(Originally posted on November, 2015)
(1990, Arcade/2007, PSP)
The second game from the PSP collection, the arcade port of Parodius Da! is a huge improvement over the solid but aged Parodius: The Octopus Saves the Earth. Playing this for the very first time in 2015, I instantly felt like I was transported back to 1990 when Konami could seemingly do no wrong. (Actually, many of their NES games were brutal, near impossible challenges, but my 7-year old brain decided that anything from Konami/Ultra was so “cool” that I could let those details slide.)
Following the light-hearted intro which parodies some of the classic Gradius and Salamander promotional art, you’re taken to the character select screen which has removed Popolon and Goemon to give room for TwinBee. Each character is now far more detailed and expressive. Once the game starts, everything from your ship’s movement, blowing up each individual enemy and the general sense of pacing is a lot smoother, more satisfying and is still well worth experiencing to this day.
The levels are once again somewhat based on Konami’s other shooters (which I’m not very familiar with). Level design is more varied and distinct, taking you everywhere from vast tropical islands, uninviting frozen oceans, neon space casinos and circuses, comically drawn Japanese mountain scenes, European castles, obake infested graveyards and of course deep into outer space.
There are some new challenges introduced, such as a section which infinitely scrolls vertically as you slowly make your way from left to right. Minor puzzle elements will keep your brain not just focused on the gun fire but also the stages themselves, like having to figure out specific routes around dead-ends, blasting your way through huge, destructible walls (complete with an appropriate and satisfying slow-down as all those sprites are being processed) or dealing with huge but inconspicuous bonsai whom suddenly reveal they have legs and proceed to freely run around. Bosses are huge and even more creative. Backed by a proud yet bizarre theme, the Moai space train is insane to behold, so interesting that I regret having had to dismantle it. The expression and attacks of Eagle Satake are hilarious. As twisted as a visit to Silent Hill yet still cute, the Cat Pirate Shape is introduced in the first minute of the game as a foretelling of the many trippy sights to come.
The graphics and music are still superb to this day. The colors pop-out great and many of the sprites are such a joy to admire that they’ll cost you some deaths. A perfect slice of the late 80s/early 90s Konami sound, you feel like you’re in a nutty cartoon theme park upon listening to the music. Besides the well-fitting classical music remixes, there are plenty of striking originals. The sound particularly shines in all the boss fights, with a new tune that amplifies the mixture of laughter, befuddlement and tension surrounding each encounter.
The game was beaten with the following settings: Game Level - 4 Medium, Difficulty Rise – Half, Life – 5, Roulette – Off, Hit size – Small, Wait Level - 1. This wasn’t too much of a challenge, as the checkpoint system between deaths offers plenty more slack compared to the first game. Even though I’m ready to move on the next game after spending just a few hours with Parodius Da!, the game was so well done that I’d like to eventually track down some of the console and handheld ports, which appear technically inferior but are significantly different. Very challenging but never daunting, not even 25 years can stop Parodius Da! from being an excellent starting point for anyone curious about the series or genre.
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