There aren’t a lot of moments I remember from my childhood, but of those I do, a lot are gaming related: Putting in Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time, taking over a year to finish Zelda 2, and spending winter break from college powering through Final Fantasy 10. Only one gaming moment came from beyond the television, and it started with me running upstairs, holding a yellow piece of paper in my hand and yelling to my parents “I need a bowl of water!”
A few minutes later I had a damp letter that now magically had the numbers “747” on it. Anybody who played StarTropics knows what I’m talking about. If not, let me explain.
In 1990, Nintendo released a game developed specifically for the western market and similar to The Legend of Zelda. It was a top-down action/adventure game; however Instead of a fantasy world you were a kid named Mike visiting his scientist uncle named Dr. J who lives somewhere called C-Island. After arriving at the tropical locale, you learn Dr. J has gone missing. Since this is a game, you decide to find him.
Instead of a sword, you fight with a yo-yo. Later on you upgrade this, but the execution is similar. There were also one-time use sub-weapons. Unlike Link you could jump, so there was an element of platforming; however all strictly on “tiles.” Tiles were spots that you could only jump on or off of. Sometimes they would activate doors or chests, sometimes you would jump between tiles to cross water, and sometimes they would rise and sink, requiring you to time your jumps so you didn’t end up wet.
Speaking of wet, one of the more memorable moments is when you learn that you need to dip your uncle’s letter in water to obtain the submarine activation code. The letter was actually in the game box, so this portion of the game was done in real life.
StarTropics was well received, enough for Nintendo to make a sequel called “Zoda’s Revenge,” however it was overlooked because of the newly released Super NES.
Lately Nintendo has realized it’s been ignoring what they call the “core gamer” and has resurrected some of their beloved franchises like Kirby and Donkey Kong. Even more surprising was the announcement that Kid Icarus would be a title for the upcoming 3DS. It was rumored for a while that Pit might be the Kratos for Nintendo and star in a T-rated God of War style game, but instead they went in a Panzer Dragoon direction.
My true wish would be for a DSiWare or WiiWare title that played like the older games, but that’s my wish for every Nintendo franchise, and I don’t see that happening. I’ve always been a fan of taking something seen as goofy and then rebooting it with a more serious tone. With StarTropics 3, I think I’d rather see something like a T-rated God of War with the tropical environments of Uncharted. At some point Nintendo will have to release a successor to the Wii, so what better way to introduce their new console than by showing a game like that which just happens to be a sequel to a forgotten Nintendo franchise?
The story for StarTropics III has Mike Jones, Jr., son of the original series hero, taking time off from college and going to C-Island after receiving an urgent message from his mother, Mica. He learns that not only has his father gone missing, he was kidnapped by Dr. J. Angry and confused, he sets off to find his father, but is stopped by the island shaman from the original series. She hands him a yo-yo called the “Island Star.” Mike, Jr. questions why his childhood toy would help him, but she explains that she has been working on making it “special” for years.
Mike tries out the Island Star and realizes that while it appears to be a regular yo-yo, doing certain tricks like “walking the dog,” turns it into a weapon that he can use to defeat enemies. Think of how the Combat Cross in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow reacts during the “chainsaw” attack. There would be lots of swinging and spinning attacks at various ranges. To keep some attachment with the original, there will still be heart containers, one-use weapons, and upgrades for your Island Star. To add depth, there will be an experience point system that upgrades various stats, giving you a reason to defeat enemies.
Of course there are also puzzles like in any action game. Tiles won’t work anymore, so platforming would be a combination of jumping and climbing, like an Uncharted or Prince of Persia.
Locations from the original will be revisited, including jungles, caverns, graveyards, and even a spaceship. Each location will have its own story, like in the original, that all play a part in the main quest.
These are all combinations that have been done before, but not so much on Nintendo platforms, not typically for a T-rated audience, and usually without any depth. This project would not only find success with all audiences, but the franchise name would help it reach those nostalgic for the past, and could be a great showcase for whatever new machine Nintendo is working on.
Oh, and pack a letter in there. You know, for the kids.
