You are Superb Joe, some sort of pink jester with a grappling hook, tasked by Streemerz Command to do reach the top of a tower for reasons unknown. To be honest, I have no idea what this game is about, all I know is that I desperately want to reach the next screen.
Streemerz was made as part of the 'Action 52 Owns' project. Action 52 was milticart pack for the NES which included 52 incredibly rubbish games for a low, low price. This project aims to remake those games properly, and turn them all into small slices or retro heaven. One down, 51 to go.
It's a three button game, you can walk left, you can walk right and you can launch a grappling hook into the air at a set angle by tapping x. The mechanics are simple but moving through each screen takes plenty of skill, and a lot of repeatedly dying, then going "nnnngh!", then respawning even more determined to nail it.
The grappling hook felt like a nightmare to begin with, but after a few minutes of experimentation I learned that I could shimmy up walls by tapping the x key and then launch myself across a room with a quick spin shot. Pretty soon I could get through a room without even touching the floor.
It's not an easy game, playing through the story mode meant instantly dying to flying pies and glowing energy balls, but there are checkpoints every room or so and the satisfaction gained from acrobatically defeating a seemingly impossible room makes up for the insta-death frustrations. It's a good one for speed run enthusiasts and anyone who fancies some retro platforming action with a ridiculous sense of humour. And by ridiculous, I mean that on of the first tutorial tips you receive is "Do not touch Mister Y's balls!". Wise advice.
