Floating Runner: Quest for the Seven Crystals

Floating Runner and The Quest for The Seven Crystals was a 3D action-platformer released on the PSX in 1996 and developed by XING. The game centers around a once-peaceful Crystal Land, brought to harmony by six magical crystals, and fated to ruin by the evil King Zaurer, who tainted them with chaos. A righteous priestesses and greedy bounty hunter are all that stand between the land's kind citizens and an eternity of fear.

These two brave soldiers -Lay and Cress- are your choice of playable characters. Both control exactly the same, and both are capable of the same things: jumping, running, shooting, and dodging. They can fire while performing any other action, and dodge left or right infinitely and instantly, ensuring they control rather fluidly for a pair of early-age polygonal protagonists.

Choose your savior of existence.

And they had better, because Zaurer's twisted worlds sure don't take it easy on them. Each stage commands its own theme, both through the aesthetic and architecture. Ancient underwater caverns are illusory and harbor many deceptive jumps, while the depths of a ferocious volcano overflow with a gauntlet of enemies. No two of the fourteen stages feel alike, and all of them bring the player to someplace new, surrealistic, mesmerizing, and most importantly: unique.

Digging into the meat of these colorful wonderlands, a pattern emerges in their design: they are built to carry you as high as possible. It's hard to put to scale on the PlayStation's hardware, but Floating Runner is perhaps the most vertically oriented 3D platformer there is. Even the game's few hazards, from boulders to spiked pillars, are little more than literal stepping stones to higher places. It's a beautiful way to build progression, and its only downfall -pun intended- is that one can't actually see just how high they've climbed.

As bewitching as it is bizarre.

But a world would be nothing without something to inhabit it. In this case, the stranger the better. The enemy design presents an eerie feeling of familiar animals twisted into something else. Rat-like creatures scurry and leap about, featureless wasps swarm you aggressively, and snakes slither around spastically. When confronted with enemies like this -not only native to a specific world in appearance, but in behavior- the game shows a strong, persistent personality.

Sadly, all of this can seem rather confusing -and even unfriendly- to first-time players. You're given unlimited continues, and it's perfectly possible to dash through stages in disinterest. Only when met with an obstacle not as easily overcome are you forced to consider your actions, which could easily become cause for frustration. There is meaning to this madness, however, and the key lies with the player's patience.

If eventually prompted to take things slower, either through trial and error or curiosity, another layer of Floating Runner is revealed. Hidden throughout the six worlds are several secret weapons, extra hits, and something far less tangible: experience. Gaining new weapons encourages experimentation, eventually revealing the above-mentioned enemy design, and in turn better preparing players for precision platforming. The more you're willing to learn, the more rewarding the game becomes.

Go left instead.

This, appropriately enough, is best expressed through the sole boss battle. If hastily rushed to, the final confrontation with Zaurer will only offer tedious torment. But, if ascended to slowly, it reveals itself for what it truly is: a climax in mirror to your own. Every attack thrown is a perfect reflection of skills learned and obstacles overcome: as vulnerable to perception as Floating Runner itself.

In that way, the game speaks volumes more about itself than I ever could. Hidden amongst initial confusion and exasperation is a beautiful work woven together with powerful personality and surrealistic allure. Whether a fault in the game's design, or creative commentary on its own nature, Floating Runner is only as memorable as you allow it to be. Make your climb a good one.

Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again

The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again is a licensed game released in 2011 and developed by Griptonite Games. It is in fact two games released in tandem under the same title. One is an action-platformer utilizing motion controls and a heavily cinematic approach to mimic the structure of the television series, and the other is a puzzle-platformer in the vein of Lego Star Wars or The Lost Vikings. I'll be talking about the latter.

The story and presentation of Dr. Blowhole Returns are entirely faithful to the television series, featuring the same voice cast, self-aware humor, and expressive (although not as much) characters. And while it also emulates the rounded episodic nature, each event neatly drifts right into the next, ensuring the overall story is both self-contained and enjoyable as a whole.

The actual gameplay centers around the four titular penguins, and navigating them through increasingly complex stages using their signature abilities. While things start out slow, and take a while to build into something more, the slow introduction of gimmicks for each character climaxes by the end of the first world, ensuring everything beyond it is far more entertaining.

Nearly every stage begins with the penguins at individual corners of the map, and tasks you with re-uniting them to reach the goal. Thanks to the above mentioned abilities and variety present in the level obstacles themselves, there's a surprisingly distinct feeling to each outing. This is achieved not only through consistently fresh variations on core puzzles, but an occasional introduction to an entirely new obstacle, or a bit of personality from the show itself made into a context-specific mechanic.

While the puzzles don't often require much head-scratching, they do demand actual thought and attention. Between moving each penguin where they're needed, the level obstacles, and the pleasantly organic humor, the game is always entertaining. Repeated concepts are given new spins throughout, and much like the narrative, the game mechanics drift forward seamlessly, creating a very satisfying conclusion in the final chapter.

Even aside from the puzzle-platforming goodness, there are hidden chameleons throughout each stage for a bit more challenge. They offer no bonus when collected, and are almost entirely removed from the rest of the game's design, but are a fairly entertaining diversion. In addition, there are three somewhat standard mini-games -with surprisingly entertaining quirks- to be purchased with snowcones found in surplus during the adventure.

All of this blends together in an ultimately well-rounded, thoroughly enjoyable package. It presents the player with approachable, thoughtful puzzle design, drenched with copious amounts of bubbly music, charming voice acting, and unlockable entertainment. Through and through, Dr Blowhole Returns is a very good example of a solid licensed game.

NeverDead

NeverDead is a supernatural hack 'n slash/shooter developed by Rebellion and released in 2012 on PS3 and Xbox 360. It stars Bryce, a demon hunter, and focuses on his 500 year struggle with immortality. After a brutal battle with the demon king, Astaroth, Bryce was left to suffer an immortal curse, and the loss of his beloved wife.

The story is easily the most solid part of NeverDead, being written and directed by Shinta Nojiri. Characters all have distinct mannerisms, personalities, and aesthetic design. They're developed through subtle emotions in their dialogue, and slowly become more complex the more you think of them as real people. You're never going to feel a tight bond, but you won't forget them or their journey, either. Bryce himself is the easiest to understand and connect with, mostly through his surprisingly warm demeanor.

The use of subtleties is also meant to clue in players about the world around them, and what kind of universe NeverDead is, exactly. Emotions have color, demons can taste souls, and existence itself is relative. While telling its story, the game also reveals more about its setting, allowing the player to fill in the intricacies for themselves.

This otherwise intelligent approach to storytelling is hindered when the pacing picks up speed, killing off and creating new conflicts with characters that had never gotten appropriate exploration. Thankfully, due to their strong appearance and personalities, they're memorable anyway.

As for the gameplay, NeverDead has often been described as a third-person shooter or hack 'n slash, where it's actually a distinctive blend of both, and creates something rather unique as a result. The hacking and slashing is done with Bryce's butterfly blade, and makes use of an inventive (and if not for Metal Gear Rising, unique) control scheme. Players lock onto a foe, pull the blade back in any direction with the right analogue stick, and swing it back down to, well... swing. It's a simplistic way to connect you directly with the combat, and feels very fluid and satisfying.

The shooting employs a similar idea, assigning a gun to your left and right arm, and as can be guessed, the left and right shoulder buttons. Dual-wielding is nothing unusual for shooters, but the mix of guns you obtain allow a combination of many different strategies, basically turning you into a swiss army knife. Having both a rifle and shotgun at the ready simultaneously is very useful, and thanks to the control mapping, once again makes the player's input feel more meaningful. You can even fire from your arms when they're detached, which isn't terribly helpful, but a rather cute detail that accentuates the design.

Oh, yeah, your limbs can pop right off. Did I not mention that? Being immortal, Bryce cannot be destroyed through any conventional means. When he suffers normally fatal damage, his body is instead torn to pieces. Depending on where he's struck, he can lose any of his individual extremities, which consequently affects his maneuverability and usefulness in battle. It's a rather dynamic system, and adds a lot to the game's overall design.

What does it add? Tension. Battles can only be lost in two ways: Bryce's head is gobbled up by a demon while separated from his body, or his partner dies. As such, getting knocked to pieces presents a situation where you need to literally get yourself together as soon as possible. On its own, it's a rather basic -although appreciably unorthodox- approach to combat, but there's far more in play here.

Ready for action.

Each fight is engineered from the ground up to be as chaotic as possible. One of the core means NeverDead uses to achieve this is through its environment. Every location is an absolute playground for physics objects, and there's no better strategy to eliminate demons than dropping the scenery on them. Everything from chunks of concrete to entire staircases will be reduced to wreckage around you, taking your foes with them. You can even run right through raging fire unscathed, catching opponents ablaze with your own body.

It's not all one sided, as the demons come in every shape, size, and absurdity. Throughout the game, you're slowly introduced to new concepts through enemy design, until eventually you're forced to switch fluidly between shooting and slicing to even stand a chance. Some enemies literally force you back when you try to get in close, while others are best killed by digging in deep and ripping them apart. Thanks to the often arena inspired set-pieces, demons and their attacks can come from anywhere at any time.

This, too, is kept in check, thanks to NeverDead's upgrade system. Some abilities, such as "Sixth Sense", which slows down time when Bryce is in danger, are almost essential. And while it may not be necessary to shoot flaming bullets, transform your arms into grenades, or send shock-waves through your sword, it's extremely empowering. You're given plenty of experience, whether in battle or scattered across the environment, allowing you to experiment with many different play-styles before the credits roll.

It's a very delicate, risky balance, relying on the co-operation of many wildly different mechanics to create a sense of chaos and intensity. And it works precisely because the mechanics are so diverse. The variety in enemy design, abilities, dismemberment mechanics, and environmental design all come together in a beautiful, messy behemoth of pulse-pounding tension.

Or, at least they almost do. In the giant Jenga tower that is NeverDead's mechanics, someone placed a crooked block. Put simply, the game is not nearly difficult enough. Tension is caused by a feeling of danger. A sense that something is at stake. In balancing the game's unorthodox combat, Rebellion accidentally tipped the scales a tad too far in the player's favor.

Your partners are rarely in danger, and can be ignored for well over a minute without being revived, even when they do fall. The only other way to fail is when a demon devours Bryce's head. Only one type of enemy may do so, and they aren't terribly aggressive. Even then, if you are eaten, a rather easy mini-game allows you to escape instantly. In fear of frustrating players with such a bizarre approach to game design, the developers inadvertently sacrificed a key element. NeverDead just isn't as chaotic or tense as it wants to be, which is a true shame, when such a risky gamble almost resulted in the perfect storm.

This is taken to a depressing extreme during boss battles, which would be the highlight of the game, if not for the above-mentioned misstep. Bryce tackles each of the big baddies one-on-one, and any sense of excitement is hard to hold when you're being utterly obliterated, but the all-powerful, demon monstrosity just cannot win.

Shooting yourself in the foot, literally.

But, even with a critical piece of the puzzle missing, I don't regret a single spent moment. This is still one of the riskiest, most experimental action games of its generation, if not my lifetime. It's built on a foundation of creative storytelling, powerful ambition, tireless dedication, and effortless idiosyncrasy. Regardless of how it all balances out in the end, NeverDead was made with something truly special, and that is worth celebrating.