P-100 is one of those games I stared at for a full five minutes and didn't understand what the hell was going on. It was inscrutable to me. It's obviously a sign of age because my 12-year old son didn't seem to have any problems navigating the world or blowing up the giant anime robots that plagued him and his group of citizens gathered throughout the isometric level.
Using the Wii U Gamepad, he used basic attacks and moved around the world but to switch weapons or access some other super power -- as far as I could tell -- was done by swiping the touchscreen in a specific pattern. Or it lassoed citizens as part of your entourage by drawing a circle on the touchscreen. The entourage seems to make the player character more powerful, so the more citizens you enlist, the powerful you become. I think.
The more bizarre the action got, the more I noticed the small details. Like when citizens join your ranks join the group they done homemade-looking super hero costumes.
I looked at the fact sheet next to the TV. Platinum Games is the developer... I felt better for not really understanding what was happening.
Platinum Games developed the likes of Bayonetta and Vanquish; a couple of games that were just weird but looked good while spinning out the insanity.
P-100 (working title) piqued my interest though, even if it's just to watch my 12-year old son play the game while I try to decipher what's actually going on.
Earth is under attack from an invasion of enormous aliens, and the only thing that can protect the planet is a group of unlikely, yet mighty, heroes with special abilities. Unfortunately, the aliens are too powerful for the heroes to fight individually. They must join forces and work together to defeat their common enemy. These uniquely different heroes can morph into powerful weapons to crush the invaders or turn into objects like a giant fist or bridge to interact with and traverse the environments.
FEATURES:
• Players must explore each stage to find helpless citizens and recruit them to join their army of heroes. The more heroes you gather, the greater your Special Morph Powers will be.
• Players can use the Wii U GamePad’s touch screen to command heroes such as Bonzai Man, Vending Machine Man and even Toilet Bowl Man. Heroes can also morph into gelatin to guard themselves from enemy attacks.
• Players can also use the GamePad to explore areas unseen on the TV screen and solve puzzle elements.
- Aaron Simmer
