Berserk Boy Overview – Overview

There’s a variety of nuance inside the action-platformer style, and with later Mega Man video games particularly got here a heavier give attention to exploration and replaying ranges with newly acquired powers. Berserk Boy is a fast-paced indie recreation that channels the Mega Man X, Zero, and ZX video games–in addition to the Gunvolt collection–to attempt to carve out its personal house on this very crowded style. It manages to supply a good bit of leisure throughout its 15 or so levels, however a pair hiccups maintain it again from attaining must-play standing.

Berserk Boy is at its weakest when it spends time doling out story beats that are not almost as fascinating as its gameplay. The premise is {that a} boy named Kei features the power to rework into Berserk Boy by way of a wierd orb, and as he collects extra of them, he acquires much more transformations. Inside your own home base hub, you’ll be able to converse to NPCs, go to a lab to enhance your powers, and choose new missions. Between end-of-area boss fights, you may even be tasked with working across the base to filter out enemies which have invaded, however these segments are pretty tedious. The hub could add a little bit of taste, however it will get in the best way of the true star of Berserk Boy: the best way which you could fly via levels, swapping powers on the contact of a button.

Each stage options a number of checkpoint doorways that mean you can return to earlier elements, if, for example, you missed a collectible. Nevertheless quick you select to play via them, the degrees may be fairly prolonged, with a lot of secret passages to uncover and obstacles that require particular transformations to bypass. Along with platforming challenges, you may encounter fundamental enemies, mini-bosses, and some several types of collectibles; one in every of these opens up a time trial mini-stage and the opposite finally ends up coming into play close to the sport’s conclusion. The latter collectible is definitely required to unlock end-game content material, which is greater than a bit of irritating.

Kei’s first transformation is one which grants lightning-based powers, together with a excessive velocity sprint that means that you can zip throughout the display, hanging enemies and enabling a lock-on projectile for additional injury (not in contrast to how the aforementioned Gunvolt features in his personal video games). The opposite Berserk Orbs you acquire unlock a flame-based outfit with drilling capabilities, an air-themed go well with that means that you can float, an ice ninja kind that may hold onto transferring platforms, and an earth-based kind that means that you can scan doorways and platforms to unlock them. Later levels power you to change on the fly (generally actually), and so changing into conversant in every kind is essential, or it might be should you even wanted something aside from the lightning kind to take out virtually each boss you encounter. Should you’re anticipating something near the issue of the toughest Mega Man video games, you’ll have to activate the Retro problem when beginning a brand new save file, which provides you a set variety of lives and more durable enemies–in contrast with the limitless retries of Fashionable mode.

By way of presentation, Berserk Boy boasts a vibrant colour palette and neat visible results, like a disappearing shadow path that seems as you run and bounce via every stage. Every world consists of three predominant levels that heart on a selected factor/biome, and these are accompanied by the signature sounds of composer Tee Lopes, so relaxation assured your ears are in for a deal with. The convenience with which you’ll swap Berserk kinds by way of the L and R buttons along with the remainder of the graceful controls make for a beautiful and clean journey throughout Berserk Boy’s multi-hour marketing campaign.

Regardless of its strengths, the repetitive boss fights, lack of enemy selection, and tedious base protection segments throw a number of bitter notes into the upbeat and satisfying jazz that’s Berserk Boy. One other difficulty is that the lab the place you should purchase upgrades doesn’t fairly work as meant, with the well being upgrades I bought not registering in any respect in the direction of my well being meter. That the true conclusion of the sport is gated behind gathering dozens of tokens throughout the sport’s 5 worlds is a particular misstep, however the general package deal will stay an attractive one for motion platformer followers.

Berserk Boy provides a fast-paced diversion that may attraction to those that just like the velocity of Sonic and the transformations of Mega Man. It’s aesthetically pleasing from begin to end, and the gameplay shines via most of its runtime. A handful of points preserve it from placing each toes solidly in must-play territory, however all informed it’s a superb time and scratches that run, bounce, and shoot itch.