Super Hunchback for Game Boy

Yesterday after I beat R-Type II I played Super Hunchback. The only boring thing about this game is the title and box art. I thought it was a Disney licensed game, but actually it is an original game released only on the Game Boy.

You can tell the game was made with a lot of dedication, starting with the title song Puttin' on the Ritz (I suppose the music is out of copyright), but it never got the attention it deserved. It is probably suitable for a bit older audience, by which I mean 12 and up. The game is too difficult for younger children, I think.

You play level after level and ring the bell at the end of the level. Funny enough, this game has the same extra life system as Rodland that I reviewed in a week ago with the flashing EXTRA letter you collect. The games were both made by European companies, but not the same companies... Mystery.

Also, you have a system of bells that act as multiplyers , but not sure if points are useful.

The levels offer a lot of variation. Sometimes you can be creative because you don't know if you should jump on the big bubbles or ride the cannonballs. Yes, you can do that. I can't  compare this gameplay with any other platformer.  There are no enemies to kill, just various stuff that you have to avoid, but sometimes can be useful.

The controls are difficult at times. Here is level 4-1, that I didn't manage to beat. When you're in water, tap A repeated to swim up, or the spikes will kill you.

Catching ropes is also tricky. You have to catch it at its end, or you won't be able to swing very far. But if you don't time your jump, you'll miss it completely. Jumping also requires some time to manage perfectly.

If you know Swedish you might know GamingGrannar. I found Dave actually made a video of this game and I'll embed it here.
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To translate from 1:50... "you'll die a lot, but you'll always make progress" , "you have only three lives" , "the key is to collect many lives and avoid making mistakes. You only have three lives to start with. ", 2:25 - "the game has a lot of secrets." 3:50 - "if you want a challenging game boy game that most people have overlooked, I can really recommend Super Hunchback".

My Japanese copy has two continues actually. I don't know if the European might not have that.

If the game hadn't been so hard and difficult I would have enjoyed it more. It is annoying to get game overs due to cheap deaths, even if the deaths are due to your own mistakes. I'll rate the game 4/5.

Bonus video.
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