Hardocre gaming 101

Odyssey retains the same gameplay as its predecessor, but makes a few changes and additions to the formula. This works a lot better at its intended function, and flows more smoothly into the mechanics.

Both of these already set Odyssey up to be a tougher sequel, but what clinches it is the addition of three biomes, with each one featuring unique obstacles. Lastly are the abandoned temples, which are full of waterfalls you can skim down, ruins, and old vines that break after grinding on them for a short time.

For the most part, they add challenges that flow naturally into the mechanics and into each other without overcomplicating anything. Upgrades to power-ups, a compass that lets you change to a select biome which you have to pay for each time! Umurangi Generation is a game about art and expression.

The scoring system the game employs is ultimately arbitrary, whether the game thinks a photo is good or bad is completely random, so reaching a certain level of money earned in the secondary objectives comes down to just taking a bunch of pictures. Make it an artsy black and white, turn up the saturation to make some graffiti pop, over expose something for shits and giggles, do whatever. See that cat?

You can even play with spray paint and hover boots in the DLC which is a must to fully experience the game. Every frame of this game is a joy to look at. There are only five stages, including a brief autoscrolling one where you ride a boat through a storm, and the game can be beaten in less than twenty minutes. The Easy mode limits you to nine credits, which is enough to get to the end without too much of a problem, with other difficulties just limiting you further; beating the game will unlock an Arcade mode which lets you tinker with the board settings and also insert credits as you please.

Health restoratives are regular and there are plenty of opportunities to gain extra lives, so even beating it on Hard mode is reasonable. Outside of this, the only real criticism that can be leveled against Clockwork Aquario is that its mechanics are enjoyable, but it never really finds anything to do with them. Beyond the main game modes, there are the usual assortment of screen and display filters, though save state and rewind functionalities are missing.

There is a concept artwork gallery, which also includes some visuals regarding its restoration; this includes a note from programmer Steve Snake, the creator of the KEGA emulator, noting how some graphics were corrupted, which were redrawn by the original graphics team after nearly thirty years.