Haneda Girl

Studio Koba dazzled the gaming world in 2021 with its wonderful Narita Boy, but I missed that launch fever and discovered it in a more intimate way some time later. And I think that was a great favour for me. Narita Boy is a very special title, not only because of its pixel art aesthetics or its constant homages to 80s pop culture, and even its exposition as if it were an arcade title: it is a work with soul and, in these times where soul is increasingly scarce and the profit algorithm of a board of directors takes precedence, it is these jewels that drive the progress of the medium. It's not the first time you've heard me say this.

For all its goodness, it's true that Narita Boy was difficult to follow up with a sequel in the same vein, as its story comes to a (satisfying) conclusion, and a sequel would already lose that element of surprise and discovery we now treasure. But the Digital Kingdom could continue to grow, it just needed a completely different heroine: Haneda Girl.

Chichi Wakada is an ordinary teenager with a very special quirk: she's the world's best player in Haneda Girl, and with that resume Professor Nakamura (yes, the same creator of the Digital Realm that we had to bring back memories in Narita Boy) gives her the mission to take down the hackernauts that threaten the very existence of the Data Empire. Chichi takes his Ken-chan lightsaber and his M.O.T.H.E.R. tactical combat mecha and sets off on an adventure. And that's it. That's the plot. Haneda Girl scales back the narrative ambition that its "cousin" Narita Boy distilled to put all its focus on gameplay. And it's the best Studio Koba could have done.

One screen, a succession of vignettes that combine to form an overall picture, and the whole storyline well explained. Once Haneda Girl leaves her title screen behind, everything from there on out is a frantic action platformer fest in which the warrior and her combat robot traverse the levels taking out enemies and trying to find all the secrets in as little time as possible. The hook is that Haneda Girl feels almost like a dual work, with two protagonists functioning as a single unit. Hane-chan is agile, fast and can climb any straight surface, but she'll be taken out in a single blow by the enemies (and they're very good shots at that. M.O.T.H.E.R., on the other hand, is heavy, sturdy, and can crush enemies by running over them with long-range machine guns (to start with, because the arsenal expands later on), but its mobility is reduced.

So how to overcome the environment and its challenges? Well, both protagonists switch control by pressing a single button, which means that even in the middle of a jump with Hane, they can land inside M.O.T.H.E.R., and then shoot out with the same switch button, which will give you an idea of the versatility and variety of movements and situations that can occur. In addition, all the trajectories, both jumps, Dash, shots, and charged attacks (Superdash) must be marked by double lever, in the case of using a controller (the option that I have used). With the arrow keys and WASD it is also possible... but it requires a level of control and precision that my patience does not allow me any more.

The synergy between the two characters is what makes the difference with respect to other works that, and this is recognised by the developers of Studio Koba, have inspired the title: If you liked games like Katana Zero, Broforce, or Hotline Miami, you will find here a title more than worthy of entering the highest pantheon of the genre. The progression between levels is firstly through the variety of enemies and our own jumping ability and precision trajectories, but then new weapons such as the missile launcher will be added to take on each of the 45 main levels and some 30 additional levels that are unlocked through CD-ROMs that we collect through the stages, or by achieving high scores that grant us gold rank or higher. And therein lies the hook. With varying degrees of skill, you can get through the game's 15 main levels in less than ten hours, but mastering the game and unlocking many of its bonus levels (which are as cool as they are fiendishly difficult) will take much, much longer. This isn't just about retro, 80s homage or the feeling of being in front of an old vacuum tube arcade screen. Haneda Girl's soul lies somewhere between pure arcade and action platformer.

I love the high score system at the end of each level, and throughout the review period all I could think about was that when I encourage friends and colleagues to play, they'll be passing me screenshots of their leaderboards to see who has achieved the highest rank. I think that system could work well as a leaderboard with Steam friends. And we still haven't talked about what is my other big plus for Haneda Girl: its soundtrack. I remember finishing my first play session after two hours and catching my breath, and Salvinsky's music was still pounding in my head. The rhythms are more driving and memorable, even as a background element, but if you were fascinated by his synthwave in Narita Boy, you're going to fall in love with Haneda Girl.

I'm delighted with this simpler and, at the same time, more focused and precise approach that is Haneda Girl within Studio Koba's oeuvre. A game that has completely grabbed me and that I'm still replaying, improving my scores and discovering those hidden levels that are still unreachable. I only hope that the Japanese government will soon be encouraged to open a third airport in Tokyo to find out what title Studio Koba's next game will have, and to see what wonderful design exercise it will delight us with.