Super Nintendo Look - Jerry Boy

Back when the SNES section of the local rental store was the most depressing spot in town, anything that didn't play like concentrated misery was good enough to trade away a weekend for. My younger self's criteria for a "good" game consisted of the following: stages that could be replayed without starting a new game, 1ups that are easy to collect, and some decent music. Enter Smart Ball, a charming platformer about a blob who squishes his way through land, space, and sea. In retrospect, I don't recall what convinced me to give this a rent. The less-than-interesting box-art and slimy main character certainly weren't enough. Maybe the only other available games were Spanky's Quest, Xardion, and Lagoon. Whatever the case, I do remember playing through it a couple of times, and even discovering some of the cool powers that Jerry is capable of.

Some decades later, I finished Jerry Boy, the game that would become Smart Ball after Sony Imagesoft finished stripping out every bit of the story. The action-stages remain untampered, some work was done to tighten the controls, but almost every NPC was tossed in a void. Bit of a shame really. Without towns and their residents, the world feels empty and a bit too surreal. Hell, the fact that Jerry is a prince was unknown to me until just recently. I also didn't know that the guy who gets turned into a larger villainous blob is actually Jerry's brother, Tom (also a prince). The whole reason this mess occurred is because Tom made a deal with an evil magician to screw over Jerry and steal his bride-to-be. Why am I suddenly reminded of Area 88? Never mind. 

Before I continue, there is one minor detail I shouldn't overlook. While the in-game story is nonexistent, Smart Ball's manual introduced both the characters and plot. It also featured full color artwork! Of course, all of this was lost to me because rentals never came with manuals.

Jerry Boy was the second game designed by Game Freak. If Ken Sugimori's art didn't give it away, the quirky mechanics and light puzzle-solving certainly would have. At first, being a blob isn't much different than being a plumber. Press B or A to jump, hold down Y or X to speed-up, and tap the L or R buttons to expunge any objects residing within the goo. Leaping onto a baddie doesn't immediately end their life. Instead, Jerry sits atop them SMB2 USA style. In time, manual-less players will discover that pressing down flattens the hero (and anything close-by) while pressing up does a bird-bashing stretch. Besides increasing his speed, Y or X causes the blob to stick to walls or ceilings he makes contact with. Each level provides numerous orbs that can be held inside of Jerry's body. Most exist to be thrown at the nearest enemy, but seeds, iron balls, and high-jump orbs have different uses.

Seeing as how blobs don't have a lot of traction, adjusting to the controls will take some time. As the endgame approached, I was still messing up on the basics. If you're the type of platformer fan who always holds down the run-button, then I seriously suggest holding off. Save the "running" for a replay or when it's needed to make a big jump. Use precise movements whenever there are small platforms or spikes nearby. This game gives a lot of opportunities to make mistakes, but not a lot of room. Short version: lives are plentiful, life is not. Unless his max health was raised with a heart container or two, Jerry starts every life just two hits away from death. There will be times where he dies horribly and you'll swear it wasn't your fault, and you'll be right. Not that it matters to the game, but... let me explain.

The hitboxes in Jerry Boy are not good. I'm sure there's at least one person in the world who is sick to death of hearing about hitboxes. In a way, I agree. Cutting down a retro title because of intangible objects does sometimes feel like a shortcut. It's like a free pass to avoid discussing level-design, bosses, or the other elements that form a game. Just say the hitboxes are not good and write everything else off. Review done. I don't want to be like that because I think the level-design is really solid. There are cute ideas interspersed throughout, all of which take advantage of the blob's unique characteristics. I like sliding through tunnels and doubling back if I'm about to bump into an enemy. Using other foes as if they were stepping stools is also handled very well. However, the most miniscule of missteps is enough to put Jerry in a life-threatening state or straight into the grave, and I won't accept the blame for all of his pain.

A spike extending from the wall deals damage when Jerry collides with nearby space. The blob can be split by a swinging blade that wasn't even close. I might also have to consider the possibility that the evil magician cast some sort of harm-attracting aura on our protagoonist. In a world of bad hitboxes, having a large hurtbox sounds like overkill, but I don't have any other conclusions to draw. At times, I had to play annoyingly safe in order to survive. Mashing down while waiting for enemies to approach is so inelegant. This is an assumption, but I figure the developer was aware of the issue, as most stages have five checkpoints, and bosses can be killed in seconds. Of course, that doesn't explain why Jerry never starts with a full health bar, but murmur murmur, yadda yadda, bleah.

In short, Jerry Boy doesn't reach its full potential. Thrilling battles had to be cut short. Complex obstacle courses were circumvented. This platformer is cute and creative, but it punishes every invasion of personal space with grievous harm. Maybe that shouldn't matter in a game where spare lives pile up to the ceiling, but it does affect my enjoyment. The music holds up pretty well at least.