RetrOS - awakening of the Legend(Review of Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening (GBC)

Ladies and gentlemen,  start your emulators! It's time for an extra episode of RetrOS, the show where we give your recommended dose of nostalgia by reviewing games from your Childhood.

In this episode, we take a look at a classic from the Game Boy library. Is this game worthy of remembrance? Or should this game be lost forever in the pages of gaming history?

Let's find out!

The year is 1994, and communications technology went through a massive change with the advent of the World Wide Web. Access was done by inserting a CD or a Floppy Disk into your PC, created by AOL (America Online).

 We put our luck to the test as Camelot organised the National Lottery in the UK. Even today, the National Lottery rakes in £8 million in ticket sales, and 7,200 millionaires have been made as of 2022-2023.

 We were also introduced to the meaning of Hakuna Matata, as Disney released The Lion King in cinemas. Did you cry when you saw Mufasa's betrayal and death? Let me know down in those comments. We won't judge... Honest!

1994 was also an important year in the gaming industry. Sony entered the console market for the first time as the byproduct of a failed partnership between Sony & Nintendo, as the first PlayStation was released in  Japan, during the start of a massive, industry-wide push for 3D graphics. 

1994 saw many timeless classics. These include Doom 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Mortal Kombat 2.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is another entry on this list. This classic was the first time an entry of the series was released for a handheld system, i.e. the Game Boy.

The game acts as a sequel to  A Link to the Past. On the way home to Hyrule, our protagonist, Link, finds himself shipwrecked on a mysterious island. It is up to you to go through the various dungeons, seeking musical instruments, to wake a mysterious entity, thus allowing Link safe Passage home!

The accessibility scores are as follows:

Visibility 9.5

Due to the game's age, there is no color blind mode in this game. To be fair, there is very little need for one. From what I have played, apart from Rupees, there are no colour-coded elements that can cause an issue for players with visual impairments.

Audibility 10

As par for the course for a Zelda game, there is no spoken dialogue present in this game; all dialogue is text-based. Back then, imagination had to fill in the gaps.

Mobility 8

 In terms of this category, Legend of Zelda games are strange ones. This one's no exception.

You can bind items to specific buttons, including your sword and shield. But since the Game Boy has only two buttons, you will find yourself hot-swapping the buttons to use specific items, such as your feather for jumping,  and powder for lighting torches in dungeons.

Gameplay 9

In short, this game is a good title for portable systems. The DNA of A Link to the Past is present in this title. In terms of difficulty, however,r the game is a little more forgiving. 

 In comparison to Link's Awakening, the dungeons are easier. But in terms of lifespan, A Link to the Past(15 hours) takes longer to complete than Link's Awakening(14.5 hours). In saying that, it still is long, for GBC standards.

The DX version of the game had a lot of enhancements under the hood. Firstly, the graphics are in full colour, and support for the Game Boy Camera.

The PC Port is the best way to play this classic. This version has the bells and whistles of a typical recomp project. Better widescreen support. More item slots available. Due to the extra buttons of modern controllers.

In summary,y The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a decent entry in the Legend of Zelda Series. The more forgiving, laid-back style of the game, and the additional inventory slots on the Recompiled version make this game more accessible than  A Link to the Past.  If you are a Zelda enthusiast and are looking for a Zelda Classic to play, this game is recommended.

OVERALL SCORE  91.25%

  See you guys in the next review!

RetrOS- Camo Kid (Review of Kid Chameleon (MD)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your emulators! It's time for another episode of RetrOS. The show where we give you your recommended dose of nostalgia by reviewing games from your childhood, as we turn another page of gaming history.

 This time, we turn the clocks back to the year 1992 to take a look at a classic platformer from the Sega Mega Drive library. Is this game worthy of remembrance, or should this game be left forever in the pages of gaming history??

Let's find out!

1992  was an interesting time to live in. The year saw the introduction of  SMS  text messages, the IBM ThinkPad and the UK launch of the SNES. 

In terms of the gaming industry, 1992 saw the release of the legendary FPS Wolfenstein 3D,  the first RTS game, Dune 2, Mortal Kombat, and this classic. 

In this game, a rogue AI called Heady Metal has taken control of a VR arcade cabinet, Wild Side, and is kidnapping its players. You play the part of the Kid Chameleon, and it is up to you to battle your way through the various levels of the cabinet to save your friends.

The accessibility scores are as follows:

Visibility 10 

Due to the game's age, there is no color blind mode available. To be fair, there is little need for one. There are no colour-coded elements that can cause an issue for players with visual impairments.

Audibility 10 

Due to the size limitations of a Sega Mega Drive cartridge, there is no spoken dialogue. The story itself was told in the introduction. So a player with hearing impairments can play this game with ease.

Mobility 9.5

In this game, there are six button presets which can be changed.  My only criticism is that you can't do so during a game. So you'll be stuck with whatever control layout you have set when you start the game.

Gameplay 9

In shor,t this game feels like a basic run-of-the-mill platformer. But there are quite a few features that make the game stand out from the crowd. 

Firstly, similar to platformers of the era, such as Mario and Sonic, you are up against the clock.  As soon as a level starts, a timer should start to tick down. When the timer hits zero, you lose a life!  As with all games of the era, when your lives hit zero, it's game over!

When you go through the various levels, you will encounter helmets that grant you various abilities, such as climbing walls like  Spiderman and attacking enemies ahead of you with a katana. 

The most important thing about using helmets is that it protects you from damage. When your mask gets broken, two more hits, and you're gone!

In summa,ry Kid Chameleon is a classic platformer with Super Mario vibes to it. Make no mistake, this game is no walk in the park! Not exactly the hardest game I've ever reviewed( that belongs to Dark Souls 3!), but still pretty damn tricky nonetheless.

If you are a platformer enthusiast and are looking for something a bit more challenging, this game might fit the bill.

OVERALL SCORE 96.25%

See you guys in the next review!

 

RetrOS- the Good, the bad, and the DOOM-Review of Outlaws (PC)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your emulators! It's time for another episode of RetrOS, the show where we give your recommended dose of nostalgia by reviewing games from your Childhood.

In this episode, we turn the clocks back to the year 1997 with  Lucas Arts' fusion of the Doom-esque Boomer shooter subgenre, with spaghetti westerns like the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which received the remaster treatment from Nightdive. Is this game truly worthy of remembrance, or should this game be lost forever in the pages of gaming History?

Let's find out!

RetrOS: Mumbo's Jumbo

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your emulators, it's time for another episode of RetrOS. The show that we give you recommended dose of Nostalgia, by reviewing games from your childhood.

In this episode, we turn the clocks back to 1998, as we take a look at a classic platformer from the N64 library, which has been recompiled. Is this game worthy of remembrance? Or should this game be lost forever in the pages of gaming history?

Let's find out!

about myself(introduction)

hi everyone! my name is James Rank.

in August 2004 i took a 60-100 foot fall. This incident caused me to lose the use of my left hand, which makes playing video games very difficult, and in some cases unplayable. This inspired me to create my  own blog for reviewing games in terms of accessibility. After all, what is the point of having fancy graphics in games if  a disability doesn't allow you to play the darn thing! this blog will be typed using Dragon Naturally speaking 12. 

RetrOS-Add to Kart (Review of Mario Kart 64)

 Ladies and gentlemen, to start your emulators! It is time for yet another episode of RetrOS, the show where we give you your recommended dose of nostalgia by reviewing games from your childhood. In this episode, we take a look at yet another one of the N64 library's most recognisable titles.

Does this game deserve the credit it receives from the community? Or should this game be lost forever in the pages of gaming history?

 Let's find out!

RetrOS- Fox of the Stars ( Review of star Fox 64/Lylat Wars(N64)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your emulators! It is time for another episode of RetrOS, the show where we give you your recommended dose of nostalgia by reviewing games from your childhood. In this episode, we take a look at one of the most recognisable games of the N64 catalogue.

Is this game worthy of remembrance? Or should this game be lost forever in the pages of gaming history?

Let's find out!