This is another under the radar gem, well not quite this game wasn't entirely overlooked despite coming during the twilight years of the system. The game was a hit, however like even some of the best-selling comic book franchises as time went on it's become forgotten. I'm a comic book fan and this game was a surprise because for one thing it's not a comic book video game adaptation, but that it's an original game based on comic; this really blew me away because in this game you get to be the hero yourself.
The game came out during the twilight years for the system and not a moment too soon as even the comic book culture in the 90's was rapidly on the rise, so it made sense for this game to come, and it was the last good gems the system had to offer. In a way this game reminds me a little of the film "Cool World" only this game is better than that movie (ok, the film was decent but could have been better). Also, the game kind of predates the "Viewful Joe 1 and 2" video games also under the radar gems and stories for another time; along with any other games that tried breaking the fourth wall and were meta.
The game was no doubt ahead of its time, I really love the concept like in that movie you have a comic book villain come to life trying to get in and take over the real world and throws you into the comic book world to kill you by art illustration. Though why the heck afterward the supervillain doesn't just start takeover of the real world right then and there is the one big inconsistency with the plot but oh well; if the super villain didn't try gunning for you there would be no game.
The graphical presentation is very good, really like how well detailed the backgrounds are this really looks and feels like a comic book series that could've existed. Anyway, really like the premise of this comic book world you're in, as it's sort of a colorful smoothie mix of the post-apocalyptic and fantasy genre which is cool as it's something I don't see much of.
Like the character animation from all the enemies down to the main character ironically and uninspiringly named Sketch. Like how he's dressed like a Grunge rocker which makes sense as in the 90's grunge rock was a big thing. Though you can say now like most geeks today which is cool because I wear those kinds of outfits myself, and what I like about those outfits are a way of saying I don't care what anyone things I just want to be me, at least that's what I think.
Personally, I feel Sketch is an underrated video game protagonist as he's a geek but he's not the conventional kind. He's an artist and writer but he also does a lot of other things with his life like he's obviously into rock and grunge rock with his outfit and studies marital arts which shows he keeps himself in good shape but also of course is convenient for him as he's going to need that, along with his knowledge of comics, art and writing to get him out of his jam and stop the main villain before he's discontinued permanently. I just really love that concept on geeks becoming and being heroes as it breaks certain stereotypes of nerds and geeks at the time, but also goes along with that old motif on the ordinary man and woman rising to become more than what they are and what they desire to be.
The game is on the short side which of course means it will be on the tough side. Which I don't mind as that just means the game doesn't overstay it's welcome. But also, this slight ramp up on the difficulty causes you to strategize a little in your fights and not just pound away.
The music is good it's sort of the grunge music style which fits with the game and the protagonist you play. But I really like the sound effects as each of the hits you deliver sound and feel like they really made an impact but also one cool effect is when you knock a guy right across the screen and you see that panel line
There are a few things that make this game truly unique, for one thing this is a game that falls into the beat em up genre but it's different because here you have one two-dimensional plane to work with. This is different because most beat em up consist of the wide plane, but this is one of rare one's with one flat one which is cool as that's not something I see much of in the beat em up genre except games like "Ninja Warriors Again" (game I reviewed) and the games I mentioned "Viewful Joe 1 and 2". I like the one plane use because it increases the risk level as your forced to work with condensed space, where with the wide planes you have some more safe spots that easily give you time to think but, in this game, you don't have that advantage, as you have to think on your feet and act now.
The game has alternate paths which give the game replicability and makes sense with the multiple comic panels there are. I like this element sort of reminds of those "Choose your own Adventure" books, heck you can say this game is like a volume from that book series. You can go through the level one way or another, sometimes one pathway has something you might vitally need or not. It's all up to you as to how you want your story to go and end.
But of course, what really makes the game stand out is that it has a comic book feel from just how you transition from panel to panel, color, and everything. Even like how they insert a bit of meta into the game as there are some of the common clichés, physics, and tropes in the comic, but we also see how you can bend and break those, which makes sense being the artist and writer and the creator of that world, why wouldn't you want to break and bend rules. Most importantly, this game was clearly a love letter to comics and the fans of them.
Like any overlooked comic "Comix Zone" is a page turner worth a play.
Rating: 3 stars.
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