FUBUKI ~zero in on Holoearth~ HOLOLIVE ALTERNATIVE is a short, but sweet, retro-action platformer. The beauty of its pixel art can be obfuscated by the visual business of what’s on-screen and the level design skews overly simplistic, but it’s still fun for a few hours. If you’re a Hololive fan, you’ll be pleased by its Easter Eggs.
The familiarity of FUBUKI ~zero in on Holoearth~ HOLOLIVE ALTERNATIVE hit me quite hard in the first few minutes of gameplay. It was as though I was playing a classic Mega Man Zero title for the PlayStation, but the protagonist was a cutesy otaku fox in a classic Japanese-inspired pixel art environment. It was slick. It was quick. It was fun.
It was also hard as hell. Developer Peposoft has made something interesting, folks.
The classic 2D action-platforming genre can be a mixed bag amongst players because they’re either too easy (read: not enough variety) or too difficult (read: unforgiving for the average player). For games that skew more difficult, players can be quick to criticize things like inconsistent hitboxes, slippery controls, and ultrafast movement that only rewards those who can time jumps/dashes to a seemingly impossible degree of precision. A difficult platformer can be fun when completing a difficult level leaves the player sighing with relief and proud of their skills, but it has to inspire that satisfaction of “hell yeah, I beat that ridiculously difficult boss!”
When you look past some of the awkwardness of its controls, FUBUKI has the makings of what could be an intentionally difficult, yet rewarding, platformer. This Hololive-themed platformer put me in the shoes of Shirakami Fubuki to save the rest of the Hololive members who have been corrupted by “Kegare.” Once you defeat them and restore their sanity, Fubuki can go back to playing video games and hanging out in her shrine.
FUBUKI’s pixel art is gorgeous, but the high-speed nature of its platforming means that things look visually busy and potentially overwhelming. It attempts to use a pink/red color scheme to denote enemy bullets (some of which can be disintegrated by Fubuki’s melee attacks), but the red projectiles are similar in tone that it can be unclear as to which bullets should be dodged and which can (and should) be destroyed.
In FUBUKI’s five levels, there weren’t too much level-specific and/or unique platforming variety save for the platforming staples of wall jumping, dashing, and some bouncing. I kept thinking that each level would feature a unique mechanic or a specific platforming thematic that would build up to a test of platforming prowess (like how the Mario games teach the player a new mechanic and then test them during a boss fight), but there wasn’t much variation in terms of platforming.
At the start of this review, I mentioned that some of FUBUKI’s controls were awkward. The melee attack felt natural (square on the DualSense), but the other attacks and moves were bound to weird buttons. The dash was bound to the L1 key. Summoning one of Fubuki’s many ghostly familiars was done with the triangle key. R1 used one of Fubuki’s ranged attacks. Sure, I could change these bindings, but it felt weird that the default controls were spread out in unintuitive ways. The lack of a tutorial made things awkward, too.
I managed hit FUBUKI’s end credits at the 100-minute mark, at which point I unlocked a harder difficulty and a boss rush. I had no interest in attempting the harder difficulty because, to be honest, I had enough of the frustration of the visual business and unfair boss battles. One boss battle in particular was frustrating because of the boss’ ability to create a copy of herself while also summoning a circular blade that would float around the field. I was good with defeating her the first time, thanks.
I kept thinking, and wishing, that FUBUKI had more variance, secrets, or nuance. I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t really much beyond the typical platforming gameplay loop that could be found in other classic platformers. Sure, playing as one of the adorable Hololive characters in beautifully designed pixelated levels sets FUBUKI apart from others, but there should have been more. Additional levels, additional mechanics…heck, even secret rooms or alternate versions of the levels would have scratched that platforming itch that I, and many others, have.
Outside of that, though, I had a good time playing FUBUKI in the short time it took for me to play and complete it. Gliding through the levels and deftly wall jumping felt like I was playing an old-school Megaman game, which says quite a bit about how well it plays outside of the awkward controls. The charging attack, dashing, and double jump will feel familiar and fluid for platforming veterans. Newer players, especially those who are fans of Hololive, might feel like FUBUKI hits that sweet spot of fanservice and retro platforming.
It’s quite the short platformer, though. Definitely one that can be played and completed in an afternoon.
FUBUKI ~zero in on Holoearth~ HOLOLIVE ALTERNATIVE is a short, but sweet, retro-action platformer. The beauty of its pixel art can be obfuscated by the visual business of what’s on-screen and the level design skews overly simplistic, but it’s still fun for a few hours. If you’re a Hololive fan, you’ll be pleased by its Easter Eggs.
