Away Game Special: Full-on Melodia

HarmoKnight's demo definitely does its job. After having played a bit of the full version of the game, the demo lays out everything you need to know about it. It also gives a clear feel of how the full game plays while showcasing most of the full game's modes and mechanics.

The two major differences between the demo and the full version are the bonus stages (an obvious difference) and the appearance of other playable characters.

What makes the bonus stages relevant to the demo of the game is that they are the Pokemon related stages, of which "Bike" is playable in the demo. Having been made by Game Freak, it's no surprise that there are five Pokemon-inspired stages. Though it's a wonder that there aren't more. Perhaps, though, Game Freak intended for HarmoKnight to be a mostly fresh new IP, the references to its megahit franchise being nothing more than Easter eggs.

Along with the full game's having more stages, different characters appear as you progress. These characters join you on your travels and each brings a different weapon to the adventure. For example, in Marching Hills, you meet the warrior of the realm, Lyra. She, of course, uses a lyre. However, rather than using it to produce sound waves or some such, she uses it as a bow and opens up areas that resemble sidescrolling shooting galleries.

On the whole, it looks like a great game. Plus, HarmoKnight, though still tricky for those with two left thumbs (myself included), is fun enough that replaying stages hardly ever becomes a chore.

Away Game Special: Demos of the Day

After hearing about them for weeks on Radio Free Nintendo and the Famicast, I finally tried my hand at Mutant Mudds and HarmoKnight. Both experiences were just demos, but they both showed what each game is all about.

HarmoKnight might be the first rhythm game that I can actually play somewhat well. Some attacks missed their mark, and the trickier jump sequences consistently tripped me up, but it's definitely a game I would play more of. Part of the reason for this is that the game's visual style and comic-book-like cutscenes are very endearing.

Mutant Mudds was also a great demo, and it's got me interested in more of the game. But, I find myself interested in it in the same way I'm interested in the old sidescrolling Mega Man games. It looks and plays like it would be a decent challenge, but ultimately there wasn't much that set it apart from other sidescrolling shooters. The jet pack is cool, and probably has several upgrades (as does your water cannon), but, without any of these things in the demo, it seems more generic than HarmoKnight.

I also played through the demo of the Art of Balance TOUCH!. Unfortunately, its demo is just too short. You can play through several balancing puzzles, but, as with Mutant Mudds, I don't think enough of the game's unique mechanics are really showcased. As you play through each puzzle, they get more and more difficult, but nothing really spectacular is shown.

So, of the three demos I tried, HarmoKnight came out on top. This game is, in and of itself, a spectacle. However, whether or not it's spectacular is another question, one that can only be answered by buying it and playing through more.