Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
It's strange how the most defining aspect of the DS, the fact that it has two screens, seems to get overlooked so often by developers. Whilst most games released for the system will use both screens in an intelligent way, one is usually the focus of play, the other handling auxiliary functions like a map or inventory. Still more games treat both screens as one double-tall display, tangling with the hidden gap in the middle with varying success. Others almost neglect it entirely, filling the second screen with window dressing completely removed from the game play. With this in mind, Henry Hatsworth is an even more unique game than it first appears.
Enemies can come back from the dead to attack you. Match them in the puzzle to finish them off.
Hatsworth's adventure in truth comprises two different games melded together. On the top screen is an action platformer of surprising merit, whilst the bottom screen offers a simple match-three block puzzler similar to Planet Puzzle League or Bejeweled. The many and varied connections between the two games causes play to see-saw between the two at a rate dictated by how quickly the player can grasp them. At the most basic level enemies defeated in the platformer occupy blocks in the puzzler, and must be eliminated before they reach the top of the screen to prevent them coming back to harass the player. Health, extra lives and power-ups must be activated in the same manner. It is mostly possible to leave it at that, but exploring the further connections between the different games will lead the player to more and more techniques that may be called upon to make life easier. By filling up a Super Metre by matching puzzle blocks the player can transform Hatsworth to his younger form, complete with more health that is instantly refilled in the transition. Filling it up a second time gives the opportunity to turn Hatsworth into an invincible, steam-powered robot, very useful for dealing with the troublesome bosses, and who's duration can be extended with more puzzle action. Projectiles from Hatsworth's blunderbuss can be charged up in mid-air and platform blocks made to appear with a carefully timed transition to the bottom screen and a few combos completed. Once mastered, the sheer number of tactical options available leads to a pleasing opportunity for players to dictate their own style on the game. Ranged attacks will keep Hatsworth safe from harm, but drain the Super Metre, leaving him potentially vulnerable in the many situations where the game locks you in a kill room swarming with enemies.
This unique approach alone would be enough to warrant a great deal of praise for the game, but Henry Hatsworth goes one step further by offering some of the most engaging and challenging platforming available on the system. Split-second timing and pixel-perfect jumping are required as the game hits its stride, combining aspects from Mario, Contra, Metal Slug and many more. Level design shows off flashes of the total self-awareness of game mechanics that made these classics stand out from the rest, and when the classically crafted bosses begin to incorporate the puzzling dimension into their attacks it will bring delight and amazement to any old-school fan of the genre. However, the learning curve is beautifully balanced, allowing newcomers the chance to warm up and get to grips with everything before their fingers are really put to the test. All this wrapped up in a charmingly antique package, resplendent in its ludicrous British stereotypes and steam-punk trappings. Much like the action in the game itself, the music can rapidly swing from calming classical themes to heavy metal licks, expertly composed to become comfortingly familiar and lastingly memorable.
Bosses include Lance Banson, an air pirate ripped straight from a Mills & Boon novel. He can be attacked using a stampede of his own adoring fans.
Henry Hatsworth is a true melting pot of a game, bringing together many disparate elements that contrast each other to bring out a deeper flavour. Platforming and puzzling, Mozart and Motorhead, Western sense and Japanese sensibilities. It all comes together to create a delightfully different dish that will please both new- and old-school gamers alike. To properly fill both DS screens EA has had to combine two games into one, but this is far more than a cut and shut job. It's more like a Heath Robinson machine, filled with subtle complexity and borrowing wisely to make everything fit together and run like clockwork.
