Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN) Retro Review

How about a retro review for this unplanned throwback kind of Thursday? That's exactly what we're in for together with this retro review of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour from the GameCube generation.

"Fore" score and several birdies ago, Mario and friends 

stepped out on to the tee for a GameCube golf outing.

I can't get enough cartoony arcade-y golf games. Whether it's Hot Shots Golf/Everybody's Golf, PANGYA, or, of course, Mario Golf, nothing gets my love of video game golf going than colorful characters playing on fantastical courses. That's why I couldn't resist going back to the GameCube's Mario Golf title, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. I've pretty much squeezed out all of the goodness of the Switch's Super Rush, the 3DS's exquisite World Tour, and the Nintendo 64 original as well, so it only made sense to move on to the GameCube one, a bit of a game I left to my teenaged years and haven't played in modern times. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is pretty much more of the same from its Nintendo 64 predecessor, adding some new features and unfortunately some bumps in the green as well.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour features a colorful cast of over a dozen Mushroom Kingdom all-stars, each with their own stats, such as maximum drive (how far they can hit the ball) and arc/trajectory of their shots. There are of course your mainstays of the series: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi--of course--but there are also some less traditional picks, such as Koopa Troopa, Birdo, and the first time inclusion to the Mario Golf series of characters such as Diddy Kong and Bowser Jr., the latter of which had just debuted a year or two prior in Super Mario Sunshine. 

Yoshi is but one of the returning playable Mushroom Kingdom characters from the N64 Mario Golf.

Apart from Bowser Jr. who is a secret character, there are three other unlockable golfers as well. These are unlocked through completing specific modes and challenges within Toadstool Tour: whether it's beating all of the side games, achieving a certain amount of Best Badges--obtained by getting a Birdie or better on a given hole--and so forth. In addition to the characters yet to unlock, the base roster can also be upgraded to Star Character level by challenging them to a Character Match, a round of versus golf where the lowest score of each hole wins that hole. The player with the most holes won by the end of the round is the overall victor. Star Characters hit further, hit harder, and are best suited for more seasoned players.

Wario is one mean but decidedly not-so-lean power hitter!

Toadstool Tour contains a wide amount of modes to play through aside from the Character Match. Tournament is the main means of unlocking new courses. You compete against a field of computer opponents to get the best score by the end of the round. The required score to come in first place seldom, if ever, changes, so it's less about "beating the field" and more "beating a certain score". There's also Ring Shot, which pits players against multiple holes across all six courses. The goal here is to hit your shots through all of the rings, and then successfully sink your ball into the hole with par or better. Easier said than done in later stages, as on many occasions you'll be tasked with hitting your shot far out of the safety of fairways and usually into bunkers, rough, and other hazards you'd usually wish to avoid. 

Additionally, Practice Games help hone your golf skills, such as chipping, putting, and approaching. They each come in novice, intermediate, and expert modes. Then, there's the Near-Pin Challenge, taking place on the lone Par 3 short course in the game, Congo Canopy. Here, you're tasked with driving the ball as close to the pin as possible without missing the green. Birdie Challenge is an even more challenging version of this, tasking players with getting consecutive birdies on every hole within this treetop course.

Where Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour really shines mode-wise is in its multiplayer repertoire. For one, up to four players can play together, whether on separate controllers or sharing controllers or a controller. The multiplayer suite of modes includes traditional Stroke, Match, and Skins play that are all no stranger to any golf game worth their downswing, but also two-on-two Doubles play, playing with a randomized and limited amount of clubs in Club Slots mode, the coin-collecting Coin Shoot mode, and myriad more.

Up to four alternating players can take to the links together in one of many multiplayer modes.

Toadstool Tour's tournaments, modes, and matches are played across seven unique 18-hole courses, one of which--the aforementioned Congo Canopy set in DK's Jungle--is the sole Par 3 short course. The initial two courses are pretty much standard fare and could be mistaken for real courses in a traditional golf game for the most part. It's not until you get to the desert ruins and canyons of Shifting Sands, the third course in the game, where things become more exotic and interesting. 

While courses like Cheep Cheep Falls are generally grounded golfing experiences...

It's a big shift from the starting two courses, Lakitu Valley and Cheep Cheep Falls, where fairways are large, greens are gentle, hazards are rare, and the courses are more grounded, to the final two courses of the game: Peach's Castle Grounds and Bowser Badlands, where things go deep off in the realm of the fantastical with full Mario and Mushroom Kingdom theming. I'm talking warp pipes that whisk your ball away closer to (or sometimes even further away from) the hole, Mario enemies like Bob-Ombs, Chain Chomps, and Thwomps, and rivers full of lava in the case of the latter course of Bowser's. These final two courses will put even the most professional Toadstool Tourer through their paces. They are TOUGH.

...You'll soon find that there's fungus among us (and plenty of other surprises) in later courses!

Of course, all the characters, modes, and courses within a golf game would be all for nothing if the actual golfing gameplay wasn't up to... well, par. Fortunately and probably without much in the way of needing to worry about it, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour scores under par here. (For those not too acquainted with golf terminology, that's a good thing.)

From typical golf game aspects like being able to survey and get an overview of the topography and play environment of each hole by moving the camera around--an effortless task--to having a full repertoire of helpful information like wind speed and direction, elevation to the hole, incline, etc., Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour does not leave much out to assist you with taking your best shots possible on the links. 

The traditional three-click gauge from the OG Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64 is here and present, offering a bit of spin on this classic. Starting the gauge is still performed by pressing the A button, but on the second button press--the one to set the power of your shot--you can either opt to press A again or B this time around. If the former is selected, this turns the rest of the current shot into automatic mode, where the accuracy of the shot is determined by the game randomly. If B is pressed, manual mode is selected, allowing players to time the accuracy of their shot, as well as add any topspin or backspin to their shot through combinations of A and then B or vice versa, upon setting the accuracy. Spin in general is a new addition to the Mario Golf series introduced within Toadstool Tour.

Luigi may be beached currently, but he's ready to escape the sand with a well-hit chip shot.

Returning from the past two Mario Golf games is that of being able to determine where you hit the ball, allowing you to arc your shots more carefully, best used when attempting to avoid obstacles like trees. Another aspect from past Mario Golf games: power shots, return as well, allowing harder drives, chips, and more to happen as long as your character has enough of them left to use. With each power shot used that is not given perfect sweet spot timing (i.e. the power bar on the left side and the right side both are not perfectly synced and aligned together), the power shot counter goes down one. 

For all that Toadstool Tour does right in improving upon Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64, it does do some things that are a bit bewildering to the point of me shaking me head. For one, putting is much more challenging than it needs to be, by virtue of the power gauge moving so fast when starting it. This makes short putts harder to manage and sink than one might imagine. Further, the camera angles at times tend to linger on your character awkwardly longer than they otherwise should upon them hitting their shots. In the case of putting, it'd be nice to know where I went wrong with the angle of my putt, but that's too bad because the game opted to focus on my golfer instead for more than necessary. While these issues are more gripes and minor issues than anything else, they do add up overtime and make for a somewhat frustrating experience occasionally.

While medium to long putts aren't too taxing to time the power of, those short, less-than-3-ft. shots can be NASTY!

Now that we've talked in detail about where Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour falters a little bit, let's chat about where the game goes above and beyond--its charm and personality. Everything from character animations, hole out celebrations, and taunts (remember taunts?) to the colorful and vibrant menus chockful of character, there's just so much personality and lovely vibes pulsating throughout this golfing package. I don't think I'm telling tales out of the clubhouse here when I say that Toadstool Tour really makes modern Mario sports games seem sterile by comparison. Meanwhile, Motoi Sakuraba delivers one of his best Mario sports soundtracks with cheerful, chipper music that really gets you in the mood to do some happy-go-lucky golfing with Mario and friends. The voice quips from the Mushroom Kingdom crew delight, and even has some more fully voiced stuff in the hilarious animated intro and surprisingly in the letters that your Character Match opponents send as a means of challenging you to a round.

Bunkers and beaches abound around the Blooper Bay course.

All in all, if Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour was a course like the seven within its game, it wouldn't be without its unsightly divots and scuffmarks on its otherwise smooth fairways and greens. Camera issues and putting woes can make for an aggravating experience at times, but everything else lives up to the good Mario Golf name. The level of character in the game is unmatched in most Mario sports games past and present, the course design is challenging and enjoyable, and overall, the golf gameplay experience is engaging and worthwhile. Even long after unlocking all characters, courses, and modes, I continue to return to the links with Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom crew, as Toadstool Tour definitely endures the test of time, sinking most of its putts to head home with a gold trophy.

[SPC Says: B+]

Top Ten Sky-Themed Areas in Video Games

For this Tuesday, the sky is the limit for this special top ten list. I initially planned for this list around The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's release due to the sky islands that game possesses. Seeing as it's more than year since that time, I think I'm a bit late to the party. Instead, we're just going to talk about some of my favorite sky-themed areas, levels, tracks, places, etc. in video games for no real reason other than why the heck not! After you've checked out my choices for top tier sky areas in gaming, I'd love to read your thoughts on what places that you feel I should give proper props to!

10) Tengu Man's Stage - Mega Man 8 (PS1, SAT)

We begin this journey through the skies and levels adjacent with Tengu Man's Stage from Mega Man 8. Not only is the Robot Master cool in general in his design, but his stage is also rather enjoyable, taking place high up in the air among floating and hovering platforms--the latter of which bob and undulate under the Blue Bomber's weight. The level is so high up in the sky that at one point Mega Man must call upon Rush to stand on and ride via Rush Jet mode, turning Mega Man 8 into a light shoot-em-up as the pair slowly maneuvers through the hull of Tengu Man's aircraft. Pitting Mega Man against wind, an armada of enemies, and gravity itself, Tengu Man's stage is a wonderful one and highlight of Mega Man 8's first four Robot Master levels.

9) Pirate's Isle - Skies of Arcadia (DC)

The opening isle of the overlooked, underrated, and severely needing a modern remaster game, Skies of Arcadia, Pirate's Isle is a quaint and cozy place. However, underneath, buried under the surface in its core rests the home of the secret base and headquarters of the Blue Rogues. Heck, to the unbeknownst (i.e. pretty much everyone outside of the isle), it's known as Windmill Isle. This titular windmill actually powers the underground port where the Blue Rogues' Albatross airship lays. That said, the island's covert nature eventually gets alerted to by the evil Valuan Empire who proceeds to lay siege to it. Upon progression in the game, the protagonists of Skies of Arcadia not only vow revenge but also assist in rebuilding the town. Whether you know it as Pirate's Isle or Windmill Isle, the chill nature of the island at the start of the adventure and the subsequent rebuilding from the ashes later in the game makes it a memorable location to all who have had the privilege to play this underrated Dreamcast gem.

8) Floating Continent - Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

We move from an underrated RPG to one well loved for great reasons: Final Fantasy VI. An insanely cool concept for a dungeon as well as one that is incredibly important to Final Fantasy VI's story as well, the Floating Continent is the final dungeon played during the World of Balance portion of the game. To say that the story takes a notable pivot here would be an understatement. Non-story-related, though, the place is just an awesome dungeon in general, full of powerful enemies to defeat, quite unstable terrain that deforms, shifts, and collapses as Terra's party progresses through it, and mounds that create tunnels which transport players from one area of the island to another. It's not only a cleverly designed, brutal skill check for players, of course, but the Floating Continent serving as the moment where the proverbial sh-t hits the fan makes it one of most memorable in a game full of notable moments.

7) Cloudtop Cruise - Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Take a cruise aboard the clouds in, coincidentally enough, Cloudtop Cruise debuting on the original vanilla Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. As expected, though, with a course from Mario Kart, this won't be any Sunday drive. You have twists, turns, and multiple opponents ready to give you a cruisin' for a bruisin' in the sky. Set on a windy, snaky, fluffy white cloud road that eventually leads to the top of an airship's deck before launching players directly into a thunderstorm, Cloudtop Cruise serves as the starting track of Mario Kart 8's Special Cup. It certainly doesn't ease players into the action, offering quite an amount of turbulence, but also a highly entertaining track, too. In fact, it remains one of my favorites from the base game. For good reason, too, it's just a lot of sky high fun.

6) Skyloft - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

We talked a little bit about quaint and cozy spots and towns with Skies of Arcadia's Pirate's Isle. We move to a place that's even more so those with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Skyloft, the opening area of this early timeline series adventure. For me, Skyward Sword successfully made a stellar sense of space and place with Skyloft, bringing its inhabitants and series of islands set in the sky to life in a way that some previous Zelda games failed to do for me. Many notable locations rest in the rather expansive set of isles that make up Skyloft, including the Bazaar, the Knight Academy, Beedle's Shop, a Waterfall Cave, and the Statue of the Goddess. The people of Skyloft utilize winged bird-like creatures known as Loftwings to travel through the sky and surrounding islands, and they're a major part of the opening of the game. Skyloft is a common place to return to throughout Link's adventure, growing more and more like home with each and every visit.

5) Palace of Winds - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)

It's difficult to mention The Legend of Zelda series without making note of a major element in the games: its dungeons. With dozens upon dozens of dungeons in the series' history, no doubt there have been ones set in the sky. In fact, it was quite a challenge to choose between Twilight Princess' City in the Sky and this selection: the Palace of Winds from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. In the end, what makes the Palace of Winds more memorable and enjoyable for me is multifold. For one, its dungeon item is one of my favorites in any 2D Zelda: the Roc's Cape. It allows Link to leap into the air and glide across gaps and chasms with ease. It makes Link's mobility and where he can go open up immensely. The dungeon itself is one of the final trials within The Minish Cap itself, making for potential brain-stumping puzzles, some of the most difficult enemies in the game, and a multiple tiered structure. It's essentially a two part dungeon with the climax of both being a super exciting boss battle aboard the backs of flying creatures in the sky. All of this makes for a gloriously unforgettable dungeon within this underrated Zelda game.

4) Sky Land - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

Speaking of places in two parts, the fifth world--commemorating the back half of Super Mario Bros. 3--Sky Land is deceivingly small when Mario and/or Luigi first arrive. For one, where's the dang sky? As players find themselves on a map on the ground. It's only until players scale and complete the absolutely tall tower--a bridge between areas, essentially--that they're led into a land above the clouds and the massive amount of more levels to complete! What's even cooler is being on the map and seeing the land on the ground below that players had just finished. Having this latter portion of levels taking place in the sky, no doubt you can imagine myriad moments to fall via large swaths of bottomless pits, enemies like Lakitu and the nightmare-inducing Fire Chomps to contend with, and loads of challenging platforming trials to take on. 

3) Gusty Garden Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

 We're still not quite through with Mario's adventures yet. While his last entry on this list saw him taking to the skies, Super Mario Galaxy's Gusty Garden Galaxy takes him to the outer reaches of space and all the lovely gravity gimmick goodness that goes with it. Filled to the brim with bountiful flowers--some of which can be grabbed and used as a means to gain altitude--beautiful blue skies, and plenty of platforming potential in the form of garden mazes, thorns to evade, Piranha Plants and moles to take on, and one of the coolest challenges--using Ice Mario to wall jump up the faces of waterfalls. Gusty Garden Galaxy is one of my favorite levels in any Mario game. Between the boisterous orchestral, moving melody of the level, to the absolute enjoyable way Mario can move about the level's many planetoids, worms, Wigglers, and vines, Gusty Garden Galaxy never fails to make me smile when I enter into its atmosphere. It always is a level I eagerly anticipate returning to in any repeated Super Mario Galaxy playthrough.

2) Columbia - BioShock Infinite (PS3, 360, PC)

While time hasn't been kind to my thoughts on BioShock Infinite as a game (various reasons there), I cannot say that my opinion of the game's major locale, Columbia, has diminished in any way whatsoever. In fact, it's possibly only increased over time. This essential continent in the clouds contains many sights to see, lavish locales, and is a testament to incredible architecture, chiefly that of Neoclassical works (look at me knowing something small about architecture!). This massive city-state floats in the sky, creating some drop-dead stunning environments practically at every turn. One of the coolest parts of Columbia in a gameplay sense is the ability for the main character to grapple and attach to various overhead rail systems, grinding through the skies from island to island in this open and expansive locale. 

1) Sky Sanctuary Zone - Sonic & Knuckles (GEN)

One of the most memorable and entertaining sky-themed areas and levels in gaming to me is none other than Sky Sanctuary Zone from Sonic & Knuckles. An ancient series of ruins set in the sky, Sky Sanctuary is one of the final zones for Sonic within the game while the final destination for Knuckles during his story. Either way, players will discover riches in platforming goodness as they scale the scared sanctuary to reach the top. For Knuckles, it's to protect the Master Emerald. For Sonic, it's to reach Dr. Robotnik's Death Egg space station before it fully reaches into space. 

In Sonic Generations, Sky Sanctuary is one of the returning zones in the game, featuring multiple paths to take, platforms that wind up and move with Sonic's dash, plenty of perilous opportunities to fall into the bottomless depths below, and bridges that collapse one panel after another upon receiving a step from Sonic. Sky Sanctuary is popular throughout the Sonic series and even some spin-offs as well where it's appeared in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Bring them on, I say, as it's definitely a remarkably cool area to explore, platform, and sometimes race in, whether in 2D or 3D.

Sonic Dream Team (Apple Arcade) Review

Two Mondays in a row with a new review? That must be record, at least post-2021! We return to the review realm and the dreamscape itself with a new entry in the Sonic series: Sonic Dream Team. This game is currently an Apple Arcade exclusive, as of the time of this review. Let's dig in, and hope we don't have to dream on for a better adventure featuring SEGA's Blue Blur.

 Dream a little dream with Sonic and friends

There are some terms that might be complete non-starters or worse, turn-offs for certain sects of the gaming fanbase. For instance, "Apple Arcade-exclusive" and heck, maybe if you're really down on the series, "3D Sonic" as well. Sonic Dream Team fits both of those descriptions rather aptly, being one of those rare high-profile Apple Arcade exclusives that also happens to be a truly stellar 3D Sonic game. 

I don't damn with faint praise either when I say that, as a lot of us know--it's only been repeated ad infinitum, ad nauseum--Sonic hasn't had the best experience in three-dimension realm. Regardless, Sonic Dream Team offers a compelling take on the boost formula that rivals the enjoyment I had with its console big brother, Sonic Frontiers. Perhaps THAT'S damning with faint praise, as Frontiers, while a nice new foundation for the series, was hardly the best interpretation of 3D Sonic for me. 

Sonic Dream Team takes players through four worlds of boost-centric 3D Sonic action. Unlike Sonic Colors or Sonic Generations (the latter of which receives an impressive-looking new edition this fall), Sonic Dream Team's levels are fully 3D. There are no 2D sections to speak of, where the camera switches perspective from 3D to 2D or vice versa. Instead, it's all open goodness for Sonic and friends to trek on, speed through, and for players to hopefully enjoy.

Have rail, will grind!

The level design is all about finding your groove. It's highly satisfying to speed through levels--chaining boosts by collecting energy from defeating Eggman's badniks or picking up stray energy littered along the levels themselves--to go for fast times. Conversely, it's also enjoyable to thoroughly explore levels, searching high and low and in corners and crevices for Red Rings and blue tokens, of which there are five for the former and dozens upon dozens of the latter respectively in each level.

Charging through or otherwise homing attacking to enemies grants
you more energy for even more boosting goodness.

Levels are built with mobile devices and chiefly mobile controls in mind, offering wide platforms for the most part. However, you can also practically connect any game controller under the sun to play, giving you a more traditional console experience with the game. The touch screen controls are serviceable, but I found when trying to do anything requiring speed or a tight time to complete, these were more of a hinderance than anything else. Thus, an additional controller was a requirement for me, essentially.

I've mentioned "Sonic and friends" multiple times throughout this review, and the reason, of course, for that is that Sonic is not the only playable character within Dream Team. While the Blue Blur is the character you start with, as you progress through the game's story, new characters are rescued and join the titular Dream Team. Sonic and Amy serve as the speed characters, with the specialty of a light dash to rush along paths of rings in the air. Meanwhile, Tails and Cream the Rabbit use the power of flight. Finally, Knuckles and Rouge the Bat utilize their gliding and climbing prowess to cross lengthy expanses and scale specially marked red walls. Characters can be switched between on the fly as long as your current character is standing still on solid ground. The only other time this option isn't available is during special acts where a character type is automatically assigned.

Tails and Cream are fantastic flyers, but their flight time is limited, of course.

These aforementioned special acts are basically miniature, obstacle-laden levels that are usually linear in nature, unless you're tasked with tracking down five shards. Then, these levels are a bit more open in design. Either way, you have an assigned character class to use to clear them. Unlike the standard levels, these are very short experiences, but they are much greater in number.

Aside from the more explorable main acts and the multiple miniature-sized acts that Sonic Dream Team contains, each of the four worlds or zones in the game conclude with a boss encounter. These, too, stick you with a character class and have you battle a big boss in a multi-phase fight. From a giant inflatable crab that you burst for massive damage (that reference NEVER gets old...) to an Eggman mining robot split up into four parts that transforms into a massive robot close to the fight's finale, these encounters are rather spirited, albeit relatively easy to beat.

Bust this crabby boss balloon's claws to deflate its ego (and its ability to appear anywhere near as menacing!)

Thus, each zone in Sonic Dream Team features three main levels, about a handful of sub-levels, and a boss encounter to wrap it all up. Team Sonic's adventure in the dreamscape sees them speed through a colorful, vibrant world with inflatable foliage and tropical beach environment, a factory filled with lava and manufacturing equipment, a maze of platforms of varying gravity in a nightmare-style space, and a city that's basically an ode to Eggman himself, complete with the villain uttering lines over the loudspeaker in a semi-regular fashion. 

A recent update added a fifth zone, Sweet Dreams, completely separate from the Sonic Dream Team story, which features difficult checkpoint-free levels. Additionally, ranks were introduced as well, offering S ranks for quick completions of acts. These are truly tricky to achieve.

As for the story of Sonic Dream Team, it features Cream being abducted by Eggman, the latter of which is using an omnipotent Dream Machine to attempt to make his dreams--or rather nightmares for everyone else--come true. A mystic being in charge of protecting the dreamscape, the cleverly named Ariem, does her best to hold off Eggman's attempts, but brings Sonic and his other friends into the dream world to assist their friend and Ariem's struggle against Eggman as well. The story is told through still-frame cutscenes as opposed to something in real time, giving it and the overall game package a decidedly budget feel. 

However, what doesn't feel so budget is how well Sonic Dream Team plays. It somehow feels more authentic to the Sonic series than Sonic Frontiers, with the now-standard "gotta go fast" gameplay that puts into a groove that feels great. Its levels are ones that are crisp, colorful, and cartoony. (Nor is there a tremendous amount of rails and other objects popping into the environment from out of nowhere, but I'll digress now as I'm sort of bullying Frontiers by now. My apologies!) 

Knuckles isn't here to chuckle; he's here to flex his muscles.

Perhaps the weakest link in Sonic Dream Team is with regard to its music, featuring nothing too memorable musically or melodically. For a series with such constant bangers, it's a bit of a letdown, even knowing Sonic Team didn't directly develop the game (SEGA Hardlight did). That said, it's hard to find too much fault with the music. It's serviceable, pleasant enough, and never distracting.

Amy Rose may not have the natural power of flight like Tails or Cream,
but she's gaining lots of height here all the same!

Sonic Dream Team is one of those games that most likely (and perhaps SHOULD) make non-Apple Arcade subscribers or those without a device upon which to play the game a bit envious. To say folks are currently missing out on one of my favorite 3D Sonic experiences would be a bit of an understatement. That said, I also don't wish for this game to languish in perpetuity on a subscription-based digital service. The more people that get to enjoy this game, the better, so throw in my attempt to not be a pathetic beggar for console ports, but yeah, SEGA, please. Between the satisfying ways to link Sonic and friends' movements together through the well designed and well realized levels, to the sensationally fun feel of the game itself, Sonic Dream Team plays and handles like a--well... dream!

[SPC Says: A-]

Penny's Big Breakaway (Multi) Review

What is this?! A WRITTEN review without a video component?! On SuperPhillip Central?! In 2024?! In THIS econom--okay, enough of drawing out the bit here. It seems I rarely write anything new, but this week is the anniversary week of SuperPhillip Central. In fact, we went live on June 5th, 2008! Wow!

Regardless, I wanted to at least ring in this anniversary with some new written content for those of you who still stop by this blog. Partly as a means to prove to myself I still got this "game writing" thing (heh), and also partly because to thank everyone for continuing to stop by this site, whether you've been here since day one or somewhere along the way.

At any rate, my first piece this week is a review for Penny's Big Breakaway. As some of you may know, my favorite genre is the platformer, and I LOVE a 3D platformer, as well! How does Penny's adventure fare and compare to other linear platformers? Let's discover that answer for ourselves with the SuperPhillip Central review of Penny's Big Breakaway!

A Penny for Phil's Thoughts on Her Big Breakaway

Since helping to make and develop the extraordinary Sonic Mania with Sonic Team, my eyes have been closely watching development studio Evening Star for any signs of activity. When its new game was announced in a Nintendo Direct, and a 3D platformer at that--something we don't get TOO much of nowadays--I literally squealed with delight. And if you know my voice and self, that does NOT create that great of a visual image! 

Regardless, Penny's Big Breakaway is the game, and a 3D platformer of any size for any developer is itself a big undertaking. This game designed around a yo-yo for most of its mechanics makes for a solid experience overall, but it doesn't quite make the trip "around the world" without some mistakes.

Penny is a prospective performer wishing audition to tag along Emperor Eddie at the Gala located at the cleverly named Eddietorium. What is her specialty? Yo-yo tricks, of course! Along the way to her audition, she encounters a Cosmic String which attaches to her yo-yo, giving her amazing abilities, such as cutting in line ahead of hundreds of other auditioners and utterly wowing Emperor Eddie in the process. However, the yo-yo, enriched with the Cosmic String, takes on a personality of its own, going wild and wacky and ripping a hole through Emperor Eddie's clothes. Penny is blamed for the incident, and what started as an audition turns into a chase for her freedom as the Emperor calls forth his entire penguin army to pursue her. 

The story of Penny's Big Breakaway is cute and the cutscenes charming. Everything from the dialogue to the character designs and names are flush with personality. Although most of the characters are one-off and not quite recurring, they did leave a positive impression on me. 

Penny's Big Breakaway isn't a sprawling collect-a-thon platformer by way of Mario or Banjo-Kazooie. Instead, its greatest inspiration would be closer to that of Sonic the Hedgehog games--which of course makes absolute sense considering the dev team started out making Sonic fan games. While Penny's adventure is 3D, the gameplay is more akin to Sonic's 2D titles, where momentum is needed to keep speed going to conversely keep one's combo going. That said, points and such are mostly to show off, though high scores will bestow trickster players snippets of art in a gallery to view.

Forget a combo mambo, just practice getting into the general rhythm
and swing of things your first run through the game.

Starting off in Penny's adventure, I struggled immensely with the controls. You can utilize either the right stick or the face buttons for various yo-yo tricks and maneuvers. I ended up going for a meeting in the middle, using the face buttons for the trickier techniques while using the right analog stick when I wanted to grab something in a specific direction, attack an enemy, or spin the yo-yo around in a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion.

A little bit of razzle and dazzle while we enter Swing-Around Fun Town!

Chaining tricks together elegantly makes for an effective way to get around the game's levels. Penny can throw her yo-yo forward to gain a quick boost in that direction, flip in the air with a double jump (this also serves as a wall jump when near, well, a wall), and she can even hold the button to throw her yo-yo to keep it held out. This essentially gives her a perpetual swing in midair over the same area. Further, Penny can also ride her yo-yo--a fantastic move for rolling down hills, boosting off ramps, and keeping a combo going as well. 

Swing low, sweet Yo-Yo, coming for to carry Penny all around and across levels.

Using these techniques together can be used like so--Penny launches herself forward with her yo-yo to give herself some momentum, which allows her to ride it a vast distance, before leaping up and over a chasm by swinging in place with the yo-yo, and then carefully landing on a narrow platform by double jumping to it. 

While at the beginning of the average player's time with Penny's Big Breakaway, this kind of gameplay scenario will very much be a pipe dream--or yo-yo dream, I guess in this case. It takes some practice to get the mechanics down precisely. Really, my first playthrough of the game was more of a practice run to explore the levels, get my bearings, and then when I beat the game, I returned to past levels and started really doing all the--if I do say so myself--impressive chaining of tricky yo-yo techniques together to speed through levels. 

Penny's Yo-Yo has more than just acrobatic tricks to it!
It can also grab on to handles and more to get the job done.

Of course, that said, speeding through levels is something that is an option to do, for sure, and while these levels are relatively linear, they also feature plenty of activities in them. Chiefly, there are three Show Pieces in each level--collectibles that are used to unlock challenge levels--and Denizen Dilemmas, which spice up the gameplay considerably. These dilemmas put players into assisting various NPCs with their trials and tribulations, usually something like collecting a certain number of items with or without a time limit, with or without taking damage, and so forth. 

As for damage, there are lots of means for Penny to be harmed. The life of a performer being pursued by penguins isn't an easy one! Obviously, there's Emperor Eddie's penguin army, which will latch on to Penny if they get close to her, requiring her to perform yo-yo tricks to shake the pesky penguins off of her. If five or more penguins latch on at the same time, it's game over. 

Penguins in close pursuit? You better run, girl!

Additionally, each level has tricks, traps, and hazards to watch out for, including chasms, bodies of water, spikes, lava floes, platforms that break upon standing on them, crushing blocks, and so many more. As is pretty much standard for any 3D platformer worth its jumping height, each world within Penny's Big Breakaway--of which there are eleven--has its own theme and locale. From Tideswell's serene beaches and deep orangish-red waters to Moltebene's fiery waves of lava and cooking vessels strewn about, Penny will venture far and wide, up and over, over and out, outside and inside, and all over the place to avoid Eddie's armada of penguins and to help clear her name!

Careful around that lava, Penny--you don't want your goose (or anything else) cooked!

Penny's health is represented by four bars of Gusto goodness. Popsicles refill one bar of Gusto apiece, and they're quite common especially in more challenging sections of levels. Checkpoints are relatively commonplace, though it's always frustrating to fail with a checkpoint in sight and be forced to do a somewhat arduous section of level all over again because of a dumb mistake. Especially so if it's because poor Penny fell through the floor, clipped through geometry, "killed by the camera", or any other less than polished gameplay reason, which sadly happened often than I would have liked. That said, and fortunately so, collectibles and activities like Show Pieces and Denizen Dilemmas you've gathered and finished prior to dying before a checkpoint remain collected and completed as long as you finish the level. That saved lots of aggravation, most certainly!

Riding on her Yo-Yo can see Penny dash across the face of bodies of water with ease.

While levels are enjoyable and filled with copious split paths--usually like Sonic where the high path is more difficult but faster to stay on, while the low path is safer but slower--the boss encounters are less so. These are what I would consider as the sum of their parts the weak link of Penny's Big Breakaway's yo-yo chain. Some are a little frustrating, some present the game's lack of polish in full display, while others are just not much to write home about. The best thing I can say about them is twofold: 1) They try some interesting things at times, and 2) They can usually be completed quickly.

Penny's Big Breakaway recently received a performance patch for the Nintendo Switch version, bringing a performance mode, offering an optional 60 FPS mode for players. On PlayStation 5 and other platforms, the game runs at that FPS as the standard as opposed to the Switch's 30 FPS. If you're like me and don't really notice that (if only because of my smaller TV--sad face), it won't matter too much. Regardless of the version played, you'll get a colorful, vibrant art style that looks pleasant and animates beautifully. Meanwhile, on the audio side of things, we get another glorious Tee Lopes soundtrack who teamed up with Sean Bialo for the music for this game. It's suitably catchy, wonderful--I bought the soundtrack on iTunes the day it officially released--that says it all, really. It's another winner.

While the lack of polish and the steep learning curve, ironically somewhat similar to actually learning how to use a yo-yo in real life, can betray some the game's otherwise stellar entertainment value, Penny's Big Breakaway brought me lots of joy playing through it. Don't be ashamed if your first playthrough is that of a practice run than a dedicated Tony Hawk's Pro Yo-Yo'er affair. That said, if you're the type who is a one-and-done kind of player with your games, then you might just find yourself frustrated and flummoxed with the main mechanic and won't get to enjoy learning it fully. That's not necessarily the "wrong" way to go about playing Penny's Big Breakaway, but you will miss out so be forewarned there. For everyone else, especially 3D platformer fans, you'll yo-yo between a super satisfying momentum-based platformer and a game that can really grind your gears with its issues. More the former than the latter, though!

[SPC Says: B-]

SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2023 - The Ten Best Game Soundtracks of 2023

Oh, hey there! Been awhile, huh? You think I'd be better about providing for you, the reader, better on this blog of mine! After all, what kind of writer throws some scraps in the way of a mall level list, and then goes AWOL for another three months!? Well, that certainly sounds like your pal Phil here... Ahem.

Regardless, it's 2024! First and foremost, sending everyone positive wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. Here's hoping your 2024 is a fantastic one for you all. With a new year comes new opportunities--as well as resolutions. For instance, "how about posting more on SuperPhillip Central, Phil?" While I can't promise the world here, it's a goal of mine I'd like to accomplish, in all truthfulness. 

Let's begin with a subject that is near and dear to my heart: that of game soundtracks. 2023 was an incredible year for games. Note: I'm talking about video games released, not so much the industry itself, which continues to see disappointing and depressing layoffs for its employees who put forth incredible work, time, and effort to make the games we enjoy. (Not to sour or spoil the mood here, of course.)

At any rate, it feels like a good time to dust off "SuperPhillip Central's Best of" end-of-year series of articles that I used to enjoy doing, and retool them for the year that was 2023. Rather than doing several top fives for various categories and a final top ten list, I'm doing something different this year--Not just for my workload's sake, but also to mix things up. (I love keeping readers on their figurative toes, after all!)

This year we're going to start SuperPhillip Central's Best of 2023 with a look (and listen) to my ten favorite game soundtracks of the past year. These are listed in alphabetical order with the name of the game (that's obvious enough), the composer or composing team behind the soundtrack, as well as three sample tracks picked directly off of YouTube for your listening pleasure and perusal. I hope you'll enjoy this musical journey through the year that was 2023 that we're about to go on together. 

Of course, I'd love to hear your picks for favorite game soundtracks from the past year as well, so please feel free to share your selections (and even soundtrack samples) in the comments.

Disney Illusion Island (NSW)

Composer: David Housden

Sample Tracks: 

Illusion Island 

Downtown Gizmopolis 

The PostOfficer

Let's begin our tour of some fantastic favorite 2023 game soundtracks of mine with an often overlooked game both generally and musically, too. Released over the summer of 2023 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, Disney Illusion Island essentially presented itself as a beginner's Metroidvania, readily accessible and suitable for all ages. Fun? Yes. Musically captivating? Yes, as well. Composer David Housden delivered a superbly composed soundtrack full of perky, happy, and peppy orchestral arrangements. The main theme, Illusion Island, presents players and listeners with an introduction to just the kind of spirited adventure they can expect with the game proper.

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)

Composers: Masayoshi Soken, Takafumi Imamura, Daiki Ishikawa, Saya Yasaki, Justin Frieden

Sample Tracks:

Title Screen

The Grand Duchy of Rosaria

No Risk, No Reward

Say what one will about Final Fantasy XVI itself--whether that is its disregard for traditional RPG gameplay for a more action game-oriented feel, a dramatically dark and rather generic medieval world, or its lack of compelling side quests (I'm cutting into the game too much here, and I apologize)--but there can be no mistake that XVI's soundtrack in every facet is masterfully written. Helmed by Masayoshi Soken with support by Takafumi Imamura, Daiki Ishikawa, Saya Yasaki, et. al, Final Fantasy XVI's music harks back to compositions by the great Nobuo Uematsu himself. That's certainly some of the highest praise I can give, and it's wholeheartedly given, too. The latest mainline Final Fantasy delivers music for all moods, and it accentuates the action, melodramatic moments, emotional happenings, and more quite fantastically. 

Fire Emblem Engage (NSW)

Composers: Yasuhisa Baba, Kazuki Komai, Hiroki Morishita, Takeru Kanazaki, Fumihiro Isobe, Takafumi Wada

Sample Tracks:

Engage (Main Theme)

Your Journey

Faraway Holy Land (Flare)

Another RPG--though of a different type, of course--that received quite a divisive opinion from both fans and critics alike, Fire Emblem Engage may have delighted and disappointed many, but the soundtrack of this series continues to impress and, well, engage listeners (I HAD to say it). It's no different with Fire Emblem Engage, offering sublime songs, action-packed, rocking melodies, subtle and somber tunes, and a magnificent mix of music for all moods. The main theme is used as a leitmotif throughout a number of pieces in the game's soundtrack, much like Three Houses utilized the same trick before it. It's a good trick, too, as it only heightens the pieces that it's reused and refurbished in, while also providing plenty of original songs to suit any vibe you're looking--or in this case, listening--for.

Hi-Fi Rush (XBS, PC)

Composers: Shuichi Kobori, Reo Uratani, Masatoshi Yanagi

Sample Tracks:

Production Destruction

Through the Halls of History

Surfacing

While Hi-Fi Rush certainly has myriad licensed songs used to brilliant effect, with my pick for the game here, we're focused solely on the original songs composed and performed for this superb, shadow-dropped game of early 2023. Those within the Xbox ecosystem certainly got a glorious gift in gameplay, presentation, and--as it's relevant for us right now--musically as well. Hi-Fi Rush absolutely rocks with high-adrenaline, groove-driven music, perfect for taking out enemies and baddies in beat with the rhythm. Full of awesome anthems, rocking instrumental songs, vocal delights, and supremely catchy ditties as well, there's no limit to how well the crew behind Hi-Fi Rush blended the music with the action on screen so mightily. 

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails (NSW, PS4, PC)

Composers: Hayato Sonoda, Takahiro Unisuga, Saki Momiyama

Sample Tracks:

To the Undiscovered World

Temple of the Continent

Illusions on Ice

Although The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails previously released on the PlayStation Portable back in the early 2010s, it never saw our shores or sides of the world. In fact, the recent fall port on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC gave Western gamers our first officially localized version of the game. And, thankfully, the wait was most certainly worth it. Not just for the addicting action and stage-based RPG goodness, but for the subject at hand of this article, a stellar soundtrack worthy of the Falcom Sound Team name. With The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, you get everything from casual, chill themes, pulse-pounding action tunes, and also catchy songs to accompany you during dungeons and stages. The Falcom Sound Team continues to make some of the most stunning, impressive game music out there, and have done so for decades. This tradition definitely continues with The Legend of Nayuta.

Octopath Traveler II (NSW, PS5, PS4, PC)

Composer: Yasunori Nishiki

Sample Tracks:

Main Theme (Day)

Ochette, the Hunter

Partitio, the Merchant

The original Octopath Traveler is a game that I've not played, but I loved its soundtrack to bits. It invoked so many positive feelings, so much admiration, and left a strong impression on me, even without fully knowing the context behind many of the tracks and themes I listened to. That's no easy feat for a game soundtrack to perform for this tough critic, but Yasunori Nishiki was up to that challenge. (Although, to be fair, Nishiki-san probably didn't know he was taking on that challenge to begin with!) Regardless, Octopath Traveler II continues where the original game's soundtrack left off, creating more marvelous and magnificent music that tugs on the heartstrings, gives goosebumps, and takes an emotional toll on its listeners, in and out of the game. Maybe I'm speaking for myself here, but that's most definitely what it did for me. Again, no easy feat! As expected, each track takes its listener on an adventure, much like the adventure our eight heroes go on throughout the game. Although this is an adventure of the musical variety, it's one that has the same emotional highs and lows that makes a stellar soundtrack.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R (NSW, PS5, PC)

Composer: Motoi Sakuraba

Sample Tracks:

The venerable forest

Field of Exper

Shower of blossoms

The following two soundtracks are not only returning favorites of mine redone and remade for a new generation, but they also come from two veterans in the game music biz. Our first stop is to the great sea of stars. No, no. Not THAT one. I'm talking about Star Ocean: The Second Story, namely its remake released this past November, Star Ocean: The Second Story R. Everything received a facelift and improvement in this remake--from the graphics, to the lighting, to the camera angles, to the battle system, and of course, our focus currently, the soundtrack. I was skeptical about how much I'd enjoy this remake's remade renditions of a soundtrack I already thought was next to perfect with its warm synths giving me such nostalgic feelings. However, Motoi Sakuraba took his famed compositions from the original Second Story and made them even more impressive. Field of Exper, the world map theme of the game, gave me chills upon hearing it for the first time with its goosebump-inducing choir. Each song is lovingly remade to make for a whole new listening experience, and one I absolutely adore.

Super Mario RPG (NSW)

Composer: Yoko Shimomura

Sample Tracks:

Still, the Road is Full of Dangers

Forest Maze

Nimbus Land (Let's Do the Fooka Fooka!)

Speaking of veteran composers and classic games remade, we have Super Mario RPG, which was like a dream come true. It was a game that most figured would never, ever get a remake, and lo and behold, the magical deed was done to most everyone's delight. Super Mario RPG brought a beautiful new coat of paint to the Super Nintendo classic in terms of graphics, and in terms of audio, it brought the wonderful works of Yoko Shimomura and turned them into musical near-perfection. Heck, maybe we can strike out the word "near" and just call it perfection! Is that too much? Either way, hearing familiar tunes that I loved during my childhood get remade with gorgeous instrumentation in glorious new arrangements made the kid in me beam from ear to ear upon hearing each theme reimagined. Yoko Shimomura is one of gaming's greatest gifts to music, and Super Mario RPG's remake is strong evidence of that.

Tchia (PS5, PS4, PC)

Composer: John Robert Matz

Sample Tracks:

Main Theme

The Sea Race

The World

Another soundtrack that came out of nowhere for me, Tchia was an early 2023 release (a PlayStation Plus title, if memory serves correctly) that I dabbled with playing as the premise looked fun and the art style seemed charming enough. What I got was not only a thrilling and cozy adventure, but it was accented by an absolutely astounding soundtrack. Whether it's the folksy island vocal themes, the catchy tropical beats and melodies, or the main theme that serves as a leitmotif throughout many of the game's tunes, Tchia offers a breathtaking world and an equally breathtaking musical package. Most of it will easily put a smile on your face listening to its lovely vibes, and for me, that's after multiple repeated (and I DO mean repeated) listens.

Trinity Trigger (NSW, PS5, PS4, PC)

Composer: Hiroki Kikuta

Sample Tracks:

Nome della Rosa

Cathedral

Unsteady Love

Although Trinity Trigger received a staggered release (it originally launched in Japan in 2022), North American and Europe only got the game just last year in 2023. Thus, I'm counting it as a 2023 release. (But really, it's 2024 now, can we stop with the staggered releases if at all possible, please?) At any rate, Hiroki Kikuta composed Trinity Trigger's soundtrack, and if that name is at all familiar, he was the composer behind various games in the Mana series, particularly Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. His same signature style and touch is present and accounted for in Trinity Trigger's soundtrack. Now, don't get me wrong--that doesn't mean you won't be surprised or impressed by the music in this game. Far from that! While you may get some familiar vibes from Trinity Trigger, the music itself offers a blend of cozy town themes, mystical dungeon tracks, and adrenaline-inducing battle themes worthy of cementing Trinity Trigger as a top ten game soundtrack of mine for 2023.

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I hope this was an enjoyable read through some of my favorite game soundtracks of the past year. If you have any soundtracks from 2023 that you'd love to share, please post them in the comments for me and others to admire and enjoy!