Official Score
Overall - 70%
70%
Those weaned on a diet of Adult Swim and Gainax will find much to love in SUPER BENBO QUEST: TURBO DELUXE. The anime girl heroine might not have the best moveset for the job, but the avant-garde stylings and off-the-wall humor boldly stand out amidst the sea of platformers on the Steam marketplace.
Fans of late-night Adult Swim shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and 12 oz. Mouse will feel right at home with Thumbtack’s over-the-top platform SUPER BENBO QUEST: TURBO DELUXE. It’s certainly random and in-your-face, but does it play well too?
SUPER BENBO QUEST: TURBO DELUXE Review
It’s the year 2101 and everything is at peace…until the infinite skeleton hell army and its floating skull head leader decide to take over. As “some fuckin anime girl,” it’s up to you to head out and knock some skulls together. Told in brief cutscenes both during and after levels, the plot here is overly random. Typos, internet slang, cursing, and text outside out of the text box are all commonplace, but there’s something to be said about how bold the game is. It’s over-the-top humor is certainly not for everyone, but the endless explosions, Dragon Ball Z-like stock effects, and screaming had us laughing our heads off throughout the entire game.
This avant-garde approach is applied to every facet of the game. Textured are repeated, warped, and are even missing in parts, while other enemies are made of a single sprite. Don’t be fooled though – these design choices were most certainly a conscious decision. Sure, seeing assets from the first level haphazardly featured later on might throw you for a loop, but things here were handled with care. It’s more ironic than a lack of effort.
The gameplay is fairly standard, with an emphasis on flair. The main character has an attack and a jump button, but can also do a dash, spin kick, divekick, wall jump, and dash punch. Controls work as they should, but the range of her attacks is dreadfully short. As a result, taking down enemies forces players to get up close and personal. This might be fine on a random skull baddie, but each of the bosses force you to rush in, attack, and run away before the next attack. There is a method to the madness, with enemy and boss patterns, but the lasers and projectiles will test your patience. Thankfully, lives are infinite and checkpoints are plentiful. The main character also gets access to a motorcycle during certain sections, but the constantly scrolling gameplay will not appeal to all.
From start to finish, the game will run you a few hours. There is no filler to speak of, and the healthy challenge keeps things interesting throughout.
Those weaned on a diet of Adult Swim and Gainax will find much to love in SUPER BENBO QUEST: TURBO DELUXE. The anime girl heroine might not have the best moveset for the job, but the avant-garde stylings and off-the-wall humor boldly stand out amidst the sea of platformers on the Steam marketplace.
