Prepare thyself for a Mega challenge, Mega action, and Mega fun with none other than the...MEGA TWINS!!!
For an arcade game released in 1990, it's visually impressive. It has the whole chibi-anime style of artwork going on. Its somewhat odd imagining a game like Mega Twins originally being an arcade game (at least by US stardards). Your really don't see that many 2D platformers as arcade games. However, midway through the game, I could totally see how it was designed to be a quarter gulpper. Usually, you don't start to see things like end bosses showing up as common enemies until the last level or so in most arcade games...but Mega Twins does this about half way through the game. Besides a palatte swap, the bosses are every bit as difficult as a common enemy as they were as an end boss! The gameplay itself is fairly simple...you run around with a sword hack 'n slash a bunch of the cutesy looking monsters that come your way while dodging their attacks. Enemies tend to come from all sides which brings out the platforming element a bit more. Mega Twins doesn't really offer much power ups but you do have a limited supply of a screen clearing super move and enchancements to get you through flying/underwater levels. Its actually pretty long for an arcade game...most times if you play arcade games straight through without the need to constantly feed it money, they tend to be relatively short. Not Mega Twins! I guess in Japan when you played this with the goal of beating it in mind...you and a buddy showed up with plenty of change to slice n' dice your way to victory (or to an expense defeat). In essence, the game is simple but difficult.
The story is just as straight forward too...The Mega Twins are from a kingdom which has know peace for 1,000 years thus doesn't know how to defend themselves when they come under attack by an evil clown (and his posse of monsters). Its up to the king's twin sons to defend the kingdom against the great evil and find the Dragon Blue Eyes stones which are capable of restoring things to normal. The storytelling is pretty average for 90s arcade game...you'll get some dialouge from allies you encounter after completing levels, the beginning story sequence, and of course the ending...nothing beyond this.
My Breakdown:
What's Good:
- Very impressive visuals for its time
- Addictive fun
- Great to pick up and play (if you can find a copy)
- Challenging
What's Not-So-Good:
- After awhile, the game starts to feel kind of dragged out. Especially level 4!
- More actual power ups would have been nice
What's Bad:
- Nothing noticable
In all, Mega Twins is an awesome platformer and anyone who can get their hands on a copy of it won't be disappointed!