The events of Needed take place in a parallel universe where warriors and mediums have been fighting demons from the dark dimension for thousands of years. One of these fighters is the main character Bruce Boltzmann, who became immortal by chance. His demonic eye guarantees him survival in any conditions, and numerous enemies can only tear the body into small parts, which, thanks to an unknown force, the main character can assemble into a single whole. In a difficult campaign against the forces of evil, Bruce is accompanied by a pretty police girl Arcadia.
who does not so much help as interfere with numerous fights with enemies from the depths of hell. The destructibility of Bruce’s body and the concentration of life force in his head suggest many simple puzzles, for the solution of which the protagonist voluntarily rips off his head, going as a bun through the complex labyrinths of air ducts and sewer pipes. Usually.
at the end of such travels, the hero is waiting for a special potion that allows him to recreate a forgotten body around a lonely head. Sometimes the player is required to rip his hands off and throw them into the mouth of the hated boss to identify weak points or sacrifice his integrity by taking a blow of several thousand watts to start an elevator or electronic mechanism. All of this body manipulation is fun, has a sense of humor, and is the best part of the gameplay.
The worst part can be attributed to numerous battles with insatiable opponents, who in a matter of seconds bite off Bruce’s arms and legs, forcing him to roll and collect lost limbs. The bouncing camera and constantly running out of bullets make the situation absurd, where the player spends more time collecting his body in the Ka tamari style than taking part in the battle itself. By the middle of the game, special opponents appear who try to suck in Bruce’s head and deprive him of his regeneration ability.
It is impossible to avoid these enemies, and the QTEs that appear on the screen are triggered differently each time, most often leading to Game Over. Moreover, the activity of “vacuum cleaners” during battles with bosses is as high as possible, and as a result, the player loses a difficult battle due to the control curve and the impossibility of reacting to QTE in the monster’s stomach during the time.
In addition to pistols, Bruce has a folding sword at his disposal, with which you can solve puzzles, cut chains and destroy enemies. It acts more efficiently than firearms, but the control with the stick is very unsuccessful. If you add a crooked camera to that, you realize that Blind Fury battles are hard to classify as addictive gameplay.
In addition to pistols, Bruce has a folding sword at his disposal, with which you can solve puzzles, cut chains and destroy enemies. It acts more efficiently than firearms, but the control with the stick is very unsuccessful. If you add a crooked camera to that, you realize that Blind Fury battles are hard to classify as addictive gameplay.
Of course, Needed has its pluses – the destructibility of the environment is implemented in the game really effectively. And when, in the heat of battle, the columns, benches and walls scatter into small parts, causing damage to numerous rivals, you feel the blood pulsating in your veins and it seems that this is an absolutely perfect game until, due to the crooked camera angle, you again lose your head, finding yourself in the belly of the hated vacuum cleaner. If the authors paid attention to the camera and control, while maintaining the game balance, then the project would have a better chance of success.
There are also the beginnings of a role-playing system in Needed. The player, collecting red crystals, can exchange them for special abilities that increase the power of the weapon, endowing it with special elements like electric bullets and giving the sword super blows. But most of these abilities do not affect gameplay. For example, the difference between a sword with + 10% damage and without it is almost imperceptible.
The enemy style and boss designs were heavily influenced by Japanese designers. Therefore, do not be surprised by big-nosed clowns, spiked balls and giant dragons with oversized bears. In some places, the level of thrash is off the charts, bringing back memories of Onechibara and the third Devil May Cry.
Needed is a strange symbiosis of Japanese designers and British developers, based on an interesting idea ruined by crooked controls, lack of balance, a terrible camera and too monotonous game decisions that are unable to save even scenes with the main character sniffing the panties of his faithful partner.
