Developer: Blastmode, MP2 Games
Publisher: Playism, Active Gaming Media
Platform: Switch, PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One
Tested On: Switch
Mighty Goose – Review
Sometimes when developers take inspiration from popular games they either create a new masterpiece or a pile of hot garbage. Luckily Mighty Goose falls into the first category as this title mixes inspiration from two big cult classics and combines these iconic aspects into an action game that you want to keep playing. Everything from the start to finish is nearly perfect, only the absence of a real story stood in the way of this game getting a solid 10.
Story
Nothing much is known about the story when first starting up the game. Your first mission is to save your weapons specialist in a prison that is run by VOID. After completing a few levels you slowly discover that your character is a bounty hunter and is throwing a wrench into the plans of the VOID overlord. VOID is a faction that is excavating an ancient planet in order to unearth its secrets of magic and necromancy. The few bits of the story are stringed together by some amazing cutscenes but they don’t really add into the lore of the game, but string different events together.
As the main game isn’t super long, you can easily blast through it in an afternoon. Sadly, the plot points shown are never clarified. It would make everything much more interesting knowing why you and your team got mixed in with VOID their business. The ending is pretty interesting nonetheless.
Graphics
Mighty Goose is a visual feast for the eyes. The game utilizes retro-inspired pixelated graphics, combined with some of the nicest animations and visual effects out there. The artwork for Mighty Goose seems to be inspired by franchises such as the Metal Slug and Mega Man. These high-paced action games are well known for having a screen filled with enemies, bullets and explosions. This combination is known that at peak action, these games tend to stutter because there is too much going on at once. Therefore it is great that Mighty Goose performs really well on Nintendo’s hybrid console.
As an added bonus there are the well-crafted cutscenes that pop up between some missions. They portray the action in 2.5D while maintaining the same art style as the actual game.
Sound
A game that looks like it came from the 90s wouldn’t feel the same if the music and sound effects were overly modernized. In Mighty Goose, you have a combination between high-quality sound effects and music that give this real arcade shooter vibe while staying true to the old ways. The music gets you in the mood for blasting the many monsters and hostiles that you encounter in the different locations in the game. Each weapon has its own distinguishing sound, the drivable vehicles have loud engines representing their powerful nature and if you are familiar with Metal Slug, then you will love the announcer’s voice that informs what new gun you just picked up. As your team mostly consists of animals, you will hear animal noises all the time, especially HONK!
Gameplay
Mighty Goose is a side-scrolling action game that looks and feels like it is the love child of Metal Slug and Mega Man. It combines the best elements from both games into an adventure that offers casual fun with some challenging boss fights. To ensure that everyone gets an equally fair chance to complete the game, there are a few assists in place to help a stuck player out. For instance, if you die a few times in the same location, you respawn with a better weapon or even a few temporary companions that assist you for a short time. When completing the game, you unlock an alternate dimension where the same levels can be played again but on a harder difficulty with more enemies. If you are a completionist who loves getting the most out of the game then you will enjoy the fact that at the end of each level you will get a score based on your performance. Try to get an S rank on every base level and mirror world and become the meanest Goose in the universe.
Just like in the classic action games, your missions are more or less the same. You enter a zone, start making your way through waves of enemies so you can complete the objective, and finally defeat the boss. After each level, you may find new equipment in your armory. There are a few items that can be unlocked by meeting certain goals but most upgrades are rewards for clearing missions. This equipment can make life much easier by granting you more ammo on weapon pickups, giving you the ability to double jump, or having your frenzy mode last longer than usual. The only limitation to these equipped parts is that each part consumes energy and your suit’s battery can only provide 100 units of power in total. The other items that can be found in your armory are the equipable consumables that can make life just a bit easier by having bombs to throw at opponents or the ability to slow down time as you please. Last but not least, you can select which companion to take on your adventure. These companions all have a unique ability and some may fit better when it comes to your playing style than others.
Your character comes equipped with an energy blaster, which is weak but gets the job done. Of course, the game does have other weapons available as well, where some have to be unlocked as you play, each with their own specific stats. Sadly these weapons have limited ammunition, so you will need to have a little bit of trigger discipline if you want your guns to last. The best reason for doing so is that once you kill enough enemies, your frenzy meter will fill and when it is actually full, your guns suddenly turn into weapons of mass destruction. This will allow you to evaporate everything that crosses your path and it also makes short work of the bosses. Your blaster can inflict some damage in this state, but it isn’t as efficient as a shotgun that clears the screen in one shot for example.
The controls in Mighty Goose are easy and respond very quickly, which is great if you want to survive the onslaught that the game throws at you. This is quite important as you can easily steer clear of danger and dodge your way through the storm of bullets. You only need to know a few button combinations which makes this game a title that you can always pick up and play quite easily.
Conclusion
Mighty Goose is a game that hits the spot in every right way, from its nice animations and quality graphics to the classic fun arcade gameplay that ensures hours of amusement without having to memorize too many things. For some, it might feel like the short story is a missed opportunity to string the events together or give some more information on why you are on these planets, yet it isn’t something that hinders the fun at all. Those who really love the game might be able to beat it completely in a whole day, but going for those S ranks creates a lot of replay value.
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