Lovish from Dangen Entertainment and LABS Works brings us an 8-bit-infused 2D action platformer about saving a princess. Check out our Lovish review!
Lovish from Dangen Entertainment and LABS Works brings us an 8-bit-infused 2D action platformer about saving a princess. Sir Solomon and the Saviors of Light depart from Castle Cornelius in order to save Princess Tsuna and free her from the grasp of the evil Devil Lord. While making their way to his lair, Sir Solomon realizes something very important: what if, after being freed, the princess falls in love with one of his friends instead of with him? This leads him to do the only thing someone blinded by love can do: ditch his friends! You are Sir Solomon, and must now do whatever it takes to save Princess Tsuna to find true love.
This particular publisher and indie dev combo previously gave us the excellent on Nintendo Switch a handful of years ago. That one was an old-school infused 2D Metroidvania Astalon: Tears of the Earth in which mage Algus, rogue Kyuli, and Swordsman Arias explore an ancient tower in order to save their people from impending doom, and it certainly managed to feel like a refined Nintendo Entertainment System release with the 21st-Century quality-of-life elements expected of a game releasin in 2021, so I was more than ready to check out what Lovish was bringing to the table.
This new release will have you taking on a series of single-screen levels that will feature enemies for you to defeat, hazards to avoid, switches to activate, keys to grab, and pennies to collect. The game offers 50+ levels of increasing difficulty. You’ll get to see special randomized event scenes between levels that can only be described as quirky and wacky, with hundreds of potential outcomes, which adds a bit of extra replay value to the whole thing.
What are some of these events that you will witness? Talking too much about them would end up spoiling the expereince… but I can certainly mention a handful! Maybe you’re rewarded with some extra lives. Maybe you run into a turn-based RPG fight where you can attack your enemy, use magic, use an item, or try to run… except a dragon half swoops into battle to roast the lizard that attacked you, leaving behind some deliciously cooked meat that you eat to gain seven extra lives. Or perhaps you run into the New Proverb Hermit, who creates new proverbs. Remember: “Only great people use their items through the inventory menu!”
The controls for Lovish are going to be simple and to the point. You’ll be taking control of Sir Solomon by using the left analog stick or the D-Pad, as you press the A button to attack and the B button to jump. Since Sir Solomon starts with a single hit point – but hundreds of lives – you’re going to need to be careful as you find the best way possible to get from point A to point B in each level while defeating monsters and jumping over hazards, so that you can reach the door that leads to the next level.
You’ll soon unlock Purin’s Shop, which, as the name suggests, is run by Purin. This is, after all, Purin’s Shop, so it makes sense for Purin to be running things. Visit her fine establishment to spend your hard-earned pennies, so that you can obtain useful items for your mission. Said items will change how you approach subsequent challenges, adding some extra variety to the equation.
These include, for example, the Ring of Heaven for 25 pennies, which allows you to attack upwards. In contrast, Purin’s Shop also stocks the Ring of Earth for 40 pennies, which you can purchase so that you can attack downwards while in mid-air. Another option is the Dash Cape for 75 pennies, which will allow you to dash while on the ground or in mid-air! A must-buy if you want to have enough money to buy all items in Purin’s Shop is the Lucky Cat. Spend 35 coins, and you’ll be able to find more pennies in places that you least expect!
Every now and then, you’ll run into a special boss battle. These will require some of the good and tried trial and error, since you’ll have to pay attention to learn their specific movement and attack patterns, so that you can find the right window of opportunity to slash away at them. Maybe you’d have an easier time if you bought the Boss Health Meter for 15 pennies at Purin’s Shop to show how much health a boss has?
Lovish brings us an 8-bit-infused 2D action platformer about saving a princess. Sir Solomon and the Saviors of Light depart from Castle Cornelius in order to save Princess Tsuna and free her from the grasp of the evil Devil Lord. While making their way to his lair, Sir Solomon realizes something very important: what if, after being freed, the princess falls in love with one of his friends instead of with him? This leads him to do the only thing someone blinded by love can do: ditch his friends! You are Sir Solomon, and must now do whatever it takes to save Princess Tsuna to find true love.
Along with seeing the hundreds of randomized events between levels, there are also some additional secrets for you to uncover! You can search each level to try to locate the special crowns that will reward your efforts. Crowns can be used to open special doors, which will allow you to unlock additional elements for the game. You’ll eventually be able to also collect crowns for not attacking any enemy in a level, as well as for completing a level as quickly as possible. Lovish is out on Nintendo Switch with a $14.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Lovish review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Dangen Entertainment.
