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IGN Review of Henry Hatsworth & the Puzzling Adventure
The Nintendo DS has no shortage of amazing games. Just this month alone there are at least a half dozen great titles hitting the system, and if the current stream of pocket goodness continues, there will be a whole lot more for 2009. What the DS didn't have until now, however, was a half platformer, half puzzle game, which featured an old man that spoke Banjo Kazooie-like gibberish, drank tea, and turned into a gigantic super robot. This would be a system first…
First of all, if you're a fan of Tetris Attack, Astro Boy (GBA), Mega Man X, Castlevania, traditional Mario games, or last year's sleeper hit Drawn to Life, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is a must-buy. The team over at EA Tiburon that spawned this gem of a DS game knows classic gaming, and has thrown in chunks of nearly every major action/platformer (or at least philosophy behind them) out there. Hatsworth may don a cute look, a strange concept, and an "ageless" visual style, but it's pure fun.
The general design for Henry Hatsworth is a unique but simple one. Players control a doddering old man that's a sort of half-adventurer, half-washed up crackpot. Rocking a strategically placed monocle and safari hat, Hatsworth is out to discover a set of golden clothes said to be worn by powerful "gentleman" throughout the ages, and with a snickering anti-hero hot on his trail, the race for the greatest golden knickers on the planet is off. Gameplay on the top screen is classic action/platforming, including elements from nearly every design school out there, and it comes together really well. You'll find combo attacks, pop-up and chase maneuvers for mid-air battling, dashes, wall jumps, butt stomps, sub-weapons, melee and shooter elements, a combo system, upgradable skills in a gem-based God of War/Astro Boy system, and plenty of classic platforming goodness. All the level design elements you'd expect to see are there too. Hatsworth slides on ice, dodges pits, encounters screen-freeze areas where a barrage of baddies attack, takes to underwater areas (complete with low gravity, higher jumps, and air bubble "push" areas), and plenty of good old fashioned platforming. As a particularly impressive note, new enemies are being introduced evenly throughout the entire game, but that number quickly moves from a dozen or so to nearly 30 different types by my count. This game just keeps bringing more and more to the table.
But this is the Puzzling Adventure, right? So what's up with that match-three game on the bottom screen? The link between the "puzzle realm" and Hatsworth emerges from the very beginning of the game, and it's an integral part of the design. Enemies and item pick-ups all make their way down to the bottom screen, where Tetris Attack (Planet Puzzle League) is played. Removing three or more blocks at once will add to your puzzle meter – which fuels your robot transformations, as well as sub-weapons – and while the top screen freezes during puzzle mode, the puzzle will slowly scroll as you focus your attention back on the top screen, so you'll need to balance between removing enemies that could potentially respawn, cashing in match-three for more supers and bigger weaponry, using the puzzle to solve platformer areas (fill in missing blocks, or the like) or cashing in on support items that lurk on the bottom screen.
The real challenge here was blending the two game types, and it totally works. Each screen feels like its own game, but they're also tied together very well. Depending on enemy type, different blocks move down into the puzzle. During boss battles, specific attacks will render the bottom screen useless or add in new immobile areas of the puzzle that need to be worked around to remove. For as many enemy types as there are in the game, there's an equivalent number of ways the team has messed with the classic Tetris Attack formula, and it keeps things fresh on both screens. My worry was that each of the two sections of the game would feel like half-games. That's simply not the case. With Henry Hatsworth, you're getting a full-on action/platformer, and a full-on puzzle game too. If you could cover up and disable one of the two screens, you'd still have what feels like a polished, robust offering for each respective genre.
There are still some downsides to look out for, but the good far outweighs the bad. The game can be pretty unforgiving at times, having knock-back on attacks, and placing enemies in tough locations during demanding gap-jumping. It never gets too overbearing, but Hatsworth is always walking the line between a game for the younger crowd, and one to satisfy the hardcore. By the time you hit world three or so, it's on to some pretty demanding gameplay. In addition there are a few little changes I'd love to see for a sequel, but nothing that's game-breaking in any way. The down/attack is the most powerful regular move in the game, but I've had some poor luck with it as well. Hatsworth keeps his collision, and oftentimes he'll attack, but also be blown back from getting hit, making it a tough one to feel comfortable with using.
As a very minor gripe, the game's juggle system makes for some great gameplay, but since it relies on you popping up baddies and keeping them airborne in combos long after they've died (an awesome concept), you don' t have a chance to go pick up some of the loot they drop in the process. I would have loved to purchase an upgrade that sucked gems towards Hatsworth, but when that's the biggest of my concerns, it should be pretty obvious that this game is the real deal. Other than that, I found that a lot of areas –while extremely fun – gave me a serious sense of déjà vu. Level design is strong, but I feel like I've seen most of it before, and not until later in the game do levels truly catch up to the innovation of the rest of the game. Stages are also pretty long, but the game auto-saves after each chunk of a level, so you can always turn it off and pick up where you left off.
When all is said and done though, the good far outweighs any slight issues I've encountered, making this one of the most original and well-crafted platformers on the system, and what I'd consider to be the best DS platformer since New Super Mario Bros. The gameplay is sound, but on top of that the style is hilarious as well. Characters speak ridiculous gibberish, bosses and enemies have a nice slice of over-the-top humor to them, and the attitude found when blending the visuals, character designs, and sound is seriously impressive. If I could have the music from Hatsworth's boss fight against Lance Banson (Sky Pirate Magazine's Handsomest Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year) playing on loop for every boss fight in any videogame ever, I would do it. Fighting a sky pirate is fun, but fighting a sky pirate while he sings to you in a beautiful opera ballad donning a half-open pink shirt to compliment his gold, flowing hair is a different beast altogether.
©2009-03-13, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
First of all, if you're a fan of Tetris Attack, Astro Boy (GBA), Mega Man X, Castlevania, traditional Mario games, or last year's sleeper hit Drawn to Life, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is a must-buy. The team over at EA Tiburon that spawned this gem of a DS game knows classic gaming, and has thrown in chunks of nearly every major action/platformer (or at least philosophy behind them) out there. Hatsworth may don a cute look, a strange concept, and an "ageless" visual style, but it's pure fun.
The general design for Henry Hatsworth is a unique but simple one. Players control a doddering old man that's a sort of half-adventurer, half-washed up crackpot. Rocking a strategically placed monocle and safari hat, Hatsworth is out to discover a set of golden clothes said to be worn by powerful "gentleman" throughout the ages, and with a snickering anti-hero hot on his trail, the race for the greatest golden knickers on the planet is off. Gameplay on the top screen is classic action/platforming, including elements from nearly every design school out there, and it comes together really well. You'll find combo attacks, pop-up and chase maneuvers for mid-air battling, dashes, wall jumps, butt stomps, sub-weapons, melee and shooter elements, a combo system, upgradable skills in a gem-based God of War/Astro Boy system, and plenty of classic platforming goodness. All the level design elements you'd expect to see are there too. Hatsworth slides on ice, dodges pits, encounters screen-freeze areas where a barrage of baddies attack, takes to underwater areas (complete with low gravity, higher jumps, and air bubble "push" areas), and plenty of good old fashioned platforming. As a particularly impressive note, new enemies are being introduced evenly throughout the entire game, but that number quickly moves from a dozen or so to nearly 30 different types by my count. This game just keeps bringing more and more to the table.
But this is the Puzzling Adventure, right? So what's up with that match-three game on the bottom screen? The link between the "puzzle realm" and Hatsworth emerges from the very beginning of the game, and it's an integral part of the design. Enemies and item pick-ups all make their way down to the bottom screen, where Tetris Attack (Planet Puzzle League) is played. Removing three or more blocks at once will add to your puzzle meter – which fuels your robot transformations, as well as sub-weapons – and while the top screen freezes during puzzle mode, the puzzle will slowly scroll as you focus your attention back on the top screen, so you'll need to balance between removing enemies that could potentially respawn, cashing in match-three for more supers and bigger weaponry, using the puzzle to solve platformer areas (fill in missing blocks, or the like) or cashing in on support items that lurk on the bottom screen.
The real challenge here was blending the two game types, and it totally works. Each screen feels like its own game, but they're also tied together very well. Depending on enemy type, different blocks move down into the puzzle. During boss battles, specific attacks will render the bottom screen useless or add in new immobile areas of the puzzle that need to be worked around to remove. For as many enemy types as there are in the game, there's an equivalent number of ways the team has messed with the classic Tetris Attack formula, and it keeps things fresh on both screens. My worry was that each of the two sections of the game would feel like half-games. That's simply not the case. With Henry Hatsworth, you're getting a full-on action/platformer, and a full-on puzzle game too. If you could cover up and disable one of the two screens, you'd still have what feels like a polished, robust offering for each respective genre.
There are still some downsides to look out for, but the good far outweighs the bad. The game can be pretty unforgiving at times, having knock-back on attacks, and placing enemies in tough locations during demanding gap-jumping. It never gets too overbearing, but Hatsworth is always walking the line between a game for the younger crowd, and one to satisfy the hardcore. By the time you hit world three or so, it's on to some pretty demanding gameplay. In addition there are a few little changes I'd love to see for a sequel, but nothing that's game-breaking in any way. The down/attack is the most powerful regular move in the game, but I've had some poor luck with it as well. Hatsworth keeps his collision, and oftentimes he'll attack, but also be blown back from getting hit, making it a tough one to feel comfortable with using.
As a very minor gripe, the game's juggle system makes for some great gameplay, but since it relies on you popping up baddies and keeping them airborne in combos long after they've died (an awesome concept), you don' t have a chance to go pick up some of the loot they drop in the process. I would have loved to purchase an upgrade that sucked gems towards Hatsworth, but when that's the biggest of my concerns, it should be pretty obvious that this game is the real deal. Other than that, I found that a lot of areas –while extremely fun – gave me a serious sense of déjà vu. Level design is strong, but I feel like I've seen most of it before, and not until later in the game do levels truly catch up to the innovation of the rest of the game. Stages are also pretty long, but the game auto-saves after each chunk of a level, so you can always turn it off and pick up where you left off.
When all is said and done though, the good far outweighs any slight issues I've encountered, making this one of the most original and well-crafted platformers on the system, and what I'd consider to be the best DS platformer since New Super Mario Bros. The gameplay is sound, but on top of that the style is hilarious as well. Characters speak ridiculous gibberish, bosses and enemies have a nice slice of over-the-top humor to them, and the attitude found when blending the visuals, character designs, and sound is seriously impressive. If I could have the music from Hatsworth's boss fight against Lance Banson (Sky Pirate Magazine's Handsomest Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year) playing on loop for every boss fight in any videogame ever, I would do it. Fighting a sky pirate is fun, but fighting a sky pirate while he sings to you in a beautiful opera ballad donning a half-open pink shirt to compliment his gold, flowing hair is a different beast altogether.
©2009-03-13, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved