#arcade games
#arcade games
by Amr (@siegarettes)
The act of playing Shinobi is a performance. Each attempt is practice for the choreography. Every shuriken in the right place, every jump predetermined and every kill premeditated. The instant you throw a shuriken you know the fate of you and your enemy. Either they’re dead in the next second or–as is more often the case–you are.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Born of a daughter’s request to have a version of Ghosts ‘N Goblins with a playable girl, Battle Princess Madelyn carries both the spirit of that childhood desire and the series it pays homage to. This results in a game that both challenged and charmed me, bringing spooky character designs with a sense of cuteness, alongside familiar chaotic action.
It leaves a good first impression. I was drawn into the world and simple joy of warding of the assault of the undead. Changing the damsel into a pup that needed to be avenged (and watches over you as a spirit) was a cute, if sad, touch. But as I went on it slowly dawned on me that it wasn’t the game I wanted. The levels were unfocused, too often full of sprawling areas that felt barren and tedious to navigate. Alternate paths and secret areas seemed promising but often led to…dead ends? Or side quests with no tangible reward.
I felt pretty down on it. Until I was met with the realization that Battle Princess Madelyn was actually two totally different games.
@siegarettes talks about how Rayforce (aka Gunlock aka Layer Section) builds a story that reinforces the use of its lock on mechanic.