Without the constraints of memory and storage, the team is able to push the visuals, absolutely packing them with detail and life.īeyond this though, individual sections of the game's stages have been dramatically altered, with different landscapes, altered enemy patterns and new phases for boss fights. What makes this an ambitious remake? Well, it begins by recreating the Super NES original with greatly enhanced, higher-resolution pixel art. ![]() Pocky and Rocky includes some beautiful stages and boss encounters. Once completed, however, you can also jump into free mode allowing you to select any character you've unlocked and play through the game in two player mode without any interstitial scenes. The initial available mode is a story mode which asks you to take control each of the various characters with story sequences dividing up the stages. You begin the game as the shrine maiden Pocky, while making your way through each stage taking out foes along the way. Like the original, Reshrined is effectively a run n' gun shooter played from an overhead perspective. I'm happy to report that the remake of Pocky and Rocky excels in the same way - and might also be the team's most ambitious re-creation yet. While simple in concept, the execution is superb with some of the best pixel art, music and design for games of this style. Tengo Project became the masters of revisiting games they had previously worked on while perfecting the formula with new features, an improved presentation and more. Around a decade later, the team had produced two reimaginings of its past works, with Wild Guns Reloaded in 2016 and The Ninja Warriors Once Again in 2019. In the modern era, the squad's first game as Tengo Project arrived in 2008 with the Xbox Live Arcade exclusive Omega Five, a horizontal shooter with a remarkable soundtrack. This includes games such as the seminal Shatterhand, Shadow of the Ninja for NES, two Pocky and Rocky games, The Ninja Warriors Again and Wild Guns - with the same three key members behind Tengo Project being involved in most of these releases. Watch the Pocky and Rocky Reshrined review in video form.ĭuring this era, Natsume quietly produced some of the very best action games ever. It was simply licensed out to, and developed by, Natsume's internal Japanese development team. It's also the first entry that would be released in the West under the title Pocky and Rocky - but unlike the arcade game, this one wasn't developed by Taito at all. It follows the same basic design of the arcade original but features far more scenario variation and creative level design pushing the concept further. ![]() Following its release in arcades, it would receive multiple ports but remained an exclusive to Japan - until 1992, when a home console focused sequel was produced for Nintendo's Super NES. Its core game design resembles Capcom's Commando from a year prior, but its unique themes and twist on that formula results in something truly magical. Created by Taito, Kiki Kaikai is an overhead run and gun shooter rooted in Japanese mythology. The journey from Super NES to modern platforms was a long one for developers Tengo Project, beginning in 1986 with an arcade game known as Kiki Kaikai. ![]() Reshrined is also a shining example of a Unity game done right on a technical level - more or less, anyway. As such, it goes way beyond a typical retro remake, preserving the action and aesthetics of the original title while significantly expanding its length and breadth. Perhaps that's what makes Pocky and Rocky Reshrined, a 2D scrolling action game for Switch and PS4, so compelling: it was developed by the same core staff that created the SNES version of Pocky and Rocky 30 years ago. Retro game remakes are tough to do well - in addition to making old games playable on modern hardware, you've also got to understand the intent of the original creators to keep the spirit of that game alive, especially if you're looking to produce a proper remake rather than a mere remaster.
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