149. The New Zealand Story Revolution (Marvelous Entertainment, DS, 2008)

Like game #147, Rainbow Islands Revolution, The New Zealand Story Revolution is a remake of an 80s Taito arcade game developed by Marvelous Entertainment. Unlike Rainbow Islands Revolution, The New Zealand Story Revolution is both a straight up remake, as well as a pretty fun time.

The original New Zealand Story, released in arcades in 1988, was a cute, fun platformer about a kiwi bird that shoots arrows that had a few interesting ideas (you could steal enemy vehicles to get around) and a nice aesthetic. The New Zealand Story Revolution mostly uses the same levels, though it also injects some new ideas and mechanics. The original game only had a jump and shoot button, but Revolution adds an aim button so you can shoot in any direction, not just straight. There is also a button for pecking at the ground, but I actually never found a use for this.

In addition to the new buttons, your bird has a lot more abilities. There is a neat double jump that only works if you are still on the ascending arc of your first jump, and you can also charge your shots. There is also a double tap to dash (my fave), and when you are falling instead of just fluttering a little, you can actually regain some ground vertically (and there's even a tiny stamina meter). Another big change is that you can take 3 hits instead of the original game's 1, though you have a limited number of lives after which you have to restart the level, instead of just putting in another credit to continue where you left off.

In addition to the expansion of the original game's control scheme, The New Zealand Story Revolution also adds some of that DS touchscreen functionality we all know and love. Certain segments will have touch based segments that vary in quality. Sometimes you're just rotating a lever to open a door (boring), other times it's a spot-the-difference puzzle (less boring). The best one was a challenging platforming segment that had lots of spike pits. But instead of falling to your death in the spike pit, you fall to the lower screen, at which point you can fling yourself out with the stylus. The flinging physics were actually pretty interesting, so that was definitely the most inspired use of touch controls.

4/5, a nice update to a fun old arcade game, though the additions are a bit of a mixed bag