Blue's Journey

At first I couldn't help wondering why I was even playing Blues Journey. The game looked like so many Sega Master System Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd games I had to do a double take. But after playing past the first level I have come to fully appreciate Blues Journey as a good, not great, platformer that was probably overlooked due to it's absurdly bad graphics.

Well, the graphics aren't that bad. They are bright and colorful, but they aren't detailed, and frankly, they aren't even up to 16-bit standards. But Blues Journey makes up for this with an incredibly addictive one or two player Mario-clone. It features a whole assortment of homage's, as well as some pretty fun game play.

At first I was a little put off by Blue's weapon of choice (a leaf that drops), but soon I realized the vast assortment of weapons that could be had. Some, like the boomerang, shoot forward, while others, like the bombs, shoot down. Plus you seem to have the ability to shrink really small (and look a whole lot like Mr. Driller).

The game has several different paths you can take, making for some replay. Plus the levels are extremely unique, and all seem pretty inspired. It's strange, though, that you can go only so far and find a ruined forest, and then go into a mecha world ... hmm, could this be symbolism?

Anyway, the game isn't all roses, though. The control is a bit stiff, and it sometimes is just a little too easy. This game came after the release of Super Mario Brothers 3, which should have had a better influence. But when everything is said and done, this game is quite a bit of fun, and well worth playing several times.