(1/3/2016 - 1/9/2016) Game of the Week: Liquid Kids

[SamIAm]

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January 3 - January 9: Liquid Kids
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(chosen by lukester)

Bored with Bonk, Gogan or Richter Belmont? Looking for a kickass PCE platformer that is obscure, but by a well-known developer? I can name a handful, but here's the GOTW.

Liquid Kids is a 7 level long, Taito platformer featuring a "Hipopo" that throws water balls at enemies, and runs them over to kill them. Kinda like a Bubble Bobble platformer. Some levels also feature branching paths, where the first level of that world is different depending which of two doors you pick. The bosses are very large as well, and some have multiple phases.

Liquid Kids is also the spiritual sequel to New Zealand Story, which got a very disappointing PCE port. However, Liquid Kids looks, sounds and plays very similar to the arcade version. The arcade version has branching paths on every level though. It's also not overwhelmingly challenging, but isn't easy peezy either.

It's a very pricey game but that's ok. Try it on emulation if you need to.

Tip: Don't pick the left door on Stage 7

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GOTW Schedule:
1. (1/3/2016 - 1/9/2016) Liquid Kids (lukester)
2. (1/10/2016 - 1/16/2016) Buster Bros. (Punch)
3. (1/17/2016 - 1/23/2016) Super Dimension Fortress Macross 2036 (Gentlegamer)
4. (1/24/2016 - 1/30/2016) Fushigi no Yume no Alice (EmperorIng)
5. (1/31/2016 - 2/6/2016) Valkyrie no Densetsu (Gredler)
6. (2/7/2016 - 2/13/2016) Bikkuriman World (jtucci31)
7. (2/14/2016 - 2/20/2016) Dragon's Curse (seieienbu)
8. (2/21/2016 - 2/27/2016) Yo, Bro! (grolt)
9. (2/28/2016 - 3/5/2016) Formation Armed F (nopepper)
10. (3/6/2016 - 3/12/2016) Silent Debuggers (MNKyDeth)
11. (3/13/2016 - 3/19/2016) Super Star Soldier (o.pwuaioc)
More submissions welcome!

Rules:
-All members are allowed one submission. When there are no further submissions, we will have a reset and everyone will be able to submit another game.
-Each game may only be submitted once.
-If you wish to retract your submission, please do so at least two weeks before your game is due. Your next submission will go to the back of the cue.
-Please don't submit games that have a high language barrier or will take too long to complete (particularly RPGs).

[ParanoiaDragon]

Love this game, I think it's a pretty decent port.  Though, playing the original, I do feel like Taito could done a bit more with the gfx to make it closer to the arcade.  I try to look for spots that look like they could've had some of the arcade parallax, but also, I would think the darkening of the colors found leading up to the first boss should've been doable on ye old PCE.

[majors]

Funny, I was playing this last night with no knowledge of it being this weeks' GotW. I'm just too in sync with PCFX.

[GoldenWheels]

I've played this a bit on the Taito Legends 2 disc, pretty fun game.

[hoobs88]

I picked this game up after hearing that it was similar to Bubble Bobble. Fun game with great music! I haven't played it since I beat it a few years back but it might be time to dust it off and replay.

[Gredler]

I played this for the first time for a couple hours last night, and did not read this thread or anything about it before starting - aside from PCEngine Bible telling me to look for "MIZBAK'S ADVENTURE [US-LIQUID KIDS]" on my everdrive.


I was a huge Bubble bobble fan as a kid, easily one of my top 10 NES games growing up and to this day to toss on and have fun with. When I got a Turbo as a kid, Parasol Stars ones one of the 3 games I initially got alongside Bonk and Vigilante. Had I known about Liquid Kids I probably would've been a fan of this too.


The art is so similar, I instantly knew it was a Bubble Bobble related game. The gameplay is so increment from the floating destroyed enemies turning in to powerups or point items, to the water running along surfaces to affect groups of enemies standing on the same floor, I just couldn't help but love the Bubblessence Bobbleness of the whole thing.


On my initial attempt I hit some sort of warp or bug as I recklessly trudged forward that sent me to level 3-2, where I then went on to get to level 5 before game overing on continues.


Each subsequent attempt to play the game was much less joyful


Level 1 is fine, and I had previously had fun on levels 3-5, but level 2 is a infuriating test of patience. The slow movement in the water coupled but the liberal movement of the fish compounded by their angle of attack compared to your arching/blocked by water surface attack, simply drove me insane. I had not gotten so frustrated with a game in a long time.


The re-spawn system reminds me of a mix between side arms and the original Bubble Bobble. It's nice that there is a good chunk of time of invulnerability after re-spawning, but the characters movement speed and sprite size makes it so difficult to get to safety after dieing.


Speaking of character speed and sprite size, that is another aggravating aspect of the game. I had a difficult time navigating my large character through the environment filled with large enemies. It looks really nice, but it's claustrophobic and the slow movement of the character exasperates the feeling of unavoidable impending doom as you lumber away from a projectile.


I ended up spamming my attacks to try and kill things before they spawned, as I felt unable to dodge them once they spawned, and some enemies require so many hits I felt the need to get as many hits in immediately as possible as not to be forced into my fat character running into the fat sprite. The problem with spamming the attack is the sprite of the attack is on top of the frozen character, and hides any enemies behind them, which appears to still cause damage. I often found myself inside a flurry of bubbles popping and frozen enemies, only to suddenly die because there was a enemy or projectile behind all the madness.


I was pretty short tempered and tired last night, so maybe I was just being a bitch about it, but what started out as excitement and nostalgia ended on a sour note of frustration.

[lukester]

Gredler, I'd give it another shot. It's easier to jump backwards while firing forward at the enemies ahead. That's how I deal with the rock guys.

There are warps if you want to use them. Stage 4 has a warp that lets you skip right to the boss, for example.

There are plenty of YouTube play through that may also be helpful.