they're three apples high,
but they're as big as a cat?
must be Hokuto's
Additional Comments:
I'm well aware of all Smurf related proportion discrepancies. Having been a fan of the wee blue creatures since I was myself a wee creature, I've had my fill of questioning Smurf perspective. But on a more interesting note, and a more relative note, the Smurfs hold a special place in my video game heart. The very first video games I ever played and cherished were from the storied Atari 2600, and among those treasured memories are games like Frogger, River Raid, Pac-Man, Combat, Asteroids, and Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle. Like the others mentioned, I remember loving Rescue in Gargamel's Castle and playing it endlessly. Sadly, it's the one 2600 title I've yet to replace. I vaguely recall trying it on a emulator a few years back, but it just wasn't the same. Without that stiff joystick feel, it's a mere fraction of the true Atari experience.
But that's all just an unrelated yarn in regards to the game in hand other than they both share the same roots: Smurfs. If only the Game Boy's take on the fungal-dwelling Smurfs carried the same joy as Rescue in Gargamel's Castle. Before I go any further, that one statement should speak volumes, but I'm going to say I'm erring on the side of nostalgia against The Smurfs for the Game Boy because nostalgia has a funny way of pulling at our heartstrings. Consider it a crux, I suppose.
The Smurfs is a simple platformer containing short, concise levels. Considering it's a Game Boy title, it's hard to condemn the narrow-minded approach of each level. Gimmicks are straightforward and focused, so much so that nearly nothing else exists within each level. Any other system, namely consoles, and I'd find the overall design lacking, but somehow it works here. The only time I was left wanting more would likely be The Cliff, but the gimmick itself is impressive for the Game Boy, so I can overlook its incredibly short stretch of real estate.
However, I would criticize some of the more claustrophobic moments on levels like The Old Gold Mine. There's a particular dip in the track about two-thirds of the way in where the cart and a falling boulder approach it at the same time but the ceiling is so low that it's damn near impossible to jump the boulder without getting hit. I think I only managed to get past that boulder once damage free out of a good twenty times or so. The Sarsaparilla Fields has its moments with those reflecting fuzzballs, though I'd pin that down to faulty collision tactics.
I hardly call that case for concern though as the levels are solid enough to shrug off some of the more devious slip-ups. I'd probably accredit the sheer variety of level builds to my upturned snootiness towards solid, but realistically sub-par design. It reminds me of a watered-down Little Nemo as far as general level construction is concerned, but then, a Game Boy version of anything is going to be a watered-down version of its former glory. So, why complain? But seriously, what will they throw at me next in Hefty's grand adventure? Whether rafting down a river, flying on the back of an old trustworthy stork, or shredding snow on a sledge - eh, sledges don't exactly invoke snow shredding capabilities - The Smurfs certainly can't be disparaged for stale level design.
Levels aside, and the sad truth that of all the Smurfs to be rescued, Brainy has to be one of them - nobody likes Brainy, nobody - there is a sizable transgression enacted by two of the three bosses. All three bosses are decent ideas, in fact, I think Gargamel is rather clever - simple, but clever. Unfortunately, both the dragon and Gargamel are poorly designed in practice. There is absolutely zero room for error in either battle. Essentially, there is only one way to defeat each of these bosses and if you make even the slightest misstep, consider yourself smurfed. Even on Easy, I suffered numerous deaths on each of these bosses, though I think the dragon infuriated me more. Really, it's the stupid one tile wide platforms that are perfectly placed to cause the greatest level of annoyance that brings the dragon's battle to a grinding halt. But that's also a matter of Hefty's ambiguous jump physics. Am I really gaining x acceleration if I suddenly hit the B button mid jump or is my mind just playing tricks on me. I swear I accidentally overshot some jumps because of this weird momentum anomaly. The real question though: why do game's with iffy jump mechanics rely so heavily on one tile wide platforms? Somehow game designers decided that's the perfect marriage of fuck all to piss gamers off to no end. Bravo! But I'm off point. Funny enough, it wasn't until my playthrough on Hard where I finally understood the necessary jump pattern to defeat the dragon without succumbing to a dastardly placed flame. Likewise, I killed Gargamel on my first attempt on Hard while I failed continuously on the easier difficulties. What irony.
The sudden spike in difficulty from easy-peasy levels to unforgiving bosses is the true culprit preventing this game from being a noteworthy platformer from the old grey brick. Considering the simpleness of the levels though, gaming mediocrity is really all it hoped to ever achieve. It did manage to sneak a few catchy tunes in there such as The Swamps or The Flight of the Stork. Both of those tracks stir up thoughts of some of the more amazing Commodore 64 or Amstrad CPC music.
It's worth a try for Game Boy enthusiasts, I suppose, but nothing more. For fans of platformers, consider it a miss. And for fans of the Smurfs, well I still prefer Rescue in Gargamel's Castle even if I'm living under the pretense of nostalgia goggles. I'm sure others might share the same sentiment for this game over other Smurf games, and I'm sure most, if not all, would disagree with me regarding the old 2600 classic. Like I care.
Rating: 2.5 evil Smurfs out of 5*
*Wait. Who are these evil Smurfs? Did Gargamel mold more twisted decoys out of clay? I figured after the Smurfette failure, Gargamel would give up on that particular plan of attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment