I am not a hardcore gamer. I am not a casual gamer. I am a retro gamer. I’d much rather eat mushrooms and stomp on enemy craniums than fill them full of lead. Because of that, the download services offered on current console really appeal to me. Not only are there re-releases and remakes of classic titles from my youth, there are a good number of new titles that try to evoke that same sense of style and gameplay, which brings us to Explodemon, exclusive to the PlayStation Network.
At first glance, the titular Explodemon does indeed look like he jumped out of the Super Nintendo era, and that does seem like that’s the intention of developer Curve. While he kind of looks, and to a small extent plays like a palette-swapped Mega Man X, Explodemon’s main gameplay feature is that he main weapon is exploding. While it may seem derivative, seeing as a couple of other notable games recently have used the main character’s explosions as a core element of the game, Explodemon stands apart in its execution. While you can just blaze through the 12 levels, the game is much more rewarding when you sit back and try to find all of the hidden little trinkets in the stages.
While the game is undoubtedly fun, it can be very frustrating at times, with puzzle elements seriously teasing your brain at times. Thankfully, any puzzles that impede your progress through the game are overcome much more easily that the ones keeping you from the aforementioned hidden stuff. If you blaze your way through the game, you can expect maybe 3 hours of gameplay, but if you stop and smell the roses, you can probably up that to 12-20 depending on your puzzle-solving expertise.
As for the game’s story, it’s not as important as some, but it isn’t without its charm. This is mainly due to the character of Explodemon himself, what with his broken English providing some genuine laughs throughout the game. As it is, Explodemon is considered a menace to society, what with him you know, exploding all the time. He is locked away, never to be released, but when the forces of the Vortex hit his home planet, they inadvertently destroy the facility Explodemon was holed up in, setting the game in motion. Explodemon must fight his way through 3 planets, thwarting the plans of his evil brother Absorbmon.
An example of the dialog that made me smile.
My bottom line is, if you like old-school action/platformer games, you can’t go wrong with Explodemon. It has a few faults, but they are not detrimental to your enjoyment of the game. If you’re curious, give it a shot!
Explodemon is available on the PlayStation Network for $9.99 A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes. The game was played to completion and replayed a bit to increased rankings.
