Previous Reviews:
Arkedo Series - 01 JUMP! - September 16, 2010
Soulcaster - September 15, 2010
Groov - September 14, 2010
Star Crisis - September 13, 2010
Title: Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp
Developer: Ishisoft
Price: 80 ($1.00) Microsoft points
Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp
Originally a homebrew Nintendo DS game, Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp is a fairly standard platformer. Starring the titular Johnny Platform on a quest for biscuits and coffee (coffee gives Johnny extra lives), this game does have a degree of charm. Consisting of a total of 55 levels, this game is also fairly lengthy for only 80 Microsoft points. It may not be the best of the best on the Indie Games Marketplace, but it is a competent platformer with great level design and longevity.Throughout these 55 levels, Johnny Platform has a single goal; reach the door at the end of each level. In order to do this, every enemy in the stage must first be killed, and in some stages the only goal is to solve a puzzle. The puzzle solving elements are evident in stages with enemies as well, but it doesn't get too complex until the later levels. When it does start to get complex, however, the game can get fairly difficult; a welcome challenge compared to the easy earlier levels. Every five levels, there is a checkpoint, so you're able to jump into the game wherever. Combined with the fact that Johnny Platform has 55 levels in total, there's a good amount of play time in this game.
One minor complaint that actually ends up being a pretty major blemish is the fact that the soundtrack consists of a single song. This song is repeated incessantly from start to finish. At first, it's not that bad of a tune, considering it was originally written for a homebrew DS game. However, by the end of Johnny Platform, this single song will be torture to your ears.
Other than the single song, the sound effects are well-done, and complement the humor of Johnny Platform. Both Johnny and the enemies are voiced, with proclamations of "OH YEAH!" and "Oooooh." It isn't laugh-out-loud hilarious, but it does give the game a little bit of charm.
Another thing (that can't really be faulted to the game, due to its original development status) is the fact that the game is played on an image centered in the middle of the screen, and surrounded by a border. On my standard definition TV, this actually cut off a little bit of the top (so I couldn't see my lives, amount of coffee collected, or current level), but I'm sure the presentation would be better on a higher definition TV. It's only a minor complaint, but over time it got particularly annoying.
Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp is by no means a bad game, and I wouldn't even say it's mediocre. However, there's not much that makes Johnny Platform entirely special or unique; it's just a good platformer. That's not to say that you shouldn't buy Johnny Platform (in fact, I recommend you do buy it), just don't go in expecting to be blown away. What you will find is an enjoyable platformer with great longevity for such a low price.
Tomorrow: Miner Dig Deep
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