday
gave me Shovel Knight and Boxboy, prior to that I also bought Gunman Clive.
I’ve clocked in around 14 hours between the five games with
Shovel Knight racking in nine hours.
Shovel Knight
Play Time: 9:12
 |
| get diggin' |
In Shovel Knight players take control of the titular
character in his journey towards the Tower of Fate to save his partner and love
interest, Shield Knight, from the clutches of the evil Enchantress and her
Order of No Quarter.
Shovel Knight is one heck of a throwback to the glory days
of the NES. 8-bit graphics, classic action-adventure gameplay, a good story, great
characters, some heartrending moments, a list of challenges (called Feats), cheat
list that puts my wish list to shame, and a damn shovel for a weapon, what’s
not to love? I’ll tell you what, its length. Shovel Knight gave me
entertainment and a hell of a lot of fun but its main course is just an appetizer’s
length to the average action-adventure game. Hopefully the expansion pack will
address this (it’s not really an issue, though, it’s just me).
Shovel Knight is brought to us by independent game developer
Yacht Club Games. The game will have an update sometime this year called Plague
of Shadows and will focus on one of the members of the Order of No Quarter,
Plague Knight.
This title is a 10/10.
Sakura Samurai
Play Time: 0:41
 |
| it has an authentic Land of the Rising Sun feel |
This game is, ermm, good? I clocked in a little over forty minutes for this title, and within that time I took the hard hook to the body when
I learned that the general gameplay is different from my initial
expectations. Sakura Samurai follows the
story of a samurai, guided by a kappa, in his quest to save Princess Sakura in
feudal Japan. It has an interesting premise thanks to the samurai and saving
the princess part but what I initially thought to be a 3D hack and slash action game like Dynasty Warriors, but instead it turned out to be a feudal Japan version of a dumb down Black Rock Shooter the Game. The bright side to all these is there’s
never a dull moment to the game since the enemies just keep coming, but then
the downside is that it becomes repetitive with the lack of variety.
Still I feel like there’s more to this game so I give this
title a HoldOn!/10
BOX BOY!
Play Time: 1:14
 |
| © HAL Laboratory/Nintendo |
BOX BOY!, developed by HAL Laboratories (the company
primarily responsible for Kirby, Smash, and Earthbound) is an excellent puzzle
game to play when taking breaks in-between playing bigger titles.
This game has been on my hit list the moment it was
announced on a previous Nintendo Direct. The objective of the game is simple,
but the mechanics used to achieve the objective are intuitive, kinda like the
Pushmo series. In BOX BOY! players take control of Qbby by using his ability to conjure blocks from
his body to use as platforms, hooks, protection, etc. to reach the crowns
scattered across each stage. By clearing each stage, Qbby earns some kind of
currency that can be used to buy accessories at the shop.
My current progress puts me at World 5 and so far there’s
always something new to expect with each world. It could be a new technique,
new obstacle, or new strategy either way Box Boy! is never dull. Frustrating in
some stages, but it just makes clearing each level perfectly all the more
satisfying. Play this game!
Gunman Clive
Play Time: 1:40
 |
| also has an authentic western feel |
Ah, the most Wild Wild West game I’ve ever played.
Gunman Clive is a 2D
side-scrolling action game set in the Wild Wild West complete with cowboys,
saloons, damsels in distress, bandits, ducks and aliens. What is Woody without
Buzz, and Buzz without Woody, right?
Gunman Clive’s gameplay is similar to Mega Man. The titular
character, Clive, sets out to save the mayor’s daughter who was kidnapped by
bandits and presumably offered to aliens. Clive’s main weapon is a gun which
can be upgraded by picking up power ups dropped by enemies. Each stage has
plenty of hazards ranging from simple bandits to ducks (yes, ducks), and ends
with a boss fight. There are initially
two playable characters: Clive, and the mayor’s daughter. Clive is the easiest
character to control. He’s fast on land and agile in the air. The mayor’s
daughter is slower than Clive, but she’s easier to control while on the air.
Similar to Princess Peach, the mayor’s daughter can float for a short time to
get some distance after jumping. Upon finishing the game with either character,
the duck is unlocked because why the hell not?!
This game is bloody difficult. I mean it. Each area is
divided into stages. Some stages are long, some are short but all of ‘em are
out to kill you, and there are no friggin’ checkpoints. Oh you died, restart
the stage! Oh you fell off a pit, restart the stage! This game is a real
challenge in precise platforming and shooting, both at the same time. And the starting
gun is useless! Regular enemies go down with one hit, but later in the game you
really have to mash that button like your grade in the finals depended on it.
That said, power ups rarely pop out from enemies, and when you do get a power
up it disappears the moment you get hit. So, better cling on to what glimmer of
hope you have after obtaining the Laser gun.
Gunman Clive was developed by Horberg Productions. Its
sequel, Gunman Clive 2, is also available on the eshop, now with more colors
and ducks.
3D Classics: Kid
Icarus
Play Time: 0:58
 |
| the icon-highlight tune remains the same...I love it! |
I finally got a taste of the original Kid Icarus series.
Yep, it’s difficult. Despite it being a classic title and all, the game feels
like a breath of fresh air on my part because it’s like a side-scroller tilted
90 degrees. Instead of pressing left or right on the D-Pad, you have to
repeatedly press the jump button in order to progress through the game. I guess
you could say that Pit is uprising in every stage. Uprising. Kid Icarus
Uprising (heh…hehehe). The main
objective of the game is to reach each stage’s exit. A regular stage is a hopping journey to the top while avoiding/killing enemies, collecting hearts and ah, ah, ah, ah stayin' alive. Boss stages take on a more Zelda II feel with the original Zelda dungeon design. There are no checkpoints which mean that
dying sends you back to the start. Enemies come from different varieties, and
most were taken as inspiration for the designs in Kid Icarus Uprising. Killing
an enemy makes them drop hearts, the game’s currency, and can be spent on items
in certain points of the game.
I only played until the first boss before taking a break.
There’s too much heartbreak in falling off a pit despite your character having
the name Pit.
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