Buck and the Cursed Cartridge review

As I'm sure many gaming journalists have, I've spent my fair share of time in the “GameStop mines”. It was a great time with a stellar team and fantastic customers, in the end. I remember a time, however, when GameStop tried to make games, starting with publishing Song of the Deep. After abandoning that venture, I'd have thought they were over it, but the chain beginning to carry the ModRetro Chromatic got someone's brain going. Buck and the Cursed Cartridge seems like a perfect match, bringing the GameStop mascot into a 2D platformer world. Now that I've played it, I'm impressed by a game that is better than it has any right to be.

Buck and the Cursed Cartridge begins with Buck heading off to GameStop to buy a new game for his ModRetro Chromatic. He rifles through a few, before settling on an evil looking “Cursed Cartridge”. There's no way it's really cursed, right? Turns out, as soon as he clicks on the Chromatic, Buck is sucked into the game world, left to fight enemy sprites while looking for a way out.

The tone is flawlessly set, with Buck being as irreverent as possible. At the start of the gameplay, Buck is offered a sword in a very Zelda way, only to screech out a profanity and pull out a gun. It never really stops either, as Buck’s reaction to the world stays trueto his character. It's crass, but the satirical nature of the game lends itself to Buck's attitude.

There are six worlds to explore, with multiple levels and a boss on each one. Think Super Mario Land 3, but being able to take on each level at your leisure. The theming is on point, the first mimicking the original Mario, the second a Halloween world, and so on. The colors for each level pops – while the Chromatic is a heck of a handheld, kudos to Play Instinct for delivering vibrant locales.

Arguably, the best part is seeing these themes leak into the gameplay. The Halloween world has an especially fun twist, with a completely dark level where you have a bit of light around you along with illuminated enemies. It's fun hopping around and trying to discover a level in near pitch black, even if you die a few times finding a spike floor by accident. Similarly, the ice of the Winter world adds a slippery element that, while familiar, is a good way to change things up.

Buck and the Cursed Cartridge’s gameplay is simple, but effective. You’ll jump and shoot your way through each level, with the objective being eliminating every enemy. I appreciate the counter up top which helps you keep track of what baddies are left. Every level is pretty small as well, and although that assists with tracking down each foe, it can be slightly disappointing when you finish levels within a minute or two. At least the platforming is responsive, with your jump feeling controllable and precise.

You’ll face a decent amount of different enemies. Most have a weak point to figure out, some being shootable, others needing to be jumped on, and more. Play Instinct has mixed in some really clever bosses as well – there’s a vine monster in the Halloween world, and a loot box in the same world that is a fun idea. While it can be somewhat repetitive at times, there are great concepts in the game that keep things entertaining.

I didn’t expect a platformer like this to have a few upgrades and collectibles. A hacker rat sets up a space in every world you visit, which allows you to buy a couple of new moves and upgrade your health. You’ll pick up coins through the levels, and these give you the currency to spend on them. It’s only a couple of things, an air dash and double jump among others, but they’re useful. The collectibles are found in chests you come across as you play, with a screen showing what you’ve collected. None of them give you any bonuses in-game, but seeing the ModRetro and other themed items is a nice extra that makes the game replayable.

My only real qualm is the tracking for completing levels. The holes or circles designate each one, but they don’t change after you finish them up. This makes it a pain to keep track of what you’ve done, so make sure you are paying attention. If they could have at least changed the color, it’d have helped, especially as you have to complete each level to unlock the boss at the end of the world.