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Pocky and Rocky Reshrined is an absolute triumph. Much like The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors, it’s a textbook example of how to do a respectful modernisation of an established retro title; it’s not attempting to be a slavish recreation of the original, but nor is it abandoning the things that have caused people to enjoy it for so many years. Rather, what we have here is a brand new game that just happens to cover some of the same ground as its illustrious predecessor — but which is modern in a way that only today’s tech can provide. And that’s a beautiful thing.
Still, at least we can enjoy it in English now thanks to the Double Dragon and Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle. So if you’re yet to play this joyfully silly game for yourself, grab some mates and give it a go now. Just remember: playing dirty is part of the fun!
All this helps Doukyuusei feel like an incredibly well realised game. This isn’t just a game where you click on girls until they like you more; this is a game with its own little world where people are going about their business, and you have the opportunity to stick your nose in as much or as little as you like. Let’s be honest, though, it’s going to be erring on the side of “more”, though, isn’t it?
Thankfully, that original context is now easy as pie to enjoy in English thanks to the Double Dragon and Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Collection — so even if you’re a raging soccer-hater like I am, I encourage you to give Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club – Soccer Story a go. You might just find yourself very pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable this game is!
It’s just a shame this had to release the same week as the new version of The Stanley Parable, because as a result I suspect there’s only one first-person narrative-centric game on people’s minds right now. Don’t sleep on The Sorrowvirus, though; this is a great horror game, and well worth adding to your collection.
It’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend Marble Maid, then; it’s by no means a complete disaster, but it’s hard not to feel that it could have been so much better with just a couple of little tweaks here and there.
So there you have it. Doukyuusei’s new version is very much an authentic ’90s dating sim experience, but brought up to date to such a degree that young whippersnappers who cut their teeth on Persona instead of 16-colour 640×480 hentai will also be able to have a good time.
All in all then, Rigid Force Redux is a great shoot ’em up, well worth your time — particularly if you’re an R-Type fan and especially if you’re an R-Type fan who wishes that series would go a little bit easier on you sometimes. Plus with the physical version out there in the wild, you can own a copy to go on your shelf now, too. And if you’re a shoot ’em up collector, this is one worth owning.
For now, though, I will say that if you’re in the mood for some classic ’90s style dating sim gameplay with plenty of 21st century quality-of-life features, Doukyuusei: Bangin’ Summer is absolutely a worthy investment of your time and money, stupid subtitle or no. Now, question is, who is Best Girl that I should be concentrating on first…?
Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club takes a bit of getting into; I wouldn’t fault anyone for bouncing off it after a quick go, believing it to be shallow or unintuitive. You can level the exact same accusations at Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun — but just like that game, Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club rewards continued engagement and a concerted attempt to understand its mechanics. Mastery of what the game offers won’t come quickly, but it’s rewarding when it does — and in the meantime, the multiplayer mode is great fun, too.
Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun is tough, and compared to many modern beat ’em ups it will likely feel more than a little clunky. But take the time to get to know it and there are some satisfying fighting mechanics here — plus it’s always fun to see the genesis of what would go on to become a well-established genre, as well as the beginning of a series beloved the world over.
It’s an ultimately realistic way of looking at things — and while at first glance it might appear hopeless, eventually the true message reveals itself with clarity. Violence and killing are not the answer, because no-one is in that truly infallible position where they can reliably act as judge, jury and executioner. No-one is truly good or truly evil — and thus any attempt to rid the world of one or the other through violence is ultimately, inevitably doomed to failure.
Pretty Girls Rivers is a good time, and if you fancy another nice casual puzzler featuring pretty anime-style girls on your Switch, it’s a good addition to the lineup as a whole. Don’t expect it to last you too long — but like I say, if you do want to squeeze some additional (and surprisingly enjoyable) longevity out of it, be sure to tackle the perfect score challenge. I’ll be waiting for you atop the leaderboards!
Yamafuda! is just the thing for when you’re after a non-demanding but cute and engaging game — such as, say, when you’ve spent the last five days coughing and spluttering your way through being ill. It’s by no means going to replace the big hitters of the roguelike deckbuilder genre for anyone — but you’ll find it’s a welcome inclusion in your library when you’re just in the right mood for it.
Z-Warp is, overall, a really great game, and further proof that eastasiasoft has a good eye for modern indie shoot ’em ups that can comfortably stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some classics of the genre. It’s a strong, well put together game with some thoroughly lovely presentation, and accessible but challenging and distinctive mechanics. Definitely highly recommended.
There are quite a few possibilities that Fingun in its current form sadly doesn’t pursue — and that’s where my initial hesitance came from. But settle in, enjoy Fingun on its own terms by focusing on what it does do well rather than the things it doesn’t do, and there’s a good time to be had here. It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s charming, it’s sexy — and it certainly makes me want to see more from Pixelteriyaki in the future.
The ending is arguably a little unsatisfying — it honestly feels quite like they had one ending which had a nice sense of closure, then tacked a bit on the end afterwards — but, on the whole, The Closing Shift is another excellent immersive horror game from Chilla’s Art. I’d probably go so far as to say with the solid “coffee-making” gameplay in this one, it’s one of the more immersive games from the developer’s complete collection, and the sense of atmosphere and tension throughout is absolutely magnificent.
Tandem is a thoroughly lovely game, then, and one that fans of creative puzzle adventures should absolutely have on their “to-play” list.
The first Valis is still well worth playing, make no mistake, if only from a historical perspective. But it’s a lot easier to genuinely enjoy pretty much everything about Valis III.
So yeah. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. I don’t know if anyone was actually expecting it to be good — but it turns out it is. Really good, in fact. Now I’m off to go play a bit more of it.