Awesome Pea brings the GameBoy nostalgia back into our pockets
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What’s one of the main features of the original GameBoy, besides requiring a pack of batteries every day? That greenish screen that made it impossible to play outside unless under some sort of shade.
Developed by Pidgeon Dev Games, Awesome Pea reminds me of those times where videogames were simple but challenging. Where the original Megaman was still difficult and you could play exclusive classics such as Wario World. But now with the main advantage that you can play it on a PlayStation Vita, outside, and with far better battery life.
Awesome Pea is not the most complicated game around: you jump around, avoid touching anything that involves spikes or animations and get to the end of the level. Each level takes around 1 to 2 minutes to complete, which sounds about the same as most mobile games nowadays (short), but that’s only if you’re successful. There are no lives or checkpoints; you’ll get back to the beginning until you complete everything so be prepared to restart the level a lot . Like its “modern” counterpart, you’ll only complete a level after you collect all the coins and diamonds, which will then reward you with that sweet trophy.
Some levels spike their difficulty by using dickish moves such as surprise quicker mill-saws and by increasing their length. Level 1-3 in particular occur fairy early in the game and yet feel like a giant leap. Just getting to the end of the level is a challenge and completing it 100% will award you with a simple bronze trophy (which could easily be a silver one).
The aesthetics of Awesome Pea make me nostalgic for games such as the original Wario World or the more recent title Tiny Dangerous Dungeons. I played with the default CRT-effect and tube-effect for an extra retro feel!
Frame-rate is consistent and smooth. Moving the character around is responsive. Jumping feels like the character is floating a bit but you can freely control the direction mid-air and adjust your landing.
Sound and music wise, you can expect the same GameBoy nostalgia vibes. Whilst not the most memorable of tunes, it complements the game well.
For the price of £4.99, I’d say you get a nice challenge. The installation requires no more than 125.57 MB, which makes it small enough even for the 4GB card.
Play if …
- You want the nostalgia of the original GameBoy era
- You like simple games
- You want a game where the challenge is to complete every single goal in the level
- You’re fond of the colour green!
Avoid if …
- You want more detailed graphics
- You want a deeper story (or a story at all)
- You want a game with more complex mechanics