@@PortablePowerPodcast The formation of Artoon and it's successor company Arzest is very sad when realize it was done out of unhappiness regarding the direction the sonic franchise was taking with adventure. His name even got removed from the credits of all versions of the game since sadx thanks to a falling out with yuji naka.
From what I've played, it's not that bad. I find it fun to dash around the levels with a large number of simultaneous midair dashes. The bits where Pinobee hovers helps me use a bit of time to decide where to go, as well as use it to slowly inch closer to somewhere before using another dash. The music is alright in the game, with some catchy themes here and there. Although one late game track has a consistent buzzing noise that is spread out throughout the whole thing (which is for some reason still in the Japan-exclusive GBA sequel, leaving it unchanged instead of improving it like the rest of the soundtrack in this second game), it's otherwise okay. However, thanks to the audio stream playback capabilities of the PlayStation, the music is much better and fuller than its original version on the GBA, with that aforementioned late game track not having the long buzzing noise and being much more triumphant and pleasing to listen to. The graphics are one of the greatest things in the game, with the characters being of pre-rendered 3D models on hand-drawn backgrounds being aesthetically stunning to view. I like how the dev team made some of them look like they're in the perspective of an insect because that's exactly what the world in this game focuses on. I don't mind the times where Pinobee's head briefly gets larger on the screen. It's a good way to view his expressions since it's more difficult to show them on the much smaller base sprite, such as temporarily running out of midair dashes before landing being a somewhat shocked expression, when coming across certain areas with an NPC or hidden object with an interested expression, or locking onto and dashing into a bunch of flowers to collect them in a short amount of time with a little smirk. I don't know how this would mess up platforming as it's very brief and is still just above where the base sprite is. Now, the biggest part of the gameplay is the exploration, choices, interactions with NPCs, and multiple endings. If one were to just dash through every level and avoid destroying golden enemies which will multiply and get stronger in later levels if done so in previous levels, they will end up getting a worse ending in the game. The fun of the game is exploring through the levels to find secrets or certain NPCs to interact with in order to get a better ending. Some of these interactions can affect the level design like opening a new pathway or being able to get through more of the game. However, even with that, there's also the challenge of getting the worst ending in the game. To do that, one would have to avoid all of the enemies and secrets, provoke every NPC, and overall not be nice in every level. The difficulty heavily increases due to enemies multiplying and getting stronger due to being left alone in earlier levels. The story is heavily influenced by these choices and endings, as it's meant to be a tale of the growth of the heart (hence the Japanese title of the game, Pinobee's Great Adventure: Quest of Heart), with hints of the love between a parent and their child, or in this case the creator and the creation. So far from what I've played, it's a pretty good game. There are some flaws and it doesn't really stand out much, but it's a nice little adventure on the GBA and PlayStation.
The developer of this game, Artoon, was formed in 1999 by Sonic's co-creator Naoto Ohshima.
Oh wow. He shoulda known better
@@PortablePowerPodcast The formation of Artoon and it's successor company Arzest is very sad when realize it was done out of unhappiness regarding the direction the sonic franchise was taking with adventure. His name even got removed from the credits of all versions of the game since sadx thanks to a falling out with yuji naka.
From what I've played, it's not that bad. I find it fun to dash around the levels with a large number of simultaneous midair dashes. The bits where Pinobee hovers helps me use a bit of time to decide where to go, as well as use it to slowly inch closer to somewhere before using another dash.
The music is alright in the game, with some catchy themes here and there. Although one late game track has a consistent buzzing noise that is spread out throughout the whole thing (which is for some reason still in the Japan-exclusive GBA sequel, leaving it unchanged instead of improving it like the rest of the soundtrack in this second game), it's otherwise okay. However, thanks to the audio stream playback capabilities of the PlayStation, the music is much better and fuller than its original version on the GBA, with that aforementioned late game track not having the long buzzing noise and being much more triumphant and pleasing to listen to.
The graphics are one of the greatest things in the game, with the characters being of pre-rendered 3D models on hand-drawn backgrounds being aesthetically stunning to view. I like how the dev team made some of them look like they're in the perspective of an insect because that's exactly what the world in this game focuses on. I don't mind the times where Pinobee's head briefly gets larger on the screen. It's a good way to view his expressions since it's more difficult to show them on the much smaller base sprite, such as temporarily running out of midair dashes before landing being a somewhat shocked expression, when coming across certain areas with an NPC or hidden object with an interested expression, or locking onto and dashing into a bunch of flowers to collect them in a short amount of time with a little smirk. I don't know how this would mess up platforming as it's very brief and is still just above where the base sprite is.
Now, the biggest part of the gameplay is the exploration, choices, interactions with NPCs, and multiple endings. If one were to just dash through every level and avoid destroying golden enemies which will multiply and get stronger in later levels if done so in previous levels, they will end up getting a worse ending in the game. The fun of the game is exploring through the levels to find secrets or certain NPCs to interact with in order to get a better ending. Some of these interactions can affect the level design like opening a new pathway or being able to get through more of the game. However, even with that, there's also the challenge of getting the worst ending in the game. To do that, one would have to avoid all of the enemies and secrets, provoke every NPC, and overall not be nice in every level. The difficulty heavily increases due to enemies multiplying and getting stronger due to being left alone in earlier levels. The story is heavily influenced by these choices and endings, as it's meant to be a tale of the growth of the heart (hence the Japanese title of the game, Pinobee's Great Adventure: Quest of Heart), with hints of the love between a parent and their child, or in this case the creator and the creation.
So far from what I've played, it's a pretty good game. There are some flaws and it doesn't really stand out much, but it's a nice little adventure on the GBA and PlayStation.
Well, it’s no Buck Bumble, that’s for sure.
So the music uses only the original Game Boy waves for all the notes, and then there's a kick drum sample?