Chapter 6 is a much different chapter from the rest. Or well, perhaps it borrows from Chapter 4 in all the wrong ways.
Getting into Flower Fields, we understand immediately what our objective is- grow a beanstalk that'll get us to Cloudy Climb to fight Huff N. Puff. While the first two objectives are relatively easy, the Miracle Water requires a long, extensive fetch quest. Flower Fields is considered the dullest chapter in the game, and this is the major reason why. Only the Miracle Water is really as bad as people make it out, but it is still far longer and more tedious than it needs to be, not helped by how obviously chokey the design of the Fields are and how narrow the passages to avoid enemies are. And, of course, TTYD is infamous for a backtracking-intensive area with narrow passages swarming with Crazee Dayzees...
After finding the Miracle Water, the last objective to restore the Sun finally- finally- introduces Lakilester, the final party member. Not only is he really late in the chapter- only Bombette and Watt compete, and Bombette at least had Kooper to compensate- but arriving in Chapter 6 doesn't really allow Spike to make his mark. Which is a shame, because he had a pretty interesting story, buried under the less interesting parts with more focus. Spike is a victim of peer pressure, and the fact Huff does actually have a coolness factor makes this a story I'd like to see written here in Mario, even if I've probably seen it before. It would've fit the tone of the game pretty well, and it's far better than whatever they have with Lakilulu.
Huff N. Puff, that factor with the coolness in the music aside, is also not nearly as developed as he's been talked up to be. He put clouds in the sky that threatened the lives of the entire Flower Fields- yes, those stakes aren't normal for Mario. With that said, he loses his luster when you consider TTYD and SPM both raise the stakes, meaning "choking the sunlight out of plants" seems as small time as all the other villains are, doing things like erupting a volcano, stealing random stuff, eating ghosts and whatever the Koopa Bros. thought was mischief. Yes, Huff has the highest stakes of the story, but much like with the peer pressure possibilities, the game barely seems to consider the fact- and then there's Rosie who's happy to let it happen to satisfy her vanity. Huff, meanwhile, just doesn't have time to make personal appearances. Which is such a waste- Huff is a hive mind of some description, you could have him fly around to gloat with his Ruff Puffs. And hey, it's not like they look that different from Lakitu clouds...
Mechanically, Flower Fields isn't that interesting. These enemies have teched up, and one hit killing anything that isn't the Bzzap! is an ordeal that's not worth springing for. Spike could've been a helpful aid, with his cheap-ish AoE attack, but by the time he shows up, you really don't need to fight much of anything. The backtracking, and inventory management for the Berries, is free to eclipse what combat there is. I suppose it's meant to be a breather between 5 and 7, but with enemies like Crazees and Bzzap!, it's never going to accomplish that. It's a chapter that wants to be a few things that it isn't, and in the process ignoring a few better ideas it could've gone for instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment