🦊 Received: August 11th, 2014 🦊 Written: May 4th-18th, 2023 🦊
Year: 1993 | Developed and Published by: ASCII | [ ⬤ ]
Hello, gamers and readers alike, welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to tune in today, I really appreciate it. 😃
ASCII is also an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange
On May 24th, 1977, Kazuhiko Nishi and Keiichiro Tsukamoto founded a corporation based in Chiyoda, Tokyo that went by the name of ASCII which was originally a publisher for their self-titled magazine until a meeting between Nishi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates led to the creation of their first overseas sales office, ASCII Microsoft, the following year. During their tenure ASCII would be one of two companies along with Microsoft who worked on the MSX personal gaming computer,
Lenar's Ganpuru: Gunman's Proof, SAS Sakata's Dark Law: Meaning of Death, Sting's Solid Runner, Love-de-Lic's trilogy of games Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, UFO: A Day in the Life, and L.O.L.: Lack of Love, AlfaSystem and MARS Corporation's Linda³: Kanzenban, and Polygon Magic's Galerians, just to name several.
Image from MobyGames
Over thirty years after ASCII was founded it would merge with MediaWorks to become ASCII Media Works on April 1st, 2008 (and that's no April Fool's joke) and eventually became an internal division for their parent company the Kadokawa Corporation.
The original is great, but Wild Guns Reloaded is even better in my book
and served as the European publisher for the PAL releases of Natsume's SNES games The Ninja Warriors and Wild Guns. Outside of that, Titus also developed games of their own such as Lagaf': Les Aventures de Moktar — Vol 1: La Zoubida which they would also retool as Titus the Fox: To Marrakech and Back based on their mascot, Super Cauldron, the Prehistorik series, Incantation,
and licensed games based on Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi's The Blues Brothers band, Quest for Camelot for the Game Boy Color based on the Warner Bros. animated film, and Xena: Warrior Princess for the Game Boy Color which was based on the hit Lucy Lawless TV series produced by Sam Raimi.
Screengrabbed while watching World of Longplays' playthrough video on YouTube
Titus also worked on the Nintendo 64 game Superman: The New Superman Adventures based on the '90s Animated Series centering on DC Comics' iconic superhero. Their 64-bit console adaptation suffered from a heavily troubled production primarily owed to persistently combative studio interference and meddling by the licensor Warner Bros., with the end result being a title that was received so poorly that many who played it consider it to be among the worst video games ever made which ended up tarnishing Titus' reputation and resulted in the cancellation of BlueSky Software's planned PlayStation One port. Titus Interactive would file for bankruptcy on June of 2004, declaring their future unforeseeable, which came to effect on January 9th, 2005 with their assets purchased by Interplay.
Images from GameFAQs; package design was done by Ryuichi Onuma, Hiroko Takeda, and character and graphic designer Takashi Torii (credited in this game as "Takashi Tory")
Produced by Takeshi Kaneda with Chizuko Nakamura acting as action coordinator, supervised by Kouichi Ikeda, directed by Masami Yamamoto and sub directed by Mitsuharu Takatori with assistant direction by Hiroaki Azumi, programmed by Takumi Inoue and Takuya Watanabe, with an original screenplay credited to Ichirō Sugiyama, Ardy Lightfoot would be released on the Super Famicom in Japan on November 26th, 1993 by ASCII, and would be followed up by a North American and European SNES release on February and October 31st of 1994 respectively by Titus. Ardy Lightfoot would also receive a release in Brazil by Playtronic Industrial, Nintendo's Brazilian subsidiary, on December 1996, three years after its Japanese debut.
Ardy and company's celebration of their find is cut short when they hear a nearby explosion and see that the mining town has been set ablaze, which Ardy and Pec go to investigate thus beginning their adventure and occasionally receive the unexpected aid from the ambiguously motivated anthropomorphic fox Don Jacoby.
The evil King Visconti, who has got one shard in his possession, orders his followers to find the remaining six for he too is aware of the legend and so that he could have his evil wish granted. After being informed by the anthropomorphic wolf Beecroft that Ardy has collected three shards already, the sovereign ruler orders his first in command to storm the elder's home in retaliation for Ardy's progress and to take his granddaughter Nina as hostage.
Left: Fleeing citizens | Right: He protec, he cute as hec, but more importantly, he pec
In the sidecrolling action platformer Ardy Lightfoot you take control of the titular anthropomorphic fox whom you can move left and right, have him run by holding either direction long enough, duck down, jump up in the air with your altitude based on how lightly or hard you pressed the B button, grab onto a climbing substance by holding up as you get on it and press up or down to climb it, and with the Y or A buttons Ardy can toss his best friend Pec as he flies and consumes any unfortunate underling in his path serving under Visctonti's name and rebounds back to him so long as the blue creature is by your side.
Left: "Quit harassing her, you creep!" | Right: Tail bouncing himself above the roof
Ardy can also grab movable blocks by standing beside them and push or pull them by holding down the Y button in the forward or backwards direction, pick up a portable object by standing beside it and pressing the Y button which he can set by his feet by pressing Y again or lob it by pressing Y and the direction button simultaneously, hold up while remaining still so Ardy can pull out a mirror shield to cover his whole body which will momentarily protect him from any attack which you can keep held for at least four or five seconds if needed.
Left: "Ardyyyy!" | Right: In the mine
Finally he can propel himself upward by performing a tail jump which is also his main method of attack: all you have to do is hold down the B button as you jump to land on his tail, then let go of the button to bounce yourself at your highest altitude, the tail jump can also be used to bounce from enemy to enemy provided you do so with exact precision and timing. Over the course of the game Ardy will collect stars scattered about for you'll garner a life should you gather a hundred of them, and on occasion will stumble upon random chests whose contents will contain the following:
Left: Grounder | Right: Now why would anyone tie up this poor, defenseless bear?
a star to attain ten extra stars, a miniature Ardy which grants you a new life, Pec in the event that you sustain damage with him around for he'll disappear when it happens, and in a handful of segments are a couple Pec-specific powerups. The goal of each scene is to reach the end, some of which bookend in a boss battle, but for certain extended scenes there are statues for you to jump on which spring to life and mark down your checkpoint in the event that you lose a life, and should you lose a life during a boss fight you will start the battle from scratch. Sustaining damage with Pec by your side will cause him to disappear, but should Ardy take a hit again when he's by himself you'll lose a life at that point.
Left: "There you are, Pec!" | Right: Riding on an inflatable Pec
Ardy Lightfoot has got a pleasantly colorful and environmentally detailed visual aesthetic going for it, wonderfully visualized by Takashi Torii and Yukiko Womino for there are a variety of locations you'll be exploring. The endangered mining town threatened by Visconti's minions draws you in with its Wild West look and feel with the cliffs looming in the backdrop, stagecoaches, cacti, and burning business buildings with wooden signs adorning them, the mines have a subtle amount of parallax scrolling that gives it an atmospheric depth, the lumberjack forest has got a sumptuous amount of foliage and treehouses in the background with shaded color layering leaves in the top and bottom of the screen,
Left: Dropping down on a checkpoint statue | Right: Bouncing upward
the sandworm's insides after getting eaten is ominously creepy with the occasionally dripping acid, the pyramid is atmospheric with the dimly lit backdrops, the island has got a nice and smooth transition from dawn to dusk until it becomes a starry night sky with Visconti's stronghold lingering on the right side, and the penultimate scene before facing off against Visconti has got a neat mirror effect at the bottom half of the screen when it comes to Ardy. The characters by Torii and Noburo Wada are endearingly designed with a colorfully lighthearted flair about them.
Left: Okay, we've all made that Sonic joke concerning this moment, but look at the way he's sprinting | Right: Jumping above a rolling minion
Ardy is solidly designed with his winged hat and blue overalls and animates well when it comes to walking, running, (tail) jumping, falling, ducking, and flinging his best friend Pec towards Visconti's minions, meanwhile Pec is adorably small and round as he hops up and down with an unwavering smile except when he's tossed by Ardy in which case opens his mouth big and wide which is a scary thing to imagine from a first-person perspective before getting eaten and fizzles out of existence upon Ardy taking a hit with him around.
Left: Oh, that Don Jacoby, he's a real Indiana Jones, he is | Right: Duck upon Catry jumping on the punch button
The villains are well-designed and solidly animated too, like the spiked helmet-wearing mole Grounder, the nimbly agile feline kunoichi Catry, and the caped wolf soldier Beecroft, whom you know are almost down for the count in battle when they turn a reddish color, and the pirate captain owl Gilson looks formal with his red coat. Visconti's minions (who resemble fish) come in different variations including goggle wearers shot out of cannons, skeletal, and torch carriers to name a few examples.
Left: Now how is the sandworm supposed to produce the spice melange if it's surrounded by water like that? | Right: Inside a giant sandworm
The soundtrack to Ardy Lightfoot was composed by Katsuhiro Hatano and Akiko Hashimoto which is very good as it lends so much to the atmosphere and tone of each scene. Hatano worked as a sound programmer for Sir-Tech's Wizardry Gaiden III: Yami no Seiten on the Game Boy while Hashimoto composed the music to ASCII's Nintendo 16-bit port of Spindizzy Worlds and Sega's Shenmue and worked on sound design for Sega's Virtua Fighter 2, with both collaborating together as sound designers for ASCII and GAME STUDIO's Nintendo 16-bit port of Sir-Tech's Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom.
Left: Even Visconti's minions are here, and dry to the bone, too | Right: Making your way up
The prologue theme does a great job at drawing you in to Ardy's adventure with its atmospheric composition, the first scene's theme is enjoyably bouncy and lightheartedly catchy with a rip-roaring adventurous flair, the theme for when you enter the mine chasing after Grounder sounds relentlessly intimidating, the lumberjack forest theme is pleasantly tranquil to listen to, the theme for when you scale the tree fortress to face off against Catry has got a compelling marching tune going for it, when Ardy gets eaten and is trapped inside a sandworm's digestive tract you're greeted to an atmospherically ominous and bordering on creepy theme, the pyramid theme is infused with an imposing mysterious air, the theme for when you venture out to sea on the way to see the pirate Gilson is excitingly epic and is one of my favorites themes from the game, the island theme is soothingly quiet and inviting and honestly wouldn't feel out of place when heard in a different game with a much darker tone,
Left: Ardy is cheering for obtaining another rainbow shard, not Catry's demise, he's not a savage | Right: Not sure why one would just leave stars all the way back to the entrance, but okay ⭐
Visconti's castle and tower themes are darkly foreboding as you're close to facing off against the evil king, and there is a beautiful-sounding requiem theme near the end that is sadly not heard in full lest you pause the game. Ardy Lightfoot has got three battle themes: the normal one sounds hectic, Visconti's battle theme has got a do or die quality about it with the riveting instrumentation, and there's a fun piano-like saloon melody as you're chasing after the mouse inside the pyramid who has got one of the rainbow shards. Some of what I consider the best songs are the three-part ending and credit themes for they contain some of the most impressive sound quality from the game: the first part is awe-inspiring and hopeful, the second part is a breathtaking sigh of relief,
Left: Going to need a bomb to blow that gate open | Right: Oooh, the shadow below you after stepping under that piercing light, the art team knew what they were doing 😃
the third and final part of the ending theme is an impressive reprisal of the title theme but extended in a masterful and grandiose manner that it gives me chills, and like all good movie scores the credits theme is an incredibly endearing instrumental suite incorporating some of the earlier motifs heard during the course of the game to create an amazing bookend to Ardy Lightfoot's soundtrack and goes out on an effective bang. Wow! 😃 One of my favorite moments in the game is when Ardy rides down a mine cart and flies off a ramp causing the theme to stop (replaced by elevating and descending sounds) and picks right back up the moment he lands on the other side, I cannot think of another game from the '90s to have done something so similar off the top of my head but it is cool to have something like that here. 😆 The sound team knew their assignment, and I could not be happier.
Left: "Pec, attack!" | Right: OHHH, NOOOO!!! 😫 Not the spike protruding through the skull's eye socket, NIGHTMARES!!! 💀
The sound effects, with Kouchi Yamada as sound programmer (who designed the sound for ASCII and GAME STUDIO's Nintendo 16-bit port of Sir-Tech's Wizardry V and also worked on sound programming for ASCII's Super Famicom port of Sir-Tech's Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge) and Shuichi Ukai as sound driver (who programmed the sound for PartyBit's PlayStation One port of ASCII's Derby Stallion), are decent but aren't exactly what I normally associate with the Nintendo 16-bit for the most part (if anything, they sound anything but) like the star collecting sounds, the sound of Ardy's tail making contact with an enemy, and the violin-like sound whenever you make Ardy skid, though I do like how upon reaching the end of the scene the music fades out and is briefly replaced by audible running footsteps as he runs offscreen.
It's not 100% seamless as there are still colorful elements in spots
When you lose your last life Ardy will jump out of his prison and be left with a choice to continue your progress by heading right or save it for another time and look at the present scene's password on your left. In the password screen are three blocks (each with an image of a cherry, grape, or orange) and where you correctly place each one of them (on the house, the balloon, the tree stump, the tree branch, or on the table) will determine the scene you can pick up your progress in or jump to. Curiously, there are codes that will render the game either in sepia-tone or in black and white should you simultaneously hold down the left shoulder and A buttons or the left shoulder and B buttons respectively.
* If you think that's bad, you should see the originally intended plan ASCII had for Catry: where she's in the midst of decomposing upon the acid falling on her, really nasty stuff 😖
Left: Pushing | Right: Pulling
I first learned of Ardy Lightfoot when I stumbled across FlyingOmelette's subdomain RANDOM HOO HAAS website back in 2009 where it covered the numerous differences between the beta version and the finalized Super Famicom release (as well as other games). I forget what exactly compelled me to visit it, but video game prototypes have always fascinated me for one of the websites I used to frequent when I was younger was the Atari Protos website that covered the differences between how it was originally handled versus how it ultimately came out. Reading about Ardy Lightfoot's beta was interesting, but I didn't immediately look into it. It wouldn't be until August 2014 that I would eventually order the Super Famicom cartridge on eBay which I would play on the Retro Duo (my initial way of playing Super Famicom cartridges before receiving a Super Famicom console on Christmas 2015). Upon receiving it, I had a really good time with and enjoyed it. 😃
Left: Chase after the mouse, it's got the rainbow shard you need 🐭 | Right: Don saving Ardy's tail
Ardy Lightfoot is a very likable platformer with a clear Indiana Jones influence in spots (which is not a bad thing), and I'm not just talking about how Don Jacoby is dressed in a similar manner to him right down to the fedora and leather jacket. This game is a platformer at its core, but each scene has got a different set of obstacles that keep the proceedings fresh: here is a game where Ardy finds himself hitching a ride on a mine cart, scales the tree fort, gets swallowed up by a sandworm and must cautiously make his way to the end,
Left: Jumping from boat to boat | Right: Following the stars forming an arrow facing up 🠅
activates a light trap by walking through it with a block until he sets it down thereby opening up the gate on the other side, jumps from boat to boat in shark-infested waters, ventures inside an underwater passage while searching for switches that lead to the way out, ascends Visctonti's castle by jumping from arrow to arrow upward, carefully maneuvers himself around on an inflatable Pec in a spike-riddled environment, and more to name. The bosses you face off against mostly require Ardy bouncing his tail on them but they each have got their own strategy going for them,
Left: Be mindful of the pirate occasionally dropping down barrels | Right: Face to face with Gilson
Catry's battle entails that you step on a button which will activate the same-colored punch trap from a specific end provided that she is in position (the same could happen to you, so be careful) out of four possible buttons colored exactly like the Super Famicom controller's face buttons, the pirate Gilson will sweep into scene and attempt to attack you with his spinning hook or feather projectiles (which you can easily avoid sustaining damage by pulling out the mirror shield), and with Beecroft it is simply a matter of properly positioning yourself with a deflector in hand for he cannot be damaged the normal way whilst also contending with random enemies on occasion.
Left: "You won it fair and square, you can have it, matey" | Right: And Gilson fashioned a sail with Ardy's honorable visage, too? Nice!
One of the things I like about this game is how, with the exception of the title cards and the elder reading the prism script to Ardy at the beginning, there is absolutely no dialogue. On one hand it surprises me that the story by Ichirō Sugiyama (who would go on to write for Polygon Magic's Galerians and produce its sequel The Last Galerians: Ash/Galerians: Ash) was credited as "original screenplay" because of the lack of words, but on the other hand the way it progresses the story forward in this manner does give Ardy Lightfoot a universal appeal and is easy to get invested in because of this. You almost don't need words, the expressiveness of the characters and the tone of the music does enough to carry the game.
Left: Perusing the island ruins | Right: Riding an arrow through a small gap
Ardy and Pec are very likeable protagonists, the latter is so adorable until he's flung by his friend in which case he opens his mouth which I find quite creepy. I like Ardy's expressiveness and resourcefulness with his tail bouncing, even if it takes a bit of practice. Near the end after reuniting with Nina she's struck down by Visconti's power which kills her as she falls to the ground in slow motion, I thought that was surprising and well-handled. When Ardy reigns victorious over Visconti he walks towards her lifeless body and gets down on his knees with a sad expression on his face, which makes you feel bad and kind of makes you want to hug him. Luckily Don Jacoby is there to save the day with the last of the rainbow shards so Ardy can wish her back to life which is a heartwarming sight.
Left: Hopping out of the water | Right: Well, that's not eerie at all, anyway! 💀
Don Jacoby has got a cool demeanor and confidence about him, I like that he pops in at the last second to get Ardy out of a bind, like using his machete to free Ardy from the confines of the sandworm and using every once of his strength to keep the ceiling from the pyramid's trap from fully caving in order to allow Ardy to escape. Even before the battle against Visconti begins proper he swoops in like a champ and snatches the rainbow shard thereby disabling the evil king's barrier shield before being knocked towards a wall. It's clear he's on the side of good but goes about it in such cool fashion. Respect!
Left: As long as he's on that conveniently-situtated platform, that seesaw-operated sawblade will never touch him | Right: Deflecting
There is an adventurous lighthearted flair about this game on the whole, but Catry's demise after escaping her tree fort following her defeat is the biggest tone shift as she's been eaten and reduced to skull and bone. The feline kunoichi truly got the worst of it compared to every other villain (all male) you fought against who got much lighter sentences for at best they pass out but at worst they disappear (Visconti), the pirate Gilson being exempt from this as he operates of his own volition and rewards Ardy with the orange rainbow shard for besting him in battle. The implications of the token female villain suffering a worse fate than everyone else are very unpleasant, it just comes off in poor taste. Had most or all villains been killed off in a grisly manner, it might not have been a big issue, but as it stands it is rather problematic--by this point you're roughly a third of the way into the game.
Left: Welcome to the most open, nonlinear scene of the entire game | Right: Here you will find Pec a spiked helmet which will crush down any sturdy series of rocks
I know not everyone enjoyed Ardy's adventure, with the core reasoning being difficulty adapting to the tail bounce controls and operating them properly. I can understand that, it does take a bit to accustom to, even when simply moving on his tail prior to letting go. But once you learn to utilize the tail bounce very well it becomes second nature and you've got naught to worry about. Ardy Lightfoot's controls are otherwise solid and intuitive, and is among my favorite Nintendo 16-bit platformers.
Left: Be mindful to not touch any spike | Right: Even if the upper half of the screen is covered, the mirror in the bottom half will alert you to any upcoming obstacle your way
It takes roughly forty-five or so minutes to play through the game depending how you play, and for the most part I really enjoy it. My least favorite moments in the game might be the spike-heavy interior leading up to Visconti's tower as it requires careful maneuvering, and the battle against Visconti itself--he is doable with enough patience and after studying his pattern, but often times you have to wait for the exact window of opportunity to tail bounce on him when he isn't raining lightning on you which does make the battle feel a bit longer than it needs to be.
Left: "Nina!" 😲 | Right: Luckily you can use that mirror shield as many times as you need
If you're in the mood for a fun platformer and don't mind learning to accommodate to Ardy's tail bounce gameplay mechanics, Ardy Lightfoot is enjoyable while it lasts if you own a Nintendo 16-bit console. It's got a variety of settings and nonverbal scenarios, boasts a great soundtrack, has got reasonably fun controls, is pleasant to look at, has got likable characters, is largely lightheartedly endearing, and owes some of its adventurous flair and cues to Indiana Jones. 😄 What more could one ask for?
My Personal Score: 8.0/10
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
● I originally reviewed this game back in August 2014 and also gave it an 8 out of 10 back then. Shockingly, the exact month I wrote it was the exact month I got acquainted with the game (far from the only one, sadly), and that's not something I do generally especially as I get older because in doing so I'm likely to overlook or miss out on certain elements. I'd rather wait a bit and spend more time with it before reviewing a game I recently received than to do so right away because I don't want to skip a beat. I'm way better off with the way I handle reviews now with a firmer grasp on research and thorough articulation than I ever was in my younger years.
The comment left by Dustin East (whose name got changed to "Unknown" for whatever reason) two years after the fact which I replied to is the only remnant I'll keep; forgive me, Dustin
11/23/2023 Update: I've just deleted my old Ardy Lightfoot review. I wish it didn't have to come to this with me purging my old reviews little by little, but I need to be comfortable in my own skin with how I handle my reviews now as my old reviews don't hold up.● The original plan (being that I tend to be ambitious) for this game's 30th anniversary ribbon was to make a small .gif of Pec occasionally tiptoeing until he eventually flew towards the screen with his mouth wide open with the number 30 inside, but once I've drawn him I decided against it because I liked how my rendition of him came out and felt it would not look any better. That and I don't have the heart to live with a conscience of creating intentional nightmare fodder, plus it probably would not have looked good anyway. 😔
● On the subject of "Lightfoot", I heard that Gordon Lightfoot passed away recently. 😟 Aww, that makes me sad, I liked some of his music, particularly "Sundown" and "Carefree Highway". Rest in peace.
● In irrelevant news: while it was free to watch on YouTube, I watched John Carpenter's Starman, which I've been wanting to watch for so long because I heard very good things and read that it was among the director's best movies. Having got to watch it for the first time, I was immersed and invested in this sci-fi romance film it was just so good, Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen were both excellent in it (especially Allen, this may just be one of her best performances that I've seen) and had a wonderfully heartfelt chemistry together, I liked Charles Martin Smith's supporting character, the special effects look nice for 1984, Donald M. Morgan's cinematography is fantastic, it's incredibly well-paced, and the late Jack Nitzsche's soundtrack is poignantly spellbinding and emotionally haunting (the breathtaking title theme 😭). This is the fifth John Carpenter movie I've seen from beginning to end, with the other four being Escape from New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, and Vampires (the lesser one of the bunch), and Starman's already become one of my top favorite John Carpenter movies and I've only seen it once (I need to watch it again). I'd love to watch another movie from his catalogue, perhaps Memoirs of an Invisible Man and In the Mouth of Madness, I might consider those next.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Ardy Lightfoot,
you earned it!!!! 🥳
Did you enjoy this review?
Did you find it informative and enlightening?
Did it make you curious to try the game?
Would you read this again when given a chance?
Would you recommend this review to anyone?
Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW is allowed); hope you have a great day, be a nice human, and take care! 😃
No comments:
Post a Comment