Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Review from Oracle - Wednesday, 10 June 2009 @ 8:32pm

“Are you ready for an awesome adventure, dood?”

“Uhh.. what, dood?”

And so Prinny’s awesome adventure begins. Some of you may recognise the little critter from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. The comical, mischievous penguin has been made popular within the Nippon Ichi’s universe and the fans have been given what they’ve been asking for - Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is an amazing looking 2D/3D platform game for the PSP.

Prinny's a high roller, dood!

As Prinny sets off for his adventure he is armed with a sword and a magical scarf. Prinnys are delicate creatures and any sudden bump or knock will cause these cute furry animals to viciously explode. The scarf helps toughen Prinny up but by only so much. You are given 1000 lives and a timer for each level. Sounds easy, yes? Don’t let the cuteness fool you. This is one difficult game. The controls which are as easy to understand as any other platform game are incredibly stiff and will cause you to miss platform edges and run into enemies. This will open a new portal to frustration and annoyance.

Reminiscent of the coins in Super Mario, desserts are scattered throughout the levels. If you haven’t picked what I’ve been putting down, your main goal in the game is to collect dishes for Master Etna’s ultra dessert. That’s right, ultra. Not awesome or mega... ultra.

To add these dishes to the menu you’ll need to defeat the boss at the end of each level. Way easier said than done. Each fight will require a different mixture of patience and timing. You’ll be faced by two devilish twins which I think were placed much too early on in the game. Ergh, so annoying.

Cake, cake, cake! Beyoncé, dood! To the left!

Prinny can also collect orbs to free the villagers back at HQ (HQ being the open world level select). Once freed they’ll reward you by offering you attack tips, hints on enemies, the ability to save your progress (because every game needs that, right?), record a clip of you playing a level and sending it to your mates and other slightly useless unlocks.

The combat in the game can be mixed around a little. Jumping on enemies will boost your combat meter which will release more damage onto the baddies the next time you aimlessly swing Prinny’s sword. It’s best to save those combos for the tricky boss fights. Laying a hit on them is one thing, knowing how to survive is another.

The soundtrack is what makes this game unique to me. It’s uplifting and cheerful when it needs to be and can make a happy go lucky boss fight turn into something serious. You wouldn’t be alone if you catch yourself humming along to its catchy tunes. Furthermore, the English voice acting is pulled off remarkably well which helps add humour to the already bizarre storyline.

Who wudda thought this 'ere troll spoke like a gangsta?

As Prinny adds more odd dishes to the ultra dessert he’ll need fight his way through various terrains such as snow, volcanic, medieval lands, lush forests and the list goes on. As the environment changes so do the enemies. Not dramatically but you’ll notice different attacks and defences being used (For example, medieval enemies will use their armoured shields to protect themselves, whereas in a forest they won’t have that item).

Admittedly I haven’t cleared the half way marker but if I were to report to you all after finishing it I’m afraid the PSP3 would be well out in stores and Prinny’s next adventure would involve him being an eighty year old with a patch. I’ve been told by the mystical penguins if you finish the game you will be greatly rewarded. Something about 69 virgins. One of them being Matt.

Pros

Beautiful visuals, catchy soundtrack, cheeky humour, fun to play (if you can overlook the difficulty)

Cons

It’s HAAAAAAAAAARD, dood! Some co-op multiplayer would have made it fun to tackle the game.