Sabre Wulf Review

Sabre Wulf is a relatively unknown name. Aside from a brief cameo in Banjo-Tooie, this generation of gamers hasn’t seen anything Sabre related. As Rare continues to ironically publish more GBA games than Xbox games, they have decided to resurrect the Sabre Wulf franchise in what is a very fun and refreshing experience that outdoes the disappointing Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge.

Sabre Wulf borrows the isometric view from Banjo-Kazooie but manages to do away with the disorientation BK had. The actual levels, however, are done in 2D. In order to stay constant with the 3D view, the 2D levels still have 3D objects and characters. The graphics are very clean and easily discernible, but some of the creatures look too hokey, like they were ripped straight out of some cheap game making software. Banjo-Kazooie also lends its distinct babble-speak for the characters. The result is still amusing, but not as novel. The main character utters a few understandable phrases in a very clear voice. The soundtrack is of fun material, too, but sounds kind of generic at the same time.

“Sabre Wulf” isn’t really a character. Sabreman is the main character, and the ‘Wulf is the recurring villain. Sabreman will travel across an isometric overworld and enter ‘Wulf burrows (the 2D levels). Inside the level, you go from start to finish to retrieve the stolen treasure from the ‘Wulf. As soon as the goods are in your hands, the ‘Wulf wakes up and immediately chases you. Now, the task becomes quickly returning to the beginning of the level. Does it sound like a time-wasting retread? It isn’t. This chase sequence is surprisingly fun, quick, and heartpounding. It isn’t as fun as the first romp through the level, though. Saberman many not be an elaborate character (he runs and jumps, period), but at his disposal is a roster of creatures (found individually) to help him overcome obstacles and other monsters. Some monsters act as stepping stones, trampolines, traps, bombs, and fans. The solutions to these puzzles are smart, but not achingly perplexing, and allow you to use open-ended, multiple creature combinations to overcome them. Many of the puzzles are reused, though, and later levels just feel like more of the same, but longer. It is also too easy to ignore some creatures in favor of others. A more unique and demanding creature list would have really helped.

The difficulty in Sabre Wulf doesn’t seem constant, and there will be times when a truly challenging level feels way out of place. The setup is smooth and forgiving, however, so the game isn’t very frustrating. Some of the enemies are really unfair, namely the bees and ghosts that latch onto Sabreman before you can whip out something to stop them (the creature list gets quite long and bothersome to cycle through). It can also be irritating to try and run back through a level without being able to see if it’s safe to drop down. But since you can restart from the ‘Wulf point as many times as you want, this isn’t detrimental.

While there are plenty of levels, many take under a minute to complete. There are still high scores, secret discoveries, and an elaborate fetch quest to increase the game’s capacity. Obtaining a gold medal on any given level also opens up the challenge mode equivalent. Challenge Mode forces you to use a limited supply of creatures in more creative ways than the normal game required. However, Sabre Wulf really can’t last any longer than eight to ten hours. That’s twice as long as Banjo-Kazooie, but for a game this promising, its shortness is disappointing.

Final Comments

Sabre Wulf is a smart, solid 2D platformer and is an appreciated installment in a decidedly generic genre on the GBA. Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is definitely a more fun and creatively challenging experience, but Sabre Wulf follows closely behind. It is only marred by a lack of longevity and further diversity in gameplay. What is there is darn good, but there needed to be more of it. Still, give this one a chance.