If there’s a single word that I use far too often in my daily vernacular, it’s “dude”. It’s my go-to term of endearment, what I (admittedly) default to when I forget a name, as well as the preferred expression when I’m surprised, sad, mad, happy, indifferent… you get the drift.
So, then, you can imagine my excitement when Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded was sent my way, since “dude” - or rather, “dood” - is one of the most stated words in the games. Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded is a whirlwind of a fun and challenging side-scrolling adventure, with the move from one handheld console to another being a smash success.
Being spinoffs from the Disgaea series, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? was originally released for PSP in 2008, with Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! releasing two years later. Prinnys are penguin-like demon creatures reincarnated from former humans who weren’t exactly the most upstanding citizens during their human life. The stories are silly, being based around your Prinny being tasked with recovering items such as ingredients to make the most delicious dessert ever, and - in the case of Prinny 2, items such as… *ahem*… panties. While the narrative doesn’t necessarily take itself very seriously, the same cannot be said about the game’s wild, action-packed platforming.
Both titles play relatively the same, featuring high-octane combat and platforming set within a 2D side-scrolling world. While the controls take some getting used to - especially when activating some of Prinny’s special attacks - the platforming mechanics feel great, whether jumping from platform to platform, or taking on enemies. And, boy, are there enemies.
Both games feature combat that gets about as frantic and challenging as it can get - and that’s just when playing on the normal difficulty setting. Multiple enemies can come at you at once from multiple directions, leading to the games’ focus on combo-based combat. Although, whereas Prinny 2 actually rewards combo attacks by giving you a special ability after filling up your combo meter, which differs from the original Prinny. Enemies can overwhelm you at times, which can certainly get frustrating, but it’s best to keep in mind that that is exactly how this type of game is supposed to play. Figure out the patterns after a death (or ten), and you’ll be all set.
This extends to the boss battles, which, unsurprisingly, do not let up in terms of challenge. In fact, some of the bosses were even more frustrating than dealing with multiple enemies at once. With some bosses, attack patterns took me upwards of twenty to thirty tries… and that was just to figure out the routine. That count doesn’t include the number of attempts it took me to actually defeat that particular boss. However, once I did, it was all the more satisfying and made me confident enough to trek on to take out the next big baddie (who would also first probably grind me into pulp).
Even if you played the original PSP releases, Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded includes all of the DLC content that has been released for the games, making it more than worth your while to jump back in along with the updated HD textures, which look especially solid on Nintendo Switch. Almost as if the games were Switch originals and not ports from a previous console. Add that to the enjoyable soundtrack, humorous dialogue and voice acting, and the overall silly vibe of the games, and it’s hard not to recommend snagging this release regardless of your familiarity with the Disgaea series.
Ultimately, Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded achieves what it sets out to accomplish. The games are by no means for the faint of heart, featuring fast and chaotic platforming that can make your head spin. The games are a perfect fit on the Switch, whether playing in docked mode or while on-the-go. The humor, art design, and soundtrack round out the experience making Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded a great pickup for platforming fans.
A Switch copy of Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded was provided to TheGamer for this review. Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded is available now for Nintendo Switch.