Help Me Marina!!!

Why am I Mr. Pink?,

First off, I would like welcome another member to our illustrious web-based publication. Do blogs count as such? Who cares!

Second, Drill Dozer was totally great. Sure the music is repetitive (but I still wish I could find the soundtrack) and it wasn't much to look at, but it was an interesting take on a tired genre. Some of the level design and most of the boss fights were pretty creative. Actually it reminded me a lot of some of Treasure's platformers, specifically Mischief Makers.

See what I did there?

MM is a similarly quirky and inventive platformer from the early days of the N64. You play as Marina, intergalactic Cybot G and all around swell gal. The professor is always getting kidnapped and it is up to you to save him. And the galaxy. Or something. The plot is of little consequence most of the time. Some of the characters are fun, if underdeveloped; nonetheless I still get a kick out of some of the exclamations. "HERE'S LUNAR!!!"

The real draw here is the game design. Though this is a platformer, you won't find much hopping or bopping in Marina's repertoire. Grabbing and shaking is the order of business in this title. Various level features, enemies and even projectiles can be taken hold of to help clear the stages. The mobility afforded by this is a lot of fun and plays very well with the intelligently designed levels. Plus, it is always entertaining to throw enemies around or into each other. Shaking objects will often yield unexpected, but usually welcome, occurrences such as a more powerful throwing object or collectible gems.

The stages are generally very short, emphasizing precision play over endurance. At the end of each, you are ranked based on your completion time; if you find the game addictive enough, you can try for all S ranks, a nigh impossible task. I don't have even a single one. There are also gold gems scattered throughout, usually hidden or in some hard to reach nook, that add replay value. Levels are for the most part unique, each offering some new twist or gimmick to keep you interested till the finale. It is a short experience, but there is plenty of enjoyment to be had, especially if you are are the 100% completion type.

The boss battles deserve special mention as they are awesome. Where else can you ride a cat, who is in turn riding a missile, while being chased by a dog on a motorcycle? That's what I thought.

Graphically and aurally, MM is nothing special. In fact, it might even be sub par depending on how much importance you place on such things, but it would be a mistake to let the production values get in the way. Highly recommended.

It is worth noting that I would not have had the opportunity to play either Mischief Makers or Drill Dozer if I did not have the pleasure of Pkadden's aquaintence. Thank you, kind sir.

Shake Shake,
Marina