Familiar yet fresh
Y’all love Mega Man right? Well then Berserk Boy is a game you should certainly pay attention to. From the first time I saw a trailer for Berserk Boy Games’ new effort, I was intrigued. I grew up loving the Mega Man series. It is one of the first games I had for my NES, bad box art and all. Berserk Boy feels like a game I would make, and I cannot complain about that. While we have had plenty of games mimicking the antics of the Blue Bomber, most fall short or are unmemorable. The big question is, will Berserk Boy buck that trend?
The setup for the game even borrows a few familiar aspects from its inspiration. Players take on the role of Kei, a kid who is tasked with saving the world. No pressure. He teams up with a bird named Fiore almost immediately who introduces him to his power set. The game even has an evil doctor named Dr. Genos who has turned bad and of course it is up to you to stop his antics. The narrative is slim, but gets the job done. There are intermittent dialogue boxes, but for the most part this game tends to focus on the action, which I appreciate.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Switch (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Everything here feels familiar. Almost like an all-star cast of mechanics from other titles. The main game is a side-scrolling action platformer. Kei will take on five major areas, with each one broken up into subsections to explore. Each stage ends of course with a boss fight where Kei will learn a new power that unlocks new ways to explore completed levels. This is key as revisiting levels is necessary to grind for more currency to purchase other upgrades and items.
In between areas there is a hub world where I could explore, talk to characters, and spend my money on new items and upgrades. These upgrades are more like permanent perks such as increasing health and improving Kei’s dash ability. Grinding for these can get cumbersome, but I recommend doing the work. It will make some of the later stages much easier to navigate.
The minute-to-minute game play feels more arcadey and less like the aforementioned Mega Man. There is a much larger margin for error here. Kei feels more mobile, almost like characters from a Gunvolt game without the incessant talking going on. As I acquired each new ability the stages ramped up swapping between. They are not only used as attacks, but also offer up new movement abilities. This includes swinging and going underground. The stages implement these powers extremely well, making the platforming more difficult than the combat, which I always enjoy.
Visually the game is done in a larger pixel style that is more reminiscent of Super Nintendo. It has some great effects and the color palette is extremely well done. I love the layout of the stages too. This game just understands how to make the movement and combat fun. Music is equally impressive, as expected. The soundtrack is done by Tee Lopes, who also helmed the Sonic Mania score. The game has a really great presentation all around.
Berserk Boy is a mix of a lot of my favorite retro games mixed with its own flavor of fun. I really enjoyed the nostalgia it delivers while also being able to stand on its own. Definitely recommend checking this one out if you enjoy anything Mega Man or the more recent Gunvolt Chronicles games. This is one that will entertain from start to finish. It isn’t overly frustrating, yet remaining challenging. The stages beg to be revisited and I had fun the entire time. With so many retro games dropping on a weekly basis, it takes a lot to stand out. Now if they would only put this on more platforms, I would be truly happy.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
