As part of our Game of the Year Awards, Nintendo Life is inviting you to choose one game as your Reader’s Game of the Year. You can vote for anything released on a Nintendo platform in 2009, be it WiiWare, DSiWare, Wii or DS, but you only get one vote, so use it wisely!
To remind you of some of the stellar titles we’ve seen in 2009, we’ll be writing a series of articles recommending some games that you may have forgotten about in the traditional Christmas rush. Now, allow Jonathan Wahlgren to remind you why a ludicrously stereotypical English gentleman's adventure was the best of 2009.
Back in March, EA Tiburon dropped DS gamers a nifty little package that mashed up platformers and puzzlers with a hefty dose of charm. That game was Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure and it's almost criminal how many people seem to have forgotten about it already.
The old geezer's adventure is unlike anything else on the handheld, or on any other platform for that matter. In Hatsworth's quest to locate the lost pieces of the golden Gentlemen's Suit before his rival, Weasleby, you'll be doing equal parts old-school platforming and puzzling, the latter of which is essentially Puzzle League. What you do in one directly impacts the other: offing an enemy with your sword while platforming will send them to the puzzle realm, who must then be matched away before reaching the top screen again to wreak havoc upon you. Building up your puzzle meter enough will allow you to transform into a giant robot and absolutely destroy everyone around you.
Yes, that's right: a giant robot. You transform your little old Englishman into a giant robot; if that's not Game of the Year material then I don't know what is.
The puzzle/platforming mix is a clever and innovative balancing act that adds a lot of depth to an already great game. And unless you're a cold-hearted git, you'll succumb to the Hatsworth charm and humour that is marinated into every aspect of the game. Whether it's Gene Rozenberg's exquisite soundtrack, conversation babble, secret stages or the Quartermain-send-up of a protagonist himself, there's bound to be something that strikes a chord in the tea-drinking heart of every gamer.
If you wrote Hatsworth off as an easy novelty of a game with a cartoony demeanour, well, you couldn't have been more wrong. Hatsworth brings the challenge in spades; the fiendish level design and onslaught of enemies will test your mettle in a way seldom seen in platformers nowadays that aren't Contra. Enemies are relentlessly placed and eager to overwhelm you and boss battles are unforgiving without feeling unfair — you have so many abilities at your disposal that death always feels like your own stupid fault.
The bosses deserve special mention for being some of the best implemented foes on DS. Never content with battling you in only the platforming bits, they will frequently break into the puzzle realm and cause all sorts of difficulties. Besting a big bad takes a lot of frenetic fingerwork, and you can't help but be surprised and smile at what they throw at you. Destroying the final boss, without giving anything away, is one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've had in a long time.
There is a whole lot to love about Henry Hatsworth's debut adventure. Where New Super Mario Bros. Wii plays it safe with its traditional brand of platforming, Hatsworth tally-hos into unexplored territory. It's unique, challenging, innovative, hilarious and, most importantly, a pure distillation of fun. And isn't that why we play games to begin with?
If you think Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure deserves your vote as Game of the Year, make sure we know about it! Use the Contact Us form, message it to us on Twitter or leave a voicemail on our Skype line at the username NintendoLife. We'll have more games lined up for your consideration in the near future, so keep coming back to see which games we think deserve your vote as Nintendo Life Reader's Game of the Year!
Comments 16
It never got released here.
Wario Land + Planet Puzzle League
I love this game.
Such a great game. One of the best games to feature blended gameplay in a while and use it exceptionally well.
At Toys R Us its only $9.99. Go get it
I must have been one of the people who did not like this game. I got it at Target when it got clearanced down to $7 and i ended up trading it at GameStop.
I love this game, but I don't think it would be the best game of 2009 to be honest... Oh wait, this is the only game from 2009 I've actually played!
One of the best games on the DS. The only thing they got wrong was the steep difficulty curve. I actually ended up selling it when I got just about past half way through because the difficulty was jarring.
Still, great though.
I thought the steep difficulty curve was great, made the game feel that much more rewarding.
wow. i totally forgot this even came out in 2009. i may need to look into this if i need a new DS game sometime.
I own this. Definitely not GOTY material. There's next to no variety in the enemies or combat and the level design is unmemorable. Pretty meh to me.
I found it confusing to jump between puzzle realm and the platforming realm. I love platformers and I also love puzzlers (they are my two favorite genres), but to me, playing a puzzle game and playing a platformer are two different mindsets. Jumping between one screen and another gets confusing, and I forget what I am doing on the other screen. I end up getting stuck on the third level, and after hearing him yell "Poppycock!" so many times, I gave up If the difficulty/learning curve climbed a little less steeply in the beginning, I may have enjoyed it more. A great little innovative game, but not GOTY material in my opinion.
I had to import it from the UK to be able to play it. One of the most charming, challenging and unique games I played since the... well 90s. But, GTA: Chinatown Wars is a better title for DS GOTY
As much as I loved Henry Hatworth, I wouldn't have voted it as GOTY. As for DS GOTY I am torn between Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.
@Panda
Oh, it was rewarding. It had SNES level difficulties and then some. But after hours upon hours I had just had my fill. It was a "nice" fill though.
Damn, I still need to get Henry Hatsworth. A going-away present, perhaps?
Just order Henry Hatsworth game should be coming in two days now cant wait to play it.
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