Nihon's Secret Castle - Episode 1: It's A Secret To Everybody
0Originally recorded: November 26, 2024
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I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect with this game. I swear that I saw HowLongToBeat clock this game as a solid 7-hour playthrough -- while the two longplays I found on YouTube were roughly 3 and 5 hours apiece. It seems like that five-hour figure is going to be the most accurate of the bunch, though. Of course, that's a bit too long for a single stream... but giving it a full second session also feels like a waste, considering the fact that I've still got three more games to clear before Christmas. In the end, I've decided to tentatively schedule a shorter stream after I get back on Thanksgiving. That way, I can save my entire slate of livestreams planned for December for those last three games. After all, the three games are all pretty significant.
Okay, with that business out of the way, I guess I should describe the game itself. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a hybrid between Super Mario World, Kirby's Adventure and those old Bubble Bobble games. I'm also fairly certain that anyone who's seen the game in action can understand why I made those comparisons. That being said, the graphics definitely feel like they push the SNES to its limits. The color palette is vibrant and it almost looks like a 2D 32-bit game at times. Of course, I did run into some noticeable slowdown during some of the later stages, but it was easy enough to get past.
In total, I managed to clear six of the game's eight worlds. Granted, I also spent a fair amount of time backtracking, so that I'd go into each new stage with full health and that awesome winged boot power-up that lets you float down. I swear, that thing's a real gamechanger... and figuring out the best stage to collect it at any given time takes a layer of strategy. Of course, the game is also very friendly in many regards with that sort of thing. You can literally hit the Select button to leave a stage at any time -- even before beating it -- and you get to keep any power-ups and stars you pick up. Talk about quality of life!