Beyond the campaign, there are three all new unlockable games, each of which start with Aban, Vampire Slayer Aban, Knight Aban, and Mario Aban unlocked (if you’re playing on a Nintendo console). All these lessons are layered and entangled into each other, allowing for a hearty depth of experience.ġ001 Spikes campaign mode has more than twice the content as the original game on XBLIG, but that’s just the start of the new stuff you’ll find here. Even farther in you discover the science of “working smarter not harder,” that by applying confidence and wisdom, you can breeze though challenges would have previously seemed insurmountable. This is acknowledged in Aban’s idle animation, where he looks at the player and shrugs his shoulders in confusion, letting you know that he’s also confused about how to best proceed.Ī few stages after that, and you learn that it’s sometimes safest to ponder as you run, as the safest looking hiding spots are often the most dangerous. A few stages in, and you’re encouraged to learn how to assess a stage before trying to run right into it. The first levels teach you how to use your jumps, attacks, and surroundings to your best advantage. Incredibly well balanced, dynamic changes to the way levels are designed are so gradual that you may not notice it, but there is a huge difference in the psychology of earlier levels compared to later ones. In many ways, it’s a game that comes off like a guillotine but is really a swing set at heart. It’s fitting that 1001 Spikes works so hard to seem so tough on the surface despite its underlying sweetness. It also willfully ignores the cuteness within, with cut scenes heavily inspired by the serious-but-silly NES Ninja Gaiden games. Though it looks like it could have been an NES game, 1001 Spikes is so packed with content and concepts that it couldn’t ever be contained by a conventional cartridge. Just when you think the game will have come up with the scariest, most insurmountable death trap possible, it will show you a new trap that’s even more nightmarish. Like so many things in 1001 Spikes, forethought is required to choose the jump that is least likely to lead to a death.Īlso like Tetris, 1001 Spikes offers seemingly endless variations on a theme of problems. High jumps may seem universally superior, but they aren’t always the best option. One button is for high jumps and the other for shorter hops. This is part of the thinking that went behind the game’s unconventional “two jump buttons control” scheme. You just need to apply the right moves into the right place at the right time, and all your problems go away. You don’t need incredible skills or luck to win. Those who can summon the bravery to risk the challenges here are bound to discover that they are capable of more than they had given themselves credit for.ġ001 Spikes is a game that frequently scares you into thinking that you are not good enough for it, but after powering through those initial moments of intimidation, you’ll find it’s no more frightening than Tetris. The game fights you nearly every step of the way, but it always fights fair, making each small victory feel like a life affirming success. 1001 Spikes is a game of endless danger, a place where eye contact with death is a near constant. He’s not going to stop until he shows the world that nobody and nothing can keep him down.Īban’s story is a perfect fit for the world of hurt he runs into headfirst. This is a man with something to prove and he doesn’t care how badly he’s going to get hurt in the process. Neglected and disrespected by his famous father and stuck in the shadow of his intelligent and responsible sister, he’s got every reason to be a grump. That anger makes me all the more similar to the game’s titular hero Aban Hawkins. I’m angry that I had to write this review of 1001 Spikes, as I would have rather spent this time playing more of it.
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