Review

Developed by:TikGames Published by:Square Enix Genre(s):
  • Platformer
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$14.99 ESRB Rating:EVERYONE 10+ Players:1-2 Release date:January 24, 2012 Reviewed on:XBox 360
    7

    Scarygirl

    If I had to choose one genre of game to play for the rest of my life, it would have to be platformers. Don’t get me wrong, there are other genres that I love to play. The thing is, although this genre hasn’t been pushed to the forefront in years (outside of LittleBigPlanet and Mario titles), it’s still one of the best there is in gaming. I mean, it spawned one of, if not the biggest, gaming icons of all time. Whether or not I’m wearing a Tanooki Suit, running at super speeds through looping landscapes, or dressing up a living sack doll, doesn’t really matter. Because most of the time, I’m having a good time. That’s how I felt when I first saw TikGame’s Scarygirl. Based on what I’d seen, this platformer had all the right elements to be a great title. After playing through the final game, I’m happy to say that while it might not be an instant classic, it defiantly isn’t a bad game!

    Scarygirl is game that is based off of Nathan Jurevicius’s award-winning comic series of the same name. It’s about a little girl who was abandoned one night, only to be found by a friendly octopus named Blister. Blister didn’t want to just leave her to fend for herself, so he chose to adopt her. Over time they became good friends; Blister named her Scarygirl and built her a tree house to live in. Of course, something had to go wrong and in their case it was Scarygirl’s reoccurring nightmares. She figured that they had something to do with her past and so she set out to discover the mystery of her dreams.

    Saying that Scarygirl is a little weird would be an understatement. However, that’s not a bad thing. Her adventure reminds me of something pulled straight from a Tim Burton film. What we have is a weird, dream-like world filled with colorful backdrops and characters. Scarygirl herself looks like she could be the daughter of Jack Skellington with her pale skin and rigged mouth. This title, like the comic, is filled with style which goes a long way to help sell this game. You might not understand or know exactly what you’re looking at sometimes, but you won’t want to look away.

    When it comes down to the gameplay, TikGames did a decent job of combining old and new platforming elements. Old mechanics like collecting items, dodging annoying flying enemies, and the tried and true “hold the jump button to hover” move all make an appearance in this game. Also, the levels are well designed; none will have you ready to pelt your controller at the TV like classic Mega Man games. Then there are the new features found in more modern games, like being able to buy new moves or combos, collecting stat changing items, and co-op gaming. It can be tough to avoid taking damage from enemies, but being able to combo your way out helps in that regard.  Playing by myself, I was able to jump, climb, and explore Scarygirl’s large levels with ease. Purchasing new combos to fight off baddies was fun; you finally have a reason to get every gem or coin in this type of game. The occasional boss fight changed things up enough to keep it from becoming too monotonous and the checkpoints were well placed. Fun times! Unfortunately, playing Scarygirl with a friend is a test in frustration due to some questionable design elements. One issue I had was with the fact that if the first player (Scarygirl) died, both players had to start over from the last check point. When trying to jump to a bridge that collapses into a bottomless pit once touched, having a 2nd player around makes it easier to fall to your death. Certain jumps have to be timed better, to allow for both players to get through. Normally in co-op platformers , if the speed of one player results in the other player’s death, the quicker player can still salvage the bad situation by making it to the next checkpoint, spawning the decease player back into play (or at the very least, are given the option to complete the level). That’s not the case with Scarygirl. On top of that, each time you reload a checkpoint, every purchased item or found gem has to be picked up again. Eventually, you’ll stop caring about the extra stuff and focus on completing the levels.

    Another issue I had was the fact that the 2nd player would frequently teleport to where the first player was. This can cause confusion depending on where player 1 is. For instance, I was getting ready to swing across a pit to grab a gem. My wife (player 2) was busy punching an enemy in the face. All of a sudden she is teleported to where I was and briefly floated in the air before falling into the pit below. Mind you she wasn’t at the edge of the screen; we were not far enough apart to warrant the teleport. Making this worse was the fact that sometimes the camera would dramatically change views to show us the next platform, resulting in more confusion (it of course, follows Scarygirl). It’s manageable in single player, resulting in very few missteps. Not during multiplayer sessions. Instead of feeling like a real co-op experience, it more closely resembles the gameplay found in Sonic 2; just like Tails, player 2 didn’t really matter.

    Aside from the co-op experience, Scarygirl can be a fun game. It has nice graphics, a cool stylized world, and good platform mechanics. Collecting items and abilities is fun, and the intertwined beat’em up gameplay is a nice feature. The only real down side is that the cooperative experience is tough to enjoy due to the single player centralized gameplay mechanics. The added difficulty of the later levels makes playing with a partner a good way to get on each others nerves. That doesn’t mean you should stay away from this title. It just means that you should keep that in mind before purchasing Scarygirl!

    Gameplay:

    7

    There are some issues when it comes to co-op. Single player is fun though!

    Graphics:

    8

    I dig the stylized characters. The colorful pallet is also a nice touch.

    Sound:

    7

    While the sound quality isn’t bad, nothing really stands out.

    What's New:

    5

    Outside of the characters and story, there isn’t anything new being added to this genre.

    Replay Value:

    8

    Single player mode is fun enough that it would warrant multiple replays. Plus you can go back and collect the skills and items you missed!

    Final Score:

    7

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