Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 (Multi) Review

It's not every day I'm late to the party on a game, but recently it's becoming more common! Still, it was a pleasure to finally hop on my board and shred with the best of them in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4. This game released last summer, and I'm only now getting to it with a review. Better late than never? Your mileage may vary on that, but here's a review nevertheless!

Nothing too gnarly about this skateboarding package

In 2020 and after a bit of a hiatus, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise ollie'd its way back into the hearts and minds of players with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, a remake of the first two THPS games. All in all, it was a glorious return to the roots of the series and a wonderful homage to the original classics. Last year saw another return, this time Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 were given the remake treatment with, fittingly enough, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4.  

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1, 2, and 3 mesh well together due to their now-standard-and-classic two-minute runs through levels, having players pick their skater and attempt to complete as many goals in each level as possible, all the while performing tricks and ramping up high scores in the process. It's a formula that's tried and true for the Tony Hawk franchise, and there was always that "just one more run" quality to it.

The sparks fly as the Birdman soars through the Foundry level.

Meanwhile, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 introduced a sandbox-style formula to its levels. Instead of having two minutes to tear up the levels, you were tasked with finding the locations of NPCs and completing their various challenges, some timed, some not. With this major change to the franchise's formula, there were questions regarding how the developer of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, Iron Galaxy, would handle this in the remake of THPS 4's levels.

For many, it'll be seen as a downgrade, but THPS 4 in Iron Galaxy's 3+4 remake package utilizes the standard two-minute career mode runs that Pro Skater games beforehand used. Thus, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4's levels have been overhauled to fit the traditional career mode from THPS 1, 2, and 3 into something that would work and mesh well enough. What you end up with in THPS 4's levels are less goals and ones that don't have any kind of context this time around. You'll just be spoiling the frat's fun within the College level just for the heck of it, for example. (Well, that, and they're probably trash people anyway.)

In the College level, I'd say this grind certainly makes the grade.

The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 campaign isn't just altered in less goals and in its structure either. Some levels, like Carnival and Chicago, have been removed entirely, though thankfully, Iron Galaxy has included three entirely new levels to make up for it: Movie Studio, Waterpark, and Pinball. These wouldn't be confused for skate parks and levels already featured in the franchise to begin with, as they blend in beautifully and have awesome designs. 

Even for THPS 3 purists, there are some noticeable changes to how goals work. In the Career Mode for each skater in the OG THPS 3, things like collectible locations changed depending on which skater's career you engaged with. In THPS 3+4, every location is uniform, no matter what skater you select. In fact, you don't unlock the Solo Tours of each skater until deep into THPS 3+4, long after you've beaten all the goals across both THPS 3 and 4. 

Suburbia remains one of my favorite locales from THPS 3.

Both THPS 3 and 4 combined have 19 levels total across them. Most levels feature a multitude of level goals to try out and take on. These can be as simple as finding and collecting the letters S-K-A-T-E throughout the level, usually in a skate line that leads you from one letter to the next instead of haphazardly or randomly placed throughout a given level. There are high scores, pro scores, and sick scores, where you're tasked with reaching those point thresholds by executing tricks and reaching those totals within the time limit. Sometimes your skater's tasked with performing a specific trick over a certain gap within the level, while others have them needing to nab certain collectibles.

Among the levels are various goodies to be found, such as cold, hard cash and stat points, the latter of which go to increasing the abilities of not only your selected skater but also the 30+ others available to play as in the game. Unlike the original THPS 3, you need not collect stat points for each and every skater's career mode. Instead, one size fits all, in a sense--meaning that stat points earned are available to use on every skater you currently have unlocked. And while favorites from THPS 3 like Wolverine and Darth Maul do not make an appearance in this remake, you do get the chance to trade Wolverine's adamantium claws with Michelangelo's nunchuks, as the member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a playable character here in THPS 3+4.

Nice grind, eh? 

The levels themselves have seen a major upgrade visually within THPS 3+4. I almost could literally feel the heat from the red-hot sparks being emitted in THPS 3's first level, Foundry, and loved the atmospheric fog that coated the nighttime playground that was THPS 4's London. Each level has been meticulously remade and redone in such remarkable ways that the glow-up is major and massive for each.

Even those aforementioned newly included and designed levels: Movie Studio, Waterpark, and Pinball, feel like Iron Galaxy didn't lose any semblance at all of what made the other skate parks and levels within the original games so worthwhile and enjoyable. Movie Studio allows for skaters to grind up boom and camera arms, drop into skate pools surrounded by green screens and large Hollywood-style movie props, while Waterpark is home to an abandoned theme park of old, complete with numerous different slides and rides to skate down. Pinball is the secret level of the THPS 3+4 package, putting your skater in a Night of the Living Dead-style pinball table, while simultaneously having them avoid rebounding and ricocheting  pinballs and skate off all of the moving parts within. This is all the while you can view the Birdman himself, Tony Hawk, controlling the pinball table itself.

Rio is one of several competition-focused levels within the THPS 3+4 package.

Outside of the base game parks, Create-A-Park returns from THPS 1+2, and this time around it's even more in-depth and even viable for more long-term enjoyment. This comes from the addition of being able to add your own custom goals to your parks, so while the original THPS 1+2 saw fans make some truly awesome skate park creations, there really wasn't an onus for the player to stick around and skate in them for too terribly long. With goals, I definitely saw myself taking more time to enjoy and also appreciate what creators put out design-wise, and I must say, it's a fantastic inclusion to the Create-A-Park mode.

Multiplayer is also present in THPS 3+4, and these feature standard modes like Trick Attack--where players try to get the highest score within a time limit--and Graffiti, where players mark their territory by performing skate tricks on specific objects. If another player lands a higher-scoring trick on it, they take over that object. By far, the coolest mode and the one added to THPS 3+4's collection of multiplayer mayhem is that of HAWK. This mode is comprised of two rounds: one where players place four H-A-W-K letters around a level, while the other is where the seekers try to find and collect the hopefully well-hidden letters. Points are awarded for letters found in the case of the seekers, or not found, in the case of the hiders. It's an incredibly clever concept, and more importantly, one that's loads of fun. 

Another fantastic inclusion, though this time accessibility-wise is that of different mods the developers added for THPS 3+4. These make the single-player career modes quite a bit more feasible for players that might not have the best skate skills around, including the ability to never bail, to automatically balance on rails for grinds, for lip tricks, etc. And something I found super useful for myself is the ability to increase the time for runs in career mode. Instead of the base two minutes, you can up the max time to an hour maximum. For me, it didn't make sense to be limited to two minutes to complete goals, so I increased it to 20 minutes, then a half-hour, as I just wanted the freedom to explore as my leisure. 

THPS 3+4 includes a vast amount of challenges to complete. Whether that's finding and landing all gaps within either THPS 3 or 4's levels, finishing speedruns of levels within a set par time (these task you with completing all of a given level's goals within one run as fast as possible), or skater-specific goals, as well. There's a whole host of Expert-related challenges, and unlike the others in THPS 3+4, these do not allow you to use the accessibility mods to complete them. They're meant for the toughest of the tough, the ones that can hang with the Birdman at his career's zenith.

A trick so hardcore, it created aftershocks.

Like THPS 1+2 before it, THPS 3+4's gameplay mechanics and skating feel excellent. You're not limited to the repertoire of moves that were featured in the original games. Basically everything up to Tony Hawk's Underground's ability to get off your board is present here. Though, I won't lie and say that I wouldn't like being able to hop off my skateboard sometimes, especially when trying to reach certain areas. Oftentimes when attempting to turn around, my skater would smack and ricochet between walls and railings as if they were a pinball in that titular secret level. Frustrating, for sure. Still, it's an absolute blast to have the muscle memory to perform tricks, manuals, grinds, reverts, and more as if I never skipped a beat with the same button and analog stick inputs as I pressed back in the day.

I talked about THPS 3+4's visuals some, and they do definitely delight and impress. Perhaps the only less than stellar part of the presentation comes in the form of the insanely limited Create-A-Skater, offering a sparse selection of body types and faces. I'm not asking for sliders for every possible body part and dimension on the human body imaginable, but just something that delivers something to better make my CaS look more like me. Because God knows I'll never be able to tear of the skate park for real, so it'd be nice to have a fantasy skater representation of myself that actually looks somewhat close to myself.

Familiar levels like this one, Tokyo, received a massive glow-up within THPS 3+4.

Sound-wise, THPS 3+4 brings the goods. While not all of the licensed music from the original THPS 3 and THPS 4 could make their way to THPS 3+4, a good number of the top tracks do. For instance, if Motorhead's Ace of Spades wasn't included in the soundtrack of this game, why were we even doing this remake in the first place? I jest, of course, but only slightly.

Even with some different design decisions that might make some of the more diehard fans want to break their 'boards over their knee when they compare them to the originals, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 makes for a great way to skate with an awesome game worthy of the Birdman's name. While the way THPS 4's levels and goals were incorporated into this package might feel like Iron Galaxy jammed a square shape through a circle hole, it worked for me, overall. I realize that this won't necessarily be the case for true blue fans of the original THPS 4, though. That said, with a lovely suite of multiplayer modes, accessibility options, and the enhanced Create-a-Park included with the well-designed levels and great feel of the controls, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, like the Birdman infamously with a 900, successfully sticks the landing for one stellar skating experience.

[SPC Says: A-] 

This game was played via the PlayStation 5 version. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, Xbox Series consoles, Xbox One, and PC.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (PS5, XBS, PC) Overview Trailer

Reviews are out for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, and the game is certainly flying high with critics. Ahead of the game's release on October 2nd, Bandai Namco has provided this overview trailer for the game, a relative deep dive into the skies of Ace Combat 8. With quality reviews, you might be thinking about taking to the skies yourself next week. Now seems like a good time as any to consider preordering, then, if you haven't already, as Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War remains an exclusive preorder bonus.

Kalanoro (Multi) Review

A game I previously previewed on SPC, Kalanoro sees a full release today on PC, Switch, Xbox Series consoles, and the platform I'm reviewing this game on, the PlayStation 5. Let's take a trip to Lemuria and experience some Malagasy folklore and culture in the process, shall we?

Doubles as an enjoyable game and a lovely primer in Malagasy culture

Kalanoro stars Kalakely, one of the hairy, eponymous creatures of Malagasy folklore, in a musical adventure. To follow an ancient prophecy, Kalakely needs to cancel the concert plans of the sinister witch named Raneny, who has taken over Lemuria. How to do this? By jumping into a tour bus, rescuing a bunch of lemur musicians, creating a band, and singing and playing their way to Raneny, of course! It's a simple enough story that is imbued and strengthened by not only an immense amount of cute charm, but also because it represents so much of Madagascar, its culture, and folklore--a part of the world that decidedly doesn't get much in the way of representation in gaming. Therefore it was incredibly cool to be enlightened and introduced to this part of the world in such a wonderful way. 

If Kalanoro was a Malagasy dish, like the ones Kalakely prepares on the tour bus for her bandmates, then the ingredients would be one part 3D platformer, one part band management, and one part rhythm game. The 3D platforming is the main ingredient, of course, and this takes place in various levels, generally giving the player a quasi-overhead perspective of the action. 

Kalakely's ready for adventure and to assemble her ensemble of lemur musicians!

Kalanoro's levels feature plenty of platforming and especially dangers to concern herself with, whether that be disappearing platforms to leap off from, rolling spike hazards to avoid, boxes that dip into poisonous water when Kalakely's weight is distributed on them, spike traps that mount upon Kalakely passing over them, and more. 

Fortunately, Kalakely the Kalanoro has several moves to not just get around levels, but also to contend with various enemies that get in her way. Between jumps and double jumps, as well as air dashes that allow her to pass through certain gates, Kalakely is well equipped to platform her way through levels. 

Perhaps the piece de resistance for Kalakely is that of her hair. Throughout the game she can get shampoo that strengthens her massive mane to perform various different abilities. She can grab onto enemies and pull herself towards them for a charge attack, and conversely, attach her hair to switches and levers to pull them to open doors and such. Later, she can use her lovely locks to latch onto enemies and shock them. This hair ability can also siphon and transfer electricity from generators to open up locked doors. Finally, Kalakely earns the ability to throw a clump of hair at enemies to blind and confuse them, having them go berserk in their anger and start attacking their friends. This mass of hair can also block pipes spewing toxic gas as well as cover the gaze of security cameras.

Keep your rear in gear and avoid those spears, Kalakely!

When you're not running, jumping, and air dashing through levels, you'll be pitted against numerous enemies. This usually happens in cordoned off zones that are essentially rooms where you face and fight off a mob of enemies using kicks, punches, Kalakely's various hair techniques (each has a cooldown, by the way), and also weapons that can be picked up from the ground. These weapons come in the form of hammers, signposts, shoes, carrots, among other objects, and each has their own amount of hits they can give to enemies before they break. 

This enemy saw the sign, and while it didn't open up their eyes, it did totally knock them out.

Unfortunately, combat is not really a strong suit for Kalanoro. Between the camera being too far zoomed out to always be able to clearly see the arena you're fighting in--meaning it's way too easy to take unintended hits, especially from ranged weapons and shots--and just the clunky feel of combat in general, I sort of got to a point near the end of the game where I groaned each and every time I encountered a room like this. Since it happens basically three times a level, yeah, it got old quick. 

While discovering combat rooms isn't too joyful, what instead is are the vast amounts of goodies thata are generally cleverly hidden within Kalanoro's dozens of levels. The main collectible is that of blue gems, used as the currency in Lemuria and for Kalakely to purchase the previously mentioned shampoo, as well as upgrades to her tour bus and other goodies from various vendors across the Lemuria world map. There are also lost Lemur children to rescue, paintings of Renany to cover up with posters of Kalakely's band, cassette tapes which unlock new songs from actual Malagasy artists to play on the tour bus, and scrolls which reveal interesting iotas of information regarding Malagasy folklore. Each level optionally has a set amount of collectibles to fully nab, and doing so will give you a 100% notification at the end of a given level for doing so.

When you're not running and roaming through levels, you'll spend the rest of your time moving from location to location, level to level, via your traveling tour bus. Here, you can craft posters and numerous Malagasy dishes from materials found throughout Kalakey's adventures. The dishes are to satisfy the bandmates Kalakely rescues along her journey. Basically, when a given band member has a specific dish over the head in a thought bubble, that's Kalakely's cue to cook something up for them using gathered food materials through a super simplistic crafting mini-game. Fail to do this after a-decidedly-generous-while and the bandmate has the potential to run off and get abducted by Ranany's troops again. Therefore, you'll have to go back to the original level you rescued them and do so once more.

Kalakely's transport to levels, gigs, and more, one could say it's a "bus"tling hub.

Thus, what this amounts to is needless babysitting to satisfy your bandmates, and it happens so much where they yearn for something to eat--pretty much every two levels completed. It becomes incredibly tedious, and I can't help but wonder if there would have been a better way to incorporate crafting real-world Malagasy dishes to enhance the gameplay flavor instead of detracting from the game's menu of features instead. 

Perhaps instead of using fear of punishment to force players to feed Kalakely's bandmates, Kalanoro could have instead given players positive reinforcement techniques to do so. For instance, building their friendships through giving them dishes they like, which in turn could reward given goodies at different points in their friendships. Just spitballing and brainstorming, because as is, having to feed Kalakely's bandmates is an imposition at best and obnoxious as all get out at worst when all I wanted to do was enjoy the other aspects of the game.

Kalanoro has a pretty typical loop to it in what you need to do. Each time you enter a new region of the world map, of which there are three total, you're tasked with entering the level to rescue a band member (i.e. playing through a normal level from point A to point B). From there, the next level after is all about finding their instrument of choice at that level's end. The next step is printing off posters (from wood found in levels) and spreading the word of Kalakely and band's upcoming concert. This is done by plastering said posters over Raneny's smug face-ridden portraits in one of two to three levels that then open up. Finally, the actual concert performance happens, and then the process of finding a new bandmate anew once again. This process happens twice per region with a boss level following it.

The concert performances themselves start off with Kalakely and a bandmate performing in front of a sparse smattering of Lemurians. As your band gains fame and fans from doing different actions throughout the adventure (putting up posters, defending boom boxes from enemy attacks in special level areas, and rescuing Baby Lemurians, for example), the audience and venues for the concerts expand as the game goes on. The performances themselves are incredibly basic rhythm mini-games. You press a button when the gauge around the circle reaches the blue part and occasionally aim at Raneny's troops who try to mess up the performance behind the stage. 

The music in Kalanoro is some marvelous Malagasy-style magic.

As for the boss battles, these are engaging fights that offer a decent amount of challenge. Perhaps quite a bit more than the standard levels seen otherwise in the game. They're all about waiting for an opportunity for the boss to become vulnerable (sometimes too much of a wait) and then pummeling them senseless while they are in that state. Fortunately, even with some of the fights being a bit taxing, the game does well in bestowing you with hearts to replenish your health, so you seldom have to worry about playing perfectly.

Kalanoro's first boss certainly knows how to make waves.

If Kalakely does lose all of her health in a level, whether from falling into pits too many times, or taking a lot of damage from enemies or hazards, you have the option of either restarting the level from the beginning or opting to use some blue gems to revive her instantly on the spot. Curiously, there is a finite amount of gems in Kalanoro to collect throughout the game. Ones you've collected previously show up a translucent in appearance and don't count towards your overall total when grabbed again. This means, theoretically, you could spend all of your gems and be left without a way to revive yourself or buy items from various vendors. Sure, by the end of Kalanoro I was swimming in over 2,000 gems, but it makes me interested to see if it is indeed possible to run out of gems completely and what would happen then. 

While I did overall enjoy Kalanoro, there were other aspects that took me out of my element of enjoyment with it. For one, occasional glitches where I could easily reach certain areas of levels, but the game did not necessarily like me doing that, resulting in Kalakely getting stuck with no alternative but to restart the level. Further, some of the parts where the game switches between 3D and a 2D perspective didn't always function the greatest. Kalakely could sometimes get placed or locked on the wrong plane in the transition between a 3D and 2D section, causing some frustrations in the control and platforming accuracy departments. 

Kalanoro isn't a lengthy game either way. I beat it within a weekend, and it took about six hours to 100%, collecting everything in levels and completing all of the side quests. Honestly, it's a fair amount of time for this type of game. It doesn't outwear its welcome length-wise, even if the constant demand to cook dishes for bandmates did. 

Glitches, poor combat, and some unfortunate, disappointing design decisions aside, Kalanoro is an above average platformer that I'm glad I was able to play. My introduction to Malagasy culture and folklore was a massive bonus as well in playing this game. With a ton of lovely charm, good vibes, and some decent, but not great level design, Kalanoro might not necessarily be a must-play for platforming fans, but it certainly made this reviewer pleased to play it.

[SPC Says: C+] 

A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review. 

This game was played via the PlayStation 5 version. Kalanoro is also available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series consoles, and PC. 

Rayman Legends Retold (Multi) Game Overview Trailer

Ahead of its December 3rd release date, Rayman Legends Retold has received a new game overview trailer. The voice of Barbara, Elana Dunkelman, narrates this look at various features in this remade and reborn rendition of Rayman Legends. New levels, new modes, new features, and a whole lot more arrive in this remake, and it almost makes the recent delay sting a little less! Almost. Either way, Rayman Legends Retold will arrive on all current platforms in early December.

Isle of Reveries (Multi) Review

Cooler, more seasonable temps have finally arrived in Central City. It's my wish come true! That said, as we'll see in our next review for this month, some wishes can become corrupt. Well, that seems to just usually happen on the eponymous Isle of Reveries, and this here is the SuperPhillip Central review.

When you wish upon an isle, doesn't matter "hoot" you are.

The Legend of Zelda franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and no doubt the series is a major inspiration to many developers, as we've seen many similar games of its vein released over the years. Even this year, I've covered games like Under the Island and Elementallis, for starters, each offering their own creative flavor and spin on the series's core tropes and gameplay loops.

Now, Isle of Reveries is the latest offering from an indie, delivering the hopes and dreams of another competent and enjoyable Zelda-like, this time with a Game Boy Color aesthetic to it. Does it do enough to make players want to give a hoot about it?

The titular Isle of Reveries is a skyward island, home to legends of being able to ask and get any wish granted. As the game begins, our owl protagonist Leif has started a pilgrimage of his own to the isle, in hopes of getting his own personal wish granted: to bring his deceased younger brother back to life. However, shortly upon touching foot--or talon, in this case--on the Isle of Reveries, a disturbing truth is revealed on how the isle manages to corrupt the wishes of those who have already made the grueling journey. With a new goal in mind, Leif sets off to assist saving the lost souls who have fallen victim to the island's curse.

A handful of hearts are available to Leif at the start of his adventure, 
but he can certainly earn more in true Zelda-like fashion.

While the premise of the story is one that is intriguing, the overall narrative doesn't really provide too many twists and turns to excite. Instead, what did interest me was the quest itself, which the story does do an admirable job of setting up. And I think most of us can agree that the quest is the most important piece to a Zelda-style adventure.

Rather quickly into Leif's quest, he discovers a helpful fairy, one that serves as not just a means to chat to the various characters that Lief stumbles across on his adventure, but also takes on the role of a duplication entity. Many objects within Isle of Reveries can be duplicated by a press of a trigger: from rocks to blocks, braziers to boulders, and other miscellaneous goodies to aid in making progress for Leif and thus, players as well.

This mechanic lends itself well to more than exploration, but also the plethora of puzzles within Isle of Reveries six major dungeons. These house plentiful brain-teasers as you navigate halls, chambers, and other rooms full of enemies, other dangers, and obstacles in your path. Some puzzles are as simple as placing a duplicated item to hold down a pressure-sensitive plate to keep a door open, while others require more thinking and mental finesse.

Duplicating objects--only one can be "saved" at a time--is utilized with great use in combination with the multiple unique items and tools that Leif finds across his adventure. The Clawncher, for instance, offers the ability to grab objects from faraway and brings them to Leif, rather than bringing Leif to the objects as if he were using the Zelda series's Hookshot. The Clawncher can also pull weapons and armor from enemies to leave them defenseless, or conversely, to otherwise open them up to attacks. Many of these items are used in tandem with each other as well as the central duplication mechanic, and these, in turn, are used to solve puzzles within the game and its dungeons. 

The dungeons themselves house plenty of secrets, key items, and of course challenges both physical and mental alike--such as enemies, hazards, and puzzles. The traditional aim to find treasure chests, secure keys, unlock doors, and make progress all the while solving puzzles and contending with enemies and traps is present and accounted for here, like any proper Zelda dungeon experience. What impressed me most was how well--even in the first dungeon--the puzzles were consistently complex and required some deep level of thinking to solve. Sometimes trial and error were necessary components, but for the most part, I usually was missing a key piece of insight, such as needing to utilize an item or duplication in a way I hadn't yet considered.

Leif launches the Clawncher at this foe within one of the later game dungeons.

Not all is as excellently crafted with Isle of Reveries' dungeons. It's difficult not to compare to the game's clear inspiration, so permit me to take the Zelda series and its dungeons as a comparison. Most of the dungeons in Isle of Reveries do not have a logical flow to them. You're constantly backtracking and entering and re-entering rooms to try to discover a means for progression. 

It's unlike most of the Zelda games, where dungeons lead you back to hub rooms or central chambers where items and keys you acquired that you didn't your first time through could this time be utilized. It's easy enough to know where you need to go without the game literally telling you where you need to go, and this is performed simply by how well the Zelda series' dungeons are designed. In Isle of Reveries' dungeons, I was aimlessly and repeatedly passing through well trodden territory and rooms in search of which door this key I just secured belonged, or what this key item I acquired was best suited for. 

Dungeons conclude not just upon finding the boss key, opening the door for said key, and battling the boss lurking behind said door, but you also have to escape the dungeon afterwards in a post-boss scramble for a special door. The dungeon itself becomes corrupted and you must battle and platform your way through familiar yet also altered paths (and in a more dangerous form--like with poisonous waters permeating throughout the rooms) to your destination. Some of these paths are simple enough to follow, but others just made a frustrating trek even more so.

As much as I appreciate most of the design decisions of Isle of Reveries, some did less than satisfy. For one, the simple act of needing to jump (performed with the R1 button on the PlayStation versions of the game) wasn't always conducive to the required platforming occasionally needed. Aggravating falls into water or pitfalls means you respawn from where you originally entered the room. Jumping just doesn't feel as precise as it could have been, and it's so easy to slip into pits and other hazards from errant leaps.

And while the items featured in Isle of Reveries are darn fun to use, especially a later game Rift Wand, that immediately exchanges your location with any small object or enemy the small ball of energy hits, each item uses an energy meter. While this meter refills over time after a relatively short cooldown, you're constantly having to use items and tools to solve puzzles as well as defeat enemies that your sword otherwise won't make a dent in (or a slice through, in this case) that this constantly resulted in me having to idle and wait for the cooldown to end and slowly replenish my gauge. This was just so I could use an item or tool again. When the game requires so much use of items, this energy meter and the need to refill it through time makes for an agonizing wait at times. 

Hopefully all this rain doesn't ruffle Leif's feathers!

That said, there is special equipment in the form of trinkets that can be found from planting special seeds in certain plots of land throughout the game's overworld map. A trio of trinkets can be equipped at a given time, and there are over 20 presenting different bonuses to Leif on his journey. These can make a special sound when he's in the same room as a specific goodie, whether that be the location of a plot of land, an Akedo Leaf (one of many collectibles within the game), a Goddess Petal (the Heart Pieces of Isle of Reverie), or something else. They also have other effects, too, such as limiting damage from falling into pits, nullifying Leif's slipping on ice, and having enemies drop more hearts in combat than usual.

Exploration is a common occurrence and claim to fame of Zelda-likes, and Isle of Reveries does this well, especially with its overworld map. There are eight unique, interconnected environments to explore, from marshlands to forests, as well as brutally cold mountains to quicksand-laden deserts. The world map is one that isn't overly expansive, instead serving a nice compact design to players. Eventually you can earn a special ukulele instrument that doubles as a fast travel device, further making exploration less tedious and more enjoyable. 

The overworld map is constantly opening up new areas as key items from dungeons and other parts of the game are given to the player. Because the map is so compact, it was never a major challenge to remember where a place or corner of map I couldn't previously explore was situated. That way, I could take my newly found Draco Coil or aforementioned Clawncher and use them to chart new paths, find new secrets, as well as nab collectibles and goodies I previously couldn't reach and access. This aspect of Isle of Reveries definitely lends itself better to wandering the overworld, rather than the aimless variety I did within dungeons. 

Meet characters of all types in Isle of Reveries. Look--I think Leif just mer-made a new friend!

Speaking of, there is a lot of content to be discovered in Isle of Reveries, such as miniature dungeons containing optional upgrades to tools, a full trading sequence reminiscent of Link's Awakening for some sweet rewards, and even a miniature town builder, where many of the NPCs  you rescue or interact with throughout Leif's journeys in Isle of Reveries return to, making a nice, little, cozy community of characters to ensemble in. It's really rewarding to start out with a barren area that is the Verdant Valley and eventually by the endgame see it brimming with life and bustling with characters.

Graphically, Isle of Reveries mostly looks the part of a Game Boy Color-styled game inspired by The Legend of Zelda. I say "mostly" because one issue that Isle of Reveries has that the Game Boy Color Zelda titles do not is that the former suffers from a lot of visual clutter on maps and in dungeons. It can be difficult to distinguish between what objects can be picked up, passed through, walked on, etc. The Thorny Thicket biome is especially troublesome in this regard. The beauty of games like Link's Awakening and the Oracle games was in their graphical simplicity. Objects were easy to distinguish between and the visual clutter just wasn't anywhere near as present like it is in Isle of Reveries.

Some game areas are more arduous to ascertain where you can and can't move than others.

Isle of Reveries offers an overall worthwhile and well designed Zelda-like adventure. The game's starring duplication mechanic is a massive boon to making for some seriously challenging and engaging puzzles, as does the roster of wonderful tools and items. Although aspects like the quickly depleting energy gauge, lack of logical flow in otherwise cleverly designed dungeons, and some major clutter in the visuals do detract from the experience, all in all, Isle of Reveries is yet another Zelda-inspired indie game this year that "owl" probably return to in the future. It's one I also think you should give a "hoot" about, too.

[SPC Says: B-]

A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review. 

This game was played via the PlayStation 5 version. Isle of Reveries is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series consoles, Xbox One, and PC. 

Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA) Retro Review

Sometimes I get the urge to play a retro game. Sometimes it's one I've played countless times and never reviewed, but other times it's one that slipped through the cracks of my gaming knowledge and/or prowess. 

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is somehow one of those, as it comes from my second-favorite Mario spin-off series: Mario Golf! How I never fully dove into this entry is anyone's guess, but now I remedy that with not just my completed playthrough, but a full SuperPhillip Central retro review! 

As a supplement to this review, be sure to check out my review of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, which links up to this game.

Linking up on the links, with both positive and negative results.

Out of all of the Mario spin-offs that have come around the bend and released (Mario Kart notwithstanding), one of my absolute favorites HAS to be the Mario Golf series from Camelot. It's Mario, and it's golf--a sport that is otherwise boring in real life to me, but offers so much more as an interactive video game. You have colorful, fantastical courses, strategy in how to take on each hole of a given course, an assortment of larger-than-life characters to play as, and it all usually works out to be more engaging than the real sport could ever hope to be for me. 

That said, it blows my mind that despite playing all of the console entries of Mario Golf, I've missed fully experiencing all there is of the handheld games. Now, I've played a hole or two here and there, and Mario Golf: World Tour on the Nintendo 3DS is my favorite of the franchise to this day. However, I've never seriously spent time with the Game Boy Advance entry--until now. Mario Golf: Advance Tour is the second entry in the series with a dedicated story mode, one that fans continue to miss from future installments. What makes it so irresistible to players? Allow me to take to the first tee, get out my driver, and experience this answer for myself. 

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is neither a dumbed down nor a lesser experience than its big console brother: Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. While the visuals, of course, are not lovely polygonal 3D models and environments, Camelot has done some technical wizardry with making a duo of different graphical modes that make for a magnificent experience, whether through viewing it or actually playing it.

Who left all of the palm trees? Are we sure these are regulation fairways?!

You get an overhead look of the current hole you're playing on itself, complete with friendly fairways, the verdant putting green, as well as all the hazards that surround it: rough, bunkers, trees, out of bounds areas, and yes, water, too. What's amazing about this aforementioned technical wizardry is that no matter where your ball may lie, when you switch to setting up your shot through the traditional three-click accuracy meter (one the series has long used), the camera shows everything that is around your character to perfect quality. That is to mean that if you had a tree your ball narrowly dodged to the right, and your ball is currently sitting on a fast fairway with a bunker in front of it, the game will accurately show this in the behind-the-shoulder viewpoint. That tree will be sitting directly to your right, your character will be standing on a fast fairway, and wouldn't you know, that bunker would be dead ahead.

A second view shows off shots, as well as serves as a means to get an overhead view of the course.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is first and foremost a golf RPG. Immediately upon turning on the game you're greeted with a Toad who asks whether you want to play as a boy or a girl character. Whichever gender/character you choose, the other serves as your doubles partner through the game's story. Advance Tour sees your ragtag group of up-and-coming golfers entering the Marion Golf Club, much to their equal delight and anxiety. "Are they ready for the big leagues?" and "Can they compete against everyone?" These are some of the doubts and questions that linger in their minds.

What follows is a LOT of verbose talkative characters and scenes, which is pretty much a trademark of Camelot's RPGs, especially if you were just coming off Golden Sun on the same platform. Fortunately, like Golden Sun before it, if you can get through the "saying very little worthwhile despite talking a lot" dialogue that Golden Sun threw at players, then you can get through a lighter version of this with Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

And you can bet that our teacher isn't Kid-ding around. (His name is Kid. Get it?)

Your room is your headquarters and place to save data, as well as switch between solo singles play and doubles play with your CPU partner. It's also the place where you'll store your multiple trophies that you and your doubles partner will hope to claim victor to. 

Starting from the Marion Club, there are four other major courses to tackle on your quest to be the best golfer. As you complete either solo or doubles tournaments and match play battles, you'll unlock access to new courses, new characters, and more content within the story mode. 

Of course, starting out immediately, you probably won't be out-driving or putting with the best of them. Thankfully, as you play and engage in every kind of golf activity there is to do in the story: whether that's competing in tournaments, facing characters in match play contests, and taking on various challenges like approach, driving, and putting challenges, you'll earn experience points--win or lose. Though, of course, you'll earn more EXP for winning. These points can be divided up between you and your doubles partner to level yourselves up. Each level nets you the ability to level up one stat: from your maximum driving distance, to your control, to your impact, and even the spin you can put on your shots.

Each time you level up, you earn a stat to upgrade! Choose wisely!

Whether you're playing in Singles or Doubles play, where your CPU partner does their best to either sink hard putts or sink your chances of making it on the green in regulation due to poorly made shots, you're at the mercy of your stats. If you hog all the experience points for yourself, your CPU partner will play even more poorly than they otherwise would.  

My doubles partner and I are out and about on the world map.

There is a wide abundance of activities outside of tournaments and match play contests. While those are the star of the show and the main events to compete in and complete, there's a whole world map of activities to take on. You have a Ring Shot-style mini-game where you drive and hit the ball through colored gates and try to make par or better on a given hole while doing so. There is a long-distance expedition of a hole that is far beyond traditional golf regulations with regards to its par, offering a Par 9 hole. The requirement here is to reach or beat par. As you continue on to the normal and hard difficulties, the par requirement lowers. 

Sink par or better while hitting your ball through all of these gates in this particular mini-game.

Thus, not only do the activities reward you with experience in point and level form, but they also reward you with experience in actual golfing form. These activities are essentially tutorials in all but name, but given a fun gamified aim to them to keep them interesting and feeling fresh and original.   

To make it feel even more like home to RPG fans--if the experience and leveling up didn't already do so-- there is plenty of discovery and exploration to be found in Mario Golf: Advance Tour. From little mini-games in each course, like one where you follow a Pokey around the Dunes Club, hitting it with a golf ball several times at different locations around the map to ward it off, to items found in cupboards and drawers, there's a lot to do and find. 

These items come in the form of instant level ups, power increases, and custom tickets are able to be traded in to a world map location where custom clubs can be created. These custom clubs can bring your characters more power, better control, straighter shots, higher or lower shot trajectories, and much more in a pinch, depending on how you utilize your tickets.  

Speaking of utilization, Mario Golf: Advance Tour utilizes connectivity with the GameCube's Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. While this is nifty and pretty cool in theory, in practice it locks out a hefty amount of content from Advance Tour players if they don't link up with Toadstool Tour. The connectivity between the Game Boy Advance's Advance Tour and the GameCube's Toadstool Tour is available with the asterisk and expectation that you've playing through both games intently. 

What I mean by this is that to unlock most of the Mushroom Kingdom cast within Mario Golf: Advance Tour, not only do you need to link up to Toadstool Tour, but you have to at least have earned a requisite amount of Birdie Badges through the latter's Tournament mode. Further, throughout the story mode of Advance Tour, you'll find yourself unlocking different Star versions of the base game's various holes. These add Mario-themed items, gimmicks, and hazards to the standard courses, but only for the holes that you unlock them in. Most of these, unfortunately, require completing certain tasks in Toadstool Tour and linking them to Advance Tour, as well.

Not "mushroom" for error on the course today, Mario!

As a positive, you can transfer your custom golfers over to the Toadstool Tour game and vice versa and gain experience points through either game. Plus, you get a severe advantage of having a playable character in Toadstool Tour who can theoretically drive off the tee for more than 350 yards, making your power hitter and character all the more useful and worthwhile to link between the games for.

Now, to be fair, it's not as if you're missing content that is must-have or makes Mario Golf: Advance Tour an incomplete experience if you don't have access to a GameCube, a Game Boy Advance, and a copy of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. It's actually just gravy to the mound of mashed potatoes that Advance Tour already is, or maybe I can turn that into something golf-related. It's actually just using a 1-Wood when a 3-Wood would already suffice. Eh, I tried!

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is definitely not lacking in golf goodness to enjoy. I haven't even mentioned everything available outside of the story mode: Match Play, Stroke Play, Skins Play, Speed Golf, Club Shots, Near-Pin, and Tournaments are all featured outside of the story, accessed through the main menu. Plus, you can even check out and record your best shots. Sink an impossible putt or score a surprise chip-in eagle? You can easily look back on that in the Records menu. Amazing how a Game Boy Advance game installment can contain all of these modes and options, yet modern Mario Golf games have missed the mark content-wise by so much! Frustrating, but I digress.

It's amazing just how well Mario Golf's console level of gameplay has transitioned to the small screen of the Game Boy Advance with much less in the way of buttons and functions. You have your previously talked about traditional three-press system. One press of a button to start the gauge, one press to set the power, and one press to set the accuracy of your attempted shot. This is all the while factoring the lie of your ball, wind velocity, surrounding hazards, and other factors. Like Toadstool Tour, topspin, backspin, and special super topspin and super backspin effects, as well as being able to control where on the ball you wish to hit it in order to add spin (perfect for aiming around hazards like trees) are available in Advance Tour.

And a nice second shot from the fairway for Her Highness!

And if the "ain't broke, then why fix it" gameplay transitioned well from console to handheld, then so did the presentation. Again, while no one should expect 3D models and the level of graphical fidelity that the much more powerful GameCube can present to players, what Mario Golf: Advance Tour on the Game Boy Advance does offer is working with the system's strengths to impressive degrees. I mentioned how the game shows two viewpoints, an overhead view for aiming your shots and seeing the lay of the land, and one for actually taking your shits, and how detailed each are. It's borderline mind-blowing just how readable these environments, holes, and courses truly present themselves.

On the sound side, Nintendo continues its penchant for incorporating voice clips to show off the sound potential of the Game Boy Advance. This is something the company did ever since one of its launch titles, Super Mario Advance. Either way, it's cute and charming here with both the Super Mario characters featured in the game and the original cast of human characters introduced within the story mode. Meanwhile, Motoi Sakuraba knocks it out of the park--uh, better use another golf-ism here--rather, he sinks a clean chip-in for eagle with his soundtrack. Yes, a fair amount of it is recycled from Toadstool Tour with lesser sound quality, but it all sounds chipper, catchy, and delightful with its infectious melodies and strong synth brass and pan flute incorporated throughout.

As stated, Mario Golf: Advance Tour isn't a downgraded version or lesser experience than Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. It's just different, and in a lot of ways it's a superior game. In other ways, it's less so. In fact, it wouldn't be a mistake to say that both games are best as supplementary experiences to one another. Both supply excellent golfing gameplay in a highly accessible form while offering a level of challenge that starts small and grows as you progress through their respective games. Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a remarkable adaptation of the franchise in portable, pixelated form. It makes me a bit sad that we haven't seen an RPG mode with this much depth from the series since this installment. At least whenever a more in-depth RPG scenario hits a future Mario Golf entry, we won't have to deal with a link cable...

[SPC Says: A-] 

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World (Multi) Gameplay Trailer

Not one to leave its other popular RPG franchise in the dust, Square Enix has also published a new trailer, this one focusing on the gameplay that players can discover and (hopefully) enjoy in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World. From scouting new and old monsters to the introduction of Joint Battle to the series, this trailer could possibly make you want to catch 'em all. Wait. Wrong franchise, but still! Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is due out on December 3rd on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC. Like Final Fantasy Resonance before it, a free demo is available to try the game out. 

Final Fantasy Resonance (Multi) Tokyo Game Show Trailer

With the Tokyo Game Show beginning in Japan, Square Enix has published a full, three-minute trailer showcasing the latest in the Final Fantasy franchise: Final Fantasy Resonance. A demo has been available since the most recent State of Play presentation earlier this month, but this is just a reminder it's still available and progress from the demo will be retained to the full release of the game when Final Fantasy Resonance returns to its roots and enters HD-2D for the first time on October 22nd, 2026.

Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia (PS5, NSW, XBS, PC) Review

It's a Marsupilami kind of Monday here at SuperPhillip Central. That's because it's time to check out the sequel to Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, a Donkey Kong Country-style game I really enjoyed. Check out that game's review from August 2024, if you'd like, HERE. 

Otherwise, sit back and enjoy this new review of that game's recently released sequel: Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia. HOOBA! 

Pure Palombian Platforming

My knowledge on Marsupilami is admittedly quite narrow and limited. Really, I only knew of the yellow, long-tailed character from the Disney-produced series of the 1990s and a little-known Sega Genesis game. However, Marsupilami goes way beyond that as a franchise, debuting in Belgian comics in 1952. Since then, the character's popularity mostly sticks and is situated in Europe, more specifically in France and Belgium where the character originated. That said, Marsupilami has taken quite a storm as a multimedia franchise, appearing in cartoons, movies, and yes, video games.

The latter I'm most familiar with, having played Marsupilami: Hoobadventure several years ago--a surprisingly enjoyable, highly competent and capable Donkey Kong Country-like platformer. Now, Ocellus Studio brings out a sequel: Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia, with a meatier adventure, three playable characters, and local co-op. 

Right from the get-go before the gameplay even occurs, Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia doesn't hide its Donkey Kong Country inspirations and influences all that well. Whether that's intentional or not is up in the air. Nevertheless, even its simple story is reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country Returns, where a strange and mystic melody begins playing within the jungles of Palombia, the home to our Marsupilami heroes Twister, Hope, and Punch. This melody puts all of the local wildlife into what essentially boils down to a trance making them all dance, which causes nothing but havoc all around the nearby islands. To put a stop to the melody and the one who started it, the Mummy Queen--villain of the first game--our trio of long-tailed protagonists have platforming adventures through four unique worlds ahead of them.

From there, the first level of the game, Palombia Skies, introduces players to the action. As I moved through the utterly gorgeous sunset-soaked skies of the jungle background and hear the boisterous flute main melody and tribal beats backing it, I was pretty impressed. The tutorial is limited to this level, showing button prompts for everything from jumping, rolling, ground pounding, wall jumping and climbing, grabbing and swinging, as well as a new mechanic debuting in Marsupilami 2, that of the different playable characters.

Our heroes' lengthy tails can grab onto latches, hooks, and swings, as well as smack down foes.

In the original Marsupilami from Ocellus Studio, Twister was the main playable character, and even in this sequel, he's learned some new tricks. More on those shortly. With a press of the top face button, you switch between characters on the fly, one of two different protagonists. Each level automatically chooses the two characters you play as, while the third is temporarily left out. This is because all levels are designed for specific members of the Marsupilami crew. Plus, I imagine it'd be mighty confusing to have to cycle between three different characters on the fly, or at least quite a bit clunky.

Regardless, each Marsupilami has their own special abilities. Twister, our yellow-furred friend from the first game has those previously mentioned new tricks. He can dive forward and twist in the air, gaining some invincibility frames in the process to pass through enemies, and can also spin his tail after to slowly descend to the ground and hover across chasms. 

Hope springs eternal. She also springs into action in this Rail Graveyard level!

Meanwhile, Hope has no power of flight (or hovering, as it were), but can instead double jump. She can spin in the air to slowly make her descent, as well as spin off the heads of the Zinger-like bat enemies in the game, that would otherwise harm her and any other of our heroes. Last but not least is the decidedly unwieldy Punch, who can wrap himself into a big ball and bounce about. Spikes and thorns are no danger when in this form. Controlling this bouncy ball of Marsupilami isn't the greatest aspect of the game, as there is quite the learning curve.

At any rate, with two Marsupilami able to be cycled between with the press of a button, it opens up the level design quite a bit. There is more complex design to be discovered in this sequel to Hoobadventure, and to be fair, Salsa Palombia's predecessor wasn't exactly weak in its levels. But here, in this sequel, there are a lot of fun ideas, challenging platforming here and there, and plenty of well-hidden secrets, too. One level you'll be avoiding the snapping jaws of carnivorous plants within the jungle, while another you'll be evading and sometimes even using traffic to your advantage to reach hard-to-reach areas in a beautiful city setting. 

Whatever level you find yourself in, you're due for a rather breezy challenge to start, but by the endgame, the platforming gets a little taxing. It's never so much that it seems like a giant difficulty jump either. Salsa Palombia does a great job in easing the player into its platforming challenges. 

And sure, running, rolling, and jumping through levels is simple enough. If you're going straight from start to finish, the levels might not trip you up too terribly much. With that said, you're not only cheating yourself out of the myriad secrets and collectibles to nab in levels, but you'll probably hit a roadblock, too. That is because each island's boss in Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia requires at least 40 Musical Notes to unlock. It's similar to Super Mario 3D Land or 3D World in how you needed to collect a certain amount of Star Coins or Green Stars respectively to open up levels, or else you'd be blocked from progressing until you gathered the required amount to continue. That's the case for Salsa Palombia as well.  

An example of one of the many Musical Notes to find and collect for our Marsupilami friends.

There are 13 Musical Notes available in each level of the game. Five of these are located within a given level themselves, two are rewarded from completing Donkey Kong Country-style bonus rooms within hidden portals in the levels, and up to three are earned at the end of a level depending on how much fruit you've collected. 

Now, no doubt if you were counting along, you noticed that all of this doesn't add up to 13--just 10 instead. The other three are earned in a separate mode of Marsupilami 2, which opens up after its corresponding level is beaten. It's also the mode that based off Marsupilami 2's subtitle: Salsa Mode.  

Salsa Mode replaces the time trials that were seen within Marsupilami: Hoobadventure. Though you still need to be pretty fast with your platforming and running through the levels nonetheless. This mode is all about collecting fruit as fast as possible to build energy in a meter. As the meter fills with fruit collected, you eventually gain a fruit multiplier: up to four times the amount of fruit grabbed. However, the multiplier ends if you take damage, if you haven't collect a fruit in a handful of seconds, or otherwise take too long. 

The final three Musical Notes of the level for Salsa Mode are earned by meeting certain fruit total thresholds, much like the normal mode's levels, but here, it's important to not take damage while also being fast. I found I could lose my combo/chain/multiplier/whatever at least once in a level and not fail to meet the point goal I needed to reach to earn all three Musical Notes. That said, one obnoxious flaw is that if you find yourself failing in the middle of a level, you simply can't restart from the pause menu. Instead, you have to back out to the world map, and re-enter the level to try anew. A frustrating oversight.

The presentation and polish are somehow even greater than the original Marsupilami with this Salsa Palombia sequel!

Apart from the standard levels and the extra levels that are unlocked by paying a fee of fruit, each of the four islands in Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia house dojo levels. These are like the bonus room portals of standard levels, but you have to complete three in a row successfully. These throw challenges at you such as collecting all the music notes in a room, smashing all jars, defeating all enemies, or simply surviving for a set amount of time. Needless to say, these dojo challenges can get quite difficult when you have to flawlessly pull off three in a row without taking damage or failing. 

Generally, though, Marsupilami 2 is a rather breezy game. The life system of the original Hoobadventure is gone, so you have the ability to plummet to your doom as much as you'd like. Checkpoints are generous as well, so you're seldom ever having to redo large portions of levels. Even the last level that unlocks upon beating the final boss is gracious enough to include checkpoints. 

Speaking of bosses, this is where Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia might turn off some players. They're not bad boss battles by any stretch of the imagination--you dodge attacks until you can lay waste to the boss's boombox. The fact of the matter is that the difficulty jump here is noticeable. While I didn't struggle facing the game's bosses myself, I can see that younger or more inexperienced platforming fans might find these fights frustrating. Fortunately, you can change the difficulty of the game, bestowing players with more hearts aka hits they can work with, if push comes to shove.

A boss battle awaits, and the challenge dial gets turned up a few levels!

Marsupilami 2 isn't too lengthy of an adventure. It's certainly longer than Hoobadventure's base game before that title saw a free expansion in the form of a dinosaur-themed world. That said, in order to 100% the game, it took me about eight hours. For me, that was a perfect length.

One aspect of Marsupilami 2 I briefly mentioned but didn't go into detail yet about was the local co-operative play. You and a friend, or family member, can indeed play the entire game together. Each player is assigned a character from a given level's game-selected pair, and before starting the level, you can swap the two characters between players. Thus, if you have Twister and your co-op partner would rather play as them rather than Hope, you can swap and switch characters before the level begins. 

The top face button doesn't change characters in co-op, instead it puts your current character into a New Super Mario Bros. Wii-like bubble--or in this case, an egg. This is good for those platforming sections of levels that admittedly don't work well and/or don't seem to be designed with co-op play in mind. 

This particular level is essentially all about sliding along these icy rails. Hooba!!!

In co-op, part of the Salsa Palombia experience is easier, while others parts are decidedly more difficult. For example, bonus rooms aren't failed when one player gets hit. Both players must take damage for the challenge to be failed. Conversely, in Salsa Mode, if one player takes damage or if one player is much slower than the other and is forced to "bubble" or enter an egg when they go off screen, the fruit multiplier immediately ends. On the matter of entering an egg, this actually can be abused. If you're about to lose all of your health, you can manually enter into egg form, pop out of it, and have a full set of hearts. Plus, if one player perishes in a level, they return immediately in an egg. Thus, all in all, the positives, I say, definitely outweigh the negatives, and co-op is an enjoyable addition to Ocellus Studio's Marsupilami series. 

Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia is every thing a sequel should be: It improves upon pretty much all aspects of the original--gameplay, level design, and presentation--adds more features and content, and is just an overall greater adventure. The three protagonists play uniquely to one another, each have their own special uses, short detours and paths through levels they can access, and all I would consider useful to play as. The local co-op could be better, and Salsa Mode especially desperately needs a quick retry option--but otherwise, Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia certainly got me into a very good groove.

[SPC Says: B+] 

This game was played via the PlayStation 5 version. Marsupilami 2 - Salsa Palombia is also available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.