Well, got into the first 3 levels tonight and this game was amazing! From the chiptune-esque music, to the cut-up frame-by-frame cut-scenes, reminiscent of Pokemon cartoons, this game delivers on all fronts, included a much-needed trip down memory lane.
Starting off, using the classic controller is so much more simple than the wii-mote and nunchuck. All buttons are even duplicated do the relatively easy controls.
that Matt Cassiminessaisaassaa guy from IGN complaining that choosing a jelly bean becomes a chore. What else did he expect? a controller to have 15 buttons dedicated to each type of jelly bean? I was switching back and forth b/t jelly beans with ease. I was a bit worried by the 'set up the arch and throw' mechanic for releasing the jelly bean, and while wildly out of control when you first swing the stick, you can take the time to fine tune it, and shorten your throw distance to pin-point accuracy. The only problem comes in with jumping, as the boy can't jump high on his own, so navigating without the blob at first will take a while, its only one level though.
If I remember correctly, in the original, if the blob went off screen, you were basically
-ed. Well, this happens a lot in this version, the blob simply won't be able to make some jumps after using the trampoline, so three calls and no matter what, he transforms into the berry balloon and comes straight to you. This works very well for the most part. The first few levels are pretty easy to navigate and collect all the treasures. If these do not get super difficult to a point where you can't pass a level (afterall, this doesn't have kind code!), then this game will be a very fun run through. Gaining the treasure's does little but decorate your tree-house with random junk. Each level has 3 chests which are kept track of on the over-world map to indicate how man you've found. Supposedly there are treasures that unlock bonus challenges or something.
Everything about this game is great from the level design, the animation, the lighting effects, and even personality. It reminds me a lot of Braid, with the whimsical elevator music in the background and wonderful artistic design; just the characters are way more interesting to see move fluidly, rather than Braid's stiff actions. Yeah, the load screens are plentiful, but they're 5 seconds at best. This game also doesn't make your Wii hard drive make crazy, non stop noises like when playing the Conduit or HotD:Overkill.
I recommend this game at full price if you were a fan of the original, or even if you've never played it, just to experience a good 'ol 2D romp in a stellar game, and to support the little people for keeping a dream alive and having the guts to do something different and 'new' instead of the same old thing...
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