Armadillo

"Another Unknown, Completely Awesome Game"

Yes friends, how I enjoy the Famicom!!! This is another game for that system which was for some reason not released in the United States. Why did they not release so many truly incredible games? I really don't know, I wish I did. This is one of the games that should have been released to Americans. But for those of us desparate enough, and if you are lucky, you may come by a pirate cart that has this game on it as a hack often called Super Mario 8, or 13, or a few other combinations. Same game, with the Japanese text, only Armadillo has been replaced with an fairly well-done Mario. You can't even tell it's Armadillo until you roll into a ball and pause the game or after each level. At any rate, I'll get into the review.

Gameplay (10 out of 10)

In this game you play an Armadillo who trots around the world in a set-up similar to Super Mario Bros. 3. The only strange thing that I noticed about this game was the fact that you move a small version of Armadillo across what is almost a board game. You move a space, and then continue moving until you come to a larger space with a scene in it. You press the button and then are transported to this scene to complete the round. From there, you can go on different paths, but this basically stays the same throughout. As you are moving, you will notice another character moving around as well. This is the boss of the level you are on, that you must eventually reach. They will elude you until you either clear every level, or clear enough so that you can land on their space. When you win each level, you jump on a peg out of a series of pegs to get points. Very similar to Super Mario Bros. except that you are jumping horizontally instead of vertically. At the end of each level Armadillo comes into this room with blinking stars, where he then jumps into the air and disperses into several little versions of himself. When you finnaly reach the other character and land on their space, you enter into a battle against the boss. Very smooth gameplay, anyone who likes the final game in the NES Super Mario Bros. trilogy will enjoy this, highly.

Control (10 out of 10)

Control on this game is very simple. ''A'' enables you to jump, the directional pad obviously helps you to move around, and the ''B'' button enables you to roll into a ball to attack enemies. If you are not in this state, you will lose a life. When you are rolled into a ball, you press ''A'' to jump around and land on enemies to kill them. You don't have to kill them by jumping on them, you can rebound off of them and so forth, but you must be rolled into a ball to do so. Controls can sometimes get tricky when Armadillo is rebounding off of walls or around roller-coaster like loops, but pay attention and you'll get it.

Graphics (10 out of 10)

The graphics on this game are great. A nice, crisp creation. The levels are a bit odd and have a simple feel to them, but the goofy enemies and so forth more than make up for this, and it is hardly a problem to begin with. The bosses are large and odd, with plenty of color and spunk. The first, for example, is a snake-like thing with a small body and grotesquely large head. He jumps about holding a rifle, and you have to hit him in the chin to defeat him. There are also small Sushi shops that you go into to listen to the goat shopkeeper, I like his look. I think I enjoy Armadillo's walk most of all. It is midway between a dance and a trot. Overall, and to the point, the graphics are nice.

Difficulty (10 out of 10)

Though this game is not the most difficult challenge you will come across, it is difficult in its own ways and will take you some time to beat it. The most difficulty comes from controlling Armadillo when he is rolled into a ball. Bouncing off walls and along corridors like Sonic is much more difficult in this game as the paths often lead to pits that you must hurry and unroll to leap over, or learn to bounce over. It gets more difficult as the game progresses, so don't expect to beat this in the first sitting. A save feature would have been nice, but that's just nitpicking.

Sound (10 out of 10)

This game has a great soundtrack and the sound effects fit nicely. There is not much else to say. Very enjoyable, reminds me of Adventure Island for some reason, only not nearly as repetitive.

Overall (10 out of 10)

Overall, this is a great game. You don't really need to read Japanese to enjoy it, and the controls are very easy to figure out. The game actually gets fairly difficult later on, and controlling Armadillo as a ball becomes more of a challenge. You will come back and play it many times and will find yourself enjoying it each time that you do.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/06/03, Updated 05/06/03