Lovish (Multi) Review

Lovish is a game that releases tomorrow on all major current platforms, including Steam, which this review is based off (specifically the Steam Deck version, which while Lovish was not Steam Deck-verified at the time of this release, the game ran and worked well on default settings). Here's the SPC review of Lovish!

A game you might just love to 8-bits.

Fresh off the heels of indie delights Astalon: Tears of the Earth and Castle in the Darkness, developer and designer Matt Kap and the team at Labs return for a new, prospective darling in the indie scene: Lovish. Immediately, the 8-bit art style invoked such warm nostalgia for me, but beyond that, it's a game that manages to blend old and modern sensibilities while also not being above making light of itself and poking fun at the industry, too. 

Lovish sees a warrior knight named Solomon and his companions embarking to the Devil Lord's castle. Their mission? Free Princess Tsuna from the clutches of the heinous fiend! However, Solomon leaves his friends behind after wanting Princess Tsuna to fall in love with him--and not any of his companions--for rescuing her. Needless to say, Solomon isn't exactly the purest, most selfless hero around. 

What follows are more than 50 unique bite-sized levels for Solomon to scramble through. Each of these levels takes place in a single screen-sized room. While the objective of each level stays the same--reach the goal door--the means and methods of doing so varies per level. Sometimes it's as simple as slashing the door open with Solomon's sword after braving the hazards inside, while other times Solomon is tasked with collecting a key or several keys, or activating buttons to open the door. 

Some levels just require Solomon to reach the exit door and slash it open to leave the level.

Solomon is not the most versatile character at the start of the game. He has a simple jump and can strike foes with his sword. However, this is more than enough to tackle the challenges that await him. That said, upon journeying through the Devil Lord's castle, Solomon can stumble, scavenge, and simply also purchase items in one of two shops in Lovish with his collected pennies that are beneficial to his quest for the princess's heart. These range from a cape that grants Solomon the ability to dash both on the ground and in midair. This can be chained to utilize multiple times, as when Solomon midair dashes into a wall, that recharges the ability to be used immediately again. 

Others can require the need to acquire a key (or several) before having access to a level's exit.

Other items include rings that allow Solomon to strike his sword upward and then downward respectively, utilizing a DuckTales Uncle Scrooge-like Pogo jump on enemies to reach higher places or to simply attack from above, as well. Solomon also only gets one hit before dying. There is, however, an item that allows a second hit before his demise arrives. 

Death in Lovish comes often--or at least it did for me--either from fireballs from wall-mounted turrets, colliding into enemies, touching spikes (which honestly felt as if the hitboxes of these were a tad bit unforgiving), or otherwise discovering death in myriad other ways. Fortunately, Solomon's deaths are more inconveniences than anything else. There is a "live" system, in the loosest sense of the term. Solomon has a set amount of HP starting in the low 200s. Every death he encounters knocks off 1 HP, as well as giving him a choice of starting the current level over again or returning to the world map. I never got to a point where I was dangerously low in HP, so I wasn't met with anything in the way of a game over screen. Rest assured, though, the game does not end upon losing all of Solomon's HP. At least that's what I trusted from a scroll I encountered in one of the game's hundred or so events that happen after each completed level.

Yes, a random (and might I say, an immensely charming in aesthetic and presentation) event of some kind occurs as an intermission of sort in between completed levels. These can have positive effects (healing some hearts/HP of Solomon, netting him some pennies for his troubles, unexpectedly earning items), negative effects (losing HP), or just act as comedic relief. Sometimes these events engage a little mini-game, such as needing the player to rapidly tap the jump button to avoid a pursuing boulder, or else lose HP. Other times Solomon gets a choice of two things. One of the funnier instances of this was stumbling upon a well. I could opt to have Solomon retreat from it, or he could yell "YOLO" and leap down it, either finding himself in a room full of pennies to collect or a spiky fate that would earn him some decreased HP. 

Events range from passive to interactive, but they're all full of charm and whimsy.

There are even random, incredibly simplified, old-school RPG battles to do in these events sometimes. It's as easy as hitting the attack or magic command a few times to defeat your opponents, ranging from literal jerks to "AI-created art" enemies (not ACTUALLY made by AI, though, so no worries there) in these turn-based skirmishes (each attack against Solomon does lose him one HP per offensive onslaught by foes). 

Really, Lovish spoofs and satirizes a lot of games and gaming industry elements in its events and levels, too. One event features a character called the Game Publisher, who randomly utters a line that would have plenty of gamers wincing, like needing to add NFTs to Lovish, before Solomon punts him away. And without spoiling later surprises, there are odes to a hefty number of franchises in gaming, from a completely playable take on Vampire Survivors to Game Boy-styled item that allows the playing of a spoof of a "legendary" Nintendo franchise. There's more to Lovish than the basic premise of running, jumping, and slashing through the game's previously mentioned levels.

Though you can't skip repeated events until you've beaten the game once, unfortunately.

There's even more to do within the levels themselves. Each level eventually has three crowns to optionally earn. One is hidden in each level, sometimes revealed through slashing a suspicious block, spawning after defeating enemies, or appearing once other conditions are met. The other two crowns can't be earned immediately at the start of the game--instead once one of two rings are found, Solomon and players alike can earn them from pacifist runs through levels as well as fast time trial-like runs through levels. There are also fabled collectibles that are secured within portals in one of seven levels. These portals take Solomon to super-difficult platforming challenge rooms, which completion upon them reward him said collectible. These are required for the post-game content of Lovish. 

Behold--a crown! But, getting to it AND escaping with Solomon's life is a challenge unto itself!

At a rate of every ten levels, Solomon must contend with a boss battle. These are relatively simple encounters, which is appreciated considering Solomon is one-hit KO'd by default at the start of the game, but like most aspects of Lovish, they're mechanically well done. Usually they involve Solomon hacking away at the boss while avoiding its attacks and other offensive maneuvers in an arena. Really, the only encounter that was incredibly difficult by comparison to the relatively short battles that preceded it was understandably the final boss--a two-phased fight. 

Bird is the word, or at least the boss, this time around.

Lovish does have plenty of content to return to, long after the initial run-through of levels and battled bosses. There are characters to fill up Solomon's social media feed, completing Solomon's inventory of items, the aforementioned crowns to collect (over 250), the collectibles in the portals, post-game levels that were an absolute treat due to their references, and lots more. All in all, it took me about nine hours to reach the true epilogue of the game with every crown earned. That said, I'm still lacking two achievements from my playthrough, but these will come with some extra time and effort.

Plenty of bite-sized levels means plenty of curse words to ultimately utter upon failed runs.
...Or was that just me?

That said, it wasn't always smooth sailing... or I guess in this instance, smooth platforming to be found in Lovish. Solomon has a big head, apparently, and jumps that require him to leap up in a one-grid-wide alcove, usually performed to avoid enemies or fireballs, proved to be a needlessly frustrating challenge. If Solomon wasn't precisely where he needed to be spaced pixel-wise, he would merely bash his head against the ceiling, thus meeting his demise when that previously mentioned enemy or fireball would pass by. Hitboxes don't always seem the best either, and this is most apparent with dealing with retracting spikes and a specific level featuring a giant fireball-spewing dragon. The trails of the fireballs weren't always obvious, resulting in occasionally "cheap deaths" from them. 

Overall, though, Lovish is a delight. Its humor and satire of genre and game conventions are most entertaining, its references and guest appearances are delightful, and the game itself plays well and is structurally sound, even if the Devil Lord's castle isn't always--looking at YOU, crumbling floors and breakable walls! Lovish succeeded at getting its hooks into me, and through the now and then frustrations of one-hit deaths, repeated attempts of levels and bosses, and tricky platforming perils, I merrily pushed forth with a smile on my face. Well, in between utterances of curse words on failed attempts, of course. Those looking for a challenge will get one with Lovish, as well as an enjoyable game that doesn't take itself at all seriously either.

[SPC Says: B]

A review copy was provided by DANGEN Entertainment.

Speed Punks (PS1) Retro Review

I feel like we're stuck on a racing game trend here on SuperPhillip Central lately--what, with Chocobo Racing, Mario Kart World, and yes, now Speed Punks for the original PlayStation. I must really have the need for speed, and while I'm on this theme of racing, let's take to the track with this oft overlooked PS1 kart racer!

Whether you know them as punks or as freaks, these folks sure have some speed!

 

Back in the 1990s, every publisher wanted a piece of the Mario Kart pie, and Sony with its then-newly established PlayStation were no different. Coming at Nintendo's prestigious Mario Kart franchise with not one but two karting efforts within the span of about a year: Naughty Dog's Crash Team Racing and the subject of today's review, Funcom's Speed Punks (aka Speed Freaks outside of North America), it's safe to say the latter is more forgotten in the annals of gaming history. That said, while CTR is definitely the more popular of the two, does that mean that Speed Punks deserved to slip through the cracks? 

Well, yes and no, depending on what context you're approaching the game from. But, we'll get more into that in a teeny tiny bit. Let's go with an overview of what is inside the Speed Punks package before we delve any further. 

The starting circuits offer gentle turns, wide tracks, and plenty of room to maneuver.

The main single player content of Speed Punks is its Tournament mode. Here, players race against five other drivers in your standard Grand Prix contest, featuring four tracks. There are three batches of four tracks, beginning with the Easy Tournament. The tracks here showcase gentle turns, wide open straightaways, and little in the way of hazards compared to later difficulties. Successfully completing each tournament unlocks the next difficulty in an Easy to Normal to Hard progression. By the time you reach the Hard Tournament, tracks are much more windier, have intense and tight curves, plentiful narrow sections, easy spots to fall off via careless driving, and numerous hazards to evade. 

 Depending on the place racers achieve in the Tournament mode, they receive different amounts of points, with first place earning the most, and sixth earning the least. However, if the player hits fourth or worse in a race, they must use up one of their finite retries to start the race over and try again for a higher place. Races can also be restarted mid-lap, though also at the cost of retry. You might think this is a foolish maneuver, but there is a reason to do this aside of knowing you're probably going to place fourth or worse.

Life is a highway, and I want to ride it for five laps.

Aside from that reason, what if you're in second place and coming in on the finish line? What possible excuse could you have to restart then, you ask? The main reason to do this is because you're awarded a chance to face a boss character for winning all races in a given Tournament in first place. Winning the trial against this boss character adds them to roster to race as. 

In total, there are six characters in the base roster with three more as unlockable through winning each of the three Tournaments in first place in all races, and thus, beating the boss character to unlock them into the roster. Each character sports their own stats in three categories: weight, top speed, and acceleration. 

Get first place in all of a given Tournament's difficulty, and you'll earn the right to face a boss!
Win, and you'll add them to your repertoire of racers!

 

 

 

 

Totaling just twelve tracks might seem like a bummer, especially compared to Mario Kart, which at the time sported 16 unique tracks, and that's because it sort of is! While it is a bit disappointing to see Speed Punks with a smaller number of tracks, what is available are fun and entertaining circuits. These are five laps apiece as opposed to the typical three seen in other kart racers, and they give you enough time to enjoy each circuit before moving onto the next. Even with five laps, they don't overextend their individual welcomes or grow tedious. Well, maybe that's less true of the final track within the Hard Tournament, as that one even if it were three laps is a test of the endurance, for sure!

Regardless, the tracks are well designed, and the shortcuts within them offer some smart design too. Whether that's driving through a bush within the opening of a fence to reach a whole new part of track within the speedway that is Silver City, or shortcuts that only appear later in a given race, like a cavern's opening within the volcanic Thunder Trail--these are cleverly hidden for the most part and offer great skips ahead of one's opponents.

Of course, a kart racer, especially one with a goofy aesthetic and unrealistic approach, isn't worth putting the pedal to the metal if its selection of items isn't worthwhile. Fortunately, there's plenty here in Speed Punks to sow strife on straightaways, cause chaos at corners, and tremendous terror on the track in general. There are of course green shell and red shell equivalents with missiles and homing missiles respectively, slime puddles that serve as Speed Punks' banana peel equivalent, and yes, even a pesky blue shell equivalent, as well. However, there are also other power-ups that don't necessarily take from the Mario Kart playbook, such as machine guns, shockwaves, and a tire pop that will inflate your tires until they burst (though this can be battled against by mashing on a specific button), for starters.

Excuse me, sir. You dropped this bomb!

While the items and power-ups within Speed Punks add to the vehicular carnage and motor mayhem as one would expect, not everything brings chaos to the game in the best of ways. For one, Speed Punks' driving physics and handling constantly make you feel like you're driving on a Teflon surface. It's beyond slippery and frustratingly so. Secondly, the AI isn't the fairest of them all, let's say. They'll unload on to you with items, power-ups, and just make for an aggravating time on the track in Tournament mode.  

Fortunately, what positives I can say about Speed Punks' racing action are more numerous than its negatives. The aforementioned items are enjoyable to use, races are generally incredibly thrilling and especially rewarding if and when you emerge victorious, tracks are well designed, and the boost system is helpful in cutting corners, making shortcuts, and otherwise navigating through and speeding back up after all of the item spam you will face. 

Who's a good racer? Why, yes, you are! Yes, you are!

That notwithstanding, content-wise Speed Punks is lacking. The twelve total tracks are a paltry amount for a kart racer, no matter how well designed they come across. The amount of modes is lackluster, and the inability to play the Tournament mode with a local player is disappointing to me at the very least.

Like the Speed Punks track Millennium Park's roller coaster is much like Speed Punks and this review, as we're constantly going up and down these last few paragraphs with criticism and praise. Here we go again, as Speed Punk absolutely nails its presentation. The colors are crisp, colorful, and vibrant. The characters exude enough personality and animate well for a PS1 title, and the environments are delightful to take in and look at as you speed past them. The D&B soundtrack won't everyone's cup of tea (or is it motor oil? Ew.), but it's certainly serviceable and complements the racing mayhem well. 

Neither Speed Punks nor its developer Funcom may have survived into the present, but both their pasts offer plentiful amounts of entertainment. Speed Punks itself doesn't have the content to last most players an overly lengthy amount of time, and it can also be frustratingly difficult--sometimes for all the wrong reasons. That said, the game does deliver an all-around good time on the track, even if it's one that most players won't stick with for all too long. What it lacks in content and control, it more than makes up for in challenge and creativity. 

[SPC Says: C+]

Aero the Acro-Bat (Multi) Review

Technically a retro review is on the horizon for this Sunday evening, but at the same time, it's more of a modern release--or re-release in this context. Publisher Ratalaika Games brings back Aero the Acro-Bat with some new filters, bonus content, and quality of life features. It's all new to me, as I missed out on Aero back on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis in my younger superhero years. How is the game? How are the bonus features? Let's answer both of these questions with a good old fashioned SuperPhillip Central review!

A game that will drive most players batty

The 90s were a wild time where seemingly every developer and studio under the sun were chasing after that platformer and Mario money. Of course, we know quite well of Sonic the Hedgehog, to this day has achieved massive success, but there were plenty of lesser known copycats, imitations, and games inspired by Mario and Sonic that slipped through the cracks of gaming history and aren't as well known. Sunsoft's Aero the Acro-Bat is one such series that despite spawning several games within it, isn't the most heralded or talked about. 

Publisher Ratalaika Games brings back the bat to the circus spotlight with a remastered package of the game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStations 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with several quality of life improvements and other additions to make a case that a new generation needs to turn its attention to Aero and friends. The natural follow-up question, of course, is: Should you bother with this bat?

Aero the Acro-Bat consists of a handful of areas consisting of multiple acts. Each act provides players with a different task in order to open up the goal to complete them. Sometimes you'll need to pass through a set number of gold rings, another you'll need to turn on a series of light switches, or some are as basic in their premise as simply surviving. These various acts provide some nice and welcome variety to the game, making it less about running through a multi-tier area aimlessly as you search for the goal, and instead... well, unfortunately, more about running through a multi-tier area aimlessly as you search for things to open the goal.

Not quite a human cannonball, considering... well, this being a bat--but impressive all the same!

Disappointingly, Aero the Acro-Bat doesn't fare much better when actually playing the game. Aero himself has a main mode of attack where he dives upward or downward at a 45 degree angle. It serves as being beneficial for reaching otherwise out of the way platforms and areas. However, it's NOT so beneficial at attacking enemies with a 100% success rate as hit detection is absolutely miserable in this game. It seems like luck of the draw on whether you defeat an enemy or that Aero takes damage instead. This randomness in dealing damage made me avoid encounters with enemies as much as possible. That said, a lot of the time a foe is simply placed in front of your path as a roadblock with little means to go around.

The spotlight is on you, Aero, so show us your moves!

While Aero also has the ability to collect stars which can be converted into throwing stars (though not shuriken, as one might assume--LITERAL stars being thrown), these become something you are required to ration. Moreover, our bat hero can only throw them while jumping or standing still, so their utility isn't as pronounced as one might like.

Aero is also too fast in movement. While this normally wouldn't be an issue, the camera can hardly keep up with the protagonist--instead, preferring to be sluggish in speed. It made it so I had to saunter through levels at a slow enough pace, inching the camera along to reveal things off screen so I wouldn't rush into a baddie, or worse, those darned spikes!

The first world dazzles with lots of enjoyable circus-themed platforming gimmicks.

Spikes are plentiful in Aero the Acro-Bat, and they're usually hiding off screen where a leap too high or running too fast means you collide right into them. Apparently, Aero is made of the same stuff as Mega Man, as one touch of a spike is a life lost. While checkpoints are somewhat common in levels, these moments once again feel undeserved and most definitely unfair.

Then, you have the auto-scrolling levels that are somehow worse than Battletoads' infamous Turbo Tunnel level. The reason for this is that at the very least, said tunnel would telegraph what obstacles were headed your way, so you'd have at minimum a chance of evading them. Not so much in any of the auto-scrolling levels in Aero the Acro-Bat, whether that's the hellish roller coaster, riding the rotor where it's pretty much trial and error on succeeding, the barrel that Aero finds himself rolling down hills in, or the rapids where the camera does not cooperate at all.

But soon, levels like this rotor one quickly makes this game outwear its welcome.

Fortunately, a lot (note: but not all) of Aero the Acro-Bat's design problems are alleviated heavily by the included rewind function and save states. The former is utilized by holding the left bumper, though you can only rewind about 30 seconds in the past or so (the right bumper, conversely serves as a fast forward option). The latter option of save states is a blessing due to the fact that the original Aero the Acro-Bat game completely lacks any save options. To my knowledge, no password functionality served as an inclusion either. So, thankfully, you can answer the game's many cheap flaws and moments with some helpful rewinding. 

Despite the game itself being less than satisfactory, this remastered version of Aero the Acro-Bat has been lovingly made--no doubt. There are various filters, resolutions, and options to play around with to get the best graphical style that fits your preference. The package also arrives with a lovely art gallery, the original manual in digital form to browse through, and other cool and nifty additions. 

Struggling with a boss? Thankfully, save states and rewinds can alleviate the burden.

The base game itself is indeed a product of its time, complete with all of those nasty and decidedly unfair cheap moments, but you can also tell that there was passion poured into the project as well--from the gorgeous environments to the well animated characters, whether they be friendlies or enemies. The soundtrack is rather pleasant, serving as competent and serviceable background music--some of which I found myself bobbing my head along to, which is always a good sign of its quality for me.

That said, this remaster of Aero the Acro-Bat is somewhat of a case of polishing a turd, or I guess in this case "bat droppings", to put it in apropos terms related to our protagonist. The original game is just not very good, and no matter how much or how many quality of life improvements and extra bells and whistles were added, it was never going to be an excellent game and recommendation without going into the actual game and fixing its fundamental design issues. While there is a lot to dislike design-wise about the original Aero the Acro-Bat, it may be worth checking out if you have the curiosity, plenty of patience, don't mind relying on that rewind button, or would rather just get a taste of gaming history in a decidedly lovingly put-together package.

[SPC Says: C-]

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

Hot Wheels Unleashed (Multi) Review

The end of the month approaches, but SuperPhillip Central is just warming up with our schedule of reviews to round out October. Consider these treats ahead of Halloween! Next up to receive the review treatment is Hot Wheels Unleashed!

Some assembly still required.

Licensed games are like a Blind Box: Do you ever really know what you're going to get? There was a time--and forgive me for dating myself here--where a licensed game was an immediate red flag. The era of LJN gave me some mild trauma back in the day. Since then, however, licensed games have gotten better and the quality has improved considerably. That's been the case as well with Hot Wheels games. Now, a new Hot Wheels game has revved up its miniature engines and roared onto all major platforms with Hot Wheels Unleashed. Is this licensed racer worthy of your collection?

Starting off in your Hot Wheels Unleashed career, you are gifted three Blind Boxes. These contain a trio of almost totally random vehicles. I say "almost totally" because it seems that you're given a generally balanced vehicle, a super speedy vehicle, and a vehicle that isn't really worth racing in. It's just that the specific vehicles in each category are random. Other vehicles in Hot Wheels Unleashed are earned through regular play, earning coins to purchase more Blind Boxes, vehicles in the shop, and through play in the single-player mode.

Unleash your wild side with some riveting races.

Speaking of which, Hot Wheels Unleashed's main single player mode is called Hot Wheels City Rumble. It's an assortment of races and time trials along an overhead city map. When one event has been completed, new paths around that event open up. Thus, you can get around the city map in multiple ways. Many paths lead to dead ends, but these dead ends house wonderful rewards like Blind Boxes and new vehicles. Completing events also rewards you with a bevy of coins, gears, and other goodies. Coins are used to purchase Blind Boxes and new vehicles in the in-game shop, which regularly rotates its selection of five purchasable vehicles, while gears are used to upgrade your collected vehicles.

Unleash your inner sightseer inside the Hot Wheels City Rumble mode.

Unfortunately, Hot Wheels City Rumble, while structurally sound, is a bit of a repetitive experience. It basically only offers three event types: basic races, time trials, and boss races. Basic and boss races are essentially the same, only with the latter requiring you to cross the finish line in first place as opposed to simply making it on the podium. Each event has two goals to it, one regular goal to complete the event, and a harder Unleashed goal. Time trials pose the stiffest challenge in City Rumble, but even with the difficulty set to Easy in the mode, the AI does get a bit difficult in later races within City Rumble. It's a far too frustrating experience racing against AI that is higher than the Easy difficulty, which speaks to how imbalanced the difficulties truly seem to be.

Hot Wheels Unleashed offers a great sense of speed while revving down the toy tracks that have been assembled through the game's six unique, sprawling environments. The track designs twist, turn, showcase loop-de-loops, obstacles like barriers and giant spiders that spit webs onto the track that slow you down, as well as feature magnetic strips that allow the vehicles racing on them to turn upside down and defy gravity with ease. In this sense, Unleashed sort of reminded me of F-Zero X in the design. Of course, falling off the track--all too easy due to the not-always-precise physics--doesn't result in an immediate destruction of your vehicle like in F-Zero. Instead, you just hold down the top face button to reset your vehicle to the track. 

Unleash your inner daredevil with some death-defying jumps.

Racing around as your Hot Wheels vehicle of choice is a lot of fun, even with the occasional way your car might react adversely and bizarrely to jumps, boosts, or hitting walls. Drifting is encouraged on turns and quite easy to do. The action fills up a boost meter to be--well, unleashed during straightaways and to make those last second passes against the competition to hopefully cross the finish line in first place. 

Unleash your inner F-Zero pilot by racing on some gravity-defying tracks.

Outside of the single player offerings available, Hot Wheels Unleashed supports online play. However, lobbies show a problem with the game's economy. It's not easy to earn coins after City Rumble has been completed. You only earn the reward for clearing an event once, outside of the coins received for participating in the race. That means the next best way to earn coins to purchase Blind Boxes is to play online. Thus, you'll get a lot of people either selecting super short races or simply sitting at the starting line to grind for coins. The latter works because once first place crosses the finish line, a quick 30 second timer counts down, signaling the end of the race once the timer hits zero. 

Blind Boxes cost 500 coins apiece, and they are already very frugal with the rewards they give you. Too often I received repeats of vehicles I already owned, thus I'd either sell the duplicates for coins or grind them into gears to be used to upgrade vehicles. Since races only offer around 70 coins to first place regardless of the length of the track (and some of the game tracks are lengthier affairs than I would prefer), it gives players the incentive to always choose the shorter races if they wish to grind for coins. Needless to say, it's quite a grind.

Unleash your inner collector with an assortment of Hot Wheels vehicles to add to your repertoire.

Furthermore, despite the Hot Wheels Unleashed offering a remarkably robust track creator, which wouldn't surprise me if the same creator was used by the developer to make all the tracks in the game, tracks that are created can only be raced on either locally in time trials or you have to hope your track will show up in the random lottery of tracks in online lobbies. Seeing as you get a choice of six random tracks online (three from the game and three created from a totally random assortment of published tracks), the likelihood that your track will show up much less be chosen to play on seems a bit farfetched. Thus, it lessens the motivation to make your own track, despite how cool but albeit unwieldy to utilize it is.

While making tracks isn't as wonderful or glamorous as it could be currently, the ability to customize your own vehicles with a bevy of creation options via the Livery Editor stole the show for me in Hot Wheels Unleashed. You can create a massive number of liveries, share them online, and pretty much ride in style with them. Almost every vehicle, save for licensed ones a la Superman and such, can be painted over with a combination of recolors, stickers, decals, and more. I proudly raced my SuperPhillip-themed Exotique Legendary vehicle in City Rumble and then took her online to show it off to the masses. It's a glorious and cool feature that I look forward to using more in the future.

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Finally, unleash your inner artiste, creating your own custom tracks and liveries, and then share them online!

And, yes, I see myself returning to Hot Wheels Unleashed in the future, for sure. With more updates to the track editor, more single player content, better coin and Blind Box economy, more vehicles and track environments included, and improvements to the online racing experience, I can imagine a much better game. As of now, Hot Wheels Unleashed features enough quality under the hood to make for an entertaining racer, but not enough to make it a "must buy" at this point in time. Don't misunderstand--this is still one of the better, if not THE best Hot Wheels game available to date. It's simply spinning its wheels a little too much for this particular gamer.

[SPC Says: B-]

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi) Review

Next up on the review docket here at SuperPhillip Central is a game that celebrates 20 years of Super Monkey Ball madness. It's Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, and as you will be able to tell by the review tagline, I really enjoyed this celebration of all things Monkey Ball!

A truly a-peel-ing package

Right away when the super-catchy opening theme song of the game "Hello Banana" greets your ears with its infectious rhythm and melody, you know Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is going to be one of those special entries in the Super Monkey Ball series. The series itself celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania serves as the anniversary's celebratory game, offering over 300 stages plucked and rearranged from the original Super Monkey Ball, its sequel, and the Deluxe release. The quantity is definitely there, but how is the quality?

For those new to the world of Super Monkey Ball, the games all have the same objective: tilt and tumble the level to guide your monkey mysteriously stuck in a ball through progressively more difficult stages. Reach the goal to successfully complete the stage. Fall off, and it's back to the beginning of the stage. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania makes for a more welcoming adventure for beginning players as well as veterans too due to forgoing the use of lives. There's more need to worry about effortlessly rolling through the beginning stages only to lose all of your lives to one particularly tricky stage.

There's no stopping AiAi--he's on a roll!

Stages in Super Monkey Ball run the gamut from simply designed with gentle twists and turns to navigate that hold helpful railings to prevent falling off too easily, to death traps that make you wonder just who the heck hates monkeys in balls so freaking much! At the start of the Story Mode (more on modes later in this review), I was finding myself casually strolling through stages without much issue. By the end, I was cursing the Super Monkey Ball gods after each and every (and there were so MANY) failed stage attempts and fall outs. 

What monkey-hating monster built these deathtraps!?

The controls of Banana Mania are as simple as any other game in the series. You move with the left stick, and this time around you can slightly pivot the camera around your monkey with the right stick. Unfortunately, there is no option to look downward when you're in the air, making it so trying to finetune your approach to platforms below you much more than trouble than it needs to be. This is incredibly frustrating when your ball is catapulted into the air, and you need to land on a platform below you. Yes, the mini map in the bottom-right corner of the screen does alleviate some of the burden here so you can tell where you're going to fall, but not entirely. And it's not like this is a new problem to the Super Monkey Ball series--it's been a niggling issue since the series began. It's simply a shame it hasn't been properly addressed.

Borrowing from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and its HD remaster, a jump ability is included. This time around, however, it's not only unlockable but also totally optional. When turned on, it prevents you from recording your best times, but you're still able to freely clear stages without issue. The jump ability presents some incredibly interesting and amazingly fun speed-running opportunities for stages. Additionally, there are some helper functions available to players who might not be fully able to complete each stage on their own. These come in the form of doubling the timer, allowing access to a slow motion feature, and guiding the player to the goal via a helpful series of arrows so players won't easily lose their way. 

Furthermore, Super Monkey Ball veterans who have logged hundreds of hours into the series across these past 20 years might have some struggles with the new physics on display. They are not 1:1 by any stretch of the imagination to the classic Monkey Ball games, which will be disappointing to many. That said, don't get me wrong--they're hardly bad, they're simply different to what Super Monkey Ball diehards will most likely be used to. Both acceleration and momentum are altered somewhat significantly compared to the older games. New players and those who aren't self-proclaimed purists probably won't find themselves with any issues or even will notice anything wrong with the physics of Banana Mania.

Careful, MeeMee! Keep your balance!

There are two major modes to Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania: Main Game and Party Mode. The former allows you to roll through over 300 stages of varying degrees of diabolical difficulty in a variety of modes. There is the main Story Mode, which is comprised of 100 stages split up between 10 worlds with short animated scenes sandwiched between each. There are also  Super Monkey Ball 1 and Super Monkey Ball 2 Challenge modes, which has you taking on a set number of stages from those games. The number and stages you take on, all at once without the ability to save, is determined by the difficulty level chosen. There are four difficulties for each game's Challenge mode: Beginner, Standard, Expert, and the unlockable Master, and for those who want an added--well, challenge to Challenge mode, there are rewards for clearing each difficulty without failing a certain number of times. Thankfully, you can prepare for this challenge to your heart's content via a Practice mode for all stages.

Story Mode features ten worlds of ten stages each. As you might expect,
they get progressively harder and more fiendish in their designs as you go on.

Finally, there is Special Mode, which allows you to take on unique, unlockable stages with different rules. Some task you to collect every single Golden Banana in the level, while conversely another requires you to avoid all bananas altogether. There are original versions of stages from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 to play, and these remove the assists added to make the levels more manageable from the Story and Challenge Modes. For instance, the already dreaded Launchers stage in Banana Mania's Story Mode features notches in the titular launchers that rocket your monkey ball upwards toward the goal. In the original version of the stages, these notches that help keep your the monkey ball positioned well are completely absent, making the stage much more arduous to complete--more so than it was already!

Whoa! Baby on board! (But not for much longer at this rate!)

If tilting and tumbling to guide monkeys through stages gets a bit too taxing, there's always the option to unwind with some Party Games, of which there are 12 total in Banana Mania. These range from old favorites like Monkey Target, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Billiards, to mini-games like Monkey Fight, Monkey Dogfight, and Monkey Baseball. Each Party Game supports up to four players locally, and each supports a bevy of customization options. For instance, Monkey Racing allows you to pick between a single race, a Grand Prix competition of four races, or a time trial on a select track, as well as allowing items into the mix, and more. 

Further serving as the ultimate Super Monkey Ball game, there is an immense number of rewards to unlock within the game. Rewards in Banana Mania come in the form of a special in-game currency obtained by simply playing the game as well as completing one of 700 or so missions within. These range from clearing a stage for the first time, reaching a specific banana goal in a stage, clearing a stage by going through an alternate exit, playing a Party Game for the first time, and so much more. The currency can then be spent in the Points Shop, unlocking new characters to play as (such as SEGA all-stars like Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower", Kazuma Kiryu of Yakuza, and Beat from Jet Set Radio), new modes such as the aforementioned Golden Banana mode, new camera filters for Photo Mode (which all screenshots in this review use), and various clothing and cosmetic items for each of the six monkeys of the main cast. There is no shortage of content within Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.

Sonic the Hedgehog is but one of a handful of SEGA's all-stars that are unlockable in Banana Mania.

Banana Mania's colorful and crisp visual style lends itself well to Nintendo's lesser powered hardware, which the Switch was the version of the game I played. It's not a perfect effort, as there were noticeable hitches (albeit slight and rare) while playing the game. It's nothing that ruined a run through a stage for me, but it was disappointing to see all the same. Meanwhile, the new soundtrack implemented to the game is neither an improvement or a step backwards. Much like the physics of the game, it's simply different. I, as well as my ears, found it to be a net positive overall, offering plenty of funky, infectious, and fun tunes to listen to as I made my way through the game's myriad stages. 

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania offers a complete Monkey Ball series package that is well deserving of the series' 20th anniversary. There is both quantity and quality oozing out of the game like a fiercely squeezed banana still wrapped up in its peel. The amount of stages is staggering, and each mode offers a unique series of them to enjoy. The Party Games, too, are mostly enjoyable at the end of the day with a few stinkers here and there. Finally, the sheer number of missions to complete and things to unlock, whether they be modes, costumes, cosmetics, characters, camera aesthetics, or what have you will enjoying some Banana Mania for months, if not years, to come. 

[SPC Says: B+]

Dodgeball Academia (Multi) Review

I'm a little late to the party with this next review, but it was such a fun and unique title that I would have been remiss had I not covered it on SuperPhillip Central. It's Dodgeball Academia, and class is now in session with the SPC review.

To enroll in Dodgeball Academia or to drop out? The ball is in your court.

Despite the popularity and love of the RPG mechanics and stories found in some of the Mario Golf and Mario Tennis games as well as the more modern Golf Story (and hopefully upcoming Sports Story), the sports RPG is a genre that doesn't see the light of day too often. While golf is a now well-trodden sport to base an RPG off of, now we have a brand-new entrant in the scene with a new sport: dodgeball, and it's by developer Pocket Trap. It's none other than Dodgeball Academia.

Dodgeball Academia stars Otto, a precocious young boy yearning to become a dodgeball pro--so much so that he defies his parents' wishes and drops out from a school for referees (of course, without them knowing) and joins an academy for up and coming dodgeball youths. The story features an eclectic and eccentric group of characters, and while many of them spout off incredibly antagonistic lines and attitudes, they're all charming in their own ways. The humor in Dodgeball Academia is at quite a high level, offering plenty of moments where I either laughed loudly or cracked a smile, whether that was with the game's wild and wacky scenarios, plot points, or many references to other games. It all adds up a story and game that provides a lovely Saturday morning cartoon feel to it, and one I absolutely appreciated. 

And thus, Otto's academic adventure in dodgeball begins!

Dodgeball Academia is, of course, a dodgeball RPG. It has all the trappings of the genre, but turned on its head to make for one interesting and unique game. You gain experience and levels from participating in dodgeball battles. These are similar to Pokémon games in how a character will have an exclamation point over their head, and if you enter into their line of vision, you do battle with them. There's also lots of equipment to outfit Otto and his party of five other zany characters as well, though each character only has two slots apiece. These boost various stats like health, attack power, defense, and much more. 

The competition is fierce at Dodgeball Academia, but keep your eyes on the prize!

Battles in Dodgeball Academia are all in real time. While Dodgeball Academia doesn't follow standard dodgeball rules (for instance, a character is only eliminated from the match when they lose all of their HP as opposed to when simply getting hit by a single ball), matches play out in a similarly heated fashion. Battles begin with both teams on opposite sides of the court with a column of balls in the center, ready for the grabbing and then subsequent throwing. Balls ready to be thrown can be charged to deliver and dish out more damage, while balls thrown by the opponents can be caught as a means to evade damage. 

It may be a game at the end of the day, but Otto certainly isn't playing around here.

Some characters throw balls in unique ways or earn different powers as they level up. Otto, for instance, can add burn damage to his thrown balls, setting opponents on fire and delivering chip damage over time to attacked opponents. Meanwhile, Mina forgoes catching balls entirely, instead performing a counter to knock them back right in her opponents' faces.

True to RPGs, each character has a super powerful ultimate ability, cleverly called their "Balltimate" move. As players hit other opponents, catch balls thrown by opponents, or when players charge up their Balltimate when balls have been cleared from their side of the court, a gauge fills. When it's maxed out, a Balltimate move can be unleashed. Some dish out massive damage by throwing a litany of balls out at once, while others serve better for defense, serving as a means of healing your party.

Careful, as opponents can unleash their own Balltimate attacks as well!

Needless to say, there is plenty to take in with regard to Dodgeball Academia's rules, gameplay, and matches, but the game does an excellent job of delivering players info and introducing new concepts at a slow and steady pace. I was never overwhelmed by a new mechanic because there was enough time in between mechanics to learn and become comfortable with them. That's whether the game introduced Balltimate moves, courts with unique gimmicks like traffic or tall grass, or even special dodgeballs that deliver status effects like poison, burn, freeze, and stun upon getting damaged by them. 

Generally, Dodgeball Academia is a balanced experience gameplay-wise. It's especially so if you engage in every battle you possibly can, as battles aren't lengthy excursions at all--perhaps taking a minute or two to finish. However, Pocket Trap smartly added some accessibility options allowing players to change how much damage they take and how much damage they give in battles. This is performed by moving percentage sliders around. You can get to the point where there's no challenge at all by sliding your damage taken output to 0% if you'd prefer to experience the story. Conversely, you can make the game harder on yourself, too, by increasing how much damage you take and decreasing how much damage you dish out. This way you can customize Dodgeball Academia how you want, depending on your skill level and gameplay experience you want.

When you're not engaging in dodgeball battles, you're strolling around the academy's multiple areas, chatting it up with fellow students and talking with teachers and staff, participating in side quests, shopping for items and new equipment, and more. Any other game would provide a run button for players to skirt around the game world quickly, but Dodgeball Academia cleverly keeps things dodgeball-themed by having Otto curl up into a ball and roll around the academy that way. It's far too easy to crash into objects and obstacles, which sometimes makes rolling around irritating, but there's no penalty for absent-mindedly slamming into things. 

The forest, one of a handful of unique areas within Dodgeball Academia's world.

One point about Dodgeball Academia that I'd like to broach about is that the game's world is relatively small. Thus, you're tasked with moving backtracking to and from similar environments over and over again, ad nauseum, which does make for a taxing experience at times. Several points are closed off at the beginning of the game, and one major area of Dodgeball Academia doesn't even open up until the near the end of the adventure. Thus, you will be frequenting the same places perhaps more times than you may like.

Dodgeball Academia is a colorful, crisp-looking game, exuding immense Saturday morning cartoon vibes through its super-fun story and eclectic cast of characters. The immense amount of dodgeball battles (how ever enjoyable at first) and backtracking may grow tedious and repetitive at times, but the game introduces enough variety to keep things from getting too stale. All in all, you'll want to enroll at Dodgeball Academia if you haven't already. You'll have a ball.

[SPC Says: B]

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi) Launch Trailer

To commemorate today's launch of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, SEGA has put together this gorgeously drawn animated launch trailer for the game, celebrating the Super Monkey Ball franchise's 20th anniversary. See the animated hijinks of Aiai and the monkey crew mesh wonderfully with lovely gameplay footage. Stay tuned to SuperPhillip Central for a full review of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania in the coming weeks!

Sonic Colors: Ultimate (Multi) Review

Sonic Colors: Ultimate recently released on all major platforms. That notwithstanding, not all ports of Sonic Colors: Ultimate were created equally. The Nintendo Switch version suffered the worst with long load times and various undesirable (sometimes seizure-inducing) bugs and glitches. Regardless, SPC's review of Sonic Colors: Ultimate covers the Xbox version of the game, running on the Series S. Let's check it out.

Color me impressed... all over again!

One of my favorite 3D Sonic games--and yes, smart alecks, there have been good 3D Sonic games (ugh)--has been Sonic Colors. There was a time where Sonic Team showed promise with the Sonic formula, putting out the brilliant Sonic Colors on the Wii and then Sonic Generations on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As we know, that stretch of great Sonic games turned sour rather fast with future releases, but fortunately, Sonic Team has decided to bring back one of the better modern entries in the Sonic series with Sonic Colors: Ultimate. With a new engine and new upgrades, is this Sonic Colors remake worthy of its "Ultimate" subtitle and moniker?

Sonic Colors' story involves Dr. Eggman who builds an interstellar amusement park to atone for his past sins, plans, and otherwise shenanigans. Sonic arrives at the amusement park believing that Eggman is instead up to no good yet again. As you can expect, Sonic's hunch is correct, as we quickly learn that Eggman has imprisoned colorful creatures known as Wisps to power his amusement park to soon control the entire universe. The story is told through cutscenes, but unlike the rest of Sonic Colors: Ultimate, these have not been remade in the new engine. Instead, what you get is the old Wii cutscenes stretched to fit the screen. Also disappointing is the dialogue, which fails often at its attempts at humor, offering somewhat lame quips by our hero and even lamer "jokes". The humor seems to talk down to players, even the younger audience this particular story seems intended for.

That said, Sonic Colors: Ultimate fares much better when you're actually playing the game. I enjoyed the Wii original over a decade ago as shown in my review from 2010, and Sonic Colors: Ultimate, at least on the Xbox Series S, plays wonderfully all things considered. I did encounter one soft-lock during my 15+ hours of time with the game, but nothing that overly annoyed; just a minor inconvenience instead.

Sonic always likes to start a level on the right foot. On this occasion, he's starting it on his left.

Sonic Colors is comprised of six major areas each with six platforming levels and one boss level. Sonic starts out in the first area, Tropical Resort--welcoming players immediately into Sonic Colors: Ultimate with its first act as soon as the New Game option is pressed. From the introductory but enjoyable all the same Tropical Resort unlocks two new worlds after, Sweet Mountain--containing giant donuts and hamburger towers--and Starlight Carnival--a parade of neon ships in space. From there, the final main three planets open up, Planet Wisp, Aquarium Park, and Asteroid Coaster. 

Mmm.. donuts! But there's no time to stand and stare, Sonic--there are Wisps to save!

Acts or levels within Sonic Colors range from lengthy affairs that can last upwards of 5-10 minutes to much more bite-sized levels, some of these can be completed quite quickly, maybe a minute or two at that. Generally, there are two or three acts in a given zone of Sonic Colors that are these lengthier, more traditional 3D Sonic affairs, while the other acts are the shorter experiences. This makes for a game that isn't too terribly long to beat when it all comes down to it. However, that's only if you consider running through acts and worlds from start to finish with no plan to return to levels to pick up missed collectables and score those elusive S-Ranks. 

Really, if you're just planning to rush through Sonic Colors: Ultimate's levels and be done with the game, you probably won't find that great of an appreciation for the game. Don't get me wrong--the level design is some of the best seen in a 3D Sonic game (I know that's a low bar to some, but it's good in general), and the gameplay is overall tight, especially with the ability to course correct with Sonic's double jump. However, rushing through the game will make you feel like you wasted your money since this is a game you can blow through within five hours. 

Don't be confused. This isn't Star Fox just because Sonic is currently having an on-rails experience.

Assuming you enjoy what you play in that initial playthrough, you might be enticed to return to levels and find each act's five Red Rings, which collecting these unlocks new levels in a Sonic Simulator (which in turn is how you unlock Super Sonic within the game by collecting each Simulator zone's Chaos Emeralds), and getting S-Ranks on each level. Finding and collecting the Red Rings can be quite a challenge, as the level design offers plenty of optional paths and ways to diverge from the main one quite often. 

Like the best 2D Sonic games, each level in Sonic Colors: Ultimate demands you to find the best route to not only collect each Red Ring but also perform well enough to get a high score. If you're the type that loves chasing high scores, you'll love going after S-Ranks in levels. This is all about playing your best, playing with style, doing it fast, and collecting enough rings (and holding them all by the end of the level) to get the best rank. It's a lot of fun to get into a groove and play well enough to master the mechanics found in Sonic Colors: Ultimate. 

One way to score big and a mechanic not yet talked about in this review (save for a cursory mention) is that of Wisps. As Sonic enters new levels, he'll come across one of eight or so different Wisp capsules. Breaking these open grants Sonic special temporary powers when activated. For instance, the Drill Wisp allows Sonic to burrow inside soft ground, discovering new underground passages and pathways, while something like the Spike Wisp grants Sonic the ability to turn into a ball of spikes, rolling around on floors, ceilings, walls, and more with an impressive and indestructible spin dash. 

The Purple Wisp activates the invincible Frenzy power,
allowing Sonic to stampede and chomp through obstacles and enemies with ease.

Using Wisps not only opens up new paths in levels for Sonic to explore that he'd otherwise be unable to reach, but it also gives him valuable point bonuses for performing Wisp-related reactions while in that temporary form. Since certain colored Wisps unlock by playing certain levels, it's mandatory to return to past levels to reach new areas and collectables that Sonic previously couldn't access with these Wisp abilities.

For the most part, Sonic Colors: Ultimate plays really well. The 3D sections generally have Sonic on some kind of strict path with a behind-the-back camera view, where Sonic can quick step his way to avoid objects and enemies, grab rings, or boost his way through these corridors. The 2D sections of Sonic Colors: Ultimate are more prominent, but the game cleverly transitions between the two types of sections often during a given act. 

Either way, Sonic controls nicely, but there is an issue with the homing attack, where Sonic can target a foe automatically, roll up into a ball, and slam into an enemy. Now, it works like intended, but because the homing attack button is mapped to the same button as the jump, I had it happen multiple times where I wanted to perform a double jump but instead accidentally locked onto an enemy at the last moment, thus performing a homing attack, and messing me up considerably in the process. Still, it was nothing that overly detracted from my experience with the game despite being a bit annoying to have happen.

Disneyworld, eat your heart out.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate introduces some new things to the game outside of the HD, touched up visuals, new graphics engine, and just beautiful appearance of the game. For one, and definitely a way to make the game less frustrating is that of Tails' assistance in the game. When Sonic falls in a pit that would otherwise make him lose a life, Tails comes to rescue him, dropping Sonic at a point of safety before his point of falling. This only works, however, if Sonic collects icons in the shape of Tails' adorable face. That said, it's quite easy to accumulate a large number of these. What's great about this safety net is that when Sonic falls into a pit and is rescued by Tails, he won't lose his current count of rings. 

Outside of Tails icons to nab, there are park tokens that can be collected in levels as well. These are used as a currency to purchase cosmetics for Sonic in the in-game shop--things like glove and shoe colors, different trails like fire or light, and auras that glow around Sonic. All of these are optional, of course. Finally, there is a new Rival Rush challenge in each world that unlocks after collecting at least 15 Red Rings in a world. Doing this allows Sonic to challenge Metal Sonic in a race through a designated act of the world. Completing these not only rewards the player with park tokens, but it also counts for 100% completion this time around.

Finally, outside of the visual presentation differences, the soundtrack in Sonic Colors: Ultimate has seen a remix as well. There are now six songs in each world of the game: three originals from the Wii game and three remixes. However, there is no option to select between just hearing the original or remixed versions of the music. Instead, each act is a different song, whether that be an original song or a remixed version. That notwithstanding, the remixes sound pretty good, though some are a bit questionable in their execution, particularly the ending credits theme, Speak With Your Heart. That's at least in this listener's opinion.

Some parts of levels play themselves, but it's still a rather nice spectacle all the same.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate takes a great 3D Sonic game from the Wii and makes it marginally better. Not so much better that it makes the Wii version obsolete by any stretch of the imagination--which I could see as a bit disappointing for many--but marginally all the same. With glorious new graphics, mostly lovely new remixes alongside the original musical themes, new additions like Rival Rush, Tails' rescues from bottomless pits, and unlockable cosmetics, Sonic Colors: Ultimate makes a great impression. I loved the Wii original in 2010, and in 2021, I enjoyed revisiting this wonderful Sonic game. 

[SPC Says: B+]