I recently went back home and found my old Super Nintendo. Ahhhh, the memories of Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. The latter, especially, caught my eye as I rifled through the grey cartridges. I remember when the first one came out. It was a phenomenon. Pre-rendered graphics were a new thing back then and people were genuinely wowed by the visuals and the sound. The gameplay is still enjoyable 14 years later. The only major failing of the game is that it's a bit too easy. I can go through the entire game in an hour without a game over. After the first world, you can easily get 30 lives and just ride that for the entire game.
After ripping through DKC, I popped in the sequel. After the second world, the difficulty amps up considerably. I got my first game over in the middle of the third world. And it only got worse as I progressed. I just barely got 60% after beating the game this time around. It's MUCH harder to amass lives in this game and the secrets are better hidden. I was never a "hardcore" gamer, but I'm no casual gamer either. So it took me aback how much my gaming muscles have atrophied. What happened to my razor-sharp reflexes? My ability to figure out the puzzles? My file from 1995 is near 80%. The proof is in the pudding.
One level, in particular, really blazes my balls. "Animal Antics" in the Lost World is one of the hardest levels of any game I've ever played. The premise of the level involves using only your animal buddies. This is a problem because all of the animals (with the exception of the rhino and swordfish) are awkward to use in one way or another. The snake and parrot are the worst offenders. The worst part of the level is the area involving the parrot, whose controls for flight are difficult to master. Further, this area has turbulent winds flowing left and right in alternating fashion. When you're trying to navigate narrow paths, it's a huge pain in the ass. What's worse is that you have to kill some enemies to clear a path sometimes. When you shoot, his momentum pushes you back and can lead to you losing a life in these close corners.
I think this one level has led to atleast 15 game over screens for me. What sucks is that the midpoint save barrel is in the spider area , which is relatively easy compared to the parrot and snake area. The developers purposely did this to fluster gamers. Thanks a lot, Rare.
Despite this one level, the game is better than the first one. The gameplay is improved and the graphics are stellar. The best addition is Dixie Kong; you don't miss Donkey Kong with her around. It doesn't make it that much easier to navigate these levels, but it adds a certain level of fun when Dixie is spinning and floating around.
Well, next up is Super Mario World.
No comments:
Post a Comment