Star Wars: Demolition (PS1, DC) Retro Review

With several Star Wars-related announcements happening this past week, I decided to finally dive in to my backlog and try out a Star Wars game of a unique type, to say the least--a vehicular combat game in the vein of Twisted Metal and Vigilante 8. It's Star Wars: Demolition, and here is the SuperPhillip Central retro review!

Car Wars

Much like the Star Wars movies and television projects have varying levels of success and quality to them, the games, too, also delve into various degrees of success and quality, too, all within the galaxy far, far away. And much like any long-standing, running franchise, Star Wars as a series dabbled and continues to dabble in a wide range of game genres and types. It's especially interesting when the games go out of the norm of what you'd expect from the Star Wars franchise. 

Take Star Wars: Demolition, for example. The game was developed by the team behind the Vigilante 8 series of car combat/destruction games, and much like that series, Demolition features the same gameplay style. It's essentially a Star Wars take on Twisted Metal, which was pretty popular on PlayStation back in the day, and has since seen a resurgence in interest due to the Peacock "Twisted Metal" show.

Battles in Star Wars: Demolition are mighty intense at times!

The gist of Star Wars: Demolition is that Jabba the Hutt has created a twisted game of sorts where various outlaws and characters throughout the galaxy see themselves thrust into vehicular combat in one of eight arenas across the galaxy. There's Tattooine's Mos Eisley, as well as another level on the planet featuring the infamous Sarlacc Pit from Return of the Jedi. You can even throw other competitors into said pit with some spirited maneuvering. There's the icy planet Hoth, the swampy marshes of Dagobah, the multilevel Cloud City, and the capital city of Naboo. The original trilogy and the then-recent prequel movie are well represented here. 

Hoth features mostly wide open, icy expanses with turrets, AT-ATs, and snowy slopes to take cover behind.

Arenas in general are relatively open. There are plenty of places to move around, though I did notice moments where I felt I got stuck unfairly on the scenery, making myself quite vulnerable to attacks from that result. They feature opportune locations for staging intense fights, spots where you can teleport in between to get out of a dangerous jam in a jiffy, and methods to duck around cover to avoid attacks.

There are nearly a dozen characters to choose from in Star Wars: Demolition, each possessing their own vehicle with their own stats in three categories: armor, speed, and charged attack power. From Wade Vox and his Landspeeder, General Otto and his AT-ST, and even Boba Fett in tiny jetpack form, each character feels different and contains unique abilities and weaponry.

Each character's vehicle has two attack types: there's a weapon that is exclusive to them and one that is loaded onto their vehicle. The former is used with R2 while the latter type is utilized with L2. For instance, Aurra Sing uses a sniper rifle with virtually unlimited range from her Custom Swoop to shoot foes from afar. This bullet can also bounce between baddies. Whereas the Wookie Quagga's Episode I Battle Tank, the AAT's Tank Cannon is a massive blast that will assist in bringing down even the biggest of opponents. Meanwhile, some character/vehicle-exclusive weapons like Tia and Ghia's Snowspeeder-exclusive tow cable really have limited utility. It's great for tethering opponents and dragging them around, perhaps even into Tattooine Dunes' Sarlacc Pit, but beyond that, it's quite useless, really. 

That giant blast will give this Wookie's opponent a major Naboo-boo!

Within skirmishes themselves, players have three colored meters to keep an eye on. There's the red weapon energy gauge, which depletes with each shot, whether with primary or secondary weapon use, that when fully depleted means that that vehicle cannot use their weapons. Either going to a red zone on the map where weapon energy can be replenished, picking up a red weapon from a destroyed roaming droid on the map, or biding one's time to have it sloooooooowly fill back up is what will refill it. There's also a blue (shields) energy gauge and once a vehicle's shields are totally gone, they'll have to worry about their green gauge, which is their health. Once the latter is depleted fully, it's demolition time.

Holding down the L2 (for picked-up weapon types like concussion missiles, proton torpedoes, and thermal detonators, for instance) or the R2 (for a vehicle's primary weapon) will charge a given weapon to bring a bigger bang to an opponent if that attacks hits. Still, even charging your weapons will deplete your red weapons energy in a faster fashion. Fully holding down the R2 trigger to four complete levels of energy is how you use that character and vehicle combo's exclusive weapon. Combining the L2 and R2 triggers together and successfully striking an opponent is also how you get Force Hits, which are important for gaining credits in the Tournament and High Stakes modes--more on those modes shortly--and also how you can provide a super-impressive (and demoralizing for the player on the receiving end) fatal blow to a demolished vehicle.

The vehicle types each feel and look unique. What else can you say when your opponent is riding a Rancor!

Outside of setting up battles, Star Wars: Demolition features a relatively small range of modes. The main one which is where solo players will spend the most time in to unlock characters in is Tournament mode. This is a set of four battles in four different planets, the order and opponents depends on the character chosen. It pits you against one other opponent to begin, then the next battle includes an additional opponent, until the final, fourth battle where the maximum amount of competitors await. 

Through personally destroying and demolishing opponents, defeating them with final blows, and getting a high Force Hit multiplier, you'll get awarded with more credits. Credits are important because not only can you spend them when you're in red and blue zones in maps to replenish weapon energy and shields respectively, but if you earn 10,000 or more credits by a single Tournament run's conclusion with a specific character, you'll be one step one closer to unlocking new characters/vehicles to play as, including the ultimate unlockable: the villainous Darth Maul from Episode I, whose awesome special weapon pulls out his trademark double-edged red lightsaber to deliver damage to other opponents in an up, close, and personal manner.

Darth Maul takes to the desert with his double-edged lightsaber!

Other modes in Star Wars: Demolition include High Stakes, where you bet credits for your victory. Losing means you walk away from whatever your bet was, but winning, especially against a tougher CPU player, means you are rewarded with a copious amount of credits for your victory. There is also a Droid-destroying mode separate from every other mode, where the goal is to hunt down roving Droids by either ramming into them or shooting them from afar and getting a high score within a three-minute time period. 

Star Wars: Demolition plays well enough, though its visuals are severely limited by draw distance from the PS1 with textures not really rendering until you get close enough to the environment. This is especially noticeable in the Naboo arena where steps simply look like ramps from far away, and only start resembling steps when you're practically on top of them. Vehicles look great, however, and the level of destruction that is on display as they deteriorate from damage is really impressive for a game from 2000 and on the PS1, too. Sound-wise, the music is appropriately action-packed and the character voice acting with the spoken one-liners in and out of battle are well done, also. The animated rendered cutscenes that play as rewards for either winning or losing Tournament mode are a nice little prize and little time capsule of the era.

What's Yavin IV? Why, it's for vehicular combat nowadays! (Thank you, I'll be here all week.)

If you're looking for a competent and capable Twisted Metal clone that takes place in a galaxy far, far away, you could do much worse than Star Wars: Demolition. For instance, you could play absolutely nothing, as that's pretty much you're only alternative as this was the only Twisted Metal-style Star Wars game that I know of! You'd be worse off, I'd argue, because Demolition is rather good. It won't take you that long to see every piece of content, play every mode, battle in every arena, unlock every character, and such (so a full-priced purchase back in the day would have been gut-wrenching for me), but the ride there is indeed enjoyable. With it being a cheap purchase and accessible via PlayStation 5 and 4 as part of PlayStation's Classics line, there's no real adverse risk in trying this game out. You'll most certainly like it, especially if you have either a fondness for Star Wars, a love for Twisted Metal, or a combo of both. Just mind the corners and don't get demolished yourself!

[SPC Says: C+]

Goof Troop (SNES) Retro Review

While not the first review I had in mind for my return at SuperPhillip Central for 2025, Goof Troop ended up being an enjoyable romp once I finally knocked it out of my backlog. Let's quantify just how MUCH of an enjoyable romp it was with my retro review of the Super Nintendo's Goof Troop.

"A Goofy Game"

This past week saw the 30th anniversary of "A Goofy Movie", so I opted to dive back into the past and play a game sitting in my Super Nintendo backlog for decades now: Goof Troop. Interestingly enough, Goof Trip on the SNES was one of Shinji Mikami's (of Resident Evil fame, and many other Capcom classics) first projects. While it's a short experience, either alone or with a co-op buddy, Goof Troop is also quite a sweet one, too. Let's dig in because good GWARSH, is this game worth looking at!

Goof Troop's story is simple, and like the adventure itself, short and sweet. Spending a lovely afternoon fishing off the coast of Spoonerville, Goofy and his son Max spot a pirate ship of all things sailing towards them. Upon closer inspection, Goofy and Max spot their neighbors Pete and his son PJ aboard the ship. It's a regular pirate kidnapping! (Well, as regular as that is in Spoonerville, at least!) Goofy and Max hightail it into a small boat and paddle for all they're worth to catch up, but it's for naught. They arrive at an island where the pirate ship has docked, and now the search for their fellow neighbors and friends is underway!

Once the simple slideshow series of scenes with text is finished, the game proper begins and it wastes no time getting you into the action. I was immediately reminded of a cross between Nintendo's fabled The Legend of Zelda series and the oft-overlooked Shigeru Miyamoto Game Boy masterpiece Mole Mania of all games in what Goof Troop was reminiscent of gameplay-wise. You move in between different screen-wide rooms in a top-down perspective, defeating enemies in indirect ways, solving puzzles, collecting keys, and making your way to the boss of each of the game's five levels.

Everything in Goof Troop is better with a buddy, but solo play is enjoyable too!

Goof Troop features indirect combat, with Goofy and Max picking up objects like planters, vases, and barrels, for instance, and using those to chuck at foes to defeat them. Alternately, blocks can be kicked, sliding across the ground to slam into unsuspecting enemies in their path. This is also used for various block-sliding puzzles, too, which are a nice reprieve from the action.

There's no water in sight, but this particular pirate just walked the figurative plank anyway!

Of course, aiming is important when chucking objects, and evading foes' advances is paramount, too, as either protagonist only has a set amount of health in the form of hearts and lives to utilize. However, copious amounts of fruit not only add hearts to their overall health, but if you get over six hearts, your character earns an extra life. Pink diamonds flat out bestow an extra life, whereas rare white gems reward Goofy and Max with an extra continue, if all their lives get spent. 

One aspect of Goof Troop's health and lives system that I liked and disliked was rationing hearts. What I mean by this is that as stated, getting more than six hearts on health from picking up fruit means, yes, you do get an extra life, but your health goes back to zero hearts. Meaning that if you take damage afterwards, you immediately lose that life you just earned. This is fine while exploring levels, but in practice with bosses, dying means you come back with zero hearts, which means you're a one-hit wonder and death comes quickly, making it quite easy to fly through lives while battling bosses. 

Regardless, those aforementioned white diamonds handing out continues and a password system where you input five objects (diamonds, bananas, cherries, etc.) to return back to the stage you last left off at makes for a lack of headaches entirely. Plus, as mentioned previously, the game isn't a lengthy endeavor whatsoever--offering five stages that will take most players less than two hours to run through.

This room requires Goofy and Max to press down all four buttons in each corner of the room.
Time to put your thinking caps on and sliding-block-puzzle mastery to the test, friends!

Goof Troop can either be played alone or with a second player in some very fun co-op action. The former features the ability to play either as Goofy or Max, and the difference between the two is that Goofy is stronger and can defeat bigger foes in one throw, whereas Max requires at least two thrown objects to defeat the biggest of baddies in levels, but has slightly more speed than his ol' dad. 

In single-player fun, Goofy or Max have two item slots to pick up useful tools like grappling hooks that can pull objects and items from faraway locations, planks that can be used as bridges, bells that can be rung to lure enemies to their location, torches to light up otherwise incredibly dark areas, shovels to dig up treasure, and keys to open locked gates. In co-op, players each have one item slot, so there's some strategy involved between players to decide who takes what. Also, players can toss objects between one another. Pressing the pickup/throw button has either Goofy or Max hold up their hands. This is required to catch objects, either thrown by enemies or by their co-op buddy--otherwise they're either take damage or in the case of friendly fire, they'll get temporarily dazed.

Max plays a game of catch with this pirate while his proud dad Goofy watches on.

At the end of each stage and in the spirit of games of yore, a boss battle indeed awaits. These generally require moments of downtime between dodging a boss' attempts at attacks, while picking up objects to throw at the big baddie while they are vulnerable. These are the most action-packed and challenging places of moment-to-moment gameplay with Goof Troop understandably, so it's not uncommon to soar through lives during these encounters. 

This second-stage boss really cooks (especially if a torch hits poor Goofy or Max).

After the game's five stages are complete within the span of about two hours or less, the game's ending greets players and the adventure is complete. One aspect of Goof Troop that I can see players enjoying is speed-running stages and the game in general, as at the conclusion of each stage, the total time it took a given player or pair of players to get through the stage gets displayed--although not recorded for posterity or anything like that. The total tally of all stages gets shown at the end of the adventure, too, so attempting your best to speed through the game is something I can see for some much needed replay value. Otherwise, Goof Troop would have been a good "rental" back in the day, and nothing more.

That said, Goof Troop on the Super Nintendo's adventure is one where the gameplay holds up so remarkably well, it can be enjoyed either solo or with a co-op partner (and each playthrough is unique depending on the vibe and teamwork you display between your co-op buddy), and speed-running opportunities offer plenty of entertainment to be had. Is it a game you'll rack up dozens upon dozens of hours enjoying? No, not at all--but is it a stellar puzzle-adventure game all the same, worth checking out if you have the method or opportunity to do so? As the Goof Troop cartoon's theme concludes, "Ba-da-ba-bop-ba-doo-doo-bop! *deep voice* YEAAAAAH!"

[SPC Says: B]

Nikoderiko: The Magical World (Multi) Review

We have a new game to review! It's an indie 2D/2.5D/3D platformer--a mix of all three, really! It's Nikoderiko: The Magical World, and the SuperPhillip Central verdict is here.

 Crashing the Country

Allow me to preface this review with something most likely obvious from glimpses of screenshots and/or trailers of Nikoderiko: The Magical World: I'm going to mention the words "Donkey Kong Country" and "Crash Bandicoot" quite a bit throughout this review. When the inspiration is so intense and palpable, it's somewhat difficult not to, especially since Nikoderiko wears its clear inspirations on the main character's rolled up sleeves. That said, does Nikoderiko: The Magical World do anything to cast aside as just being a clone of these two games rolled up into one unique title? 

Despite being derivative, Nikoderiko: The Magical World can be a wheel-y good time occasionally.

Nikoderiko: The Magical Journey has no intention of hiding where it's cribbing its ideas and concepts from. Between collecting letters in levels that spell out "N-I-K-O" to hidden barrels that blast its players into secret bonus areas to perform tasks such as "collect all stars", "defeat them all", or "find the key" for golden trinkets, you sort of have to admire the development team's chutzpah in how brazen and blatant it all is on the Donkey Kong Country side, particularly Tropical Freeze. Then, there's aspects like picking up barrels, treasure chests, and other objects to chuck at enemies or breakable walls, once more to reveal secrets. 

Two secret bonus barrels like this one are cleverly hidden away in each level. 

Not to leave out a certain former PlayStation mascot, Nikoderiko: The Magical World takes aspects from Crash Bandicoot as well, putting players into somewhat seamless transitions from 2.5D gameplay to 3D, either running away from the screen or towards it, Crash-style. There's also purple diamond collectibles, one in each level, to obtain as well, though these don't have asinine conditions like some Crash games where you have to backtrack through somewhat significant portions of stages to collect them. So, Nikoderiko has THAT going for it, at least.

Now, I might not be playing fair to Nikoderiko: The Magical World, as it's not necessarily a detrimental thing necessarily to be derivative. In fact, combining the gameplay styles and dimensions of a 2D/2.5D platformer like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze with Crash Bandicoot is unique all to itself. Most of the time in the levels, even, it's done in a clever enough way. 

Niko and the other playable character, Luna, play similarly to one another. Though it was preferable to play as Niko to hear all the voice lines and quips the mouthy mongoose had to offer in levels, whereas with Luna, she's silent as can be. That notwithstanding, it might be preferable for some players to control Luna if they don't want to hear dialogue whilst platforming. Your mileage may vary there.

Move over Donkey Kong--Niko is coming for your "king of swing" title!

Regardless, both characters have the same move set. They can jump, hold out a glider to float carefully to the ground or across chasms, they can slide, they can ground pound (though if you're holding a direction while smashing the ground, you'll end up sliding in the direction you're holding, which often results in unwanted hits, deaths, etc.), and they can also jump off walls--though this feels rather "sticky" for lack of a better term. 

True to the game's heavily-DKC-inspired form, couch co-op is available for two players to enjoy the game together. The pros are that players don't share a pool of lives (there aren't lives in this game to speak of, for one), and they have separate tallies of hearts, the health meter of the game. Thus, two well in tune players can say, "We both have one heart left, so while we have this moment of peace, why don't you take a hit so you can come back with two hearts?" It's harder in boss battles to cheese in this way, but still very much possible.

Co-op shows flashes of fun alongside flashes of frustration, too.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World is indeed a challenging game regardless. Sometimes checkpoints are further away from each other than I'd like in certain levels, and some levels in general go on for far too long. Whereas other levels feel like you blink and they're over. That said, levels are generally well designed, offering plenty of opportunities to display some platforming prowess with well telegraphed but also hidden secrets, too. Generally if something looked curious to me during my playthrough, checking it out would usually result in my being rewarded for said curiosity, which is seldom a bad thing in a game like this. 

The level variety is often enjoyable, as well, delivering plenty of unique ideas and creative concepts usually executed at the very least competently and at best really well. One level featured a Crash Bandicoot-esque scenario where a flying dragon chased Niko as I ran towards the camera in this 3D affair, while later in the level the dragon returned, though this time pursuing Niko as he rode a DKC Returns-style rocket barrel. Another level took our mongoose hero and heroine down into the ocean depths, giving both a black silhouette cast against the blue background--again, DKC Returns and Tropical Freeze-style. The deep waters of the level weren't too friendly, but they were remedied with a little help of a seahorse-like animal buddy that could fire a laser to defeat foes with ease.

This dragon doesn't wish to dance, so I suggest you keep moving forward, Niko.

Like Donkey Kong Country (are you tired of the mentions yet?), Nikoderiko: The Magical World sports an assortment of animal buddies as mounts. The aforementioned seahorse is one, while others include a frog that burps up fireballs to eliminate enemies, there's a bat that serves as a flapping-good time for flight, and also a Yoshi-like lizard that chomps up foes and can regurgitate them back at other baddies. Though, the latter is a bit janky to say the least in execution.

If you've seen it done in Donkey Kong Country, you'll most likely see it
(and done marginally worse) in Nikoderiko: The Magical World.

And really, that's a lot of what Nikoderiko: The Magical World is--a janky experience, or at least quite unpolished. Between glitches where my character couldn't pull out their glider for whatever reason, to camera chaos in co-op where the camera just wouldn't pan in an appropriate-enough position that would work for either myself or my co-op partner, the problems with Nikoderiko: The Magical World are plentiful. Small things like characters and objects on the world map not having their textures load quickly enough (at least on the latest Xbox Series S build) so they'd look incredibly "off" aren't immense problems, but put on a pile with everything else, they do--in fact--add up to be quite bothersome.

Otherwise (and that's not a play on the composer being David Wise--and the music is unfortunately just serviceable this time around, on that note), Nikoderiko: The Magical World is a jack of two trades and a master of neither of them. The Donkey Kong Country and Crash Bandicoot segments of the game are done better by the originals instead of this imitation of both. That isn't to say THIS game isn't worth your time. There are hardly enough Donkey Kong Country-inspired titles to exactly say that we're embarrassed with riches here in this department. Though, if you DO crave something of the DKC style and MUST play something, if you haven't already touched either Kaze and the Wild Masks, Marsupilami - Hoobadventure, or Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, look into those games first before trying Nikoderiko out. All three of those are preferable (and somewhat more original) experiences to at least me.

[SPC Says: C]

Astro Bot (PS5) Review

A new review presents itself for this Tuesday evening. It's a game that many have bumped up to the top of Game of the Year rumblings and talks: Astro Bot. Well, it's managed to do the same thing for me here at SuperPhillip Central, too! Here's my review!

Fun and charm off the charts in Astro-nomical levels.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the PlayStation brand, which of course, as someone a little bit older than Sony's gaming empire, makes me feel ancient. That notwithstanding, one way that PlayStation celebrates 35 years, as well as one way that it attempts to appeal to a wider audience, is with the sequel to what I consider one of the best pack-in games of all time, Astro's Playroom. This full-fledged sequel, Astro Bot, takes some concepts and ideas from Playroom as well as the PlayStation VR-exclusive Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and creates one of the most compelling reasons--in this reviewer's opinion--to own a PlayStation 5.

Bumming around in the emptiness of space with nothing but their PlayStation 5-shaped ship and some toe-tappin' tunes, we start Astro Bot's story with our eponymous protagonist moving and grooving with myriad other Bots inside the safety of their shi--oh, shoot! An alien UFO attacks said ship and sends the entire vessel, including all occupants, all hurtling towards parts unknown. A crash landing results in our hero Astro waking up in a barren desert wasteland. With a nearby satellite which bestows the coordinates to some of his friends and the desire to repair their broken vessel, yet another rescue mission is on for Astro! Charm pours from every part of Astro Bot, and you'll get an immediate sense of that through the opening cutscenes. What is of the story is rather basic to start, but somehow, someway--and without spoiling anything, of course--the ending managed to pull my heartstrings a little bit. Not too shabby for a platformer.

With lasers shooting from Astro's shoes, does that mean these foes have just been... de-feet-ed? 

As for the said platforming of Astro Bot, our little droid dude does not have the acrobatics or move set of, say, Mario (and how can you not compare a 3D platformer of this scope and size to Nintendo's portly plumber?), but what he has to work with works well. He can jump (which to be fair, is expected of a platforming mascot), he can punch, players can hold the attack button down to perform a spinning punch that can turn on various interact-ables like platforms, lifts, and more. He also has lasers on his feet when he hovers--which has a dual purpose: one for extending the duration of his jump, and the second being to defeat foes underneath him. That's pretty much all there is to Astro's kit, which makes for an accessible lineup of moves, but also for veteran platforming fans, it doesn't bring much of a high skill ceiling either.

That said, in various levels, Astro stumbles upon a chest, when opened, grants him a new power-up ability for use only in that level. It essentially becomes an extension of his move set, adding further utility to Astro. Generally, a given power-up only adds one extra button to remember to press, and when combined with Astro's base move set, you have a complete package that doesn't overwhelm players. 

Whether it's an elephant backpack that causes Astro to inflate himself to fly high in the air and bounce around, a backpack in bulldog form that serves as a means for Astro to rocket his way upwards or forwards, breaking through glass like it was nothing, or green retractable boxing gloves that can pummel obstacles and enemies alike with ease, these extra abilities and power-ups add to Astro's repertoire. They certainly make for even more compelling platforming gameplay than what's already present and accounted for in Astro Bot.

Great for pulverizing baddies, pulling switches, and even knocking projectiles back at enemies,
these gloves have just the right amount of "punch" for the job!

Whereas part of the star is the platforming, which feels phenomenal and one always feels in control of Astro, the other part that the platforming shares the spotlight with is the immaculate level design. Between constantly throwing new ideas at the player in a way that I haven't experienced since Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and bringing for the engaging and inventive platforming challenges on a consistent basis, Astro Bot definitely does not disappoint in the level design department. 

One level thrusts Astro high above the clouds with skyscrapers jutting out from them in a construction zone, complete with running and jumping along swinging girders before summoning a wrecking ball to demolish the entrance to a building in a phenomenal display of destructive physics (and just plain coolness as well). Meanwhile, another early and extraordinary level that really showcases the power of the PlayStation 5--even more so--has Astro able to switch between tiny and regular-size forms with a press of a button. Astro needs to shift between both forms to solve environmental puzzles and make progress, too. Seeing Astro shrink to the size of a mouse, with camera following in tow, and with another press of a button, instantly grow to his normal size without a loading screen in sight is immensely impressive. 

Time to ironically deconstruct some baddies here at the ol' construction yard!

Levels aren't just one and done linear affairs either. You can rush through them, for sure, but you'll not only be missing out on the superbly placed secrets such as Bots to rescue and Puzzle Pieces to obtain (seriously, some of these are truly hidden in some genuinely crafty and clever locations), but in order to face each boss in the game's six unique galaxies, you'll need to satisfy the amount of Rescued Bots required to open the level's lock. 

Thus, it behooves you to explore as much as possible. Not just to make general progress, but if you're anything like me (and let's be honest, in most cases other than this one you would hope to God you're nothing like me), you'll greatly enjoy thoroughly exploring each and every level to your heart's content. Even if there wasn't something major collectible-wise like a Bot or Puzzle Piece hiding off the beaten path, I'd usually find that my curiosity was rewarded by discovering a secret cache of coins or a photo op location, for instance. 

The level variety and design on display in Astro Bot is nothing short of amazing.

Each galaxy contains two levels that house secret exits in them, warping Astro to a place called the Lost Galaxy. Here, more levels present themselves, a single level opening up for each exit found. Galaxies also contain bonus levels, such as quick battles against a plethora of foes, obstacle-laden bonus courses, and much more. With 300+ Bots to optionally acquire, numerous Puzzle Pieces to collect, and dozens of secret exits, there is a great deal of goodies to be discovered and obtained within Astro Bot.

As stated, rescuing Bots (some, not all) is needed to make headway in the game to fight Astro Bot's bosses. These showdowns are without exaggeration, terrific and massively epic encounters. From the very first one where Astro deals with a King Kong-like goliath of a gorilla, avoiding the beast's held bells as he creates shockwaves while having Astro rocket himself into them, and later the gorilla's teeth to deal damage, you're in for a good time. Unlike the standard levels where it's one hit and Astro's KO'd (though thankfully standard levels contain copious amounts of checkpoints so death is seldom a frustration), boss battles allow Astro three hits to take before our heroic bot is busted. 

Ask not for whom the bell tolls. (Even though we know it tolls for Astro here!)

Without much need to say (yet I'm saying it anyway), Astro Bot is a celebration of PlayStation and its 30th anniversary, and with that, there is a comprehensive amount of references thrown in. Everything from each world--or in Astro Bot's case--galaxy concluding with obtaining one of the stolen parts from a PlayStation 5-shaped ship, to the majority of Bots that are rescued being modeled after characters from games that have graced the PlayStation across its seven major platforms, including handhelds, is an ode to PlayStation and its rich history. 

Aside from these references, each galaxy's conclusion brings with it a level based off one of many PlayStation franchises. These aren't just based off the levels in aesthetics, they pretty much play like an Astro Bot-ified--as it were--version of the games, too. Without revealing anything not seen in official marketing for the game, the level based off Kratos's Norse adventure, has Astro borrowing the God of War's axe, being able to toss it at foes and switches, and call it back to his hand, just like in the more modern versions of the God of War games. Needless to say, there are more levels than just well-known and high-selling goodies. The first themed level had me absolutely giddy as a fan of an early 3D PlayStation platformer, and a certain PlayStation Portable series found its way to Astro Bot as well--lovingly made into a level by Team Asobi. You can tell the team really did its homework when designing these odes to PlayStation in ingeniously crafted level form. Par for the course, really, considering the rest of the game is just as smartly made.

Not one to let an ample opportunity go to waste, Astro even dresses for the part sometimes!

Would stumbling upon and rescuing the same, generic, nameless Bots throughout Astro's adventure have the same impact as discovering a hidden Solid Snake-inspired Bot, or an Alucard from Castlevania? Most likely not, but the references also don't create the pretense that Astro Bot wouldn't be able to stand on its own two feet with just its engaging gameplay, immaculate level design, and immense charm. The references only add to that spark of joy, and your mileage on that will vary depending on how deep your PlayStation knowledge and fandom goes--and also decidedly how well you know and appreciate some of the real deep cuts pulled in Astro Bot, too!

Monkey-see, monkey-climb. This level uses the tilt and shoulder buttons
of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller to scale these banana-shaped ledges.

When you're not exploring levels and out and about in the galaxy, you're in the Crash Site, the hub of Astro Bot. This hub world is absolutely one of my favorites in a 3D platformer. It consists of the main circular sandy area where all of the rescued Bots congregate, and in a Pikmin-like fashion, there are points around the hub where you can call upon the help of your Bot army to create makeshift ladders, platforms, and swings out of themselves. They can also help you push and pull objects to create new pathways as well. The hub is also where the Gacha machine is, where all of those coins accumulated throughout Astro's adventure may be spent on randomized prizes, such as new costumes for Astro, actions for the Bots in the hub, and different colors for Astro's ride, not-so-coincidentally a DualSense controller. 

Astro Bot is one of the more technically impressive and jaw-dropping games on the PlayStation 5. That goes for aesthetics as well as seeing just how much the physics system gets a workout too, between glass platforms shattering underneath the trail of Astro upon walking on them, to seeing oodles and oodles of beach balls tumble down the waterslide along Astro as seen in the very first level. Astro Bot is a clean, crisp, colorful game that offers a steady frame-rate, gorgeous views, and is just an utter delight to look at. Musically, Astro Bot fares well, too. The catchiness of tunes, some remixed from past Astro Bot games, while most are brand-new works, presents itself throughout each track of the game. It might not be to everyone's liking--as for some, the music might be obnoxious, but for me, it had my toes tapping and head bobbing to it as I played. 

Even the coins in Astro Bot are PlayStation themed! 

All in all, Astro Bot constantly brought me joy with its creative levels and charming presentation throughout my 8-10 hour initial playthrough. I knew I really thought the game was something special when almost immediately after beating the game for the first time and collecting all there was to collect (earning the Platinum trophy, too), I started a fresh save file to enjoy a new playthrough all over again. It takes a special game to have me do that, and wouldn't you know it--Astro Bot is such a game. 

It gave me cozy feels with its abundance of charm, it delivered rewards through thoroughly exploring its well crafted and designed levels, it presented me with "one more time" desires with its challenging bonus levels, and it kept me engaged from beginning to end, and then, as stated, back to the beginning again with a new playthrough. Astro Bot not only offers a magical gameplay experience that utilizes the DualSense controller in innovative (but fortunately for accessibility reasons, optional) ways, but also offers a game that is a shining example of pure, unadulterated fun in videogame form. 

[SPC Says: A]

Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines (NSW, XBS, PC) Review

We continue our theme of platformers, particularly indie ones, with Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines from Medallion Games. I review this title as played on the Xbox Series S.

These Grapple Dogs are out of this world.

The last time we left Pablo and friends, our puppy protagonist had just defeated an evil robot named Nul. After the battle, a mysterious being not-so-subtly alluded that the fight was far from over with a new threat lingering in the shadows. Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines picks up immediately from there with a new mission: collect all four Allkrystal pieces before the multiverse as our heroes know it is destroyed by the aforementioned new threat, Vyr--and a new playable character, the brooding, gun-toting Luna.

What follows is that of four worlds, each containing one piece of the shattered Allkrystal, each guarded by one of Vyr's commanders. Though first, Pablo and Luna must venture through several platforming levels both exploration and obstacle course-based to gather enough jewels to open the way to each boss's domain. 

Our protagonist Pablo is getting into the swing of things.

Like its predecessor, Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines contains a multitude of levels, featuring an abundance of platforming challenges, and--as expected from the title--points to use each dogs' grappling hook to swing across chasms and over obstacles and hazards. Levels are linear affairs, but there are plenty of opportunities to explore off the beaten path, whether for extra berries--the currency of Cosmic Canines--or more interestingly, hidden jewels and treasure chests containing new skins for Pablo and Luna's grapple hooks. It's to players' benefit to explore levels fully, as these previously mentioned jewels are the means to progress in worlds, opening gates that lead to even more levels.

Venture through the ocean blue (or in this case, the waters beige) of the world map.

Each character has their own separate set of stages to move through, utilizing their unique abilities. Pablo can charge and punch enemies, as well as bounce to generate more height. Whereas Luna's most prominently featured ability is that of her firing her gun, which she can shoot in 360 degrees with the use of the right analog stick. She also has a helpful dash, whether on land or in midair that takes a brief period to recharge before being able to use it again.

Run and gun (or dash and bash) as newcomer Luna!

Levels offer a dynamic range of gimmicks, mechanics, and platforming challenges for players. One level had Luna firing at targets that turned on and off blocks that could be used to either leap on or off of, slide down or climb up wall jump-style, or to block enemy fire or obstacles like lasers. Eventually some multitasking was needed, as I was required to both swing and aim at a target at the same time before making a jump to the newly revealed block created by the shot target. Meanwhile, another level featured a pink and orange shade that turned all characters into silhouetted form. The level would change shades on different beats (also displayed visually with a meter at the top of the screen for less rhythm-inclined players like myself), thus shifting which platforms were stable and solid to stand on.

In addition to level gimmicks, there are various power-ups to be found in Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines. Both characters stumble upon them in their respective levels, but the utility in how they use them is different. With the shock power-up, Luna gets what is essentially an electric shotgun, firing short bursts that absolutely demolish enemies that are too close for her comfort. It also charges up light bulbs, which in turn turns on certain platforms to be used. Meanwhile, Pablo's shock power-up form grants him the ability to roll into a ball and glide along electrical panels in an impressive and utterly delightful and fun way. 

Pablo's brand of flame power-up grants him the ability to charge in any direction in fireball form.

Previously, the first Grapple Dog tied the berries that you collected in levels with 100% completion, requiring players to gather them all to fully finish a level. This time around, berries are mainly the currency used in Toni's--Pablo's bunny girlfriend--shop. Here, health upgrades, grapple hook cosmetics, and character outfits for both Pablo and Luna can be purchased. It's nice to have some use for berries in this sequel rather than just having to collect them for a rote completionist purpose. 

Berries are also spent to open up special bonus challenge levels, where a central mechanic or power-up of the game is explored and focused on with greater depth. The goal of these challenge levels is either reaching the level's finish line, or in what comes off as an ode to Super Smash Bros.--whether intended or not--breaking all of the targets or collecting all of the level's berries within a time limit. 

Whereas Luna's flame power-up grants her a freakin' flamethrower! Flame on!

At the conclusion of each world, there is a battle against one of Vyr's righthand commanders. These battles are highly varied. One has a big blob of a boss pursue Pablo as our protagonist performs various platforming feats to reach points in the level where he can deal damage to the boss blob, while another features Luna in a more traditional battle of endurance against a boss with a shield who can only be damaged from above or from behind. The bosses are tougher endeavors than the main game, but they're also incredibly rewarding to beat.

Between completing levels--searching high and low for collectibles--speed-running levels to aim for gold medals, and beating bosses, there is a lot to do within Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines. You won't be left wanting for more content. Even after the base game is completed, there are much more difficult post-game levels to explore and complete for the "true ending" of the game. 

Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines does come equipped with two helpful accessibility measures for if the game gets too arduous or if players would prefer a breezier time. These are the abilities to nullify damage as well as jump infinitely, making the game and its various platforming challenges less, well, challenging. These can be turned on and off at any time, and there is no genuine penalty for using them.

In my experience with the Xbox Series S version of the game, I did encounter times where my character grappled and glitched unnaturally across the screen and through objects, to the point where the camera did not follow. Additionally, I received two error messages from a system level while playing, both when I used the leaf-grapple just over a ledge. I had to force-quit the game and restart, which was a bit vexing considering how long some levels can feel when you're scouring them for secrets and collectibles. That said, those glitches and errors were rare. 

Pablo goes to the poles (and climbs them, too)!

To me, and I'm sure this is no unique opinion, Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines looks the part of a Game Boy Advance game that never was--offering colorful, crisp, and detailed visuals that wouldn't be foreign to Nintendo's handheld. Locales look lovely, whether they're rain-drenched battlefields, futuristic cities full of monkey citizens, or desolate post-apocalyptic deserts. Well, as lovely as something post-apocalyptic can look, that is! The music is full of bops, delivering bouncy tunes and warm vibes when appropriate and foreboding and ominous sounds at more tense moments and levels.

Medallion Games managed to make an even more impressive sequel with Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines. The varying play styles of both playable characters has each feeling different and fun to use, the level gimmicks keep things fresh, and the secrets and collectibles are generally fun to find and well hidden. Some minor to maddening glitches and some difficulty jumps may rub some players wrong, but if you do decide to give this Grapple Dog sequel a chance, you'll most likely be in for a dog-gone good time.

[SPC Says: B+]