All The Bad Parts
All The Bad Parts is a curious game.
For the most part it's a side-scrolling brawler. But, throw in an engrossing storyline, enemies with animal or insect heads, fetch quests and some witty dialogue, and you're left with quite an intriguing combination.
You'll be spending most of the time in this game fighting.
This works in a similar fashion to old arcade brawlers like Double Dragon or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade.
However, don't let these comparisons fool you into thinking that there's any real depth to the combat or that it's particularly fun to do.
You're limited to two main attacks: punch and kick (there are also a handful of weapons but they disappear after some use).
These can be strung together into some basic combos, with a few more being unlocked further in the game.
However, you'll probably find yourself just learning one of them and using it repeatedly for the entire game, since the enemies aren't particularly challenging to begin with and don't get any smarter as you progress, they just take more damage.
The game has a cartoonish look to it with crisp, clear graphics, and the characters and locations have some nice details that add a sense of charm to the proceedings. Some of the animations seem a little off, especially during the fights where your punches and kicks look (and sound) quite puny. All in all though, the visuals are good, and manage to give the game a unique and interesting look.
Instead of going for the usual "save the world from certain destruction" type storyline that most games stick to, All The Bad Parts opts for a more subtle and personal approach.
The game follows a series of events in the life of its main character, Corbin. These events being the titular Bad Parts he's experienced and is, for unknown reasons, forced to re-live.
You are tasked with guiding him through these painful memories by exploring locations, battling plenty of enemies along the way, and talking to various characters from his past in an attempt to figure out what's going on.
The unique scenarios visited in this game are one of the things that really sets it apart.
For example: the first level sees Corbin stuck back at school and finding out he's forgotten his homework.
Not only that, but things are playing out in a weird way, classes seem to begin and end immediately and he's being attacked by cockroach-headed bullies.
All this serves to give the game a familiar yet eerie feel which proves very intriguing.
It's the overall unique feel and story that make All The Bad Parts so compelling to play. It's very rare for a game's storyline to suck me in in the way that this one managed to. So it's worth slogging your way through the somewhat tedious combat just to find out what's going on. And with branching paths offering alternative endings, it might even be worth doing so more than once.