Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 12/12/89 Genre: Action
In some ways I kind of miss blindly renting games. When you were young with no disposable income game rentals were your life blood. The only problem is there was no guarantee the game you wanted would be there. And that situation pretty much led to me renting Mendel Palace with very little knowledge of its gameplay beforehand. When your only other options are Chubby Cherub or Total Recall it isn’t much of a decision. While this usually led to disaster in this case it was anything but. Mendel Palace is a fantastic game, both original and beautifully executed. This is one of the system’s most underrated games and well worth seeking out.
Mendel Palace holds the distinction of being Pokemon developer Game Freak’s first title. Most probably are not aware of their long history in the industry, with multiple titles on the Genesis before they struck gold with Pokemon. You can see some traces of their work in its presentation, with its colorful cast of characters. While it has flown under the radar it isn’t because they didn’t try. Hudson Soft actually put some marketing behind it, with print and TV ads. Sadly it did not stick but that’s why I’m here to sing its praises.
Mendel Palace is entirely based on one mechanic, flipping tiles. Your character’s only means of offense is to flip the tile they are standing on or next to. This sends enemies flying, reveals new tiles, or hidden items. Enemies can only be defeated by smashing them into walls or unbreakable blocks. Each round is composed of a 5×7 grid with the object being to eliminate all enemies present. While there isn’t an on screen clock each level is timed. Once you have taken too long every goes berserk and aggressively hunts you down. It may sound simple but the game is anything but.
The game has considerable depth through its great level design. There is a large array of special tiles that alter a level’s flow in numerous ways. Star tiles are the equivalent of Mario’s coins, awarding an extra life at one hundred. Moon tiles take you to a bonus round and as a bonus end the current level after. Spinner tiles rocket Bon Bon in a given direction, destroying anyone in his path. The rare sun tile flips every tile in the room. While it usually helps it can also be detrimental; it will also uncover portal tiles that infinitely spawn new enemies until flipped. That isn’t the only hindrance. Bolted metal tiles cannot be flipped while block tiles can’t be passed. I love the variety the different tiles add; it’s amazing how uncovering specific tiles completely changes the dynamic of a round. That variety is key to the game.
The layout is different than most action puzzle titles. At the start you can choose any of eight different palaces. Each palace features a unique doll with different forms of attack. Swimmers actually swim through the floor and flip the tiles in their wake. Ninjas are very fast and kick both the tiles and you, making them dangerous opponents. Copycat dolls are actually mimics of Bon Bon although they aren’t as proficient at block flipping. Possibly the most annoying are the artist dolls. These slow antagonists mostly ignore you. Instead they change tiles; either they render them immobile or create clones of themselves.
Fighting the same enemy for ten straight levels could have been tedious. Instead the game paces each round perfectly. The initial few rounds of a palace are simple to acclimate you to each doll’s behavior. Each successive round after introduce new wrinkles, such as an incredibly short timer or variations of each doll. It is handled very well and ends in a boss battle that is both creative and frustrating at the same time.
Mendel Palace has a steep difficulty curve that begins to reach insane heights toward the end. It is very easy to hit a loop where multiple portals spawn enemies faster than you can keep up. The last few stages in a palace stack the different tiles, creating a literal nightmare. The game’s final palace consists of ten of the most difficult levels I have dealt with in a game in years. It has been a long time since I have wanted to punch a wall and this game brought me close. Just a warning.
Aside from its difficulty there are only a few flaws the keep Mendel Palace from being the complete package. The first is control; the game is practically begging for 8-way movement. Restricting it to the four cardinal directions is brutal, especially combined with Bon Bon’s slow walking speed. The late stages of the game are a nightmare and seem almost impossible as a result. The worst oversight is the lack of battery backup or passwords. This is a long game, with 100 levels in total. Granted, you can finish most of in less than a minute with skill but that takes a while to build. It is still a bitter pill to swallow having to start from the beginning every time. If you could save progress this would be almost perfect.
In Closing
Even with that in mind however Mendel Palace is still utterly fantastic. Mendel Palace nails its simple premise almost perfectly, offering a game with unique gameplay and a long quest to become one of the NES’s best hidden gems. It shows Game Freak’s knack for creativity and that the best was yet to come.
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