Putting my money where my mouth is, I pre-ordered this at about 11.45pm, and downloaded it immediately.
I’ve only played the first level, but initial thoughts are that it’s a worthy addition to the franchise.
The front end is arcadey and fast. There’s no messing about. When you press a button, it’s instant. There seems to be a fair number of features to explore, but I went straight into the story mode. It’s set ten years later. Axel carries more timber around the midriff. Blaze is probably less of a wad. The two other characters have very briefly-referenced backstories, but I can’t remember what they were. One of them was Zan’s student, or something. Who cares?
Mr X’s kids are causing bother. That’s what you need to know. I picked Axel and, about 1 second into the game, paused it and started to mess around with the settings.
The retro filter is... ghastly. I must have played SOR2 and 3 on a 14 inch portable, because on a 32 inch HDMI tv, the sprites are just a big old mess. Kudos to the devs for including it, though. I switched back pretty sharpish. The animations are neat. They jar for a few seconds, then it clicks. The backgrounds are lovely and colourful, even when drab. There’s options to reduce background detail and stuff, too. I tried it and it got rid of a few rats and things from the setting, but I really do prefer the game as it’s intended to be played.
The retro soundtrack is a lovely addition, but in contrast to the visuals thing, I decided to switch it off in order to give the new soundtrack an airing. It’s ok. Too early to tell, really.
The other staples are still there. The food is the same (although you can change the art). The sound effects for collecting them. The GO arrow. It’s all there. The first level was vibrant and energetic to look at.
Gameplay wise, it’s spot on. I found myself reverting to the d-pad after a few minutes, just because. Axel’s uppercut is there. The back punch. The jump. The grab. The standard punch. The special. It’s all there. And it feels great. It feels just as meaty as it ever did, ably aided by great sound effects. Kicking/punching the bins, the way the character moves up and down the play area - it’s all as-was. So much so, that I was on autopilot, and didn’t get hit for the first 5 minutes. I was performing all the old tricks. The grabs and throws, the timed movement up the screen to grab an opponent from a certain angle. Avoiding the knife Galsias. Jumping over the Y Signal slides. It’s superb. They’ve nailed it.
Then it started to get a bit harder. The level has a mid boss and a final boss that are very, very familiar. Old stalwarts reskinned, I’ll put it that way. It was familiar, yet still a challenge. I’m out of practice and I’d had a few liquid isolation dampeners by that point. So my reactions were sluggish. I only just completed the first level. Pathetic, and indicative that it’s not a pushover,
The beauty of the game is its familiarity, with its slight twists. I managed to defeat Galsias in exactly the same way as I’ve always done. Donovan still managed to get the cheeky slap on me before I unleashed the blows. It’s like playing 2 or 3 again, nuances and all.
The one or two new enemies I spotted seem decent enough. They fit in the world. There’s one type of lazy bum character you’ll enjoy slapping.
Only notes of criticism - and it’s of me rather than the game in some places. Despite the familiarity of the controls, I kept having to pause to check the special punch. The backslap, too. There’s no double-tap forward run, like in SOR3, which is jarring. I can’t work out how to land safely as I’m thrown (which has been a lot).
Minor things, though. As far as first levels go, it’s like a comfy pair of slippers. Different visual style apart, it could have been made 25 years ago. There’s the odd touch which is lovely and thoughtful, yet not obtrusive. Such as Axel’s right-right-attack button uppercut, which now leaves a few flames scorching along the deck. It’s a welcome addition, and not offensive in the slightest.
These devs understand this game completely.
I’ve only played the first level, but initial thoughts are that it’s a worthy addition to the franchise.
The front end is arcadey and fast. There’s no messing about. When you press a button, it’s instant. There seems to be a fair number of features to explore, but I went straight into the story mode. It’s set ten years later. Axel carries more timber around the midriff. Blaze is probably less of a wad. The two other characters have very briefly-referenced backstories, but I can’t remember what they were. One of them was Zan’s student, or something. Who cares?
Mr X’s kids are causing bother. That’s what you need to know. I picked Axel and, about 1 second into the game, paused it and started to mess around with the settings.
The retro filter is... ghastly. I must have played SOR2 and 3 on a 14 inch portable, because on a 32 inch HDMI tv, the sprites are just a big old mess. Kudos to the devs for including it, though. I switched back pretty sharpish. The animations are neat. They jar for a few seconds, then it clicks. The backgrounds are lovely and colourful, even when drab. There’s options to reduce background detail and stuff, too. I tried it and it got rid of a few rats and things from the setting, but I really do prefer the game as it’s intended to be played.
The retro soundtrack is a lovely addition, but in contrast to the visuals thing, I decided to switch it off in order to give the new soundtrack an airing. It’s ok. Too early to tell, really.
The other staples are still there. The food is the same (although you can change the art). The sound effects for collecting them. The GO arrow. It’s all there. The first level was vibrant and energetic to look at.
Gameplay wise, it’s spot on. I found myself reverting to the d-pad after a few minutes, just because. Axel’s uppercut is there. The back punch. The jump. The grab. The standard punch. The special. It’s all there. And it feels great. It feels just as meaty as it ever did, ably aided by great sound effects. Kicking/punching the bins, the way the character moves up and down the play area - it’s all as-was. So much so, that I was on autopilot, and didn’t get hit for the first 5 minutes. I was performing all the old tricks. The grabs and throws, the timed movement up the screen to grab an opponent from a certain angle. Avoiding the knife Galsias. Jumping over the Y Signal slides. It’s superb. They’ve nailed it.
Then it started to get a bit harder. The level has a mid boss and a final boss that are very, very familiar. Old stalwarts reskinned, I’ll put it that way. It was familiar, yet still a challenge. I’m out of practice and I’d had a few liquid isolation dampeners by that point. So my reactions were sluggish. I only just completed the first level. Pathetic, and indicative that it’s not a pushover,
The beauty of the game is its familiarity, with its slight twists. I managed to defeat Galsias in exactly the same way as I’ve always done. Donovan still managed to get the cheeky slap on me before I unleashed the blows. It’s like playing 2 or 3 again, nuances and all.
The one or two new enemies I spotted seem decent enough. They fit in the world. There’s one type of lazy bum character you’ll enjoy slapping.
Only notes of criticism - and it’s of me rather than the game in some places. Despite the familiarity of the controls, I kept having to pause to check the special punch. The backslap, too. There’s no double-tap forward run, like in SOR3, which is jarring. I can’t work out how to land safely as I’m thrown (which has been a lot).
Minor things, though. As far as first levels go, it’s like a comfy pair of slippers. Different visual style apart, it could have been made 25 years ago. There’s the odd touch which is lovely and thoughtful, yet not obtrusive. Such as Axel’s right-right-attack button uppercut, which now leaves a few flames scorching along the deck. It’s a welcome addition, and not offensive in the slightest.
These devs understand this game completely.
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