This is the first of my reviews, for an underrated retro game for the SNES called Goof Troop.
When I was little, my family wasn't exactly rich. When I finally got a SNES, the only game I had for it for a while was Super Mario World, but my grandparents were nice enough to buy me a video game. I used to watch this Goof Troop movie all the time, so they chose a video game with a character they recognized. Now, licensed games can often be uninspired crap, but luckily, this was not the case. It had me hooked, and I thanked them profusely.
Jamaicans and pirates. What more does a video game need?
Goof Troop was kind of like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but with a more action-y, arcade-y feel. There were levels instead of straight-up dungeons and an overworld, a limited amount of lives, and some pretty awesome, fast-paced boss fights. The gameplay is a nice split between action and puzzle elements, it kept me very engaged by mixing it up.
You can pick up two items; typically one for attacking, and one for proceeding through the level's obstacles. Sometimes you need to make a tough choice and leave a good item behind. Interestingly, your main mode of attacking is picking up jars and throwing them at the enemies. A good amount of the puzzles are tricky block-pushing segments, and there's a good amount of headscratchers.
One of the best things about this game is that you can play it co-op. It's one of my favorite co-op games of it's time, among greats like Secret of Mana and all the great co-op shmups and beat 'em ups of the era. Each character can hold one item in this mode. It makes for an interesting escort style of gameplay at times, when one character has to hold a puzzle-related item.
Here we see what I mean: pushable blocks to the north, Goofy's holding a barrel he can throw at an enemy, and Max is there as the second player's character.
Goof Troop for the SNES well represents the style of games of it's time, with some arcade-y elements and several conventions that SNES games are known for; The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in particular. It keeps things fresh, though, by taking some basic elements from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but never to the point that it feels like a clone. I highly recommend it, if you're looking for an engaging experience that will remind you of some of the most iconic design elements of it's era.
In my reviews, I will not be adding any sort of numeric or letter grade; I don't intend to try to rate video games "objectively", because the quality of video games is subjective, being a creative medium. I could rate them based on my opinion, but really, who's so in touch with themself that they can discern, say, a 8.5/10 experience from a 8.6/10? I'm just gonna talk about the games, and let you decide with the information and opinions I express.
