Golden Force review — What do I do with all these coins?

I took one take a look at Golden Drive‘s aesthetic when it was introduced final yr and determined that I needed to play it. Visually, it jogs my memory of Capcom platformers of the mid-90s, with beautiful, colourful pixel art work and crunchy, hack-and-slash fight. The sport doesn’t fairly reside as much as what my preliminary hopes had been, because it falters on account of often shoddy stage design, an especially restricted bestiary, barely stiff controls, and a few tedious bosses. However it nonetheless largely delivers on its promise of arcadey side-scroller motion.

Golden Drive is all concerning the titular group, which is made up of 4 heroes. As you’d think about, there’s not a lot plot right here. The crew likes to celebration and purchase lavish issues, however their coffers run dry. They set out on an journey with the hopes of getting sufficient gold to take it straightforward for an additional a number of months. Alongside the way in which, they tear via the forces of the Demon King (yeah, that outdated trope once more) and his generals, who’re all named after Mexican meals. As an enormous fan of Mexican meals, I approve of this.

The sport is damaged into 4 worlds with 4 important ranges every. Every world additionally has a bonus stage that may be unlocked. Your aim in every stage is solely to get to the tip. The fourth stage of every world accommodates a boss battle. When you beat all 4 worlds, you go and combat the Demon King. Golden Drive isn’t lengthy in any respect, lasting from three to 4 hours, nevertheless it’ll take longer for those who do the additional phases and attempt to discover each final collectible. Every stage has three giant cash and a seashell to seek out too, so there’s some replayability right here and there.

Avaricious

Gathering gold cash is certainly one of your important targets in Golden Drive. Enemies drop them on demise, plus they are often present in chests, and even floating within the air. On the finish of every stage, you’re graded in your variety of collected cash, how a lot time it took you, and the way most of the collectibles you discovered. This grade is used to replenish a meter that rewards you with free objects and further gold. There’s a store the place you may spend your gold and collectibles, with the big cash getting used to purchase additional well being. Seashells can be utilized to increase the variety of hits your assault chain has.

All the characters in your file will share objects and bonuses, so you may choose whichever ones you want. Common gold cash are used to buy objects, similar to buffs that add parts like hearth or ice to your assaults, or an merchandise that offers you an additional life.  However there’s one factor that places a significant damper on the enjoyment of accumulating gold. In case you die at any level throughout a stage, all the gold you accrued is misplaced. Which means the one technique to stroll away with all the things is to not die, which takes a few of the enjoyable out of preliminary stage runs. There’s merely no level in preventing all the enemies because you would possibly simply die on account of an affordable part or some instakill spikes. This goes double for boss ranges.

That reality usually led to me actively avoiding enemies and making a beeline for the exit of some ranges, as I knew I’d get killed in some unspecified time in the future. That and, as Golden Drive progressed, my enthusiasm dipped. I had a blast for the primary hour or so, however I really feel like the sport could be longer than want be. For one, there simply aren’t sufficient enemy varieties. It doesn’t take lengthy in any respect to get a bit bored preventing the identical few enemies many times.

And there are a few additional tanky enemies the sport likes to trot out. They’re not difficult in any respect to combat, with apparent movesets and simply prevented assaults. However they take sufficient hits that they’re only a bore. That is exacerbated when the sport begins throwing in awkward “kill all the things to progress” sections that don’t really feel like they belong.

Dashing via the air

The gameplay in Golden Drive relies round hacking foes to bits and platforming. Controls are largely responsive, save for some rigidity and awkward hitbox particulars. Every character has melee assaults and a splash that can be utilized both horizontally or vertically. The best way enemies react to taking harm is satisfying, and seeing them explode in a bloody spray of cash upon demise is suitably gratifying. Utilizing correct placement at the side of slashing and dashing works effectively to keep away from harm more often than not.

Touching enemies does deplete your character’s life, however for those who hit them first, then you may contact them for a time with out getting harm. This window tends to final lengthy sufficient to dispatch weaker foes. There are additionally enemies that shoot at you. A few of these photographs could be despatched again on the foe with a well-timed assault. Characters can cost their melee assaults too. If a completely charged assault makes contact with a smaller foe, they’ll quickly go flying within the path you hit them, which is foolish and entertaining in equal measure.

The platforming in Golden Drive is equally strong, though it will probably really feel much less responsive than the fight. It doesn’t assist that the sport is typically keen on not letting you see what’s additional down, making some navigation enter leap of religion territory. A lot of the sport’s problem is pretty even, exterior of some issue spikes involving the aforementioned “kill ’em all” sections and instakill spikes. The bosses don’t fare as effectively, nonetheless. They’re usually overly spongey and could be uninteresting, even when they’ve spectacular sprites. Dodging some assaults can really feel a bit luck-based at instances too. One such instance is the boss of the third stage, who is without doubt one of the worst offenders other than the ultimate boss (whose second kind completely rips off SotN Dracula), who pushes the tedium to new ranges.

Total, although, I had fun with Golden Drive. It scratches that pixel platformer itch pretty effectively, even when it goes on a bit too lengthy and could be too tedious for its personal good. Followers of some of these video games will discover it to be gratifying sufficient. That’s, so long as they don’t thoughts dropping all that gold whereas they determine the phases. Golden Drive isn’t up there with the classics, nevertheless it’s good for a couple of hours of enjoyable.