SUPER HOUSE OF DEAD NINJAS

Although it is now possible to install without ruining a PC capable of running the most demanding a level of quality games quite acceptable, the value of this platform not only lies in its raw power, quite the contrary. As time passes and more independent dig their hole on our machines, most merely 2D graphics recalling the finest moments of the 16-bit consoles. But unless definitely sold debauchery of polygons or shaders, it would be churlish to complain given the number of hours lost on Super Meat Boy, Hotline Miami or Spelunky. Developed by Megadev and out on the sly on Steam, Super House of Dead Ninjas in the footsteps of his predecessors and expects manhandle our controllers and our keyboards throughout the hellish descent Ziggurat of Infinium.

SUPER GENESIS ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Once again, independent game is the sequel, or rather better, a free flash game available for several months on the net. The "Super" in the title is obviously a relic of the early 90's usually meaning porting a series on the Nintendo console. The first loading screen is also the first blink of an eye chart to this golden age of 2D: it presents a fictional version of the box of the game on the Super NES, and a bar that mimics the logo of the Megadrive is filling, topped with a mischievous "Blast processing, please wait." We have been warned from the outset, useless to expect photorealism way Crytek. The developers have also pushed up the vice limit the full screen of 4/3 and fill the extra space with large black bands on the sides. As Hotline Miami finally reproduces the image of a little showy old CRT TVs, which give color to this aspect a bit dull and mushy horizontal lines. This effect can however be disabled in the options for anyone who wants enjoy the red Ferrari of holding our small but devastating ninja.

The first thing to do before throwing a party is to go read the comic available directly from the main menu. Besides an introduction to the absence of history that follows, the comic acts fictionalized manual and details the intricacies of gameplay. We will learn how to move our particular character, attacking spin from a jump or do a super jump, very useful for a return visit last floor a little faster. Read the boxes and monologues, it is also understood that SHODN draws heavily beat'm all of yesteryear. Nintai, heroin, has a katana but also in limited quantities shurikens and bombs and magic destroying all enemies caught in the pillar of fire. Nothing complicated, you tell yourself before entering the dungeon. Unfortunately for us, the game also borrows from the old titles two characteristics that enabled them to withstand many hours the onslaught of players: a well raised and lives and credits awarded sparingly difficulty. Hard mode pushes up the vice of avarice imposing game over from exhaustion hearts of the protagonist, or only during the first five runs.


TOWER TRAP

This is very little for the task entrusted to us. From the top of the tower, it will descend 350 floors under the threat of a stopwatch to face the legendary ninja penguin, and Abarghus demon who terrorizes the surrounding areas. The premises are of course far from being empty and full of traps and monsters that we try to make the skin before the ground floor. As if that were not enough, the way we will cross two intermediate bosses, minions of the big bad that it will study the patterns the hard way, that is to say, bursting several times before being able to compete with them. However, SHODN is not exactly a classic rogue-like as can Spelunky and The Binding of Isaac, and shows by some far more generous and accessible aspects.

The easy mode let us die three times before displaying the final screen and resurrects the player to the point of his death, fully loaded. And after defeating a boss, it will be possible to start the next part from its floor. The developers have also thought advisable to offer many gifts to the most persevering, some of which are also final. Dying fifty times, our ninja wins an extra heart, and up to four succumbing three hundred times. While this may seem overwhelming, it is not. The case of two or three hours at most.

These permanent improvements are only a taste of the secrets to unlock in the tower. Before embarking on the adventure, a table to select his weapon melee and projectiles, explosives and special powers. First studded empty square, it gradually fills various utensils with radically different properties that come to offer some variety to our many failures. The nunchaku is for example able to return enemy projectiles while the whip has overly broad. Bat on it annihilates the big enemies with one shot instead of two, but it is relatively slow and it is impossible to perform a low attack. The shuriken is advantageously replaced by a boomerang while avoiding the problems of ammunition or a gun whose bullets are faster than conventional stars. We pass on the axes to launch grenades and bombs. The key is to remember only one item in each category can be selected at the door of the cave. Finally, levels literally swarming with power up to harvest, including shield, familiar, or passage "rage mode" immediately, without cutting the ten enemies usually required for its activation.


MY DEAR NOT PLAY!

With this avalanche of gadgets, Super House of Dead Ninjas becomes eminently sympathetic. When first run, no bonus or almost available: all the goodies are unlocked under certain circumstances viewed from the preparation screen. Reach the first boss without killing anyone, finish the game in one go, kill ten enemies by sliding along the walls ... By setting smart goals, the player is able to obtain several improvements at once to the following sections and rises gradually in power, at the same time he learns to control his avatar.

So it was just a runt in the discovery, it turns into a real war machine after a few hundred attempts and passes through the stages faster and faster, until you can get to the final boss in less than a quarter of an hour in Easy Mode. The gameplay is already extremely nervous increasingly fast and cut the opponents soon dozens in a few seconds, shedding their blood in a long vertical drag accompanying our frantic fall. Still, never repeatability to spoil our fun. The levels are randomly generated for each new test and even bosses encountered differ from one shot to another. To break the monotony finally finally defeat the host venues in hard mode will give us access to the secret basement, more ruthless and even bigger than the tip of the iceberg. It is rumored that even alternative tower built in skulls of American footballers and square roots is available to the lucky ticket holders to submit to the doorman. Not to mention the levels created by users to download directly from the Workshop.

However, the game is not without flaws. The enemies are varied little, graphics frankly light even for a tribute to the old consoles and when it was released, it was impossible to play the controller without using a third party software like JoyToKey or Xpadder. A heresy for alternating phases demanding platform and frantic action in two dimensions Thurs This last point, however, was partially corrected by a patch that delivers native support for gamepads. The implementation is still not quite optimal and Megadev still working to operate the directional pad in addition to the stick to control Nintai. Developers also pamper their community and respond directly to suggestions or bug reports on the forums. It is likely that in their new game modes emerge from these discussions.

Now remains the problem of the price. Faced with six euros requested on Steam, it would be difficult to speak of scam or robbery. However, mopping on the global Internet, it is easy enough to get on the free version of the game, graphically identical to the installment payment. It also found many of the improvements, the Ziggurat of Infinium and its secret basement. Only lacking a full screen mode, the new dungeon "Transdimensional leakage" and some part configurations. It is therefore legitimate to question the value of heat map blue face so many similarities. Honestly, it would be foolish not to start by trying milling offered on the web. But nothing prevents later masochists to get the full game story enjoy it in optimum conditions and support the developers. And in exchange for a few euros, a player also gets the right to create its own turn and go the other users, which gives the title a period of potentially unlimited life. But already beginning by reaching the basement, and we'll talk later.