Review - Scarygirl

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It has to be said that when it comes to 2D platformers, the genre has been massively overlooked on next gen consoles. In fact, only the recent (and excellent) Rayman Origins has even tried to breath life into the genre as of late. So, we were quite pleased to see Scarygirl arrive thanks to its roots being firmly planted in the world of traditional platformers… at least until we realised that its slow combat and some clumsy design prevented it from standing out as a potential classic.

In case you didn’t know, Scarygirl is based on the graphic novel of the same name created by Australian illustrator Nathan Jurevicius and revolves around the story of an abandoned little girl who becomes adopted by Blister, a friendly octopus/monster. One day, the Tree of Knowledge starts to shed its dying leaves and after experiencing a series of mysterious dreams, Scarygirl decides to go out into the big wide world to discover their hidden meaning.



And as worlds go, it definitely has a lot of charm. Each level is introduced by a narrator who helps give the action a fairy tale feel, while the ambient music fits the different world styles nicely. Venturing out into the woods showcases a variety of flowers and wildlife all around you and soon after you’ll also be exploring beautiful underwater caverns, gloomy caves and snow topped areas. There isn't anything outstandingly original about the worlds you explore, but there’s usually something interesting to encounter whether it’s a giant circular tree filled with owls, a face-off with a giant Yeti mum, scaring off hoards of spiders with glowing mushrooms and helping a wise man find his wife's bones.

After initially playing like a 2D game, Scarygirl’s levels soon branch off into different routes that see you walking into or out of the screen. If you've ever played titles such as Crash Bandicoot, Klonoa or Pandemonium back in the Nineties, you'll be instantly familiar with the style.



As for the titular character herself, Scarygirl isn't so much scary as just a raggy doll who’s seen better days (what with her tentacle arm, prosthetic hook arm and an eye patch), but she has enough charm to prove to be an endearing centrepiece. The tentacle arm is Scarygirl’s primary weapon against the myriads of creatures out to attack her, while special moves like a Pogo Attack (used to propel enemies into the air) can be purchased from the wandering shop merchant, although their abilities are underused. Being able to fly across gaps further and breathe underwater for longer may sound useful, but it's entirely possible to play through the game without needing to use a single one. Scarygirl's tentacle arm could have been a unique selling point, but instead merely remains a conventional weapon like those seen in many other titles.

But while the overall visual style has plenty of character, it's the core game can’t live up to its end of the bargain. Combat isn’t nearly as responsive as it should be, with combos performing slightly slower than you’d hope. What’s more, later levels focus on bombarding you with enemies, meaning that button bashing becomes an easier way to progress rather than using the combos available to you. Enemies also have a way of being able to attack you when they really shouldn't, despite the use of blocking attacks and other combos.



Although the earlier levels are quite simple, things become much more challenging further on… although sadly not always in the right way. Some areas are actually glitchy, meaning that certain jumps can be missed easily and you'll get sent back to the last checkpoint, which are poorly spaced out. We've lost count of the numerous times that upgrades have been purchased and tricky jumping, wall climbing and grappling sections have been expertly manoeuvred, only to die right at the end by an unexpected bear attack and have to repeat the entire section again. It's enough to make you cry. Grappling from pole to pole is also hit-and-miss, at times not working properly and proving to be a bit too fiddly for its own good. The 2.5 perspective, when used, also causes problems as you can't always tell which creatures are part of the background or are about to leap out in front to attack you.

It’s a shame, because we had some hopes for Scarygirl as a means of harking back to the old-school platform days. It’s not that it’s terrible, but it’s also not amazing either and so sits in that awkward middle ground of only being worth a purchase when it inevitably appears in the XBLA Deal Of The Week.