Zupapa
Jan 24, 2011Whimsical is the best description of this game. You take your "ZuPaPa" and try and clear single frame stages of all the enemies on the screen through multiple levels. That's pretty much it. Like NitD, its very similar to Snow Bros (1990). All the levels are very light and colorful, each stage adheres to a particular theme (toy land, scary monsters, the circus, etc.). The actual plot of ZuPaPa! is non-existent. Your only purpose is to clear screens and rake up points. The game really doesn't need much else. ZuPaPa!'s unique point is its choice of weaponry. In addition to your ZuPaPa's punch, you can gather and use "Zooks," which are little creatures that resemble small ZuPaPas. Once the Zooks are gathered and thrown onto an enemy, they beat it until your character touches the enemy, causing it to explode in a blast radius relative to the number of Zooks on it (up to four). This forms the basis for chain reaction points and fighting bosses.
ZuPaPa! plays very smoothly, like a refined Snow Bros. The challenge is adequate, and will give veteran gamers a good work-out. Unlike Snow Bros and NitD, ZuPaPa! allows you to jump down a platform instead of just up. This takes away the annoying problem of getting trapped by enemies because their above you. The different ways of dispatching your enemies with or without Zooks gives the game variety and skill. There are a lot of ways to increase your points in this game. In addition to the bounty of bonus items, you get large bonuses for clearing multiple enemies with a single Zook-blast. Several of the power-ups deal directly with points -giving you points for something as simple as jumping or punching! There are also performance enhancing power-ups that allow ZuPaPa to move faster or throw more Zooks at one time. All in all, ZuPaPa! carries on the old video game tradition of playing to beat the high score. The 2-player mode adds even more replay.
ZuPaPa! is a game in the traditions of the old school: Giving players simple goals, decent graphics, and excellent gameplay to reach the prize. Even though the similar NitD was released in the previous year, I see no reason not to enjoy each. Of the two, ZuPaPa! is the better game: offering more replay, more variation and appealing characters. One of the things I noticed after beating the game is that the programmers had titled it "Episode 1." Its a shame there will probably never be a sequel. I, for one, would have looked forward to it.
