Risky Woods Analysis – Dangers of Another Age

It is always welcome to return to a classic challenge that Risky Woods presents to us in this new version for current consoles

Although the development of video games in our country did not have a good time in the era of 8 and 16 bit consoles, this does not mean that we did not have versions of remarkable quality. There have not been a few national studies that have launched good jewelry on the market, as is the case that concerns us today with the work of Dinamic Software and Zeus Software with Risky Woods.

In fact, Electronic Arts itself distributed its game, providing hours of fun and challenge for users of Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, PC and MegaDrive. It is now the turn to relive the adventures of Rohan thanks to the work of QUByte Interactivewhich recover this classic for the consoles of the current generation by resuming the version that we enjoy on the SEGA machine.

On the road to forgotten lands

In this adventure we will return relive the adventures that Rohan lived more than 30 years ago. We will have to defeat the monsters that threaten the kingdom while freeing the monks who have been petrified. In total, it will be necessary to overcome a total of 12 challenging difficulty levels, where chance will cause each game to face it differently. And it is that the hostile areas of Risky Woods will not cease to surprise us at all times.

Like other classics of the time like Ghost’n Goblins, we will have to move horizontally on the stage killing the enemies that will appear to meet us. This, and avoiding the rest of the dangers using our jump. And although the ammunition is endless, it does not mean that we are constantly threatened by the deluge of traps and hostile confrontations that will await us. Fortunately for Rohan, we will have objects that will facilitate our adventure… or not.

A very risky adventure, as the name suggests

One of the graces of Risky Woods, as I mentioned before, is the random bonuses. There will be objects that will give us more time to complete the level, but we can get another object that will make us go back in the phase. There are times when we will get a temporary boost in attack, and times when we will receive nothing more than a score to inflate our hi mark.

We will even have to be careful with food, because to recover life our protagonist will take a “nap”, improving his health bar but limiting our time to complete the level. It is more, in each phase you will have to free the petrified monks, but some of these stone statues will be a trap, damage Rohan when we destroy it. As you can see, the word Risky fits the nature of the game perfectly. And since no one explains anything to you when you start the game, its beginnings are quite tough.

Threats from all sides

To defeat the evil that afflicts the kingdom, we will have daggers, but We can change the weapons as we advance in the adventure. There will be boomerangs, axes and other throwing weapons which will be very useful for us not to succumb to the opponent. Additionally, some of these rivals will leave a few pieces that will give us better armor.

Risky Woods in its time was a very remarkable game. It is true that he made great use of the classic trials and errors of the time, but its control, proposition, and difficulty were tight enough not to throw users off balance. Of course, we are facing a revision of the game and we have to analyze this new version. And that’s where the problems come. Or more than problems, shortcomings.

Like the good old times

The work that QUByte Interactive has done to recover this adventure is very good, but we find hardly any changes compared to the original version published for Mega Drive. The visual aspect remains the same, without major changes to its graphics or facelifts. In fact, we’ll continue to experience the action on screen with 4:3 format, with the typical illustrative strips on both sides of our television.

Playable, there is also no improvement or inclusion of weight. We have already appreciated similar proposals such as Cannon dancer – Osman that they had quick feedback if we were in a hurry, or even had cool extras that changed the way we approach the game. But here, apart from fast loading/saving, there are no more news. It’s practically reliving Risky Woods as he came into the world, for better and for worse.

Conclusion on risky woods

QUByte Interactive takes us on a journey through time with one of the best Spanish releases we’ve had in the 8 and 16 bit era. This proposal invites us to explore the places of the Forgotten Lands and face all the dangers contained in its 12 phases. And while we’ve got endless ammo and bonuses scattered across every screen, the journey won’t be easy. First, because of the large number of enemies that will appear, and second, because of the random factor in the game that will offer us items that will help Rohan… or do the opposite.

If you want to travel back in time to discover or relive an action classic, Risky Woods may be a good candidate. Of course, it’s a shame that this relaunch doesn’t come with any new weights, supplements or visual enhancements suited to current times.