Super Daryl Deluxe is a weird and interesting game that is filled with zany characters in a strange world. Daryl is a new student at a school for eccentric nutjobs, and no one seems to like him. Daryl looks a little like Napoleon Dynamite but far less cool, and that is certainly part of his problems. Daryl just wants to get through his school days, and it’s going to take some work to do so, but he will get through it.
Daryl is thrust into his first day, and after meeting a strangely robotic fellow, he makes some friends. Though they really don’t care for him as he is an off-putting guy. They send him off on a quest to collect a few things thinking he’ll never come back. After a few more quests, these characters eventually begin selling powers from a locker. This game is rather odd, as while money is used to buy certain things and you get little bits here and there, the main currency is actually textbooks.
For a school to not have textbooks is certainly a travesty and this game pushes this point to a new extreme. This school originally was a special school for intelligent youths but has since become a place where the worst of the worst study. The characters are mostly hideous monsters and almost all are as awkward as Daryl, though he takes the cake.
This school actually exists in a strange new world and nothing is what it seems. The beginning of the game shows off two young boys who are trying to world peace and actually manage to achieve it. But of course, World Peace isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For some reason, world peace thrusts the world into a dystopian hellscape and now nothing is normal. It’s as if world peace led the world to the apocalypse, which is a unique concept for a game.
Daryl meets strange people who are all taken with a Dungeons & Dragons style game. The whole game seems to revolve around this game, and all of the characters use it to teach Daryl and the player about combat. There is a hideous girl who teaches Daryl how to fight after flirting with him, a strange quest giver, and sect of cloaked salesmen. There is also a club in the school where Daryl can see all of these weirdos any time he might need help.
Daryl must take quests to increase his popularity and doing so makes him stronger. Of course, this makes sense, as eventually, he aims to be the best in the school. In this game, Daryl is a notorious daydreamer and has a wild imagination. He constantly spaces out even if adults are talking and imagines himself in zany scenes. This is what makes the game even more insane as it is what changes the boring into the exciting.
His daydreams come into play with exciting views of his world. Imagining his world as say a detective mystery adds another layer to his character. The boss fights also capitalize on, the first boss takes on a Donkey Kongesque battle. Daydreaming makes the game more palatable, without it, the game can seem a little too normal at times. The normality of the game is actually quite low, as the weird level continues to rise as the game progresses.
As the game progresses, the bosses actually do get harder and harder to take down. Some bosses are simply tough because the player needs to figure out their pattern but some are tough because of their lack of one. The player may end up dying over and over before they realize how to defeat the enemy but once they figure it out it will be worth it.
The world itself expands and changes based on which classroom Daryl is in. There are even historical figures and characters from works of literature. The player does get a feeling that Daryl is growing even if only a little. Daryl meets many different people on his journey and they all give more credence to the world of the school.
The world itself is filled to the brim with challenges and traps. Daryl must navigate dungeons while keeping his health in check, though beating enemies does replenish his health. The world itself can be chaotic in areas where enemies spawn constantly, though the player can, of course grind in these areas which might help them in the long run. It is reminiscent of a Metroid style game in that its tough and rather unforgiving, and that is a good thing.
Super Daryl Deluxe is an awesomely strange game. A game that challenges the player with different systems and has them play as a guy who isn’t a hero. Daryl is just trying to get through school and with the player; he might even get a girlfriend in the end. If Daryl’s adventures sound at all appealing, Super Daryl Deluxe may be the game for you!
*A code for this game was provided for review purposes