13-Mar-2004 Rare's aging explorer returns for some surprisingly solid platform-puzzling antics This month's a real treat if you love animal cruelty. Tak features monkey slapping, Harvest Moon lets you starve your livestock, and now Sabre Wulf encourages you to abandon or even explode the magical animals in your possession. So why not just save time and money by kicking the cat and then handing yourself in to the RSPCA for prosecution.
No? Okay, Sabre Wulf it is then. And what a weird one it is. Part platformer, part puzzler, and part mad dash to avoid the slathering jaws of the demonic Wulf of the title, it's one of the most fun GBA games in ages.
Retirement Village You play as doddery old duffer Sabreman. While he may look more at home dribbling into his beard in an old folks' home, he is in fact the only person to have beaten Sabre Wulf before, encasing him in stone using a special talisman. The talisman's been broken into eight pieces by a mysterious stranger (bloody typical) and Wulf's up to his dirty old tricks again, stealing treasures and even people from the villages.
Animal Abuse Gameplay's split fairly evenly between hub-style village areas (viewed top-down) and side-scrolling puzzle levels accessed via holes dug up in the village by the Wulf. Although simple, it's these puzzle sections that make the game so special. Sabreman has no direct attacks and can only jump around, so he has to use the magical animals he collects to reach the goodies at the end of each area (check the box on the left for info).
It's a cool puzzle element and you're rewarded for using the least possible critters and completing stages in the fastest time. The best part though is when you reach the end of each level and steal the treasure from under the snoozing Sabre Wulf's nose. All previous obstructions in the level disappear and you have to leg it back to the start without getting chomped. It's mental, and again you're awarded bonuses on how many coins you collect in these crazy chase sections.
Taking all elements together, Sabre Wulf is a great little game. It's original and funny, and although it is repetitive it packs enough challenge to keep you entertained long after you've nabbed the final piece of booty.
A simple but unusual and highly enjoyable adventure played in short bursts of manic action, which makes it great for gaming on the go. Worth the long wait.
Solving the puzzles in Sabre Wulf is as simple as pressing B to call up the creature inventory and selecting the sacrificial creature. Every time you release a new monster from a bag in one of the side-scrolling levels, it is added to your collection for use on future missions. You can purchase them from the shops in villages too - but there's not a lot of tactics when buying.
Drop Serpents into mid-air and they won’t fall down. Use them for makeshift platforms to explore
Put these fiery-tempered Boomers near hazards and run for cover before they go, well... BOOM!
These purple bear-like Blubbas are ideal for using as trampolines when stuck between cliff faces
The Bigfoot creature boots anything it comes into contact with. Handy for dispatching bomb clusters
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