Zool Redimensioned (PC, 2021)
Graphics-7 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-6.5 Story-N/A
Level Design-7 Frustration-6.5 Fun-7 Originality-4.5
Overall Score-7
+
Added level select screen (unlock new levels as you reach them)
Combined spin attack and slide move (spin in mid-air, slide on the ground and down slopes - Mario/Sonic)
Two game modes (redimensioned - adds a double jump and makes collecting optional (good as the quotas get fairly high after a few levels), original - the opposite, party mode collection for local MP)
Three zoom settings - only redimensioned feels good though since the camera is less tight in the others while they are a lot more zoomed in+you can't look up/down. Redimensioned is somewhat overly zoomed out, making it easier to spot secrets, avoid hazards and navigate which is generally good (especially seeing hazards further in advance improves the experience a lot compared to the original), but also reducing immersion somewhat
New options (optional invincibility, infinite jumps, auto-fire and low health alert - fairly subtle sfx)
Wall climbing (could only cling and repeately jump upwards in the Amiga original but climbing was added to the MD/SNES version) - Rampage, Strider
Pretty fast paced overall
Some destructible walls
Some hidden items
Decent bosses overall (most have two phases) and some good ones (toy world/area 5, sixth boss, final boss)
Temporary shadow clone (Ninja Gaiden 2), invincibility and high jump power ups (optional and seem placed haphazardly; Metroid)
Shows how many items were collected at the end of each level as well as if you missed one of the larger items
Includes the MD version of the game
Smart bombs however they trigger upon touch (can't carry them and trigger them manually when needed) - dropped randomly by enemies
Button config
A few interesting level gimmicks (giant piano music puzzle in the last music level (more in the Amiga original) - find a short note sheet and then play that sequence of notes on the giant piano (each key has a color under it matching the notes on the note sheet so it's fairly easy) to access a bonus level as well as to finish the level, spikes that make you slide under them in tool world)
Shoot 'em up bonus levels (get kicked out if you touch a wall)
Fakeout ending to level 4-4
Can keep playing in a level after beating the boss
Shows bosses' health bars
Decent intro and ending (mostly stills and text, some animation)
In-game bestiary
No instant death hazards
No slowdown outside of the bonus levels
+/-
Maze-like levels after the first area which turn into literal mazes in area 4 (tool world)
Two additional HP (3 in the original)
Linear structure (no alternate level exits or paths between levels)
Multiple checkpoints per level and health items are common
Some interactive objects and projectiles kind of blend into the environment - you can increase contrast between foreground and background though this just makes the background darker so it's a quick fix. It makes it feel like the game is taking place at night or you're viewing the backgrounds through sunglasses
Can't aim up/down
No hub map or level transitions
The audiovisuals weren't remastered to modern HD level
The visual filter isn't great but it can be turned off
Automatically grab walls by jumping into them
Can jump on enemies to kill them (Mario, Sonic) - not really used to reach higher here though
Re-uses some music later on
Some earlier bosses become easier with the more zoomed out view but most were made harder (first boss has a couple of additional attacks, the level 4 boss now has an increasingly cramped space to move in and returns for a second phase, the level 5 boss now spawns enemies on the sides and shoots homing missiles, the sixth boss has a couple of added attacks, the final boss also has an added second phase where you face him on moving cloud platforms while Krool (apparently the main antagonist though you never actually face him here) tries too shoot you from the background)
Can't play as Zooz
-
Some control/interface issues (can't look up/down - leaps of faith, the game menus and tutorial assume that you're using a keyboard, high default jump height, no jump height control while the high jump power up is active, unskippable bootup logos)
Some trial & error (power ups aren't explained in-game, can be hard to tell which enemies you can melee attack and which ones can only be shot, later boss patterns, stationary balls in tool world hurt when touched)
Mostly lacks unique moves and level gimmicks (the "Music" levels could've incorporated a rhythm element)
A bit repetitive (4 sub levels per level/area including a somewhat shorter one with a boss in it - no music variety and not much visual variety between them)
Can't switch to the MD version's OST without playing that version (the game includes an emulator booted via the main menu - no save states though) - different area 2 music. Meanwhile the original Amiga game had two versions of its soundtrack (Rock and Rave)
Kinda generic art direction overall
No reward for collecting all items in a level
Redimensioned mode is missing the guiding arrow showing where the nearest items are (later used in Crazy Taxi)
Some tedious aspects (how there are platforms in the way of most giant pianos, how you get kicked out of the shoot 'em up bonus level if you touch a wall, slow drill hazards in tool world)
Some enemies blend into the foreground (grapes in forest area for example) and some foreground objects blend with the rest in the final area
The shadow clone power up should've lasted longer
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy third boss (banana punk), fairly tough fifth boss)
No item magnet (see Sonic 3) - would've made going for 100% more fun
No game speed option (was there in the AMI ver.)
No alternate weapons or weapon upgrades in the main game (there are alternate weapons during the shoot 'em up segments so why not?)
No 2-player coop for the main game
Seems impossible to get 100% in some levels in hard mode due to the lack of the double jump (even with the high jump I couldn't get everything in 1-2 or example)
The auto-fire is too fast in the bonus levels (causes annoying sfx and some slowdown)
Bugs:
-Possible to get stuck on the spring platforms in area 3/forest levels by jumping into them from the right side - couldn't replicate it though. There's a restart level option so it's a minor issue
Notes:
-Amiga original is from 1992
Level Design-7 Frustration-6.5 Fun-7 Originality-4.5
Overall Score-7
+
Added level select screen (unlock new levels as you reach them)
Combined spin attack and slide move (spin in mid-air, slide on the ground and down slopes - Mario/Sonic)
Two game modes (redimensioned - adds a double jump and makes collecting optional (good as the quotas get fairly high after a few levels), original - the opposite, party mode collection for local MP)
Three zoom settings - only redimensioned feels good though since the camera is less tight in the others while they are a lot more zoomed in+you can't look up/down. Redimensioned is somewhat overly zoomed out, making it easier to spot secrets, avoid hazards and navigate which is generally good (especially seeing hazards further in advance improves the experience a lot compared to the original), but also reducing immersion somewhat
New options (optional invincibility, infinite jumps, auto-fire and low health alert - fairly subtle sfx)
Wall climbing (could only cling and repeately jump upwards in the Amiga original but climbing was added to the MD/SNES version) - Rampage, Strider
Pretty fast paced overall
Some destructible walls
Some hidden items
Decent bosses overall (most have two phases) and some good ones (toy world/area 5, sixth boss, final boss)
Temporary shadow clone (Ninja Gaiden 2), invincibility and high jump power ups (optional and seem placed haphazardly; Metroid)
Shows how many items were collected at the end of each level as well as if you missed one of the larger items
Includes the MD version of the game
Smart bombs however they trigger upon touch (can't carry them and trigger them manually when needed) - dropped randomly by enemies
Button config
A few interesting level gimmicks (giant piano music puzzle in the last music level (more in the Amiga original) - find a short note sheet and then play that sequence of notes on the giant piano (each key has a color under it matching the notes on the note sheet so it's fairly easy) to access a bonus level as well as to finish the level, spikes that make you slide under them in tool world)
Shoot 'em up bonus levels (get kicked out if you touch a wall)
Fakeout ending to level 4-4
Can keep playing in a level after beating the boss
Shows bosses' health bars
Decent intro and ending (mostly stills and text, some animation)
In-game bestiary
No instant death hazards
No slowdown outside of the bonus levels
+/-
Maze-like levels after the first area which turn into literal mazes in area 4 (tool world)
Two additional HP (3 in the original)
Linear structure (no alternate level exits or paths between levels)
Multiple checkpoints per level and health items are common
Some interactive objects and projectiles kind of blend into the environment - you can increase contrast between foreground and background though this just makes the background darker so it's a quick fix. It makes it feel like the game is taking place at night or you're viewing the backgrounds through sunglasses
Can't aim up/down
No hub map or level transitions
The audiovisuals weren't remastered to modern HD level
The visual filter isn't great but it can be turned off
Automatically grab walls by jumping into them
Can jump on enemies to kill them (Mario, Sonic) - not really used to reach higher here though
Re-uses some music later on
Some earlier bosses become easier with the more zoomed out view but most were made harder (first boss has a couple of additional attacks, the level 4 boss now has an increasingly cramped space to move in and returns for a second phase, the level 5 boss now spawns enemies on the sides and shoots homing missiles, the sixth boss has a couple of added attacks, the final boss also has an added second phase where you face him on moving cloud platforms while Krool (apparently the main antagonist though you never actually face him here) tries too shoot you from the background)
Can't play as Zooz
-
Some control/interface issues (can't look up/down - leaps of faith, the game menus and tutorial assume that you're using a keyboard, high default jump height, no jump height control while the high jump power up is active, unskippable bootup logos)
Some trial & error (power ups aren't explained in-game, can be hard to tell which enemies you can melee attack and which ones can only be shot, later boss patterns, stationary balls in tool world hurt when touched)
Mostly lacks unique moves and level gimmicks (the "Music" levels could've incorporated a rhythm element)
A bit repetitive (4 sub levels per level/area including a somewhat shorter one with a boss in it - no music variety and not much visual variety between them)
Can't switch to the MD version's OST without playing that version (the game includes an emulator booted via the main menu - no save states though) - different area 2 music. Meanwhile the original Amiga game had two versions of its soundtrack (Rock and Rave)
Kinda generic art direction overall
No reward for collecting all items in a level
Redimensioned mode is missing the guiding arrow showing where the nearest items are (later used in Crazy Taxi)
Some tedious aspects (how there are platforms in the way of most giant pianos, how you get kicked out of the shoot 'em up bonus level if you touch a wall, slow drill hazards in tool world)
Some enemies blend into the foreground (grapes in forest area for example) and some foreground objects blend with the rest in the final area
The shadow clone power up should've lasted longer
Sometimes uneven difficulty (easy third boss (banana punk), fairly tough fifth boss)
No item magnet (see Sonic 3) - would've made going for 100% more fun
No game speed option (was there in the AMI ver.)
No alternate weapons or weapon upgrades in the main game (there are alternate weapons during the shoot 'em up segments so why not?)
No 2-player coop for the main game
Seems impossible to get 100% in some levels in hard mode due to the lack of the double jump (even with the high jump I couldn't get everything in 1-2 or example)
The auto-fire is too fast in the bonus levels (causes annoying sfx and some slowdown)
Bugs:
-Possible to get stuck on the spring platforms in area 3/forest levels by jumping into them from the right side - couldn't replicate it though. There's a restart level option so it's a minor issue
Notes:
-Amiga original is from 1992