Super Daryl Deluxe is a Metroidvania RPG style game featuring protagonist Daryl (a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Lester the Unlikely, and animated as if he was a character from Courage the Cowardly Dog), a student at Water Falls High School (which features characters such as a robotic disciplinarian principal, that also seems inspired by Cartoon Network) versus some odd opponents, kind of like the ones players might fight if they were playing Earthbound on the Super Nintendo. From possessed inanimate objects to robots, fighting foliage, everyone and everything is out to get Daryl. Armed with a customizable loadout of special moves, Daryl can take the fight right back to everything, using both ranged and melee combat.
While there are a plethora of special moves for Daryl to choose from, both melee and ranged options can be used in the same loadout, so there are a lot of moves to unlock and lots of customization potential. However, (and this is personal preference, so take it with a grain of salt) chances are players will gravitate towards the melee options, choosing to dodge enemies and wait for the right opportunity to strike. Special moves are also hampered by a cooldown timer, so players can't just spam the moves they like best; there's a lot of sticking and moving if players intend to stay alive, which can get repetitive. I'm not sure why the moves don't use ammo like Mega Man games do, or a collective stamina bar similar to an MP bar or gauge like in a traditional RPG, I think I would've preferred that more.
Water Falls High is beautifully animated in a variety of different styles, a different style for each of the classroom-dungeons that Daryl visits. From minimalist to retro to futuristic to surreal, all of the levels are abnormal, looking less like something you'd find in a video game and more like something from a late night episode of whatever's on Adult Swim. As noted before, Daryl's appearance is interesting and despite being described as lame earlier, he gets a lot of cool animations, such as riding a shark as one of his special moves, to erupting with muscles whenever he levels up. Fun little animations like these make the game just that little bit extra enjoyable.
Super Daryl Deluxe also features a gigantic almost never-ending list of sidequests, in addition to its main story. The side quests don't always convey to the player what they need to do or even WHEN they need to do it, but in exchange, they deliver massive payouts of XP. For completionist-type of players or players who prefer sidequests in exchange for something extra to make the rest of the game a little easier, the side quests will definitely be a crowd-pleaser and keep players hooked on grinding for XP.
Some might find Super Daryl Deluxe repetitive, and some might find it mind numbing, but I find it comforting. Then again, I still play my review copy of #KILLALLZOMBIES, and I reviewed that game years ago, so maybe I'm a creature of habit. But if I'm a creature of habit, Super Daryl Deluxe is a game I don't mind making a habit of playing.
The bottom line is "Super Daryl Deluxe" is silly, goofy, doesn't take itself seriously, and is a great game for players that just want something familiar to play. Whether players want a huge investment in a game with unlockables, customization, and tons of side quests, or players just want to veg out with a game that can provide a few laughs and interesting visuals to go with it, Super Daryl Deluxe has everyone covered. So, out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving Super Daryl Deluxe a 3.
