Topic: Last Game You Beat

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I recently completed Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (Switch), an HD remaster of a Wii era title.

Ready to go on adventure!

Gameplay:

• A marble maze/obstacle style platformer, most levels see you tilting the stage around with the right analogue stick in order to guide a monkey (within a ball) to the end goal, avoiding obstacles & collecting bananas while trying not to fall off, all under a strict time limit. While simply getting through a level is one thing (and even this can become a challenge starting in the second half), real masochists can try to beat their high scores by shaving seconds off their best times & trying to collect all the bananas in a level (bundles of them are often just off the beaten path on perilous detours), the latter of which I wouldn't even dream of doing outside of the first few worlds.
  
  An example of the kind of level you'll have to tightrope your way through in the post game.
• There are two other types of levels, bonus levels (of which one exists in all 10 worlds, about halfway through), and boss levels (one of which caps off each of the 8 main game worlds). Bonus levels aren't all that much different from regular types, and see you trying to collect all bananas within them before time runs out or you fall off (there's no end goal other than collecting all the bananas, and you move on to the next level no matter whether or not you succeed).
• Next up are the boss levels which see you fighting bosses most often in arena style showdowns. Your goal in these is to avoid their attacks as to not be knocked off the platform (make sure you don't fall off on your own as well!), until you get the chance to hit their telegraphed weak point. These can be really tough for a variety of reasons, such as the fact that they often eschew the "3 hit rule" most other 3D platformer bosses live or die by (instead usually taking 4-6 hits to beat, usually changing their tactics either halfway through or after each hit they take), combined with the fact one good hit is all it can take to knock you out (and make you start over), and the fact that the game isn't really designed around such fights at all. You don't have any control over the camera, and while this isn't much of an issue in the rest of the game where you're mostly moving forward all the time (the camera is set to turn towards whatever direction you're moving), it can be an issue with these arena style fights (though a couple regular levels in the first world have a similar setup, seemingly as a bit of a tutorial to help you get to grips with them). One exception is the 4th world boss, which takes on the form of the level itself (you just need to survive a gauntlet and reach it's weak point on it's head) and gameplay wise fits the rest of the game much better. Needless to say, these are very hit & miss in terms of their difficulty.
  
  
  A couple of cutscene images of the thematically appropriate 4th world boss (while they appear mostly barren here, there are obstacles on each of it's segments you must clear/avoid during gameplay itself to reach it's head).
• Outside of the main game there are 10 minigames to try out. The only ones I tried out are "Monkey Target", which sees you trying to glide as far as you can and land in the middle of a bull's eye, and one that was a scrolling shmup. They are decent enough, and although you may get more out of them if you have others to play with, you won't last more than 2 or 3 rounds by yourself.
• There are six different monkeys to play as (they each have different stats for speed, weight, etc.), as well as Sonic the Hedgehog, who is new for this release and is unlocked after clearing the 8 main worlds (bananas are replaced with rings when playing as him), though he can't be used in the minigames.
• The biggest change compared to the Wii release (other than the addition of Sonic & the HD resolution), is the fact that it now controls with an analogue stick rather than motion controls (I haven't played the original, but from what I've heard this makes this the better playing version, although much easier than other entries because levels were designed with the looser motion controls in mind, though I personally still found it to be one of the toughest platformers I've played on Switch, and gave up about halfway through the second post game world). Other than that the two post game worlds now simply unlock consecutively after clearing the world before them (in the Wii version they were unlocked after the seemingly impossible task of clearing all the main worlds without using a continue), and it lacks 40 extra minigames the Wii version had (probably were designed around Wii waggle and couldn't be translated well or meaningfully without them).

Audio/Visual:

• It has many different world themes, from jungles, ghost ships, outer space, and more, and it's mix of a bright & colorful pallet, and catchy arcade style tunes, means that you can't get too upset with it, even if your on your 40th or 50th attempt to clear a level.
  
  
  
  Various shots of levels, I even included a Sonic shot.
• The theme song (I think BANANA~NA Love) is upbeat & irresistibly catchy (more than once I lingered on the title screen to give it a listen).
• Being a remaster of a Wii game, it's not a surprise to say I noticed no performance issues whatsoever. It's a great port.

Story:

• These sorts of games usually don't have much story, and that's the same here. It starts out with a pirate gorilla stealing a bundle of golden bananas, and while you take one back with each boss you defeat (with the aforementioned ape being the final one), there isn't any sort of theming tying them together, with few of them being monkeys/apes (half, if a yeti counts), and even less being pirates. It's really not an issue, though, though strong theming always makes these things better.

Conclusion:

• This was a pretty fun, albeit tough experience. It may be easier compared to the rest of the series (as many claim, though I can't confirm), but taken on it's own it can still be a stiff challenge, and one of the toughest I've had on Switch. And even though it has it's rough edges (such as the bosses), a bucketload of charm keeps it from feeling too irritating.
  
  The end to an exciting journey.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) - Now that I've enticed K.K. Slider to my island, I've hit the endgame in terms of scripted events (thus this impressions piece), but due to new events throughout the year & the updates sure to come, it's a game that can't truly be "beat".



Welcome to Namek, where the people are friendly, and the neighborhoods tightly organized.

Gameplay:

• You start out as a new resident on a deserted island getaway package, and after designing your character, naming your island & the like, it's your job to collect resources in order to build tools (which allow you to get even more resources) or sell to fill your pockets.
• There are really two main goals. The first of which is to build up your island, which is done by taking on quests given by Tom Nook (the raccoon who invited you to the island), which result in new establishments (such as shops & a museum, which has it's own questline involving donating fossils & any fish & insects you find on the island in order to complete it's exhibits) & villagers moving onto the island. Once things are suitably built up, famed musician K.K. Slider will be encouraged to put on a show on your island, proving your island is now a thriving community.
• The other goal is to build up your own home. You start out with a small tent, but once you pay it off you can move into a larger house, and through a series of paying it off and taking out even bigger loans to pay off, you can add to it one room at a time. Of course you can decorate it as you see fit, with flooring, wallpaper, and furniture. Some of which can be created by various crafting recipes (which wash up on shore on bottled messages, randomly given out by balloons, given to you by villagers, bought with Nook Miles, or earned through special events), while others are obtained ready to go (either bought with Bells or Nook Miles in selections that change daily, randomly handed out via balloons, or earned during special events).
• There are two forms of in-game currency. The first of which are Bells, the traditional currency of AC and what you'll be using most often. It can be earned by selling things at the store (Nook's Cranny), but can also be earned by playing the Stalk Market (at a certain point you can buy Turnips on Sundays, and you have a week to sell them to the store before they go bad. They sell for a different price each day, and you can make a big profit if they're going for a higher price than you bought them. It is a gamble, though). It's also possible to dig up 1,000 once a day, one of the rocks on your island will drop them (instead of it's usual resources), and they can be randomly dropped by balloons as well. In addition to paying off your loans, you can also buy furniture, clothing, and other goods from merchants with them as well.
• The other in-game currency is Nook Miles. These are earned in large amounts by completing in game achievements (and at a certain point are constantly awarded in small amounts just for completing random tasks, such as catching 5 fish). Your first loan can be paid off with them (but only that one time), but otherwise they can be spent on crafting recipes & furniture exclusive to the "Nook Stop" (an ATM like machine in the resident services tent/building). You can also buy Nook Miles Tickets with them, which send you to smaller randomly generated islands that you can use to obtain extra resources (some even have things you can't get on your island, but can import, such as bamboo & coconut trees).
• Everything runs in real time (some buildings may take one or two real days to be completed), and this adds longevity to the game as the kinds of wildlife you encounter (and can obtain for your museum) change throughout the year based on their real life activity, plus there are seasonal events (such as holidays) which can be used to obtain exclusive crafting recipes & items which you can only get during those times. You can get around this somewhat by messing with the console's internal clock, and although there's no major punishment for this (any Turnips you currently have will automatically rot, and the villagers will start rumours about you), it'll only get you so far because many of the special events will be added in future updates & can't accessed at all currently.
• There's no rush to do any of this though, and you can play at your own pace (it doesn't matter if you pay off your loan a day from now, a week, or even a year), though you may want to upgrade your house at a regular clip, because the larger it is the more storage you'll have for your resources & items you collect. After having everything built up to a reasonable degree you'll probably get into a groove of checking into it just for a bit each day just to do a quick run through of your village to see if the shops have anything interesting & to grab your daily Bell & Nook Mile drops, while coming back more seriously for the seasonal events throughout the year.
• Once you do hit endgame you obtain the ability to terraform the island itself, putting in roads, rerouting rivers, cliffsides, and creating lakes as you see fit.
  
  
  
  Make yourself at home in my humble abode.

Audio/Visual:

• It has a charming cartoonish look to it, but it's absolutely packed with little fine details, and almost everything you collect can be interacted with in some way (from lamps lighting up, stereos/record players playing music you collect, and even flushable toilets that have a gameplay element).
• I want to give a special shout out to the museum, which is immaculately realized & is a place I'd love to visit in real life.
• It has a nice relaxing soundtrack that changes by the hour, and you can buy a variety of tracks for use in your own home (or can be obtained as a gift from K.K. Slider, once he starts playing in town).
  
  
  Rest up at scenic Kaiju Public Park (the "Godzilla" even breaths fire & roars when interacted with).

Conclusion:

• I haven't played anything quite like this before, and it was a pleasant surprise. Despite there being no urgent goals to complete or a world to save, I couldn't help but be sucked in to this charming world, and there's so much here that there's bound to be stuff I didn't even touch on (such as the online features, since I don't have NSO. I believe you can create custom designs for clothes, furniture, and & even terrain to share). It's the rare kind of game where when you're not playing it, you're thinking about doing so & can't wait for your next session/day to roll around. Some things could definitely be streamlined (such as the fact you can only craft things one at a time, which is irritating when you need to craft in bulk, such as fish bait), but it's so charming you can't help but put up with it, lol.
  
  Spend the evening in our rustic Cliffside Campsite (for your own safety, we request you don't venture past the fence).