Gimmick! 2 (Multi) Review

For your Sunday night and for the first day of fall, a new review arrives on SuperPhillip Central. It's Gimmick! 2 from Bitwave Games, and here's the SPC verdict.

A star is reborn

The original Gimmick! released on the Nintendo Famicom back in 1992. The 16-bit Super Famicom was the new hotness in Japan at the time (and had been for a while), so the game was pretty much overshadowed, despite Gimmick! itself being one of the more technologically impressive Famicom games by virtue of being a late release in that system's life. Sunsoft of America opted to not localize the game in North America, but recently it finally saw its way to our shores--albeit digitally--via a remaster. 

Now, 32 years after the fact, Gimmick! 2 launches onto the Nintendo Switch (the platform of which this game was played on for this review), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and PC. While the game has a colorful, charming, and whimsical appearance, don't be fooled--Gimmick! 2 is one challenging 2D platformer, but also one that's immensely rewarding.

Our green plush toy turned living, breathing hero Yumetaro is back, and once more he's to rescue his young owner who has been taken away by a mysterious but mischievous sorcerer. The opening scenes deliver the story with partially animated cartoon stills that set up the story swiftly, thus thrusting players right into the action soon after.

When his owner is taken to a faraway, fantasy land by a nefarious sorcerer,
Yumetaro is on the job to rescue her!

Gimmick! 2 gently eases players into said action with some mild platforming challenges, and introduces (or in this case of players of its predecessor--re-introduces) players to its main mechanic--throwing a star. Yumetaro can conjure one of these stars at any time, summoning it over his head with both arms raised. This simple-seeming star has a multitude of utility to it. Yumetaro can throw it, hitting enemies with it as well as various star-shaped switches to activate rainbow platforms. 

A little star power here and there is what the job calls for!

More interestingly (though not to say the previous actions aren't fun to do), he can rebound it off walls and leap onto it, riding it as it bounces around. This action is mandatory for most of the game's challenges. Seeing as the physics for the star are so true-to-life, it's a matter of throwing the star with enough momentum, at the correct angle, and with the right velocity to have it either smack enemies with it, hit switches, or ricochet it off walls properly to get the job done.

Scratch that--make that a LOT of star power is what the job calls for!

In many aspects, Gimmick! 2 is as much a puzzle-platformer as it is an action-platformer. It's all about finding the right angle to throw your star, leaping correctly onto said star as it rebounds, and using it to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. 

I mentioned before how Gimmick! 2's colorful and cartoon-y appearance belies a truly tricky platformer, and while it's true that the game is challenging at its core, it's also rather lenient with checkpoint placements and amounts. I found failing a certain jump or sequence definitely gave me that addicting "I gotta try this ONE more time" feeling, which naturally turned into "I gotta try this TWENTY more times". Needless to say, some frustration was found, but moreover, I was overall enjoying my time banging my head (and Yumetaro's star) against the wall in an effort to push through and persevere.

The main game of Gimmick! 2 isn't overly long. It's six or so levels and a starting run (factoring in figuring out how to get through levels and solve platforming puzzles) will most likely take anywhere between 3-5 hours. With enough practice, a full playthrough of the game can be as short as 1-2 hours. That said, there's plenty to discover in each level outside of the main path. A myriad of treasure chests containing collectibles in the form of cosmetics like different headgear, as well as various skins for Yumetaro and his star, are strewn about each level. Many of these are placed in some truly fiendish to either find or reach locations. 

Treasure chests like this one are placed in some truly tricky locations,
requiring an eagle eye and some steady thumbs to pull off the platforming moves to reach them!

In addition to those optional treasures for cosmetic goodies, in order to get the "true ending", featuring an extended final level and series of boss encounters, players must discover hidden items placed in the most difficult of locations and miniature obstacle courses. These demand your star-throwing acuity be at the top of its game and a level of mastery, too.

To help aid with some (see: definitely not all) of the difficulty in Gimmick! 2, there is an Assisted mode. Truth be told, this is still an incredibly challenging game even with Assisted on. The original Gimmick mode features less health for Yumetaro, as well as more enemies and hazards to worry about, too. So, think of Assisted mode as a means to ease into the game better before tackling the more challenging Gimmick mode.

Spikes like these purple urchins are instant death, so leap and tread carefully, Yumetaro! 

On the presentation side of things, Gimmick! 2 is a charmer with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style brimming with color. It all runs at a smooth FPS too, which is especially necessary for a game where precision and timing are of the utmost importance when platforming, so any nasty frame-rate hitches would be unwelcome. What IS welcome, however, is the music done by veteran video game composer David Wise of Donkey Kong Country fame. The music is suitably catchy, hummable, and offers a slightly ambient sound.

While the relatively high price tag ($24.99 USD) for a relatively short game might seem like a gnarly proposition, Gimmick! 2 delighted and dazzled me with its cute, charming graphics on top of its occasionally grueling platforming challenges. While the game is quite difficult--especially when aiming for the aforementioned "true ending"--it's one where failures aren't extraordinarily punishing, simply putting you back to the closest checkpoint, at most, a mere minute away. Gimmick! 2 is in essence a game with retro-style challenge mixed with modern sensibilities. This mix makes for an excellent 2D platformer that with enough practice and patience will hopefully delight and dazzle you, too.

[SPC Says: B]

A copy of Gimmick! 2 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.