Spica Adventure review for PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, PC

I am a sucker for classic arcade games. They have a charm about them that can’t be matched with some of today’s cinematic story driven titles  — just pop in a credit and see if you can beat the machine. Spica Adventure is one I was never familiar with back when it was released, and even with today’s innovations in emulation, I was not aware of its existence. Now, thanks to ININ Games, this release finally comes to the mainstream and, despite some quirks, provides a lot of fun and challenge!

Players control Nico, a little girl clad in all pink and armed with a very powerful parasol, on a weird, wacky and very colorful journey through space! Nico will run through each stage collecting rings and leaving flowers behind her as she walks on each platform. In her path are a strange group of monsters, all tasked with stopping her from reaching the Boss. Beating the Boss of each stage will open new stages, with some branching paths you can take to the final zone similar to games like Darius. Some of the boss characters are reminiscent of other Taito Characters like the Space Invaders and other baddies from games like Bubble Bobble. You want to collect as many of the collectables as you can before time runs out or you reach the goal in each stage. If you don’t grab everything in sight, you miss out on bonus points and will ultimately only get to see the “Bad Ending”.

Collecting everything you see is key to seeing the true ending and completing the game, but it is no easy task as some collectables will seem out of reach. Fortunately using Nico’s Parasol can propel you to higher levels, break blocks to discover new paths through the stage and it can even act as a boat to cross water. You won’t be able to grab everything you see on your first couple of playthroughs, and it is possible to accidentally break a platform that you needed to reach a gem. You really have to be careful swinging that parasol in some locations.

Control is really tight and responsive here. Mastering all of Nico’s moves with the Parasol is vital for success and can be mastered rather quickly. With just a little time, you can master all of Nico’s moves and combos with ease. The only issue is with some of the boss characters, as sometimes it’s not directly obvious if you are causing damage or missing the weak point. Some Bosses have multiple forms, and the weak points change leaving you at a disadvantage in some areas. There was one boss that I had trouble beating (a giant submarine) as I was not causing any damage at all. Turns out the weak point changed mid fight. You really have to pay attention to how the bosses move and behave, especially ones that have more than one form.

Everything looks and sounds fantastic. With super colorful graphics throughout and nice fluid animations, you feel like you are playing a super wacky cartoon. The visuals never fail to disappoint while the audio matches up with the action perfectly. It’s a joy to watch and hear even if you aren’t playing. I really like the animations of most of the enemies as they can go from menacing to ridiculous in a matter of seconds, and back again.

Spica Adventure can appeal to every type of gamer out there from the hardcore to the casual. It’s fun, while maintaining a pretty decent challenge. Whether you are looking for a challenge, or just want to play a cool arcade platformer, this game will be great. Trying to 100% everything is quite a task, but rewards you for your efforts, while simply going for the finish of the game without grabbing every collectable is also its own reward. Any overly difficult spot or boss you may encounter can be beaten by applying a moderate level of skill. Again, some of the bosses can be a little weird and hard to overcome, but nothing is broken or unbeatable.

Spica Adventure is a very sweet and colorful game that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Try it out if you have the means, I’m pretty sure you will like it.

Note: ININ Games provided us with a Spica Adventure code for review purposes.