Starboy
Pssst. You into hardcore 2D platformers? And do you like lil' green guys, just like, gooby wooby lookin' orbs of green? Then I present to youGimmick! 2, which has an unexpected exclamation point before the “2” and all of the above. It’s out now and will no doubt please fans who’ve been waitingyearsfor a sequel to the original Gimmick!, and possibly other platform enthusiasts who are after a decidedly different style of gap-hopper.
And so Swedish dev Bitwave and publisher Sunsoft have come together to release Gimmick! 2, many years later. It stars the same Yumetaro who embarks on a different quest, all in an updated aesthetic that has aSpelunkysheen. In it you’ll hop and avoid spikes and do puzzles, like almost all other platformers. But what sets it apart is Yumetaro’s ability to summon and throw a powerful star - his gimmick, you could say - that not only bounces, butalsoretains momentum from his movement. You can use it to activate switches, bonk enemies, and eliminate chunks of the map to reveal secret spots. Oh and you can trick enemies so that their heads form helpful platforms as they fall to their deaths, too.
Honestly, Gimmick! 2 looks like a tricky platformer, owing to the physics-y interactions between your little green goob, his bouncy star, and the obstacles you’re trying to bonk or cross or flip. I imagine it requires a lot of precise movement and a lot of risk-taking, especially when it comes to surfing on that star in critical moments. But I also imagine it makes for some fun problem solving that doesn’t just require some carefully timed air-dashes. There’s an assisted mode if you want an easier time, otherwise you’ve got the Gimmick! mode for the “true-to-the-original” challenge.
You can find the game over onSteamif you’re interested. Cheers to RPS commenter treelo for giving us the heads-up.
