Best Levels in Gaming History - Volume Thirteen

It's time for a new volume in Best Levels in Gaming History! What's special about this volume, the thirteenth one, is that it has a special theme this go around. Since us North Americans are in the middle of a brutal winter full of snow, sleet, ice, and frigid temperatures, I figured it would be a great opportunity to talk about some of my favorite winter-themed levels. From Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to Metroid Prime, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, this volume of lovable levels is sure to warm your heart despite the cold temps!

If you missed a past volume of Best Levels in Gaming History, check out the following links:

Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
Volume Six
Volume Seven
Volume Eight
Volume Nine
Volume Ten
Volume Eleven
Volume Twelve

And with that out of the way, let's get to the levels!

Cliffside Slide - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)

We begin this "winterized for your protection" edition of the Best Levels in Gaming History with a level from one of my favorite 2D platformers of all time, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U. The Kongs fought, rolled, slammed, and ran their way through five islands to finally reach their home. Unfortunately, Donkey Kong Island suffered the worst of Lord Frederick's arctic army. The whole island is frozen solid and has been turned into a winter wasteland. Bad for the Kongs, but good for players, as these levels are some of the best in the game.

There are eight main levels in this sixth and final island in Tropical Freeze, and each represents one world from the game's predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns on Wii and Nintendo 3DS. There are plenty of tantalizing picks for excellent levels in Tropical Freeze, but the one I'm choosing for this winter wonderland edition is 6-6 Cliffside Slide.

The level uses a signature silhouette look, having all characters, enemies, items, and the platforms all stand on have silhouettes contrasting against a silvery white background. The platforms in this level slide down the cliff side as part of a massive avalanche. It's up to the Kongs to use perfect precision to leap up the ascending, moving, sometimes undulating platforms in the severe snowstorm to survive.

Cliffside Slide is an absolutely astonishing level to play, pumping the player's adrenaline to fantastic heights as they perform death-defying leaps, blast out of barrels, and time their movements to survive this arctic obstacle course.

Phendrana Drifts - Metroid Prime (GCN)

We move from one Retro Studios-developed game to another with Metroid Prime. After trudging along in the intense heat of Magmoor Caverns, Samus Aran finds herself in a true winter wonderland, Phendrana Drifts. With the absolutely chill music, cool color pallet, frigid waters, and grand architecture, the Phendrana Drifts are a beautiful place to travel through and unbelievably fun to play in.

The Drifts are home to three main parts. One is home to since abandoned Chozo village and temples, as well an abundance of flooded areas. Opposite to this is a research facility operated by the Space Pirates, home to imprisoned Metroids due to their vulnerability to the cold temperatures of the area. Finally, at the edge of Phendrana are a series of mostly underwater chambers and caverns where the Gravity Suit greatly comes into play.

Phendrana Drifts is definitely a nice change of pace from being inside the molten innards of the Magmoor Caverns and its intensely red aesthetic. It's a breath of fresh air entering the wide open expanses of the Phendrana Shorelines, housing two village entrances on either side of the area and venturing deep into the aquatic blue whilst exploring Phendrana's Edge. It's my favorite area from one of my favorite games of all time in a game that has plenty of excellently crafted areas.

Ice Cap Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN)

Without question what I consider the coolest (or is it coldest?) zone within the excellent Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the Ice Cap Zone features a variety of gameplay mechanics and obstacles. It all begins with a blistering ride down a snow-capped peak via a snowboard, speeding past trees and gathering rings.

The two acts contain platforming and speedy action between outside sections filled with loops and indoor caverns with switches frozen inside ice cubes, pillars that strike down from the ceiling with the goal of crushing an unassuming hedgehog, slippery slopes, platforms that move upward based on Sonic's momentum, and enemies like robotic penguins and spheres surrounded by spiked orbs. Act 2 possesses two halves to it. There is the upper outdoor path, which like most Sonic games, requires a great deal of skill to remain on it, and there is the lower indoor cavernous portion, which introduces aquatic elements into the fold.

It's a zone that has a lot of variety to it in regards to obstacles, hazards, and visual aesthetics. It doesn't hurt that the zone also features some of my favorite music within the game, as heard here for Act 1 and here for Act 2.

The Ice Cap Zone was particularly special to me because back in the days before available Internet, my brother and I, like many players of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, got stuck near the end of Carnival Night Zone Act 2. This was because of the infamous red-and-white barrel of doom, which we never learned how to correctly get past until many, many years later. Having Tails continually jump on the barrel with the right timing to allow Sonic to sneak through a gap to continue the level wasn't the correct way to get past the barrel, nor did it work with any kind of regularity, but through doing so, reaching the Ice Cap Zone was an awesome reward. Since it happened so rarely for us as children, it just made the zone following Carnival Night to be that much more special to us.

Snowy Mountain - Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)

Located high above the Volcanic Crater, Jak and Daxter need to take a gondola up to the Snowy Mountain, a location in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy that is home to an amalgamation of challenges, enemies, and obstacles.

Trekking through the Snowy Mountain is quite a feat, as there is a canyon full of chasms that require precision platforming to overcome, icy bridges that don't offer much in the way of traction for Jak's feet, and many difficult platforming perils to persevere over to get all ten Power Cells hidden around the mountainous area.

The Lurkers loafing about the Snowy Mountain area as well as the ones in battering ram operations to retrieve Precursor technology frozen inside large glaciers make for an uninviting place. A cavern that is accessed through carefully maneuvering over a series of slippery platforms finds itself infested with small Lurker forces while a fortress full of the Lurker horde sits on the opposite side of a grand canyon.

Snowy Mountain pits players in a battle against the elements, the Lurkers, and the problematic platforming for those not ready for the challenge. It's an area that features a wide array of platforming challenges and unique locations, making it one of my favorite areas within Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

Frosty Village - Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

Wrapping this wintry volume of Best Levels in Gaming History up, Diddy Kong Racing's ultimate track in Snowflake Mountain is Frosty Village. Despite its name, most of the track take places in the outskirts of the titular village.

Racers start by taking a wide right curve and passing through a stone archway with three openings on it. Down a lengthy slope leads to a triplet of houses, the actual village part of the race. A quick curve leads into a twisted tunnel full of swift turns eventually making way for a large outdoor area of track. Here, one can stay on the wide road, or they can opt to go off-road into the snow and drive over a trio of boost pads (zippers) for a nice shortcut.

This expansive area with colossal-sized pillars set on the sides of the road leads to a part of track with water on the right side. If one is driving a hovercraft or piloting a plane, they can pass through the waterfall to access a clever shortcut. Otherwise, it's the outside path that must be taken, following the road where it makes its right turn and leads back to the starting line for the next lap.

Frosty Village has one of the most arduous Silver Coin Challenges in Diddy Kong Racing. These challenges require the player to collect eight silver coins sprinkled in oftentimes tricky locations and come in first place to successfully complete them. This meant my younger self spent a lot of time on this snowy circuit. Yet after all my accumulated laps and times with Frosty Village, I still enjoy racing on the track, loving every twist, every turn, every shortcut, and enjoying the ambiance all at once. Racing this track during Christmastime is a memory that I will always cherish.

Ninja Battle Heroes (3DS eShop) Review

Sometimes I ponder life's questions. For instance, is the word "ninja" in the UK still considered taboo? Does that mean that this next game would have to be localized to "Hero Battle Heroes"? It's not as catchy.

...

...Was I going somewhere with that? I don't know. Here's my review of Ninja Battle Heroes for the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

Go, ninja! Go, ninja! Go!

Sometimes the most interesting games have the least interesting titles. Other times there are game names that don't do their games justice. Tom Create, a developer who in the past worked on the DSiWare GO Series, has a game that fits both categories with Ninja Battle Heroes. With a vanilla name that could be about pretty much anything involving ninjas, battles, and heroes, the actual product is a charming and challenging 2D side-scrolling platformer that uses the 3D effect of the Nintendo 3DS system very well.

Ninja Battle Heroes stars bipedal animals dressed up as ninjas in a Feudal-era Japan. Our hero is Saizo Kirigakure, a member of the fabled Beast Brigade, who returns home to find his fellow clanmates missing. They have been supposedly animal-napped by a Beast Brigade member turned traitorous. Saizo sharpens his blade, a katana that serves as his main mode of attack, leaps into battle, and progresses through over 20 unique levels to rescue his furry friends. Despite the total ridiculousness of small animals with big heads dressed up as ninjas, the dialogue of Ninja Battle Heroes rarely strays from the serious, delivering a fun if not ham-fisted, anime-esque narrative for players to experience through dialogue box character exchanges.

It's a battle of two fronts in Ninja Battle Heroes. There's the obvious main battleground where Saizo platforms and performs sword and shuriken attacks to enemies on the same dimensional plane as him. However, Ninja Battle Heroes cleverly utilizes the 3D effect of the Nintendo 3DS to have it where enemies also reside in the background. They can either launch projectiles at Saizo, which the player can dodge by jumping at the last possible moment, or the ones who battle with melee attacks will push forward from the background to where Saizo is. While the Y button is for attacks to enemies that are on the same plane as him, the X button is used to throw shurikens at foes on the background planes. It's a smart concept that is fully utilized to fantastic effect. Several boss encounters have the boss switch between Saizo's platforming plane and the background, where they launch attacks that cover both planes.

You picked the wrong night of the full moon
to mess with Saizo Kirigakure!

By no means does this background and main ground gameplay require the Nintendo 3DS' 3D slider to be turned up, but it does make approximating the proximity of enemies in relation to Saizo a much easier task.

Each level in Ninja Battle Heroes, whether it's a platforming or boss level, has three optional challenges that can be completed. These range from beating a level within a certain time, getting a certain number of hits in one combo, defeating a number of enemies, among many others. Satisfying the conditions of these challenges unlocks secret skills, one of eight slots to equip said skills, or a healthy heaping of Spirit, which can be used not only as continues when Saizo loses all of his health, but they can also be used to enhance skills and Saizo's attributes.

Defeating enemies?
Yeah, that's the Spirit!

As bosses are defeated and captured members of the Beast Brigade are rescued, each character that rejoins Saizo's side gives him a skill that can be used in the heat of battle by touching one of eight unlockable slots on the bottom screen. These range from restoring his health to elemental attacks that deal the most damage depending on their location. For instance, the Wind summon especially hurts enemies in the background, while the Ice summon damages airborne enemies the most. As stated, these can be strengthened with Spirit in between levels, and they are able to used by gathering Spirit within the levels themselves through holding down the Circle Pad.

Jinpachi Nezu can put foes
into a deep freeze.

While the majority of Ninja Battle Heroes does indeed play well, the game is not without a major fault that rears its nasty head into the picture late-game. Later levels fall into a trap of being a labyrinth of confusing platforms, a myriad of ways to go, with most of these routes leading to annoying dead ends. It says something about the levels in the second half of the game when signs displaying directional arrows were required by the developer to help out players with the absolutely horrid level design these later levels contain. It's a huge drop-off in level quality from what is seen at the beginning of the game.

Ninja Battle Heroes delivers onto players a pleasant presentation. Sprites are wholly 2D and animate wonderfully while levels themselves are made up of 3D polygons and parts. While the music in the game isn't bad per se-- it uses traditional Japanese instruments-- it is replayed so often that it can get exhausting. Essentially the same two themes, one for platforming levels and one for boss levels, are what players get throughout their gameplay experience with Ninja Battle Heroes.

For such a low cost of entry, Ninja Battle Heroes is of exceptional value. The amount of levels and the optional challenges that have players going through the levels in different ways make for a lot of longevity to this game. The interactivity between the foreground and the background is smartly used, and the gameplay is as sharp as Saizo's katana. The later levels do bring down the fun a bit, but overall, Ninja Battle Heroes is a wise investment for any action-platforming fan.

[SPC Says: C+]

Puzzle Monkeys (Wii U eShop) Review

Our first review of this week is a game made by a new independent developer, Log Games. Their first effort is Puzzle Monkeys. While the game leaves a little to be desired, it does make me quite interested in the developer's next projects.

It's hip to be square.

A lot of independent developers seem to have a fixation on two game genres in particular: the platformer and the puzzle game. This is by no means a bad thing, as those two just so happen to be two of three favorite genres of mine. Log Games' freshman effort is a puzzle game highly reminiscent of Dr. Mario in the form of Puzzle Monkeys. For an affordable game with an MSRP of $2.99, you can do a lot worse than Puzzle Monkeys, but at the same time, you can do a lot better as well.

Puzzle Monkeys requires the player to line up three blocks of the same color either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to score points. At the beginning of each game, there is a sprinkling of blocks with monkey faces on them, and the goal is to eliminate all of these through matching them with other similarly colored blocks. When this task is completed, the player moves onto the next level where even more monkey mug-coated blocks need to be destroyed. This process continues until the player reaches the tenth level which serves as a play-till-you-fail-type of experience, where monkey blocks continually push up from the bottom of the screen.

Massive combos feel as good as you'd
expect them to be. (Real good.)

The blocks that fall downward for the player to set on top of the positioned blocks below are 2 x 2 squares. These can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise in midair in order for the player to arrange the block to fall on similarly colored blocks to score points. Eliminating a monkey gives the player 75 points, but the ability to earn ten times that amount is possible, as long as you keep destroying a monkey block with each dropped square. This is how high scores are attained, and thankfully there are online leaderboards to compare your best scores with every other player of the game.

The bright colors can be a pain
on the eyes. (Literally.)

Puzzle Monkeys features two main modes which are appropriately titled Mode A and Mode B. The former has the gameplay features of a typical Tetris/Dr. Mario style game with blocks falling, the player needing to position them on top of other blocks, and matching three-of-a-kind to score points. Meanwhile, Mode B has a series of blocks moving horizontally across the top of the playing field. Tapping the red, blue, yellow, or green buttons on either side of the screen destroys the colored blocks of the same color within the horizontally scrolling blocks at the top. This causes the other blocks to fall onto the playing field, hopefully matching some colored blocks together to eliminate them and score points.

Mode B proves that you need more than
innovation to have a deeply intriguing mode.

Each mode in Puzzle Monkeys features the option to set a starting speed and level for the player. On a purely aesthetic front, players can also select the background and music to play while they match monkeys and score points.

With just two modes in Puzzle Monkeys, repetition and tedium come quite quickly. Mode B isn't even that fun of a mode to begin with, despite being an interesting take on the puzzle formula. This means a player is left with Mode A, and one can only play that mode so much before Puzzle Monkeys just becomes too boring to regularly play. It further damages the game that even though there are online leaderboards to compare scores, there is no way to directly compete with players, as there is no multiplayer to speak of, as baffling as that is.

The presentation of Puzzle Monkeys does not offer much visual variety. If a player loves primary colors, then Puzzle Monkeys will definitely be a feast for their eyes. For everyone else, the bright set of four colors can get very painful to look at after extended periods of play. That said, the backgrounds and music within Puzzle Monkeys are just the opposite. The former is pleasing to look at while the latter sounds great and catchy.

For a first title released by the developer, Log Games' Puzzle Monkeys is serviceable enough for the cost of the game. However, a lack of interesting modes, no multiplayer to speak of, and a very basic presentation throws a monkey wrench into the fun. While Puzzle Monkeys is a competent start for Log Games, I only hope the developer's next title has a lot more depth to it.

[SPC Says: C-]

Review copy provided by Log Games Ltd.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) North American TV Commercial

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a sequel to the Nintendo DS' Kirby Canvas Curse, a game which just so happens to be one of my favorite games the system offered. This Wii U game delivers a glorious clay-mation style to it and multiplayer mayhem. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse releases on February 20 in North America.

Kick & Fennick (Vita) Review

We close out this week at SuperPhillip Central with the fourth review of the month. It's for a game that is free for PlayStation Plus subscribers this month, Kick & Fennick. It also just so happens to be a Vita exclusive. Here's my review.

The whole "Kick" and caboodle   

The following is no advertisement-- just some deserved praise for Sony's PlayStation Plus initiative. It has been a fantastic deal for gamers. Not only is there the ability to back up game saves to the cloud, but each month a flurry of releases are given to subscribers. The majority of these titles are ones that are of high quality, and such a game on the PS+ docket this month is an unconventional platformer called Kick & Finnick. It's such an interesting and quality release that I recommend it even if you have to pay for it for those who aren't PlayStation Plus subscribers. Read on to find out why.

Kick & Fennick starts out with a boy, presumably named Kick, as there is no dialogue to speak of in the game, waking up from inside a pod of sorts. He moves through a derelict facility and ends up meeting a robot also presumably named Fennick. The two hit it off almost immediately, and Kick offers to find his new robotic buddy a new light bulb for the end of its tail. What follows is over forty unique levels spread out among five chapters.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship...

The game is an atypical platformer in that there is no jump button in Kick & Fennick. Instead, within the first level of the game, Kick acquires a special long-barreled gun that he uses to launch himself to higher and further away locations with the weapon's recoil. He can use the recoil to launch himself twice before he has to hit solid ground where the gun will recharge itself instantly. Aiming the gun is done by holding the right analog stick or using the touch screen. The former is the better and more comfortable method, I found.

Jumping isn't useless-- it's just impossible
without the aid of Kick's special gun.

When the gun is aimed, time will temporarily slow down. This is fantastic and extremely necessary for when you're flying in midair and need to make a shift in direction. Many platforming and midair challenges require you to shoot the gun and launch Kick one way and then slow time down, aim the weapon a different angle, and launch our hero a different way. This mechanic lends itself to some very difficult trials for Kick and his gun. Launching himself up in the air and then using the recoil to shoot himself to the right, between two hazardous electrical currents, unscathed is but one of the many challenges Kick and players will have to confront. It only gets more crazy, more fun, and more difficult later on when momentum and the trajectories of Kick's shots are given greater importance.

Between the electrical currents, enemies, and
pits, no one said Kick's journey would be an easy one.

Each time Kick falls into a bottomless pit, gets squashed between two hard surfaces, or finds himself electrified, his pal Fennick is there to bail him out, transporting him to solid ground. However, each time Fennick rescues Kick, a portion of an energy gauge goes down. If it empties completely, you have to start over from the beginning of a given level all over again. Fortunately, Kick can collect Powernodes (the game has no use for a space between "power" and "node") to refill Fennick's energy gauge, allowing you a safety net for future failed jumps and botched aims of Kick's gun.

Getting hit by an enemy (such as one of these)
 also causes the energy gauge to decrease.

Each level in the game has fifty Powernodes which are spread out, sprinkled, and hidden all over for the player to collect. This is purely optional, but in doing so, not only are you extended the longevity of the game, but many Powernodes require skillful play to reach them. It makes the game even more challenging than it already is to find and secure every Powernode in each level and survive.

These Powernodes might be small,
but they definitely are handy, too.

In addition to the fifty Powernodes, each level possesses a Special Gear that is usually placed in a very well hidden area. Regularly seeking out and collecting these unlocks new color schemes for Kick's outfit. Again, like the Powernodes, finding and acquiring these adds replay value, forces you to fully explore levels, and also puts you into more challenging predicaments that you otherwise might miss out on by not searching for them.

These sentry drones must be proud
ganging up on a little boy.

That isn't to say that Kick & Fennick is a game that is a breeze to beat even if you don't go off the beaten path. While the game generally gives a steady difficulty curve, there are some levels that feature obstacles and platforming challenges that come out of nowhere and hit the player hard. This can create some frustration, but these jumps in difficulty are few and far in between, thankfully.

Kick & Fennick's presentation is quite solid. Kick is an endearing character and a lot of that comes from his appealing 3D model. Environments are highly detailed, though some more variety would have been appreciated. A lot of levels take place in and on dilapidated buildings and cityscapes with just the time of day being different. The loading times aren't too bad, but they add up when you miss out on a Powernode and wish to retry the level. Since there is no "restart level" function in the pause menu, you have to back out to the main menu, costing 20-30 seconds of your time each occurrence. In addition to that issue, I have also had Kick & Fennick freeze when loading a level, and also the game simply crashed once while playing.

Later levels throw in bounce pads
and teleportation portals.

Overall, Kick & Fennick is an innovative 2D platformer with a great hook, brilliant level design, and loads of secrets. It's a nice game to just play one or two levels, or just sit down and play an entire chapter. The gun and recoil mechanic is fantastic, offering a fresh take on a tried and true genre. Some levels may become overly frustrating-- especially on the hard difficulty--  and there are some problematic jumps in difficulty here and there, but all in all, Kick & Fennick is an affordable and well-worth-it jump and run.... or is it launch and run? While I figure this question out, you go ahead and download this gem of a PlayStation Vita exclusive.

[SPC Says: B]

Review copy provided by Jaywalkers Interactive.