►► Thank you so much for watching! Be sure to Subscribe if you aren't already, Like the Video and leave a comment! ► And in case you hadn't figured it out, obviously the last video was an April Fool's. ►► HUGE Thanks to Norm, The Gaming Historian for allowing me to use his footage of the Uncle's Letter! Subscribe to him!! -- ua-cam.com/users/gaminghistorian ► I did a FULL playthrough of StarTropics over on my Gameplay channel! Give it a watch and subscribe over there too! -- ua-cam.com/users/projaredplays ►► In more exciting news, I'm going to have an ALL NEW SERIES debuting for you on Friday! Can't wait for you to see it!
My mom's birthday is today, she passed away last month to the day. When I was a kid my mother handed me down an NES. I was born in the 80s and this was one of the first games I got. Man did I spend hours and hours on this game. She use to hate it. She would tell me that she could still hear the tune in her later years from that game. I tried many times to beat it as a kid. Brings back memories, she and I use to play Final Fantasy together. Those were the days.
@@lodunost My condolences for your loss. Always remember your mother in the happy times, not the tough times, that always helps me get through the loss of my loved ones.
My grandma (who has passed away, rest her soul) used to tell me how she beat Startropics all the time. It was the only video game she liked and she had it mastered. I myself could never get passed the 3rd chapter so I never beat it, but watching this video showed me literally everything she used to talk to me about. Edit: Thank you all for the lovely comments.
I identify with this so much, except for me it was my grandfather. He wasn’t exactly someone you could label as a gamer, but he loved StarTropics. He used to sit on the floor and teach me how to play and show me secrets. My grandpa has also passed away, but the memories will always be with me, and I love this game for it despite some of it’s flaws.
Fun fact: when this game was rereleased on the Wii’s Virtual Console, the e-manual actually had a page where you could simulate dipping the letter into water, that’s pretty cool.
@@gregorymirabella1423 Because it's overused and very cringe. Imagine announcing that what you're about to say is "fun". A lot of times it's not even a fact!
I was in 5th grade when this game came out. I remember going to a summer beach house that had an NES inside with an assortment of games and this was one of them. My friend and I spent every waking moment we weren't at the beach taking turns on this game. For an entire week we pushed through the levels, ate pizza, drank root beer, and finally beat it the day before we were to leave the beach house. On our last day we sat in the sand and felt like masters of the universe because we just beat that amazing game. Damn, those were good times.
This story could have been me as a kid except change "this game" to "Dragon Quest 3", "summer beach house" to "house", and "friend" to "utterly alone". Good times.
This game was so magical to me as a kid. Looking at that beautiful boxart, anticipating this nautical paradise. I remember even writing a letter to Nintendo of America asking if they could make a sequel for the Nintendo 64. They actually mailed me back a letter saying there were currently no plans for one but said they were happy that I expressed interest. 😂
Really like the format you're going with. The cut down into, the super seamless transition to the ad, and the progress bar for it for the people that want to skip... That's what make these videos a joy to watch. Thanks Jerd!
This feels like such a classic Projared video and reminds me a lot of Mystic Quest, explaining each part of the silly "made for America" story beats. Definitely going on my favorites list
Putting "Cola" at the end of every village name is silly, but it wasn't as patronizing as names like "Foresta" "Fireburg" "Windia" etc. That's the key difference between StarTropics and FF: Mystic Quest. Sure, both games were expressly designed with a Western audience in mind, yet StarTropics was legitimately fun and challenging while Mystic Quest was an insult to our collective abilities as gamers.
@@HylianFox3 To be 100% to the city names of Mystic Quest, that is basically how most city names are born. I'm looking at you, Oklahoma City, Springfield, Naples (original name "Neapolis", which names "New City") and Los Angeles ("The Angels")!
Some of my favorite ProJared videos are definitely the ones that go through the game throughout the video. Making it not only a simple review, but also an abridged experience of the entire game itself. That, in my opinion, helps make the videos more fun to revisit, because it's telling a story in addition to the review.
When I was a kid, that was always the part of the game I could never get past. It wasn't until I tried playing it again like 10 years later that I figured out you don't beat him with direct damage.
I still remember the bit from PJP where the ship sunk and Jared was saluting as if it was going to set sail. I could not stop laughing after that. The timing was impeccable and the expressions were hilarious. Great video as always, Jared. This may not mean much, but you're an inspiration to me.
Cool how Jared seemed so much more positive here after letting a lot of frustration leak through on the gameplay channel. Either way, both the playthrough and the review were an absolute joy.
I concur. Christmas after my first semester of college consisted of marathoning Startropics 2: Zoda's Revenge while drinking pot after pot of gourmet flavored coffee. The sewer stages underneath London still make me crave peppermint infused Kona coffee with hot chocolate.
Honestly I like the first game better. But it would be interesting to see if Jerd feels differently, playing it as an adult, given that it addresses his biggest complaints.
So glad you never gave up Jared. Hope all is going well and I'm glad you're still making these videos. Feels like nothing has changed. And in this case, that's a good thing.
If only Jared had learned the double tap method of getting Mike moving quickly. Tap once in the direction where you want to move and then hold down the direction to move quickly
Thank you, this was a review, I didn't know I needed. My dad recently died and watching this brought back a lot of good memories I had of playing this game and other nes games with him. I lost the letter that came with game, I remember sitting around the TV passing off the controller as we entered every number from 000 through to 600 some while we waited on hold with the nintendo hot line before someone finally answered and helped us. I'll never forget the code because 9 year old me was convinced the code would let the sub fly. Turning it into a boeing 747. Haha.
This was cool! A gameplay series that then has a succinct ending review. Great idea to put the two channels together! I'm also a big fan of the tone and atmosphere that Jared is running with now. Instead of being a straight 'comedy' video, it's more like sitting and chatting with a friend about the game, with some laughs and jokes along the way. It's welcoming.
As a 3rd grader in 1991 i picked this up. I never could get past level three. It’s essentially impossible to get past certain stages, because how are you supposed to know to use a torch in a random room to look for ghosts, or step on a specific tile in a dungeon to port to the next room, not all of us had access to walk-throughs back then. Fortunately, now on the switch, I am playing this again after 32 years and it’s bringing me back to my childhood, so awesome.
Startropics is so underrated. It's very charming, has a great soundtrack and I always liked how your characters just beats the crap out of everything with a yo-yo.
This might be a weird comment, but I SUPER appreciate how you tie in your sponsor stuff to relevant stuff in the games in these videos. I don't know why it matters so much to me, but you are literally the only youtuber who's sponsor ads I don't skip.
Watching this was also like revisiting fun memories of your playthrough! The shaman lady is a legend by now... and I remember how you got veery roasted for the offhand "babbys first RPG" comment - I like how you put that in here, haha!
After watching the whole "projared" playlist within a day, I can say that Jared is an amazing content creator each video is better than the last especially the edits that tie in with the game he's talking about Now I just want a shadow the hedgehog review after watching the Sonic adventure 2 review again
Startropic's sequel (Zoda's Revenge) improves a lot of the mechanics of the first one. (in particular, the movement is no longer force-locked to the grid) It is *such* the superior game of the two, and it disappoints me that it isn't nearly as well known.
16:02 I bought this game used as a teenager, and thankfully, everything was in the box. That being said, this was the absolute coolest part of the game for me. But I can understand how frustrating it would be for anyone who bought the game used with nothing but the cartridge, because I had this game back when the internet was still in its infancy.
16:36 You know what's funny? When they sold this game on the virtual console, they actually had the foresight to give you a way to digitally dip that letter in water to reveal the code.
@@esmooth919 that just shows how low effort switch online is they did not even tell the player the code in an basic way. its just a rom with out consideration of is not having the manual/other physical stuff an issue
@@esmooth919 that is cool, its a way to preserve the letter dipping in it format where they could have ordinarily just said heres the code with no flair
@@esmooth919 switch online is so low effort It hurts with games being wasted. just a start up message saying the letter dipping code is X was to beyond them. its lucky that its not old pc games going on switch online
@@renatocorvaro6924 psychic shockwaves to the face. Also, the second game does away with a lot of the complaints about the controls, but it always felt like it was missing a little something... and well what makes me sad about this game is that it COULDVE been made into a bigger series but never was. The least Nintendo could do us throw us a shooting star and add him to smash. 😭😭😭
Especially since there was no new NES character. (Which is kind of a tradition) Melee = Ice Climbers Brawl = R.O.B. Wii U/3DS = Duck Hunt Ultimate = ????
I remember how hard this game was! I also remember hating the instant death rooms that required you to either have a map, memorize the bad doors, or otherwise punish you for exploring. But I suppose that was all part of Nintendo Hard to extend the gameplay life of some games.
One of my all time favorites! Took me and my dad over 15 years to beat this game cause my mom tossed the manual and code in the trash. Obviously Google and YT wasn't around then. Thanks for the great video and review!
Discovering the hidden letter message as a teenager, completely on my own, and (this cannot be emphasized enough) _in a pre-internet era,_ remains among the greatest memories that video games have ever given me.
I didn't realize that Startropics, one of the coolest game series ever and I wish it would be remade, was actually the hardest NES game series ever. I admit that Startropics 2 was a bit brutal but never thought the original was that hard. :)
This game is about as old as I am, lol. It's probably why I'm so attached to it, as it was a gift my dad got my mom. I was hoping you would show off the health potion rooms from the first dungeon. In a room with snakes and a torch, you can open a side room. That side room has a potion, and hidden switch to open a new room... That room contains a potion, and a hidden switch to open a new room... That room has...??? Admittedly, I still need to play through the second one. Also, I still think he would make a great smash character, because his moveset would translate well.
I really appreciate him sticking to reviewing games when so many others have abandoned the style. This is the type of content that got me into collecting. I subbed for this stuff and I'm still getting it. Thanks Jared!
After watching the gameplay on PJP, I was not expecting an amazing review video, but this has to be one of my favorites on this channel now. The lighting and framing of the shots of Jared talking "while playing the game" is so nice that I got distracted and had to rewind after I'd missed some of the commentary. Also, that segway to the sponsor segment is good it hurts.
I wasn't expecting a full main channel video about this game but you made a good one! The voice you did for the shaman lady on the gameplay channel was such a good bit and I'm so happy she keeps popping up now.
I have stage 4 colon cancer. I was so sick today that I had to leave work. Your videos, especially like this one really help me get through the day. Keep the amazing content coming man
I love that as everyone else's channel has fallen. This man is going strong. It might even be improving constantly. Seriously tho, thank you for having a solid gaming review channel.
Another well done, entertaining review from Jerd. I've never been big on watching Let's Play video's/series, but over the last couple years, I've become addicted to watching Jared's videos. I remember seeing Startropics in old issues of Nintendo Power my older brother gave me, and I really wanted to try it. After watching his Let's Play series of it, I'm glad I never did. Lol
Oh boy.....I feel old now. I remember renting and beating this game the same year it was released. I've beat it several times since. I've always felt that the game makers lost their sense of commitment towards the end of the game. All through the game, you get a heart piece here and there. Then, at the end, they just hand over quite a number. I wonder if there was more planned for the game or if it was more of an issue of them not spacing out the heart tanks.
Gaming historian pointed me to this game a few years ago. Just in case you dont know another hidden gem, play Crystalis on nes too. Its on the switch library as well
I don't know if it's hidden (anymore) but it's definitely a gem. Little Miss Gamer and the Happy Video Game Nerd (now Stop Skeletons From Fighting) are the ones to thank for introducing me to this one. There's a sequel called Zoda's Revenge that made some changes to how Mike moves but I've yet to play that one.
Jared, thanks for covering this game! It was one of my favorite games as a kid and I have very fond memories of playing it with my grandfather. I do agree with you that it has some flaws and didn’t age as well as some of it’s NES competitors, but StarTropics will always be special to me. Now you have to play Startropics II: Zoda’s Revenge!
I have an in box copy of this and it's sequel just sitting on my shelf. Been meaning to give it a try when I finally get a composite input adapter for my NES
Wait, the NES didn't have composite? My memories of real hardware are kinda distant, but I could've sworn there were jacks for RF, composite video, and mono audio
I saw this video being edited on stream. Great job as always, Jerd. Don’t let the negative UA-cam algorithm get to you, just continue to make videos for the ones who enjoy them, myself included and have fun doing it. Much love to you. 👍♥️
I bought this game used, from blockbuster, pre internet, no owner's manual. That was my first experience into the world of cybersecurity, as i did a brute force attack against nintendo drm. Now, here is the crazy thing: Startropics may very well be in the zelda universe, those aliens he rescues from the cubes are very similar in appearance to hyruleans. This raises questions: is it far after the zelda series and the original planet they are from is gone, or is it a prequel and technology gets sent back to an iron age?
I'm glad you made a video out of this. I was inspired by your playthough of this on ProJared Plays, and went through it and StarTropics 2 at around the same time you did. In the end, I found them both worthwhile playthroughs, but they're definitely Nintendo Hard. If I had to categorize StarTropics, I'd call it a "puzzle adventure" game. I'm not quite sure what to categorize the second one. PS - I saw a lot of comments that said the Switch version suffers from input lag. I don't know, because I was playing on original hardware. But I'm sure that didn't help any with the controls.
Jared, keep making videos! Don’t get caught up in all the negative YT. Algorithms. Just have fun and make videos for all your fans who enjoy it! Best of you to you.
Wasn't expecting this but it is welcome nonetheless. Aside from seeing this game plastered throughout Nintendo Power I had no experience with it until I watched you play it. While it was nice to see what all the hype was about I don't regret not playing it in my youth. Keep up the great work.
When fighting the fire monster you just have to jump from the grass strip in front of the boss. You went the longest rought possible. I was yelling at the screen when I saw you playing this part.
Developers nowadays remember about games like these, get scared and proceed to add auto-play & no random battles to games such as Chrono Cross, in order to make sure the players aren't scared by the fact they have to play a video game.
This was one of may favorite games as a kid. It's flawed, but fun. I also love that when Jared cuts to himself he's always holding a controller and acting like he's playing the game while narrating. It's a small thing and I'm sure its just a copy of the script off screen, but it helps to really sell the whole vibe. Love the humor, love the reviews, love the channel. Keep it up!!
Absolutely love StarTropics, hoping to see a video on the sequel Zoda's Revenge as well, it's a bit more scuffed but still really sick, as well as Crystalis, another quality NES title that gets compared to Zelda
Oh, we are not doing the "something related to the game" / 10? That was kinda fun. I have heard of this game but never saw it before. Looks like it could have been a fun adventure back then. Kinda like Zelda but a little more guided.
Man, the intro reminded me of those old style ProJared videos with the random cut in jokes all the time. I loved those, and would love to see them make a bit more of a come back, even if it's "not as refined" or whatever!
I have so many good memories of playing this game for hours on end. Back then, I didn’t have the letter that came with the game, so I randomly put numbers in the code sequence, and amazingly figured it out on the first couple tries!
I love seeing this game even being talked about at this point in life. This was one of my favorite games of all time as a kid. Same with Star Tropics 2. And yeah that first one can be a bitch especially the last few dungeons. lol Try out 2. They fixed the controls. Way more responsive.
Another great video! I was a little disappointed that the reoccuring shaman lady voice didnt make it into the video. That was definately one of the most memorable parts of the playthrough on the gameplay channel.
I played this a lot as a kid, but I never did beat it. Glad to see a video about it on the channel, especially so soon after you finished it on your LP channel.
Thank you! I played through this for the first time last year as well and thought pretty much the same thing you did. Fantastic classic must play game? Meh not really imo. The controls are horrid! Ohh, but the monsters can move full speed as they wish. Great review sir!
it sucks when a youtuber makes a video on a game you want to play and you have to stop watching it because you know they are gonna go through it and spoil everything
"There's a reason Star Tropics has zero representation in Smash Bros." Yeah because it was never released in Japan, and Smash is highly Japan centric lol. It's got nothing to do with a lack of quality, tons of objectively worse retro games have been represented in Smash
Hit the nail on the head right there. For anyone who doesn't believe Smash is and always has been Japan centric, all you need to do is compare the critical reception of Fire Emblem characters in Japan vs. in the West. The Japanese audience goes fucking gaga over each new FE addition, whereas the majority of Western Smash players who aren't that big into FE always respond one of two ways: 1) "Who?", 2) "Oh, _another_ one. Cool."
@@thethrashyone Yeah, and people try to argue it by bringing up Steve, K. Rool, Banjo ect. Completely ignoring the fact that: A) those are like 4 characters out of 80+ and B) despite being from Western games, they're coming from titles that were comparably (or atleast notably) successful in Japan as well. When they add a character that's straight up niche in Japan like Spyro or Scorpion then we can talk.
@@alexcallender I know Spyro 3 and Enter the Dragonfly were never released in Japan, I'm guessing none of the others were either besides Reignited. So probably not.
This was one of the many NES games I found while thrifting when I was still in grade-school. I didn't give this game a fair shake when I first played it, as I couldn't figure out how to actually access the first dungeon. So I shelved this game in favor of other gems I had found like Air Fortress, Legendary Wings, Willow, etc. but man am I glad I revisited this one eventually. I didn't have the internet at the time, so I got totally stuck at the Dr. J's letter puzzle for months until I eventually just brute-forced it. This game is one of the all-time greats in my book; up there with Zelda, Mario Bros. 3 and Castlevania.
►► Thank you so much for watching! Be sure to Subscribe if you aren't already, Like the Video and leave a comment!
► And in case you hadn't figured it out, obviously the last video was an April Fool's.
►► HUGE Thanks to Norm, The Gaming Historian for allowing me to use his footage of the Uncle's Letter! Subscribe to him!! -- ua-cam.com/users/gaminghistorian
► I did a FULL playthrough of StarTropics over on my Gameplay channel! Give it a watch and subscribe over there too! -- ua-cam.com/users/projaredplays
►► In more exciting news, I'm going to have an ALL NEW SERIES debuting for you on Friday! Can't wait for you to see it!
Keep up the quality content!
I can’t wait to see the new series on Friday.
My mom's birthday is today, she passed away last month to the day. When I was a kid my mother handed me down an NES. I was born in the 80s and this was one of the first games I got. Man did I spend hours and hours on this game. She use to hate it. She would tell me that she could still hear the tune in her later years from that game. I tried many times to beat it as a kid. Brings back memories, she and I use to play Final Fantasy together. Those were the days.
@@lodunost My condolences for your loss. Always remember your mother in the happy times, not the tough times, that always helps me get through the loss of my loved ones.
FF12 video?
My grandma (who has passed away, rest her soul) used to tell me how she beat Startropics all the time. It was the only video game she liked and she had it mastered. I myself could never get passed the 3rd chapter so I never beat it, but watching this video showed me literally everything she used to talk to me about.
Edit: Thank you all for the lovely comments.
That's so cool!
Your grandma was a straight up OG. This game is hard as hell!
That's really cool. I am very sorry for your loss, though.
I identify with this so much, except for me it was my grandfather. He wasn’t exactly someone you could label as a gamer, but he loved StarTropics. He used to sit on the floor and teach me how to play and show me secrets. My grandpa has also passed away, but the memories will always be with me, and I love this game for it despite some of it’s flaws.
@@arcturuszero9242 I love it.
Fun fact: when this game was rereleased on the Wii’s Virtual Console, the e-manual actually had a page where you could simulate dipping the letter into water, that’s pretty cool.
It's still there on the switch!
@@MultiNoccy Does it also have the e-manual too?
You get a thumbs down for starting your comment with "fun fact"
@@KombatGod why?
@@gregorymirabella1423 Because it's overused and very cringe. Imagine announcing that what you're about to say is "fun". A lot of times it's not even a fact!
I was in 5th grade when this game came out. I remember going to a summer beach house that had an NES inside with an assortment of games and this was one of them. My friend and I spent every waking moment we weren't at the beach taking turns on this game. For an entire week we pushed through the levels, ate pizza, drank root beer, and finally beat it the day before we were to leave the beach house. On our last day we sat in the sand and felt like masters of the universe because we just beat that amazing game. Damn, those were good times.
That must mean you are older than I
I played this game when I was 6 but could never get pass the graveyard dungeon. I finally was able to beat it when I was in middle school
This is an amazing story
Holy moly that sounds magical
This story could have been me as a kid except change "this game" to "Dragon Quest 3", "summer beach house" to "house", and "friend" to "utterly alone". Good times.
This game was so magical to me as a kid. Looking at that beautiful boxart, anticipating this nautical paradise.
I remember even writing a letter to Nintendo of America asking if they could make a sequel for the Nintendo 64. They actually mailed me back a letter saying there were currently no plans for one but said they were happy that I expressed interest. 😂
I mailed Nintendo Power around the same time and got a similar response! Makes you wonder how many they received…
Wish they'd have made a Super Star Tropics and then Star Tropics 64
Yeah, I think everyone subscribed to the gameplay channel saw this one coming. Great video, Jared!
He seriously had me until he took out the Up movie
Elaborate
Really like the format you're going with. The cut down into, the super seamless transition to the ad, and the progress bar for it for the people that want to skip... That's what make these videos a joy to watch. Thanks Jerd!
Not that there's anything wrong with changing up content, this was a refreshing return to form. Wonderful video 😊
he hasn’t changed up his content though? he’s done these type of videos consistently for years
@@taner873 not Jared in particular, no, this video has just felt so much more like one of his old ones, it made me a bit nostalgic ^~^
Just curious Who's your profile pic??
Only thing missing is the opening music.
Totally agree
This feels like such a classic Projared video and reminds me a lot of Mystic Quest, explaining each part of the silly "made for America" story beats. Definitely going on my favorites list
Putting "Cola" at the end of every village name is silly, but it wasn't as patronizing as names like "Foresta" "Fireburg" "Windia" etc.
That's the key difference between StarTropics and FF: Mystic Quest. Sure, both games were expressly designed with a Western audience in mind, yet StarTropics was legitimately fun and challenging while Mystic Quest was an insult to our collective abilities as gamers.
@@HylianFox3 To be 100% to the city names of Mystic Quest, that is basically how most city names are born. I'm looking at you, Oklahoma City, Springfield, Naples (original name "Neapolis", which names "New City") and Los Angeles ("The Angels")!
Some of my favorite ProJared videos are definitely the ones that go through the game throughout the video. Making it not only a simple review, but also an abridged experience of the entire game itself. That, in my opinion, helps make the videos more fun to revisit, because it's telling a story in addition to the review.
13:10 I love how he never caught on to that jump from land to platform he can make below the boss
Yeah... That'd probably be easier...
Watching the video I was like "Why the f*** are you going BACK? Just jump across!"
When I was a kid, that was always the part of the game I could never get past. It wasn't until I tried playing it again like 10 years later that I figured out you don't beat him with direct damage.
16:27 reminds me of MGS1 when you have to contact Meryl. “It’s on the back of the CD case!” Confused me for weeks as a kid….
I still remember the bit from PJP where the ship sunk and Jared was saluting as if it was going to set sail. I could not stop laughing after that. The timing was impeccable and the expressions were hilarious.
Great video as always, Jared. This may not mean much, but you're an inspiration to me.
That's my favourite moment from pjp as well!
Which one was that?
@@boxtank5288 part 12 at 3:30
It means more than you think
Cool how Jared seemed so much more positive here after letting a lot of frustration leak through on the gameplay channel.
Either way, both the playthrough and the review were an absolute joy.
Are you talking about him giving Up?
I sure hope he treats FF13 with that same respect....
@@MizuFujimori
Yeah, somehow I don't think so. He was very negative on FF2 in the recent Pixel Remaster video still.
@@MizuFujimori FF13 gets the respect it deserves.
Which is to say, none.
You should give the second one a try, it was one of the last games released on the NES and saw several improvements.
Unfortunately the graphics also look like ass despite coming out three years later than the original.
I concur. Christmas after my first semester of college consisted of marathoning Startropics 2: Zoda's Revenge while drinking pot after pot of gourmet flavored coffee. The sewer stages underneath London still make me crave peppermint infused Kona coffee with hot chocolate.
Honestly I like the first game better. But it would be interesting to see if Jerd feels differently, playing it as an adult, given that it addresses his biggest complaints.
I agree. The second one is definitely better
So glad you never gave up Jared. Hope all is going well and I'm glad you're still making these videos. Feels like nothing has changed. And in this case, that's a good thing.
If only Jared had learned the double tap method of getting Mike moving quickly. Tap once in the direction where you want to move and then hold down the direction to move quickly
Thank you, this was a review, I didn't know I needed. My dad recently died and watching this brought back a lot of good memories I had of playing this game and other nes games with him. I lost the letter that came with game, I remember sitting around the TV passing off the controller as we entered every number from 000 through to 600 some while we waited on hold with the nintendo hot line before someone finally answered and helped us. I'll never forget the code because 9 year old me was convinced the code would let the sub fly. Turning it into a boeing 747. Haha.
This was cool! A gameplay series that then has a succinct ending review. Great idea to put the two channels together!
I'm also a big fan of the tone and atmosphere that Jared is running with now. Instead of being a straight 'comedy' video, it's more like sitting and chatting with a friend about the game, with some laughs and jokes along the way. It's welcoming.
That's actually the vibe I've always got from Jared's videos, I agree it's a great vibe to have.
He wasn't always like that?
Hes been doing that with all his Final Fantasy Streams
As a 3rd grader in 1991 i picked this up. I never could get past level three. It’s essentially impossible to get past certain stages, because how are you supposed to know to use a torch in a random room to look for ghosts, or step on a specific tile in a dungeon to port to the next room, not all of us had access to walk-throughs back then. Fortunately, now on the switch, I am playing this again after 32 years and it’s bringing me back to my childhood, so awesome.
Startropics is so underrated. It's very charming, has a great soundtrack and I always liked how your characters just beats the crap out of everything with a yo-yo.
earthbound was pretty good yeah
This might be a weird comment, but I SUPER appreciate how you tie in your sponsor stuff to relevant stuff in the games in these videos. I don't know why it matters so much to me, but you are literally the only youtuber who's sponsor ads I don't skip.
Watching this was also like revisiting fun memories of your playthrough! The shaman lady is a legend by now... and I remember how you got veery roasted for the offhand "babbys first RPG" comment - I like how you put that in here, haha!
After watching the whole "projared" playlist within a day, I can say that Jared is an amazing content creator each video is better than the last especially the edits that tie in with the game he's talking about
Now I just want a shadow the hedgehog review after watching the Sonic adventure 2 review again
Startropic's sequel (Zoda's Revenge) improves a lot of the mechanics of the first one. (in particular, the movement is no longer force-locked to the grid) It is *such* the superior game of the two, and it disappoints me that it isn't nearly as well known.
If it was released on the SNES it probably would have gotten more attention.
To me it's not as good. Jerd give it a look though.
16:02 I bought this game used as a teenager, and thankfully, everything was in the box. That being said, this was the absolute coolest part of the game for me. But I can understand how frustrating it would be for anyone who bought the game used with nothing but the cartridge, because I had this game back when the internet was still in its infancy.
16:36 You know what's funny? When they sold this game on the virtual console, they actually had the foresight to give you a way to digitally dip that letter in water to reveal the code.
@@esmooth919 that just shows how low effort switch online is they did not even tell the player the code in an basic way. its just a rom with out consideration of is not having the manual/other physical stuff an issue
@@randomprotag9329 ugh...don't even get me started
@@esmooth919 that is cool, its a way to preserve the letter dipping in it format where they could have ordinarily just said heres the code with no flair
@@esmooth919 switch online is so low effort It hurts with games being wasted. just a start up message saying the letter dipping code is X was to beyond them. its lucky that its not old pc games going on switch online
'The best thing about Hero Quest games is...'
I caught that lil gem, well played Jared :)
I always rewatch your old videos that have this formula. I gotta say it made my day watching this video. Jared still knows how to make a quality video
LOVE StarTropics and it holds such a dear part in my heart. Mike Jones for Smash Bros!!!!!
Can't, he's too powerful.
@@renatocorvaro6924 psychic shockwaves to the face. Also, the second game does away with a lot of the complaints about the controls, but it always felt like it was missing a little something... and well what makes me sad about this game is that it COULDVE been made into a bigger series but never was. The least Nintendo could do us throw us a shooting star and add him to smash. 😭😭😭
@@renatocorvaro6924 throwing swords is pretty op (which he does in the sequel) if final fantasy taught us anything.
Especially since there was no new NES character. (Which is kind of a tradition)
Melee = Ice Climbers
Brawl = R.O.B.
Wii U/3DS = Duck Hunt
Ultimate = ????
@@Randomark3087 well I'd consider Simon Belmont to be it.
I remember how hard this game was! I also remember hating the instant death rooms that required you to either have a map, memorize the bad doors, or otherwise punish you for exploring. But I suppose that was all part of Nintendo Hard to extend the gameplay life of some games.
One of my all time favorites! Took me and my dad over 15 years to beat this game cause my mom tossed the manual and code in the trash. Obviously Google and YT wasn't around then. Thanks for the great video and review!
Um Nintendo Power says hello
My dad and I btw.
@@LUCKO2022 it didn't take I 15 years. It took me.
@@LUCKO2022 also NP wasn't something I was aware of way back then
@@LUCKO2022 L
Discovering the hidden letter message as a teenager, completely on my own, and (this cannot be emphasized enough) _in a pre-internet era,_ remains among the greatest memories that video games have ever given me.
it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen at the time! And I was about 12 or 13 in the late '90s the first time I played this game!
Dude I wish they didn’t stop after startropics 2, they could have created an amazing game series
i mean startropics 2 also released in 1994 EXCLUSIVELY for the nes... it was destined to fail
For some reason, it didn’t even release outside north america at all, no wonder it failed
I didn't realize that Startropics, one of the coolest game series ever and I wish it would be remade, was actually the hardest NES game series ever. I admit that Startropics 2 was a bit brutal but never thought the original was that hard. :)
This game is about as old as I am, lol. It's probably why I'm so attached to it, as it was a gift my dad got my mom.
I was hoping you would show off the health potion rooms from the first dungeon.
In a room with snakes and a torch, you can open a side room. That side room has a potion, and hidden switch to open a new room...
That room contains a potion, and a hidden switch to open a new room...
That room has...???
Admittedly, I still need to play through the second one. Also, I still think he would make a great smash character, because his moveset would translate well.
...I never knew I needed ProJared looking directly into the camera and saying "get fucked" but I'm glad I got it now
I really appreciate him sticking to reviewing games when so many others have abandoned the style. This is the type of content that got me into collecting. I subbed for this stuff and I'm still getting it. Thanks Jared!
2:52 is the greatest Segue in UA-cam history.
After watching the gameplay on PJP, I was not expecting an amazing review video, but this has to be one of my favorites on this channel now.
The lighting and framing of the shots of Jared talking "while playing the game" is so nice that I got distracted and had to rewind after I'd missed some of the commentary. Also, that segway to the sponsor segment is good it hurts.
I still wanted StarTropics 3, but I guess I won’t see it happen in this lifetime.
I wasn't expecting a full main channel video about this game but you made a good one! The voice you did for the shaman lady on the gameplay channel was such a good bit and I'm so happy she keeps popping up now.
I have stage 4 colon cancer. I was so sick today that I had to leave work. Your videos, especially like this one really help me get through the day. Keep the amazing content coming man
Keep up the good fight, brother.
Best wishes
I love that as everyone else's channel has fallen.
This man is going strong.
It might even be improving constantly.
Seriously tho, thank you for having a solid gaming review channel.
Another well done, entertaining review from Jerd. I've never been big on watching Let's Play video's/series, but over the last couple years, I've become addicted to watching Jared's videos.
I remember seeing Startropics in old issues of Nintendo Power my older brother gave me, and I really wanted to try it. After watching his Let's Play series of it, I'm glad I never did. Lol
I love “The best thing about Heroquest” nod!
That reference at 2:36 caught me totally off-guard and made my day. Thank you.
A cracking good reference!
Broed soed
Combing through the comments section to make sure I wasn't the only one that caught it.
Oh boy.....I feel old now. I remember renting and beating this game the same year it was released. I've beat it several times since. I've always felt that the game makers lost their sense of commitment towards the end of the game. All through the game, you get a heart piece here and there. Then, at the end, they just hand over quite a number. I wonder if there was more planned for the game or if it was more of an issue of them not spacing out the heart tanks.
HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS? This is legit a hidden gem.
Gaming historian pointed me to this game a few years ago. Just in case you dont know another hidden gem, play Crystalis on nes too. Its on the switch library as well
no it's not this game was as popular as castlevania and rescue rangers
Such a great game! Go check it out. You'll love or hate the controls, but the story is fun.
Best part is, theres a part 2 as well if you found you liked number 1 :)
I don't know if it's hidden (anymore) but it's definitely a gem. Little Miss Gamer and the Happy Video Game Nerd (now Stop Skeletons From Fighting) are the ones to thank for introducing me to this one. There's a sequel called Zoda's Revenge that made some changes to how Mike moves but I've yet to play that one.
Jared, thanks for covering this game! It was one of my favorite games as a kid and I have very fond memories of playing it with my grandfather. I do agree with you that it has some flaws and didn’t age as well as some of it’s NES competitors, but StarTropics will always be special to me. Now you have to play Startropics II: Zoda’s Revenge!
I have an in box copy of this and it's sequel just sitting on my shelf. Been meaning to give it a try when I finally get a composite input adapter for my NES
Wait, the NES didn't have composite? My memories of real hardware are kinda distant, but I could've sworn there were jacks for RF, composite video, and mono audio
@@billionthb you're probably right.
Whatever input it has
The NES has composite video/audio jacks on the right hand side of the console...
Love seeing more content! I remember meeting you back in 2015 comic fan expo in Dallas!
I saw this video being edited on stream. Great job as always, Jerd. Don’t let the negative UA-cam algorithm get to you, just continue to make videos for the ones who enjoy them, myself included and have fun doing it. Much love to you. 👍♥️
Let's see you take on the sequel. It has better graphics, better movement, more music, and only 1 dungeon in the tropics. Great game.
One minute in and I'm already saying "oh you poor silly fool." Can't wait to see the end
Edit: I've never agreed with you more on an obscure game
I bought this game used, from blockbuster, pre internet, no owner's manual. That was my first experience into the world of cybersecurity, as i did a brute force attack against nintendo drm.
Now, here is the crazy thing: Startropics may very well be in the zelda universe, those aliens he rescues from the cubes are very similar in appearance to hyruleans. This raises questions: is it far after the zelda series and the original planet they are from is gone, or is it a prequel and technology gets sent back to an iron age?
I remember this game as being super easy and fun, strange how memory works.
The physical letter is badass
2:35 the best thing about hero quest is cheeky references.
When the world needed him the most…. HE ARRIVED!
I'm glad you made a video out of this.
I was inspired by your playthough of this on ProJared Plays, and went through it and StarTropics 2 at around the same time you did. In the end, I found them both worthwhile playthroughs, but they're definitely Nintendo Hard.
If I had to categorize StarTropics, I'd call it a "puzzle adventure" game. I'm not quite sure what to categorize the second one.
PS - I saw a lot of comments that said the Switch version suffers from input lag. I don't know, because I was playing on original hardware. But I'm sure that didn't help any with the controls.
12:55
"Undead ostriches!?"
I believe you mean "Chocobones".
2:36 made Bard popup in my head with his "Heroquest is the best game ever made and anyone who says otherwise is wrong"
Jared, keep making videos! Don’t get caught up in all the negative YT. Algorithms. Just have fun and make videos for all your fans who enjoy it! Best of you to you.
Pardon grammar mistakes, typing one hand.
If this is a response to his last video, It was a prank bro
@@treetheoak8313 yeah. He’s giving the MOVIE “Up”
His previous video was a April fools prank 🤣
The YT algorithm is no joke though.
I would absolutely love to see you do more videos like this about more obscure games. Totally the classic Jared I love!
This was a fun playthrough to watch. Although it's maddening, I give the game credit for originality
Wasn't expecting this but it is welcome nonetheless. Aside from seeing this game plastered throughout Nintendo Power I had no experience with it until I watched you play it. While it was nice to see what all the hype was about I don't regret not playing it in my youth. Keep up the great work.
"Babby's first RPG" has been referenced.
Review has been approved.
That lag you hate, i love it😂 it's a very unique touch of StarTropics. I love this game. Finish it so many times.
When fighting the fire monster you just have to jump from the grass strip in front of the boss. You went the longest rought possible. I was yelling at the screen when I saw you playing this part.
Developers nowadays remember about games like these, get scared and proceed to add auto-play & no random battles to games such as Chrono Cross, in order to make sure the players aren't scared by the fact they have to play a video game.
Love the retro content man. Don't give up, you are literally a Pro at this by now. Keep showing us what you got, this was great.
He's called ProJared for a reason!
Projared is the person who got me into all these retro games. Thanks for all the memories
Aww yeah projared time
This was one of may favorite games as a kid. It's flawed, but fun. I also love that when Jared cuts to himself he's always holding a controller and acting like he's playing the game while narrating. It's a small thing and I'm sure its just a copy of the script off screen, but it helps to really sell the whole vibe. Love the humor, love the reviews, love the channel. Keep it up!!
you had me at "the best thing about hero quest"
Yup, I had a spine reaction myself.
"The best thing about Hero Quest is the overweight tropical island chieftains. Look at the fatularity!"
Obligatory “MIKE JONES!!!” shoutout from 2005 at 1:45
Absolutely love StarTropics, hoping to see a video on the sequel Zoda's Revenge as well, it's a bit more scuffed but still really sick, as well as Crystalis, another quality NES title that gets compared to Zelda
Oh, we are not doing the "something related to the game" / 10? That was kinda fun.
I have heard of this game but never saw it before. Looks like it could have been a fun adventure back then. Kinda like Zelda but a little more guided.
Growing up I had seen a friend play this once and when smash Bros first came out I 100% thought Ness was from this game
"The best thing about Hero Quest" - I understood that reference!
Nitro rad is crying rn
Man, the intro reminded me of those old style ProJared videos with the random cut in jokes all the time. I loved those, and would love to see them make a bit more of a come back, even if it's "not as refined" or whatever!
One of my first nes games. So much anger…. Especially later when you fight in the SPOILER….. ufo
I have so many good memories of playing this game for hours on end. Back then, I didn’t have the letter that came with the game, so I randomly put numbers in the code sequence, and amazingly figured it out on the first couple tries!
This was a really fun review. Always love your humor!
Aahaa! You did the "best thing about hero quest" bit! Two thumbs up!
I love seeing this game even being talked about at this point in life. This was one of my favorite games of all time as a kid. Same with Star Tropics 2. And yeah that first one can be a bitch especially the last few dungeons. lol Try out 2. They fixed the controls. Way more responsive.
Another great video! I was a little disappointed that the reoccuring shaman lady voice didnt make it into the video. That was definately one of the most memorable parts of the playthrough on the gameplay channel.
Jared I've been watching you for 10 years now, and your content is so god damn good. Thank you.
18:47 missed opportunity to play the Hydlide theme
Who is the happy fan who received that copy of Up?
I played this a lot as a kid, but I never did beat it. Glad to see a video about it on the channel, especially so soon after you finished it on your LP channel.
Thank you! I played through this for the first time last year as well and thought pretty much the same thing you did. Fantastic classic must play game? Meh not really imo. The controls are horrid! Ohh, but the monsters can move full speed as they wish. Great review sir!
it sucks when a youtuber makes a video on a game you want to play and you have to stop watching it because you know they are gonna go through it and spoil everything
Jared: “Awesome! I got a sponsorship from Keeps!”
Also Jared: googles “Videogame with a bunch of balding guys”
20:04 so what your saying is.... you have to put a banna in ear? put a ripe banana right into your favorite ear?
I was fooled!!
16:31 flawless delivery as-is tradition
14:30
It didn't age poorly. It was and still is an objective fact.
The funny thing is star tropics 2 gets rid of the tile based movement, but ironically, the game is actually worse off for it.
"There's a reason Star Tropics has zero representation in Smash Bros."
Yeah because it was never released in Japan, and Smash is highly Japan centric lol. It's got nothing to do with a lack of quality, tons of objectively worse retro games have been represented in Smash
Hit the nail on the head right there. For anyone who doesn't believe Smash is and always has been Japan centric, all you need to do is compare the critical reception of Fire Emblem characters in Japan vs. in the West. The Japanese audience goes fucking gaga over each new FE addition, whereas the majority of Western Smash players who aren't that big into FE always respond one of two ways: 1) "Who?", 2) "Oh, _another_ one. Cool."
@@thethrashyone Yeah, and people try to argue it by bringing up Steve, K. Rool, Banjo ect. Completely ignoring the fact that: A) those are like 4 characters out of 80+ and B) despite being from Western games, they're coming from titles that were comparably (or atleast notably) successful in Japan as well. When they add a character that's straight up niche in Japan like Spyro or Scorpion then we can talk.
@@Ryan-Petre I thought the OG Spyro games did fairly well in Japan, no?
@@alexcallender I know Spyro 3 and Enter the Dragonfly were never released in Japan, I'm guessing none of the others were either besides Reignited. So probably not.
This was one of the many NES games I found while thrifting when I was still in grade-school. I didn't give this game a fair shake when I first played it, as I couldn't figure out how to actually access the first dungeon. So I shelved this game in favor of other gems I had found like Air Fortress, Legendary Wings, Willow, etc. but man am I glad I revisited this one eventually. I didn't have the internet at the time, so I got totally stuck at the Dr. J's letter puzzle for months until I eventually just brute-forced it. This game is one of the all-time greats in my book; up there with Zelda, Mario Bros. 3 and Castlevania.