Don Doko Don Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]

Описание: Game Info
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Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Year of Release: 1989

Game Review & Impressions
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If you have a penchant for colourful, single-screen platformers, Don Doko Don might just be up alley. It's cut from the same cloth as Bubble Bobble -- it is a Taito game, after all -- and comes with substantial upgrades to graphics and audio, made possible by Taito's F2 System arcade hardware.

The game stars Bob and Jim, a pair of bearded dwarves on a mission to rescue the Kind and Princess of Marry Land from an evil entity known as the Dark One. Their adventure is set over various levels of single-screen platforming action where Bob and Jim defeat all the foes contained therein by whacking them are equipped with large mallets with which they can whack their foes with large mallets, picking them up and hurling them into other enemies. Defeated enemies can drop power-ups and score items to collect, and the the whole affair is basically an evolution of Taito's earlier games.

As with Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Don Doko Don is a game of hidden depths. There are multiple paths through the game, each resulting in a different ending, and players would have to play through the game multiple times to discover secrets that would eventually unlock the game's best ending. To find the correct path, the player needs to swing their hammer at precise locations in certain levels to make magical keys appear, which unlock secret doors to hidden stages. Inside the hidden chamber will be a chest containing a crystal ball, four of which are required to progress beyond level 50. Once you figure out how to get past level 50, another 50 levels await. Up until this point, you've only experienced half the game, and it means you still have quite the task ahead of you if you have any chance of rescuing the Princess, the King, and see the best possible ending.

There's a good chance that if you enjoy Bubble Bobble, you'll enjoy Don Doko Don just as much. The core mechanics aren't too dissimilar, and the graphics, presentation and audio are a major improvement. The animation, controls and overall pace are faster and smoother, and in some ways feels like a version of Parasol Stars before it's time. Taito were undoubtedly the masters of this kind of game, and this game is a lot of fun - highly recommended.

Chapters
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00:00:00 Attract mode
0:00:48 Playthrough 1
0:27:24 Bad Ending 1
0:29:37 Playthrough 2
0:49:10 Bad Ending 2
0:51:27 Playthrough 3
1:21:09 Good Ending