The
heroine of Twinkle Tale is a young witch who must collect the 5 mystical
orbs in order to save the world of Arfeirion from being over run by the
evil dark ones. The game kicks off with the prologue all in Japanese but
not to worry since you really don't need to know what this is saying in
order to enjoy the game.
The first level begins with our heroine standing in what seems to be a
clearing in the middle of a sparsely-wooded forest. A few shots with one
of her weapons instantly evaporates a pair of treasure chests, revealing
two globes with stars painted on them. These are the most
important items in Twinkle Tale. Collecting them first powers up the
weapon the heroine's currently using and then starts powering up the
other two. Each weapon can be powered up to 3 times, with each new level
adding more projectiles and power to her attack. Almost immediately
after getting those first upgrades, it will be time to test them out on
a few monsters, as a number of bats and goblins make a short-lived stand
against her power. After that easy win, she'll be able to snag a couple
more treasure chests and move to a more mountainous region of the
opening level.
Not all of these chests contain weapon orbs. Others may have one of two
special attacks. The heroine can hold up to three of these items at
once, with one type sending gigantic blue orbs at foes and the other
assaulting them with gigantic fiery snakes. Or, a treasure chest may
contain medicine to heal damage she's taken.
Most stages within Twinkle Tale have tricky little areas lwhich seem
placed in the game for the sole reason to steal the power of a player's
most effective weapon. Gigantic steel balls crash down the corridors of
the second level's castle, while the elevated platforms of the third
stage offer plenty of opportunities for the girl to forfeit a hit
because she stumbled off a narrow path while attempting to dodge a few
projectiles. The maze-like caverns of the fifth level send the
player down branching corridors through a series of rooms containing
grotesque foes that waste no time in shooting first and asking questions
later....that is, assuming they ever had plans to ask anything in the
first place. The second stage has a handful of side rooms that can be
entered, allowing the girl to collect a couple of treasures — if she can
survive the onslaught of foes that storm into the place to protect their
ill-gotten goods.
Of all of these levels, few matched the sheer enjoyable chaos the sixth
stage's fortress provided. The player runs through the ramparts and into
the dungeon-like interior, only to exit the place and run around it — to
a dead end? Not for long as a pair of hammer-wielding Cyclopes smash
through a wall in search of a fight. After disposing of them, it's back
inside (and on top of) the fortress until the stage ends with a tough
battle with a goat-headed demon summoned from the depths of hell.
Over all
Twinkle Tale is a very good shooter which just oozes playability and
challenge (you won't see the ending unless you play it on normal mode)
that will last quite some time. Fantastic visuals and audio also
help make this a winner. A true cult classic.
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