BERSERK BOY A game heavily inspired by the video game classics I grew up with is the answer to one of the life-long questions that my childhood self has been asking for years. And although it’s a good question but no, it’s not about why Megaman is blue or why Sonic is running around naked all the time. What we have here is what Megaman and Sonic would look like when you mash them together. You have Sonic’s wild spiky hair with Megaman’s uhh… blue and purplish color palette? But all jokes aside, let’s just get into it, shall we?
BerserkBoy Games the independent developer for BERSERK BOY brings a classic take to a high-speed 2D action platformer featuring Metroidvania elements. Packed with a playful and vibrant stylized pixel art, zoom around, transform and GO! BERSERK! as you save the planet from the clutches of a certain evil doctor. It features pretty much what you’d expect from a Megaman title but without the MEGA and the MAN in the actual title. Funny, I know. So, before I end up dropping more cringey lines, let me just get you up to speed with what we’re dealing with here.
One boy and another mad scientist
In the distant future, a mad scientist and his army of darkness seeks to enslave the people of Earth. And the only hope we have left rests with The Resistance but are they actually enough? Well, apparently not, but I’m sure glad we’re here. Kei, the rookie hero who just happened to be magically transformed by a mysterious orb of energy suddenly went BERSERK! but in a good way
So, with his newfound powers, he goes zipping around like Sonic and transforming to different forms like Megaman in their fight against the diabolical Dr. Genos as they collect all the BERSERK orbs to stop his evil plans.
Fast-paced and addictively fun
BERSERK BOY brings the retro gaming age to the modern world. I know we’ve had a lot of games similarly inspired by Megaman among a few others but for me this is one of those that gets you thinking. It’s a 2D classic platformer on paper but brings in a modern twist with a lot of verticality and freedom. While most games in the 90’s feel restrictive in how they operate, BERSERK BOY feels like a breath of fresh air as you play through it.
You’ve got your basic dash attacks that just does what it says it does but having to choose the direction and angle where to dash made me feel like an actual rebel. All that power and freedom to even chain dash attacks after every successive hit on enemies is just too darn good and forgive my language… addictive. Then you have your aerial combos, ground pound moves and all sorts of things that you progressively unlock as you advance the story or purchase in your base of operations.
Fighting enemies is as straightforward as using your dash attacks or attacking them with a series of damaging moves from your arsenal. Most of them are easily dispatched with one or two hits but if all else fails, do what a certain red jumpsuit plumber would do.
However, boss battles are where the challenge lies. Bosses here much like any other provides a good amount of challenge with unique mechanics and attack patterns. But considering how much freedom you have when it comes to movement and the like, avoiding attacks and retaliating is still very much on the easier side once you’ve got their patterns down to a tee.
A pixelated playground
Traversal and exploration also bring a lot of excitement for the game. There’s a lot of unique little interactions as you explore the vast and varied areas you visit from mission to mission. And as you unlock new transformations, new mechanics are also added. Flame Drill for example allows you to dig underground to slide through certain areas while in some cases, you’d use it to avoid certain attacks that would otherwise kill you… something that I had to learn the hard way.
Ice Kunai on the other hand allows you to latch on to certain objects in the level to get to the other side or use the kunai ability to open up certain paths specific to it. These interactions and unique mechanics as you explore the world are just the things that made BERSERK BOY a blast to play as it becomes an exciting battle of reflexes as you chain together certain elements and transformations to progress.
The art style is both vibrant as it is playful. However, embracing the style that they went for is an entirely different thing. While the early levels within New Hope City is not entirely out of place as a futuristic themed city, areas like the snowy biomes and the jungle feels a tad bit too disorienting. It’s the kind of thing where you end up finding a bit too much stuffs that don’t belong. Then again, I guess having humanoid robots living in a jungle area is already out there. There’s a lot of variety though, so that’s a thing.
Conclusion
BERSERK BOY is a fun take of the classic formula of action platformers. It brings its own twist and modernizes itself while also giving you a taste of freedom where the movement and traversal elements left its mark for me. However, for all its grandeur, BERSERK BOY is not the perfect game. Its themes and environment sometimes can be off-putting but if you’re willing to look the other way, then you have yourself hours of fun whether you’re just here for the fun or the extra challenges later down the line.
BERSERK BOY Video review
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