During the holiday rush of games I had the opportunity to review Ubisoft’s Rayman: Origins for the Xbox 360, and I must say it was unquestionably one of the better platforming games I had played on the console to date. It featured wonderful visuals, terrific sounds, and wonderfully charming gameplay. Much like Rayman: Origins, Square Enix’ Scarygirl comes along with the many of the same qualities which made Rayman: Origins such a wonderful game, but the main difference is that it is an Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) title and is much cheaper. Scarygirl is a standard platformer (to a degree), features unique looking characters, and has an art style all of its own. Despite all of its wonderful qualities, Scarygirl does have some issues, yet at the end of the day it is a game you should strongly consider.
Based on Nathan Jurevicius’ Scarygirl graphic novel, the game adaptation is set in a colourful dream-like world filled with bizarre creatures much like you would see in a Tim Burton animated movie. Scarygirl centers on an odd looking girl who does not appear all that scary, so the title is a bit off in that sense; that is until she uses some of her crazy abilities, but more on that later. Scarygirl is odd shaped, has a tentacle arm, and sports a pirate patch. She is certainly one of the more unique looking characters I have encountered in quite some time but she is nevertheless quite charming.
Scarygirl, the character, was abandoned late one night only to be found by a giant friendly octopus named Blister. Blister quickly takes a liking to Scarygirl and he eventually builds her a dream home and acts as her guardian. Things seem to going along just fine for Scarygirl until she finds herself haunted by a re-occurring dream. One night she finds herself following an enchanted tune that leads her to a guru-like bunny, aptly named Bunniguru, who Scarygirl is convinced can help her discover the meaning behind her bad dreams. Using her powerful tentacle arm and her other super abilities, Scarygirl, with the help of her friends Blister and Bunniguru, sets off on a wild platforming adventure.
The game’s premise is certainly not a bad story at all, especially when you consider platformers are not known for their riveting storylines. It is odd, a tad dark, and many of the characters you encounter will have you wondering what it is you are looking at. The story does not take any dramatic twists and turns along the way as it is fairly straightforward, but it certainly serves as the perfect backdrop for a game that should appeal to gamers who are fans of such movies as Caroline or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Despite all this, the real enjoyment in the game is weaving, bashing and hopping your way throughout the bizarre Scarygirl world.
Unlike many platformers, Scarygirl is not strictly a 2D experience, nor is it a 3D experience, as it is a blend of both worlds. Granted much of the game plays out in a left to right platforming fashion as you hop on ledges, use your tentacle arm to glide in the air, take out enemies and do many other typical standard platforming fare, yet Scarygirl mixes it up quite a bit. For starters, you are given certain paths to choose throughout the game. Some paths will take you behind say a mountainous area while others will merely run along side the other path. It is a neat concept and it is in these moments the game plays more like a 3D game. Unfortunately, the camera angles can become a tad wonky at times and there are other instances where it is difficult to gauge depth, but otherwise the experience plays out very much like many other platformers on the market.
Another area where Scarygirl separates itself from the rest of the platforming pack is the game’s combat system. Scarygirl is equipped with light and heavy attacks where she uses her tentacle arm with a hook as a hand to do a vast amount of damage. As you progress along in the game, Bunniguru introduces you to a variety of new attacks and defences. Eventually you will be able to utilize such moves like the “Anaconda Squeeze” where you squeeze the life out of your enemy. Scarygirl also has a rage meter that builds up and when triggered unleashes devastating attacks and you can also buy attachments for her tentacle. All in all pretty good stuff here.
Taking advantage of Scarygirl’s many moves is enjoyable. Whether it be gliding in the air with her tentacle spinning like helicopter blades or slinging an enemy into a nasty looking Goat, Scarygirl’s combat system is enjoyable despite it feeling a bit loose. I should note that pinpoint accuracy is difficult to achieve in the game and there are instances where you take damage from the enemies and it is hardly preventable. Not to mention, the game can become almost too difficult as you progress along. My 9-year old daughter hit a wall once she encountered a gigantic snowman early in the game. It is these bosses that will frustrate some gamers to no end. Beating them is difficult and can lead to some frustrating times. That being said, it is quite rewarding when you finally take them down.
Scarygirl also features a drop-in and drop-out two-player cooperative mode which plays quite well. It also adds a ton of replay value when you can go back and play the game’s levels with family or friends. I found that the cooperative mode makes beating some of the more difficult bosses a little less challenging and it was just plain fun to play the game along-side my daughter. Unfortunately, beyond the first 5 or 6 levels her interest dropped dramatically and I was left playing the game alone. Sure it became monotonous at times, but the varied combat and the wonderfully crafted levels kept me interested much longer than I anticipated.
In terms of the visuals, what will immediately jump out at you when you fire up Scarygirl is the art style and how well the game is crafted. Scarygirl is filled with plenty of eye candy as the landscapes and creatures truly come to life. It has a darker feel than most platformers, but it is not so dark that it will scare younger gamers. The game’s main character, Scarygirl, looks great and all the enemies you encounter along the way have their own unique look and traits. The results are simply impressive. Everyone from the deadly hedgehogs of the Owl Woods to the violent Goat Clan along the Old Man Mountains, Scarygirl’s enemies have a distinctive style that works quite well. This distinctive style also carries over to the game’s levels too. When you consider the game is an XBLA title the visuals are indeed something special.
Much like the game’s visuals, Scarygirl’s audio package is solid. You are not blasted with heavy rock or other fast paced hyper tunes that may drive you bonkers. Instead you get a subtle melody played throughout the games 21-levels. It is soft, a tad repetitive, and at times hardly noticeable, but it creates the perfect atmosphere. Much like Rayman: Origins, every coin you collect and every enemy you bash has its own distinctive sound that adds a bit more charm to your gameplay experience. Finally, the game’s narrator has a ‘Gandolph’ like voice quality too and perfectly sets the stage for what you are about to encounter as you progress along the game.
Overall, Scarygirl on XBLA is one of the better platforming games available for download on the Xbox 360 and is a great downloadable game so early in 2012. When you consider the price of 1200 Microsoft Points, Scarygirl offers plenty of bang for the buck. The game’s art style, characters, and Tim Burton-esque feel works well making for an affordable game that should not only please Scarygirl fans but fans of platforming games in general. While I do note that the game’s loose controls, finicky camera angles, and somewhat repetitive gameplay present as a bit of a concern, the fact remains Scarygirl’s positives clearly outweigh any negatives.
