Gadget analysis! Special edition

Don’t be fooled by the colorful graphics of Gimmick! Special edition, because we are facing a challenge

Lately we are living in a very good time where some companies are recovering forgotten games to give them a second life. Either because they had little success in their time, or because they never left Japan, the truth is that it is always a good time to discover its advantages. I recently told you about a title called Cyber ​​Citizen Shockman which only appeared in Japan on PC Engine. Well, today is the turn of Thing! Special edition, a little gem launched in the last gasps of the NES with a very original playable style that we will detail below.

shine like a star

Although this game was picked up by CITY CONNECTION and Bitware Wavesthe original idea was developed by Sunsoft, a giant of the 8 and 16 bit era. This company is an expert in platform games, and by reviewing its collection, it has a knack for designing all kinds of heroes as diverse as they are. Aero the acrobat or Zero: the kamikaze squirrel. If you have the chance, take a look at the two titles that are priceless. This time we will control a small green creature that responds to the name of Yumetaro, a very cute yokai with the ability to generate stars.

This fantastic being will have to travel an island in the face of the dangers he will encounter along the way with the sole aim of saving a girl who has been imprisoned in the castle. For that, He will have the stars he can generate, and with which we can annihilate the rivals that present themselves on the screen. They will also allow us to reach places that would otherwise be inaccessible.

triple astral

Precisely Shooting with the stars is the cornerstone that keeps the whole game moving. Thing! Special Edition recovers a very particular physics. our protagonist it will throw the stars towards the ground by making them bounce. Depending on how high we launch the star from (and even how fast we are moving at that moment), the star will behave one way or another. This will be essential in defeating enemies that are high up or that are on a specific and otherwise inaccessible platform.

To find a similar comparison, beat some rivals it will be like bouncing a basketball on the ground and making a basket with that shot. Same here. We will have to use our little dragon body to jump and give the appropriate momentum so that we can reach the enemy with the star bounce. It sounds complicated, but in practice it is not so complicated. However, it’s a tough game and we better not miss our shots too much if we don’t want to bite the dust.

colorful nightmare

Although you can see this childish and colorful look in the images in this scan, don’t expect an easy game. Quite the contrary, it’s a trial-and-error title that was so popular before. There is no jump, screen and platform that does not have imminent danger.

Despite the originality that can overflow Thing! Special edition, the truth is that the influences are too noticeable. Our protagonist’s expression when he jumps (and the explosion he makes when he dies) is influenced by the Megaman saga. It has elements that remind us of Super Mario Bros 3 and even adversaries that I think are based on characters from New Zealand Story. A true homage to NES classics that at least one server hosts.

With love in their melodies

Unfortunately, the same thing always happens to me with this type of “rescue” of old games. It’s great to be able to get these titles back, but they’re lacking in content. The remaster as such is fair, and while there are implementations like fast loading and saving, or the rewind I mentioned earlier, it’s all still a bit soulless. Yes, there are extras like seeing the instructions, the original box or some extra sketches, but there are 16 illustrations. No more no less. I think putting together several classic Sunsoft games in a bundle in this case would be a much more appealing option. That, or having a remake that lives up to the generation.

Besides, Note the beauty of its graphics, a marvel for the machines of its time. Even its soundtrack is spectacular. In fact, Gimmick! It is a work of worship precisely because the cartridge had a special sound chip (Sunsoft 5b) which made the game much more expensive. Along with a time when companies and users were already focusing more on 16-bit consoles, they forced Yumotaro to get stuck in Japan and sometimes Scandinavia. But hey, better late than never, and now we can enjoy these challenging adventures of this little green creature firsthand.

Conclusion of Gimmick! Special edition

CITY CONNECTION and Bitware Waves saved one of those hidden NES gems that never left Japan. This time it is a Sunsoft game, which due to the more expensive cartridge due to the sound chip and a lack of interest in the arrival of the new generation of consoles, never had the expected welcome. Fortunately for us, we already have it available and we will be able to witness firsthand the technical marvel that the title gave off. The graphics and sound seem from another era, and if we like challenging games, we’ve got one here to sweat the big bucks. Also, Gimmick! The Special Edition has a fast save/load and rewind system, which will make our lives easier. Ready to rescue the girl from this fantasy kingdom?