If we’re judging a book by its cover and namesake, Amazing Princess Sarah would have been another of those insta-dismissed when browsing the Nintendo eShop. But… skim past the shop front and open that door, and we have a very enjoyable platform title.
The choice of title and thumbnail didn’t do Haruneko any favours, though any shortcomings in marketing get an über counterpunch to the nuts with brilliant gameplay. You play the TITular Sarah who flaunts one hell of a signature move: throwing corpses as an attack move. Poke enemies in the face with a pointy blade, then as they fall, toss ’em. Best of all, this technique applies to furniture too. There’s not much that can compete with throwing a wardrobe at a skellywag.
But what’s all this decor angst, and what’s with the hostility from the undead? Blame the demons. They’ve kidnapped Sarah’s old man, the King, so it’s our hero’s job to roll up her sleeves and sort them out. Diplomacy is overrated, so instead, you’ll be dashing around castle environments in a platform setting. Legend has it that Amazing Princess Sarah is classed as a Metroidvania. Funny, I’m not a fan of the genre, so why do I like this?
It could be the tight, responsive controls? Jumping around as a top-heavy princess is not as burdening as it may sound, and any flaws in execution is on the player, as far as I’m concerned. My praise for Amazing Princess Sarah might be the sense of progression, too. Each time you defeat an enemy, you’ll earn XP, which will increase your health as you level up. Even when the odds are overwhelming, which will happen, if you repeatedly die, you will inevitably level up – just as long as you take some enemies down in the process.
I have concluded that I HATE flying enemies in platform titles
Amazing Princess Sarah’s presentation is also excellent and satisfies my arcade/retro tastes to a big ol’ T. The audio is also good, without any of those catchy chiptunes that occasionally put me in a mood as I can’t get them out of my head. Not being catchy is a good thing, but it won’t get an extra sentence for being inspiring or similar. In summary, the overall package is excellent and, in my opinion, is on par with the excellent retro platformer thingy – Alwa’s Legacy. However, the life of a princess throwing chairs in the face of all that is unworldly is not all peachy. Some things suck arse.
I have concluded that I HATE flying enemies in platform titles. That could be misinterpreted as jealousy that my character can’t fly. It’s that harsh reality that they can fly through platforms (Cathedral), or repeatedly spawn, knocking you back onto a row of spikes or having to restart a climb once more (Amazing Princess Sarah). This was kickstarted back in the days of Ghosts N’ Goblins on the ZX Spectrum – no, not an emulator. It seems unfair to the point of spoiling the experience in some areas. There’s also some nasty slowdown when hitting switches. Those that open doors, not the loveable Nintendo device.
This is my major beef with Amazing Princess Sarah, other than a few sadistically placed enemies that prevent you from reaching a checkpoint until you’ve meticulously killed them all, or are in touch with your spirit animal and speed run through without even breaking a sweat. I envy you. But irrespective of those frustrations, this was a game I enjoyed playing to the point of being vocal about it. Cries of “I love this game” to “I must remove the wings of each and every bat” was frequent, as was the smile on my face. It’s even more satisfying beating some of the bosses first time, like a boss.
Amazing Princess Sarah isn’t just a pretty face, if you like that sort of thing. It’s an enjoyable platformer well suited to the Switch, one that I preferred playing docked simply because it deserved the attention. Yes, flying enemies are still the worst thing since sliced bread (if you’re a baker), and not all stages float like butterflies. Still, I can confidentially recommend this whether you like Metroidvanias or not. Just remember to bend your knees, not your back, when picking up that wardrobe.
