Chester (XBLIG): "A Totally Sweet Tribute to the Games of Old"

I like it when a developer decides to make a game that's unique. It's not often that I see a game such as 'Chester' that has it's own artistic style as well as pays tribute to classic games. Brilliant Blue-G, the developer of this artistic masterpiece brought the game to life with a style that looks as if it was inspired by the art of Tim Burton, and Dr. Seuss. I was truly impressed with the artistic touch Brilliant Blue-G applied to this game. The gameplay was also fun, and featured very involved platform game mechanics.

Chester is the name of the first character you play as in the game as well as the title itself. Chester's goal is to find a cupcake at the end of each level. There are a total of 11 playable characters in Chester, and 6 background types to choose from. Each of the 11 characters in 'Chester' have their own unique types of shots, and also have an RPG sort of element to them that allows them to level-up (makes their weapons/shots stronger). I wasn't quite sure if the characters leveled up when you collected enough stamps, or if you killed a certain amount of enemies though? I do believe it was the enemies though. The 11 characters 'Chester' also have a unique special move that has limited use. Retro Chester's special move summons a robotic assistant. I never really used the special moves that much though, because I was usually did alright making it through the levels without them. It's definitely a neat addition to the game though.

I found Chester to be a very customizable game. Aside from your ability to switch characters during the levels, you can also choose from 6 background types each with their own style. There is a retro gameboy looking background, a tattoo inspired background, and even a blueprint background. You can find all of the extra backgrounds hidden throughout the game's levels. The level designs in 'Chester' were layed out very well, but there were some glitches and bugs that effected some of the levels. There is a total of 3 Worlds to play through in 'Chester', and each world contained several levels that you can access through an overhead map/drawing. It kind of reminded me of 'Super Mario Bros. 3' in that manner, only without the animated characters roaming about the map. Like I mentioned previously, the goal of each level in 'Chester' is to make it to the cupcake at the end. You'll find different routes in each level, some of which get you to your goal much quicker and safer than others. If you want to find all the hidden items you'll have to search each entire level though. It's definitely worth the effort to do so.

Gameplay in 'Chester' reminded me of 'Metroid' in a lot of ways. You have corridors that must be cleared to access certain areas, and wall jumping is definitely a major part of the game. As Chester (or one of the different chester types) you will shoot shots as well as use your special abilities to help you access some areas. The English Gentleman version of Chester has an umbrella that lets him glide down from higher places, or even after a jump. I found this character extremely useful in making it past some of the more difficult areas in the game. As you play through the game you will encounter spike floors, dangerous objects as well as enemies that attack in different ways. Figuring out the enemy's patterns is definitely important if you wish to complete the game. Aside from the traps, and enemies you'll find that there are also switches that must be triggered in order to access certain areas. Bouncing contraptions, and large bubbles that you can float through can also be found throughout the game. There are definitely many different elements to this one of a kind platformer.

Controls in this game are fairly simple. With every character you get a unique shot type. The shots can be fired using the 'X' button. Each Chester is also given a special ability/move that can be accessed by pressing the 'Y' button. Jumping is a major part of 'Chester', and to jump in the game you will use the 'A' button. As with many other platformers you can also perform a double jump by tapping the 'A' button twice. The wall jump in the game is the same as in the 'Ninja Gaiden' games, and 'Metroid' games. To wall jump you will simply jump back, and forth between two walls using the 'A' button and the directional buttons on the 'DPad'. That's basically all the controls you will use, but some 'Chester' characters are able to do a little bit more than the original Chester. The tank version of Chester, for example can aim his shots upward by using the 'DPad'. The 'Sweet Ship' that has to be unlocked by finding all of the hidden pieces also features different controls. For the Sweet Ship you will press the 'A' button to change the direction it's facing. You can also fly around by using the four directions on the 'DPad'. Those are the only variations in controls that I noticed.

After my playthrough of 'Chester' I wasn't 100% sure I beat it. I couldn't find an actual ending with credits in the game. I had played to the last level in World 3 which was marked with a question mark. I'm not sure if I missed something though, but it was a little confusing to me. Some of the current bugs I found in the game made it hard for me to clear some levels. I ended up repeating one of the levels in the 2nd world numerous times. The developer (Brilliant Blue-G/bbg-games) of 'Chester' has informed me that there is a patch/update that is going to be released soon that should take care of these issues though. Despite the bugs I really liked 'Chester'. The art style was nice to look at, and the soft/soothing music that played in the background was cool to listen to. I really liked the fact that there were eleven different characters to switch between whenever you liked (after you unlocked them of course). The different types of backgrounds that were available to unlock/find were very impressive. Brilliant Blue-G (the developer) did an excellent job in paying tribute to retro gaming through Chester's various features. I believe that the developer will definitely tend to the issues/bugs in his game. Considering this, I think the game 'is' worth the points.