Rodea the Sky Soldier has had a pretty turbulent launch. The original concept for the game was conceived way back in 2010 by Yuji Naka, lead programmer and eventually producer on many Sonic the Hedgehog titles. The next year it was reported that the game was finished and ready to be published for the Wii, yet it never came. Four years later and here we are with new versions of the game, pushed forwards from its original Wii release to Wii U and 3DS with a new control scheme put in place. So was it worth the wait?
Our story begins with our protagonist Rodea being knocked unconscious for 1,000 years, only to be reawakened by a contender for 'Most Annoying Video Game Character 2015'. Poor guy. With only a glimmer of his former self still inside him, and with just a vague memory of being ordered to do something, Rodea sets off on a quest to save the kingdom of Garuda from the evil Naga Empire, learning more about himself and his surroundings along the way.
The story is a compelling one, and is sure to make you want to keep playing and find out more. Rodea is an interesting character with an even more interesting back story, but unfortunately the whole thing is ruined slightly by our aforementioned most annoying character of 2015. Sharing Rodea's journey is his new founder, Ion, a robot mechanic who helped Rodea wake up from his 1,000-year sleep. This is all well and good until she starts speaking, which just so happens to be all the time. The voice acting here is the sort that goes right through you, chilling you to the bone, which is a shame because there is a lovely soundtrack sitting just beneath it. This isn't the only case of awful voice acting either. If you're picking up the game watch out for Ion's Grandpa early on!
Chapters of the game take place in various, similarly laid out locations made up of floating bits of land in the sky. Rodea has to fly between these areas, defeating enemies and collecting items and medals. Ultimately you'll always be heading towards a rainbow pillar – a beam of light shooting up into the sky – which will take you on to the next area, but before you reach these you have the option of exploring your surroundings. The areas are quite 'open world' in this respect; often by steering off course for a while and heading in a different direction you'll find some items that you would never have seen if you headed straight for the goal. Optional exploration is always welcome in our minds, but it feels like this could have been done slightly better. The areas themselves are quite large – often with quite long distances between pieces of land – but there isn't really an awful lot of stuff filling the gaps. The majority of your view is just endless open sky with a minimal amount of items, enemies or things to interact with.
Controlling Rodea is quite a challenge in itself. At first getting to grips with how he flies and attacks, and especially combining the two, can be tricky. As time progresses you'll start to feel more comfortable - pulling off perfect attack combos starts to feel really satisfying after the initial confusion. The way in which Rodea flies is pretty odd. Rather than simply flying in whichever direction you want to go, you have to hover your cursor (controlled by the Circle Pad on your 3DS) over an item, an enemy or a piece of scenery in the distance and press 'A'. Rodea will then start heading towards the object you have chosen until you either reach it, or select a different destination with your cursor.
To attack enemies you will first need to select one with your cursor to make Rodea fly towards it. An indicator will appear if you keep your cursor on the enemy indicating how far away from it you are. As you approach, pressing the 'B' button will make Rodea do a spin attack which will look and feel extremely familiar to fans of our favourite, two-legged, sprinting blue hedgehog. In fact, this isn't the only element of the game which will instantly remind you of Sonic. Certain items are laid out in long rows and as Rodea reaches the first of these he will automatically fly through the rest creating a 'chain'. The nature of this and the speed at which it happens makes you feel like you've crash landed into a 3D Sonic adventure.
As you reach a land mass or hit an enemy you will bounce off them, ready to fly to a new area. This method of flight combined with the game's camera can be a nightmare. Rather than being fully controllable, the camera fixes itself at certain angles, often leaving you with a completely useless view. You can change the angle of the camera by pressing the 'L' and 'R' buttons but often this makes the camera spin around too far. Getting a 'game over' screen simply because the camera has got itself stuck behind a wall leaving you falling to your death is far too common.
One of the best features of the game is the ability to level up your armour, skills and weapons by using the items you collect in the levels. In true RPG style new choices are unlocked as you progress through the game, including weapons that can be used whilst walking rather than flying. Ironically these weapons feel much smoother to use than any aerial combat – largely thanks to that pesky camera.
The game is generous in terms of play time. There are an awful lot of stages and chapters to play through which are quite long themselves. With the added optional task of collecting every single medal in each level you could easily find yourself playing this game for weeks. Although this is undoubtedly great, it does mean that to properly enjoy this game you'll need to set aside some spare time to play it. Some levels can easily last more than half an hour and with no option to save whilst inside a level you will need to complete it before switching off your console. Of course, this is fine with the Wii U version of the game, but if you've decided to get the 3DS version you are likely the sort of person who likes to have quick bursts of gameplay whilst on the go, but this simply isn't possible.
Conclusion
Rodea the Sky Soldier is a game with a great storyline, interesting ideas and at times great gameplay, but is let down by fiddly controls and a camera that seems to want to see you fail. Looking past these flaws is a game that you can easily put lots of hours into and one that will likely leave you with – an albeit relieved – smile on your face after completion.
With no difference in terms of gameplay from the Wii U version and the lack of ability to save mid-level meaning that short play sessions are rare – the 3DS version of the game is probably the slightly weaker version of the two simply because of the stronger graphics available on the Wii U combined with the fact that this game feels like it should be on a home console. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy this game if you don't have a Wii U to play it on however, just make sure to treat it as you would a home console adventure.
Comments 36
Have you or do you plan to review the Wii Version? That's the one people who've played both versions seem to be enjoying the most.
Sounds good. Will get it on my 3DS.
Looks like a great game. Might buy it in December.
Any news on a Wii version review? We're gonna loose the chance to buy that edition soon .....
@ULTRA-64 Agreed, a review on the Wii version would be nice.
sounds like a fun buy on a good discount price and it only make me repeat one thing... come on M2!!! port Nights! into dreams to the 3DS you are the only ones that can!
Just review the good version already. The ports are nothing special and the Wii version is the one that shines the most.
That's a real shame. Was definitely looking forward to this, now I am not sure. Guess I'll wait for some game play footage and check out other reviews as well.
I excitedly preordered the Wii U version, played it less than an hour, and refunded it. This just wasn't a good game to me. It left me feeling frustrated and dizzy.
This should have been an E-shop exclusive.
What exactly is so good about the Wii version??
For those on the fence about the Wii version, don't loose your chance to get it. It is the true version of the game and a solid 8/10. It has some issues (let's be honest, what game doesn't) but if you are even remotely interested in the title, grab the early print run edition that includes the Wii version as it is a great title that will easily go down as a "Wii Hidden Gem". I have put about 4-5 hours into the Wii and 2-3 hours into the Wii U version and it gets harder and harder to return to the Wii U version as it simply breaks the Wii control system on such a fundamental level.
Of particular note is the fact that the game was not meant to have a limited flight mechanic. The Wii version has unlimited flight and simple Wii Remote pointer controls. While it only uses the Wii Remote to "point 'n fly", it is lightyears beyond the broken Wii U/3DS controls which force the analog stick and limited flight. The Wii version of Rodea feels like an evolution of Nights on the Sega Saturn and is a blast to play just like Nights was. Yuji Naka has championed the Wii version and trust me, when you play both, you'll know why as whoever did the Wii U/3DS versions completely broke his vision. Also of note is that the Wii version looks worlds better due to proper color and presentation. Look up the comparison videos on Youtube, they almost look like 2 different games (in fact they are 2 different games due to some different levels, different controls and different presentations).
I feel bad that due to the 3DS/Wii U versions being the focus and in turn getting bad reviews, the game won't get the sequel the Wii version deserves. As I stated before, if the game interests you but you're scared of the review scores, add at least 2 points onto the Wii U/3DS version and you'll get the Wii version. It's a fun game getting buried by 2 crappy and broken "ports".
@TreonsRealm Does it come with a separate disc with the WiiU version?
@TruenoGT Yuji Nakas team had nothing to do with The Wii U/ 3DS version actually. Kodokawa games made those.
Yes, it will be in a Wii U case with a center disc holder for the separate Wii version (similar to the Bayonetta 2 case that has Bayonetta 1). As a nice bonus, there is a Wii instruction book and the cover art is dual sided. 1 side is Wii U version and the other is Wii version so you can copy and put everything in separate Wii case. I did this and it looks nice in my Wii collection.
I heard the Wii version is the best
@TreonsRealm thanks for that insight, genuinely helpful
I'm thinking I'll get the 2 disks edition( my friend works in Grainger games and has me one saved) but then just instantly trade in the Wii u box. Especially if the Wii box sleeve is included inside. I'm just getting the Wii version for the difference, probably about £10
@TreonsRealm Nice and Thanks.
I don't own a Wii U, but I own a 3DS and Wii. Despite what I'm seeing from previous comments, should I buy the Wii U version just for the Wii disc that it comes with while it's still available, or should I just go for the 3DS version?
It's a darn shame that you can't buy the Wii version separately.
This game is a stupid mistake and disaster. 3DS & WiiU versions are awful and the only one that's supposedly any good is the outdated version which you can't buy separately. Pointless. How do you bomb 2/3 times on the same game? It seems like a lame excuse now that "i made the game during the Wii era" but the WiiU era has been going for a while, and you also still screwed up the 3DS version.
This is an example that the developer is not thinking properly. Why don't the Wii U version include motion control as in the Wii version? Who does not have a wiimote if you are a Wii U owner?
@ReshiramZekrom No hesitation, get the Wii U version for the Wii copy. That is the uncontested "real" version of the game. Better graphics, much better gameplay, 4 player multiplayer, actual bonus levels, etc. Avoid the 3DS version unless that is your ONLY option and even then, buy/borrow a Wii for the Wii version. As I've said before, if ANYONE is interested in the game, get the Wii version above all other versions!
@TreonsRealm Thanks for the info On my next trip to the city (which will hopefully be this Friday) I'll track down a copy, as I doubt that I'll get another chance to purchase the bundle.
@khululy That would be so awesome if they did that. I'd get them to do a Panzer Dragoon trilogy while they were at it.
All they really had to do for the wii u version was upgrade the resolution and textures from the wii game and keep everything else the way it was, strange decision .
Your spunky mechanic's displayed on the bottom screen at all times?
I will have too play both versions and find out!!
@khululy port NiGHTS to the Wii U not the 3ds lol it would be better on the big screen!
I disagree with the reviewer's assertion that long levels make it better for consoles and less-so for the 3DS. My experience is the opposite in that I find it very easy to close the 3DS to pause the game and simply re-opening it gets me right back into the game immediately. At home, long levels can interfere with other people wanting to use the TV or dinner or whatever and I don't have a chance to save and re-start. So, don't let the long levels be a negative on the 3DS version. I have the Wii version and really like the game.
Gotta join the "Wii version is better" group after finally managing to play both the Wii U and Wii version. Ironically some problems are the same everywhere, for example the camera simply isn't a strong point of Rodea XD
However the Wii version is simply so fun you easily stop noticing the problems and just enjoy the game. Simple control scheme based on few inputs, fast paced gameplay, it's with no doubt a work of Naka and it's plain obvious in all the right ways. I didn't have the chance to play Nights, but I could easily define Rodea the Red Flying Hedgehog!
A shame the Wii U and 3DS versions made everything overcomplicated, it's just make the game less fun while keeping even all the negatives of the Wii version (I mean, not managing to fix the camera with all the changes they did it's almost a sin >.>; ). It's still a fun playable game even in those "ports", just not as fun as the original concept.
And a note to the reviewer, Ion is not annoying! Am I the only one loving those over-chatting helping girls like Navi? ^_^;
I don't yet own a Wii U, but I can nonetheless echo some of the posters above and say that it is totally worth buying Rodea just for the Wii version. It's a lot of fun, has loads of replay value and it's as close to a 3D Nights as we are likely to see. The cumbersome on-foot controls are the only negative point for me so far, but that's just another reason to fly everywhere, and the flying feels great! : D
I tried the Wii version for few minutes and it was fun. Are you planning to review that one?
Late to the party here but I bought this on a whim a week ago and I can't stop playing. It has it's flaws and has a bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun. When this drops in price I recommend it.
I found this title hiding in the deepest 3ds eShop corner. Looks like a poor man's kid Icarus uprising...which isn't a bad thing of course, but looks to lack the precision aiming element, but seems to make up for it with non set flight paths. Kid Icarus has "starfox" like flight and free roam ground sections, this rodea game instead combines the two. May give this a try if run out of other games before an update hits that I'm waiting (from here to eternity) for.
Balan impressions video brought me here
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