Pocky & Rocky is back and, well, it’s a slightly different game that everyone is probably familiar with. It’s all about playing with a familiar formula and adding to it. However, while it’s definitely the run-and-gun game that people remember, there are also some elements that make them feel like they’re holding back on the overall experience.
Pocky & Rocky is remade concerns the shrine maiden Pocky and Rocky the tanuki dealing with the Black Mantle and his yokai minions. The duo is responsible for figuring out how to save a day over the course of eight stages. Though really, the plot is awkward and feels unnecessary. It can also happen to be a bit deadlocked, due to storytelling and localization decisions. But given the nature of the series and this part, you don’t really need to pay attention to the plot. All as an excuse to keep fighting through the different levels.
Pocky & Rocky is remade is a run and shoot game. You will take control of one of the two main characters, although it can also be Ame-no-Uzume, Hotaru Gozen, and Ikazuchi during the adventure. You can freely move your character around the screen. As you progress and defeat certain enemies and boxes, you will also power up your projectile. An extra move that allows you to send some sort of enemy shot towards them. Survival becomes a delicate balance of knowing when to use certain types of attacks, gathering strength when you can, and recognizing the types of patterns enemies use when they attack. .
Story execution aside, there are some pretty questionable design decisions. The first one is Pocky & Rocky is remadeMultiplayer’s is not unlocked immediately. If you want to play with other people, you must unlock the Free Mode. Which means you have to beat Single Player Story Mode or get 10,000 coins in Story Mode. That was extremely frustrating. Especially, in the original SNES game, you can instantly join alone or with others.
The other is that the easiest difficulty option is locked. Which is good. I don’t have any difficulty to get through Pocky & Rocky is remade on Normal. But it seems wiser to have Extra Easy immediately for newbies. Instead, someone has to earn 3,000 coins to open that option. In my opinion, it makes more sense to put the Difficulty option behind that wall of 3,000 coins.
Pocky & Rocky is remade also maintain the same type of control scheme as the original. That makes sense, since it’s essentially an enhanced remake. But there has been a lot of progress in the field of running and shooting since then. This means you will shoot in whatever direction you are aiming. I find that frustrating, as it means constantly needing to move and adjust to make sure my aim is right or that I’m properly reflecting certain shots. It’s not a breaking game, for sure. But as you get used to the more modern control schemes, it means you have to re-categorize how you play.
However, while some gameplay elements could use some tweaking, the atmosphere is still great. Pocky & Rocky is remade looks unbelievable. The writing work is great. It also has a great soundtrack. It calls back to the original chiptune to create a great ambient. I’d say its music is probably my favorite part.
As a revival, Pocky & Rocky is remade Fine. It gives chance for new audience to experience run and shoot game. It looks great. It also does a great job of honoring the original SNES game while expanding on the adventure a bit. But it also doesn’t feel particularly interested in players. It would be more convenient to immediately provide an additional difficulty level and a free mode. Still, it’s entertaining enough.
Pocky & Rocky is remade available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. There are also Collector’s and Limited Edition versions of it available through Gamesrocket.
