Welcome to Fairytale Fig... Scarygirl
XBLA and PSN have had some fantastic platform games in recent years from the brain mangling Braid to the sinister horror of Limbo. Great as these games were, neither had the added ingredient so dear to a Co-Optimus reader’s heart – co-op. Scarygirl could be the balm for this, as it combines the quirky ideals of these two great games and throws in local two player drop in/drop out co-op throughout. However, as witnessed many times on this very site, the addition of co-op in a game often makes it better, but it cannot paper over basic problems.
On booting up Scarygirl the first thing you notice is the excellent art style, based on the work of artist Nathan Jurevicius. Scarygirl is a Nightmare Before Christmas style creation of cute mixed with the macabre. After discussions with a giant octopus (her pal) Scarygirl sets out across a series of levels that sometimes branch off on different plains – 2D meets 3D. Scarygirl uses her tentacle like arm as a whip to hit enemies. After a while they will be stunned and she can grab them to use as a cudgel or throw at other enemies. Scarygirl jumps, bashes and runs through a series of artistic looking levels, until reaching the area’s boss.
Great art alone is not longer enough to sell a downloadable game, as so many of these games look stunning. It is invariably the basic mechanics that make or break the game; the visuals are the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, the Scarygirl cake seems to have been made out of mud and disappointment. After the art, it is the combat and jumping you are struck by the most; the fact they are poorly designed is a real point of failure. The weird floaty controls brought back unwanted memories of Fairytale Fights. Suddenly the visuals and music did too. Comparing a game to the fun, yet deeply flawed, Fairytale Fights is not a good thing, but like that game perhaps the experience would benefit from the co-op?
Scarygirl has tentacles? I thought you said something else
Co-Optimus always says you should not fight a boss alone. Therefore, the introduction of the second player local drop in/drop out co-op is a real aid. The second player takes on the mantle of a mysterious kung fu rabbit who aids Scarygirl. He plays slightly differently than Scarygirl, using his paws as weapons, rather than a whip. With two players working together the game gets easier, especially against some of the difficult boss fights. As with many games, playing as a twosome proves more fun, but the co-op is not implemented as cleanly as it could be.
In terms of straight forward play, the co-op is perfectly adequate; players can use special co-op moves to wipe out a foe. However, there are a couple of little issues that make the second player feel more like Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, than a real co-op equal. Firstly, if Scarygirl runs too far off the screen Player 2 is zapped and warped forwards – the reverse does not apply. This is happening in an increasing number of local co-op games, but it is still irritating. Another flaw is a blessing and a curse; the Game Over screen only appears when Scarygirl dies. This means that if player 2 was to perish they are respawned at the next check point. Great if you want to go gung ho on a boss, but it does make you feel like the unwanted child of the game, as your presence is almost ghost like.
Scarygirl’s co-op is a reasonably implemented part of the game that enhances the overall experience. There are faults with it, but the co-op is functional. However, as good as the co-op is (or is not), it can only sit on top of the single player experience and it is here that Scarygirl suffers. The art is great to look at, but almost every other element of the game is average at best, substandard at worst. The thought of having to use floaty jumping to take on endless dull enemies is not particularly appealing. The co-op makes these basic flaws slightly better, but not enough to make the game more than average.
Editor's Note: The Co-Optimus Co-Op Review of Scarygirl was based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.