If you've never heard of Ameagari no Hanaby ("Hanaby After the Rain"), I don't blame you. This fireworks-themed indie platformer is buried so deep in the Steam store that it's practically invisible, and I came across it by chance on the soundtrack composer's Bandcamp page. It's a shame Ameagari is so overlooked because while it's nothing revolutionary, it's a pleasant and charming way to spend a few hours.
You're Hanaby, squirrel girl and amateur pyrotechnician, on a quest to find what's causing endless rain to fall. (And also become an adult, I guess?) Your weapon of choice is a variety of fireworks, which you'll use to not only defeat enemies but also glide through the air. Levels are linear, but most have side paths with extra health and energy upgrades, as well as different types of fireworks to buy with [strike]coins[/strike] [strike]gems[/strike] "Rains" scattered throughout each level.
Controlling Hanaby feels good. Gliding while holding a sparkler underneath you is both fun and practical, since you can't just Goomba-stomp on enemies. Launching a skyrocket into a crowd of enemies and watching them disintegrate is satisfying, as is racing through a level holding a bottle rocket as everything in front of you melts. Hanaby's momentum after jumping off a moving platform can be a little finicky, but it's something you can get used to.
The biggest make-or-break point about Ameagari is its low difficulty. With frequent checkpoints and infinite lives, your first playthrough will be a breeze and won't take you more than two hours, even if you're thorough or a platforming beginner. The real difficulty lies in subsequent playthroughs, where you keep all your unlocked upgrades but take more damage with every loop you complete (to the point where by Round 15 everything is a one-hit kill). Take this as a warning: if you only plan on playing through Ameagari once, you might want to look elsewhere.
I love Ameagari's level design, but not in the way you'd expect. The platforming on its own didn't impress me much -- there's nothing inherently [i]bad[/i] about it, but it's very simple and doesn't evolve much after the halfway point. There's very little enemy type diversity, and I didn't find any of the boss fights interesting or challenging (aside from the final boss, which rocks).
But where the level design shines is in its personality. Every level is designed like a little micro-world with its own history, amenities and landmarks, and unique NPC species. Platforming challenges are interspersed with towns and shops where you can take a breather and talk to the inhabitants. All of the environments are designed to be memorable and not just your stereotypical 2D platformer biomes. The desert world is home to a performing acrobatics troupe. The snow world has you facing off against a group of unruly students throwing snowballs. The sky world is run by dragon-like creatures that control the weather. The slippery "ice" world is actually a soapy bathhouse, which is so bonkers that the devs put a warning about it on the store page.
The store page also highlights the game's "fantastic musics" -- and [i]damn[/i], man, they ain't kidding. All eight worlds have a unique track that brings each locale to life, from the tropical steel drums in Wooden Walls, to the cozy Christmassy Snowy School, to the bubbly, dreamlike theme of Candy Clouds. Like Hirokazu Ando's excellent Kirby soundtracks, Ameagari's OST is fun and catchy and playful, but isn't afraid to get serious in the later levels. I wouldn't have liked the game nearly as much if it weren't for AAAA's fantastic composing, and shelling out the extra $6 for the OST is highly recommended.
I've got a soft spot for Ameagari no Hanaby. It's clearly a product of love, one with a very small fanbase and an even smaller English-speaking fanbase, and it got a 2019 sequel (Hanaby the Witch) which is also quite good. It's not going to set your world on fire -- ;) -- but its charming characters and worlds make it worth a look if you're in the mood for video-game comfort food.
