Super Ubie Island REMIX – Review

Will you help Ubie defeat Dr. Terrestrial or will you abandon Climate Island? Let’s see if this platformer can stack up with the others of this genre.

Super Ubie Island Remix: Logo
You play as a character called Ubie as he/she (I don’t really know the gender) makes his/her way through an island known as ‘Climate Island’. With about twenty five levels, a REMIXED soundtrack, bosses, and so much more, this is what you can expect to find in Super Ubie Island REMIX. Developed by Notion Games and published by Black Shell Media, released Jan 15, 2016. Super Ubie Island REMIX is now $9.99 in the Steam Store; if you like games like Super Mario World then you will probably like this title as well.

Graphics

This game is brimming with color. As you move through the worlds and levels everything just looks vibrant, from its backgrounds to the level design. Each world is unique and its levels design in those worlds as well. For example one world is snowy and another is in a desert. Level designs vary as well, from its placements of each platform, to the enemies, as you try and make it from the beginning to the end of the level. Each enemy and boss you encounter looks different, for instance an enemy you come across may be a little blob and another type of enemy may be a brownish frog. One example of a boss you battle is a pink Walrus. The protagonist Ubie is reminiscent to ‘Flubber’ from the movie Flubber, Ubie is green and has legs and arms and can change color if you bought another color, but in this case Ubie has a roundish frame. There are also side characters that are distinctive like the big queen bee or the sushi dude (I don’t know his name) and can be found in the worlds you come across.

Ubie coming out of a bonus roomBeing chased by the Pink Seal in Walrus Tundra

Audio

The music in this game has been remixed, but you can opt to either have the original music playing in the background or the new REMIXED soundtrack. I can’t really say other than the soundtrack has a happy, up tune beat. The background music changes depending on the world and levels you go to. The characters/bosses in this game don’t really talk at all, when you come across the side characters you are greeted by a word box in which you must read to know what they are saying, because what comes out of their mouth is either jargon, a random noise they make, or sometimes you will here like one or two words that you can make out. Ubie will make different noise depending on what you do, from eating an apple, to his celebratory “Wahoo!” type of noise.  When you die you get the “oopsy daisy” music indicating you made a mistake. Different platforms in the game have different sounds, like for example a spring you jump on will make the “boing!” noise, or if you jump on enemy they will make the “thump!” sound as you stomp on your foe.

Gameplay

You run, you jump, and you glide through the levels that are set before you. As far as I know Ubie has a set speed, meaning you can’t go any faster. Ubie comes equipped with a balloon for his gliding. Ubie can taunt which from what I can tell has no purpose other than to put a big smile on his face. Ubie can also double jump to get that extra jump needed to reach your platforming destination. Ubie can also change color, but from what I can tell has no visible usefulness other than to customize Ubie. Each world is different and with each world comes levels in which you need to do to advance to the boss level in which you need to defeat the boss in order to progress to the next world. Levels design change, from the enemy types, to the enemy placements, to where the platforms are placed. You never know what the next level is going to bring, also it seems that the levels get more difficult as you go through it, so a word of caution as you play. The bosses contrast from design, to the tactics for example one boss likes to rush at you, but another one will try to squash you in an attempt to stop Ubie. This game also come with a timed trial mode in which you attempt to do the game fast, you have a choice of the full game in one play through or each individual world.

Ubie taunting

Ubie defeating one of the many bosses in the game

Story

The story is in the form of comic strips with no voice overwork. You just watch the slideshow until you are thrown right back into the game. From what I gathered, Ubie crashed landed on an island called “Climate Island’ and must complete his ship to get off the island. Almost all bosses come with a comic that give that boss a back story, like the baby seal that turned into a big pink seal that wants to destroy Ubie. The end boss is the main antagonist Dr. Terrestrial that I would assume is responsible for most of what’s happen in Climate Island and Ubie must vanquish him to be able to return to his ship and leave Climate Island.

Ubie taking on Dr. Terrestrial

Before the Pink Seal was the Pink Seal

Replay Value

I do my replay value scale low-medium-high. This game has medium replay value. You have three worlds all with six levels to complete; the last world consist of all boss fights. You also have timed trials so you can try to be that game as fast as possible. Furthermore there are secrets to be uncovered if you look thoroughly through the levels. Lastly you got collectibles that require you to collect certain items like for instance bee’s for the queen bee or leafs for the sushi dude’s sushi, these individuals give you items for delivering these collectibles. That’s why I give the replay value score of medium.

Sushi dude asking you to collect leafs for his sushi

One of the few diamonds scattered through Climate Island that you must find if you want a secret item

Final thoughts

In Super Ubie Island REMIX everything felt so simple and weird, yet it just worked. I have no idea why Ubie choice of gliding mechanic was a balloon, but I liked it. Ubie is such a likable character I couldn’t help, but smile every time Ubie finished a level or just watching a comic strip story with Ubie in it. The games music is awesome, after hearing the original and listening to the remixed edition of the soundtrack, I liked the remixed edition better than the original. The remixed soundtrack has that dub step type feel to it and I like dub step so naturally I enjoyed the music. I didn’t really care that much for the story in itself, I mean there were some parts like the baby seal that had me into the story, but for the most part I didn’t really care for it. This game I felt like it got difficult as I progressed through the game. As the levels went by they just started stuffing so much into the levels that one slip up could kill you and make you start the level all over again. I wasn’t a fan of having to go back to the level selecting screen, selecting it and beginning it. I would rather have it so that when you die you just start right back at the beginning of the level, but it is what it is. The gameplay is fun, it is simple, and I actually enjoyed going through the levels hoping I could do it first try, but never succeeding. What was really cool, yet hard but also intense was the running way or as I like to call it the ‘chase sequences’ tied to the boss fights. You have to keep a certain speed or the boss will just walk over you and kill you and on top of that you have to dodge the enemies and traps along the way. The art style is very vibrant and pleasant that makes me succumb with happiness. This is a cheerful and enjoyable game to play and I would recommend a fan of platformers to pick up this game. If you like simplistic yet vibrant art in your games, like platforming, like weirdness, and like difficulty in your platforming game, I would recommend this game to you at its current price of $9.99 on the Steam store “homie”.

Thanks for playingSushi dude to the rescue

Pros:

  • Level Design

  • Vibrant art style

  • Ubie

  • Soundtrack both original and REMIXED

Cons:

  • Some levels can be a little jam packed

8
Great

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