Developer: CyberConnect Publisher: Atlus Released: November 6, 1999 Genre: Action
Super Mario 64 was the spark that changed the 3d platformer. While Jumping Flash and (heh) Croc were available they were nothing compared to Nintendo’s monster. While Nintendo 64 owners were treated to a steady diet of quality 3d platformers PlayStation owners had to put up with drek like Jersey Devil and Bubsy 3d. Tail Concerto is a neat little adventure with a lot of heart that distinguishes itself thanks to an interesting world and solid mechanics. It took a little while to leave Japan but the wait was worth it in my opinion.
Waffle just wanted to enjoy his vacation. But when the Black Cat Gang invades Prairie vacation time is over to save the city. What starts as a simple clean up job soon spirals in to a mission to prevent the resurrection of an ancient evil that has the potential to destroy the world. Behind its cheery exterior Tail Concerto touches on a few discrimination and genocide. But despite that heady subject matter it never loses sight of itself and remains charming as hell up until its conclusion. The story is not as deep as it may seem but it is enjoyable as is the fully realized world. I only wish it were longer as the game is otherwise excellent.
As a late 3d platformer Tail Concerto benefits from dual analog control. Using the analog stick navigating the environments is smooth and intuitive thanks to the simple controls. The only annoyance is the lack of camera control. You can move it up and down but rotation is slow and automatic. It is a missed opportunity as they do not use the right analog stick. Luckily most rooms are small and it isn’t necessary. Waffle’s robo suit has two means of attack: blowing bubbles that can trap enemies and picking up and grabbing objects. Most levels in the game involve cleaning up individual rooms by rounding up kittens. These start out easy enough but later they become harder as they show up in varied vehicles and contraptions. These are followed by Robotnik style boss battles as the Black Cat Gang repeatedly show up in different cat themed robots.
If I have one complaint it is that the game can be repetitive, at least for the first ¾ of its length. Every continent is very small and moving from room to room grabbing kittens can get old fast. The few diversions like the mines of Ferzen and the free flight in Airleaf are nice diversions that I wish there were more of. Platforming becomes more of a focus late in the game and it is a welcome change of pace. If the content were more varied and spread out I would rank Tail Concerto higher as what is here is good. It just needed more of it.
The only major area Tail Concerto suffers in is its length. Overall this is a four hour or so adventure that will leave you wanting more. The game moves at a brisk pace and does not linger in one area too long. As well each zone is very small and straightforward. On the one hand it is good that the game does not overstay its welcome. But as well the world is so interesting that it is a shame that there is not much to explore much less any reason to outside of completing your photo album. With a few more locations Tail Concerto could have been truly exceptional.
Although there is multiple difficulty settings overall Tail Concerto falls on the easy side. Waffle can take a lot of punishment and life restoring items are plentiful even during most boss battles. The few enemies present in each level are not overly aggressive. Toward the end this changes a little but it starts to feel cheap rather than challenging. The boss battles present the few challenges the game has and are generally excellent. They are mechanically varied and require some modicum of skill to complete. Where the early battles provide a few healing items that changes later in the game. But I would still say any gamer with even a decent ability to recognize patterns will not have any trouble.
Like Mega Man Legends Tail Concerto is one of the cleanest PlayStation games in terms of visual clarity. The simple art style along with the gouraud shading avoids the heavily pixelated look common on the sense. The character models are incredibly expressive and highly detailed despite their simplicity. The framerate is also consistent but the environments are small and compact as a compromise. The typical PlayStation jitter is in full effect but considering how great the game looks overall it is a small complaint. Most dialogue has full voice acting and is generally pretty good. For such a low key release I was generally surprised; a lot of love was poured into this one and it shows.
In Closing
Do not let the game’s brevity deter you. Tail Concerto is a great game that is more than worth your time with its solid mechanics and charming atmosphere. I enjoyed every minute I spent with it and while that time was brief it was memorable.
