99 Vidas (Playstation 4) - Indie One Shot
Developed By : QUByte Interactive
Published By : QUByte Interactive
Category : Beat-em-up, Arcade, Multiplayer
Release Date : Nov 27, 2018
At some point, in every gamer's life, we've all encountered at the very least, half a dozen beat-em-up titles. Typically, this happened in an arcade, standing in front of a cabinet with your hands poised over the buttons, slapping quarters into the machine with every death just trying to beat that one stage. And, generally speaking, we can always remember the first one, as well as all the good ones hat we come across. For me, that first one was The Simpsons Arcade Game, and luckily that falls under both categories of being first and good.
99Vidas seeks to bring back that generation of gaming with a title that draws heavy influences on just about everything from the 80's. Movies, TV, pop culture in general...and of course gaming. Specifically, gaming from the same genre.
As the story goes, a great artifact, called the 99Vidas, has been stolen. You take on the roll of any of the Guardians who have been granted the Power of the Elements, and set out on your quest to track down the Evil Boss who has taken the artifact, as well as his six underling henchmen who look to stop you.
Filled with easy controls, and tons of corny references and jokes, 99Vidas does do a great job of capturing the essence of the late 80's. Unfortunately, games need a lot more than essence to run on, they need substance and foundation, both of which this title are heavily lacking.
Combat is extremely fun, with each Guardian carrying their own combos as well as special abilities specific to their element. Each character also does feel a little bit different since they come with their own speed and strength stats. I actually found myself triggering the super-power move when I didn't even need it just because the art that unfurled along with it was really beautiful. Which is another thing to say for this game as well. It's built and runs in 16-bit, and it does a beautiful job of pixel-arting every single stage, background and foreground.
It's the game itself that left me feeling a little empty and unfulfilled. While it's all pumped up to look and sound amazing, that's where things run into a wall. The story itself is over the top and bland, enemy dialogue is not just laced, but overflowing with corny references and cheesy puns. To top it all off, each level (there are six) finishes in almost the exact same manner. That level's boss jumps out and states that they've been sent to stop you from reaching the big grand-daddy boss (the dude with 99Vidas) and then fight ensues.
Now, in most situations I'd probably say avoid this game because of everything I mentioned above. But let's be honest, and take a look back at most of the games from this era. Were the stories ever believable? Dialogue crisp and pure? For the most part, it wasn't. And honestly, that's what made me love 99Vidas that little bit more. It really helped everything feel like this was a game from back then, and not just from today remembering then.
So absolutely, definitely give 99Vidas a play, it's more than worth it. If you have access to at least two of the three, I recommend getting this game for the Playstation since it's a cross-buy title for the PS4, PS3, and the Vita. No matter where you decide to get it though, you will have a lot of fun playing this title, even if it doesn't seem like it at times.
Rating : 7/10
Also available on Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch
Played and Reviewed on Playstation 4/Vita
Review Code provided by QUByte
