Published by Ratalaika and developed by SEEP, 1964 Operation Velvet Twins is a retro style beat’em up that essentially mixes the side scrolling action of Rolling Thunder with the punch-punch-punch brawler mechanics of 8-bit Double Dragon. It is a simple game, but make no mistake, it is overly difficult.
From a 2D perspective, secret agent Mike globetrots to track down a couple of fugitives. Between him and the twins, however, are throngs of thugs, hazards, and stage ending bosses. Mike’s basic attack, a simple punch which can be aimed high or low, has a very limited reach. This extremely short attack, in combination with cheap enemy placement, behaviors, and extended health makes each encounter more trouble than it should be.
For example, no one will be able to beat the first stage, let alone even reach the first checkpoint, with the first few attempts. This game is hard but not in a genuinely fun, challenging type of way; the challenge is more of being underpowered with the demand of playing with perfection. Personally, I would play a level a few times. Die. Rage quit. Come back a day later with refreshed frustration, and sometimes make it to the next stage, adding more tenacity with each attempt.
Making the staggering difficulty even higher is the ever-present threat of a countdown timer. Linger too long and it is instant game over, forcing Mike to constantly progress forward. Oddly, boss battles are usually a breeze in comparison to the gauntlet stage design with checkpoints spread too far apart. Some enemies are more tedious than others too. The dynamite throwers, for example, throw their explosions too fast, not giving the player an opportunity to rush through. At first glance, the player’s health bar might look large, but it can be deleted quickly. Also, thanks to the short range of the standard attack, it is easy to get caught in a melee with an enemy that also damages you from proximity even when you think are safe from the invincibility frames.
Mike’s reprieve from the constant fisticuffs comes from a limited use pistol and a cool down timer machine gun that shoots forwards and backwards to essentially clear the row of enemies. Taking advantage of these ranged attacks is critical to the success of each mission, often requiring stage memorization and sharp reflexes of the player. The worst part also comes from the lack of a true continuation system. There is a level select right there on the main menu, but it doesn’t retain your progress, specifically your score. So if aiming for a higher score, the game demands to be played in its entirety in one sitting and without fail. There is even an achievement built around earning a high score but is extremely difficult since the game doesn’t save the score and dying deletes it quickly. Gold can also be spent to regain some health or bullets at the midpoint, but the cost to buy anything is so high and the store interface blocks the UI so the player cannot see which supplies are diminished when shopping.
1964 Operation Velvet Twins isn’t a bad game; it is just an unnecessarily hard one. If the difficulty was toned down, it would be more enjoyable but as it stands today, this retro brawler isn’t for those who lose patience quickly. I also encountered a couple of soft locking bugs. Still, I am a fan of SEEP titles, but this low-cost 60s retro action game isn’t their high mark. Let’s hope the remaining Swords and Bones games make their way onto consoles at some point.
SCORE: 7/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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