Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Review (Wii U)

The third game in the Shantae series has our half-genie hero starting out without her genie powers and living as a normal human after losing them at the end of the last game. But when pirates attack her home town and her old nemesis Risky Boots appears to tell her about a mysterious Pirate Master she has little choice but to try and save the day with nothing but her Kabuki Ninja-esque hair attack and ability to leap around.

This sets Shantae off on an adventure that takes her to a number of different islands looking for dens of evil which much be purged to stop the evil Pirate Master from returning. Each island and environment is beautifully presented with some of the most colourful and vibrant 2D platform artwork seen in a very long time. They also contain different themed environments and enemies so there is always something new and varied to see.

Unlike previous games, instead of Shantae using her magic powers to transform into different forms, she now has to collect various pirate artefacts which then grant her the ability to progress. It follows a template similar to Metroid in that you collect an object like a gun which then allows you to operate a switch to open a door to then allow you to move to a new section of the level. There is also a fair amount of wandering back and forth between the different islands and levels but as they are so much fun to explore and revisit this isn’t an issue. 

Level design remains strong throughout with the islands and dungeons giving different challenges and puzzles to solve. The game is always challenging but never unfair or too harsh to stop progression for long. Finding heart squids will also increase your life and Shantae can buy upgrade shampoo and conditioner to level up her hair’s attack power and speed. The learning curve is set just about perfectly and players should feel like they are always prepared for what they come up against without it being a complete walkover. 

One of the highlights of the game is the colourful collection of characters and ever-so-slightly twisted humour that runs through the game. Early on for instance you’ll meet a former giant squid boss who is bemoaning the fact he feels he’ll only be used as a returning reference to the previous game so is planning to retire (Naturally you’ll have to find him a travel brochure so he can start traveling the world for the just the right spot).

There are a host of well-known characters from the series to touch base with and it adds just the right amount of fan service for players of series. The writing is also sharp and entertaining – if a little uncomfortable at times. Weirdly, there is a slight sexual undercurrent throughout. An early puzzle requires light to reflect off two untanned girls who won’t strip to their bikinis, while later Shantae acquires x-ray glasses from a disappointed character that has moved to a beach resort out of season so there are no girls to look at. It’s not overly dodgy, but something that parents of younger gamers will probably want to know about.

Some of the character design is also questionably. There are Mermaid characters that are topless (just without nipples), and what can only be described as a giant rolling ball orgy of naked women as boss to contend with. While Shantae can be forgiven for her attire as she is both a Genie and dancer, both she and a few other characters seem to have ‘developed’ a little since last the last game as well.

Pixelated cleavage aside, the game is an absolute joy to play and an experience that will keep you smiling throughout. Shantae controls very well and always responds how she should. The different objects you pick up always add something new to mess around with and there are plenty of extra side quests and collectables to hunt around for. It all gives you an excuse to spend a bit more time with the game and when something is as joyful as this then it’s likely you’ll be happy to oblige it.

Overall, this is another top draw entry in the Shantae series. Shantae game are always more expensive than other digital games but they are also of a much more accomplished quality than almost everything else in the same genre. It’s a colourful, fun and inventive game and feels right at home on the Wii U. It would be great for the series to build up more of a fan base as they offer some of the best Metroidvania action out there. If you love your retro inspired platformers then you really need to own this.

Overall 9/10

Grim Fandango Remastered Review (PS4)

It’s been a very long time since we last delved in the circle of the underworld inhabited by Manny and his Noire inspired friends. For those new to the game, Grim Fandango follows a simple salesman as he tries to sell the recently deceased travel packages to Heaven and thus work off his own purgatorial debt. However, all is not as it seems in the land of the dead. Why does Manny never get the good clients? And why when he gets a saint do they not qualify for the best packages? In line with all the best Noir stories something is rotten and Manny has decided to find out what it is.

Grim Fandango was the first Lucas Arts adventure to move away from the more traditional 2D point and click interface. Instead, players moved Manny around on a tank track system in 3D environments. Left and right would spin him around while pushing up or down would move forward or back. It was awkward at the time and we’re very glad to see it has been replaced with a more sensible system where the left analogue stick is used to move. For those that want to experience the old style you can always switch back in the options menu but you really don’t want to.

Aside from the controls the games characters, objects and movable parts have been given a bit of a facelift and smoothed out. It’s nothing dramatic or drastic but it does help to make things look that little bit more like a macabre cartoon than before. The static environments haven’t really had much done to them though so those expecting a super full-on HD remake will be disappointed. 

As Manny wanders around he will move his head to look at objects of interest which can then be examined, used or picked up. The ‘look’ system can be a little tricky to use as it’s not always obvious if there are objects around to pick up that you can’t really see. This can end up in an inch by inch movement and button press-athon but for the most part you shouldn’t be stopped too often by it.

You will however be stopped by the puzzles you come up against. Things start out fairly well with progress not that difficult to make once you get your head around the strange logic required. Indeed, there is little here players who have experienced other point and click series’ will find that taxing. But as you progress things start to get very odd and some solutions will leave you in disbelief as to how you were ever supposed to work them out. Tie this in with some objects being fairly difficult to spot and it can end up with players wandering around aimlessly for far too long before they eventually give up and head to a guide.

The real star of Grim Fandango is the writing. The script and story are excellent with an intriguing and engaging tale filled with excellent characters and excellent voice acting. From the sneaky sales men to the downtrodden residents and the strange elemental creatures left looking for purpose after they become obsolete, every character has something about them and they remain far more memorable than many other games.

It sets up an interesting and unique world that is difficult to find anywhere else and in this respect the game still stands head and shoulders above most others out there. The mix of Noir iconography and surreal fantasy also mix very well and shows how imaginative games can be when left in the right hands.

Overall, the decision as to whether you are going to enjoy Grim Fandango will come down to how much patience you have. There will be frustrating moments that stop you in your tracks but they are well worth persevering with in order to engage with one of the best tales that has been told through a video game. It’s a slow burning game of depth and invention and it may not be perfect but it’s certainly still well worth sorting through the mystery of what’s rotten in the land in of the dead.

Overall 8/10

Ninja Gaiden Review (Master System)

There is no doubt that Ninja's are cool. There is just something about them that lends itself to walking around speaking in some of the worst accents known to man. You see, Ninja's are mysterious and magical, almost superhuman (which makes them ideal for videogames). Indeed, back in the days where every other film going straight to video was one where some American bloke would train to be a ninja and defeat some evil Japanese master, the gaming market was filled with endless Ninja games. A large amount of these titles were utter rubbish. Think back - how many can you remember? Shinobi? Probably. Last Ninja? Maybe. And of course Ninja Gaiden.

To start with, the plot seems rather straightforward - after all, this was the time before games really needed such things. The story goes that the Dragon Ninja village has been completely destroyed and a magical scroll taken. Enter Ryu Hayabusa, the last surviving ninja who must get the scroll back before it destroys the world. After each level the plot is updated and although the old 8-bit system manages to add a few twists and turns that engage the player (and make you want to push on to see how it all turns out), clearly this title appears to be more than just a rushed ninja cash-in. 

Being on the Master System, graphics are a touch small but that doesn't take away from the action. Characters are always clear, and there is no slowdown or other nasty graphical glitches to spoil the fun - it's just you against them, and whoever can react the fastest will win. Ninja Gaiden is not really about the graphics, and although the backdrops and locations are all nicely done, it is the gameplay at the core of the title that proves Ninja games - when programmed well - positively shine.

The levels in the title scroll from left to right, with the occasional bit of climbing from time to time. Each area is a good blend of action and platform-jumping precision - all carried out with a huge injection of style. Okay, so in terms of fighting, you haven't really got that many moves (limited as you are to sword slashes and a few special weapons) but that is arguably all you need - as once the initial levels have been cleared, the focus is very much on working out how to reach platforms that seem just out of reach. 

Our nimble hero can hang under ledges, rebound off walls, and jump a fair distance in order to make his way safely through the levels. Though only given a few moves, it is the way in which you must use everything at your disposal to progress that impresses (and even reminds one of how the 'basics' have been adapted for newer releases like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time).

Making your way across a screen can involve any number of jumps and bounces while flipping between different levels of the platforms; at the same time having to take out enemies mid-movement to avoid being knocked to your doom. Luckily, the controls are responsive enough to cope - meaning every death is fair. 

Ninja Gaiden holds up remarkably well against newer titles. It may seem a little bit restricted by the screen, but the challenge is perfectly-balanced and ultimately requires pure skill and dexterity to get through. It comes highly recommended.

Overall 8/10

The Rise of Neo-Punk in the Playstation Generation

In every era of gaming, there are always titles with a discernible and definable style. Once a new look or ethos becomes flavour of the month, many companies look for ways to capitalise on this, taking the easy option of appealing to the most common denominator by using elements from something that is popular in the mainstream and filtering them into a new title (look at EA's recent output for evidence of this).

On the other hand, there are companies who seek to push things forward and find something that adds a unique edge to their output and make their products feel more fresh and vibrant, even when it remains very much niche (such as the much underused sub-genre of Cyberpunk). While the Playstation generation of gaming may well be remembered as the time when everything became 'street', there was also something much more encouraging beginning to filter through and press its own unique stamp on the market and that something was Neopunk.

Neopunk derived from Cyberpunk and the two share many similarities: the main difference is Neopunk's focus on a much lighter tone. On the whole, the theme of Cyberpunk occupies run-down worlds with groups executing secret operations to try to bring down powerful and corrupt organisations against a dystopian background. Neopunk has a different stylistic approach: here we find individuals who tend to be either superhuman or incredibly skilled, fighting against a more pure form of evil; this is especially apparent where it has infiltrated gaming.

The Neopunk look is somewhat more stylised than its Cyberpunk predecessor. Neopunk is as much about the look of the hero as it is about any driving ethic behind the fighting of evil. As such, Neopunk characters tend to stand out from the crowd, often looking out of place with their surroundings, and forming a lasting impression in the mind - flamboyance is the ruler of this realm.

At present there are three main companies who are using the Neopunk theme with regularity in their products: Japan-based companies Capcom, Konami and Square-Enix. The most obvious example of Capcom's would be the highly flamboyant Dante; here we have a character with superhuman abilities battling the forces of evil. He himself may not be a clear-cut hero, and the reason he fights evil may not be as simple as wanting to save the world, but that is of little importance. The setting of the Devil May Cry titles juxtaposes images of the medieval and the futuristic (something else which is beginning to form as a defining characteristic of the genre).

When Devil May Cry first appeared on the scene, it was hailed from all corners as something exhilarating and exciting. Many years later and with Capcom's clever development of the character, we see the series with the image of Dante being the closest thing gaming has to a cultural and fashion icon this side of Lara Croft. Other examples of Capcom's new-found foray into the Neopunk world can be found in P.N.03 and the hard-edged killer7. Even Leon from Resident Evil 4 has felt the slight tinge of influence on his dress sense - never let it be said that Capcom underuses an idea that works.

In comparison, Konami and Square-Enix's moves to bring the genre into their titles is relatively low-key. Konami's main focus of attention is Castlevania's (Aria and Dawn of Sorrow) star, Soma Cruz. The story of both titles is set in the near future and has Soma searching his way around large gothic castles in order to stop Dracula from being resurrected. The titles mark a subtle departure in graphical style from the previous Castlevania games: a lighter colour scheme has been introduced and much of the black and grey has been replaced with blues and purples. Soma himself is a striking figure wearing a long white coat and having bright white hair. He looks for all the world as if he should be at the top of a megacorporation in Tokyo fighting off robots, yet here he is fighting vampire bats and zombies with a sword in a castle dungeon - more out of place one could never be.

Square-Enix has been making small steps into the Neopunk genre for some time. The Final Fantasy series was tentatively pushed vaguely in this direction with Final Fantasy VIII, but a less than warm reception from gamers made Square change their strategy. In truth there are only small signs of Neopunk in the title as most of it holds with a sterile utopian approach lacking in the necessary character and setting. Recently, though, Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time has been used to develop Square's understanding of the Japanese phenomenon: again, here we have a character completely out of place with his surroundings, fighting against what seems a 'pure' evil.

A checklist seems to be emerging with regards to setting up Neopunk adventures. We nearly always get the future crashing together with the past and occupying an uneasy juxtaposition where nothing quite fits as it should, yet the protagonists carry on anyway. Maybe it is down to this anarchic charm that gamers are picking up on titles which are beginning to use this style. In most industries, when something bland, soulless and predictable becomes the norm, a movement begins to try and refresh, overthrow or otherwise demonstrate there is more to come. It happens in film and music regularly, and it also happens in gaming as demonstrated though this generation.