Remember that feeling you went through when you discovered Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight for the first time? One would think that a modern indie developer wouldn’t be able to capture classic vibes from the NES days so handily – and yet they did.
Well, get ready to feel that way again, as Sonzai Games/X PLUS Games’ Bat Boy repeats that process, for the most part. It’s got similar vibes going for it, with an 8-bit style presentation that shines through in each new stage, along with challenging gameplay and an interesting storyline. Not to mention you can open up additional stages that will really force you to step up to the plate.
Its difficulty may not bode well for rookie players. But if you’re seasoned in games such as this, Bat Boy really nails it out of the park.
Ryosuke!
The game focuses on a kid named Ryosuke, who, at night, becomes the sports-based vigilante Bat Boy. Along with his sports-related friends, they protect the city. However, when a dangerous foe named Lord Vicious steps forth and hypnotizes most of Bat Boy’s friends, he has to save them before they’re athletically worn out. (It’s just part of the silly story – just go with it.)
Bat Boy benefits from some truly awesome mechanics, bringing the gameplay darn near full circle. The platforming skills are excellent, and it’s great how you can adapt to some core skills and pick up new ones as you defeat your friends and snap them out of Lord Vicious’ control. It’s definitely the Mega Man formula, nicely tweaked into something original.
Along the way, you can also visit the Groovy House (shagadelic!) and unlock new stuff, and also seek out the mysterious Rufus to redeem some of your golden seeds (which you can acquire along the way) for truly awesome stuff. These add replay value to the game, which is already a tremendous value for the mere price of $15.
That said, it’s not for everyone. The difficulty picks up very quickly, and if you aren’t quite as skill prone as you were in earlier Mega Man days, you might be overwhelmed – particularly with some of the boss battles. That said, you’ll want to learn skills as soon as you can, as that will definitely help you with some of these encounters.
However, it’s on the same level as other 8-bit games of that nature, so we can’t really fault Sonzai too much for that. It’s okay if you strike out and need to try again.
Hot Dog, This Looks Like Fun
Along with gameplay that works pretty nicely, Bat Boy also wins with a simplified but solid presentation. The visuals are truly eye popping, with nice little details, including enemy expressions, attack animations, and even stage designs. They all come together wonderfully, creating an experience that’s worth checking out no matter what size screen you’re playing on.
It’s also worth noting that the cutscenes look like something straight out of an NES game, so make sure you pay attention to those, too. It’s like Sonzai learned from titles of this era.
On top of that, the music is excellent, with a wide variety of chiptunes that are well worth a listen. The sound effects are great as well, really adding to the ongoing 8-bit vibe. Some enemy noises could’ve used a bit of variety, but, again, very minor complaint.
Step Up To the Plate
Even with its somewhat uneven challenge level, Bat Boy redeems itself in so many ways. The gameplay feels just right and evolves on a solid level as you get new abilities; the extra stages and challenges add greatly to the overall replay value; and the presentation is just as good as the classic Shovel Knight, if not better in some areas. It’s a true gem for anyone that loves nostalgic gaming, warts and all.
So, yeah, grab your bat and play ball!
GAMERHUB RATING: 4/5
