Nostalgia is a strong motivator in gaming. Offering a way of consolation and familiarity, builders usually goal this sense by sequels and remakes, however within the final decade, we’ve seen a better rise in non secular successors and that’s been significantly outstanding for early 3D platformers, Yooka-Laylee and A Hat In Time being prime examples. Making an attempt to recreate that N64 really feel, we now have Macbat 64: Journey Of A Good Chap from Diploducus Video games, happening throughout the Kiwibbean. It definitely appears like an N64 recreation, however fully fails to do that period justice within the execution.
You play as Macbat, a monocle-wearing bat dwelling in Kiwiland, a area as soon as dominated by the evil Melon King earlier than his defeat two years prior by a singular kiwi chicken (Ivy?). Residents have since seen peace however not too long ago, water manufacturing has stopped on the “Watery Manufacturing facility” and entry is sealed by six totally different keys. Tasked by your parrot pal to research, it comes all the way down to Macbat to seek out all of them and uncover what occurred. Utilising a storybook aesthetic to journey between ranges, Macbat 64 has 10 ranges in complete and comes full of self-referential humour that usually breaks the fourth wall.
Throughout most ranges, all you are able to do is transfer round, stroll as much as NPCs to speak with them, and soar. There’s no fight right here and Macbat’s move-set is fairly restricted. Your important job is discovering the realm’s key to finish it and most areas have a set of collectable gadgets that contribute in the direction of getting it, like cash for getting gadgets or balloons to carry objects. Sadly, Macbat 64 executes this poorly and it merely isn’t enjoyable. Gameplay is extraordinarily fundamental and appears like a weak rehash of higher video games, made worse by poor digital camera implementation. Some ranges change up gameplay to deliver selection, together with a 2D section and go-karting, however they don’t really feel cohesive and are equally uninteresting.
Every stage can also be beatable inside 5 minutes, which means you might end the story in simply over an hour, although contemplating the extraordinarily low worth level, that’s extra forgivable. Finally although, while the N64-era aesthetic will enchantment to some, Macbat 64 simply isn’t value your time. Diploducus Video games appear to be counting on little greater than nostalgia because it’s promoting level, however when it completely fails to ship on gameplay, we will’t advocate this to even probably the most die-hard platforming followers.
