Head Over Heels Remake (PC, 1987/2003) WIP
Graphics-8 Sound-7 Control-6 Challenge-8.5 Story-5?
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-9 Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5?
+
Switch between two different characters on the fly (different abilites)
Interesting mechanics (isometric platforming, solve puzzles by switching between the two characters and/or controlling both of them at the same time by making them stand on top of each other, carry and place objects on top of each other using a bag, switches and remote controls, life transfer (automatically transfers a life from one character to the other if they run out - each life transfer costs 2 lives if they're separated, only 1 if not)
Speed and control config
Pretty good art direction overall (odd character designs though)
Optional challenges (planet liberation - get the crown in each of the five planets, can be done in any order)
Shadows
Good length for its time
+/-
Limited saving (need to grab a fish to save - once per fish, saves everything you've done so far though)
Odd physics when "carrying" a platform block on top of a character's head (when falling the block doesn't stick onto the head like irl, jumping doesn't make the block ascend further or have a delayed descent compared to your character like irl)
Limited ammo
Can't kill enemies
Can't keep a bunny power up for later use (like the invulnerability for example)
Some enemies are harder than in the original (immune to donuts)
Rooms auto-reset if you die or re-enter them (would've been more convenient to be able to keep a room's progress in some cases)
-
It's possible to rob yourself of a 100% clear early on if you didn't grab the gun as Head/yellow dude before going into the marketplace area?
Cheap permanent death loop in one room (the one with two robots and a vertically moving platform - if you fall down after getting to the room above this one and then fall down in a particular spot then one of the robots will keep killing you over and over)
Trial & error (you can stand on top of doorways, finding breakable tiles in jail cell walls - no hints, the sides of toasters and spikes are lethal, seemingly interactive background objects that aren't, disappearing blocks - no hints, item uses (differentiating between the bunnies for example), various enemy behavior)
Primitive controls (jumping works like in Castlevania (no jump height or length adjustment, jumping on the spot as Head/yellow dude cancels any air control), Heels/brown dude auto-jumps forward, holding down jump makes you keep jumping upon landing - very annoying when moving upwards in certain platforming segments)
Can't load a save from the in-game pause menu
No difficulty options (starts off very hard)
No map feature
Heels doesn't need the slow falling speed since you have no air control anyway
Some sfx don't seem affected by the volume sliders (you also can't change volumes or game speed in the in-game pause menu)
Notes:
-Heels falls faster in the Amiga version
Level Design-6.5 Frustration-9 Fun-6.5 Originality-7
Overall Score-6.5?
+
Switch between two different characters on the fly (different abilites)
Interesting mechanics (isometric platforming, solve puzzles by switching between the two characters and/or controlling both of them at the same time by making them stand on top of each other, carry and place objects on top of each other using a bag, switches and remote controls, life transfer (automatically transfers a life from one character to the other if they run out - each life transfer costs 2 lives if they're separated, only 1 if not)
Speed and control config
Pretty good art direction overall (odd character designs though)
Optional challenges (planet liberation - get the crown in each of the five planets, can be done in any order)
Shadows
Good length for its time
+/-
Limited saving (need to grab a fish to save - once per fish, saves everything you've done so far though)
Odd physics when "carrying" a platform block on top of a character's head (when falling the block doesn't stick onto the head like irl, jumping doesn't make the block ascend further or have a delayed descent compared to your character like irl)
Limited ammo
Can't kill enemies
Can't keep a bunny power up for later use (like the invulnerability for example)
Some enemies are harder than in the original (immune to donuts)
Rooms auto-reset if you die or re-enter them (would've been more convenient to be able to keep a room's progress in some cases)
-
It's possible to rob yourself of a 100% clear early on if you didn't grab the gun as Head/yellow dude before going into the marketplace area?
Cheap permanent death loop in one room (the one with two robots and a vertically moving platform - if you fall down after getting to the room above this one and then fall down in a particular spot then one of the robots will keep killing you over and over)
Trial & error (you can stand on top of doorways, finding breakable tiles in jail cell walls - no hints, the sides of toasters and spikes are lethal, seemingly interactive background objects that aren't, disappearing blocks - no hints, item uses (differentiating between the bunnies for example), various enemy behavior)
Primitive controls (jumping works like in Castlevania (no jump height or length adjustment, jumping on the spot as Head/yellow dude cancels any air control), Heels/brown dude auto-jumps forward, holding down jump makes you keep jumping upon landing - very annoying when moving upwards in certain platforming segments)
Can't load a save from the in-game pause menu
No difficulty options (starts off very hard)
No map feature
Heels doesn't need the slow falling speed since you have no air control anyway
Some sfx don't seem affected by the volume sliders (you also can't change volumes or game speed in the in-game pause menu)
Notes:
-Heels falls faster in the Amiga version