Welcome back to Beyond Co-Op Reviews, our critical look at games that don't feature co-op modes.
This month we're reviewing the long-awaited sequel to Windjammers, a cult classic futuristic sports game, as well as a party game that will either make you feel like a genius or a dullard: the Nintendo Switch-exclusive Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain! With so many games to choose from, let us help you find the best non-cooperative games in our Beyond Co-Op Reviews!
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain (Switch)
“A big part of the new game’s longevity comes from customizing the player’s character and unlocking new parts for it… Having set up their characters from the limited pool of starting options, players will then be able to earn coins and unlock up to 300 clothing items.”
Windjammers 2 (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC)
“Multiplayer is where Windjammers has always shined – competing against someone of similar skill level beats battling the ruthless AI any day of the week.”
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC)
“The biggest difference between Wonder Labyrinth and Symphony of the Night is the Ikaruga-like spirit system. Deedlit soon acquires both wind and fire spirits that imbue her with special powers.”
Trophy (Xbox and NES)
“Ever since the dawn of arcade games, games have cloned and imitated more successful games. Trophy is just such a game, an unabashed Mega Man-style platformer.”
Download codes were provided by each of the publishers in this feature.
Beyond Co-op Review - Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. BrainReview by: Paul Acevedo
Back in the Nintendo DS days, Nintendo developed a pair of brain game titles: Big Brain Academy and Brain Age. Whereas the latter never saw any iterations outside of the DS, Big Brain Academy got its first sequel on the Wii U. Several years later, the third game in the series, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, has arrived on Switch. As the subtitle indicates, this entry boasts a multiplayer focus, but single-player hasn’t been forgotten either.
A big part of the new game’s longevity comes from customizing the player’s character and unlocking new parts for it. Before hopping into multiplayer, I strongly recommend that everyone in the household take the time to set up characters in single-player. You need an actual Switch profile in order to create a character and earn progress – otherwise, you’ll be stuck playing as a guest. Having set up their characters from the limited pool of starting options, players will then be able to earn coins and unlock up to 300 clothing items. These include clothes, headwear, and facial accessories.
The single-player portion of Brain vs. Brain consists of the returning Practice and Test modes, plus the new Ghost Clash and the unlockable Super Practice modes. Practice is where players can learn to play the minigames that appear across all modes. Super Practice, which consists of higher-difficulty versions of the regular minigames, unlocks once a gold medal has been achieved in all 20 Practice minigames. Ghost Clash lets the solo player compete against online players’ ghosts, which is both enjoyable and the best way to earn coins for customization items. Test puts the player through one minigame from each category and then awards a handful of brain ratings based on performance. The Rankings option compares the scores of all local and online friends.
Brain vs. Brain’s minigames come in the same five categories as the original, but each category now has four unique games instead of just three. Most of the minigames are quite fun, like Whack Match, which works like whack-a-mole but with specific targets; Covered Cages, a version of the shell game with birds; and Train Turn, in which players choose the missing pieces of a train track. The only dud in the bunch is Tick-Tock Turn. In this returning DS minigame, players must quickly calculate times on a clock and then rotate the clock hands to the correct position. Not only is the math genuinely tough, but the analog stick controls for rotating the hands don’t provide nearly as much accuracy as the DS version’s stylus controls. All minigames are timed, so losing seconds to the fiddly stick controls on Tick-Tock Turn is a pain.
Party is where you’ll find Brain vs. Brain’s local multiplayer modes. When playing with only two players, you can select a head-to-head mode with touch-screen controls. Otherwise, Party supports playing with controllers for 2-4 players. The party can opt to select minigames by either spinning a wheel or manual selection, as well as setting the game length from 1-5 minigames. Handicap options are intended to level the playing field when playing with children and non-gamers, though it seems nearly impossible to win when selecting even one difficulty higher than the other players. Party offers a great time, but, unlike all other modes, Party players don’t earn coins for unlocking customization items. Given that you’re doing the same thing in both single-player and multiplayer, there’s no reason for multiplayer games to go unrewarded.
Given the scarcity of prominent brain games on modern consoles, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a truly standout title. The cartoony visuals create a pleasant, welcoming atmosphere that should appeal to family members of all ages. Most of the minigames are simple to learn but have lots of room for improvement and mastery, adding plenty of replay value. As long as you like unlocking customization parts and/or have friends and family to compete against, you’ll get hours of brain-bending entertainment from Brain vs. Brain. The very fair $30 launch price doesn’t hurt, either!
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain sells for $29.99 in digital and physical formats.
Our Rating: 4 out of 5
Beyond Co-op Review: Windjammers 2Review by: Paul Acevedo
Way back in 1994, Data East released a futuristic sports game called Windjammers for the Neo Geo arcade system. Dotemu would later revive the property by porting it to PlayStation, Switch, and iiRcade. Thanks to Windjammers’ status as a cult hit, Dotemu announced a sequel in 2018. It took a long time to happen, but Windjammers 2 has finally arrived on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.
In Windjammers 2, players select from 10 athletes and one hidden character (up from the original’s roster of six athletes) and then compete in a one-on-one, futuristic version of air hockey/Pong. Rather than a ball, the game is played with a throwing disc. Each player guards a goal with multiple scoring zones. The location of the zones varies by arena, with some zones worth three points and others worth five. Matches consist of up to three timed sets/rounds, with the game ending when one competitor wins two sets.
The core gameplay is simple enough to learn – catch the disc, throw it into the opposing side’s goal, and occasionally charge up a powerful super shot. Windjammers 2 uses three buttons for regular shots (up from the first game’s two) and adds the ability to jump. Jumping is an advanced mechanic that mostly comes into play when receiving lobs. Learning the ins and outs of the game would be a lot easier with a dedicated training mode. There’s a “How to Play” section which briefly explains the various mechanics, but interactive tutorials would be so much more effective.
Windjammers 2’s modes include single-player Arcade, local Versus, and Online multiplayer. The arcade mode is more robust than that of the original game. Between matches, players now visit a slick-looking map screen where they can select the next opponent and play the occasional minigame. Arcade offers three difficulty levels, though the easiest difficulty is still pretty tough for me as someone who barely played the first game. You only get two continues – a needless restriction that makes things even less forgiving.
Multiplayer is where Windjammers has always shined – competing against someone of similar skill level beats battling the ruthless AI any day of the week. Online mode features cross-play between Xbox and Steam (Switch is oddly excluded), though the game lacks a way to invite specific players from a different platform, limiting the coolness of the feature. The rollback netcode is quite solid when playing against someone from the same region, though latency apparently becomes an issue with international players. One big omission for an esports-style game like this is a spectator mode. Hopefully, Dotemu will add one in the future.
While this sequel’s presentation really shines (the 2D graphics, music, sound, and menus are all fantastic), it still feels light on content. An additional single-player mode, the ability to select the minigames outside of Arcade mode, and maybe even a 2-on-2 mode would have all been welcome additions. Hardcore players will certainly spend tons of time in online multiplayer, but the steep learning curve and lack of content won’t help ease new players in.
Windjammers 2 costs $19.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass at the time of this writing, so give it a try!
Our Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Beyond Co-op Review - Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder LabyrinthReview by: Paul Acevedo
Record of Lodoss War is an early 1990s anime, manga, and novel series based on a Japanese pen-and-paper RPG session. The anime is fondly remembered as a rare example of serious Lords of the Rings-style fantasy in the medium as well as for its gorgeous artwork and iconic characters. One such character is Deedlit the elf, who now stars in her own Metroidvania game from Team Ladybug and Playism. Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth initially launched on Steam Early Access before eventually launching in full on both consoles and PC.
As the game opens, Deedlit awakens in the mysterious Wonder Labyrinth. She has no memory of how she got there. Before long, she begins to encounter characters from the original OVA series, though they mostly utter cryptic hints before running away. The mystery of where Deedlit is and what has happened to her friends (and even enemies) propels this Metroidvania platformer. You don’t need to have seen the anime or read the books to enjoy the game, but you’ll get more out of the story if you’re familiar with the property.
Metroidvanias generally owe a lot to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and few games draw as much obvious inspiration from Konami’s masterpiece as Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The sprites look just like those of SOTN (right down to the colored trail that follows the protagonist), which isn’t exactly a bad thing. Gameplay initially feels a lot like SOTN, but it diverges before too long. For instance, Deedlit isn’t limited to just swords and other melee weapons; she specializes in bows as well. Arrows hurt enemies, but they’re also essential for solving puzzles. Many rooms and hallways contain switches that can only be triggered by reflecting arrows in just the right way. These arrow puzzles are fun, though perhaps too numerous for their own good.
The biggest difference between Wonder Labyrinth and SOTN is the Ikaruga-like spirit system. Deedlit soon acquires both wind and fire spirits that imbue her with special powers. The wind spirit lets her float across gaps and even hover in the air. The fire spirit makes Deedlit invulnerable while sliding. These spirits also imbue our heroine’s attacks with elemental properties. Some enemies resist fire, some resist wind. Obstacles and enemy attacks often share one of the two elements as well. By switching to a matching element on the fly, Deedlit can avoid harm from these threats. The system takes a little getting used to, but it’s both rewarding and essential for surviving boss fights.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a bit short and easy as Metroidvanias go, though that’s hardly a problem. Exploring the labyrinth and uncovering its mysteries while collecting upgrades for Deedlit offers just as good a time as one would hope. While beating the game only takes about 10 hours, collecting all of the weapons, uncovering the full map, and completing the unlockable boss rush (all of which have Achievements) will extend the experience for dedicated players. I’d have loved a bigger-budget game (with voice acting) set during the original “Grey Witch” saga depicted by the anime, but Wonder Labyrinth serves as a surprising and welcome follow-up to that saga.
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth sells for $24.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, and $19.99 on Steam. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass at the time of this writing.
Our Rating: 4 out of 5
Beyond Co-op Review: TrophyReview by: Paul Acevedo
While the cartridge-based consoles of yesteryear have long since ceased production, a small number of dedicated indie developers continue to make games for retired systems. One such game is Trophy, a new cartridge-based game for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System from developer Gradual Games and publisher 8-Bit Legit. Trophy is also available for Xbox at a reasonable price, hence this review.
Trophy begins with an overlong introduction featuring some unpleasant-looking faux Japanese artwork. The opening narrative is way too wordy, but it boils down to an evil scientist guy on a robot planet launching a bid to conquer Earth. A good scientist and a friendly robot decide to oppose the villain by fusing into one being, the titular protagonist, Trophy. Thankfully, the in-game pixel art looks much better and more authentic than the intro, and there are no mid-game cinematics to bog things down.
Kill it with fire!
Ever since the dawn of arcade games, games have cloned and imitated more successful games. Trophy is just such a game, an unabashed Mega Man-style platformer. Players select from 8 levels and then begin a platforming adventure that closely resembles the first Mega Man in complexity and feel. The protagonist runs, jumps, climbs ladders, and cannot duck, just like Capcom's legendary Blue Bomber. A key difference, though, is that Trophy doesn’t gain weapons from defeated bosses.
Stage order still holds some importance, though, because of hidden upgrades. At least five levels contain health and weapon upgrades that are found off the beaten path (see my guide for locations). The weapon upgrades make the hero’s projectiles larger when his health is full, which helps a lot against regular enemies but not so much at bosses. Regular enemies occasionally drop trophies that refill health or extra lives. Because enemies respawn whenever the player scrolls the screen, it’s possible (and important) to farm health and lives when the going gets rough.
Speaking of rough, Trophy’s bosses are simultaneously impressive and frustrating. Graphically, these rude robots are huge and marvelous to behold. Unfortunately, they’re also ridiculous bullet sponges. Boss life meters, as seen in Mega Man and like a million other games, are sorely missed here. You can’t tell how much health a boss has; their appearance and behavior never change. It's hard to count accurately, but each boss must take 30 or more shots to defeat. The fights go on so long, half the challenge comes from the boredom of repetition.
Repetition aside, the second level’s boss (pictured above) also happens to be obnoxiously difficult. A giant magnet, it grabs players and launches them in an uncontrollable direction, often straight into the central pit. This boss is so bad that it hurts the overall quality of the game, not unlike level 3 in the original Battletoads. Even saving the magnet boss for last and collecting all the known upgrades, I still can’t beat that stupid thing. Maybe I could if it required less than a million billion bullets to kill it.
Given that Trophy is a modern NES game first and an Xbox game second, it lacks some of the bells and whistles that retro releases often offer on today's consoles. There are no widescreen borders, for instance. Not a dealbreaker, but the sky-colored borders sometimes make it difficult to tell where the edges of the screen lie. There’s no saving, either – you get a password whenever you run out of lives. Passwords are a hassle in any era, especially given that some NES games do support saving. That said, the passwords here make it easy for Achievement hunters to get all but one Achievement right away, which is handy if you’re not intent on legitimately beating the game.
Gradual Games and 8-Bit Legit’s Trophy is a pretty good retro platformer that gets let down by its poor boss fights. If the battles didn’t last so horrendously long and the magnet boss wasn’t so frustrating, this game would be an easy recommendation. The Mega Man-style gameplay is challenging but fun, the backgrounds are nicely detailed, and some levels even feature parallax scrolling. Buy this game if you’re craving a nut-kicking NES experience on Xbox or plan to use the password system for Achievements. I’ll be hoping for a sequel with better boss battles and, perhaps, a greater variety of weapons to wield.
Trophy sells for $9.99 on Xbox. The physical NES version costs $59.99.
Our Rating: 3 out of 5