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| Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 14 2009, 11:49 AM (539 Views) | |
| Evil Hamster | Apr 14 2009, 11:49 AM Post #1 |
Osu!
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I don't doubt that Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is a good game- there are plenty of unique elements about it that you won't find in any other game, it's full of character and everyone else seems to love it, so there must be something there. I bought this game with exceptionally high expectations, and whilst I can see that this is a very capable platformer which is bound to appeal to a lot of people, the game's shortcomings in a number of key areas, in my eyes, hold it back from being a truly great game. Ultimately, where the game tries to innovate, it succeeds brilliantly. The most obvious example of this is the switching mechanic between the game's main platforming element, and the simple match-three puzzle game found on the bottom screen. Switching between the two mechanics works seamlessly, and the integration of the two elements is simply brilliant. The one issue I found with the puzzle is that after getting a few power-ups, it quickly becomes very easy to almost entirely clear the board well within the time allowed, with the pieces very, very rarely getting stacked high enough for the enemies to make the transition back from the puzzle to the main game. It serves more as an asset, by which to obtain hearts, lives and attack the numerous still-living enemies which Hatsworth has to fight. Occasionally, special tiles will be introduced, such as 'lock' tiles which cannot be moved, but they are so few and far between that it will still cause you minimal problems. This isn't necessarily a problem, but I cannot help but think that the game would have been much more enjoyable had the puzzle element been made slightly more tricky. By clearing lots of blocks, you fill up a 'puzzle meter', which rewards you suitably for your puzzling prowess. By filling it up to halfway, Hatsworth becomes young once again, meaning your hearts are refilled. However, by filling it up completely, you become able to use 'Tea Time' and, temporarily, transform into a massive robot. This fits in brilliantly with the game's eccentric theme, and is also without doubt one of the game's most fun elements. When in robot form, Hatsworth becomes invulnerable to all enemy attacks and has all sorts of ridiculous super moves with which to pummel the numerous enemies. You will generally want to save your 'Tea Time' for the massive, melee-style fights that Hatsworth is thrown into at regular intervals- not just because they can be very challenging otherwise, but simply because regular combat in Henry Hatsworth just isn't very interesting. Admittedly, Hatsworth has a massive variety of moves to use, but, in these massive brawls that seem to be littered throughout every level, most of these attacks aren't very practical. At all. It's all very well being able to jump above your opponents and hit them with a fearsome downwards slice, or undercut them with a low chop, but both moves leave you vulnerable for a second or so, which will invariably result in you taking damage. Sure, you can shoot them, but shooting uses up your puzzle meter and so isn't at all practical for big fights. As a result, for almost all of these fights you will find yourself hammering repeatedly on the Y button, occasionally juggling a few opponents in the air (though this isn't particularly feasible in these big fights either) and hoping for the best. It's hardly involving, breaks up the incredible momentum the game has otherwise, and is without doubt one of the game's weakest points. The game's level design, whilst generally adequate, is nothing particularly special either. The platforming parts of the game are certainly superior to the repetitive combat sections, but can still feel like a let down at times. Early on in the game it seems OK, however later on there are some truly baffling design choices that really bring the game down significantly. Segments of land that completely disappear just before landing on them were amongst the most frustrating, particularly as they were located towards the end of a particularly challenging level, which I then needed to replay from the start. In some instances, enemies are placed in such awkward places that it is all but impossible to get past them without taking damage- instead of trying to actually kill them, it is often easier to just take some damage and use the quick second of invulnerability you get from doing so to get past them. Thinly spread checkpoints don't help in this regard either. You can't help but feel that this is one of the areas where Hatsworth really loses out to other DS platformers, most notably the Castlevania series- the levels are so well designed that you always feel to blame when you die, an accolade that cannot be afforded to EA's effort. As you'd expect from an eccentric, over-the-top game like Hatsworth, the boss levels are interesting and full of personality. There are two typical classes of boss- the battles against your nemesis, Weaselby, and the battles against his varied sidekicks. The latter fights can be extremely enjoyable- battles against Lance Banson (voted Sky Pirate Magazine's Handsomest Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year) and an old man in a wheelchair being pushed around by a fat nurse were some of the game's highlights. The battles against Weaselby, unfortunately, aren't quite as enjoyable. With only one exception, he always seems to be in a Dr. Robotnik-style metallic pod, and are very repetitive and uninteresting. All the bosses are relatively difficult too- this is great for the more interesting bosses, as it provides an excellent challenge but still keeps your interest throughout. This, unfortunately, cannot be said for the even harder fights against Weaselby, which are little more than a chore. As for the game ranks aesthetically, it's certainly not an ugly game- the sprite-based graphics and backgrounds are clean and sharp, if unimpressive compared to other efforts on the DS. The bigger problem is the blandness of the themes- it's all stuff you've seen before over and over again. The initial stages could have been directly ripped from a 'Mushroom Hill' level in a Sonic game and you wouldn't notice the difference- you've also got your typical water levels, fiery mountain, sewers, etc. For a game that seems to pride itself on it's inventive presentation, you can't help but feel that EA have missed a trick here, even if it's a criticism that has been levelled at so many games in recent years. The dialogue and storyline is relatively humourous- it's not particularly memorable, but it's enough to link the various stages together and you might get the odd laugh from the very typically English banter between the characters. Henry Hatsworth isn't a short game- it should last you about ten to twelve hours on the first playthrough. This is more by virtue of the game's steep difficulty curve than the number of levels available, though thirty or so full levels and a selection of extra levels is still a decent length. There is an unlockable harder difficulty level for those who fancy playing it through again, which adds some value to the game- it's just a shame that there isn't anything else to unlock. No extra characters, no multiplayer, no new weapons... any of these would give players much more of an incentive to play the game through again on hard, but ultimately the game is very bare-bones in terms of unlockables. This review may make it seem as if I believe Henry Hatsworth to be a bad game- that is simply not the case. There are numerous aspects to the game that I really enjoyed, in particular those where EA have strayed away from what you could call 'gaming tradition' to innovate. However, in other aspects, the game falls short. Whilst it would be unfair to suggest that the elements that separate it from other platformers are little more than superfluous, seeing as they work so well, Henry Hatsworth is ultimately just a platformer with a simple game of match-three added on, and compared to other platformers available on the system EA's offering just doesn't quite match up. Looking forward to the prospect of a sequel though ^.^ SCORE: 68% I'm curious as to what you all thought of the game- all the major review sites seem to love it. Would be nice to know if I'm the only person who was disappointed with it. EDIT: Can someone fix the title? :s Ta. |
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