“We had tried very early on, right at the beginning, we had tried a lot of it not being that full platformer experience. It was kind of different prototypes of how to get that player outside of the game and the character inside of the game’s relationship going. There were a lot of things tried out that getting the same kind of bond.” One of those things was having the player’s finger poking through the back of the display, which was scrapped due to the impracticability of the same.

On making it a platformer, lead designer Rex Crowle explained that, “Well, I mean obviously, we have the skills of making platforming games, so it felt like we had a good core then, to build this adventure. We’ve got great designers that can create that scenery to climb through and run on, as the messenger themselves was becoming more agile, so we knew we could make more of that.”

(Source)

Players control the entrepeneurial Scrooge McDuck, as he searches for hidden treasures with trusty cane in hand. It’s 2D platforming by the books, with the unique and addictive mechanic arriving in the form of Scrooge’s pogo jumping. He can land on top of enemies with his cane pointing downwards, allowing him to leap higher in the air. It has been made easier to use this time around, but the simplified controls don’t detract from this genius gameplay mechanic. Bouncing on stuff is fun, plain and simple.

The levels you remember return in full swing and, as in the original, you can tackle them in any order you wish. A few changes have been made to the levels, and a training level in Scrooge’s office also introduces players to the game in a more gentle manner. The changes are for the most part welcome, with the level design holding up well.

"The general flow of gameplay hasn't translated quite so well for this remastered edition, however."

The tunes you associate with each level also shine through spectacularly. The soundtrack has been remastered with a fantastic respect for the source material and, coupled with the luscious hand drawn character sprites, Ducktales has never looked or sounded so good. Full credit also goes to getting the original voice actors for the characters. It’s a shame that age seems to have slowed them down. Their delivery is weak on the whole and, with dialogue regularly interrupting the flow of gameplay for banal descriptions of the treasure you find, original isn’t always best.

The general flow of gameplay hasn’t translated quite so well for this remastered edition, however. The pogo jumping works for the most part, but it occasionally cuts out unexpectedly. It isn’t game breaking but, with only three hits before you die, it can be mighty frustrating to get unfairly hit by an enemy.

Unfair is a word that ultimately sums up the difficulty level in Ducktales Remastered. Normal mode offers you only three three lives before your booted back to the beginning of a level, so it’s very easy to find your hard work on a lengthy stage undone. It’s very frustrating, but the challenge is something you can come to terms with in a game ripped from a time when titles were generally much tougher.

"Ducktales Remastered plays out as you would expect a retro remake, slick, accessible but not quite as polished as the original. "

What doesn’t make sense is how much easier the easy mode is by comparison. Double health and unlimited lives? Don’t insult me. A middle ground would have made a real difference, but there is still an odd charm in the challenge of Ducktales Remastered for the most part.

Ducktales Remastered plays out as you would expect a retro remake, slick, accessible but not quite as polished as the original. Fans of older platformers will find a lot to love in Ducktales, but it’s a much harder sell for everyone else. It’s a brutal and often unfair adventure and, though it looks and sounds gorgeous (minus the voice acting), this beautiful presentation is likely to go over the heads of much of the younger generation. Should you get Ducktales? If you loved the original or have a soft spot for retro 2D platforming, then your curiosity will be satiated, but others should think twice before laying down their cash.

This game was reviewed on Wii U.

Nintendo haven’t lost their touch, but Mario certainly has. Between the unambitious New Super Mario Bros. 2 on 3DS and the original Super Mario Bros. U, the plumbers’ 2D formula hasn’t seen any major changes since the SNES days. Nintendo are treading old ground then with Super Luigi U but, as their first major expansion to a game, it has its own patches of originality. That said, these are ultimately sidelined by a series of increasingly questionable design decisions.

Available as both an eShop download and a disc-based solo add-on, Super Luigi U sees the lesser of the Mario brothers wading through all the stages of the original Mario Bros. U. Indeed, much of the game is the same, with the identical opening sequence and world map making Luigi’s debut something of a misfire.

"Rather than being a re-skin of Mario as in the multiplayer of Mario Bros. Wii and U, Luigi controls much more like his Mario Bros. 2 counterpart this time around. "

Once you start getting into the levels though, you see where the changes have been made. Most of the stages retain their general layout and feel, but the majority of the enemies, traps and hazards have been remixed to create a tougher Mario experience. This is initially exhilarating, catering for a dedicated audience that haven’t been at the fore of Nintendo’s considerations for years now.

For the most part this new challenge is welcome, with countless deaths all adding up without you ever feeling like the game is cheating you. It’s only after so many retries that some of the other gameplay tweaks stop making sense completely. Rather than being a re-skin of Mario as in the multiplayer of Mario Bros. Wii and U, Luigi controls much more like his Mario Bros. 2 counterpart this time around. He carries a heavy center of gravity over his brother, causing him to slip and slide around the stages.

This is off-set by a higher jump and the ability to float by fervently kicking his legs in the air. It appeals from a historical point of view, and having Luigi as a stand alone character alters the level design in a way that is initially engaging. That said, it doesn’t make sense for how challenging some of the later levels are. It constantly feels like these trickier stages could do with the more controlled and measured handling of Mario, as navigating them with the floating and imprecise Luigi is often a demoralising experience.

There’s also the time limit, an ever present concern in Luigi U now that it has been reduced to a mere hundred seconds. The time limit has only ever really been present in a Mario game to prevent people from really mucking about and, whilst the vastly reduced time adds yet another layer of challenge and skill to the Luigi U formula, it also prevents you from feeling like you can really explore and enjoy the levels.

"The more compact nature of many of the levels does make multiplayer largely unplayable though."

It does mean the levels are a touch shorter, a change that can often change the game for the better. As levels seldom last over a minute, the game gains a “one more go” feel and deaths become much less bothersome.

The more compact nature of many of the levels does make multiplayer largely unplayable though. The original Mario Bros. Wii and U managed to straddle the fine line between fun and frustration, with the many players bumping into and impeding each other at specific moments.

In Luigi U it feels like you and your companions are just constantly tripping over each other. It’s a surprisingly quick way to lose your patience friends in one go.

As if to alleviate this problem with the multiplayer, the computer controlled Nabbit from the vanilla Mario Bros. U has been reintroduced as a playable character in multiplayer. Nabbit differs from the other players vastly in how he is virtually invulnerable.

"Nintendo's foray into the expansion world will hopefully give them enough feedback to make the right decision next time, as the decision to price Luigi U at £18 is a bit steep."

Falling down pits can still finish him, but no enemy can touch him, allowing the Nabbit player to steam-roll ahead of the other players. I’m sure you could say this is a clever way of making the new difficulty of Luigi U more palatable, but it just feels confused in practice. In a game that is intent on stretching and testing the limits of even the most dedicated of Mario veterans, including a cheat character like Nabbit just feels conflicted with the expansion’s purpose.

Nintendo’s foray into the expansion world will hopefully give them enough feedback to make the right decision next time, as the decision to price Luigi U at £18 is a bit steep. This price is also significantly higher if you purchase the disc-based stand alone version (it’s currently £30 on Amazon).

The new 80+ stages represent a fairly decent amount of content, but the broken multiplayer and lack of new levels in the awesome challenge mode makes the value of this expansion questionable.

I don’t mean to kick Nintendo when they’re down, as they aren’t having the smoothest of runs with the Wii U at the moment. That said, I can’t turn a blind eye to a mediocre game. If Nintendo want to silence the critics, they need to start releasing more stand-out system sellers for the Wii U and, whilst Super Luigi U is an interesting experiment, it is by no means a credit to the Wii U’s software library. If you loved the Lost Levels, the challenge may appeal to you, but others would be advised to steer clear until the price is reduced.

This game was reviewed on Wii U.

This reduction in game mechanics has led to some truly refined titles, but it has also been regularly abused as an excuse for dull designs. Cloudberry Kingdom initially appears to be too simple for its own good, but a hefty roster of cool powers and some of the best procedurally generated levels ever won me over in a big way. I’m sure, given enough time, it will win you over too.

Cloudberry offers one of the most simplistic controls schemes ever, with movement and jump keys being all that is required. Platforming is of the classic 2D mold, with a variety of traps, monsters and collectable gems standing between you and a convenient exit placed on the right side of each map. It doesn’t try to be any more than a Mario clone, but the handling is executed with a panache that bests even the most heavily canonised of 2D platformers. The weight feels solid, jumping feels precise and the whole game has a sense of pace that leads to hours of you “just having one more go.”

"If Cloudberry Kingdom was just a decent platformer with fun powers, we could slap a nice seven out of ten on it and get on with the day."

A story mode is offered as a gentle introduction to Cloudberry, but it is here that the game is at its least interesting. It tells a painfully sedentary tale of a washed up superhero questing for a princess and, though a thinly veiled attempt at humour is present, it never feels like anything more than a missed opportunity. Lame story aside, the campaign provides a series of increasingly difficult stages to sink your teeth into. They aren’t especially inspired and, were it not for the regularly introduced powers, you would get bored very quickly.

I suppose the same could be said of the rest of the game, as the powers really add a new layer to the proceedings. Genre staples like rocket packs and double jumps are woven into more creative efforts that totally turn the game on its head. I won’t go into detail for fear of spoiling the surprise, but there’s always something fresh to look forward to in Cloudberry Kingdom.

If Cloudberry Kingdom was just a decent platformer with fun powers, we could slap a nice seven out of ten on it and get on with the day. It’s not that simple though, as randomly generated levels enter the fray. Platformers with procedurally generated stages have never been done that well, often acting as interesting tech demos rather than fun games.

"Arcade mode is where the real meat of Cloudberry Kingdom is, giving you the chance to clear an infinite string of increasingly complex stages for high scores, satisfaction and, ultimately, glory."

Cloudberry Kingdom finds the holy grail with its algorithms, creating stages that offer a perfect mixture of challenge and enjoyment. Even more surprising is how well they respond to new stimuli, offering a decent difficulty curve whilst accommodating the introduction of new power ups. It introduces a few arbitrary level elements that somewhat spoil the illusion of randomly created perfection, but it is a mighty achievement all the same.

Arcade mode is where the real meat of Cloudberry Kingdom is, giving you the chance to clear an infinite string of increasingly complex stages for high scores, satisfaction and, ultimately, glory. The normal mode gives you a set number of lives to continue with that you can bolster by collecting enough crystals in each stage.

A time attack mode offers an imposing time limit to work around, with hero mode doing much of the same but varying what power you have periodically. Hybrid Rush is the wackiest by far, affecting your character with multiple powers simultaneously.

There’s also a free play mode where you can create your own individual levels by setting difficulty, powers and how much of each block and hazard should be present in the stage. It’s a great way to get to some of the hardest content quickly, with Cloudberry’s hardcore difficulty offering a thumb-bleedingly hefty test of skill.

"In terms of raw gameplay, Cloudberry Kingdom is a new powerhouse within the 2D platforming genre."

If you happen upon a level you’re really fond of in any of the modes, you can save it to play through here later. You can also share saved levels with your friends. All modes offer up to four player local multiplayer, but it is a fairly irrelevant addition. There is a certain draw to having your friends in the same game together, but there are no ways for players to interact with each other, making the mode feel like little more than a last minute inclusion. It isn’t bad per se, but it makes the action on-screen far more cluttered than is necessary.

In terms of raw gameplay, Cloudberry Kingdom is a new powerhouse within the 2D platforming genre. Looks aren’t its strong point though, with paper cut-out visuals looking like a basic Flash game, and not in a good way.

They do the job, but more complex sprites or a more creative visual style would have made a big difference. The music is actually rather interesting, with a heavier sound that rather complements some of the more intense levels. Still, you’d be a fool to judge Cloudberry Kingdom on looks alone.

A generic name and limited aesthetic may cause you to ignore Cloudberry Kingdom, but you do so at your own peril. It’s a master-class in classic platforming, managing to create an algorithm for level creation that offers seemingly limitless content. The simplicity will draw you in, but the satisfaction of a job well done will keep you coming back to one of the more surprising titles of 2013.

This game was reviewed on PC.

So how did Sega go about re-making the old classic title to create an experience that is appealing to today’s standards? Well, for one they went back to the original director Emiko Yamamoto who created the game the original Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse. Second, they wanted to make sure the game is keeping its Disney charm and animations up to par by stressing the importance of character animation. At this year’s E3,  I managed to get a hands-on  demo for Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse at the Sega booth. Was I left with positive impressions? Find out in this preview by reading down below. Let’s begin.

Presentation

The best thing about Castle: of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is its presentation. Sega did a fantastic job at providing classical sounds, animations and visuals in a Disney-like fashion. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is full of classical Disney moments as soon as you look at it. It’s not some cheap knock-off that was made by a unknown developer who tried to match the magic of Disney. Instead, this is a full fledged roller-coaster ride that we all used to know and love.

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families.

Gameplay

Castle of Illusion was one of the games I wanted to check out at this year’s E3 due to the fact that I am a Disney fan and Mickey Mouse is a significant part of my childhood. I used to watch Disney cartoons all the time, especially if any of them included Mickey Mouse. Obviously, my passion for gaming also led me to playing Disney games like The Lion King, Alladin and Chip’n’Dale on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1990’s. However, I never got to play the original Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis, so I didn’t get to experience the game at it’s original form. Meanwhile, ever since I heard of the remake, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to check it out. I won’t be able to give you my comparison impression to either of the games since I didn’t play the original, but I will touch upon the game’s overall feel and mechanics.

The demo started with Mickey standing inside a castle hall that had several rooms with closed doors. Each room represented a level in the game, and the castle’s main hall acted as the game’s main hub. Most of the doors were closed off, so I went into the door that was open which lead me to one of the indoor castle levels. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse felt just like an old school 2D platforming title with the exception of extraordinary Disney-like visuals and animations. It was exciting to play a game that reminded me of how Disney platforming games were back in the day.

The gameplay mechanics were quite simple, you run, jump and kill enemies as you traverse from point A to point B throughout the stage. Overall, the controls and the platforming was responsive. It was easy to get into and start having fun right-off the bat. The game doesn’t have anything complex or annoying to figure out; instead it focuses on delivering a 2D/3D classical platforming experience. The formula is quite standard, if you’re looking for something revolutionary here for platforming then I am afraid you won’t find it here. This is not a new platforming game but instead a remake of a classic that was memorable and fun back in the day. All Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse is trying to do is to re-create that original feeling that the old-school game had.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families. While I only played a bit of what the game had to offer, I think most people will be happy with the results and re-creation of the Sega’s classic platforming game.

Stay tuned for our review of Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse when it hits the digital stores on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC later this Summer.

Mark Cerny is not only directing Knack, but he also created the PlayStation 4’s architecture/specs, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot franchises. Now that you have a little bit of the background knowledge on how Knack become a reality for the PlayStation 4 and who’s behind the development it’s time to talk about my first experience playing a next-generation platforming title.

The Feel of a Next-Generation Platformer

Playing Knack for the first time was a fantastic experience and a fabulous game to test out the brand new DualShock 4 controller. The controls felt great, and it was easy for me to figure out which button did jumps, movement and attacks. As a platforming game at heart you have your standard jumping, double jumping, dodging, attacking and super moves buttons. Everything that I did in the game just felt natural and responsive thanks to the DualShock 4. I was able to platform my way throughout the game’s environments, fight off evil goblin soldiers, traverse dangerous ice caverns, find the secret treasure rooms and stealth my way around a secured facility through lasers.

A good way to compare Knack to other platformers would be to take everything that you love about platforming games and then add beautiful Pixar-like visuals, 60 FPS, beautiful particle effects and simple but hard to master game mechanics. The overall feel and control of Knack is on point and well designed, but the main thing is obviously is the gameplay and how the game works.

Gameplay and Difficulty Settings

In the beginning, the game felt that it was too easy, but I was quite wrong when I started to understand how the game works and how you have to master it in order to get through the game on a higher difficulty settings. Majority of platforming games these days are too easy, and I felt that Knack would go the same route, however, I am glad I was wrong. Knack features three different difficulty settings starting with Easy, Normal and Hard.

During my playtime on Knack, I decided to start off the game on Hard difficulty going in blind for the first time without knowing the controls and mechanics of the game to test out the game design and put myself to the test to see if I can figure it out by re-playing multiple times without getting too frustrated. The differences between the difficulty levels is quite vast but let me explain what the demo included and what kind of content was in the levels.

The demo featured different sections from multiple levels, with each section lasting about 3-5 minutes depending on what difficulty you played and if you try to discover all the secret treasure rooms.

The very first section took place in an outdoor urban city level where you ran around as Knack eliminating goblins and collecting relics to grow bigger. Relics can be found throughout levels by destroying certain type of objects in the game. Once the object is destroyed Knack gathers up ancient relics and grows bigger in front of your eyes as a beautiful particle effect animation is being played. When Knack grows bigger his damage increases, and so does his overall life-bar/health due to his growth in strength and size.

Knack also has plenty of secret rooms that contain treasure chests with secret items that can be collected together in order to craft a gadget that boosts one of Knack’s abilities or benefits players with new things. This is where the gameplay started to get interesting because being able to upgrade certain parts of your skills is essential to beating the game at higher difficulty levels. The most interesting aspect of these secret treasure items was how the multiplayer/social gameplay is integrated into this part of the game. For example, when you open up the treasure chest you are awarded with a random item that you may take or exchange for a different item via your friend-list right after collecting revealing what’s inside the treasure chest.

The game brings up a list of your friends and the items that they have received from this particular treasure chest, you then may choose to the different piece of the object in order to complete your set. Each item also has a rarity level meaning that the chances of getting it are a lot lower than some other objects. Once a set is complete you then may equip it to gain the benefits of the item that you have just built from collecting all the parts. This is a really unique feature and a cool way to make the gameplay more in-depth, despite the game being a single-player experience only you can actually benefit a lot from your friends as you go and hunt the secret treasure rooms.

The final version of the game will contain 60 of these treasure rooms and by collecting everything in the game you can unlock 6 more playable characters for your second play-through of Knack. This definitely adds a lot more replay-ability and fun factor to the game.

Another important gameplay mechanics are the Sunstone crystals that can be broken and gathered to power up Knack and grant him super moves. Right under Knack’s health bar you can see 3 big circles that fill up every-time you collect pieces of the Sunstone crystals. Once the circle is complete Knack is able to pull off a super move to clear an area full of enemies. These super moves can be pulled of by pressing different set of buttons on the DualShock 4. One of the moves that I was able to execute was a electrifying projectile that wiped out the goblins clean once it came in contact.

Mastering the special moves, collecting as many relics as possible, not getting hit and timing your dodge moves and attacks is the only possible way for anyone to beat this game on Hard difficulty. During my play-through on Hard difficulty I would get obliterated by two hits from one of the most basic goblin enemies. When I faced goblins with rockets and huge axes one hit would take away almost a half of my health if not more. This is where the challenge comes in so get ready for a ton of replay value and a next-generation platforming experience.

In the second section, the level took place inside a facility with a couple of human and goblins enemies. This section let you test out the stealth sections of the game. As transparent Knack, you can get through lasers and break into ventilation shafts to find secrets. While playing as transparent Knack, you can switch your form between regular Knack and stealth Knack to start fighting enemies by pressing R2 on the DualShock 4.

Third level took place in an ice cave that demonstrated how Knack can absorb different elemental particles. For example, when I was breaking ice crystals and gathered up relics my Knack was turning into a hulking walking frost armor which was awesome. This section was the most difficult part of the demo due to more types of enemies on screen and the sliding ice floor that made dodging enemy attacks a lot harder. When I played this level on Hard difficulty, I was basically forced to switch to Normal difficulty because I kept getting stuck at one part. I would’ve eventually mastered it, but I switched to easier difficulty for the time’s sake and completion of the demo.

The last section was actually another part of the first level that was at the beginning of the demo. This part let you play as a full grown Knack with maximum life-bar and damage increase. Smaller enemies are no longer are problem and can easily be killed with one-hit, however, this time I was also faced against giant robots, airships and tanks that tried to take me down. As full grown Knack I was able to pick up vehicles from the streets and throw them towards airships to pin them down, or you can try jumping and hitting them with your giant fist if you can get in the right position and perfect timing.

Conclusion

Overall of these playable sections provided me with positive feedback and an enjoyable experience thus far. I was quite pleased with how Knack felt, played and what the PlayStation 4 was capable of in terms of a next-generation platforming game. I expect the games to get better and better as time goes by.

In conclusion I was satisfied with Knack and my hopes are quite high for the final product and I am looking forward to reviewing the game when the PlayStation 4 finally launches later this year. I have faith in Knack and I personally believe that this will be a solid launch title that everyone should experience if they get a PlayStation 4.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures is not your traditional Pac-Man game that you’ve come to expect. The players will still consume ghosts and food, meanwhile, the ‘debut trailer’ demonstrates a mix of platforming and action. In the video Pac-Man also eats a power petal that grants him new and unique abilities.

Screenshots Gallery:

Are you interested in the new Pac-Man title? Let us know in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for future updates of this newly announced game in the coming weeks at E3 2013.

Puppeteer was previously announced at Gamescom last year. Puppeteer is a brand new platforming title that is being developed by Sony Japan Studio. You play as a boy named Kutaro. Kutaro was transformed into a puppet and his goal is to escape the evil Moon Bear King’s castle.

Here is a brief description of the gameplay style of Puppeteer:

“Cut and crop your way through an ever-changing fantasy world with a pair of magical scissors,” Sony says. “Swap your head to suit the situation and use your fresh perspective to find the way home.”

Check out the brand new trailer and screenshots below (credit goes to SixthAxis):

Sony already confirmed that Puppeteer will be available via retailer or digitally on September 10th in North America and Europe on September 11th.

The game looks charming, let us know what you think of Puppeteer in the comments below. Check back on GamingBolt for more news and our review of Puppeteer when it hits the store shelves in September.

uacamelee! is a unique and humorous 2D side scrolling action platforming exclusive tile on the PlayStation Vita developed by DrinkBox Studios. Guacamelee! features fantastic combat and platforming puzzles to create a fun experience.

The game also features Cross-play functionality between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

As always, I will discuss the presentation of the game, gameplay, trophies and overall verdict. Let’s begin.

Presentation:

Guacamelee! shines across the board with its unique and funny theme. The art is beautifully drawn and animated. The graphics is smooth as butter and stays at a beautiful 60 Frames-Per-Second on the Vita’s awesome LED screen. As you keep on playing you will visit areas with different background themes. The developers did a phenomenal job at keeping everything consistent while changing the styles of the levels all throughout the game.

The story in Guacamelee! is nothing new or original, but it gets the job done. You play as Juan Aguacate whose objective is to save the El President’s daughter from the Evil Charro Skeleton. The game takes place in a small village, in Mexico. The village is filled with unique and quirky characters that can be interacted with to activate side quests. Thanks to Guacamelee’s charming art-style and personality the story makes the adventure humorous and a little bit exciting along the way.

The soundtrack is most likely one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. Each level in the game has its own theme song, so you are never stuck with listening to the same music over and over again. The tunes are catchy, and a joy to listen to. It’s going to be one of those video game soundtracks that will be stuck in your head for years to come and remind you of how gorgeous and fun this game was back when it was released. I have absolutely no complaints regarding the game’s overall presentation, graphics or it’s sound design.

Everything is so well put together that it just creates one ultimate package that genuinely makes this title stand out on its own and be different from everyone else thanks to the game’s great production values.

Gameplay:

The gameplay in Guacamelee! combines unique platforming sections and fun combat mechanics all throughout the whole adventure. The game’s structure is centered on a hub-town where you can talk to different people to get unique side quests to unlock trophies. However, you can just completely ignore all the miscellaneous stuff and just move on and follow the main quest-line to complete the story.

Following the main quest-line will lead you to a particular level with a ton of challenging platforming sections, combat zones and hidden areas that contain coins, health and stamina upgrades. As you play through the game, you will come across a goat man that gives the character special abilities such as; head-butting attacks, dashing, flying across an area by launching yourself from a wall and more.

These unique abilities also add more depth to the combat system of the game. Thanks to the game’s beautiful animations it’s a ton of fun to try to chain combos on enemies and just enjoying the show of how fluid the combat system is. It feels visceral and engaging.

The player is free to explore the level at their own pace before they decide to face the main boss of the area. Players will come across shops that act as quick-save checkpoints and vendors. In these shops, you can buy upgrades for Juan’s health, stamina and other neat things.

This game is filled with a ton of secret areas. If you want to unlock everything in the game and get all the hidden chest, maximize your character upgrades, collect secret orbs and unlock all the trophies then get ready for a lot of revisiting.

Trophies:

Trophies in Guacamelee! are for the most part straight-forward. It will take around 10-15 hours to get the platinum. Once you beat the game first time you will unlock ‘Hard Mode’. Beating the game on Hard Mode grants you another trophy towards your platinum requirement.

Players will also be required to complete side-quests in the game, find hidden orbs and all of the hidden chests throughout the entire game. Purchasing everything from the checkpoint vendor shops will also unlock a trophy. Overall the trophies are fun, they are not super hard or too easy, instead they are just perfect in my opinion as far as the difficulty and time consumption is concerned.

Overall:

Overall Guacamelee! is one of the best exclusive indie games I have played since PixelJunk Monsters. I really enjoyed the game’s art direction, animations, catchy soundtrack, engaging combat, excellent gameplay all throughout the entire course of the game and cross-buy is a plus. At $15 Guacamelee! is a must buy and well worth the price. I deeply hope that Drink Box Studios will make a sequel because if they will I will get it in a heartbeat.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation Vita.

Brazilian rating board showed vgleaks that Castle of Illusion, a platform game developed by SEGA with Mickey Mouse as the main character is being remade for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PlayStation Vita.

Digital cover of the game was leaked earlier today.

New cover art just might prove that a remaster is incoming of the original game. Castle of Illusion HD would be fantastic, especially after Capcom revealed Ducktales HD Remaster.

Is this a possibly a new trend now in the industry, to re-release HD Remasters of old favorite games? Only one could dream.

Castle of Illusion originally came out back in 1990, imagine replaying this game in an awesome HD glory today.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.

Source – VGleaks