During one of the previous Steam sales, I saw that there was a video game called Belle Boomerang and bought it with lightning speed. How could I not? It checks every box. The protagonist is a girl named Belle who uses a throwable weapon to beat the baddies and stop something really bad from happening. Also, if it wasn't painfully apparent, her weapon of choice is a boomerang. That actually checks off the secret bonus box... which is now no longer a secret. Whatever! Point is, here's the exact kind of game that meets the 2026 Special's requirements, and it's got such a fuzzy wuzzy cutesy wutesy comfy mumfy NES aesthetic to vibe to that- Wait. Did I just die 76 times in less than three hours?
Yeah, turns out this is one of those platformers that lured me in with sweet nothings from a long-forgotten childhood. Enchanted by its lovely visuals and pleasantly minimalistic soundtrack, my ignorant self did what it does best and underestimated the game. What followed was a ruthless yet not unexpected pummeling that left me a little uncertain of what direction I was going in. After reassuring myself that the only direction I know is down, I got back to work. Though I helped Belle conquer all of her demons, the battering my psyche took in the process must now be set under a microscope and examined. Was it the game that failed me or did I fail the game? It's an outrageous question to ask considering the sole developer spent an unimaginable amount of time working on this, gathered feedback from several players, and made multiple adjustments. My time and experience are infinitesimal by comparison, and probably not even worth discussing, but this train flew off the track paragraphs ago and we're all just waiting for the collision.
Each stage of Belle Boomerang is referred to as an act. Almost every act consists of multiple scenes, wherein the heroine hops and bops her way across platforms and through critters. If you're wondering about the significance of the image directly above, then allow me to explain further. This is an action & puzzle game. Certain bells - often dropped from enemies - will transform Belle and give her a new power. It's vaguely similar to Kirby, though not as open-ended. These obtained powers are usually required to progress. Mastering them is necessary to obtain hidden roses and defeat bosses. The mechanics here are pretty solid, though some details aren't adequately explained.
To give an idea of what to expect, the last scene of the second act has a puzzle where Belle uses her statue power to locate nearby ghosts. These spirits point out which of the two doors to travel through to reach the exit. I can't recall ever being taught about this feature. There is a statue in the room, but it's not enough. Thing is, it wasn't until my third play-through of the stage that I put 2 and y together and figured out the statue could see ghosts if it was close enough to them. Act 5 was similarly unclear in that the critters that fire rocks from their snouts are actually firing snowballs, which freeze water and allow for safe crossing. I probably could've avoided several deaths if I had known sooner.
I don't want to get too mired in the word 'death', lest it lose all meaning. Still, I have to ask... What is the meaning of death? I mean, in a video game. I've spent at least a few years cosplaying as a shmup fan, so I'm familiar with the concept, but it's never something that I felt like I was trained to accept. Deaths are mistakes and achieving the ultimate goals of a game typically involve dying as little as possible. I feel like I'm unable to understand Belle Boomerang's philosophy. Next to the death counter is this little critter that offers sympathy for any and all mistakes that have happened. I appreciate the gesture, but did my deaths have to be counted? What benefit does it serve someone to be reminded of every single instance where they came up short?
This is probably why I never got into Viewtiful Joe. In that game, each and every single one of my failings is emblazoned upon the save file, as if I'd somehow forget all the mistakes I made. Maybe I just don't appreciate being judged. To have a game tell me "Don't worry about all your mistakes!" while keeping an easily accessible and permanent record nearby; it's a bit like having a splinter that digs itself further and further into my flesh. Maybe it isn't the right analogy, but it is how I feel. Still, out of respect for this game, I'll just say that it's a meaningless nitpick. Plus, I'm not going to turn around and revisit however many other games that feature death counters just to dock worthless points from nonexistent scores. I'm already brow deep in the shit as it is.
Anyway, I want to make it apparent that this game's failings are not attributed to poor controls or something else that's easily identifiable. Really, what's here is quite good. Each act presents a unique set of challenges, all of which demand just the right amount of effort from the player. There will be stressful and sometimes frustrating moments. I'll attribute this to Belle's low HP. Three hearts never feel like enough. Given enough time (and hidden roses), she can obtain a maximum of five heart containers. Problem is, two of those containers are rarely filled. Belle always defaults to three after recovering from a death. This is also on the easier difficulty. The "Retro" setting drops her HP to two and has less checkpoints, making deaths more frequent and punishing. I, perhaps wisely, chose not to attempt this setting.
The larger issue with this game's Act/Scene setup is that each act can have a lot of scenes. The adventure gets to be quite grueling when acts seemingly refuse to end until all of their ideas are wrung out. To make up for this, the game saves progress up to the last scene you've reached, so taking a coffee break is not just allowed but encouraged. Still, there were multiple times where I just wanted to be done with whatever I'm dealing with and move on. The final boss and its four-or-so phases can be considered one of those potential breaking points.
Without getting too much into detail about how bosses work in Belle Boomerang, they basically involve avoiding a series of attacks until an opportunity presents itself. You've experienced something like this before, but perhaps not as pronounced. Waiting can be hard, especially when the protag is just a couple missteps away from a mistake. I can't say that I ever lost patience, but I did lose sight of what was expected of me. There's a point during the final phase of the final boss where they'll fire a line of deadly fruits in a snake-like pattern. I never figured out how I was supposed to dodge this attack.
I believe that the game needed just one more balance patch and then it would achieve... Well... Actually, I can't answer that. Though I ultimately had fun with the game, I also don't believe it's a patch shy from greatness. Patching it further would just erase the friction. Belle Boomerang is a tough game to pinpoint. I love its immensely charming visuals but the feeling of dissatisfaction after overcoming its trials still hasn't gone away. Perhaps philosophical differences are more than just another nitpick. Perhaps I take game criticism too seriously.
Oh well.
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