594th played so far
Genre: Platform
Platform: NES
Year of Release: 1990
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Nintendo/Sega
For some reason, I kept confusing this game with Marble Madness for a long time. It doesn’t make any sense, none of it really matches, but the isometric perspective is similar and I haven’t looked much beyond screenshots. I’ll just have to play it.
One of the more notable things about this game is that it’s an early Rare game. Not the first, but I played this off the Rare Replay collection, which made for a nice experience as well. I’m sure this won’t quite compare though.
Our Thoughts
And after a few hours, I’m still not quite sure what I was playing. The basic idea is that you go around a level and get heavy enough to operate a switch that lets you leave. You need to avoid enemies and water, and it mostly follows the isometric platform idea.
Obviously, more complex situations are added as you go on, but what stood out to me is how difficult some of the platforming gets early on. I noticed some secret areas straight away, but my skills just aren’t good enough to reach them. About three levels in, I spent most of my lifes repeatedly climbing a hill to get to the end switch, missing jumps each time and simply not making it. And I honestly tried for some time until it was really clear it wasn’t going to happen.
The graphics are colourful and cartoonish. They really stand out for NES era graphics – they really fall more into the later era of the console. Not quite Super Mario Bros 3 style, but it stands out how much it has developed. The areas go through a similar development as well – loads of common graphics, combined in a way that makes them seem more distinct.
Final Thoughts
In the end, this game was a bit too difficult for me to enjoy fully. I still had a good time with what was there, and it felt like a good enough twist on the platforming formula. We’ll see more of its kind down the line, with plenty of isometric platformers waiting, but I think this will number amongst the best of them.