Post by Yoshi on Jan 17, 2009 14:46:05 GMT -5
Name: Densetsu no Stafy
Release date: September 1, 2002 JP
Rating: None
System: Gameboy Advance
Genre: Marine Platformer
Multiplayer Support: None
Developer: TOSE
Publisher: Nintendo
Import: Yes
Introduction:
Well after reading this title, most North American gamers would be confused and wonder just what this game is. Why haven’t they heard about it either? Well, the game is called “Densetsu no Stafy” and roughly translates to “Stafy of Legend.” Most people have probably never heard of it because this game has never left Japan. You might recognize Stafy though, because he has made cameo appearances in worldwide games such as Super Smash Brothers Brawl. How does is his game and is it worthy of a Worldwide release? Keep reading for the answer!
Storyline:
One day as Stafy was rearranging his furniture at Tenkai Palace in the sky; he accidentally tripped and dropped everything he was holding. One of the things that fell was a magical jar that held an evil villain named Ogura. The jar fell into the sea and soon a catastrophe began to occur around Stafy’s home. Ogura was released from his holding place and now Stafy must go to the sea to get him back. While the story is in Japanese, the images displayed during conversations are good enough to tell you about what’s happening or you could read a translation. Either way, the story has some depth and is constantly expanding.
Gameplay:
The game plays a lot like two other games from Nintendo: Kirby and Mario. While underwater, Stafy can walk or swim freely similar to the games in Kirby’s series, but above the ground he runs and jumps like everyone’s favorite plumber. Several levels are capable of successfully binding the two styles together. Stafy also has the power to perform the spin attack to defeat enemies in his path. Stafy’s objective in a level is to help out sea creatures or defeat a boss. To help out someone, you generally need to find a special item hidden in the level, and as for boss battles you just duke it out with some troublesome sea creatures.
Graphics:
The visual aspect of the game is fairly simple, but rather effective in return. The graphics are nice and cutesy for the most part and that’s exactly what I like, in a world where there are dark, gory, bloody, and destructive games. Considering this was originally planned to be a Gameboy Color game, I am very impressed with what TOSE has given provided. One thing I’m disappointed with is that the in-game sprites are a little on the small side and could’ve been upsized for an overall improvement. Still, these graphics should be appealing and enjoyable to a broad audience of gamers.
Sound:
The sounds of the game are stuck in between the middle of Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance sounds. This isn’t particularly bad though, since they still are highly likable. The music can get old rather quickly, but there are a few catchy tunes that can bypass this. While the sound isn’t too great, you’ve got to give it credit for being essentially a port of a Gameboy Color game with improvements. There are definitely games with better quality of music, but this one has music that’s just average.
Difficulty:
The main problem with the game is that the game is so short and easy that you’re likely to finish it in anywhere from 2-6 hours. You’d expect a game imported from Japan to be very hard, but this is the exact opposite. Perhaps this game’s audience was leaning towards younger ones? If you’re looking for a very difficult game, I’m sorry but you’re out of luck in that particular category. Despite being such a short game, it is able to make up for this with its other expertise qualities.
Controls:
Luckily the controls for the game are easy to learn, making them pick-up-and-play friendly. Move Stafy around by pressing the Directional Pad up, down, left, or right. Pressing B activates Stafy’s trademark spin attack. Moving in the desired direction and holding down the A button makes him do a pushing motion, with is used for moving objects of course. You can’t go wrong with such easy controls!
Bonuses
As a bonus, there are several mini-games included into the adventure. Most of them involve shooting Stafy off his friend Kyorosuke and bouncing him around to keep him from hitting the spikes. These games are quite fun, and are cute to say the least. After completing the game there are disguises Stafy can take such as a witch, a teddy bear, and more. This is a fun past time after you’re all done with the short game.
Overall:
All together, Densetsu no Stafy is a worthy Marine Platformer and the series should definitely be brought over to North America. If you ever see a title in this series on a shelf, take your chance and grab it. If you’re an importer, it could be argued that there are better values for your money though. Though this game has its flaws, there are many more positives than negatives. If you love Kirby or Mario, this game will satisfy your platforming needs.
7/10
It even has Wario in it!
