Nintendo just released three games on their Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack’s Game Boy Advance app. Let’s have a look!
Game Boy Advance App
| Game | Genre | # of Players | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Densetsu no Starfy | Platformer | 1 | C+ |
tl;drOtherwise known as The Legendary Starfy, this previously Japan-only game is really adorable and features fairly simple gameplay that draws comparison to the Kirby series. However, for such simple gameplay it’s absolutely loaded with (untranslated) text, which doesn’t hinder its playability but drags down its pacing. This one is still worth a look for Platformer fans, but it’s hardly a great of the genre. | |||
| Densetsu no Starfy 2 | Platformer | 1 | B- |
tl;drThis game has all the charm of its predecessor, but with better level design and somewhat better pacing. There’s still a lot of untranslated text though. | |||
| Densetsu no Starfy 3 | Platformer | 1-4 Competitive Minigames (Local / Online) | B |
tl;drAgain, it’s untranslated, but this series keeps getting better, with better level design and now gorgeous multilevel scrolling backgrounds. | |||
Of the entire Starfy series, only the fifth game, on Nintendo DS, ever got localized for the West, and that’s a shame, both because these games are pretty good but also because they’re loaded with text.
You don’t need to know how to read Japanese to play – there’s enough to go on here that you can figure out what to do based on context alone, or resort to a guide if you absolutely need to. However, these games are still filled with enough of this text that it breaks up the pacing quite a bit, all for story that we English-speakers can’t partake in.
Still, that complaint aside, this is still a trio of solid games, and the series keeps getting better as it progresses, with the third game in particular being a real star here (ha), to the point where I would argue it’s worth it to put up with the lack of translation just to play a trio of good games that have previously only been available in the West to importers and pirates.
All in all, this is a pretty good selection for the app, considering both quality and prior lack of availability.
tl;dr – The Game Boy Advance app gets three previously Japan-only Legendary Starfy games this month, and while the abundance of untranslated Japanese text is frustrating, it’s well worth putting up with to enjoy a trio of solid games that just keep getting better as the series progresses. Definitely worth a try if you have the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack!
You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!
This month’s sponsors are Ben, Ilya Zverev, Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Jared Wark, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!
eShopperReviews 
Leave a comment