Space World 2001 Hands-onSabre Wulf

Long before Rare became Nintendo's ultimate second-party powerhouse, the European development studio existed under the name Ultimate, and it developed various computer games for several different early '80s platforms. Now, the company is remaking one of its classic Spectrum and Commodore 64 games for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance.

Sabre Wulf is a platform-style puzzle game that challenges you, as Sabreman, to retrieve various items being held by your archnemesis, Sabrewulf. As you progress from level to level, the objective remains the same: Grab the item (or in some cases, the person) that Sabrewulf is holding captive, then run like hell back to the level's entrance before Sabrewulf catches and subsequently kills you.

To make your way through the levels, you'll have to pick up various little creatures along the way, each of which can help you traverse different terrain if used properly. In the build at Space World 2001, we saw a spongy little creature that lets you bounce up to high platforms when you jump on its head, as well as a large portable platform that can be used to navigate wide gaps that normal jumps can't handle. When you need to use one of these creatures, the action stops while you place the item in exactly the right spot. The game also has an overworld, which moves you from level to level and also features towns and the like.

Graphically, Sabre Wulf looks pretty nice for a GBA game. The characters and graphics all have that Donkey Kong Country-like prerendered style. This makes for colorful backgrounds and smooth animation.

The version of Sabre Wulf displayed at Space World was only 65 percent complete, but it already looked and played rather well. The game is currently scheduled to be released in Japan sometime next year.