{"id":119192,"date":"2020-10-10T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/prinny_1b2_exploded_and_reloaded"},"modified":"2020-10-10T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-10T17:00:00","slug":"review-prinny-12-exploded-and-reloaded-masochistic-platforming-thats-rough-around-the-edges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/10\/10\/review-prinny-12-exploded-and-reloaded-masochistic-platforming-thats-rough-around-the-edges\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded &#8211; Masochistic Platforming That&#8217;s Rough Around The Edges"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/716c4aba51756\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/716c4aba51756\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109252\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109252\/900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" alt=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The best thing about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/prinny_1b2_exploded_and_reloaded\"><strong>Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded<\/strong><\/a>, a collection of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/prinny_can_i_really_be_the_hero\">Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/prinny_2_dawn_of_operation_panties_dood\">Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!<\/a><\/strong>, is that game reviewers are paid by the word. Just that opening sentence has earned enough to buy several Wispa Golds, or your comfort food of choice. And you\u2019ll need comforting after this: a bruising platforming challenge that harks back to the knuckle-rapping disciplinarians of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/megadrive\/ghouls_n_ghosts\">Ghouls \u2018n Ghosts<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nes\/mega_man\"><strong>Mega Man<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Alarm bells sound when you spot the life counter: 1000 lives to beat the game. Hit zero and it\u2019s a <em>total<\/em> reset. And the danger\u2019s confirmed the moment you press jump and feel what kind of acrobatics you\u2019re lumped with. Prinny\u2019s leap is arthritic. There\u2019s no aftertouch to steer him in the air, beyond launching a second, rigid jump, forcing you to commit to every bound. Prinny\u2019s no Mario. It\u2019s more like a platformer starring a goomba. Not just mechanically, but thematically, too: Prinnies are the lowliest henchmen in the <strong>Disgaea<\/strong> series.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109249\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109249\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Most deaths arise from Prinny\u2019s limitations than any inventive level design. The knockback animation after taking a hit is our main cause of death, followed by an infuriatingly slow ledge climb and the hesitation before a butt stomp. None of it proves unworkable, but it does tap into a dustier part of the brain. The part raised on pixel-perfect leaps and learning level layouts by rote. At this point, it\u2019s more of a dull memory test than an act of mechanical skill. A good choice for retro-heads longing for the days when games were broken instead of good.<\/p>\n<p>Combat\u2019s largely the same in both games, with a knife attack that\u2019s as fast as you can mash the button. You can create a blur of protective stabbing that keeps most demons at bay, or an aerial slash that weirdly shifts 2D levels to a 2.5D perspective. It lends the move impact, but you wish they\u2019d do more with the perspective; maybe throw in some <strong>Klonoa<\/strong>-style level architecture. The damage of both is amplified by stunning goons with a butt stomp first, a dazed state that allows you to toss their bodies as projectiles. It\u2019s crunchy enough fun.<\/p>\n<p>It gets uneven in a combo system. In Prinny 1, stringing together stomps fills a meter to earn a bonus health item or high scoring pudding. In our eyes, all puddings are high scoring, but that\u2019s besides the point. What matters is that Prinny\u2019s rigidity in the air means you can\u2019t gracefully bop between heads, and the meter drops so fast it\u2019s only really viable with specific enemy clusters. The system loosens up in Prinny 2, as every attack or item pickup fills the meter, giving it much needed momentum. A full meter also puts you in a powerful rage that fuels itself as you chew through enemies with sharper stabs and a damaging dash attack.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109250\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109250\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Keeping that anger going gives Prinny 2 a jolt of arcade energy, but it undermines boss fights. These are a highlight of Prinny 1, as you stun attackers before doing any noticeable damage to their health bars. They are old school \u2018learn the attack pattern\u2019 numbers, but nicely done. The same goes for the sequel, but your rage moves can feasibly kick in and destroy a boss after the first stun. It may sound counterproductive to complain about platforming being too rough and chastising bosses for being too easy, but it really is a Goldilocks situation, never finding a balance that is quite right.<\/p>\n<p>In truth, you won\u2019t even use 500 of those lives in either game. Ample checkpoints and Prinny\u2019s ability to take three hits on default difficulty mean you can scrape through with careful play. A majority of deaths come on very specific stretches between checkpoints where one awkward jump throws you off, or a particularly nasty enemy \u2013 I\u2019m looking at you Magma Fortress ninjas \u2013 give you the runaround. Prinny 2 drops hit points to two, but offers an easy mode with three and safety blocks, further easing those sticking points.<\/p>\n<p>Prinny\u2019s generally cheap difficulty, and a wider lack of platforming imagination, are a shame as they try interesting structural things. The first six stages of both games are tackled in a choice of your order over the course of a day; the time you enter each stage changes its difficulty, layout and even the boss fight at the end. Pick the right level at the right time and you can give yourself an easier or harder ride, which feels like a fun riff on that classic Mega Man weapon hierarchy. It also means six variations on six stages, for replay value.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109254\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/109254\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>But having tested them, there just aren\u2019t enough interesting building blocks here to make those retreads stand out. Prinny 2 throws extra bits in the mix \u2013 background threats that attack the foreground and a few more vehicle sections than Prinny 1 \u2013 but it ends up feeling more hectic and unfair than exciting. Disappointing, as its bonus offerings are more padded out than Prinny 1\u2019s, with an entirely separate campaign that plays like its own spin-off game. Even up against that juicy extra, Prinny 1 is still the better time: it has cleaner action, tighter boss fights and a mercifully panties-free storyline.<\/p>\n<p>The black mark against both games is the state of the ports. Apparently remastered from PSP, but hard to see how. The 3D levels are sharp enough, but the sprites and HUD elements are so hazy and washed out you\u2019d think the original PSP assets had slipped in by mistake. It feels like one of those optometrist tests where half the wall chart looks blurry and the rest is in focus; acceptable in medical inspections, not ideal for home entertainment. The weird and knowing world of Disgaea is character-rich, but it\u2019s woefully underserved by this rough tech treatment.<\/p>\n<p>If the duff port and repetitive grind aren\u2019t enough to scare you off, it\u2019s easier to recommend picking up Prinny 1 as a cheaper standalone. But it really is a case of all challenge and no charm. One thousand lives may sound like a godsend when you\u2019re butting heads with a brick wall, but after two games of this, it begins to look like an eternity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>While it\u2019s possible to get into the retro groove of Prinny\u2019s perilous platforming, neither game does anything interesting enough to earn your patience. And collecting two games together only reveals how much of the same ground is covered by both. If anything, additions in the sequel water down the formula. If you simply must experience an unathletic penguin falling to its death again and again, stick with the simpler original. Or better yet, search for \u2018penguin falling over\u2019 on YouTube. Cheaper and a lot more entertaining.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked) The best thing about Prinny 1\u20222: Exploded and Reloaded, a collection of Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? and Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!, is that game reviewers are paid by the word. Just that opening sentence has earned enough to buy several Wispa Golds, or your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}