Ikachan (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Immediately upon entering the world of Ikachan, it is obvious that this is an Ayama-san world. From the pixel art to the way characters move, it looks and feels like Cave Story, except that the character is a squid in the deep blue sea saving a species of talking sea sponges. It's just as much a loving homage to the days of the NES as Cave Story is, and it is just as compelling as that game.

For those who grew up playing the NES, a fair number of games like Ikachan will have been played. It's interesting that technology has advanced such that a retro game like this can be both exemplary of everything the old NES games were, and at the same time so much better than those old games were.

The pixel art is an example of how this game both exemplifies and excels beyond retro NES aesthetics. All of the sprites are wonderfully emotive while adhering to strict 8-bit presentation. There are sea sponges that bounce happily up and down in their underwater homes whilst fish swim convincingly with just two frames of animation, and none of it feels archaic in the slightest.

If the experience sounds compelling, that is because it is. This is a well crafted game, both in terms of appearance and gameplay mechanics; in other words it looks great and plays well. Every hallmark of a good Metroid-style game is here, along with one of the catchiest theme songs heard in quite some time. That is what makes the brevity of Ikachan so disappointing, though. Just as the game starts to take off, after you collect a couple of abilities that open up the gameplay and the map, suddenly the game ends. At just an hour of playtime, it has to be asked if this engaging yet brief experience is worth $4.99.