Mangavania

The new game Mangavania is neither a manga nor based on one. It’s also not a Metroidvania game, at least not in the traditional sense. In fact, everything about the name is a lie. A dirty, rotten, smelly lie. It’s also a lot of fun and I’m going to recommend it. Here’s my review of Mangavania.

This is the story of a young ninja named Yuhiko, who is on a mission through the underworld in a last-ditch effort to find a cure for his brother’s illness. Through twenty challenging stages, he’ll fight undead monsters, save the lost souls and take on two wonderfully-designed bosses in order to save a family member.

Mangavania is one of those very simple and cheap throwback games that we’re used to seeing from publisher Sometimes You. If that name sends a shiver down your spine, don’t worry, because this is one of the better games from the infamous company. Yes, it’s a simple action/platformer with moves and abilities we’ve seen in countless other games, yet it handles well and is clearly made by somebody who knows a thing or two about great level construction.

The goal in most levels is fairly straight-forward: You explore the self-contained, non-linear stages in order to track down a set number of red bats, which will open up the exit door that will send you to the next stage, where you’ll do the exact same thing again. Obviously, there are a lot of enemies and obstacles that will get in the way, as well as a lost soul that is hidden away in every level.

Yuhiko may be young, but there are more than enough moves to get the job done. Beyond the typical sword attacks and a few wall jumps, we’re able to buy a few helpful abilities that will make every level a lot easier. Yuhiko will be able to double jump, dash forward and even use a bow and arrow to hit far away enemies and targets. Although optional at first, the game will start to require these upgrades for the puzzle solving. For example, you’ll want a ranged weapon for the exploding enemies and a dash move to reach the harder platforms.

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In case you haven’t noticed, these moves and abilities come straight out of a typical Metroidvania game. However, as far as the structure goes, this is not your typical Metroidvania game. Normally, there would be one big map you would poke around, with the goal of picking up new items or powers that will open up new sections to explore. It’s a tried and true formula, so you expect certain things when you see the genre tag. By splitting up the game into twenty small, bite-sized stages, Mangavania ditches most of the genre tropes. In fact, I’m just going to say that this is not a Metroidvania game, at least not in the way most people expect.

The game is also not a manga, but at least it goes for a stylish black and white look that evokes the spirit of the books. Sadly, the game misses a big opportunity by not having manga-style panels to help fill in the story. Perhaps this is asking too much, seeing as this comes from a first-time developer, but with a name like Mangavania, you can’t help but want to see a few panels here and there.

As a first-time developer, Alexander Nikolaev has a lot to be proud of. The important thing is that he gets all of the basics right. Mangavania is a good playing platformer with precise handling and easy gameplay. Every time I died, it was because I did something wrong or I missed the jump. There were no cheap deaths and I never once fumbled around with the controls. I also think the level designs are clever and fun to explore. They are never so large that you’ll get lost, yet they are always large enough to make you feel like you earned something when finally opening up the exit gate. The stages are full of unique obstacles and Alexander doesn’t attempt the same trick too many times. There may only be twenty stages, but there’s a surprising amount of variety between them.

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I am also really impressed with the boss designs. I think the second one you face is genuinely creepy looking, and I love how it ties into something we saw in the regular levels. Unfortunately, I didn’t find these boss encounters to be much fun to play, but they are mercifully short, allowing us to get back to the good stuff in a hurry.

Most of my other problems with the game can likely be attributed to the developer’s time, budget and inexperience. A good example of this is the background, something that doesn’t change from beginning to end. While I love the level designs, the actual background is a bit bland. It would have been nice to see it go from night to day as we traveled through the 20 stages. I also wish Mangavania came with an options menu, allowing me to adjust the music, add filters and maybe even adjust the button configuration. This is pretty much standard in most games, so it’s disappointing that there’s no option menu here.

Thankfully, the few issues I have with the game are hardly deal-breakers. Yes, it would be nice to have manga-inspired cinemas, more levels and better backgrounds, but first-time developers can only be so ambitious. Instead of biting off more than he could chew, Alexander delivered a fun action game with enjoyable level designs and great gameplay. That’s a win in my book, which is why I have no problem recommending the dubiously-titled Mangavania.