Yosei Wars - Review (PC)

An interesting homebrew Gameboy title doesn't quite make a successful move to PC

This is an interesting one to review. Yosei Wars was originally developed by Nekete Games as a homebrew Gameboy colour game a few years back, built using the ZGB engine. It’s now been ported to the PC by RAWRLAB Games, and according to the credits, appears to be using the SameBoy emulator to play the title.

In terms of the actual PC experience - it’s a little strange. The main menu looks unpolished, there are barely any options, and in the actual game, it’s presented with an arcade machine bezel - strange choice considering this is a Gameboy game, not an arcade game. However, the game itself plays just fine, and I didn’t notice any problems with the emulation during gameplay.

The story of Yosei Wars, is that in the past, there existed an alliance between junk food and tooth fairies. The junk food would damage teeth, and the tooth fairies would collect them. The junk food has now turned it’s back on the fairies, and trapped them, and it’s up to you to go and rescue them.

Each level consists of a screen, with a bunch of platforms, enemies moving about, and teeth to collect. You move around the screen collecting the teeth, being careful to avoid enemies as you can’t attack. You also can’t jump down through platforms, so have to plot your way around the level carefully. Once you’ve collected all the teeth, you gain an attack. You can then defeat the enemies, and break the cage holding the fairy.

There are also boss battles, in which you are able to use the attack all the time. These play out a little like Mega Man boss battles, in that you’re in an enclosed space with an enemy that takes a lot of hits, and your main job is to avoid whatever projectiles they are firing at you until you have worn them down enough to beat.

It’s difficult for me to review this one. As a Gameboy game - I think it’s great. It would be a lot of fun to play on a Gameboy, it’s easy to pick up and play, the graphics really capture the era well, and the music is catchy. As a PC game though, it’s a bit of a harder sell. The core gameplay loop just doesn’t seem as exciting when you’re sitting down at a PC to play it.

There are some neat extras though, such as concept art, and playable beta/prototype versions of the game, which are fun to see. For my final verdict, I think I’m going to have to do a bit of a cop-out and give it two scores. I think it’s a fun game, but I’m not sure it makes much sense as a PC title.

As a PC game - 2.5/5

As a Gameboy game - 3.5/5