2022 started a lot as 2021 ended – with a bumper crop of wholesome Dreamcast indie video games for us all to revel in. It kind of feels the solution to the query “what did you do in lockdown” for lots of within the scene was once “make a brand new Dreamcast recreation” and you understand what? If the one sure factor to come back out of that complete ordeal was once extra Dreamcast video games, then that’s a small win for us right here on the Junkyard. Give us extra indie video games!
While inhabiting the similar universe as Flea!, Tapeworm Disco Puzzle – as its identify might recommend – takes an altogether other way on the subject of gameplay. This can be a grid-based puzzle identify, by which you will have to gather musical notes and blood together with your tapeworm. Our hero, alternatively, is proscribed in measurement, so as to gather all of the components, you wish to have to figure out one of the best ways to navigate the degree, in addition to gathering tapes which is able to building up your malicious program’s duration (ahem…) which is able to mean you can achieve spaces that you would differently be not able to. It sounds easy – and to be truthful, the core thought this is – however the recreation briefly throws all method of various components in. Wormholes see our hero stoning up in different spaces of the degree, fleas will regularly be found in levels (the one option to gather blood) and it is your activity to help them, buttons wish to be lined by means of your prolonged malicious program frame to open doorways, and there may be a variety of dangerous guys unfold all the way through the levels too, which you can wish to keep away from touch with.
Similar to in Flea!, some levels are simple, however they’re incorporated as a steady advent to new gameplay mechanics. This can be a nice technique, slowly introducing you to new issues with no need to depend on tutorials, even though it might probably sadly depart some ranges feeling like they are somewhat needless.
Punctuating the puzzle-focused ranges of the sport, are quite a lot of “boss” ranges. Those transfer the sport into the route of a extra Snake-like enjoy, which, just like the scrolling ranges in Flea! prior to it, varies the gameplay up slightly. In those levels, your malicious program strikes regularly within the route it is dealing with, and to keep away from an premature loss of life, you wish to have to keep an eye on it in the proper route to keep away from hazards (and your individual frame!) and gather the quite a lot of components to finish the degree. Those levels are moderately easy once more, with the principle problem coming from timing your keep an eye on inputs in some tough areas.
Tapeworm Disco Puzzle additionally has a two participant co-op mode. This can be a truth. I’m avoided by means of my area people and due to this fact nobody is prepared to play a recreation about Eucestoda playing the flashy lighting fixtures and danceable tunes of a disco with me. Because of this I sadly can’t let you know how excellent the co-op mode of this recreation is. It’s most definitely beautiful banging even though, proper? I imply, the remainder of the sport is, and for those who’re fortunate sufficient to have pals, acquaintances or only a few unlucky soul tied up for your basement, chances are high that you’ll most definitely moderately just like the co-op mode. Alas, my everlasting shunning of human touch manner I’ll most definitely by no means know, no less than no longer till the Junkyard away staff rocks as much as a gaming match, shopping tremendous fucking cool with our home-made Dreamcast t-shirts and Tom Charnock-licensed bum-bags, with Kev wearing a ghetto blaster on his shoulder, 90s taste, blasting out songs from random excessive sports activities video games. The considered taking part in a co-op mode by myself fills me with this type of mid-life pangs of be apologetic about that may differently result in speedy vehicles, sooner girls and a big number of medieval weaponry striking from my partitions (a kind of is a truth, and I don’t power). However, yeah, co-op mode is sort of without a doubt beautiful rattling in poor health.
Visually, the sport does not push any technical obstacles at the console. After all, it does not wish to, however as feedback on evaluations right here on the Junkyard have proven over time, for some, the pixel artwork graphics on show won’t ever give the sport a real “Dreamcast really feel” and are due to this fact noticed as inferior. The ones individuals are after all soulless, depressing outdated bastards. Yeah positive, it is a NES recreation. However it is a vibrant, charmingly designed recreation which makes the most productive use of the static display arrange, and manages to endow its global with sufficient personality to convey a grin to essentially the most jaded of avid gamers. The cutscenes glance nice, and the artwork taste carries via to the package deal as an entire, with a a laugh duvet and any other mini caricature in its two web page handbook. As soon as once more, Lowtek Video games has controlled to position out a in reality professional-looking identify.
The chiptune soundtrack, which comes courtesy of Tui like Flea! prior to it, is any other insanely catchy providing, and one that tops even its predecessor. The primary theme, which thankfully performs at the menu display, is in an instant memorable, sufficient to go away you buzzing it for a number of days. We are blessed with an abundance of very good tunes all the way through the indie releases at the Dreamcast, however this will sit down proper up there along previous greats. Placing the sport’s disc right into a CD participant additionally will give you get entry to to the soundtrack, which is a smart characteristic.
Total, I loved my time with Tapeworm Disco Puzzle so much. Its quirky and loveable characters, its well-designed puzzle mechanic, its very good chiptune soundtrack – all of the absolute best recipe for a super, 8-bit romp at the console. Sure, you’ll certainly bemoan the truth that this is not pushing the {hardware}, that it is simply a NES port, that the Dreamcast is not intended to be the platform for this kind of recreation, however to you I say piffle. Piffle, I say! Give me an relaxing, fascinating little recreation like this any day, and I’m going to feel free. I will be able to perceive those that really feel the sport is in all probability somewhat overpriced at the DC at £30 – and for my part, I might choose a couple of of those NES titles to be bundled in combination on one disc in long run – however for those who see it within the context of serving to out any other fantastically ingenious developer, then I imagine it’s cash effectively spent.
