Pseudo-90s platformer Super Epic follows the underground rebellion of TemTem the Racoon and Ola the Lama against a singular corporate game developer.
Whilst the storyline originally feels like an Indie developers revolt against AAA and mobile gaming giants, Super Epic is a mildly entertaining satire. With obvious references to the terrible structuring of massive publisher overlords including enemies sleeping at their desks, evil delivery drones and the main antagonists literally being Pigs, Super Epic sets the stage for its humour early on.
The Plot of Humanity from the Late-19th Century Onwards and Also of this Game
RegnantCorps have long had control over the game world’s media and social consciousness, turning their singular free-to-play mobile app into a crowd control mechanism. The entire population just work, play and buy. Whilst playing an old retro console with a built-in modem, protagonists TemTem and Ola receive a mysterious message from a masked anarchist that drives the pair into action.
The gameplay in Super Epic is based around Tem Tem and Ola breaking into the RegentCorp headquarters. HQ is full of platformer-style rooms which more or less look the same at the beginning of the game, then later flip out textures with more or less the same structure. The comedic dialogue (text only) serves as an initial break from the dull design choices, but only just.
Progress. But At What (Very Literal) Cost?
Players start off with three standard moves that cover upward hits, downward hits and a short-range stab move. These work well in conjunction with each other and the controls feel tight enough for any half-decent platforming title, although the jump takes a few minutes to get used to.
Later, a player can unlock skills, such as dashing and rage moves, which require cold,hard cash to attain. In fact, cash is also the levelling up system and weapons mechanics. Players can treat themselves to a wet fish to fight with whilst spending a bag of sand on raising their health. Winner.
The enemy design is worth noting, utilising a 16-bit art-style to render various forms of pigs and other animals. Whilst enemies come complete with different attack patterns and weapons, most enemies can be dealt with using a long-range attack. Boss battles shake up the routine somewhat, but Super Epic is pretty much the same platforming experience over and over.
Checkpoint
Savepoints can be found in public toilets scattered around the games Metroidvania-style maps. If players run out of health, they have the option to part with half of their cash to revive in the same spot. Whilst this can really come in handy during certain boss battles, it’s best to avoid this feature. Due to every mechanic being dependent on cash, players will need to reserve it as much as possible.
The soundtrack is a bit-chip turned electronica affair, which gives a nice nod to retro platformers but does its own thing also. It complements the gameplay alongside the limited SFX or hitting enemies etc, but ultimately doesn’t stand out when put alongside other platformers on the Nintendo eShop.
Whilst Super Epic semi-successfully satires corporate gaming entities, its attempt at sarcastic toilet humour didn’t resonate through this review playthrough. The gameplay, whilst obviously well thought-out falls shorts when it comes to level design and the repetitive experiences that this brings. For the price tag of €14.99 or thereabouts, players can find a much better platformer.
