Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release: 12/90 Genre: Adventure
Among all of Nintendo’s intellectual properties Star Tropics is one of the least popular. As a late NES title it released when all eyes were on the imminent SNES release. But those that played it remember it fondly. It was designed to appeal to the West and as such is full of goofy humor. And while it is true that it is Zelda lite the game remains charming regardless. I suppose if anyone were going to rip off Zelda it should be Nintendo themselves. There are enough distinguishing features that help Star Tropics stand on its own however.
Mike Jones arrives on C-Island to visit his uncle, the famous archeologist Dr. Jones. But when he arrives the islanders inform him that Dr. Jones has been kidnapped. Mysterious circumstances have been taking place on the islands and Dr. Jones abduction is part of it. Mike receives a special yo-yo as protection to find his uncle and unravel the mystery unfolding on the islands.
Star Tropics does not hide the fact that it takes its cues from Nintendo’s classic. From its overworld, dungeons, and puzzles it is heavily reminiscent of Zelda. But where that series is a bit free form in its progression Star Tropics is a linear, guided experience. This is an easier game to get into as the puzzles are never too complex and the game provides plenty of clues to help you along. The game received a massive marketing push in Nintendo Power yet did not hit the way it should have. There are some awkward elements in the game but they do not ruin an otherwise solid game.
The world of Star Tropics covers eight chapters. In the overworld it has the structure of a RPG. Each chapter has a decent sized overworld with towns, caves, and dungeons to explore. Generally each chapter introduces a problem to solve such as your submarine breaking down or an important NPC that is lost and needs to be found. These in turn lead to the various dungeons. While the dungeons are the meat of the game there are a fair number of puzzles on the map to solve and some are pretty clever. One in particular was pretty ingenious for the time: the game came with a letter and a late game puzzle requires you to dip it in water to reveal a code. Although the game is straightforward it is generally worth it to explore as heart containers are hidden in clever areas.
The underworld is where you will spend the most time. The various caves and such follow the room by room structure of a Zelda dungeon. Although they do not span multiple floors the maps become sizable in short order. There are secret rooms, fake exits (!) and a wide variety of traps to contend with. To differentiate itself from Zelda the game does not bog you down with a massive inventory. There are only a few special items and they limited use. The rod of sight allows you to see ghosts while the lamp lights up dark rooms. Enemies drop these when necessary enabling the game to have a fast pace. The majority of the game’s puzzles involve switches.
There is a fair bit of platforming involved in Star Tropics and a lot of it involves stepping on switches. Nearly every room has switch blocks that once activated open doors, destroy walls, reveal hidden items and even assist in defeating bosses. Considering the game’s length there is a surprising variety in their effects. Switch puzzles sometimes span multiple rooms and a lot of the time the trick involves how to reach them. You can only jump when there are blocks in front of you yet the game still presents a challenge in this regard. Disappearing blocks create a sense of urgency and enemies can throw you off. Sometimes jumping between rooms will lead to a giant hole that spells instant death. These are the elements that help give Star Tropics its own identity.
The one aspect I wish were tighter is the controls. Star Tropics uses grid based movement that is very rigid. You cannot make slight movements, it is all or nothing. The game is practically begging for 8-way movement but I realize that would screw up the carefully arranged platforming. There is slight input delay, especially when jumping that can make the later chapters a nightmare. You have to be more deliberate with your actions as a result. It says a lot that I find the controls in earlier adventure that restrict movement to the cardinal directions to be better.
The difficulty curve is surprisingly sharp. While the game presents itself as being accessible early on it spikes quickly. Unless you actively seek out heart containers spike in difficulty by chapter three or four will hit hard. Enemies become more resilient and deal a lot of damage. With the way the weapon system works as your health dips your upgraded yo-yo will degrade until you refill your health. By the late game even end game super nova feels inadequate. Once you are down to the yo-yo death will soon follow. You have three lives before you restart each dungeon from the beginning. This will happen often. It is not necessarily bad, it just comes out of left field.
In Closing
Star Tropics is a solid alternative for those that want more adventure after Zelda. Nintendo have done an excellent job distinguishing Star Tropics from its clear inspiration and it is one of the better action adventure games for the system. Overlooked but not forgotten, this deserves a re-release.
