One thing you can count on from any Yuji Naka game is a sprinkling of magic. Since he left Sega 15 years ago, the career of Sonic’s creator has been mixed, but as producer at indie studio Prope he’s overseen a range of smaller games, each shot through with summery charm and vibrant colour. Five years ago he seemed to have run aground with the inexplicably awful Rodea: The Sky Soldier on Wii U – yet that was a bastardised version of a Wii game that turned out to be much better. We hoped, then, that his reunion with Nights Into Dreams director Naoto Ohshima might be a return to Sonic Team form. Alas, our optimism seems to have been misplaced.
Which isn’t to say that the old Naka magic is entirely absent. It’s there in Balan himself, a mischievous but seemingly benevolent prankster who looks for all the world like a secret unlockable character from Nights. It’s there in the bright, energetic cutscenes, too. We’re quickly introduced to protagonists Emma Cole and Leo Craig (you must choose one at the outset, though both come with a range of preset customisation options) before being whisked away to a fantastical world among the clouds. There’s a sense of cheerful ceremony to it all, heightened by the way the first level assembles itself in front of you before letting you stroll inside.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CHANTS OF SENNAAR
How Babel helped a world of stealth become a world of words
MEGHNA JAYANTH
Around the industry in eight games: one writer's journey through indie to triple-A and back again.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Sam Fisher's final outing is also his most enigmatic
Post Script
How low should a boss go?
TWO POINT STUDIOS
How a new studio rose from the ashes of Lionhead success not simulated
RAIDERS OF THE ARCHIVE
Wolfenstein-style shootouts are just a small part of the picture in MachineGames' maximalist Indy game
SPLITGATE 2
If it ain't broke, don't fix Split
KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE II
A bigger, better - and funnier Bohemian rhapsody
Narrative Engine
Write it like you stole it
The Outer Limits
Journeys fo the farthest reaches of interactive entertainment