TGS 2003 Astro Boy: Tetsuwan Atom Impressions

Today at Sega's Tokyo Game Show booth we got a look at Astro Boy: Tetsuwan Atom, a Game Boy Advance action game based on the classic Japanese cartoon character of the same name. The game seems to feature a good mixture of gameplay styles and gives plenty of nods to the original series as well.

The version of Astroboy we played started out with a standard side-scrolling action stage that pitted Astroboy against waves of drone-like enemies. He can use his fists and feet to attack with rudimentary combos in this mode, and by pressing the left or right buttons you can also make him do one of two special attacks. One fires a large, continuous beam in one direction, while the other makes him spin around and fire shots in all directions. During the action stages we played, we encountered a number of classic Astroboy characters that took part in some up-close cinematic scenes. You'll be able to upgrade Astroboy's abilities at the end of the side-scrolling levels; his life, punch attack, laser attacks, and rocket jump can all be enhanced one unit at a time.

The other kind of level we played in Astroboy resembled the gameplay you'd find in a typical side-scrolling shooter. Astroboy had a continuous beam attack to use against the waves of enemies, and he could also use his larger beam attack seen in the platforming levels. Astroboy seems pretty fun in its current state, and though there's no word as yet on an American release, we look forward to checking out a more finalized version of the game.