We reveal the new proposal from Storybird Games, Golden Force, a 2D side-scrolling action platform and pixel art aesthetic that is a challenge
We live in the least disturbing and uncertain times in which it sounds more appealing than ever to be a mercenary dragon who wants to collect the reward on the head of the Demon King. And that is precisely the simple but practical argument of Golden Force, a 2D side scrolling action platformer with pixel art aesthetics that does not revolutionize the formula but offers us a few hours of entertainment. It is the new proposal from the Storybird Games studio, game authors like Aggelos. In this Reviews we break down all the positive and negative aspects of the title, which we anticipate that they are especially concentrated in the technical section of the title.
Platforms that appeal to nostalgia
From the first moment we started Golden Force we felt a feeling of familiarity despite being the first time we saw the title screen. It is not surprising, since the title sticks to the aesthetics and gameplay that we have experienced so many times in works of the same genre. From its sprites to the soundtrack, through settings and animations, they make it clear that we are facing a title that appeals to old-school platforms and that aspires to offer us a similar experience.
And the truth is that it succeeds. Their levels do not reinvent the wheel, they do nothing that we have not seen before, but that does not mean that they have surprised us on more than one occasion and making each world have its own personality. Because yes, the different levels of Golden Force are divided into several islands of an archipelago, each with its corresponding phases and final bosses. We will find challenges in terms of platforms, small simple puzzles made with mechanisms such as levers and buttons, different ways to reach the goal, collectibles that pose a challenge to achieve … The variety of elements and possibilities makes the title point to replayability, which which is reinforced by the scores we obtain at the end of each phase. The time, collectibles and coins collected are rated individually, generating the well-known need to improve our own brands. This, added to the devilish difficulty of some phases and bosses, promises many hours of fun for amateur players to overcome themselves in challenges that seem impossible.
But let’s not forget that we play a group of mercenaries and our ultimate goal is to amass a good amount of gold. And, of course, we’ll have to spend our newfound fortune on local commerce if we don’t want the economy of the pixelated world of Golden Force to collapse. For this reason, from the map we always have the possibility of accessing the ship’s shop, where the captain will be willing to sell us the most interesting resources that will give us different advantages when fighting in exchange for coins and other collectibles. It is in this section, perhaps, that there may be more inconveniences with respect to the language in which the title comes to us: its texts are only available in English. The descriptions of the articles are simple and not very long, so it should not be a big problem even if the language is not controlled. In any case, it seems relevant and necessary to point it out.
As for the characters, although it is true that there are four different ones to choose from, the only thing that varies between them is their aesthetics, since the attacks and movements are identical. We would have liked that since there are multiple options, these were used to face the levels and the battles in different ways. On the contrary, the design of the enemies and especially of the final bosses are original, their different phases are striking and are not limited only to changing the attack pattern and making each minute we spend in combat much more frantic and complicated (which also ), but justifies the changes in his narrative by making us sketch more than one smile for occurrences that we do not want to gut.
The technical section, its main problem
The biggest drawback we have come across in the game is, without a doubt, its technical section. At least in its version of Nintendo Switch, which is what we have been able to test to write this Reviews. In solitary mode, we have suffered frame hits at times when there are many enemies on the screen or, simply, many elements. For example, when hitting several skulls to activate a mechanism, the title has remained practically frozen until the skulls have finished moving. Similarly, and to our chagrin, the game has also crashed on more than one occasion. Obviously, these unexpected shutdowns affect the gameplay experience, especially when it happens at the moment when the final boss of turn only has 1% of life. It has also happened to us in fights against final bosses that when changing phases in the battle we return without explanation to the previous save point, which has made us repeat the confrontation from the beginning.
However, these details are especially problematic when we enter the two-player field. We have the option of enjoying the title in local cooperative, as long as we have two pairs of controllers for the Nintendo console, since it is not adapted to be able to share a Joy-Con with each player. But all the technical difficulties mentioned in the previous paragraph are multiplied in a worrying way when there are two players on screen. And it is no longer just frame drops and constant crashes, but it is very difficult to move forward when one of the two falls or falls behind. When this happens, the second player appears in a circle in the corner of the screen. If it were not a platform title, this solution would be acceptable, but the small field of vision that the circle in question allows does not allow you to see the surrounding platforms, so moving forward to meet your partner is extremely difficult. In this case, we would have preferred to use the momentarily divided screen rather than this resource.
A good base that needs to be polished
Despite all the technical difficulties in the previous section, we have enjoyed Golden Force to a great extent. It is not especially original, but it is witty and you can see the care behind it. It is a great challenge for players who enjoy breaking records and scores, and enjoyable and entertaining at the controls. We are confident that the technical issues we have experienced with the Nintendo Hybrid version will be addressed through future patches. We are confident that this will make the title much more enjoyable in the near future, especially in two-player mode. It is a title that has potential and that any lover of the genre will enjoy for hours as long as they are willing to ignore the technical failures of it.
After all, it is a good title to spend these months of calm in the current scene of the industry, in which there are few launches and great news in equal measure. Golden Force will be available for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on January 28, while its arrival on PC and PS4 is expected on an undetermined day this year.
CONCLUSION
Golden Force is a proposal faithful to the genre to which it belongs, which offers many hours of fun to those who enjoy breaking records and improving times. Their care is evident in the aesthetics and in the design of the final bosses, as well as in the differentiation of levels, which causes each of them to have their own marked personality. However, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from technical problems that affect the gaming experience and makes the local cooperative mode very annoying. It is likely that these defects will be solved in later patches, making Golden Force a highly recommended experience for lovers of the genre and challenges with high levels of difficulty.
THE BEST
- Originality in the final bosses
- Addictive and entertaining
- A lot of replayability
- Care in its aesthetics and design
WORST
- Frame jerks and crashes
- Co-op mode virtually unplayable
Right
It is not the latest or the most original, it does not have the best execution either, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but room for improvement.
