The Entropy Pump

by Enix
fan-translated by F.H. . (Download Patch)

A conversion of a rather weird anime (if the strange characters that turn up are any indication) into a platformer. The game is rather nice: good controls, very varied and good looking stages, even if each stage is far too short and the mechanics are typical platformer fare. The early bosses are easily defeated, the later ones are a bit harder. I’ve come as far as some giant octopus, which I think is the final boss, but I can’t say for sure, as I haven’t found a way to beat him (if anyone knows how to do that I would be thankful for any tip). It’s nothing outstanding, far too short and despite quite good looking too generic to leave a bigger impression, but it’s good to pass some time and have fun.

by Konami

The first time I played this was shortly after I’ve gotten through Super Castlevania IV. At that time I was relatively new to consoles and gaming in general and somehow got the idea this was a sequel to the fourth part. What a disappointment. The game lacked the sophistication, the variety, the pure gameplay of the former. Especially the simple whip movement was annoying, after having such absolute control of the whip in the fourth part. Really, I wondered what had happened, how could a game devolve from such heights, not knowing that this was just a port from another system and not a sequel. Yet, despite being an inferior port and also far from reaching the quality of other Castlevania games, I somehow have grown to like Castlevania: Dracula X. Has taken me some years, but eventually I did. Even in its dumbed down state, the core Castlevania gameplay is there and can be fun.

Rating: 3/5

by Konami

For some people the best Castlevania game is Symphony of the Night, which is indeed a masterpiece of gaming. But for me the first SNES-outing of the Castlevania-series is still the best one. This is partly because it’s one of the first games I played on my SNES ages ago (when the world was young, yadda, yadda,…) and which seriously impressed me. It’s not just an excellent Castlevania game, it’s one of the best platformers I’ve played. It’s rather big and long, yet each stage has it’s own theme and style, there’s no repetition or boring parts, making this one of the most varied Castlevania games. Your whip allows you to do more than just a simple strike in one direction, you can whip in eight directions, you can let the whip go limp and spin, using it as a shield. There are plenty of boss sprites and excellent sound. This one is really perfect, at least for me. Ah, the memories. And I still have fun replaying it from time to time.

Rating: 5/5

by Game Freak
fan-translated by King Mike and Chris Clovell . (Download Patch)

This is the unpublished sequel to the SNES game Jerry Boy (and has nothing to do with the SNES platformer Jelly Boy from Ocean). Like the predecessor you play blob-like characters that can stick to walls and ceiling. Instead of playing just one character, you can free your friends, each with a distinguished skill. Jelly Boy 2 is a game that tops it’s predecessor in every aspect, the gameplay is even more smooth, the graphics look better and the level bosses are more innovative. Overall, great fun.

Final Boss: There is another, final boss that can be unlocked by finding the nine pieces of a mosaic.
- Lost World 4 (use Yolk)
- Star Park 5 (use Yolk)
- Ninja Western 4 (use Yolk) this is a bit harder to find, first you have to look for cracks in the wall to the right of a door, squeeze through them and move right until you find another door, through that one and you reach a level with waterfalls, the final door to the piece is in a waterfall, just swim up
- Crazy Ocean 3 (anyone)
- Wonder Space 4 (use Carm)
- Motor Maze 4 (use Ed) (found by Tulavu)
- Gimmick Wood 3 (use Yolk)
- Dark Palace 4 (use Yolk)
- Dark Palace 5 (beat the final boss)

Rating: 5/5

by Game Freak
fan-translated by Chris Clovell . (Download Patch)

Neat little SNES platformer that was published under the title Smart Ball in the US, but with most of the story cut out. The innovative thing about Jerry Boy is that your main hero has been transformed into a blob-like thing that can stick to any kind of wall and even the ceiling. You can also squeeze yourself through tiny tubes that are all over the place. While the rest of the game is rather standard fare, it’s well done and fun to play.

Rating: 4/5