This week's Arcade Archives release is... Tinkle Pit (Namco, 1993)
Switch
EU eShop browser link not yet available
US
The Preference Settings allow players to adjust the game speed and play as the Player 2 character, Patti, while using the Player 1 controls. The game has been slightly edited- a cameo from Ms. Pac-Man on the name entry screen that appears if your score is in 2nd place, has had the bow removed so it's just plain ol' Pac-Man now.
Pit (P1) and Patti (P2) are in a pinch- they're trapped in a series of 48 darn mazes full of monsters, some even returning from old Namco arcade games, out to hunt them down! Luckily, they're not on their own- they're always accompanied by their faithful bell pal, the Tinker Ball. By holding the action button down, Pit and Patti will set the Tinker Ball in place and leave a string behind them as they walk, and once they let go, the Ball will chase after them to catch up, defeating any enemies it collides into along the way. The more you take out in one string-pull, the more points you get, clear out every enemy in each maze to move on to the next! There's also a lot of items to grab that grant power-ups like speed-ups, upgrading your string to shock enemies in place, and wilder things like turning Pit and Patti into Pac-Man or spawning in rocks from Dig Dug! There's also an extra scoring system in the form of big and small point items- grabbing a large item spawns a new small item and turns a small one into a big one, with a huge perfect bonus available if you grab all the big ones in a maze. You can't just leave one enemy alive to make this easier though- like Dig Dug, solo enemies will escape if left alone too long!
Hamster apparently teased that this week's Arcade Archives pick would be a big one, and while it's not the game I guessed (alas, Knuckle Heads believers, we'll just have to wait a bit longer) this is a pretty great choice. A wonderfully colourful and vibrant maze-chase game, the core Tinker Ball mechanic might take a little getting used to- you have to take into account the speed of the ball catching up with you in order to hit the enemies, but you can make the string really long before you're forced to let it go- but it's fun to play with and feels really rewarding when you land a huge combo. The mazes are also a little smaller than you might be used to from other maze-chasers, so it can feel a little cramped at first, but you get used to it. A little bit of risk and reward there. The presentation, though, is really great- lots of vibrant colours and cute animations, and a whole bunch of nods to other Namco games, including an entire set of stages set to the music from Emeraldia! This is the game's first ever home console port, so you may not have heard of it before, but it's a little favourite of mine, and definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.
