Prinny: Can I Really Finish This Game?
by Jason EvangelhoWelcome to The Portable Diaries: Insights into the gaming industry, the review process, this here website, and all points in between.
Before you consider buying or renting Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? I want to ask you two questions:
- Are you borderline masochistic?
- Are you one of those hardcore gamers who decries the lack of challenging games?
(It’s absolutely essential you answer “yes” to one or both of these questions before we continue.)
When dozens of game developers each put hundreds of hours into creating a permanent piece of video game history – and especially when developer Nippon Ichi’s title is centered around one of the most revered and humorous characters in gaming – I feel compelled to give some of my time back.
I say this wearing two distinct hats. The self-proclaimed gaming journalist inside me has a personal code of conduct, wherein I choose to complete any game with a self-contained storyline – a beginning and an end – before penning and publishing any critical opinions of it. Developers devote months, and normally years to these creations, and I refuse to shortchange their efforts by giving up on a game prematurely.
(However, please note this is NOT a review, and merely a prelude to a review. More of a discussion of the game’s concepts.)
The other hat? “Slightly-Jaded-PSP-Gamer.” The title alone intrigued me. For me, the promise of Prinny was an original, time consuming experience oozing with originality and character. The recent onslaught of updates, ports, and remakes on the PSP has begun to border on exhausting. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to be entertained. I wanted a new reason to not only play my PSP, but to brag about it.
Now, the Prinnies are these hopeful penguin-like creatures from the excellent and whimsical Disgaea RPG series, known best for their abundant use of the word “dood!” and their reliable ability to explode when hurled. (They remind me of stoners, if stoners had unlimited amounts of energy and cheer.) Their creators have plucked them out of their Strategy RPG universe and created a vibrant, challenging action-platformer.
From a curious consumer’s perspective, Prinny looks unconventional. A penguin-like creature with a red scarf. A title ending in a question mark? 1000 lives. Yes, one-thousand lives to complete the game. Or, one smashed PSP, whichever comes first. I am a proponent of unconventional approaches in video games. I am NOT a fan of mixed messages.
Here’s where I finish the prelude and get to the point. Prinny is billed as the challenging and engrossing platformer you’ve been waiting for. And yet Nippon Ichi is handing you 1000 lives to finish the game.
A very non-interesting and obvious thing occurs when you’re subtly encouraged to play a game carelessly: You end up playing carelessly. Prinny’s extreme level of difficulty (Ghosts & Goblins, Shinobi, and early Castlevania games are a cake walk compared to this) doesn’t mesh well with its total disregard for caution. By the time you’ve lost 100 lives or so, you slowly begin to realize that if crossing this 1/8th section of the Demon Sea Aria level is going to eat up 20 Prinnies (Unfortunately I’m not kidding), you better start being careful, walking on eggshells, and flat-out memorizing every inch of the environment.
There are no codes for Prinny. Believe me, I looked.
I keep asking myself, what if I only had 3 lives? Would I not traverse through these beautiful worlds with abandon? Would I be 110% more careful? Would I save my game religiously until I’d learned every nuance of enemy movement? None of these questions may end up mattering. You see, I’ve been stuck on the same section of one level for over 6 hours of attempts. I’ve lost 167 lives trying to platform my way through 3 minutes of actual gameplay time.
And yes, this is coming from someone who can proudly boast that he beat Contra with 3 lives.
Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero deserves a thoughtful review from The Portable Gamer; providing it can be finished in a reasonable amount of time, and no PSP’s are harmed in the process.
I still believe in the promise of this game, but unfortunately the promise may not be meant for me.
Got something to say about Prinny? About challenging games in general? Is Jason a wimp, or is he onto something? Sound off down there in the comments.
Yeah, I don't see myself playing this game. 167 lives wasted on 3 minutes of gameplay? That's just…mean. There's a reason why stupid old-school challenge died off, it's because we no longer have to artificially lengthen our games by making them impossible to beat. But then again, it is fun to see those types of games every once in a while. I'd be reloading my save file A LOT if I wound up playing this one, though. On a similar note, did you enjoy N+?
This game really is beyond brutal.. but it’s oh so sweet. (I answered yes to both questions without a second thought.)
I felt I was more "in control" of my fate with N+. The challenge was immense, but it ramped up appropriately and not out of nowhere. The more I think about it, Prinny's inflexible jumping mechanic may be primarily to blame here…
I tell you, the conversation here has me wanting to try it. GameFly, here I come!
Yeah, but it definitely shares that element of "a lot of time spent doing just one thing." I have spent too much time on both the XBLA and PSP versions trying to beat just one particularly annoying level. But it's fun though, and the triumph makes it worth it, just like beating the final boss on a fighting game. Triumph over adversity!