This review was originally published in April 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in Nintendo Switch Online SNES Library.
Every now and then a game comes along that makes you want to take your thumb off the fire button and put on your thinking cap. But those who want to have to spend a lot of time reflections just to get through the game you say? Well, one thing that is abundantly clear when you play Sutte Hakkun is that you will either love this game or hate it.
This latest generation Satellaview/Super Famicom collaboration between Nintendo and the indieszer presents one of the most unique and innovative puzzle/platforming experiences ever found in video games, with simple controls and cryptic puzzles found in every crazy level. However, as fun as the game is, the later levels belie the cheerful, colorful visuals and feel more like a college thesis than a video game experience – you better hope you haven't destroyed too many brain cells if you have any hope of ever beating this mastermind.
The premise of Sutta Hakkun is quite simple: you take on the role of the drinking bird Hakkun and, using your pointed beak, you must suck up various blocks, move them where you want, and then spit them out. You can also suck up colored nectars and inject clear blocks with it. Each of these different nectars has its own unique characteristics: Red nectar makes the blocks move up and down, Blue nectar makes them move from side to side, and Yellow nectar makes them move diagonally.
Trying to figure out these combinations proves the biggest challenge in reaching the Rainbow Shard located somewhere in each level. Your task is to locate all the Rainbow Shards strung across the island and reconstruct the broken Rainbow of Happiness, thus restoring peace to the land. Sounds simple, right?
Hakkun can walk left and right, and can jump short distances. The problem is that the game mostly places platforms out of reach – that's where the transparent blocks come into play. You'll have to move them around by vacuuming them up and then spitting them out to reach previously inaccessible areas. Then you have to figure out what color Nectar needs to get the correct moves from those blocks.
As if this wasn't enough, you also have a creature called Makkun that can be injected with nectar and given special properties. The early stages provide a nice introduction to the game, but the challenge quickly increases.
The controls are super smooth and perfectly crafted for the type of action you'll encounter in each level. Once you get to grips with the mechanics, Sutte Hakkun plays like a well-oiled machine. You can also pull up a submenu if you're stuck and it will give hints. (Note. The NSO version is in Japanese, so navigation menus it may take some trial and error!) This should really only be used as a last resort, as the whole point is to figure out these tricky levels.
The visuals in the game are sharp, but not very detailed – that's not what this game is about. The colors are all very vibrant and the use of transparent characters, enemies and blocks provides a strong contrast that makes these bright hues stand out even more. Sure, there aren't any fancy Mode-7 effects or rotating polygons to admire, but you'll be too busy trying to figure out how to get to the Rainbow Shard in each level to worry about the lack of visual flair.
Sutta Hakkun's music is almost as eccentric as the visuals. They're all very upbeat and happy tunes, and the way they blend into the background while you're thinking about things keeps them from getting too repetitive, even when you've been stuck on the same level for years. The sound effects are also subtle but perfectly implemented, fitting the game's strange theme like saliva. It's clear that a lot of time and effort went into figuring out how to approach the audio/visual presentation of this unique puzzle, and that extra effort really paid off in the final product.
Conclusion
Sutte Hakkun isn't the type of puzzle platformer that will appeal to everyone, and given its relative rarity and the large sums that this unique Super Famicom title sells for used, it's not a game to buy on a whim. Fortunately, its appearance in the NSO library makes sampling this addictive curiosity easier than ever, and you really should; it's a complete blast from start to finish, although you'll really need a thinking cap. With over 100 levels that start off simple enough but ramp up the challenge considerably, it's hard to say what's harder in the end – finishing the game or putting it down.
