But looks aren’t everything. Less-than-stellar graphics can be forgiven if the gameplay holds up. Tokyo Scramble falls short in this department, too. The gameplay consists of Anne navigating small, maze-like environments while avoiding monsters. Anne has all the power of a normal girl; she can run, climb, and crawl, as long as her stamina (represented by her heartbeat) allows. If it climbs too high, Anne is unable to run for a short while. Maneuvering Anne isn’t an issue, and if I could pay the game one complement, it’s that the game controls perfectly fine.
(Credit: Binary Haze Interactive/PCMag)
There are stealth mechanics, too: Anne can accidentally alert enemies by making too much noise while running or by entering their line of sight. However, Metal Gear Solid this is not. The enemy AI is unreliable and downright confusing, ruining stealth gameplay. Sometimes Zinos roam back and forth along predetermined routes; at other times, they flat-out deviate from the path or beeline straight to your position. On one occasion, I was stuck at the end of a level because a Zino spotted me through the wall I hid behind. It’s inconsistent behavior, especially when dealing with Zinos with heightened senses.
Anne is largely defenseless, armed only with a smartwatch she names Diana. It’s no ordinary smartwatch, as it can magically download apps that Anne uses to manipulate the world. Since a large portion of Tokyo sank beneath the surface along with Anne, she can use vending machines, speakers, escalators, elevators, and other objects to distract enemies. Early on, I caused a coffee machine to leak, distracting the Zinos so I could sneak past undetected.
My problem with this is that the magic smartwatch’s apps are so wide-ranging and random that I never had a good grasp of what they could do. Some functions made sense, like triggering an escalator or opening a door. But there were plenty of out-there, single-use apps, like one that dropped motorcycles from the ceiling. If the game had simplified this mechanic and built levels around clever uses for specific functionality, the puzzles would be a lot stronger for it.
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(Credit: Binary Haze Interactive/PCMag)
In addition to the magic watch, Anne also has a few abilities she can pull off at any time. For example, there’s a flash that stuns enemies and a music chime that helps lower Anne’s heartbeat after she sprints. The problem is that these abilities are extremely limited and can only be used when Anne finds a charging station, which are few and far between, making the abilities mostly useless. You can upgrade them by finding satellites hidden in each level, but the upgrades are largely unfelt. Once a Zino spots you, you’re as good as dead.
At the end of each level, you’re graded on your performance and whether you completed the challenges given to you on your way to the exit. These challenges are often simple tasks, such as avoiding being spotted or using a certain app. Grading doesn’t matter much, as it doesn’t unlock gear or give Anne a boost leading into the next level. There’s no leaderboard either, so chasing a top grade is a chore for masochists.
AloJapan.com