NEW VIDEO GAME REVIEW FROM KCMILAN
[THIS IS JUST A REVIEW FOR MIDNIGHT WANDERERS! Might update this with the other games at a later time.]
Midnight Wanderers was included in an arcade pack-in called Three Wonders, alongside a game from the same series and another one that's completely unrelated, and i'm curious as what led to this course of action over just putting it in its own cab. It reeks of a lack of confidence in the game that, after beating it 3 times, i don't quite understand. If you're an arcade goer at the time you might look at this bundle and come to the conclusion that these games weren't worthy of existing on their own and look past them, thinking they're cheap, when at least in the case of Midnight Wanderers that's the furthest thing from the truth.
The graphics are great. What starts off as a kinda generic but still charming enough fantasy set piece with goblins and talking trees will slowly transform into a much more surreal affair made of colorful architecture inhabited by clowns, marionettes and funny shapes, a style that reminds me of Nights into Dreams actually, a game i should go back to one of these days actually.
The freedom of movement you're granted for a game made in '91 is commendable. You can shoot up when you're standing and down below you when you're jumping, you have a responsive ledge grab that activates only when you press the jump button mid-air rather than automatically like it's often the case, you can descend to the platform right below and you can even dash, this last one being a feature i would have liked to know before finishing my second playthrough, since the final boss has an attack that specifically needs it, which caused me many annoying deaths.
I'm pretty sure you can find more than a handful of 2D shooters made in the last 5 years that don't grant you this many options. Not saying that its a mandatory checklist any game strictly needs to be good, just that i think it's funny.
Transitioning from shooting to jumping, going from one action to the other in general doesn't have the same snappiness you might be used to from more recent stuff, and by recent i mean… Metal Slug for example. It's not a deal breaker but it is definitely noticeable, and the only true complaint i can put out in this review.
The level design is remarkably generous and another aspect in which the game feels way ahead of its time. Outside of the few manageable platform sections in the la
Post too long. Click here to view the full text.