Review

In a similar vein as game series like Metal Slug and Contra, 8-BIT YU-NO is a side-scrolling run-and-gun action game in retro game style. The player controls Yu-No, using the directional buttons to move, and A and B to jump and attack respectively.

While this serves as the basic way to play the game, the gameplay also diverges from the norm when one makes use of the ADaMS (Active Diverge and Multiverse System). That’s right, the iconic divergence map from the main game makes a return in 8-BIT YU-NO; by pressing X during gameplay, the player can backtrack through any previously traversed timeline and diverge from the previously tread path in order to pursue items and Orbs or avoid spirals (which lead to automatic game overs). Just like the main game, the player must possess at least one Orb in order to access the ADaMS.

Yu-No can also summon and ride Kun-kun the nogard by finding the Egg item. While riding Kun-kun, Yu-No can perform her attack as usual, but flight is also made possible. This generally makes it easier to traverse the levels and avoid their treacherous bottomless pits and ruthless ground enemies. In a bit of dark callback humor, if Kun-kun is hit by an enemy, she dies and drops a piece of meat which Yu-No can eat to regain health.

Other items that players might remember from the main game make reappearances, such as the iron sword (increases attack power), the Hypersense Stone (recovers all of Yu-No’s health one time when she runs out), the rope (bottomless pits don’t lead to an instant death but deplete health instead), and more.

In terms of how the game feels in action, it’s a tough call. It takes some time to get used to how Yu-No controls—often, it feels like she moves too fast, or that there isn’t a strong sense of momentum to her jumps. This, in combination with how fast the screen scrolls, can make it difficult to time jumps well or confidently attack foes with larger amounts of health. Despite that, I found myself improving and slowly overcoming these issues as I continued to play.

The game itself can be quite tough, especially for newcomers to the run-and-gun genre. While the first level is straightforward enough in terms of difficulty, later levels throw hordes of enemies at the player, and later bosses are near-ruthless. Run-and-gun old-timers and experts will probably find themselves right at home with this game, but the difficulty level is definitely something that newcomers to the genre should keep in mind. It’s certainly something that can be overcome with practice and patience.

For all the minor gripes I had with the gameplay however, the game’s presentation quickly overshadowed any doubts I had about the quality of 8-BIT YU-NO.