Retro Game Friday: Donkey Kong Land

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with a game that was one of the first I ever played. It’s Donkey Kong Land!

Plot: The plot is more comedic than most and very much breaks the fourth wall, but that’s pretty much par for the course with the Donkey Kong series.

Gameplay: The gameplay was okay, although there were limitations, like the levels only being named in the manual, due to the hardware of the Gameboy. However it played a lot like the Country counterparts for the SNES.

Art: The art is okay, but old.  However ironically enough, and I didn’t know this until I was looking up the Wikipedia page for the developer and publisher info, the game is one of the few that the Super Game Boy pack for the Super Nintendo actually improved the game’s graphics.

Music: Being a handheld I didn’t get to listen to the music more than a couple of times, although I remember it being very much Donkey Kong music.

Overall: A solid game, but it was hampered by the original hardware in some places.

For those who like: Platformers, Donkey Kong, Handheld Games.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Retro Game Friday: Wario Land

Hey all I’m back with a Mario Spinoff that’s grown rather obscure in the past decade and a half. It’s Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3!

Plot Synopsis: After being ejected from Mario’s castle in the previous game, Wario resolves to get his own castle, one even bigger and more impressive than Mario’s. To fund this extravagant dream, he travels to Kitchen Island, where the Brown Sugar Pirates have hidden many treasures and coins, including a golden statue of Princess Toadstool, stolen from the Mushroom Kingdom. Wario intends to retrieve this statue and sell it back to Mario for the price of a castle.

Plot: The plot is rather ridiculous, but that’s where the next part comes in.

Gameplay:  Wario Land was fun to play and is one of the few Game Boy games I can remember having multiple endings based on player actions. In addition it’s a markedly different type of game from previous Mario games. Coins weren’t used to get additional lives, but to improve your final ending. It was also fairly tough to play from what I remember, although admittedly I was quite young at the time.

Art: The art has aged really well, but that’s to be expected of pixel art.

Music: I don’t remember it because I probably never listened to it due to it being a portable and me using my GameBoy pretty much only on plane flights when I was younger.

Overall: A fun game, and while not a must play, it’s not far from being one.

For those who like: Platformers, Portable Games, Mario Games, Hard Gameplay.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: Legend of the River King

This week for Rtero Game Friday I’m back with a game that took me forever to remember the name of. It’s Legend of the River King!

Plot Synopsis: A young boy must find the elusive Guardian Fish. Only with its magical powers can he save his sister from a mysterious illness…

Plot: Yeah the plot is really barebones, but that’s to be expected from a game that literally only revolves around fish.

Gameplay: The game has two modes, Fishing mode, where you catch fish. Obviously. The second mode is raising for fish. Again really obviously.

Art: The one good about a game this old. The art has aged really well, which is about the only good thing that can be said about this game.

Overall: You can easily skip this game, it’s not anything you ought to bother playing, but I wanted to cover the game because I had such a tough time remembering it.

For those who like: Fishing, Fish, Catch Em All Games, Simulation, Good Art.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: Indiana Jones The Infernal Machine

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game that I can barely remember playing. It’s Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine!

Plot Synopsis: The story of the game is set in 1947 and depicts archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones returning to his digging career after his involvement in World War II. Sophia Hapgood, an old friend of Indiana and now a member of the Central Intelligence Agency, visits him at his dig site in the Canyonlands, and informs him that the Russians are excavating the ruins of Babylon.

Plot: I’ll be frank I don’t remember much of this game. I remember having fun, but that’s about it.

Gameplay: I played the 2D version of this that was made for the GameBoy Color, so despite it being a port it was actually the full game. It was however really frustrating to die and have to restart a level, and I’ll be honest puzzle clues were pretty non-existent. These are pretty much the only things I remember, probably because I got so annoyed at the game.

Art: It was purely 2D so it’s aged alright, but it’s also not that amazing.

Music: I don’t remember it at all, sorry.

Overall: Probably worth skipping playing, but if you want the story you can probably watch a Let’s Play on YouTube or something.

For those who like: Puzzles, Frustration, Indiana Jones.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: Worms

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a real classic. It’s Worms!

Plot Synopsis: There is no plot.

Gameplay: There was really no plot for the game, it was all about the gameplay. It was turn based and allowed each player to direct their worms to fire in a certain direction. The goal was to be the one with the last worms alive. The multiplayer was quite fun, I remember playing the game with my cousin and having a blast.

Art: The art has aged, and while it’s 2D it doesn’t quite look as amazing as other 2D games of the time. However given how much effort was spent on the gameplay rather than art it’s not too surprising.

Music: I don’t remember the music, sorry.

Overall: If you get the chance to give it a whirl for a few minutes it’s worth it just to enjoy the classic gameplay. Of course you could probably play later games in the series and enjoy it more.

For those who like: Tactical Games, Turn Based, Oddball Games, Multiplayer.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.