Beat'Em Up Collection Review (Switch)

We love QUByte games here at Retro 101. It’s great when compilations and older releases are brought to new consoles and QUByte have a knack for picking games just outside of the mainstream to do it with. These tend to be less popular releases from the past but it’s great so many hidden gems are given a new life.

This time they are back with a collection of belt scrolling and platform beat’em up games. And it so happens that two of the games on here are two of our favourites from yesteryear. Before we get to that though, there are seven games compiled here in total and most have been released by QUByte is some form before.

The First and Second Samurai have already been released as a duo, as have Iron Commando and Legend. Though releases were very bare bones in terms of quality of life though. This just brings them together in a bigger package and adds proper quality of life features such as rewinds. cheats and a small host of extras such as the original manuals. The screen display has been much better optimised as well with the games adjusted to take up more on-screen space.

We’ll start with the filler, The Second Samurai is an incredibly basic game that really adds nothing to the collection. It is also not a patch on the first game and employs a more arcade style, scrolling beat’em up mechanic. Sword of Sudan is also dreadful. A slow moving, jerky game that most people will play for minutes. It did raise a chuckle that in the trivia for the game it says it wasn’t highly regarded on release for the Mega Drive and there’s a better Amiga version available. Full marks for honesty at least.

The rest of the compilation fairs much better though. The First Samurai is a hugely underrated platform action game. You control a samurai and leap around levels that scroll in all directions looking for bells which help to remove obstacles such as flames or waterfalls then take on an end of level boss. The Amiga version is the best, but we’ll let it go that we have the SNES version here as it’s the one we played when we were younger. It’s been smoothed out nicely as well with the flickering and slowdown present in the original all but gone, add in the quality of life features and this really is a great fun game that more people should play.

There are two solid belt fighters here as well. Gourmet Warriors is bright and colourful and gives you three characters to pick from. It doesn’t have the biggest range of moves but then these games rarely do. Enemies are varied and it runs at a good pace, it also has some unique tricks such as being able to summon a helper character for yourself which conjures a clone that the computer controls to aid you. Iron Commando is a game we have come across before on the Piko 1 collection for the Evercade. It’s also big and bold and creates a good sense of destruction and chaos. We will say though that having the rewind option and the ability to add cheats if required turned it into a far more enjoyable experience as it’s a bit of a tough one.

There’s another game here from the Piko 1 collection as well. The excellent Water Margin. Another belt fighter it’s full of great levels, flashy special moves and diverse characters. It even has some branching routes and different endings based on difficulty settings. It’s a really strong game and one that wasn’t originally localised for the west.

Our favourite game on the collection though is Legend. This a SNES game that we have a lot of fondness for. It’s closest in style to something like Golden Axe or the Capcom Dungeons and Dragons fighting games. But it is a lot more graphically detailed than Sega’s outing and there’s a real weight to all the moves. It’s another game that was very hard back in the day so being able to mess around in it now with the cheats and rewinds as a back up is great. This is especially true as there are a couple of branches you can go down, so saving allows for easier access.

Overall, though there are a couple of poor games here the three excellent ones and two solid tiles are more than enough to justify a purchase for retro fans looking to play something a bit more outside of the mainstream. We bought both Legend and First Samurai when QUByte released them on the Switch before, to have them bundled in with the excellent Water Margin just makes this a no brainer and we hope this generates enough interest to keep these sorts of titles coming.

Overall 8/10

Aero the Acrobat Review (Switch)

There are so many Super Nintendo games out there that it’s inevitable that not everything would appear on the Online service. It’s proving to be a goldmine for retro developers, and we’ve previously looked at the Top Racer Collection from QUByte and recently enjoyed working our way through the Jurassic Park compilation brought about by Limited Run Games. Fresh from an Evercade release, Sunsofts Aero the Acrobat is the next to make its way to Switch (and will soon be followed by its sequel).

Fairly well received upon original release, Aero the Acrobat fell into the second tier of Super Nintendo platformers behind the Super Marios and Donkey Kongs. It also shifted decent enough numbers for a sequel and spinoff game. We can also age ourselves quite badly by telling you there’s an original copy of the game sitting on the shelf. Honestly though, this is the first time we’ve really put a significant amount of time into it and it’s certainly good fun.

The thing that will take players the most time to adjust to is how Aero controls. We are so used to either Sonic or Mario style implementations that anything else just feels slightly off. Aero is probably closer to the more slip, slidey Sonic approach but after a few levels it all came together. The

It’s important to note that Aero can’t defeat enemies by jumping on them as well. He needs to do a jump and spin attack or use one of the many pickups such as stars which can be thrown. Even then there are a fair few enemies that are immune to your attack and simply need avoiding. There’s lots of objects around the colourful levels to interact with such as unicycles and trampolines as well which fit with the overall circus theme.

Levels themselves are loosely mission based with criteria needing to be met before you can exit. These normally require the player to search out platforms to disperse or a certain number of hoops to jump through. Most of the time this is fine but if you miss one there’s a strict time limit so it can mean a restart if you are not careful. In all honesty, the levels would be fine without these restrictions.

In terms of additions for this re-release there isn’t much in terms of the core game. You get the rewind and save state upgrades most retro revivals now seem to have and a few screen and filter options. However, you also get a host of gallery extras including the original instruction manual and a host of design and production stills. It’s a decent collection of museum items and something that could have easily been overlooked. It shows that little bit of extra effort that has been out in and it’s much appreciated.

Overall, we are glad to see one of the better and often overlooked games from the sixteen-bit era make its way to a new audience. Aero is well worth playing and is more than a simple clone of a bigger franchise. It’s not as slick as the big boys but it remains inventive and fun throughout. Now, if someone could just get hold of Skyblazer and Shadowrun that would be great.

Overall 7/10

Top Racer Classic Collection Review (Switch)

We love QUByte Interactive at Retro 101. There are so many retro games out there that could be lost to history but QUByte have picked out some really interesting ones to release on the Switch. In the past we’ve had SNES games the First Samurai and Legend, and Risky Woods on the Megadrive, along with a host of others. These games might not be massively well known but they are solid and interesting titles that deserve to be kept alive. The Top Racer games also fall into this category.

When the games released on the SNES in Europe they were known as Top Gear but we can assume there’s probably a licensing issue with that name now, so they have reverted back to their original Japanese titles. The collection contains Top Racer 1 and 2, Top Racer 3000 and a sort of Rom hack crossover with Horizon Chase Turbo called Top Racer Crossroads which is the first game with different cars.

What really helps the collection is that the three main games are different enough from each other to feel unique. There are similarities of course, all of the game display in a sort of fake 3D POV with the camera positioned just behind the car and they all take in race locations from around the world (and galaxy in 3000’s case). Your stye of play also won’t need to alter dramatically between them, but there is enough in terms of look and details to give you a choice to make each time you come to the collection.

The first Top Gear uses a split screen display with your car at the top and either the computer or a second player on the bottom. There’s no way to set this so you only have the top screen so get used to looking at half the Switch screen when playing in handheld mode. Once you get used to it though it’s totally fine. Speaking of getting used to things, just remember the frame rate on the SNES is not perhaps what you remember it to be. There is a sense of speed throughout the games but sometimes it does get a bit jerky. Top Gear 2 and 3000 give you a full screen to race around and each ups the graphics considerably, although they also change style, so each game retains its own look and charm.

There are a few options that players can use with the usual filters here if you want to smooth out pixels and you can play around with the screen size and even stretch it wide screen if you want to. This of course simultaneously fills the Switch screen and creates one of the most distorted pictures ever. Remember, the SNES is not a wide screen machine after all. The games themselves have their own graphical flourishes at times with certain weather conditions like rain and snow and the tracks themselves are well designed and remarkably varied throughout.

There are a few other basic extras as well like achievements and an image gallery for the three games. You can also redeem codes which may suggest future skins for cars. Theres meant to be an online mode as well, but we couldn’t find any games on the server. Whether that’s down to it not working properly or not many people playing the game it’s difficult to tell. Either way we couldn’t get a game.

Overall, the Top Racer Collection is great for people like us. We have played the original games on original hardware and aren’t particularly bothered about upgrades in terms of how the games look and play. We also love the fact that games like this are being released on the Switch. If you are like us, you’ll probably love these games as much as you ever did as they do hold up. If you are a newcomer to the series, it may be better to go to the spiritual successor Horizon Chase Turbo.

Overall 7/10

Turrican Anthology Vol 1 and 2 Review (Switch)

 

“Retro gaming” has almost become a redundant title in recent years. The restoration and archiving of old titles have become common practice; with classic games being reissued, forgotten titles being treated to widespread release on new hardware, previously region-locked gems getting lovingly crafted remasters, and even canned titles finally get to see the light of day. The Turrican series falls into the much-loved at the time yet forgotten catagory, the series starting out as a showcase for the then-aging C64 as a technical marvel. Better versions followed, of course, but it’s odd that the original has been omitted from both volumes of the Turrican Anthology.

With the word “anthology” in the title I’d have expected a comprehensive selection of games, at the very least the original version of the first game should show its face, but not here. Each anthology includes three titles (four if you include one director’s cut in each) and what is effectively a demo version of a game from the other collection. The first volume has the Amiga Versions of Turrican and Turrican 2, and Super Turrican and its Director’s Cut from the SNES, and while volume two has Super Turrican 2, the Amiga’s Turrican 3 and its Mega Drive equivalent, Mega Turrican, also with a Director’s cut. While the games are the best the series has to offer, the price of admission (£29.99 each) feels a little steep, but with the rights to the series being spread over so many parties it’s understandable that costs need to be recovered.

The series has its roots in the platforming/shooting genre and may look like a Metroid homage on first glance. The levels – while large - are linear, so the similarities only go as deep as Turrican’s morph ball. The first game’s primary influence was obscure Data East title Psycho-Nics Oscar, and it really does fall into the run-and-gun genre; blast stuff, power ups aplenty, and big bosses. The games really throw enemies and hazards at you, but the use of a health bar rather than a one-hit kill gives the player a bit of breathing room compared to something like Contra. The pace is slower overall, but things can get frantic at times.

All the games stand up as well now as they did back in the 90s. The first two Turricans offer a decent 16-bit shooting through some cavernous levels. The SNES titles combine elements of the first two and slap more colours and some Mode 7 trickery over the top to offer a prettier experience. The real star of the show however is Mega Turrican. While it’s essentially the same game as the Amiga’s Turrican 3 in terms of graphics and levels, it plays much better. I often felt the two were inseparable, but having compared them side-by-side, the Mega Drive’s blast processor really allowed the game to run at a brisk pace, and the Amiga game seems to stutter in comparison.

The games themselves have been given a lot of attention, with perfect ports and a plethora of features to please the time starved and hardcore, through the ability to enable or disable features such as rewind, save states and the like. There’s also a lovely CRT filter if you really want to relive the halcyon days of playing on a 14-inch TV. Each title runs like a dream, and it’s a joy to be able to play Amiga games without faffing with emulation (Factor 5 host files for the Amiga game on their site for free legal download) or original hardware.

The price is the only real downer, as you’re still paying £60 for a handful of 16-bit games, but you could still justify it as a saving on buying the originals. As it stands, these anthologies offer the most reasonably priced way to play these titles (just check out the prices for Super Turrican 2 on eBay), and the emulation is top-notch as always. It’s nice to see Amiga titles making an appearance here (more of this, please), and the addition of modern conveniences is always appreciated, even though it’s pretty much a given these days.

Aside from the pricing, my other minor complaint is the omission of other versions of the first two games. While I’m sure even getting this many games together was a herculean feat of rights-wrangling and publisher schmoozing, it would have been great to have the option of playing the home computer or console ports of the first two games. Having the option of playing the reskinned Turrican 2 in the form of Universal Soldier would have been the cherry on the cake, but this would’ve been a big ask just to satisfy this old obsessive-compulsive collector.

If you’re only going to pick up one of these collections, I’d say Volume 2 is the one to go for, as Mega Turrican is the pinnacle of the series. Of course, you can also pick up the previously released Turrican Flashback, as this includes the first two games, Super Turrican and Mega Turrican. Whichever you choose will provide plenty of solid run-and-gun action, whether you’re a grizzled 90s gamer or a newcomer to the series. And if this is your first time playing, “welcome to Turrican. Hahahahahahaha!”.

8/10

Cotton 100% (Switch Review)

 

Written by Dan Gill

Ratalaika is on a mission at the moment. It seems the publisher is determined to bring a load of 16-bit era shooters to modern platforms, and this can only be a good thing, even if some of the games themselves aren’t exactly classics, it’s nice to have some sense of preservation. Their recent releases of Cotton titles are appreciated, being the series never had a widespread release back in the 90s, and copies of the original carts fetch silly money these days.

Cotton 100% is the second game in the series about the eponymous witch. A side scrolling shooter with some light RPG elements, the game’s design is very much of the Parodius and Pop ‘n Twinbee camp, favouring bright, fantasy themed levels and cute character designs over the usual sci-fi fare that normally defines the genre. It looks good, too. The bright backgrounds and characters offer a refreshing change from the futuristic theme of most SCHMUPs, and even though things can get busy on screen, the backdrop never causes things in the fore to be missed. When things get really busy on screen, there is noticeable slowdown sadly, and it’s a shame this couldn’t have been fixed in the port.

The gameplay itself is pretty standard, but enjoyable enough. Cotton earns power ups (the type can be changed by shooting it repeatedly), and experience is earned through destroying enemies. If you manage to avoid losing lives, this ends up making Cotton death on broom. As such, the game can feel a little easy compared to other examples of the genre, and the power up system is a little simple when compared with Parodius’ Gradius-aping approach.

Along with the original game, there are some modern improvements as you’d expect of almost any reissue these days (screen filters, cheats, rewind and the like), but as with Panorama Cotton there’s no English script. Each level is preceded by a brief anime style intro relaying the story with Japanese text. It’s a shame an English translation is missing, as it would elevate the game from a decent port to something that feels more like a labour of love.

As it stands, with the removal of the usual barriers of the cost of an original copy of the game (or the moral dilemma of venturing down the emulation route), this is still a welcome release. The game - while different to most in the broader shoot ‘em up genre – isn't one that stands out than others in its niche field of cutesy shooters. It’s an enjoyable, pretty romp through what I’m sure is a fun story, and is worth a look, just expect to be charmed rather than challenged.

7/10

The Unofficial SNES Pixel Book Review

For a fair while now Bitmap books have been producing a whole host of homages and call backs to magical days of retro gaming. With that in mind we thought it was probably time that we started to take a closer look and start to review some of these titles. The first on our list is this love letter to Super Nintendo graphics and what a special book it is.

To start with it’s fair to say that even by hardback coffee book standards this is both large and a very strange shape. But, it works. The 272 pages are set out in the dimensions of 250mm × 250mm and it just seems to be the perfect size to portray these pixel graphics to their fullest and most impressive. The books outer cover is solid and colourful and gives you every confidence that it will protect its precious cargo while also adding an air of grandiosity and ceremony to the book held within it. As a lesson on how to give a good first impression this is a masterclass.

Once you’ve finished marvelling at the impressive cover you are welcomed to the world of 16-bit pixels by a well written introduction and explanation as to how the book has been laid out. In this case the games are set out into genres based on their defining characteristics such as platform games, shooting games, adventures etc. It’s presented in a fun and cohesively clear way that makes navigating to your favourite easy while also leading readers to similar games that they may not have heard of or know little about.

The main focus here though is the glorious pixel graphics of the era. Though there are detailed summaries and explanations throughout the book to do with everything from various genres to different types of adventure game bosses, most of the individual games are restricted to single sentences or small paragraphs at best. One particularly striking image from Pocky and Rocky simply states ‘Destroyer of Rice Balls’ above it for instance. This is of course to showcase the art work in its best possible way but once you have had your interest peaked by a particular title it’s likely you’ll have to look elsewhere to really get the information on it.

That said, if you want an introduction into the world of 16-bit games in terms of mechanics and styles this certainly is covered. For instance, the adventure game section takes time to discuss core elements of games viewed from different perspectives (top-down, isometric etc.), while the RPG section talks about menu systems and inventories. This is a really unique take and something you don’t normally see in these sorts of books. In that sense it really does help you to understand core mechanics of a lot of these genres and games.

When there is text it is entertaining, insightful and well worth reading. The way the book is written really seems to highlight things that we may have all noticed but not necessarily thought about in the way it talks about them. The analysis present is easy to follow, logical and something that genuinely informed us and peaked our curiosity to learn more. It’s excellent work and you can tell it’s been well thought about and written with both passion and detail imbued within it.

Overall, The Unofficial SNES Pixel Book is incredibly impressive. We’ve played a lot of games on the SNES over the years but this has managed to get us to think about them in a completely different way and notice details we have overlooked many times. It’s a remarkable achievement in all areas of design and writing and we can’t think of anything really that would have improved it. We can’t recommend it enough and anyone interested in design, style and mechanics of these classic titles won’t be disappointed. It’s also got Shadowrun and Hagane in it so what’s not to like?

 Click here for store link.

*Original photo Bitmap books.

Piko Interactive Collection 2 Review (Evercade)

 

The first Piko Interactive collection was an oddball pick and mix of titles covering a wide range of genres. As a result there was really something for everyone to discover and enjoy. The second collection takes a more focused approach and contains a host of sports based titles. Retro based sports games can be hit and miss though so we weren’t sure what to initially make of the fourteen game line up.

Though there are undoubtedly highlights here we’ll get through the filler first – and unfortunately there is a sizable chunk of it. Winter and Summer Challenge for instance were never that great on first release and now the cramped screen space, confusing controls and unresponsive inputs really have not improved. While it may offer some fun in multiplayer there is very little to draw you back past the initial curious nostalgia.

The two football games here are also disappointing. World Trophy Soccer is slow and cumbersome and just made us wish International Superstar Soccer was an option. Considering we have Sensible Soccer coming it is easily forgettable. Football Madness’ only real claim to fame here is that it’s the first Playstation game to make one of the collections. It’s ok in multiplayer but really it’s a painfully average game despite the power ups and more arcade style of play.

Speaking of painfully average the two Shut Up and Jam games are also included. Once again we found ourselves thinking about much better games set in the genre. NBA Jam this isn’t, and both games feel lose with players having little weight to them and the game seeming too random to really get players to invest the time to develop skills. Again, as a multiplayer option it works much better.

While we are in the realm of American sport it’s fair to say Power Football certainly isn’t up there with the John Madden games either with the whole thing lacking the pace and intensity of the best video game depictions of American Football.  Beast Ball however is a great fun take on the sport with vikings, lizards and other creatures battering each other senseless. It lacks in terms of depth but it’s great for quick sessions. The only real issue with it is that this Mega Drive version of the game isn’t quite as good as the original Amiga version but it does capture the feel of the game well and should keep players returning to it.

Another often overlooked game is Eliminator Boat Duel on the NES which really finds a new lease of life here. In the original game you only have single life with which to complete the championship meaning you have to win every race first time or start again from the beginning. Here though the save state option has made the experience a lot more enjoyable and now players can really take in the mad cap races as you switch from top down to 3D racing views while avoiding obstacles and edging ahead of your opponent. It’s not the only racing game included here either with the painfully average Full Throttle All-American Racing another game that just sort of makes up the numbers.

Of much higher quality is the first GBA game to make its way to the Evercade in Racing Fever. The view may be way too zoomed in but it’s a fun top down racer with a decent selection of cars to choose from and has you racing against three opponents over a decent array of tracks.

The star of the show in this genre though is undoubtedly Top Racer 2 (Top gear 2), which will be a reason for many to pick up the cart. Reasonably pricey to get hold of now it’s an excellent racing game which builds on the solid foundation of the original in the best ways. The campaign is lengthy, the handling is decent and there’s a host of upgrades and things to play around with as you make your way through the races. It comes highly recommended and makes a lot of the less spectacular games included more palatable.

The other main reason to pick up this collection is of course Soccer Kid. Yet another of the Amiga platformers that has jumped to console the little dude certainly has something of a cult following and it’s easy to see why. The faults of many an Amiga platformer are still here such as the loose feeling controls but the main gimmick helps to keep it above its peers. We are of course talking about the football that Soccer Kid uses as his main way of dispatching enemies. Control of it can be a little tricky to begin with but once you’ve worked out how the momentum of it works it’s a satisfying experience belting it at the many caricatured people that inhabit the levels. The level design is also decent throughout and though it does fall into the trap of many an Amiga platformer and descends into frustration in later levels the save states are always there if you need them to help you out.

Overall, the second collection of games from Piko Interactive is hit and miss. Some of these will work much better when the VS makes multiplayer a real option but on the whole there’s a lot of games here living off nostalgia and very little else. That said the cart is still worth picking up due to the inclusion of Soccer Kid and Top Racer 2. Racing Fever, Beast Ball and Eliminator Boat Duel also help to sweeten the package as all are fun and competent games. With this in mind we would still recommend it to Evercade owners – just don’t expect everything on here to be world beating once the nostalgia wears off.

 

Overall -

Beast Ball                                                             3/5

Eliminator Boat Duel                                       4/5

Football Madness                                            2/5

Full Throttle All-American Racing               2/5

Hoops Shut Up And Jam                                2/5

Hoops Shut Up And Jam 2                             3/5

Power Football                                                  2/5

Racing Fever                                                      3/5

Soccer Kid                                                           4/5

Summer Challenge                                          2/5

Top Racer 2                                                         5/5

Winter Challenge                                             2/5

World Trophy Soccer                                      2/5

Mega Cat Studios Collection 1 (Evercade Review)

So far, the majority of the releases for the Evercade have been retro games for consoles such as the NES, SNES and Mega Drive. The Megs Cat Studios cartridge takes a different approach as while the games have still been developed for those systems they are new releases trying to encapsulate the feeling that the older classics have.

There are ten games in total and they vary in terms of genre and quality. Almost Hero is a forgettable and basic side scrolling fighting that we just couldn’t get on with, Justice Duel is an attempt to update the classic Joust which falls flat and Coffee Crisis is either not running very well on the Evercade or simply not very responsive. But these three are the only games that really miss the mark.

Creepy Brawlers is a solid if unspectacular take on Punch-Out! But with monsters and Log Jammers tries to imitate Windjammers and does so to a fairly decent degree. However, while the games are solid in themselves all they really did was send us back to the superior titles that have influenced them.

Multidude is a great little game where you have to use a selection of little bots to solve puzzles in a single screened room. The only real issue with it is that it’s very short (especially for those using the save states). Super Painter also suffers from its brevity but aside from this is an enjoyable single screen platformer (with a slightly dodgy jumping mechanic), based on the numerous ‘paint all the blocks’ games of years gone by.

Things really pick up with Little Medusa. Here you have to turn enemies to stone and then kick them to make platforms in order to pick up stars. Once all the stars are collected you move onto the next single screened level. It’s a top down puzzle/adventure game in the style of something like Kickle Cubicle, only this time set in ancient Greece. It works really well and has a ton of stages to get through.

Deadly Towers is another excellent game and takes the form of an insane puzzle platformer. Here you have to zoom your character around a tower picking up all the objects before making it to the exit door. Your character will shoot quickly in a straight line in whichever direction you choose until they hit the next surface. It’s great and some of the levels are very tricky to work out. The only issue here is that it’s a little short (if using save states), but what’s here is great.

The absolute highlight of this pack though is the incredible Tanzer. Mixing elements from Strider, Altered Beast and a host of 16-bit platformers this really is something special. It runs at a break neck speed and the action is unrelenting and frantic. Enemies are varied and locations are distinguished with big and colourful graphics and perfectly capture the feel of the best 16-bit platformers of the age. It’s also a solid length and offers multiple routes through the games for those returning to it. In all honesty it’s worth getting the cartridge just for Tanzer. In fact, it may well be worth getting an Evercade just for Tanzer – it’s that good.

Overall, It was always going to be a harder sell to get gamers to invest in new IP’s that weren’t going to trigger nostalgic memories. However, Mega Cat Studios have included some real gems here that shouldn’t be overlooked. Little Medusa and Old Towers are really good games that players will spend a fair amount of time with and they are backed up by a couple of fun but brief experiences in Super Painter and Multidude. Then there’s Tanzer. Glorious, magnificent and wonderful Tanzer. It’s not just the best game on the cart, it might be the best game on the Evercade and an absolutely essential purchase.

Game Ratings

 Almost Hero                      2/5

Creepy Brawlers               3/5

Coffee Crisis                       2/5

Justice Duel                        2/5

Log Jammers                      3/5

Little Medusa                    4/5

Multidude                           3/5

Old Towers                         4/5

Super Painter                     3/5

Tanzer                                  5/5

Interplay Collection 2 (Evercade Review)

The first interplay collection featured only six games but there was more than enough to keep us interested thanks to the inclusion of a couple of iconic titles in Earthworm Jim and Boogerman. This second collection also contains six games with five coming from the Super Nintendo and one lone NES game in Rad Gravity.

Despite the limited number of games we are happy to report that this is definitely a case of quality over quantity. Clay Fighter 2: Judgement Clay, is the only SNES game out of the five that is really disappointing as is seems to have lost much of the charm and fun present in the first game. The style of it is far too dark and the action average at best and it’s likely you’ll be moving on from it very quickly.

The Adventures of Rad Gravity is an often underappreciated NES game and one that is well worth putting some time into. It’s certainly not perfect as the controls are frustrating at times but the game has always had charm in spades and the use of the save states will certainly help progression. It’s also quite inventive at times with gravity inverting on certain planets and an absolute ton of objects and gadgets to find and use.

The lone puzzle game on the system is The Brainies. It involves moving little creatures around a maze before time runs out and placing them on specific spots. It’s kind of a mix of the labyrinth board game and a tile slider. It suffers from cumbersome input due to the SNES pad being used when clearly a mouse would work better, but it is quite engaging once you get into it.

The remaining three games are all platformers. The inclusion of Earthworm Jim 2 will already be enough for many people to pick up the cart and it’s nice to see that it retains the wacky humour and twisted nature of the first game. It’s excellent and carries on the franchise well. A few new elements have been added (such as using Snot as a grappling hook), and there are a host of new weapons to play with that keeps things fresh throughout. The changing theme of each level seen in the first game also returns here.

Claymates, continues Interplays mini obsession with the clay-style look of some of their games. Here you play a blob who can take on the form of various animals as you progress through the levels. These animals all have different abilities (of course), such as a cat being able to climb up trees or the mouse being able to get into small spaces. It’s a fun game that was cruelly overlooked on first release and will hopefully find a much deserved second life on the Evercade.

Rounding out the cartridge is Prehistorik Man which was flavour of the month back during the 16-bit age. It soon disappeared in a massively crowded market but is another game that really does deserve to find a new audience. It’s colourful and detailed and has a strong personality to it. The environments look great and it handles pretty well also. It should come as a nice surprise to players experiencing it for the first time.

Overall, the second Interplay collection is just as strong as the first. There’s a great selection of overlooked titles and more Earthworm Jim is always welcome. There is perhaps an argument that the games from both could have been curated into one collection but it certainly feels like there is good value for money here. The titles may be a little more obscure but the collection itself is one of the strongest released so far for the Evercade.

Game Ratings

Earthworm Jim 2                                4/5

Rad Gravity                                        4/5

Claymates                                           4/5

Prehistorik Man                                  4/5

The Brainies                                       3/5

Clay Fighter 2: Judgment Clay     2/5

Data East Collection 1 (Evercade Review)

A mainstay of the arcade, 8 and 16-bit generations Data East have an absolute wealth of games to draw upon for a system like the Evercade. It was only a matter of time before a collection was collated and what we have ended up with is a fairly varied mix of ten arcade to home conversions across the NES, SNES and Mega Drive.

The NES games take in some of the publisher’s best known work. Burger time is a solid version of the arcade platformer where you need to avoid enemies and drop ingredients to the bottom of the screen by walking over it. Karate Champ is one of the first games to put forward the one on one fighting concepts also seen in IK+ and Way of the Exploding Fist and If we’re honest both those games do it better.

Bad Dudes Vs. The Dragon Ninja puts forward a passable imitation of its arcade counterpart but the graphics are much smaller and it runs a fair bit slower as well. That said, this holds a fair about of nostalgic appeal for us as it arrived with our NES one Christmas morning. It has a different rhythm but when you get used to it there is a fair amount of fun to be had.

The final NES game is the excellent Burnin’ Rubber or Bump and Jump as it is otherwise known. Here you drive a car ever upwards while collecting fuel and avoiding other cars. The gimmick comes that you need to jump your car over obstacles and on to the enemy vehicles for points. It’s great fun and holds up really well. It stands as proof of how the clear execution of a core gameplay dynamic stands the test of time when implemented properly.

Two Crude Dudes and Midnight Resistance make up the Mega Drive elements of the collection and both are fun versions of their arcade counterparts. Two Crude Dudes was always a bit of a slocky brawler in the first place but is a decent version of the original and if you have fond memories of that you’ll find much to enjoy here. The main gimmick of picking up objects and enemies and lobbing them around is as much silly fun as it always was.

Midnight Resistance remains a bit of a cult action classic with a slightly iffy control scheme. It also has some serious flickering going on at times but remains on the right side of fun with intense action and a host of chunky power ups and toys to play with. If anything its arcade origins let it down a bit as you can race through the thing in just over 20 minutes. It’s the sort of game you’ll likely return to though and we are pleased it made the cut.

The SNES selection is somewhat varied. The fighting game genre is represented by the highly forgettable, but solid, Fighters History. Puzzle games get a shout with Magical Drop 2 and the action platformer Jo and Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics (actually Jo and Mac 3) is also here. Pool simulator Side Pocket is the last game to make it.

Magical Drop is a charming colour based match three game (which even way back here has the sense to add symbols for colour blind players), where players grab coloured balls from the top of the screen before throwing them back up onto other matching colours. It has a wealth of modes and the only real criticism we can lay at it is that the story mode is insanely tough towards the end and that it’s not Magical Drop 3 which is where the series peaked.

Jo and Mac 2 is a fun action platformer much in the same vein as the first game where your cavemen run around bashing dinosaurs on the head. While undoubtedly good fun, it’s not as strong as the first game and also quite short. It seems strange the original wasn’t included here, perhaps the plan is to release the arcade version further down the line? That said, Jo and Mac 2 can be hard to get hold of so from a collectors point of view it’s very welcome.

Side Pocket is the wild card of the collection. An excellent arcade Pool game it has a number of modes – including a trick shot section which acts like a puzzle game. The main single player component has players beating set scores on each table with a limited number of shots before moving on to the next location. You start with sixteen shots and every time a ball isn’t potted you lose one. You keep the amount of shots for the whole game so being careful early on is key to success.

Overall, the first Data East collection is a good mix of games that are all of a solid standard. Each one has something to offer and the variety of the titles on show means there will be something here that everyone can get into. It lacks any one stand out title, instead having a host of fun and solid games likely to trigger nostalgia in a way a lot of the other carts probably won’t. It may not reach ‘system seller’ status but it certainly is a worthy addition to the Evercade line up and one of the most well rounded of the collections on offer.

Game Ratings

Burger Time                                                      3/5

Bad Dudes                                                         3/5

Burnin’ Rubber (Bump & Jump)                      4/5

Karate Champ                                                   3/5

Fighter's History                                               3/5

Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics                     4/5

Side Pocket                                                       4/5

Magical Drop 2                                                4/5

Two Crude Dudes                                            3/5

Midnight Resistance                                        3/5

Interplay Collection 1 (Evercade Review)

Interplay are a company whose golden age came during the 16 bit era where innovative, fun and iconic games seemed to be spilling out of the company one after the other. The first Evercade collection from the company brings two of their most well-known characters together along with four other games in a small but interesting group.

The filler on this cartridge comes in the form of Titan and Battel Chess. Titan is a potentially interesting but slow and clunky puzzle game where you have to deflect a ball around room removing blocks. It’s a bit like Arkanoid with the twist that the reflector can be moved anywhere and the only way that you can lose a ball is if it hits one of the dangerous spots around the room. Battle Chess is a really poor rendition of chess. The whole thing moves so slowly that it becomes tiresome after only a few moves. The sequences are nothing special either and most players will leave it to gather dust very quickly.

The inclusion of Incantation is interesting as it was one of the last games released on the SNES and as such commands a crazy price to get hold of a legitimate cartridge. Unfortunately, the game itself is really quite poor with it being a very basic and simplistic platformer. That said, it’s still nice to experience something so highly sought after and offering these types of hard to get titles is a good route for the Evercade to go down in the future.

The highlight of the package is unquestionably Earthworm Jim. The character is so iconic that it spawned its own cartoon series and toy line and still remains firmly imbedded in every retro gamers mind. Apart from the severe difficult the action platformer remains a joy to play and the innovation and humour still shine through to show just why so many people fell in love with it in the first place. This is the Mega Drive version as well which means all the levels are included (as the SNES version strangely lost one).

Jim is backed up by another fairly well known oddity from the 16 bit age in Boogerman. Another game that is a touch pricey, it has our hero jumping through a snot and toilet inspired world taking out enemies by flicking boogers, belching and breaking wind. If that all sound disgusting, don’t worry it’s meant to be. The game handles a little loose compared to Earthworm Jim but there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had and like it’s slightly more iconic stable mate it just does things that little bit differently from your everyday platformer.

The package is rounded out with Clayfighter which is a 2d Street Fighter clone that takes the unusual approach of having the look of a clay made stop motion animation. At its core the action is quite generic but the look and characters help to add some charm and replay value which will probably see you dip into it every now and again.

Overall, the first Interplay collection is an easy recommendation. Earthworm Jim is a classic, Boogerman is very enjoyable and Clayfighter is a nice distraction. The novelty of Incantation is welcome as well and in terms of value you can’t get much better than this for £14.99. Getting the games on their original system would set you back an awful lot more than that. In our view it’s worth it for Earthworm Jim alone with everything else as a glorious bonus. A great collection.

Game Ratings

Earthworm Jim 5/5

Boogerman 4/5

Clay Fighter 3/5

Incantation 2/5

Titan 3/5

Battle Chess 2/5

Nintendo Switch Retro Roundup 2: SNES Re-Releases

While the Switch has SNES games arriving via its online service it has also seen a number of physical releases that first found favour with audiences on Nintendo’s 16 bit machine. Here we will round up some of the most interesting.

Collection of Mana

Collecting three early games from the Mana series together, this collection offers good value for money. The Gameboy game being included is nice from a completion point of view but it is Secret and Trials of Mana that steal the show. Aside from a quick save option little has been changed within the games themselves (these aren’t the remade versions of either game), but both are strong enough action RPG’s to still hold up well and both quests are epic adventures to undertake. It also represents the first time that Trials has been localised for the West. Both games are very pricey to buy on the SNES so it is great to have them so accessible for the Switch audience.

Putty Squad

The most bare bones of the re-releases, Putty Squad hasn’t fared well in its transition to the Switch. The visuals have been updated but the colour palette and graphical style make levels seems cluttered and chaotic (and not in a good way). The platforming itself is ok but it just isn’t as good as the original release and it contains a number of sloppy issues. One such major issue is that while the game now auto saves as you go along it doesn’t restore lives or energy. This means if you have just scraped through the previous level you are likely to just get stuck in a loop of dying over and over again on the next. While we would recommend it as an essential find in its original form, Switch owners can miss this without worrying.

Wild Guns: Reloaded

Konami’s action shooter is a very welcome sight on the Switch. The original now goes for stupid money so giving the game another lease of life is very welcome. Again, not much has been changed and unless you are going to make it through the game on the higher difficulty settings you may never see any of the new levels which have been added. The steampunk/western mixed style still looks great and if you are looking for some classic shooting action then Wild Guns unique ‘shooting gallery’ style is well worth looking at.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors

Yet another very pricey SNES release given a second lease of life on the Switch, Ninja Saviours: Return of the Warriors has been remade to look as good as you remember it to be. Subtle graphical overhaul aside the side scrolling brawler has had little else changed apart from the addition of two extra characters which are unlocked by completing the game on different difficulties. Luckily, the game itself still holds up well and the single plane of movement helps it stand out from the other brawlers out there. Each character plays quite differently and once you understand how all the systems work it is a rewarding and fun game to dive back into.

Flashback

We have a detailed review of Flashback here - https://www.retro101.co.uk/2019/06/flashback-review-switch.html

Flashback Review (Switch)

Set in the year 2142, Flashback follows the story of Conrad Hart, member of the Galaxia bureau of investigation. After discovering that an alien race is infiltrating earth, Conrad is relentlessly hunted down and kidnapped by the non-human race. Awaking aboard their craft (without his memory), the only thing in his mind is to escape. After stealing a hover bike and making a break for freedom, Conrad is shot down and crash lands on a strange jungle-type planet. Conrad must now find his way back to earth, but first he has to remember what he is going back for.

Flashback presents itself as a sci-fi action adventure game with more than a passing influence from classic platformer Prince of Persia. Indeed, it does contain a great deal of gap jumping and hanging from ledges, though to say the game is just a Prince of Persia clone is way off the mark, as a heavy adventure aspect runs through the core of the experience. Upon its release (for a few months), Flashback was the only game anyone was playing, and even now the sci-fi storyline (bordering on Cyberpunk at times) remains a very interesting and engaging tale to discover.

Flashback introduced a definitive version of a graphical style that had been tried in games such as Prince of Persia and further developed with Another World. Due to this style the title’s main character appears to move much more realistically than any games character before. The characters in Flashback are (if anything), a little small, but this does not detract from the fact that each sprite is well animated and contains a considerable amount of detail. Furthermore, each area within the game is absolutely beautiful, high in detail and uses a wide colour palette to represent the future circa 2142.

This new version of the game has a new sound track, which unfortunately does not quite live up to original. Sound effects are crisp and the music still works to enhanced by the cinematic style of the game which often switches to a small cut scenes when something of interest is discovered. This acts to make Flashback feel more like an interactive movie, and keeps the plot moving along at a steady pace.

The unique graphical style allows Conrad to perform a wide variety of moves with ease, which is a good thing, as to get through the game you need to use every advantage available. Our hero can jump, grasp ledges, roll around and all manner of other things - even being able to decide whether after an action he will draw his gun ready to fire. For this type of game the control system is just about perfect. The Switch version of the game also runs much more smoothly than before meaning many of the frustrations surrounding positioning Conrad are eased considerably.

Despite the claims of the advertising blurb there are few new additions in this Switch re-release. As mentioned before the new soundtrack doesn’t quite work and the saving system should have been overhauled for a much better experience. The rewind feature is very useful (allowing you to wind back time if you make a mistake) and this will undoubtedly help players progress through the more frustrating moments but that is about it. The physical version of the game also comes with a very badly designed case that doesn’t fit the manual and also won’t hold the game card steady. This is ridiculous and just screams of poor design.

Overall, Flashback remains outstanding title, a highly interesting plot underpinned by decent graphics and a solid control system that means you are always wanting to push on to see what piece of information will reveal itself. This Switch re-release is pretty bare bones in terms of features though. Much more could and should have been done to give the game the love and respect it deserves. It’s still worth playing but returning fans won’t find much here that they couldn’t get by booting up the original and the physical edition is nothing short of pathetic.

Overall 7/10

Street Fighter 2 Turbo Review (SNES)

Over the decades countless fighting games have been released, but only a few are actually worth remembering. If you look back through contenders and pretenders, it was not until Street Fighter II burst onto the Super Nintendo in the early nineties that things became really interesting on home consoles.

From that moment onwards the floodgates opened and the market was flooded with the good, (Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct) the average (Tuff ‘E’ Nuff) and the really bad (Kasumi Ninja). Street Fighter II Turbo was the first in a seemingly constant stream of Street Fighter updates. To entice players it offered the four boss characters from the previous release, combined with improved graphics and more frantic action.

Someone out there may be unfamiliar with the Street Fighter story, and if so, then this paragraph is just for you. The Street Fighter tournament aims to find the best fighter in the world. With such a distinctive title on offer, competitors travel long distances with the aim of beating people up for fame, fortune or for a far more worthy reason. The common theme that runs throughout the Street Fighter series focuses on Ryu; the martial arts master who fights to test himself. In the previous tournament Ryu defeated Sagat in the final, hitting him so hard with his dragon punch that it burned a scar across his chest. Now Sagat wants revenge, and gathers along with a strange mix of characters for the next tournament.

Characters and locations are now more colourful and vibrant in comparison to the first Street Fighter II, however the odd piece of detail has disappeared - for instance the two signs that could be used to throw people through are now missing from Ryu’s stage (although admittedly this is just a minor point).

Characters are large and move incredibly smoothly with no discernible delay between pressing a button and the action-taking place on screen. Graphically, the game was extremely strong on release and even now it has dated very well. Controlling each of the characters is an absolute joy each character moves and plays in a completely different way (apart from Ryu and Ken), giving players a wide choice of different styles to pick from. The boost in speed is also welcome addition, as it makes the action flow at such a high velocity - all carried out without a hint of slowdown. With such large characters this is something that really deserves recognition.

Furthermore, the game plays so brilliantly because it allows players to plan a couple of moves ahead, allowing for basic combination moves to be pulled off with relative ease. An example of this dynamic is while Ryu is connecting with a jumping kick you can input the command for a fireball or dragon punch and the character will pull off the move directly after finishing the kick without hesitating between blows. A process that would become ever more built upon as the series developed.

What is on show in terms of a control system is arguably the best example of controls for a two-dimensional fighting title that has ever been developed. Even to this day the control system here has never really been bettered and it is unlikely it ever will be.

Overall, Street Fighter II Turbo takes a classic game and improves it further. The addition of enhanced graphics, four extra playable characters, faster gameplay and an extra bonus game creates a perfect game beyond comprehension in its greatness. No other fighting game of the era can come close to comparison with its pure genius. If you own a Super Nintendo you must have this game, it's as simple as that. If you don't have a Super Nintendo go and buy one.

Overall 10/10

Super Castlevania IV Review (SNES)

Following much the same story as the first NES Castlevania, the first SNES outing for the Belmont family has Simon Belmont heading off into the depths of evil in order to save the world from the dark engulfing shadow of Dracula’s cruel hand. The story is that an evil group of people hold a ceremony in an old destroyed abbey outside a small town. As the ritual is performed dark clouds begin to form then just as the group reach a crescendo of chanting, lightning strikes the ground splits it in two and once again Dracula rises from the confines of his tomb.

Following in the foot steps of previous releases, Castlevania IV has the heroic Simon Belmont storming through a number of vertical and horizontal scrolling hack n' slash levels, as he makes his way towards Dracula’s castle. Most levels involve a fair few precision jumps, a bit of stair climbing, swinging from skyhooks with the whip and the general destruction of all things evil. Most (but not all), levels are rounded off with an impressive boss creature. 

The launch of the Super Nintendo heralded much hype about the capabilities of the machine in terms of something known as Mode 7. What Mode 7 amounts to is that the machine can set things in a seemingly three dimensional world when it is actually only two dimensional. It can also scale sprites differently and a number of other dull technical things that are of little interest. Castlevania IV uses this strategically through certain key areas forming a stunning showcase for Nintendo’s new found trickery. 

Most notable are two sections of level four. First of all the player finds themselves inside a giant spinning tube, even now the graphics are good enough to make you feel dizzy meaning you really have to concentrate to stop from falling to your doom. Next comes a huge rock monsters at the end of level, upon striking said monster it gradually shrinks before finally expanding to fill the whole screen and disappearing into the distance, not as impressive as it once was, but back in the day this truly was as good as it got. 

Mode 7 aside, the rest of the graphical content of the title is of an exceptionally high standard. Each level offers something new to be impressed by. Level one sees a huge metal fence come out of the ground at the start of one section then as our hero progresses through, vines and leaves begin to sneak slowly up it. Level two has some beautiful running water effects, and the small droplets that fall from the stalactites in level three have a subtle beauty all of their own. 

Each level looks different from the last, ranging from the expected castle environments to marshes, underground caverns and murky dungeons to name a few. Inhabiting each area are unique monsters as well as the standard bats and skeletons that appear throughout the game. All creatures are well animated and surprisingly detailed for a sixteen-bit title and it all adds to the games a very distinctive look and atmosphere. 

Along with exceptional graphics comes an even more impressive use of music. This is easily one of the most sonically impressive title ever to be released on any format. The sheer range and depth of sound present is outstanding withsound gradually building in each level before erupting into a full on gothic/classical experience. At times you may find yourself listening to the music instead of concentrating on what you are doing as the amount of layers each work contains is staggering, a truly exceptional achievement which gives the game so much atmosphere that even now certain parts can seem quite sinister. 

While at first appearing to contain fairly standard and uninspiring gameplay, playing the game for more than five minutes soon reveals an astonishing amount of flexibility and depth in the control system. As well as the standard jumping and straightforward monster slaying action, all of which can be carried out with ease due to responsive controls, comes the new addition of Simon's whip. The whip can be used to attack in a three hundred and sixty degree field. 

Furthermore, after the initial attack with the whip is made, if the attack button is kept held down the whip looses its rigidity and can be flicked around, something that proves useful if you miss a small target with your initial strike. Apart from attacking, the whip can also be used to swing from hooks located around the levels, while most of the time the player is required simply to swing from one side of a drop to another, on the odd occasion more skill is needed and this helps to keep levels varied and the action constantly surprising. 

Overall, it is plain to see that Super Castlevania IV is one of finest titles ever to appear in the gaming market. Very rarely does a game come as a complete package of graphics, sound and gameplay. Add to that a very well developed learning curve and the sheer variety to be found in level design and you are looking at an ageless classic that every single Super Nintendo owner walking the earths surface should own. With only Symphony of the Night and the PC-Engine version of Dracula X possibly being in the same league, for Castlevania fans the series has never really got any better than this. 

Overall 9/10 

Castlevania: Dracula X Review (SNES)

Set in the year 1792, Dracula rises from the grave wiser from all the years spent being beaten by the Belmont family. Instead of simply going straight after the latest Belmont, he instead waits and observes. The Belmont he discovers is Richter, and after some time spent following his movements Dracula decides he needs a tactical advantage in his latest battle against the forces of good. The master of darkness takes Richter’s girlfriend Annette hostage along with her sister, a Nun and the local Doctor’s daughter. Now Richter must take up arms against Dracula once more, however, one false move could end in the tragic death of one of Dracula’s innocent hostages. 

Castlevania V is a very striped down version of the stunning PC Engine game and sticks to the standard formula laid down in previous instalments, what we get is a fairly standard hack and slash platform adventure game. If anything this instalment in the series is a step backwards from the original Super Nintendo game, levels follow the tried and tested pattern of jumping over tricky gaps, whipping skeletons and defeating a big monster at the end of each stage. While in the prequel levels where significantly different in both look and style throughout, the stages present in this instalment feel a touch too similar for comfort, this unfortunately means that at times things can get a little samey at times.

Graphically, stages are more colourful than the previous title- this however is not always a good thing. The new graphics seem to take the series away from its gothic style and at times almost seem to be making the game like a cartoon. This is not good as the series has always been centred upon a very intense underlying style that bubbles away under the surface. 

Although the stages look a little out of place characters are much bigger and more detailed than before, instead of standard humanoid skeletons that look very fragile, new look skeletons have been added and are now hunchback like hulking embodiments of the dead, much more intimidating and a lot more dangerous. Richter himself looks completely different from Simon, with a blue tunic and more animations replacing Simon’s grey armour. However the inclusion of the mode 7 trickery present in the original is all but a distant memory now, it is hard to understand why it has not been used this time around as it conjured up numerous moments of magic in Castlevania IV. 

Unfortunately, while the graphics of the game have become more detailed the gameplay side of things also seems to have taken a number of backward steps. The three-hundred and sixty degree field of attack has sadly been done away with, in fact Richter can only whip straight in front now, meaning on occasion enemies on ledges above you are stupidly difficult to get rid of. Furthermore the whip can no longer be used after an initial strike, whereas before it would remain active letting the player circle it around if the initial target was missed. Though the gameplay is somewhat basic the game still is a lot of fun to play and if you have not played Castlevania IV for a while it all becomes very forgivable. 

Vampire X also has a few innovations of its own, though nothing as inventive as the prequels whip mechanic. Richter can perform a stylish, if a little pointless, back flip move and a super move that differs depending on what secondary weapon you are carrying. 

Overall, Vampire X is nowhere near close to the greatness of its prequel or the full PC Engine version of the game. however, to overly criticise the title is to miss out on a highly enjoyable instalment in the Castlevania series. The look and music may have changed a little but that is forgivable as games are set centuries apart. What is disappointing is that all the innovations from the previous game have not been built and developed upon as it makes Vampire X seem unfinished in a sense. The loss of levels and characters from the PC Engine game is also a real shame. That said, any Castlevania fan is likely to forgive the faults and once you do there is a lot to like.

Overall 7/10 

 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Review (SNES)

The only Zelda game to appear on the Super Nintendo outside of Japan, A Link to the Past improved and developed upon the ideas set down in the first two games, taking the best from each and forging them into a whole new masterpiece. As the story goes, Gannon has escaped from the world of darkness aided by an altogether nasty wizard named Agahnim. Agahnim kidnaps Zelda and dethrones the king, and its up to Link to restore order to the land. 

Taking the top down perspective of the first in preference over the more side on platform action presented in The Adventure of Link the game has you exploring the land of Hyrule locating dungeons and finding the necessary artifacts to banish evil from the land. What takes this adventure onto a different level though is the sheer depth of the quest. Throughout the land you will encounter countless little side quests and sub plots that will have you playing continually until you discover every single thing it has to offer. 

Graphically the game is excellent, with a rich colour palette being used to create your surroundings. Everything is bright and bold, working extremely well to create the right feeling and atmosphere. All the characters, locations and monsters you encounter all fit seamlessly into the landscape, one section leading into another never leaving you confused how you managed to appear in a certain area. 

Dungeon design is also of the highest standard, with the learning curve being set just right. Each Dungeon becomes a little trickier than the last, needing you to use all the items in your possession to progress to the next area. Puzzles are also excellent thought out, with most requiring logical solutions, meaning that you are never stuck in one point for too long working out why a door won't open. 

Overall though, the dungeons form only a small part of the quest you are undertaking. With areas on top of the ground being used to display just as many inspirational touches as those below it. For example, early on in the game you will come across a magic portal. Walk through it and you find yourself transported to the ‘Dark World’. This gives greater scope to the game as a whole needing you to swap from one world to another in order to progress in your quest, with the added incentive of being transformed into a white rabbit.

A Link to the Past is an absolutely exceptional title and one that every Super Nintendo owner should have. Everything about it is just perfect and it's a true gaming masterpiece . Inspired dungeons, brilliant magic items, huge boss monsters and the odd touch of Zelda humour all add up to what is arguably the most magical of all the Zelda titles. Absolutely essential.

Overall 10/10