So a quick confession is in order. When I first laid eyes on NES Remix 2 I reacted with a confused face and wondered why anyone would want to mess with my childhood? What did I do to you Nintendo? It looked to me that Nintendo had let a bunch of random homebrew developers mess with its most influential titles just to screw with me. Little did I know I was in for a surprise.
Game: NES Remix 2
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo and indieszero
Publisher: Nintendo
Price: £8.99/€9.99/$14.99
Compatible Controllers: Wii U GamePad, Wii Remote, Wii Remote Plus, Wii U Pro Controller, Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro
Reviewed on: Wii U
So for those who were quite happy living in ignorant bliss and weren’t aware of the precursor to this game, here is a brief break down. NES Remix is split into two parts – the larger portion of the game revolves around challenges for 12 titles, most of which are iconic, including Punch Out, Super Mario Bros. 3 & Kid Icarus. Each challenge will put you into one of these nostalgic games and task you with accomplishing something within that particular games mechanics. Some might require you to do a string of things in one challenge, but all are rated using a 3-star system and if you are super elite you might even earn a few rainbow grades. In truth, most of what is on offer here won’t tax your skills, especially if you spent your younger years playing these games over and over again like myself. However, this should not undermine the sheer amount of fun that is to be had. There is something to be said for the short compact nature of the challenges. They definitely breathe a breath of fresh air into the aforementioned titles, not that any of them needed it.
The seconds part is where all the homebrew inspired action comes into play. Remixes can bend the mechanics of the game, screw with art assets, maybe even throw an iconic character into another character’s iconic world for good measure. Nintendo do a good job of stretching their creative muscles here and challenging the player, while supplying a mean batch of nostalgia. You are bound to find something in here that will make you all warm and giddy inside, even if all 12 titles don’t agree with you.
There are some Miiverse social features added to help boost your competitive spirit that aren’t too dissimilar to those found in Mario 3D World. Complete a challenge and you earn xp, levels and stamps. After completing a challenge or remix, you will then be able to see a random message from your fellow nostalgia driven brethren, who use this as an opportunity to display their art talents, help you or tell you how awesome they are. In all honesty, the feature makes a little more sense here than it does in Mario’s World, due to the score driven nature of the game.
If you are like me, then at some point you may have an inevitable itch to load up the original versions of one the games contained within. Enter Super Luigi Bros. the original Super Mario Bros. is here in all its glory, with two exceptions, the whole thing is mirrored and Luigi is at the helm instead of his shorter, fatter sibling. Surprisingly, it being mirrored does screw with you a little if you have a working knowledge of the original. Making it a little more challenging than it would have otherwise been, but overall it is a welcome addition regardless.
VERDICT
NES Remix 2 is a surprisingly fun trip down memory lane, and the type of title i imaging Nintendo would make for tablets if it were to take a leaf out of SEGA’s handbook. It has all of the signature creativity, nostalgia and flair and is well worth the asking price. My only real gripe is that it could be a bit more challenging for those of us who spent way too long locked up in our bedrooms as youths.
