Saturday Morning RPG Review

Saturday Morning RPG is unlike most games of the genre . Where as most RPG’s main point of interest is an intricate and compelling story, this game tries to pull you in with fun call backs to the 80’s/90’s. While the game may be fun, how long can the nostalgia trip keep me interested?

Graphics: The game’s graphics are good in my opinion. The 16 bit spites are heavily inspired by popular pop culture such as; Stormtrooper armor, He-man inspired characters, “Cobra” foot soldiers ect. The back grounds are a mix of hand drawn and sprite assets which create beautiful sets. Some of these environments also change depending on the chapter and what the story calls for.

The music of the game is really good. Some of the tracks sound like they are from a classic film. The sound effects are appropriate too. In battle using some of the ability’s such as a floppy disc can play a humorous tune. My only issue is you will grow tired of some of the tunes after a while. They get to be too repetitive in no time.

Gameplay: The gameplay mechanics are handled in two different ways, the “over world” and battle controls. The over world is a top down like perspective. In this setup you can maneuver your character around the map interacting with characters, enemies and sometimes loot. The player character, Marty, can either walk or use the much faster option his hover board to get move throughout the environment.

The battle mechanics are similar to the game paper Mario. Before you begin each battle you have the opportunity to scratch up to five stickers before the fight begins. The stickers can change the battle drastically this is due to the various buff/debuffs the stickers grant to both you and the enemy. Changes range from boosting your attack to even causing a burn status effect on the opponent. However you are only granted a short time to try to scratch each sticker, when the time is up the battle will begin. The better the stats are of each sticker can determine how difficult it is in successfully scratching the stickers before battle. Once the battle begins you will have three options to choose from (four if you do a side quest later in the game). They are battery, fist, and a Fire fist. The battery icon allows you to consume your magic meter and charge your attacks via multipliers. The fist is a basic attack, however you have a chance to restore some of your magic power if you land a radical hit. To land hits like the radical hit you need the power meter bar to land in a specific spot. When this happens your attacks will also be more powerful. Missing the bar all together will net a much weaker attack. The Fire fist lets you chose from a variety of special attacks or healing items. Each option from the special menu can only be used a limited number of times. Examples of these special attacks include throwing a disc, transforming into a truck and ramming the enemy, and using an energy ax.

Story: The story is divided into 5 different episodes each with their own plot. Overall each story is about on the same level as your typical cartoon. Each character is over exaggerated and cliché, however this isn’t a bad thing as they all play on the nostalgia of people who grew up in the 80’s/90’s. The over all story is basically the typical “stop the villain and save the girl” story. While that is entertaining, I personally find the sub quests to be more exciting and rewarding. For instance one of the side quests later in the game will net you a powerful one shot kill ability. The only drawback to it is it is a one time use weapon.

As for the replayabilty of the game, I would say its decent. The gags are enjoyable especially if you grew up in the 80’s/90’s and the combat is fun. If you enjoy collecting achievements you will have another to come back to this title. A couple of the achievements require you to replay a chapter. Not to mention this game isn’t all that long. The main story can be completed between 12-14 hours, which isn’t all that long when you compare it to other RPG’s.

If you enjoyed watching movies like Back to the Future or Star Wars then you may enjoy this title. The trip down nostalgia lane with this title was incredibly enjoyable. If you aren’t into the old references you may enjoy the gameplay. It helps keep you involved in the combat and can help encourage you to strategize your attacks.  It is for these reasons that I recommend this title and give it a 9/10.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.