Story:
Intrepid Izzy’s story is kinda bare bones but the story is that Izzy finds a treasure chest in a temple and it unleashes a genie. Instead of granting Izzy a wish, it casts her down into the depths of the temple. This sets Izzy on her quest to hunt down the genie and save the world.
Gameplay:
Intrepid Izzy is a side-scrolling platformer that encourages exploration. You explore levels, gathering orbs to unlock abilities and progression through the story. In addition to collecting orbs, you can get money from the enemies you kill which will also let you unlock abilities through purchasing items.
The town you live in has townspeople you can talk to in order to gain information to help in your quest or will have you fetch quests. There is a shop you can buy items at and even an arcade that you can visit. The arcade features a few mini-games you can play by spending the money that enemies drop.
Graphics and Performance:
The visuals in this game are stunning for a 2D game. They are very high resolution, and bright, and everything just pops off the screen. Character and enemy animations are smooth and have a nice cartoony look to them.
Each level has a unique look and feel to it and each has its own unique set of enemies. Load times into either the town or the levels you play in are pretty quick and only last about 10 seconds or less which is pretty quick for the Switch. As for slowdown in the game, it’s nonexistent which is very nice to see.
Sound:
Character voice clips, and environmental and enemy sound effects never get old and only add to the charm of this great platforming game. Each level has music that fits it without being repetitive and will stick with you even after you’ve turned the game off.
Conclusion:
Intrepid Izzy is a wonderful game on any platform you play it on. But to say that you can’t tell the difference between playing the HD release over the original would be doing a disservice to the amount of work and dedication that’s gone into this release.
Massively improved load times, HD visuals, and what feels like remastered or even re-recorded music, all make this game the definitive version. If you’ve played the original on Dreamcast and enjoyed it, this game is worth a second purchase and you should do yourself a favor and pick up this HD version.
Kudos to the Senile Team and Ratalaika Games for bringing one of the best platformers to ever grace modern consoles.
I recommend picking this game up on the platform of your choice as it’s a great game!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided