Posted December 15, 2017
This is the kind of Metroidvania for your eight-year-old kid or your grandmother or someone like me who doesn't have time to play games that punish a missed jump with a spiky death or a pummeling by the enemies, so you have to play the "practice, die, repeat" cycle over and over.
Metroidvanias are often serious and grim affairs, but this takes the gothic atmosphere of Castlevania, with monsters wheeling about, and injects the campy charm of the Shantae games.
One positive thing I can say about the game. The sprites are huge! This helps you to admire the artwork of the game, but some might get turned off by the super deformed aspect.
There are a few nitpicks about the game. Apparently the game's original gameplay speed was a bit sluggish, so it now comes with an apparent "turbo mode" as the default, yet it feels how a regular platformer should move, so I can't imagine how bad non-turbo was. Despite this, Belle still jumps like a wounded dwarf. Luckily, a lifetime of Castlevania games has taught me the art of hanging by the balls of your feet before making a jump, and it seems like a double jump is an unlockable skill. And like I said, the game is not one of those that punish you for a missed jump.
Another thing I dislike is that there seems to be no pain or backlash animation. Get smacked in the face with a baddie or fall in a pit of spikes, and Belle keeps smiling along, with your only consequence is the damage taken. Those who criticized the games of yore for their instance on stun or damage locking, where you bounce around or can't break free from whatever is hurting you, need not fear here, but some kind of visual cue, while still keeping the kid whimsy appeal, would do wonders.
Finally the sound effect accompanying the text is the most unspeakably horrendous crunchy noise I've ever heard.
Despite all that, this game is goofy fun. I've noticed the wishlist has very spare votes. I think it's the kind of game that would fit in well with GOG's other hand drawn platforming games, like Shantae or Owlboy.
Metroidvanias are often serious and grim affairs, but this takes the gothic atmosphere of Castlevania, with monsters wheeling about, and injects the campy charm of the Shantae games.
One positive thing I can say about the game. The sprites are huge! This helps you to admire the artwork of the game, but some might get turned off by the super deformed aspect.
There are a few nitpicks about the game. Apparently the game's original gameplay speed was a bit sluggish, so it now comes with an apparent "turbo mode" as the default, yet it feels how a regular platformer should move, so I can't imagine how bad non-turbo was. Despite this, Belle still jumps like a wounded dwarf. Luckily, a lifetime of Castlevania games has taught me the art of hanging by the balls of your feet before making a jump, and it seems like a double jump is an unlockable skill. And like I said, the game is not one of those that punish you for a missed jump.
Another thing I dislike is that there seems to be no pain or backlash animation. Get smacked in the face with a baddie or fall in a pit of spikes, and Belle keeps smiling along, with your only consequence is the damage taken. Those who criticized the games of yore for their instance on stun or damage locking, where you bounce around or can't break free from whatever is hurting you, need not fear here, but some kind of visual cue, while still keeping the kid whimsy appeal, would do wonders.
Finally the sound effect accompanying the text is the most unspeakably horrendous crunchy noise I've ever heard.
Despite all that, this game is goofy fun. I've noticed the wishlist has very spare votes. I think it's the kind of game that would fit in well with GOG's other hand drawn platforming games, like Shantae or Owlboy.
