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Hey all, I am here to start a new weekly post series called Throwback Thursdays where I review one retro game. It will be from the ps1/n64 era of games and under. This week the first Throwback Thursday will feature an SNES overlooked gem. A classic in my eyes, and one of my favorite games on the SNES. It’s an RPG, but more of an action adventure RPG. Much like Zelda, without the sandbox style exploration, the game is fairly linear.
The Twisted Tales of Spike Mcfang
The game is very well thought out, and to me stands out greatly among games of its era. I hope by the end of this review you’ll be wanting to play and make it one of your favorites too. So let’s get to it shall we?
I Vant to suck your TOMATOES!
You play as the title character, Spike, a young vampire who seems to prefer tomato juice over blood, and is out to save the day by stopping the evil Von Hesler and his army. The game is pretty straight forward and even teaches you how to play through part of the story by training young Spike for his trials that lie ahead. You can jump, spin attack, and throw your hat like a boomerang as your basic commands and attacks. Later in the game you can aquire magic cards to do even greater and longer lasting damaging attacks. It’s a good battle system and not hard to learn at all; which is great, as you can spend less time learning to play and more time enjoying the story.
Garlic with legs… a vampires worst nightmare
The enemies in the game are often cute to sometimes horrid looking, ranging from little walking gloves of garlic to giant blood sucking spiders. The game keeps a fairly innocent undertone though, so its fun and ok for all ages. The story is cute with plenty of laughs here and there. It’s a pretty good story. Not too deep, but deep enough you’ll actually be playing to see what happens next. Often at times you’ll find yourself killing enemies for a bit to gain levels.
Vampires have friends too ya know
You’re just a single vampire boy, and you’re expected to fight an army alone? Nope, after your first major battle you get a companion and will get others in the game as you go along. I won’t elaborate much on that as it ties to the story and I wouldn’t want to ruin it for you. The companions fight on their own, and you do not need to control or direct them. Although, there is a companion magic card that, once used, sends your companion into an all out attack frenzy! It’s safe to say, having a buddy helps.
The nail in the coffin
The only real drawback of this game is that it is INCREDIBLY SHORT! I am talking 5 -7 hours for an average gamer. That and grinding for experience points to gain a new level. Other than that, the game holds out. It’s got a great story, easy to learn controls, and the graphics are pretty good for a game of its era. All in all on a scale from 1-10 I’d rate this about an 8.5/10. It’s a game that you’ll enjoy replaying here and there, and for your first time around I am sure you’ll love. That about wraps this review up guys, only thing left to say is….
Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!
Until next time…..
