[h1]Super Ember Kaboom is a lot of fun to play, but it’s not particularly challenging, and it doesn’t last long, but it’s a nice way to fill a few hours.[/h1]
Grimoire, the world’s greatest magician, has captured the elemental spirits.
Without their protection, monsters have invaded the lands and it is up to our hero to vanquish them and return the realm to normality.
Super Ember Kaboom is an arcade platformer with light combat and boss battles and is the follow up to Ember Kaboom, which is also available on Steam.
https://youtu.be/D-vuhq-Xsk4
[h1]🤔Overall Impressions🤔[/h1]
[quote][h2][b]I really enjoyed Super Ember Kaboom. If you’re looking for some high paced arcade platforming, with cute, colourful graphics and sprightly music then this fits the bill. The game took me three hours to complete, with only a couple of bosses providing a stern challenge, but it’s always entertaining, upbeat, and simple to grasp, so if you’re looking for a short blast of entertainment, I could easily recommend. [/b][/h2][/quote]
This is the sort of game that is perfect for an evening’s entertainment. It won’t take you too long to get through the fifty or so levels and defeat the seven bosses, but I was entertained throughout, without too much frustration. Each death seems fair and is only down to your skill, rather than poorly designed levels or bad mechanics.
Game play is kept rather simple with some basic attacks like a roll; slam; tail whip; and five super power pickups which deplete as you use them. The super powers ranged in effectiveness with the freeze, light and shock being less potent than the fireball, which takes out all enemies in its path. I never had the chance to use gale, as I never collected it, so I can only presume that it is rare. There are also some levels which are timed; levels with an enemy chasing you; and levels which have no definition,making it difficult to see objects properly, so there is quite a bit of variety on offer. The timed levels do not have any leader boards, and there is also no scoring, so there is no high score to beat.
Enemies have different skill sets. They can fly above you and shoot projectiles downwards, or hover above you and try to slam you; randomly appear and then disappear; some range in size, blocking your path; some can charge you or follow you around; and others require two hits to kill. There are also environmental dangers like lava pools, rotating discs and fire pits which erupt if you stand on them for too long. The game area feels quite cramped, and the screen is constantly scrolling, pushing you forward, so it always feels fast paced and never leisurely. The combination of all these elements does make it quite tricky but no stage is particularly difficult to complete. You will die quite a lot, but there is a checkpoint half way through each stage, and the levels are never very long, so you will learn from your mistakes and progress is quite fluid.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2830106366
Environments are differentiated, with each of the eight levels having a theme, like the green wooded areas of the forest and the orange lava filled sections of Molten Tomb. Backgrounds are not very detailed, and they all look rather similar apart from the colours, enemies, and layouts. Sometimes, simplicity is better though, and visibility is high without complicated backgrounds confusing matters.
At the end of each level there is a boss fight, and the ultimate showdown at the end of the story, which is hidden behind a pay wall of diamonds. There are four diamonds on each stage and to be able to unlock the last boss you need to fulfill the quota. If you die after the checkpoint, you will lose your diamonds, so if you’re short of diamonds you may need to start the stage again. Obviously, this makes play a lot harder having to collect diamonds which are strategically placed to put you in danger, especially if it is a timed level or a level where you are being chased.
After you have completed the story there is a further level to be unlocked which seems to require that you perfect every level, but I’m not quite sure what it is, and because the story had ended, I didn’t attempt this; Perhaps if achievements were added I might feel motivated to try! The story was incredibly basic, but it’s nice to have a semblance of a story to gel the game play together.
There are some great tunes constantly playing throughout which are fast, breezy and lift the mood. They are typical of old school arcade games and they change with each stage and boss battle.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2830106305
[h1]🕹️Gameplay🕹️[/h1]
Travelling in a side scrolling fashion, jumping on platforms, climbing ladders and breaking through walls, our character has up to five lives (but the default is four) on each level, to vanquish Grimoire’s army of evil minions. Each level has a checkpoint at the halfway stage. Losing all four lives returns you to this point, but you will lose all acquired diamonds that you gained in the first half of the section.
You have an array of combat skills to perform as you are navigating the levels.
[h2]🧻Roll🧻[/h2]
Whilst near an enemy, you can perform a roll attack which defeats enemies by rolling over them.
[h2]🔨Slam🔨[/h2]
Whilst above an enemy pressing down performs a slam attack.
[h2]🥊Tail Whip/Attack🥊[/h2]
The default attack is a tail whip. You can jump and whip to get flying enemies but sometimes you may have to climb ladders or jump on platforms, then jump and whip to reach them.
You can also obtain super powers by collecting the elemental spirits on each level. They provide you with a certain power for a short period of time.
[h2]🦸♂️Light, Freeze, Shock, Fire and Gale🦹♂️[/h2]
You can throw light and freeze at enemies and they will be killed; shock sends a lightning bolt from the sky killing enemies in its vicinity; Fire is very effective and sends a stream of fire across the screen killing all in its path, and gale provides a quick burst of speed whilst being invulnerable.
Whilst navigating the stages you have lots of fruit to collect. I’m really not sure why, as there is no score to accumulate and as far as I could tell they didn’t do anything. The game takes note of how many cherries you have collected but again I do not know why. If they do something then it was never explained.
[h2]🏃♂️Race Events🏃♀️[/h2]
[b]Within the six or so stages of every level, there is one timed event, and one chase event[/b]
Timed levels are a race against the clock. You have the option of collecting diamonds, or you can just rush through the level.
Chase events have an enemy constantly chasing you through the level. If they catch you, they will try and hit you and take one of your lives. The level isn’t over if they catch you, as you are able to avoid them, but this is quite difficult.
During the levels you will need to avoid obstacles, jump on platforms, break through walls using your roll or tail whip, time jumps onto floating and oscillating platforms, use trampolines to reach dizzy heights and even wall climb.
[h2]🤛Boss Fights🤜[/h2]
There is a boss fight at the end of each stage which you will need to complete to proceed. Most of the fights are very straightforward and easy to beat. There are only a couple which might provide a moderate challenge.
[h1]🍳Conclusion🍳[/h1]
[quote][h2][b] [i]Super Ember Kaboom[/i] is an enjoyable arcade experience. It keeps you on your toes with its fast and furious gameplay and is very cute and engaging.
It should appeal to everyone. Its generous checkpoint system will appease beginners, and the option to change the number of lives should cater for gamers who want more of a challenge.[/b][/h2][/quote]
