We recently reported on the new Mega Man-inspired Berserk Boy heading to Switch and Steam on March 6th 2024. It’s developer Berserk Boy Games‘ first title and takes inspiration from the Mega Man series, especially in the aesthetic and audio departments. It’s not a simple clone though, Berserk Boy has many features that stand it apart and it’s certainly its own game. We’ve been sent the Switch version for review.
The story is set in the distant future when a mad scientist and his army of darkness seek to enslave the people of Earth. Hope for all humanity rests with The Resistance. Enter Kei, a rookie hero who is transformed by mysterious Orb energy into Berserk Boy.
The game starts with a choice between difficulty modes. the modern is more forgiving and gives infinite lives as well as fewer enemies. The retro mode is more in line with the classic action platformers of the 90s featuring life counters, more enemies and overall more challenging gameplay.
Controlling Berserk Boy takes some getting used to due to a clever combo system that becomes more critical to master as the game progresses. Instead of shooting enemies, Berserk Boy uses hand-to-hand combat which starts by rushing into enemies, building a combo, and then finishing with a different button press to finally destroy the enemy.
It sounds quite complex and it will take a short while to get your head around. Once mastered, however, you will be flying all over the screen aiming your rushes at enemies and finding ways to keep the combo going. Berserk Boy also utilises very Mega Man-influenced wall slide, jump and dash moves that you can slowly upgrade as you progress.
As you beat bosses, you’ll acquire new suits to morph into on-the-fly. Each suit has its unique moves that allow you to access areas that were previously blocked off. This is a great mechanic that adds longevity to Berserk Boy as it encourages you to go back and retry levels to find new secrets. The main reason to travel back is to find all the humans that have become trapped since the alien invasion.
It’s not just new moves and abilities that the suits grant as each one has a powerful special move that is charged up by defeating enemies. Once you fill the meter you can use the specials to clear the screen or deal out large damage to bosses. These super moves become vital in the later game as enemies and bosses have more health and are much tougher to defeat.
The other interesting game mechanic is an energy meter that controls how much you can attack or rush at any one time. It refills when you stand still and it creates a great situation where you’ll need to balance how many moves you put into a combo so as not to leave yourself vulnerable. It gives a fantastic risk-reward situation that throws you between scoring big combos and keeping safe.
After each level ends, you have the chance to visit a scientist in his lab that acts as an upgrade shop. Collecting small blue orbs during the levels adds to the in-game currency and allows you to upgrade your suits with new moves, extra attacks as well the usual extra energy and health upgrades. This also encourages you to explore the levels fully to collect as many orbs so you can unlock everything.
Graphically, Bersek Boy hits all the notes you’d expect from a retro-inspired title but goes beyond that to make full use of the modern tech on offer. Lush, bold visuals with an overload of colours and tight animation give Berserk Boy a polished look with enough nostalgia to please most fans. The only criticism is that some of the bosses look a little small on screen and it would’ve been great to see more large sprites to give some ‘wow’ moments.
The music is equally as pleasing with good use of chiptune-esque stylings with enough nostalgic beats that will bring you right back to the Mega Man games. The way the music switches up for boss battles is excellent and you get a real feeling of intensity as the colours and music ramp up. The overall presentation is one of the best things about Berserk Boy and real care and attention has been paid to balancing the old with the new.
There is a lot to love about Berserk Boy. Any gamer who has fond memories of the Blue Bomber, especially the Mega Man X series, should consider this a must-play. Those who enjoy a well-made action platformer will have a real blast finding all the secrets and trying out all the moves and attacks on offer.
The game is just about long enough to warrant being great value for money, while the replayability shouldn’t be dismissed as you will need to complete levels to see the entire game. As far as maiden releases go, Berserk Boy is a fantastic title that balances retro and modern enough to create a fun and engaging platforming romp.
