Nippon Ichi did not disappoint with this spin-off. Departing from their usual Turn Based Strategy genre, Prinny is a fun, difficult platformer. How difficult? On my first playthrough on Standard, I had 437 of my 1,000 lives left. It would have been closer to 200 if I'd saved every time I turned my PSP off to listen to music or something. With that out of the way, let's start the review.
Story: 9/10
Story gets a high rating, not because it's particularly good (Someone stole Etna's food, you have to go make the Super Dessert,) but because the execution of it is funny. There are plenty of little jokes within the story, and for something so straightforward, a few twists. Not particularly surprising ones, but they're there.
Gameplay: 9/10
Pretty much just a basic platformer. You've got a Ground Pound to stun enemies, and two attacks, one from the ground, one in the air. Three hits and you die (on Standard. On Hell's Finest, you're a One Hit Point Wonder.) Boss fights are a matter of figuring out their patterns, finding the opportunity to stun them, and tearing them a new one with your prinny-knives. The final boss is one of the most difficult I've fought in any game. The stage is tiny, and he can't be stunned, meaning that you can barely damage him.
Graphics: 8/10
Colorful sprite-based graphics. Some of the enemies may well be copied directly from the Disgaea games.
Sound/Music: 9/10
The music for each stage is fitting, and some may even prove to be Ear Worms. All the dialogue is fully-voiced and well done (although one of the hero's squadmates has an annoying, childlike voice, you only hear it talk in like three scenes.) You may find yourself going "Hey Its That Voice!" from time to time.
Extra Features/ Replay Value: 9/10
In addition to a lot of Cosmetic Awards, there's three Downloadable Stages, five versions of the first five levels based on when in the game you go, an alternate story mode, an art gallery, an unlockable bonus stage, music from the stages to be found or unlocked. The Limited Edition version also comes with a music CD and Penny Arcade comic.
If you're a fan of platformers, hard games, or Nippon Ichi('s humor) this is a must-buy.
A Really Good Game, Dood
Nippon Ichi did not disappoint with this spin-off. Departing from their usual Turn Based Strategy genre, Prinny is a fun, difficult platformer. How difficult? On my first playthrough on Standard, I had 437 of my 1,000 lives left. It would have been closer to 200 if I'd saved every time I turned my PSP off to listen to music or something. With that out of the way, let's start the review.
Story: 9/10
Story gets a high rating, not because it's particularly good (Someone stole Etna's food, you have to go make the Super Dessert,) but because the execution of it is funny. There are plenty of little jokes within the story, and for something so straightforward, a few twists. Not particularly surprising ones, but they're there.
Gameplay: 9/10
Pretty much just a basic platformer. You've got a Ground Pound to stun enemies, and two attacks, one from the ground, one in the air. Three hits and you die (on Standard. On Hell's Finest, you're a One Hit Point Wonder.) Boss fights are a matter of figuring out their patterns, finding the opportunity to stun them, and tearing them a new one with your prinny-knives. The final boss is one of the most difficult I've fought in any game. The stage is tiny, and he can't be stunned, meaning that you can barely damage him.
Graphics: 8/10
Colorful sprite-based graphics. Some of the enemies may well be copied directly from the Disgaea games.
Sound/Music: 9/10
The music for each stage is fitting, and some may even prove to be Ear Worms. All the dialogue is fully-voiced and well done (although one of the hero's squadmates has an annoying, childlike voice, you only hear it talk in like three scenes.) You may find yourself going "Hey Its That Voice!" from time to time.
Extra Features/ Replay Value: 9/10
In addition to a lot of Cosmetic Awards, there's three Downloadable Stages, five versions of the first five levels based on when in the game you go, an alternate story mode, an art gallery, an unlockable bonus stage, music from the stages to be found or unlocked. The Limited Edition version also comes with a music CD and Penny Arcade comic.
If you're a fan of platformers, hard games, or Nippon Ichi('s humor) this is a must-buy.