Title - "Magical Pop'n"
Alternative title(s) - N/A
Genre(s) - Platform action
Platform(s) - Super Famicom
"Magical Pop'n" is a 1995 Super Famicom platform adventure game developed by Pack in Video. The game stayed only in Japan and sadly, it never got much attention. That's a darn shame because I want to play a Play Station 2 "Mah
tsukai Tai!" game with this format for example.
A way to describe this game is that it has a dash of "Rockman", a dash of "Zelda" and a dash of "Castlevania". It carries elements from many platform series. We've seen these types of games before, but you should still play the game for yourself because it is so fun.
Fun - 9
Wai! The moment I played this game was the moment I knew I would have fun. Sure, it is like the standard platform game. Sure, it feels too childish. The only part that matters is that it is fun.
As you go on your journey, you collect various tools and weapons. These tools and weapons will help you on your journey. To use them, you need to collect stars, which is a nice touch. Aside from the use of the tools and weapons, you are also able to cast a powerful spell of each tool and weapon and they can be a big help. Oh and there is one tool that doesn’t use up stars and that tool helps you swing to various places like in "Castlevania".
There are other items like hearts to increase your health (like in "Zelda") and if you collect three icons of yourself you get an extra life. Of course, there are bombs that will hurt you. So look out if you see one.
Though there are only six stages, the six stages are really long. Even though the game may only be a game for kids, don’t think that it will be real easy. Besides the length, the game will push your limits, especially in the middle of the game. The game could have had more stages, but I suppose that they’re long enough.
If there are any flaws in the game, I would have to say that there are not many secrets. Once you find them all, there’s not much else of a reason why you should play the game again. True, you have the omake, but it’s just a sound test.
Life - 9
Like I said, you will have fun, but there are not many secrets to discover.
Control - 10
Attack, jump, you have played these types of games already. You should be able to learn them pretty quickly. No flaws are spotted here.
Audio - 10
The music has a pop feel. Each stage or part of a stage has a song that fits. Of course we’re not dealing with music that can be as memorable as music heard in a popular series, but that’s not important.
The sound effects are as wonderful as they can get. The seiy
of the heroine matches well, though the samples are in Japanese for the most part. The rest of the sound effects give off that feel I need and that's what matters.
Art - 10
Call the art childish if you want. I call it kawaii. The anime/manga feel fits the series really well.
The main heroine is just a young princess. (Think Cha Cha of "Akazukin Cha Cha" and you got a good idea of what she is like.) She carries a sword and goes off in some magical adventure. The many actions she does are too kawaii for words. Hold on the down button and watch her cover herself.
The levels have the fantasy look. The powers, the enemies, the game looks good as well. I can’t think of any flaws in this department.
Story - N/A
It's a standard game where you beat the evil guy. A princess wants to see some action and she gets her wish by retrieving a stolen magical jewel. Of course, it’s not the deepest story in the world, but why expect one?
Overall - 10
If you can get past the lack of secrets, "Magical Pop'n" really is a sincerely fun game. If you have the opportunity to get the game, take advantage of it. You have my word.
+
The kawaii art, the amount of fun, what element is not easy to like?
-
The game does not carry a lot of secrets or extra material.
Date of creation - 7/5/03
Last update - 11/28/04