Developer: Sumo Digital, Gremlin Interactive Limited
Publisher: Secret Mode
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested on: PC
Zool Redimensioned – Review
Like any person who actively experienced the early ages of digital gaming, we have quite some nostalgic feelings about many old games. As it’s becoming more and more popular to remaster or rework those games, our past starts to feel fragile with doubt, for new remasters might not bring the same joy or amazement. Many years later they instead become a hit-or-miss relationship, possibly losing a comfortable feeling tucked away deeply within ourselves. The latest of our introspective journeys brings us to a remaster of the original Zool, a game recognizable by the egg-headed ninja protagonist.
Story
While you would originally be dropped into the game from the moment you pressed start, Zool actually always had a little cutscene that shows you how you got into the first level. As Zool is flying in his spaceship, everything starts to malfunction and the ship crashes on a nearby planet. Zool is convinced this must be the work of his nemesis, Krool. From this point on, there are no more cutscenes and you go from level to level to finish off bosses representing the world you find yourself in. It’s a fast-paced game from the old days when the story would be told mostly by the environments you find yourself in and your own imagination.
Graphics
The original Zool had nicely crafted graphics where the player could not see far ahead but was enthralled by the environments and appearance of enemies after every few steps. Zool Redimensioned kept the original game included, but also has a reworked version, Redimensioned mode. In this reworked version, the dimensions are adapted for modern PCs by making the screen much wider. Thanks to this, Zool Redimensioned feels like a different game. On top of that, the graphics seem more crisp and fluid, but we felt it destroyed some charm that the original Zool had as well. For those who want to get some of this original charm, they can opt to play the original version that is included.
While it’s great to play through sweet visual nostalgia, there’s one huge difference that players might not expect. Originally, Zool represented the Chupa Chups lollipops brand heavily in the game since it was a huge sponsor for the game. Since this isn’t true anymore, all these Chupa Chups references have been replaced by more generic candy or cookie stuff. Lastly, the game originally presented itself as a “competition for Sega’s Sonic” with fast movements, and we couldn’t help but notice that the new layout for choosing levels felt a lot like the layout Sonic Mania has, so perhaps they are still in a competing spirit of sorts?
Sound
Zool‘s soundtrack is actually still really nice after all these years. While the sound has not gotten a remaster for this game, the music is still amazing even when taking our nostalgia-tinted glasses off. Right off the bat, the game rocks out with an electric guitar MIDI track that makes the player feel like they are the cool ninja gremlin character that Zool represents. Every world has its own unique track, and they all bring back those 90s vibes in a good way. Aside from that, there are your regular bleeps and bloops when picking up items, an occasional gremlin laugh, and unique sounds for every enemy that are memorable and passed the test of time.
Gameplay
Zool Redimensioned is a fast-paced 2D action-platformer where you can run, jump, shoot, spin kick, and slide to beat enemies the way you see fit and get to the end of the level. On your way to the end of each level, there are many small collectibles available to pick up and three major collectibles. The game rewards you with multiple badges and you can get these by completing the level fast enough to beat a set time, getting the three major pick-ups, and getting a set number of smaller pick-ups. Oh, and you shouldn’t die during your efforts. These badges offer some replayability and a challenge, which is always welcome.
It’s a combination of games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, and Jazz Jackrabbit. The game feels just right as it offers you multiple skills to use, speed, and accuracy. The game also isn’t very hard in general, aside from some slight increase in difficulty during the boss fights. This puts Zool Redimensioned for most players, who just want to play the game without focusing on getting all badges at each level, in a weird spot. The game is quite forgiving as it offers plenty of health pick-ups and not much danger in the levels, so there’s a risk of the levels getting a bit repetitive over time. After all these years full of many new platformers, this can feel a bit outdated, but at least it’s the best version of a possibly outdated game that you could want.
Conclusion
Zool Redimensioned is a proper remaster, where nostalgia and user optimization meet to fuse together and produce something that feels like it is somewhat new. The game’s sound design and graphics are still as good as they once were, and scaling the levels to make them more playable is a great move. If you liked the original Zool, you will probably enjoy this one as well.
No Comments