Flynn’s Arcade, the publishers of the wonderful cult favorite Donut Dodo, released their latest new, retro arcade banger on Switch, Cash Cow DX. Like their other arcade releases, if you slapped this game into an arcade cabinet, you would think that you were transported to a late 80’s dingy smoke-filled arcade.
Simple put, Cash Cow DX is another quality arcade-like experience, and no one does it quite like Flynn’s Arcade. This time, gameplay borrows some of Mappy’s qualities as the goal is to collect all the Moo-ney in each stage throughout vertical tiers. Of course, there are numerous critters trying to stop you, but you are armed with a typical jump. Jumping, however, is often accompanied by loop-de-loops, swaying ships, slides, and even mine carts. There is also a Donkey Kong-like pickax to grant the player temporary offensive capabilities and gems to add score bonuses.
Just like the arcade games of the mid-to-late 80s, this game is tough. Don’t be surprised if it takes a good half dozen game overs before you manage to clear the first stage. This game is designed to be difficult. But here, difficulty should not be mistaken for low quality. There are five very specifically hand-designed stages in the campaign and it will take tenacity and skill to clear them all with the provided three lives. If you manage to perform well, harder difficulties become available, there is an endless mode, a marathon option, and a new playable character.
Like Pac-Man, each enemy has their own pattern which might take a while to notice. Some baddies follow, some simply run back and forth, and some jump predictably. Either way, you need to be patient as the slightest misstep will cause failure. Since the playable character walks at a speedy pace, it is easy to bump into enemies headed in your direction. There is a little green warning arrow when an enemy is approaching but it often isn’t enough time to react. So I guess if I had to make a complaint, I wish the camera was pulled back just a tiny bit to provide a wider view of incoming enemies.
Stringing together perfect runs also can place scores higher on the leaderboard. At the time of this review, I am playing the game pre-release and online leaderboards are not yet active. However, I was told there will be a day 1 patch to install online leaderboards, which will add quality replay value.
Visually, this game looks like a new, retro arcade game right down the bezel and optional scanline filter. The same goes for the audio too. The purposely muffled voice quips are the best and the dinging sound effects of each collected chunk of Moo-ney is always satisfying.
If you enjoyed Donut Dodo, and how can you not, there is no reason why Cash Cow DX shouldn’t be immediately placed on your wish list. Flynn’s Arade has done it again, a publisher that doesn’t seem to miss when it comes to new, old-style games.
SCORE: 8.5/10
Don’t Forget About: Murtop
Also Play: Satryn DX
Also Wishlist: Goliath Depot
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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