Impressions based on the Japanese version.
So, Rodea landed in its double box bundling Wii and WiiU version together. The first thing I noticed on the package is that the Wii version retains its original title (Tenkuu no Kishi Rodea), while the WiiU version goes for Rodea the Sky Soldier. Mysteries of marketing. Anyway, lacking a Japanese WiiU (for now), I went straight for the Wii version.
Used to how loud the PS4 is and how long Bloodborne loading times are, I was set back by the lack of noise coming from the console and how fast the game loads; loading screens are short and only between the chapter selection screen and the game itself, with cutscenes transitioning from normal dialogues to pre-rendered cutscenes effortlessy.
On the other hand, Rodea isn't exactly the best looking game on the Wii, but it runs very smooth (I think it's around and above 30fps) and has a decent level of detail and things on screen; the drawing distance is also great, and gives stages the right sense of proportion. Character portraits during dialogues are horrible, and are drastically different from in-game models or rendered cutscenes, as if they were redrawn for this release in a matter of hours.
The game only uses the Wiimote, no nunchuk. It's possible to walk with the d-pad, but the core of the game is to fly from point to point by flicking the remote: you point the Wiimote where you want to go, lock onto it with B, and flick the Wiimote in one direction to have Rodea take off in an arc toward his destination. When flying, it's possible to select an other landing point or rotate the camera (by pointing the Wiimote at the edges of the screen) in complete freedom, and it feels very good. The Wiimote only needs small and gentle flicks to have Rodea spring into the air, there are no time limits (aside end-of-level ranks) and even boss fights give plenty of time to get a good understanding of your sorroundings. The camera does screw up sometimes and not being able to fly in a straight direction (only in arcs) makes entering narrow doorways more cumbersome than it should be, but so far this hasn't been a huge problem. By comparison, I had many more problems with Nights Wii's camera system.
You can attack things by pressing the A button, and Rodea can collect weapons scattered along the levels. Combat is simple, the boss I've faced was based around dodging his attacks and striking back; enemies encountered were mines, non-hostile mechanical fishes, and turrets. Rodea's more about flying through the environment...at least for now.
I'll add that I was skeptical about the game: I'm not the biggest Nights fan...I don't downright not like it, but I think that both Saturn and Wii games could have been much better. Rodea apparently has a more relaxed approach, especially regarding end-of-level scoring, and from the get-go it felt better than the two Nights. There are points contact between Nights and Rodea, but I think that Rodea stands apart from Naka's previous works.
A video of the first two levels of the game will be ready tomorrow, the video itself is almost 50 minutes long so it will take some time to upload.
So, Rodea landed in its double box bundling Wii and WiiU version together. The first thing I noticed on the package is that the Wii version retains its original title (Tenkuu no Kishi Rodea), while the WiiU version goes for Rodea the Sky Soldier. Mysteries of marketing. Anyway, lacking a Japanese WiiU (for now), I went straight for the Wii version.
Used to how loud the PS4 is and how long Bloodborne loading times are, I was set back by the lack of noise coming from the console and how fast the game loads; loading screens are short and only between the chapter selection screen and the game itself, with cutscenes transitioning from normal dialogues to pre-rendered cutscenes effortlessy.
On the other hand, Rodea isn't exactly the best looking game on the Wii, but it runs very smooth (I think it's around and above 30fps) and has a decent level of detail and things on screen; the drawing distance is also great, and gives stages the right sense of proportion. Character portraits during dialogues are horrible, and are drastically different from in-game models or rendered cutscenes, as if they were redrawn for this release in a matter of hours.
The game only uses the Wiimote, no nunchuk. It's possible to walk with the d-pad, but the core of the game is to fly from point to point by flicking the remote: you point the Wiimote where you want to go, lock onto it with B, and flick the Wiimote in one direction to have Rodea take off in an arc toward his destination. When flying, it's possible to select an other landing point or rotate the camera (by pointing the Wiimote at the edges of the screen) in complete freedom, and it feels very good. The Wiimote only needs small and gentle flicks to have Rodea spring into the air, there are no time limits (aside end-of-level ranks) and even boss fights give plenty of time to get a good understanding of your sorroundings. The camera does screw up sometimes and not being able to fly in a straight direction (only in arcs) makes entering narrow doorways more cumbersome than it should be, but so far this hasn't been a huge problem. By comparison, I had many more problems with Nights Wii's camera system.
You can attack things by pressing the A button, and Rodea can collect weapons scattered along the levels. Combat is simple, the boss I've faced was based around dodging his attacks and striking back; enemies encountered were mines, non-hostile mechanical fishes, and turrets. Rodea's more about flying through the environment...at least for now.
I'll add that I was skeptical about the game: I'm not the biggest Nights fan...I don't downright not like it, but I think that both Saturn and Wii games could have been much better. Rodea apparently has a more relaxed approach, especially regarding end-of-level scoring, and from the get-go it felt better than the two Nights. There are points contact between Nights and Rodea, but I think that Rodea stands apart from Naka's previous works.
A video of the first two levels of the game will be ready tomorrow, the video itself is almost 50 minutes long so it will take some time to upload.
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