Aqua Boy
Genre: Adventure, Shooter
Game Review
I have just finished up this flash game called Aqua Boy and I'm in love with this game. For one reason, the game is based on Metroidvania adventure genre. Basically, it is a side-scrolling, exploratory, action-adventure gameplay, power-ups, and a map that is filled in automatically as the player progresses through the game. I haven't reviewed something quite like that yet, so let's begin!
In the game, Aqua Boy is an intrepid underwater adventurer. Scouring the uncharted depths for mysterious, long-forgotten artifacts. Unfortunately, his latest mission has gone drastically wrong after being sabotaged by your monkey sidekick and he also hid your equipment. Embarking on an epic adventure to stop the simian's evil plans, as you retrieve your scattered gear back. A decent plot to get you started. As you progress, you will upgrade your weapons and acquiring new powerups (such as shield, bomb, time stopper, key and teleportation device) that open up previously inaccessible areas.
Sadly, Aqua Boy is on the easy side for games of this genre. You can plow through from beginning to end with few deaths. With 90% completion in normal difficulties, I felt that it was too easy. The only time was close to die was in the first 5 minutes when I was testing how things worked and what was hostile. The enemies including the bosses barely put up a fight and generally have the same attack pattern; Once you figure it out, you can easily dodge or counter them. The drop rate is high too, you could even tank tons of damage just to heal fully afterwards with little cost.
I loved how the game is structured and presented overall. The player must rely on their own sense of exploration to discover new areas and goals within the game. It really can keep you busy for a good bit while keeping you actively engaged. For those of you getting lost, the flashing pixel on the mini map indicate unexplored areas. Lastly, the voice acting deserves a mention. The voice acting is amongst some of the best I've ever heard.
