The Curse of Issyos - Thoughts

How Locomalito's Curse of Issyos is both 1) not on Steam and 2) free to download baffles me. It's a Castlevania tribute set in Greek mythology, swapping bats and mermen out for harpies and... well, mermen. The experience lasts a little under an hour on a successful playthrough, and puts up a decent challenge without going overboard on the difficulty (I think it's roughly as hard as Super Castlevania IV). Curse of Issyos isn't as universally approachable as Shovel Knight is, but for fans of NES platformers, the minotaur-slaying adventure is an absolute must-play.

One of the important things to understand about Curse of Issyos is that it doesn't try to do anything ambitious—it's just a really polished game. There are health upgrades to pick up and two different weapons to try out... and that's about all you get for customization. The writing, sprite work, and music aren't super memorable, but they're of a professional quality and serve the game well. The real draw of Curse is its stellar level design, introducing new enemies and hazards with every stage. The levels aren't complex but they're littered with smart (ie dangerous) obstacles, like bouncing rocks in Stage IV and the cycling spirits in the underworld. Personally I find that for old-school platformers, refinement trumps novelty—and Curse of Issyos demonstrates why.

Foes share traits with Castlevania's bestiary but it never feels like Locomalito is copying from Konami's template. The bosses are especially impressive, avoiding the repetitive & easy patterns of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon in favor of simple & randomized attacks. It's likely you'll have to die to a couple to get a proper feel for their attack patterns, but Curse of Issyos rarely throws the player any unfair curveballs; as long as you persevere, victory will be yours in the end.

Althouuuugh that statement comes with a dirty little asterisk. My only real gripe with Curse of Issyos is that reaching its true ending requires a lot of flawless playing, thanks to a notably cruel design decision: you don't get healed after boss fights. I don't think it's a monumental task to beat the game without using continues, but one poor boss encounter can quickly throw a wrench into that plan, especially if you happen to lose your spear. Throw in a couple convoluted tasks required to reach said ending, and I recommend that most people just play the game without worrying about a replay.

I think it speaks to the high quality of Curse of Issyos that despite finding the true ending path annoying, I didn't really mind playing through the game four times to achieve it. Locomalito knows his chops: the controls are solid, the enemies are dangerous, and there's enough randomization that that you can't get through it based on memory alone. Curse of Issyos is an exemplary model of why I love old-school platformers, and it's made me very eager to try out Maldita Castilla EX.

Metroid Super Zero Mission - Thoughts

Metroid Super Zero Mission is a hack of staggering ambition. Crafting a unique rom hack out of Super Metroid's mold is difficult enough, but to throw Metroid: Zero Mission's blueprint in there as well—a game which itself is a reinterpretation of the original Metroid—is a mind-boggling task. The original Zero Mission acts as a sort-of interquel between the two Metroid titles, so I wasn't sure what Super Zero Mission was going to bring to the table. Plus most Super Metroid rom hacks are already "remixes" of the base game (aptly deemed "halfhacks"), and those are typically so lazily cobbled together that I prefer a hack that's wildly new and fresh (like Super Metroid Phazon). But SBniconico's take on the formula blew me away; Super Zero Mission is not only a stunning game in its own right, but its old school design is so meticulous that it becomes downright terrifying at times.

I would be hard-pressed to say that Metroid Super Zero Mission feels like a proper Nintendo title. It's as refined as Another Metroid 2 Remake, but AM2R frequently exhibits a soft, careful touch, so as not to drive off newcomers. Super Zero Mission, by comparison, is very much a game made by a Super Metroid expert for Super Metroid experts. It could theoretically be beaten by someone that has casually finished Super Metroid, but it would be an arduous and frequently punishing endeavor, requiring tight maneuvers like the midair horizontal shinespark. God only knows what is demanded of the player in the hard mode of the hack!

While Super Zero Mission is unarguably tricky, it never becomes insurmountable or cruel—not once did I need to revert to save states or backtrack to find e-tanks and missiles. But Super Zero Mission relentlessly tests your dexterity, observation skills, and memory of the older games. Even the bosses have undergone meaningful changes, their room layout altered and health buffed. There are two noticeable difficulty spikes in the game (Pirate Ship & Chozodia), but as long as you keep your wits about you and press on, you won't be stymied beyond a couple of painful deaths. I'd personally label the game "beatable" in the same way that I would tell anyone that Dark Souls or Contra is "beatable"; those unable to rise to Super Zero Mission's expectations will find it unfair, confusing, and ultimately frustrating.

Though the game is nowhere near impossible to finish, 100%ing it is a different matter. A couple power-ups are tucked away in such mystifying, nonsensical spots that finding out how to access them is akin to reverse-engineering a programming puzzle. For instance, speed booster blocks will taunt the player in a location far from flat land, and there's a constant use of foreground tiles that hide tiny morphball-sized paths. The presence of these ultra-hard power-ups don't ruin the game—I was definitely comfortable with my arsenal by the end—but it will be extremely vexing to completionists. Don't be surprised if Super Zero Mission reveals just how little of Super Metroid you truly understand.

Besides the maddening items that will linger just out of reach, the design of Metroid Super Zero Mission is also... pretty maddening. But it's a good kind of maddening, something that turns level designers green with envy. One of the biggest examples of this is that SBniconico has made hack super speedrun-friendly. This manifests itself in minor ways while you're playing; occasionally you'll stumble across a crumble-block cul-de-sac that tips you off to the presence of a shortcut. The concept is ripped directly from Zero Mission's speedrun-friendly layout, and like that game you're not likely to utilize any sequence breaks until you read about how you're supposed to access them.

What makes this feat more impressive than Zero Mission's is that the hack is massive, littered with plentiful opportunities for the player to get themselves into an area they're not prepared for. Yet SBniconico's design is so precise that it's not likely to happen, even when you think you've stumbled upon a secret path. In fact, Super Zero Mission depends on you sniffing out obscure tunnels in order to progress normally, especially towards the end when the game explodes into a maze of optional paths. This keeps you feeling like an intrepid explorer while hiding the fact that you're barely scratching the surface of the game's mysteries.

You would think that dull rooms and getting lost would be an inevitable byproduct of a hack of this size, but Super Zero Mission is almost always on point. Every room serves some kind of purpose and acquiring a power-up has you organically funneled towards your next destination. Even vets of Super Metroid will find themselves surprised by some of the twists and turns here; Tourian in particular is an awe-inspiring section that kept me on edge. If I had to describe Super Zero Mission in one word, it'd probably be "brilliant"—but it's a niche brilliancy, one that works due to the Metroid framework, cleverly juggling the known with the unknown.

Metroid Super Zero Mission's excellence is undeniable. Every area has been properly changed and feels perfectly tuned, incorporating an adroit blend of the base game with Zero Mission's philosophy—while still managing to exhibit SBniconico's unique, personal flavor. It's a great game!... but it's not for everyone. For Metroid experts, Super Zero Mission is a satisfying (and occasionally challenging) meal. For regular fans however, I fear it'll be an arduous climb that'll either make you hungry for more or turn you off of romhacking forever. I wouldn't stop anyone from trying the game out—it is great after all—I just wouldn't be surprised if their takeaway is that it's "too much."

XCOM 2 - Thoughts

My first playthrough of XCOM 2 did... not go well. Having completed the previous game on Normal Ironman mode (where character deaths are permanent), I thought I was more than properly equipped for the sequel when it came out in 2016. But when several members of my A-Team bit the big one during a risky mission, I knew I was on a death spiral to annihilation. Rather than push on with my last living sniper and her squad of wide-eyed rookies, I hung up my hat and didn't return until four years later. Which is a huge shame because only now do I understand that XCOM 2 is a fantastic, well-balanced experience.

My failure in 2016 didn't make me dislike XCOM 2, but my perception of the game had always been warped due to being bullied into a corner. Since I've been making a conscious effort to wrap-up any half-played games in 2020, I was determined to liberate humanity from its xeno-dystopia with a brand new playthrough—Ironman mode still intact. I wasn't sure how to avoid making the same mistakes this time around, but that wouldn't matter because my second shot at saving Earth was a resounding success. My A-Team was so implacable that had the final mission thrown twice as many enemies at me, it would've been no sweat to come out on top. Finally, it was the aliens cowering in a corner, not I!

Despite the disparity between my two playthroughs, I wouldn't deign to label the game as "swingy" or "poorly balanced". The honest truth is that I simply played wiser in the second playthrough, less content to leave the survival of my squad hinging on a single RNG shot. Two tough missions kept me the game from feeling like a walk in the park (both of which had rooftop-perched units falling several stories down), and even in retrospect I wouldn't call XCOM 2 an "easy" experience. What you'll be ever-aware of while playing is that even when a mission is going well, you're usually one mind-control, critical hit, or accidental pod reveal from the operation devolving into a bloody, casualty-infested brawl.

One of the things that makes XCOM 2 the superior experience compared to its predecessor XCOM is that enemies aren't so gung-ho on slaughtering your units. Sure, they want your forces splattered across the battlefield as much as you want that for theirs, but ADVENT is more keen on using buffs and disables to win this time around. There will still be plenty of fire fights (especially when your units get flanked) but expect priorities to change in battle as your units are marked, bound, and suppressed. This plays up the strategic aspect of the game and makes it feel considerably less like a series of die-rolling face-offs. Sometimes a fight will inevitably boil down to making that (seemingly unlucky) 70% shot, but I appreciated how much more flexibility XCOM 2 offered, thanks to enemies like the Shieldbearer, Archon, and Codex manipulating unit placement on the battlefield.

Even though it boasts a meaty playtime, what helps to keep XCOM 2 a smooth, fast-paced experience is its repeated use of timers. From extraction missions to ADVENT retaliations, XCOM 2 cares more about you being bold than being safe. As much as I adored the vanilla version of the previous game, its gradual overwatch crawl is its most glaring flaw, transforming otherwise tense missions into endurance marathons. Thankfully, you can't get away with that tactic here. If anything, a couple of the timers are probably a bit over-tuned, since on more than one occasion my squad escaped without a single turn to spare. But having to make tough decisions with the clock always on your mind trumps playing it safe and losing units only when complacency sets in.

Probably the only thing I like more about the previous XCOM is its premise, and even that comes with a subjective caveat. I'm generally more into "command an elite army to stop an invading alien force" than "establish resistance networks to slow down your oppressor's operation", but I still appreciate how ambitious Firaxis was about shaking things up. After all, XCOM is a beat-for-beat reimagining of UFO Defense, and no matter how much I gel with that theme I have to admit that XCOM 2 is the bolder of the two modern titles, carving a truly unique space out for itself. While it may stand on the shoulders of a giant, that itself is standing on the shoulders of an older giant, it doesn't negate the fact that XCOM 2 is arguably the pinnacle of the series. It's the most board-gamey and tactically balanced of the franchise, almost always offering you (and your foes) a fair fighting chance.

While I'm not upset that my initial failure kept me away from XCOM 2 for so long, I am very glad I returned to finish the fight. My first squad had been precious to me, but the struggles of Smokey, Paladin, Hat Trick, and Earth's MVP Sarah "Lockdown" Becker was one for the ages. We were a finely tuned alien-disposal unit that blew up robots and headshot officers from across the damn world with 110% accuracy. And while Classic Ironman sounds like a headache to play for vanilla XCOM, I'm more than willing to jump into Commander Ironman for XCOM 2, excited to face a stronger adversary. Where a Terror from the Deep clone would've sufficed, Firaxis went above and beyond for XCOM 2, crafting what is probably my favorite strategy game released in the last twenty years.