Also on: PS Vita, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: lightUP
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E
I?m not going to try and pretend that Super Wiloo Demake does anything that could be described as new or innovate. It?s an old-school 2D platformer. Even to say that it?s descended from Super Mario Bros. 3 would be an exaggeration: it?s more a straight line from SMB3 to Super Wiloo Demake, and not a very long one at that.
That?s not necessarily a complaint, mind you. SMB3 is still arguably one of the best 2D platformers of all time, so a game could do a lot worse than to try and emulate it. To copy it well, as Super Wiloo Demake does, is a bonus.
I mean, it?s not the most original game. The eponymous hero, Wiloo, is tasked with saving his animal friends from an evil doctor, and as he makes his way through 50 levels, he gets powerups in the forms of special suits. One helps him fly (the bee suit, taking the place of a raccoon tail), one helps him swim (a fish costume), one lets him shoot little horns (a unicorn costume), and one lets him roll through enemies (no idea what this one is supposed to be). On top of that, he picks up coins along the way. Given that the coins don?t do anything, they?re kind of pointless, but this game is nothing if not devoted to the usual 2D platforming tropes.
I really only have two complaints about Super Wiloo Demake. The first is that the hit detection is kind of weird. Sometimes you can kill enemies (square Goombas, basically) by hitting them on your way up from a jump, while other times you die from landing just slightly off-centre. It?s a little inconsistent.
The other complaint is the same one I had about Mochi Mochi Boy a few weeks ago: its trophies do it a grave disservice. While I?ll always take an easy Platinum (which this definitely is, especially if you play on easy), for some reason you earn one here after beating the second world boss — despite the fact there are still around 30 levels to go (and you?ve only played 20 of the 50 at that point). It disincentivizes people from playing the rest of the game.
And Super Wiloo Demake deserves to be played all the way through. It?s not going to blow you away with its originality, but it is a fun, well-made 2D platformer, and as far as I?m concerned, that?s enough to make it worth checking out.
Ratalaika Games provided us with a Super Wiloo Demake PS4/Vita code for review purposes.