Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (3DS) Review

Kicking off this week is a new review for a game that launched early this year. It's Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, and between this game and the previous review for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, my fingers are cramping up typing up all of these long titles! As we pour one out for the developer of this game, Alphadream, who has since fallen into bankruptcy, let's check out the SPC review of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey for the Nintendo 3DS.

The ins and outs of the Mario & Luigi series's greatest adventure

2018 was essentially the final year of major support for the Nintendo 3DS, and what's left in 2019 is pretty much slim pickings for 3DS owners as Nintendo and its various third party partners have moved on with a laser-like focus on the new hotness that is the Switch. The biggest games from Nintendo this year for 3DS owners are both retreads of familiar games. While SuperPhillip Central has already covered the first, let's take a look at the second with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

When Bowser devours a mysterious Mushroom that causes him to inhale and digest everything within his reach, including the Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and various Toads, it's up to an unlikely alliance of Mario Brothers and Bowser to work together with Mario and Luigi venturing through the Koopa King's body to help Bowser out in the outside world. This is all the while the nefarious fan-favorite Fawful takes over the Mushroom Kingdom, including both Peach and Bowser's castles respectively.

This is a pretty plump problem for the plumbers to solve!
You can bet they're on top it, though!

Bowser's Inside Story switches off between playing as the duo of Mario and Luigi inside Bowser's body in 2D side-scrolling areas, and then playing as the Koopa King himself in a traditional overworld map. Many times throughout the adventure, you'll switch on the fly between the two to solve puzzles and change the environment inside Bowser's body. For instance, a platform inside a "dungeon" in Bowser's body is deemed too high to reach for Mario and Luigi, so Bowser can go ahead and fill his body with water on the overworld map for Mario and Luigi to reach the previously inaccessible platform. There are also mini-games that play out which gives Bowser the necessary strength or abilities he needs during certain scenarios in the game, but some of these appear too often for my liking and feel like padding for the most part.

What Bowser does on the outside can have effects on his insides, such as in this example.

There are sections of the game where Bowser transforms to humongous size and takes on massive bosses. These parts of the game have you turning the 3DS on its side, portrait-style, and using the touch screen to attack and guard against the enemy's advances. They show up just a handful of times, and tend to last a little overlong, but overall, they're enjoyable slices of gameplay to keep things engaging.

Fi-fie-fo-fum, a gigantic Bowser is here to get him some.

If you've played a Mario & Luigi RPG before, then you should feel right at home with Bowser's Inside Story. You use both plumbers to perform platforming stunts around areas, using the A button for Mario and the B button for Luigi (or having both jump at once with a press of the Y button), and switch between various abilities with the L and R buttons. For example, Luigi can hit Mario on the noggin with a hammer in order to flatten him to a small stature, allowing Mario to fit inside small passageways that the plumbers together couldn't otherwise access. There's also a twister ability that grants both plumbers the ability to spin across wide chasms that a normal jump wouldn't allow them to pass over.

Meanwhile, Bowser also has his own set of overworld abilities that he can use, whether that's setting trees and foliage that obstruct his way on fire with his flame breath, punching down heavy walls, leaping into the air and smashing downward with his shell, or curling up into a spiky ball to climb specially marked walls and cross over hazards.

Battles initiate when the player makes contact with an enemy, and if you wind up attacking a foe on a game map to initiate battle, you start the battle attacking the enemy directly. However, the enemy can also do the same to you.

The same context and timing-based combat system that dates all the way back to Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo is put to good use in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. It's all about pressing the button at the right time to deal the most damage when performing attacks. Pressing the jump button immediately before Mario or Luigi makes contact with a foe means additional damage occurs. Meanwhile, dodging attacks is performed by either jumping or using Mario and Luigi's hammers with proper timing. Bowser's combat is similar, just change "jumps and hammers" to "punches and curling up inside his shell" to dodge or block attacks instead.

Powerful special moves in the form of Bros. Attacks can dish up
some damage quite quickly if your timing is sharp!

Starting off, enemy attacks are rather easy to avoid with simplistic tells as to who and when they are going to attack, but as the game chugs along, you'll discover that enemies can be quite challenging to avoid their attacks, and that said attacks deal some heavy damage if not avoided! I found it rather clever how Alphadream has enemies give away who they're going to attack, such as performing a specific and subtle animation to determine if the enemy is going to aim at Mario or Luigi.

Some Bowser battles require him to vacuum up enemies, literally inhaling them to miniature size inside him for Mario and Luigi to do battle. While you're not simultaneously fighting two fronts at the same time--instead Mario and Luigi take care of the enemies brought inside Bowser's body first, and then the battle outside recommences--it's a cool and creative feature and element that brings some freshness to the Mario & Luigi format.

So, Mario & Luigi's combat system isn't a passive one. You're always actively engaged with battle, whether you want to be or not. I say the latter part because some enemy encounters tend to drag on and not seem to be worth the time or effort for the experience or coin reward given. Thus, if you're just randomly hitting buttons without paying attention, these battles will just last even longer than they would otherwise.

However, if you DO want a passive experience, then Nintendo and Alphadream have cooked up one for this remake of Bowser's Inside Story. Like its remade predecessor, Superstar Saga, also on the 3DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story's 3DS version features a side story featuring Bowser's minions. This time around it's Bowser Jr.'s Journey, centered around Bowser's offspring as he ventures throughout the Mushroom Kingdom searching for Bowser's missing minions. Here, battles play out with minimal input from the player, simply having them select a series of minions to protect Bowser Jr. Then, it's basically watch a parade of enemies battle one another and see if you're successful in fending them off. It's a rock-paper-scissors-like experience, and one that is much too "hands off" for my liking. I ended up dropping it about halfway through, despite enjoying the snappy new dialogue featured in the game.

Unlike what this screenshot says, there's nothing really "Excellent"
 about Bowser Jr.'s Journey, other than the dialogue.

Speaking of which, the humor is on point as ever with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey as a whole. Mario and Luigi may have their names front and center on the title of the series, but yes, it is Bowser who steals the show. Seeing how Bowser tries to throw his weight around--both figuratively and literally--with various characters and the hilarious interactions he has with them seldom failed to give me a smile at the very least, and a hearty chuckle at the very most. Adding to that everyone's favorite Mario & Luigi series character Fawful as the leading villain (he has fury, don't you know), and you have a game that is impossible not to play without laughing. Try it, I dare you.

With regard to the presentation, those who played the remake of Superstar Saga should have an idea of what to expect. You have an updated art style with less expressive characters and animations, as well as a new take on the classic music from the game. Like Superstar Saga, there is no support for stereoscopic 3D, much like many 3DS games released in the system's twilight years. Of course, part of that is due to both screens being used in battles.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey doesn't completely replace the need for the Nintendo DS original Bowser's Inside Story, but also adds enough content and updates to the game that it makes for a nice supplement all the same. Bowser Jr.'s Journey is a disappointment in how "hands off" the experience is, but considering it's an extra mode to a game that would otherwise already be full-featured, it's hard to knock it too much. After all, when you have the excellence that is the 25-30 hour adventure of Bowser's Inside Story, not even Bowser could find too much to complain about... other than some filler and padding in the form of repeated mini-games, of course!

[SPC Says: B+]

Want even more Mario & Luigi? Then, check out these other SuperPhillip Central reviews!

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

One & Done: Games Without Sequels - Part Three

After a year's absence, "One & Done" is back, talking about those games that didn't receive sequels of any kind--whether spiritual or straight-out sequels. There could be multiple reasons for this: a game just didn't sell well, isn't marketable anymore, or the creator/development team simply wanted to move on to something else. We have games from a variety of eras on this edition of "One & Done", so sit back, get comfortable, and prepare yourself for a trip down memory lane.

For a look at SPC's previous two editions of "One & Done", check out part one and part two.

Tearaway (PS4, Vita)

Media Molecule became well known for a plethora of PlayStation fans for its work on the LittleBigPlanet series and have gone on to work on an even more ambitious creative gaming suite with Dreams. However, in between these two projects came a game that didn't receive as much buzz by virtue of being on the PlayStation Vita. That game was Tearaway, a charming 3D platformer that utilized the Vita hardware in glorious and ingenious ways. From using the rear touch screen to raise up platforms from below to utilizing the camera to take a picture, thus using the image to colorize a papercraft creature in need of color, Tearaway remains one of the best games to feature the Vita's various knickknacks and tools. A PlayStation 4 version would release--Tearaway Unfolded--adding new content and retooling the controls to work with the PS4's DualShock. Here's hoping that some day Sony brings back Tearaway in some shape or form.

The Bouncer (PS2)

Squaresoft's first game for the PlayStation 2 was little more than a title to get its proverbial feet wet with development on the system, and while the end result, The Bouncer, was gorgeous game for its time, it left a lot to be desired. The main point of contention critics and players of this 3D brawler was that the game was ridiculously short. In fact, the generous helping of cutscenes fattened the length of the game up tremendously, and without those, you were left with a quick romp for a full priced game. Still, The Bouncer was something of a project that I would have loved to have seen expanded upon, fleshed out more, and made into a fuller experience. This obviously did not happen as Square's attention understandably turned to its Final Fantasy games, its cash cow of sorts. That said, there's always a part of me that wonders what could and would have been had The Bouncer been more than a mere tech demo under the guise of a full game.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)

If one were to give an elevator pitch to Intelligent Systems' Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., it could be given as such: "Historic and storybook figures like Abraham Lincoln and the Lion from the Wizard of Oz take on an alien threat in a game with Valkyria Chronicles-like combat." Of course, if one were to give such a pitch, hopefully the person they were giving the pitch to wasn't drinking a cup of coffee, as they would be sure to spit it out in surprise. It's quite an odd premise, but Intelligent Systems managed to make it work with tactical gameplay, focusing on a steam mechanic that is exhausted as players move and attack enemies. Efficiently managing their steam to an effective degree is all the difference between a mission's success and a total failure. Battles were unpredictable and kept players on their toes with their stiff challenge, making for one "One & Done" game that makes this strategy RPG fan lament that we won't be seeing a sequel any time soon.

Dewy's Adventure (Wii)

We conclude this edition of "One & Done" with a trio of Wii titles beginning with Konami's Dewy's Adventure, a delightful fixed camera 3D platformer with a unique control scheme. In Dewy's Adventure, players held the Wii Remote NES controller-style and tilted it forward, backward, leftward and rightward to move the water droplet protagonist through eight worlds of unique challenges and perils. Dewy himself could take on new forms by being frozen or being exposed to heat to solve puzzles and take down enemies that were otherwise invincible in his normal dewdrop form. Dewy's Adventure entered and exited the gaming sphere like morning dew, only to have what little hype it had evaporate into nothingness as many looked past the game. While Konami's other all-new Wii-centered exclusive, Elebits, managed to find enough success for a sequel--though on the Nintendo DS--Dewy's Adventure, unfortunately, did not.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)

Despite struggling with the motion controls (and sometimes to the point of utter frustration) in this next game on this list, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure brought with it a charming art style, set of characters, and gorgeous, colorful art style that suited the weak Wii hardware quite well. The game itself was a puzzle adventure game where players needed to find and use tools correctly in order to complete each level, and some of these tools required the use of the Wii Remote's motion and gyro control functionality. Most of the time these worked well, but when they didn't--woo boy! Regardless, part of why I'm devoting three spaces on this edition of "One & Done" to Wii games is because I'm nostalgic for that era of experimental gaming--damning to hell the poorly implemented motion controls that plagued the system notwithstanding. It was an era where we saw some really "out there" ideas and games put forth by big publishers--something in this HD era that is mostly left for indies nowadays (though still appreciated).

We Love Golf! (Wii)

Speaking of Capcom and loosely tied with Zack & Wiki is We Love Golf! Nintendo didn't develop a Mario Golf game for the Wii/DS generation, so instead, its usual golf game partner Camelot turned to Capcom to create We Love Golf! While the assortment of golfers were vanilla and generic as all get out, one could unlock Capcom-inspired costumes from such series like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Phoenix Wright, and yes, Zack & Wiki. The actual golfing was inspired, and while players didn't swing the Wii Remote like an actual club, a swing motion was required to drive, putt, and otherwise hit the ball through the game's eight 18-hole courses and three unique par 3 courses. I spent so much time with We Love Golf!, and it's a shame that the series didn't continue, though sales show the obvious reason why it didn't. At least we'll always have Mario Golf to look forward to with Camelot and Nintendo.

Even the Big "N" Has Some Big Duds: The Worst Games from Nintendo

Even the greatest of titans in the gaming industry let loose the occasional stinkers. Perhaps there was a more elegant way of putting that, but at any rate, for the next few weeks, SuperPhillip Central is eyeing the big three first parties of gaming and taking a look at their (very much subjectively speaking) "worst" games.

We begin on this Sunday evening by examining a handful of the blemishes on Nintendo's record, whether it be as a developer, co-developer, or publisher. For the longest-running player in the industry that still makes consoles and games, you can bet we'll be revisiting Nintendo someday. However, for now, let's take a glimpse at some less than favorably viewed games from the Big "N" and its partners.

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U)

Nintendo was in a very bad way with the Wii U. Not only did the system fail to capitalize on its predecessor's massive success, but most of Nintendo's developers realized something that most developers had realized many years prior: HD development is tough! The sluggish, drought-heavy release schedule that the Wii U saw brought back memories of the Nintendo 64, but it was somehow even worse than those days! The holiday season of 2015 was a time of heavy thirst for Wii U owners, and in Nintendo's desperate struggle to have a decent series of releases for the Nintendo faithful, it served this dud as well as the next game on this list to Wii U owners.

Amiibo (technically, amiibo in all lowercase for proper brand marketing) was extremely popular for Nintendo with its launch of these figures that were made of various Nintendo-related characters. For some, the ability to have data on a figure be read by the Wii U, 3DS, and now Switch, made for some clever unlocks and implementations. For others, amiibo is merely a form of physical DLC that locks content behind figures.

Nowhere did the usage of amiibo leave more of a bad taste in people's mouths than with Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, which takes the wholesome and highly adorable world of Animal Crossing and turns it into a board game. Incidentally, you could spell the "board" in "board game" B-O-R-E-D, because that's what Amiibo Festival was--an incredibly boring game meant to squeeze more money out of consumers to purchase amiibo figures. The level of interactivity in Amiibo Festival was the complete opposite of something like Mario Party. There's plenty of sitting around, waiting for something interesting to happen. Perhaps the most interesting part of Amiibo Festival is that it is a great cure for insomnia.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)

For a while now, the duo of Nintendo and Camelot has struggled to create a stirring and riveting Mario Tennis together. Mario Tennis Open was an enjoyable romp, but its use of Chance Shots (which many argued made matches play out more like games of Simon Says) annoyed a good portion of players. The first HD entry in the Mario Tennis series excited lots of potential players... until information began trickling out about the depth (or lack thereof) regarding the game.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash has the mechanics of an excellent tennis game. The oft-criticized Chance Shots were placed in an optional mode, replaced with the standard tennis that fans of the Mario Tennis franchise came to love throughout the years. So, while the gameplay was almost better than ever, what stopped Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash from being a--pardon me for this lazy pun--smashing success?

Quite simply, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash had the content of a $15-$20 game but was a full priced $60 entry in the franchise. The amount of modes was lackluster at best (and even that is being charitable), and the most prominent example of the lack of content in Ultra Smash was that there was but one stadium total in the game. Every tennis match took place here, and the only changeable option was the court type. A desperate Nintendo is not necessarily a great one, as evidenced by many of the Wii U games on this list.

Mario Party Advance (GBA)

Back in 2005, the Game Boy Advance was a successful portable for Nintendo, bringing with it Super Nintendo-esque visuals (and enough SNES ports to make it a second coming of Nintendo's 16-bit system at the very least). However, aside from the copious amounts of Super Nintendo classics making a repeat appearance but this time in portable form, Nintendo also brought with it new franchises and fresh takes on familiar franchises. Mario Party was one of those.

However, Mario Party Advance was far from the best transposition of Mario Party to a portable. It wouldn't be until the Nintendo DS's Mario Party DS that the familiar formula would be implemented well. Still, with Mario Party Advance, Nintendo and developer Hudson attempted to provide a Mario Party for the solitary player with its single-player campaign. Unfortunately, a party for one is as much fun as it sounds, as Mario Party Advance featured a bland story mode, showcased by one board, NPCs that loved to chit and chat endlessly, non-inventive mini-games, and quick tedium setting in. While points are given for originality, as we've seen with Mario Party 9 and 10, originality only goes so far if the actual Mario Party game isn't really entertaining.

Hey You, Pikachu! (N64)

As we've seen, not even Mario is immune to having some stinkers in his catalog of games. While we move on from the portly plumber, we look towards another behemoth gaming and multimedia franchise--Pokemon! With such a sprawling series of diverse characters and creatures, it's no wonder why The Pokemon Company decided to stretch out from the traditional Pokemon RPGs and try out other genres. Some have been great successes, but as we'll see with these next three entries on this list: plenty are just plain Poke-bombs.

Hey You, Pikachu! was one of the first home console Pokemon spin-offs. While Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap successfully spun off the franchise in stellar directions, Hey You, Pikachu! decidedly did not. While the concept of earning Pikachu's trust, playing with the series mascot, and giving voice commands seemed clever at first, Hey You, Pikachu! isn't the deepest game. Most players found themselves getting bored with the shallowness of the game, including a middle school me.

Pokemon Dash (DS)

Racing games are generally one of the first genres that mascot-driven game franchises spin off towards, so it was a long time coming for Pokemon to get its need for speed. Unfortunately, Pokemon Dash gave less the need for speed and more the need for pain medication for the throbbing hand cramps and eventual arthritis you'd get from playing the game.

An atypical racing game, Pokemon Dash required players to vigorously swipe the DS stylus across the touch screen to speed your Pokemon up as they crossed different relay points on the open race course. Yes, you'd get those aforementioned hand cramps, but you'd also have insult added to injury by seeing that Nintendo DS touch screen of yours scratched to heck and back from merely playing Pokemon Dash as instructed!

Pokemon Rumble U (Wii U)

One last Pokemon entry to skewer over an open flame! Before amiibo, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company put out GameStop-exclusive NFC (near-field communication) figures based off of Pokemon. These were very rudimentary in their designs, and meant to look just like the basic toy models seen in the Pokemon Rumble franchise. While I enjoyed the WiiWare dungeon-crawling and button-mashing real-time battles of Pokemon Rumble, the Wii U entry basically simplified a game that was already simple enough.

The succinctly named Pokemon Rumble U took out the simplistic dungeon-crawling and just had arena-based battles, where your toy Pokemon of choice took on a parade of Pokemon. That was about the extent of the game's depth. The insult to injury was essentially being required to spend money on these physical pre-amiibo prototypes to enjoy--and enjoying the game wasn't a certainty due to how basic the gameplay was--seeing your toy "come to life" in the game. Pokemon Rumble U failed to entice many players, and for the rather crooked money system it incorporated, that's a good thing.

Steel Diver (3DS)

Steel Diver?! More like... Sleep Diver! Ha! ...Okay, I'll stick to analyzing and talking about games and not so much worrying about a stand-up comic career. At any rate, Steel Diver was a brand-new franchise from Nintendo that brought with it slow-paced submarine gameplay where players used the touch screen to spin a knob to guide their piloted submarine around 2D levels. The sluggish pace of Steel Diver combined with the need for precision with not-so-precise controls made for a frustrating at some times, and just plain yawn-inducing other times, experience.

Steel Diver would release in North America as part of Nintendo's anemic launch lineup for the Nintendo 3DS, and the game would reach bargain bins relatively quickly--and that's something first-party Nintendo titles seldom do in the first place--reach bargain bins in the first place. Fortunately, the Steel Diver franchise would get a chance at redemption with the much more enjoyable first-person perspective online multiplayer combat game, Steel Diver: Sub Wars, also for the Nintendo 3DS.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir (3DS)

Nintendo is a game company that enjoys trying out new ideas and innovating. Some of these ideas work out well and advance the medium, or at least make for a great deal of fun. Other times, the ideas come off as ones that had the best of intentions, but not quite the tech or the execution to back them up. Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir is one of these games, co-developed by Koei Tecmo.

Using the augmented reality feature of the Nintendo 3DS seemed like a cool enough idea, using it to point the camera at a "book" that came packaged with the game to reveal ghosts to battle in real time. However, this was definitely an instance where that aforementioned notion that the tech and execution weren't quite there rears its ugly head. The Nintendo 3DS's camera was one of low quality, and even in the best of lighting conditions, the experience of tracking down and battling AR ghosts made for a severely frustrating experience with constant interruptions and the loss of tracking. Even as someone who got Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir for free, the time I invested into this failed experiment of a game will never be refunded to me.

Devil's Third (Wii U)

It's always a good sign (see: it's never a good sign) for a game to be in development hell for years before finding a publisher, and then that publisher essentially releasing the game out of obligation with no fanfare whatsoever. At least instead, Nintendo of America pretty much buried the release of Devil's Third by sending out no review copies and shipping out an extremely (heavy emphasis on that word) limited amount of physical copies to store shelves.

Technical issues were abundant in the final Wii U version, as was the amount of absolutely clumsy and clunky gameplay. From a game directed by the creator of Dead or Alive and the man who brought Ninja Gaiden back from the grave, Tomonobu Itagaki, Devil's Third is a story of abject failure in every sense of the word. It's a game that was better off not existing, at least not with the help of Nintendo, and serves as blight on the big N's publishing record.

Urban Champion (NES)

We're going back in time with a blast from the past. Urban Champion is an atypical fighting game where two players duke it out with the goal of hitting the other into a sewer manhole. Really, the only fascinating things about Urban Champion are: 1) Its historic value as Nintendo's first one-on-one competitive fighting game, and 2) How many times Nintendo has found value in re-releasing it, despite how poor and shallow it is. Games on the NES aren't exactly the deepest games around, especially in the genre of fighting games, so when you consider that Urban Champion is considered too shallow for even the NES, then you can get an idea of just how poor the game truly is. There are plenty of NES classics from Nintendo's illustrious history to look back fondly on; Urban Champion is not one of those.

Review Round-Up - March 2019

It was a month of good feels with--fittingly enough--Good Feel's Yoshi's Crafted World,
SuperPhillip Central's featured game of the month.

SuperPhillip Central was feeling good for the month of March with eight reviews posted on the site in that time span. Not just feeling good because of the warmer temperatures and arrival of spring, but also because developer Good Feel saw two of its titles featured this past month. Let's explore those games and the other titles reviewed last month with the Review Round-Up for March 2019!

We started out with an edge, though, with Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (C+) and Hell Warders (C). But then, we turned to more colorful romps with Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, a game that astonished and amazed with its quality (and a game I would have given an SPC Best of 2018 nod if I had played it earlier than this past month). The game received an A-. We continued to get colorful with Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, Good Feel's first of two featured games this month. It knitted its way to a B.

Two other games received the same B grade, and those were Assault Android Cactus+ and Trials Rising. We then returned to some platforming action of the more typical type (rather than riding on and trying to stay on bikes) with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (B+) and SPC's featured game of the month, Yoshi's Crafted World. The latter was the other game of Good Feel spotlighted last month.

Check out every review ever posted on SuperPhillip Central with the SPC Review Archive!

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes (NSW) - C+
Hell Warders (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) - C
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) - A-
Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn (3DS) - B
Assault Android Cactus+ (NSW) - B
Trials Rising (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) - B
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC, Wii U, Vita) - B+
Yoshi's Crafted World (NSW) - A-

Kirby also gave SPC some warm, happy feelings as well with an updated and upgraded
version of his first Wii romp in the form of Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn.

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn (3DS) Review

SuperPhillip Central's next review takes us back to one of Kirby's past adventures, but this time it's on the Nintendo 3DS as one of the system's final major releases. It's Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, and SuperPhillip Central has an in-depth review for you.

A game so fun that you'll end up in stitches

2010 saw the release of the original Kirby's Epic Yarn, a game that weaved its charm through each and every one of its threads. While the game was an excellent one, there was a single issue that many more experienced players took issue with--you simply couldn't die. Instead, when Kirby took damage or fell into a bottomless pit, he'd lose beads that would serve as currency for the game--as well as act as the means to earn medals depending on how many beads were collected in a particular level.

It's nine years later and the big home console version of Kirby's Epic Yarn has shrunk down to the small screen--the Nintendo 3DS's small screen, to be exact--with Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn. Taking to heart the complaints that many had with the game's difficulty, a brand-new Devilish Mode has been added. In this optional mode, Kirby is routinely pursued by a flying devil creature who, depending on the level, attempts to attack Kirby in several ways. Whether it's with a thrust of its tail, dropping spiked balls from the air, or drilling across the screen, the devil wishes to take out our pink protagonist. While this pesky creature can be defeated, it's only temporary before it returns to cause more havoc in Kirby's adventure.

"Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

In Devilish Mode, Kirby gets five shards of health. For every time the devil successfully damages Kirby, or if Kirby takes damage from standard enemies, hazards, or pits, he loses a shard. Lose all five shards, and you fail the level. Most players will find that finishing a level with at least one shard is still a cakewalk, but proficient players and completionists in general will want to try to hold on to full health when they reach the goal. 

You see, for every five shards of health you collect of the 250 total across the game's levels, you earn a piece of exclusive furniture for Kirby's Pad--a room where you can place furniture and customize its overall appearance. It further goes to getting 100% completion on your save file, which for some will probably be the stronger incentive. 

Be it Waddle Dees or fire-breathing dragons, no foe will put an end to Kirby's appetite for adventure.

Devilish Mode isn't the only new addition to the 3DS version of Kirby's Epic Yarn, as new copy-like abilities have been added. These power-ups found in levels give Kirby various abilities such as a sword to slice through enemies like a pair of scissors through cloth, the power to throw explosive bombs, and the power to roll up balls of yarns out of thin air. 

The inclusion of abilities such as this ball-conjuring one make for an easier go of things.

Ironically, in having these new abilities, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn is somewhat easier than its Wii counterpart, which is the total opposite of what the developers probably intended. The reason for this is that many of the puzzles within the game can simply be solved through sheer brute force rather than through smart planning and thinking. This is exemplified most apparently in the abundance of solid orange blocks that Kirby comes across in his journey. Generally, these are destroyed by grabbing an enemy with Kirby's lasso and throwing the foe into the block or through environmental means. With the newfound abilities added to this 3DS version of Kirby's Epic Yarn, these become mindless as you can simply break the blocks with them with no puzzle solving skills whatsoever.

Finally, two side games have been included as new additions to Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, one starring Meta Knight and the other starring King Dedede. Meta Knight's is an auto-scrolling flight-based action game where the goal is to defeat as many enemies as possible while collecting beads and avoiding attacks. King Dedede's mode is essentially a runner-type game with a similar goal of collecting beads while evading hazards. Both consist of four levels each, and while that's on the short side, these encourage multiple runs to achieve that elusive "S" rank for each and every level. Of the two, I had more fun with King Dedede Gogogo, as the levels there didn't outwear their welcome unlike Meta Knight's levels.

Just as the band Rush sang, "Fly by knight."

Kirby's Epic Yarn is as charming and delightful as ever with its transition from the big screen to the small screen. The yarn and fabric aesthetic goes a long way in both presentation and in gameplay as well. For instance, when Kirby dashes, the yarn making up his body unravels into a car, and when he floats slowly down to the ground upon a jump, his body turns into a parachute. That isn't even speaking of the adorable objects Kirby can transform into, such as a tank, a train, a U.F.O., and even a shoot-em-up-like spaceship. 

Turning into a car when Kirby runs? That's like this level--sweet!

Levels are lovingly crafted and show off developer Good Feel's creative designs. The aesthetic on display here shows up in the level and boss design as well, whether Kirby's pulling a shower curtain open to reveal a hidden item or unraveling a boss's head to reveal its weak point. Collectibles in the form of treasures and beads are smartly placed, some being deviously located, either in the challenge of finding them or reaching them. 

Kirby might not have a license for this tank, but he does have a license for fun,
which Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn delivers in spades.

Now, it's hard to say if Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn is the definitive edition of the game or if the Wii original is still at the top of the bead-filled mountain. It really depends on what you value more--do you like a higher resolution and co-op play? Then, go for the Wii original. Do you prefer more content and a challenging new Devilish Mode (while making note that the base adventure is easier than ever)? Then, check out this 3DS port. As someone who adores portable play and loves the majority of new features added to this 3DS version, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn gives enough extra to not make for a threadbare minimum port.

[SPC Says: B]

Hey! Pikmin (3DS) Review

SuperPhillip Central heads towards the end of June with a cavalcade of new reviews! This next one is from a Nintendo 3DS game that released last fall. It's Hey! Pikmin, and hey! It's time for SuperPhillip Central's review!

Little Pikmin, Big Adventure

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most celebrated creators in the video game industry, and it's for good reason--he continually makes amazing games out of simple concepts that most often than not turn into long, thriving franchises. One such franchise is Pikmin, which debuted in 2001 on the Nintendo GameCube, thanks to Miyamoto's own interest in gardening. Since then, three main installments have been released on home consoles, and a fourth game, a bit of a spin-off, is on the Nintendo 3DS as of last fall, Hey! Pikmin. With a developer in Arzest that doesn't have the best reputation with many Nintendo fans, can Hey! Pikmin break new ground, grow, and prosper? Well, in a word, yes!

Hey! Pikmin once again sees Captain Olimar's ship, the Dolphin, crash landing on a planet that is mysteriously reminiscent of a certain planet we all live on. (Hint, hint.) With the help of his longtime friends, the Pikmin, Olimar must journey through dangerous plains, caves, mountains, and more to uncover a whole assortment of objects from the wild. These objects are then converted into energy for the Dolphin, in order for it to repair itself and leave the planet with Olimar in one piece. While the way the game sets itself up will be familiar to any Pikmin series player, instead of exploring a three-dimensional environment like in the console titles, Hey! Pikmin plays out completely in 2D through side-scrolling, relatively linear levels.

The game uses both of the Nintendo 3DS's screens to display each level. You utilize the Circle Pad (or face buttons for left-handed players) to move Olimar around, and use the stylus to toss Pikmin. Where you tap on the screen determines the place a given Pikmin is thrown. Pikmin can be chucked at various enemies, objects, and obstacles in order to proceed through levels, and this feels very nice and natural. The precision granted by the stylus/touch controls is great for picking off even the smallest of enemies with little margin of error. Of course, enemies don't just stand still, waiting to have Pikmin manhandle them. Timing is key to tap the screen at the right time and the right spot to successfully throw Pikmin at moving targets, or else they might be over or under-thrown, perhaps resulting in some grisly Pikmin deaths.

The enemies of Hey! Pikmin feature some well known buggers for fans of the franchise, but there are also plenty of new, exclusive creatures to contend with. Starting out, enemies are easy to dispatch and take care of, but as you progress through the game, they become more dangerous, offering greater offense and resistance. From oval-shaped birds that aim at your Pikmin pals to an overgrown bug that marches back and forth, intent on devouring any and all potential meals that are foolish enough to stick around in front of it, Hey! Pikmin's world definitely isn't too friendly to Olimar and his squad of helpers.

Thankfully, Captain Olimar and the Pikmin are more than capable of fending off any foe or challenge that rests on this perilous planet. Olimar himself has a helpful jet pack that he can use to hover for short distances. This acts as an admittedly clunky way of adding platforming to the game, but the mostly slow and relaxed pace of Hey! Pikmin makes it so the clunky jet pack doesn't ruin the experience.

Like the main Pikmin games, each variety of Pikmin has their own usefulness and abilities. For instance, Red Pikmin are the most common and can walk through fire and flames without being incinerated. Meanwhile, Yellow Pikmin are the lightest of the bunch, able to both be thrown higher than other Pikmin types, and can also defy the dangers of electricity. Blue Pikmin won't drown in water like other Pikmin, swimming and moving freely in the water. Then, there are the strong, crystal-crushing Rock Pikmin and the flying Winged Pikmin to help out as well. Each type is gradually introduced throughout the adventure, and the game teaches the abilities of the varieties of Pikmin in a steady manner as well through showing rather than telling. This is done through cute, animated scenes when Olimar comes across a batch of Pikmin in levels. Not only entertaining and adding personality to Hey! Pikmin, but also a great tutorial as well. Fortunately, not all of the Pikmin's abilities are revealed through these scenes. Some things you stumble upon yourself--particular uses of the Pikmin--and these moments really shine brightly in the game.

Hey! Pikmin isn't too difficult of a game in general, especially if your goal is to just go from the start of levels to their end. However, if you're exploring levels for objects to collect, there's more of a challenge to be found. This challenge is even greater if you want to collect all 20 Pikmin in a level without having any of them perish. Some levels are quite tricky to accomplish this task, and it can get very annoying proceeding through a level only to have a Pikmin get gobbled up or otherwise die at the final enemy or obstacle before the goal. The reward for completing all levels in the game this way is minimal at best, but it's an extra way to challenge yourself and add even more replay value to this 9+ hour game. If that doesn't do it for you, then each level's hidden areas and secret exits leading to unlockable levels can extend the fun of Hey! Pikmin, as well.

Hey! Pikmin's eight major sectors of 5-6 levels each (including a generally pleasing and interesting boss battle at the end of each sector) feature some smart level and puzzle design. Yes, I just said "smart level and puzzle design" when it comes to a game developed by Arzest. Hell hath frozen over. Regardless, levels where you explore a flooded cave that requires emptying its water for your Pikmin to be able to pass through, descend downward through a cavern where your Winged Pikmin carry you as you control your descent, avoiding enemies and hazards on your way down, and speed down a snowy series of slopes on top of a bottle cap as you fling Pikmin at enemies and deadly rolling snowballs alike, all offer excitement and nice variety.

Many of the passages, pathways, and areas leading to treasure have some nicely designed puzzle sequence to solve as well. One had me throwing Pikmin onto a sardine can in order to weigh it down and lift up the platform Olimar was standing on. Then, I could move Olimar over to where the treasure was located after figuring out how to raise up a second sardine can by correctly positioning his Pikmin squad in place. Many times I would be playing Hey! Pikmin and get a revelation as to how to interact with an obstacle in the game, or even realize that I could use this Pikmin in this particular way.

Another reason that avoiding treasure (which amounts to just ordinary everyday objects to people like us) is a negative is that you'll miss out on reading all of the incredibly clever descriptions of objects that Captain Olimar stumbles upon and makes note of in his journal. For example, a combination lock for a locker is described by Olimar as an ominous vault of sorts, complete with foreboding countdown. These entries of both objects and enemies are fun reads, and they add even more welcomed personality to Hey! Pikmin.

What isn't so welcomed is Pikmin Park, which seems like a throwaway mode in the main story of the game. Here, you send Pikmin off to various locations in the park to dig up Sparkium, the energy Olimar's rocket requires to escape the planet. However, the process is so slow and the rewards are so small in comparison to simply going through levels and collecting treasure, that it really feels somewhat worthless in the grand scheme of things.

Eschewing the more photo-realistic take on the visuals as seen in the home console, mainline entries of Pikmin, this 3DS spin-off has a more watercolor look, sort of similar to Yoshi's New Island. However, here it's more impressive with more appealing colors and lighting. With the use of both screens as the playing area, the stereoscopic 3D isn't available in Hey! Pikmin. Furthermore, even when the action isn't intense, some frame-rate issues occur. This is nothing that spoils the game by any means, but it's important to mention. Meanwhile, the sound side of Hey! Pikmin sports a soundtrack that is probably my favorite out of all the Pikmin games, I found myself humming and bobbing my head a lot to the music in the game, and the familiar sound effects of the Pikmin hustling and bustling brought a smile to my face.

In a time where the Nintendo 3DS is winding down, Hey! Pikmin stands as a successful experiment for the Pikmin formula. Controlling Captain Olimar with the 3DS's Circle Pad while commanding his Pikmin with the stylus and touch screen is absolutely stellar. Hey! Pikmin is a terrific conversion of the series's gameplay from 3D to 2D, offering an entry that keeps the franchise feeling fresh. It might not be the Pikmin 4 that many of us have been waiting for, but Hey! Pikmin succeeds at being a great addition to Shigeru Miyamoto's anything-but-garden-variety brain child.

[SPC Says: B]