Violinist of Hameln (Super Famicom)
Violinist of Hameln is a side-scrolling action/puzzle game published by Enix for the Super Famicom in 1995. The cosmos decided that I go to right to
@Zef 's next choice, so here we are! And I'm super glad it did. This game was a delight.
What it's All About
This game ties into a manga and anime of the same name, featuring a selfish and greedy bard by the name of Hamel who is on his way north to the kingdom of Hameln. Along the way, he uses his magical violin to save the village of Staccato from some monsters. As payment, he abducts a villager named Flute, then heads on his way. Hamel is also accompanied by a talking crow named Oboe. The game follows Hamel, Flute, and Oboe on their journey through several kingdoms, each one with a problem that Hamel wants to ignore but Flute wants to solve.
This game had no release on the SNES, and apparently none of either the manga or anime has reached the west in any official capacity.
How it Works
You control Hamel, who can run around with the d-Pad, jump with B, and play his violin with the A button. Hamel can also duck and climb ladders. Playing his violin emits a wobbly music note which flies across the screen and damages any enemy it touches. Hamel just has to advance from left to right in each stage and defeat a boss at the end of each kingdom.
But wait, there's more! Hamel is also accompanied by Flute, who follows him wherever he goes. Hamel's success in each level hinges on actions he can perform in conjunction with Flute. Flute can climb ladders and hoist herself over one-block-high elevations. By pressing the X button, Flute stands in the same place, and by pressing it again, she starts following Hamel (as indicated by the flashing "CALL" text over Oboe's head). He can also stand on her head. More dramatically, by pressing Y, Hamel can pick up Flute, and by pressing it again, he can hurl her across the screen. Flute is a deadly projectile, typically more powerful than Hamel's music, and she can also be tossed into certain walls to destroy them.
Hamel starts with a four-heart life bar, which can be increased, but Flute has the same two-hit lifebar throughout the game. Hamel can't clear a stage unless Flute is with him. Now I hear you saying, Drac, Drac! We all hate escort missions, Drac. Well, here's the nice thing - Flute is never really in danger. After taking two hits, Flute becomes visibly frustrated (both in her animation and her little portrait icon), but the only game effect is that you earn no coins for tossing her at foes, and you don't get a bonus star for finishing the stage.
Throughout the stages, Hamel can find coins (for buying items in towns: each map has a unique town); fruit (for health); stars (to enter end-stage bonus areas); notes (to increase his attacking strength); hats (granting a 1-UP); and big hearts (increase maximum life). There are also colored keys which correspond to certain level exits. Every stage is a challenge of figuring out where to position Hamel and Flute to proceed, calling to mind things like The Lost Vikings.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S EVEN MORE!
Hidden throughout the game (usually in areas that can't be missed) are icons which give Flute a new costume. By pressing the start button, you access a sub-screen where you can choose Flute's costume. Each of these gives her a special ability. For example, the first one, an ostrich, can walk over spikes. The second one, a frog, jumps high when Hamel stands on it. There's a whole buffet of costumes, ranging from animals to things like bombs, UFOs, frisbees, and curling irons. And despite Flute's obvious annoyance at having to wear them, they're absolutely essential to proceed.
A few of the most powerful costumes either have to be purchased from a town or found hidden in stages, but the majority are funny-shaped keys which the game teaches you to use through gameplay after you pick up each one.
How It Feels
You know that feeling when you put the cap back on a marker and it fits perfectly together and there's the most beautiful little snap? And you just want to pop the cap back off and snap it back together for eternity? That's how this game feels. I felt that level of satisfaction every time I picked a new costume from the menu, or zapped an enemy with a music note, or heard the soft "tap" of Hamel's boots on a block. The interface in this game just sings, in a way similar to a lot of first-party Nintendo titles.
And this being a SFC title from 1995, there's plenty of graphical flourish, mainly in lots of background depth and some sprite morphing. And oh! Music!
It's very good. There's lots of adaptation of classical pieces as well.
What I Played
The whole thing. The game is only four maps long (each featuring 5-6 stages), and has no save/password to speak of, so I figured I might as well do it all. I'm so glad I did. I had such a good time.
Would I Play More?
After the credits roll, there's not much else to do, but the game does teach you a couple of secret button input techniques which you can use during any playthrough. Also, I didn't translate all of the text, opting for more of a "gist" experience, so I'm sure I'd enjoy playing again and paying a bit more attention to all the story stuff. It's all seems to fall pretty well into typical adventure anime tropes, though. And hey, there's no undue perving (that I could discern), which is always a plus for a thing of the era. Although the game's whole engine relies on using a girl as a literal platform, so...well, I'll let the readers make up their minds on that one.
No matter what, this is a game worth checking out, and there's an English patch, so you don't have to half-ignore the story like I did. Boot up that emulator!
