Every week Cyril Lachel comes down from his giant castle in the hills to provide the final word on all of the classic downloadable games and retro compilations. This is the Retro Round-Up, your official guide to the best (and worst) in classic gaming for the Nintendo Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Join us as we shed some light on what games are worth your five or ten dollars, and what games you should avoid at all costs. For more information about these games (and retro gaming in general) we invite you to check out Defunct Games. This week we have an interesting selection for you, including two Virtual Console games that are just now making it to the United States ... way to be late to the party, guys. Up first we have DoReMi Fantasy, the sequel to Milon`s Secret Castle. After we`re done with that decide if there are too many Puyo Puyo games on the Virtual Console (here`s a hint: there are). And we round out the week like we always do, with a batch of free retro games on the GameTap service. It`s an interesting week, so why not sit back and get ready for another exciting installment of Retro Round-Up?
DoReMi Fantasy: Milon`s DokiDoki Adventure
What Is It?
Contrary to popular opinion, I have not played every retro game. Now don`t get me wrong, I`ve played almost all of the classic Super NES, Genesis and 8-bit NES games, but there is a whole world of obscure foreign games that I have never been able to get my hands on (for some obvious reasons). DoReMi Fantasy: Milon`s DokiDoki Adventure is one of those games that I had never even heard of until this week. That actually surprises me a little bit, since this is the sequel to Milon`s Secret Castle (<a href="http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=twidg-13" target="blank_"><b>which I reviewed June of last year</b></a>). While I wasn`t a big fan of the original Milon game, I was intrigued to see how different this 16-bit sequel was. Despite the name, Milon`s DokiDoki Adventure has almost nothing to do with the original game (outside of the fact that both games feature short little characters in pajamas), which is a good thing since the original game was something of a mess. This is a traditional 2D platformer, similar to something like Super Mario World or Sonic the Hedgehog. But it`s more than that, DoReMi also features a few interesting touches, such as an inventory screen and "vehicles" you can jump into. Don`t get me wrong, this isn`t the kind of game that is going to make you completely forget about Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but it is an exciting action game that you`ve probably never played (or even heard of) before. That reminds me, with the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl I`m actually a little surprised we didn`t see the original Nintendo 64 Smash Bros. on the Virtual Console. Then again, this isn`t a review of Super Smash Bros., so maybe it`s best we keep with the topic and actually talk about Do Re Mi Fantasy.
Does It Still Hold Up?
In a lot of ways DoReMi Fantasy still feels pretty good. There isn`t nearly the same amount of depth that Super Mario World offers, but there`s quite a bit to do and the graphics are top notch. The best part of this game is how much it improves on the original game, which was broken from beginning to end. Good graphics and solid gameplay is all you can ask for from a 12 year old 2D platformer, so as far as I`m concerned this game definitely holds up.
Is It Worth the Money?
Nine dollars is a bit much to pay for a 2D platformer, but chances are you`ve never actually had a chance to sit down with this game before, so maybe in the end it`s worth it. I would gladly pay close to ten dollars for a brand new experience, especially for a game that is this much fun. The game isn`t the longest thing ...
