Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined
Format: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Age limit: 7
Rating: 4/5
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“Pocky & Rocky, which ones?” you may be wondering. And who can blame you, because the old shoot ’em up games are rather obscure games that are not much talked about today.
But if ever there was a good opportunity to get acquainted with the unequal duo, consisting of a Japanese girl and a raccoon dog, it is now for the 30th anniversary. With Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined are they back in the spotlight again, in a game that is supposed to satisfy most people out there with a taste for old-fashioned pixelaction.
Reshrined has just like the old 90’s original roots in the shoot ’em up genre, but with the twist that instead of maneuvering an aircraft on automatically scrolling runways – which is how you might normally imagine it – you freely control a character down to ground level . Otherwise, it is as much about parrying projectiles and destroying enemies as in any genre colleague.
Reshrined is neither a remake nor a completely new game, but more of a reinterpretation with equal parts reused (albeit in modified form) and newly created elements; a hybrid that is just as suitable for new players as nostalgic fans.
The presentation is exceptionally well done with lovely pixel graphics full of personality and variety in environments and figures. The degree of challenge is typically harsh but not unfair or impossible. It is above all a matter of learning to read the movement patterns of the enemies and to be economical with their special abilities.
It’s a shame it’s so fleeting, just. But it is a joy as long as it lasts.
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