Disclaimer: I received a free copy of 99Vidas - Definitive Edition for the Nintendo Switch from QUByte Interactive, and Indie Gamer Chick through her #IndieSelect event. The game was given with no expectation or promise of a good or positive review, only that the game be talked about and shared via social media channels such as Twitter. All of the words, thoughts, and experiences written here are my own and have not been influenced or provided by an outside entity or deity.
99Vidas - Definitive Edition is a modern take on the classic arcade style side scrolling beat'em up, a la Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and The Simpsons. The game was developed by Brazilian company QUByte Interactive back in 2016, and was later ported to the Switch, Xbox One X, Steam, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita in 2017 & '18. I received the Switch copy of the game, so everything I have to say about the game relates to that specific port of the game.
First, off, one of the more amazing and fun aspects of 99Vidas is that starting off, you have access to 16 different screen filters that change the visual look of the game. When I started my first playthough, I decided I would play with the Vintage TV filter which adds CRT lines, reduced graphic quality, rounded eges of a CRT screen, and a burnt center glare that never goes away. It was a pretty interesting introduction to a game that is well aware of itself, frequently making 4th wall breaking jokes about fighting games, video games and their mechanics. On my first runthrough, I was able to beat the first boss, halfway through the second level before realizing that I would need more than the two lives I started Stage 2 with, considering that the difficulty increases as the game progresses (and your skills increase too), and that I had already lost three lives in Stage 1.
So I restarted the game in Story Mode (which carries over any/all character upgrades), this time using the Portable filter, which essentially makes it look like suped up Game Boy game, and still only made it as far as my original run-through. I made another attempt at beating Stage 2 this time not using any screen filters, thinking that maybe they were too distracting, but in the end, I was still stuck between halfway and 2/3rds of the way through Stage 2. So I moved the difficulty down from Normal to "Izzy," meaning Easy. Although Izzy is also the name of one of the other characters and developers.
And while Izzy was easier, it certainly was not easy in the way that Resident Evil 2 is easy on Easy mode. As witnessed below, even the Stage 2 boss on Izzy was able to (just barely) defeat me:
Currently, I am on the last stage, which even the character seems annoyed by, with having to re-fight all of the end-of-stage bosses all over again, but this time without the ability to stop by a store post fight to buy more lives. And from what I can tell, there is no other way to earn extra lives in-game aside from buying them with points you earn during the stages. At this point, I feel like my best/only option, instead of starting Stage 6 with 3 lives, is to restart the game, from the beginning, and spending all of my points on extra lives since Oak!'s skills are already maxed out. And honestly, that plan does not excite me.
And I think that is where I am at now with 99Vidas. The early game excited me as concepts and the developers' approach seemed novel, but by the beginning of Stage 5, there did not seem to be any new enemies, just re-purposed enemies with slightly different color schemes from previous levels. I was hoping that by entering the tall glass tower of the final boss's stage, that I would be fighting security guards in suits, but instead, it was the same group of ruffians from the first four stages. Additionally by this point, I had maxed out Oak!'s skills so there was no more development to look forward to. Sure I could level up Izzy, Hannah, or two of the others, but I would be starting from scratch, even on easy.
One other thing that not so much bothered me, but did earn an exacerbated sigh from my mouthal region. As is the case with a lot of beat'em up games that I have played, both console and in the arcade, is that there ends up being a lot of off screen fighting going on. I understand that the enemies spawn off screen and make their way into the playable area, and that unless there is a physical barrier, enemies can be knocked back or thrown off screen. This means that often times, as enemies back up from the player, then end up going off screen into the unplayable area, or just barely visible and I feel like I am attacking invisible characters to the sound of fists and feet landing attacks. I understand that that is how beat'em up works, but it can be a bit too unsatisfying, even if it is accurate to the gameplay and genre.
So, while I do love the humor in the game, the look of the characters, all of the filters, and the promise of being able to unlock six more playable characters, the thought of having to restart the game from the beginning to grind in order to purchase enough lives that I can make it through to the final boss is not something that I am excited about. Especially that fight against Harddy. That guy is an asshole
~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Instrumental
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| Here, the boss got "too big" for the game and would occasionally glitch. |
First, off, one of the more amazing and fun aspects of 99Vidas is that starting off, you have access to 16 different screen filters that change the visual look of the game. When I started my first playthough, I decided I would play with the Vintage TV filter which adds CRT lines, reduced graphic quality, rounded eges of a CRT screen, and a burnt center glare that never goes away. It was a pretty interesting introduction to a game that is well aware of itself, frequently making 4th wall breaking jokes about fighting games, video games and their mechanics. On my first runthrough, I was able to beat the first boss, halfway through the second level before realizing that I would need more than the two lives I started Stage 2 with, considering that the difficulty increases as the game progresses (and your skills increase too), and that I had already lost three lives in Stage 1.
And while Izzy was easier, it certainly was not easy in the way that Resident Evil 2 is easy on Easy mode. As witnessed below, even the Stage 2 boss on Izzy was able to (just barely) defeat me:
Currently, I am on the last stage, which even the character seems annoyed by, with having to re-fight all of the end-of-stage bosses all over again, but this time without the ability to stop by a store post fight to buy more lives. And from what I can tell, there is no other way to earn extra lives in-game aside from buying them with points you earn during the stages. At this point, I feel like my best/only option, instead of starting Stage 6 with 3 lives, is to restart the game, from the beginning, and spending all of my points on extra lives since Oak!'s skills are already maxed out. And honestly, that plan does not excite me.
And I think that is where I am at now with 99Vidas. The early game excited me as concepts and the developers' approach seemed novel, but by the beginning of Stage 5, there did not seem to be any new enemies, just re-purposed enemies with slightly different color schemes from previous levels. I was hoping that by entering the tall glass tower of the final boss's stage, that I would be fighting security guards in suits, but instead, it was the same group of ruffians from the first four stages. Additionally by this point, I had maxed out Oak!'s skills so there was no more development to look forward to. Sure I could level up Izzy, Hannah, or two of the others, but I would be starting from scratch, even on easy.
So, while I do love the humor in the game, the look of the characters, all of the filters, and the promise of being able to unlock six more playable characters, the thought of having to restart the game from the beginning to grind in order to purchase enough lives that I can make it through to the final boss is not something that I am excited about. Especially that fight against Harddy. That guy is an asshole
~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Instrumental
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