Penny Punching Princess (Review)

By: EyeSpyeAlex While attending Anime Boston over the weekend and getting ready for Pax East, I’ve also been playing Penny Punching Princess. This latest game by Nis America came out on April 3rd for the Nintendo Switch and PS Vita. Thanks to our friends at Nis America, I was able to enjoy the game a little early.StoryOnce there was an era where survival of the fittest was the law of the land. Those with the biggest muscles ruled, while weaklings picked up the scraps. Now, those with the deepest pockets rule the land, and even a poor peasant can hope to defeat baddies for the right price. Yes, the kingdom of Penny Punching Princess is a rich nation of capitalism, where the free market and almighty dollar rule the land.Our story follows the Princess, a girl looking to avenge her father’s death and debt. We follow her along on her journey as she fights bad guys, collects coins, and bribes her way to exacting revenge against the Dragoloan family. The Dragoloans are a group of corrupt money lenders who control a majority of the wealth in the kingdom. While they seem to be operating at best a shady money lending operation, tey are actually mobsters who bribe their minions to commit nefarious deeds.Luckily for the Princess, vanquishing bad guys allows you to collect money. This money can be in turn used to bribe the villains to fight alongside you for a brief time. On top of that, there are health portals and doorways that can assist you for the right price. It’s a good thing there are also treasure chests along the way to help fund your journey!Although I am still playing through this game, I really enjoy Penny Punching Princess so far. The added benefit of being able to bribe your way through missions makes the game feel less like a beat ‘em up and more like a logic adventure. Fans who appreciate a challenge will also like this game as the boss battles are particularly brutal. Spoiler alert: bosses cannot be bribed, so good luck.GameplayOne thing I really liked about Penny Punching Princess is the way they go over the controls of the game. Players are able to practice the various moves available for the Princess in a quick tutorial which leads right into the first mission. Given that most games either have a separate tutorial or explain controls through a series of quick time events, this was a smart way to handle educating the player. It was also a good way of familiarizing myself with the baddies and nailing down combos before experiencing real damage.On top of having good controls, the game runs really smoothly. I didn’t notice any bugs or lags whilst playing. There were no glitches or weirdly loaded portions of the levels. Granted, it’s not that complex of a game, but it still made for a pleasant experience.AnimationSpeaking of the graphics, the game appears to be homage to the 16-bit games of old. The levels and characters are slightly pixelated and the colors are rich with bold shading. It reminded me of Yoshi’s Island or Super Mario 3, adding to the sweet nostalgia feels of the game. The only downside to that is the characters end up being more simplistic in design.All in all, Penny Punching Princess is worth every penny (heh). The interesting story and smooth gameplay make up for the tough bosses and simple designs. Penny Punching Princess is available for purchase now in store and online.