Wooden Sen’SeY, published by Neko Entertainment, aims to rescue the best of these classics and remind players of the difficulty that characterized the games of yesteryear with a more modern look and feel.
Although the level of difficulty may remind us of classic 8-bit games, this is not a retro-style title similar to others such as Shovel Knight, but is arguably a more current title.
It also needs to be mentioned that it exploits well the features that the Wii U console makes available, with colorful and fun graphics. Also, the gameplay and animations are no slouches either. The Japanese-style music in each level is pleasing to the ears and blends perfectly with the theme of the game.
Game Story
Wooden Sen’SeY has a rather curious original storyline. In the game, we will play the role of a Japanese ninja in charge of carrying out a mission to save his village from evil aliens who aim to end the peaceful and quiet life of this village. Through different moves and ninja techniques, you will be able to restore peace to this village by jumping from platform to platform… If the difficulty of the game does not prevent you from doing so.
Wooden Sen’SeY is a fairly balanced title, with nine worlds that will test you with every enemy and with every jump to the next platform. The game combines different elements from other titles, as it features both direct melee action and the smooth development of a platformer.
The game combines different elements from other titles, as it features both direct melee action and the smooth development of a platformer. If there is something that is evident from this combination of styles is the complexity of the game, as we must exercise extreme caution if we do not want to lose all the lives of our protagonist.
The game also includes other challenges in addition to the main story, as we will have to explore this fantastic world to get some objects called orbs that are necessary if we want to successfully complete all stages of the game. These items are not so easy to find, as they are often hidden in the levels, in the clutches of fierce enemies or even in secret paths that we must travel if we want to complete Wooden Sen’SeY at 100%.
Gameplay
The game has a positive start, and in the first few levels, as in most titles, the basic controls of the game are presented in order to master it to perfection. Among these early moves are running, jumping, darting, and more. Also featured are melee attacks, the swinging of wooden roof beams, and an attack similar to the jump bomb, vital for achieving high jumps.
The handling of these movements is relatively instinctive and may be easy to control at first. However, as you progress through the game, Wooden Sen’SeY can become somewhat frustrating, as it lacks something very important in any console game.
As you all know, the appearance of the environment and especially the appearance of the characters is of paramount importance. Unfortunately, the Japanese hero that Wooden Sen’SeY offers us to control does not always react realistically to what is going on around him.
The melee attack also lacks accomplished animations, as, although when you attack weaker enemies you build up a small combo, unfortunately, the voices and shouts the character utters when performing these combos are the same as when you perform a normal attack. Thus, it cannot be said that the sound effects in the game are too varied.
However, the difficulty of this game is something worth noting as well, and it goes beyond the typical retro challenge. There aren’t too many levels, but it nevertheless features an unlockable Time Trial mode whose content is extremely difficult.
Level designs are generally well-defined; however, the character design and some slippery platforming pose a loss of control that can lead to frustration on the part of the player. Many times maintaining the stability of the protagonist is surprisingly difficult, as the analog control is somewhat awkward to operate.
This is not to say that the game’s design is unsuccessful, as on numerous occasions, especially when facing dreadful bosses, you will be blown away by the originality of Wooden Sen’SeY’s style. These boss battles are also quite hairy, as you can only take four hits if you want to emerge victorious from the battle.
These boss battles are also quite hairy, as you can only take four hits if you want to emerge victorious from the battle. They are really something challenging.
The game also features numerous moments of quality and effort on the part of the developer. Especially fun and interesting are those levels that take place underwater, are not as difficult as normal levels, and are other references to retro games. It is noticeable that the developers have also put a lot of effort into achieving the Off-TV function for Wooden Sen’SeY.
Controls
The control as far as the platforms are concerned is very simple and very responsive. Broadly speaking, we have the jump button and two “ninja techniques” that will allow us to jump higher and swing through some areas.
The combat control is less polished, and while equally straightforward, it lacks a little more depth to help combat the repetitiveness. We suppose its creators have wanted to keep it “basic” and accessible, but we think it would need some defense moves against certain enemies to make the experience more dynamic.
Graphics
Judging by the images that accompany this text, many may think that it is a childish game, although if you have already read the rest of the text, you will know that it is not so. Really, the design is quite a strong point, as its colorful aesthetics do a great favor to the experience, but even stronger is its variety. No two scenarios are the same, not the same, but similar, beyond their obvious Japanese inspiration.
Although the title at first glance may seem somewhat easy, I think we’ve made it clear that Wooden Sen’SeY is anything but simple. The game’s graphics accompany this level of difficulty, and you can tell that they are very well crafted by Neko Entertainment.
In fact, one of the elements that add difficulty to the title is that no two levels are alike, as each of them is characterized by different challenges that will test us in colorful and detailed Japanese scenarios.
As mentioned before, although the scenery is somewhat praiseworthy, the character animations are on a lower scale than the rest of the game. We recall that the main character does not react at all well to the changes around him, showing some somewhat artificial animations.
On the other hand, the design of the enemies is somewhat tiresome due to the fact that most of them are variations of black blobs, something that does not help to make the title fun and can make the game feel a bit strange and heavy.
Sounds
The soundtrack of Wooden Sen’SeY is logically based on Japanese melodies and oriental songs that perfectly accompany the theme of the game.
However, although they may be entertaining and pleasing to the ears at first, they can be irritating in certain situations, especially those involving a high point of difficulty. After trying to jump twenty times over the same cliff, it is not pleasant to be constantly listening to a repetitive and frantic Asian melody.
Wooden Sen’Sey: Brief and Intense
Wooden Sen’SeY has all the makings of a winning game – crisp visuals, clever details, and a whole lot of charm. The game’s performance however is somewhat subpar. Also, at times it feels like an overly difficult, sometimes even irritating, platformer. If you are an expert player, it is more than recommended for you, as it is a huge challenge that you will be able to brag about after finishing the title at 100%.
Wooden Sen’Sey is a game with a lot of potential, although it still has room for improvement. We would have liked to see more options when it comes to combat, a progression system for the protagonist, and characters with more charisma, and more levels, but it is a game that entertains from start to finish, leaves a classic flavor and that certainly satisfies. Its nine phases are a bit short, but being so varied we believe it can encourage many to replay it.
All in all, as you can see, we have a list of requests for a hypothetical sequel, but for the moment Wooden Sen’Sey is quite recommendable -and even more, if you see it at a reduced price-, especially on Wii U where the independent scene is not as prolific as on PC. The experience on both platforms is the same, as the Nintendo console does not make particular use of the GamePad, but does include its own trophies for those who want to squeeze the most out of what it has to offer. If you are looking for a game that gives this profile, take a look at Wooden Sen’Sey, because you may like it.
