Spanish Games
These monks once guarded the wisdom of the Lost Land until a rather nasty baddie turned up to ruin everything - Draxos brought his legions of evil armies and turned all the monks into statues. Nobody is safe, children are crying and evil roams the lands. What can we do? Of course, this is our queue to enter the woods and free the monks and defeat Draxos. It's gonna be a tough challenge - can you do it? Come on, kids are crying so it is time to kick some demonic ass!
I know, another silly story for another normal day in retro gaming land. So, let's play...
Hurry and free all the monks to save the land from the evil Draxos!
Sexy platforming!
Risky Woods is a scrolling platformer that has us leaping across platforms, frantically banging on the fire button to kill everything in sight. Each level is stuffed with many enemies who are only too eager to rush onto the screen but there are also lots of bonuses. Just don't forget why you're here as all monks need freeing before you can exit.
This game feels like a cross between something like Ork and Black Tiger much of the time. I love how responsive the controls are and they need to be - many enemies are constantly rushing onto the screen at a frequent pace. It's quite overwhelming, but great fun without ever crushing your spirit. Think Black Lamp and you've got the idea.
Each level is superbly designed and looks absolutely stunning with lush environments, high details and fancy effects. However, it's the sprites that I love even more because they are large and superbly animated - just look at those skeletons!! Slain enemies leave behind gold coins to collect for use in the shop to purchase much-needed weapons.
This game plays well and looks great. What, you need another screenshot to prove it? Okay...
There's no denying the stunning artwork which is some of the best I've ever seen.
Aesthetics
Visually, this is one heck of a looker. A beauty with stunning landscapes, raster backdrops and many different spooky sprites. The level of artwork is impressive and I dare anyone to say otherwise. Scrolling is responsive and smooth for an STf game but a part of me cannot help but wonder why they didn't push the boat out for some level of STe support.
Like the visuals, the sonix doesn't disappoint thanks to the great chiptunes by Jose Martin. The sound effects are nice yet nothing remarkable, but, they do their job. Yeah, it's the music that works wonders. Absolutely superb.
A game that looks and sounds this good needs many levels as this mini-map so kindly displays...
Check out the map. This details your torturous journey through the Lost Lands.
The CryptO'pinion?
The problem I have with this game is its difficulty. The constant onslaught of invading enemies is often too much and made worse by having to bend down to collect dropped coins during the heat of battle - rather than simply walking over them. Also, bumping into a baddie makes you drop the loot, and you cannot fire for a brief moment. Irritating!!
Having said all that, I've had a blast with this gorgeous platformer! It's exciting, frantic, and devilishly addictive. If only Dinamic had balanced the gameplay mechanics better, then it would have been nothing less than a classic. I'm afraid old me found it too demanding - without a trainer. Am I wrong? I never am... but let me know in the comments.
Downloads for floppy and hard drive.
