In the gaming world older games from the 8 and 16-bit era will get released in the modern day. The game I am looking at below is one of those games called Pocky and Rocky Reshrined. Originally released on the SNES the game never really gathered any traction outside of Japan so it kind of faded away other than in the east. Now 2022 it is getting a remake and hopefully the recognition it deserves.
Publisher: ININ Games
Developer: Natsume Inc
Release Date: 24 June 2022
Thanks to PR Hound for the review code.
ININ Games are also releasing a regular retail box version to all in the EU, expected Quarter 3. Available from here
Start of a Beautiful Friendship
Pocky and Rocky is a duo that is made up of a raccoon and a cute maiden. The game starts with Rocky being chased by monsters and he knocks on the door of Pocky for help. Something has affected them and they have all become violent and hell bent on causing destruction. This problem is the master plan of the villain known as Black Mantel, who wants full run of the forest so it is up to our duo to stop him.
Action Stations
The core of the game is basically your overhead shoot’em up. This was a popular style of game back in the 16-bit era as you had Contra and The Chaos Engine to name but a few. The levels are action-packed and the game is unforgiving when it comes to the action that takes place on screen. While you gain extra health each time you complete a level, the number of enemies that appear on the next level that are relentless makes kind of negates the extra boost.
You get to take control of one of the playable characters and most of these will have basic attacks. These abilities are a weapon that can fire bullets, an ability to clear a screen of enemies which is limited and a melee attack which can be used to turn enemies attacks back on them. The key to this game is to work out their pattern as the monsters come in waves and just blasting randomly won’t always work. Taking hits will cause you to lose your power-ups.
I Expect You to Die!
Don’t let the cuteness of the game give you a sense of false security you will die a lot. The difficulty is not too bad and never seems to be overwhelming, but like many games of that era the bosses are trickier in the first few levels than at the end. Get through these and the progress should be consistent to complete the game. There are three new characters that join Rocky and Pocky on their adventure and this game the game a new feel as these weren’t in the original.
The game is fun and for the most part have been remastered very well. There are a few strange choices from the developers and the major one is to unlock the multiplayer mode. While you can unlock it by finishing the game, you can also collect 10,000 coins and unlock it before you complete it. This means playing with friends can take a while to get the mode unlocked. Easy mode needs 3,000 coins which is easier, but not ideal.
Final Thoughts
Rocky and Pocky is a fun remake of a classic from the 16-bit era. The levels are well designed and difficulty can seem odd, but back in the day this was normal. It is great to see titles get western releases so the rest of the world can enjoy obscure titles. For the price this is worthy purchase for retro fun.
Fun Gameplay
Good Characters” negatives=”Coin System Was Unnecessary”][rating title=”Gameplay” value=”8.5″]
[rating title=”Graphics” value=”9″][/review_summary]