Pocky & Rocky Reshrined

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Pocky & Rocky Reshrined
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is a side-scrolling run-and-gun game available for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. A re-imagining of the original 1992 Pocky & Rocky game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Pocky & Rocky Reshrined will call upon players to go through eight different levels in an attempt to stop the mysterious Black Mantle, who wants to plunge the world into darkness. The game has a heavy emphasis on Japanese culture and mythology through its locations, items, and the creatures players will encounter. The two main characters, Pocky and Rocky, display traits of teamwork, compassion, and determination as they face off against dark forces far beyond their comprehension, staying by one another's side through thick and thin. Despite the gameplay's focus on throwing projectiles, there's only cartoonish chaos rather than outright violence. While playing the game, players may become frustrated due to the overwhelming number of things happening onscreen at all times, and though there are eight different directions players can attack from, diagonal attacks can be hit or miss in the heat of battle.
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What’s It About?
In POCKY & ROCKY RESHRINED, Pocky is suddenly disturbed at her shrine by her raccoon companion, Rocky, who informs her that something terrible has happened. Rocky's monster friends have suddenly turned on him despite a previous promise of peace. Pocky leaps into action, and after confronting and subduing one of the mountain monsters, Pocky and Rocky learn that the monster was under the control of a mysterious Black Mantle, a name Pocky somehow recognizes. Soon, the Gods of Fortune become involved, Pocky is taken to mysterious new realms, and the earth itself hangs in the balance in the midst of Pocky's sudden spiritual journey. Can Pocky and Rocky find out who the mysterious Black Mantle is and stop them in time to protect the gods and the fabric of time itself?
Is It Any Good?
Some video games can get their point across without having to take up too much of the player's time. Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is a wonderfully re-imagined throwback to a beloved SNES title with eight stages that will take around a full hour to beat – maybe even a little longer depending on the skill level of the player. It's a gorgeous game that's unmatched when it comes to the visual variety it packs in each of its levels, from locations such as burning cities and crashing airships to enemy designs like sentient pots and enraged water spirits. Even though the original game is quite a few console generations removed from the likes of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Reshrined manages to take an old favorite and makes it look and feel like it truly belongs in the modern gaming landscape. Cute characters and fun cutscenes aside, the gameplay is where that strong foundation begins to wobble.
Players will spend the bulk of the game frantically trying to duck and dodge the avalanche of lasers, beams, and random projectiles thrown at them from every direction at all times, but unfortunately, the controls can be unreliable when it counts. Diving out of harm's way doesn't feel tight enough, and players may find themselves underestimating exactly where they'll end up, leading to unintended deaths. Although there's a button dedicated to deflecting projectiles, that's useless when you have one direction covered, but seven other directions are impossible to account for when the chaos is at its peak. Even shooting diagonally can be a hassle while moving, another noticeable issue to the moment-to-moment gameplay. The saving grace here is the checkpoint system, which is forgiving enough to drop players off at reasonable points in an area without forcing them to do the entire level from the very beginning. Pocky & Rocky Reshrined may have clear roots in the SNES era of off-the-wall tough games with questionable controls, but it's just enough of a visual treat and challenge to be a fun way to spend a free hour or so of your time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about length vs. price when it comes to video games. Pocky & Rocky Reshrined can be beaten in around an hour, so how much money would be "fair" to pay for a game that only lasts about an hour or two? Does it ultimately boil down to the game's quality, or is a certain price threshold too much regardless of a game's quality if it's a shorter experience?
Can playing games featuring entirely different cultures be a chance to teach younger audiences about cultures outside of their own? How can you best inform your children of the many diverse cultures they may come across in any form of entertainment while being respectful and sensitive to the nuances and differences of those cultures without falling into harmful stereotypes and inappropriate caricatures?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
- Pricing structure: Paid ($29.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Natsume
- Release date: June 24, 2022
- Genre: Arcade
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Compassion, Teamwork
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: June 24, 2022
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