Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? – PSP – Preview

A spin-off of the Disgaea franchise,
Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero? puts you in control of one of the charming
penguin characters from the series as you embark on a mission to save the world
through a variety of highly difficult 2D stages. So difficult, in fact, that you
are given 1,000 Prinnies to throw under the wheels as you see fit throughout the
game. However, old-school gamers are likely to have a blast with this one, due
to its fun and frantic gameplay and intense difficulty.

The gameplay in Prinny is dirt
simple. A side-scrolling action game, your Prinnies have a few moves to attack
their enemies, including ground pounds and sword combos. You’ll also have access
to several vehicles, collect hidden items throughout the game’s ten stages, and
On the whole the game is a very traditional platformer, and an extremely tough
one, bringing to mind other hardcore side-scrollers like Metal Slug and Contra.


While other games have utilized some
type of time passage before, Prinny has a very interesting approach to this. As
you play, the game will switch between three different time periods: morning,
evening and night. However, the change is not just aesthetic, as the game’s
difficulty will ramp up substantially when the time gets later. Additionally
there will be some subtle changes in each level’s layout when the time of day
changes.

Prinny doesn’t play coy about its
difficulty level. The game is so aware of its own high difficulty that it
actually gives you 1000 lives from the outset. The game also features the same
sense of humor as the Disgaea series, with plenty of in-jokes for fans of NIS’s
popular strategy-RPG franchise.


Graphically, the game is pretty
solid. The character models are 2D sprites that are rendered with a nice
cartoony look to them, while the side-scrolling environments are 3D polygons.
The game sticks with the aesthetic of the Disgaea franchise, and looks pretty
good.

Prinny is truly shaping up to be a
pleasant surprise and a great addition to the PSP library. The game’s
out-of-control difficulty and charming and funny characters will undoubtedly
appeal to the hardcore legions of gamers, as well as fans of the Disgaea
universe. Look for Prinny to become a hero this February.