Flynn’s Arcade, publisher of the excellent new, retro arcade games Donut Dodo and Murtop, has also released Goliath Depot, another excellent, new retro arcade-style platformer.
Instead of taking inspiration from classic Donkey Kong, Bomberman, and DigDug, Goliath Depot can sort of be seen as an evolution of Elevator Action. From a single screen, the player is tasked with closing all the doors/windows within the stage then reaching the exit. Of course, there are plenty of hazards and enemies trying to stop you.
Armed only with a jump and the ability to climb ladders, the difficulty remains thoroughly challenging but never unfair. Level progression is linear but must be completed in batches of ten. For example, if you lose all your lives on 1-5, you’ll be forced to restart at 1-1. The final stage of each batch is a boss battle. Defeat the boss to gain access to the next stages. Will you die during the boss battle at the end of this challenging gauntlet? Yes. Will you exclaim four letter words when this inevitably happens? You betcha. Will you want to immediately try again because you know you died due to your own stupid fault? Oh hekk, yes!
So closing doors is the main action of this game. However, with each closure, a shockwave of energy is emitted. If this door closing shockwave hits an enemy, it stuns them. Stunned enemies can then be temporarily defeated by bumping into them, like knocking an enemy from underneath like in classic Mario Bros. Just remember, enemies will return after a short time. Also, continuously closing doors without reopening them or taking damage results in a combo bonus. Then, adding another layer of welcomed complexity is the coin system. Each stage contains several optional coins to collect but it is in the player’s best interest to collect them all for two reasons. First, the player is offered a chance to buy a continue upon death if enough cash is earned. And two, coins can be stockpiled to unlock permanent upgrades such as a double jump, the ability to drop through certain platforms, sprint, and even super jump by holding down for a second. In other words, if you are struggling to clear these batches of 10 stages in one run, unlocking these extras can make it a little easier. The coin system, like the difficulty and challenge, is well-paced.
Presentation-wise, this looks, plays, sounds, and feels like a retro arcade machine. From the slightly muffled voice quips to the optional visual filters, this is a new 80s style arcade experience but with some modern quality of life features (there are 3 save slots, and options to toggle). The bouncy and responsive animation is also high mark and aligns with Flynn’s Arcade’s other releases. It only costs a few bucks too, quarters that would easily be spent in one run if this was indeed released in the arcades.
Flynn’s Arcade has firmly established themselves as a quality, new-retro game studio. They have hit home runs pretty much every time they have stepped up to the plate and I am enthusiastically looking forward to all the future releases from this moment forward. There are plenty of new old-school style of games, but nothing quite like a Flynn’s Arcade experience.
SCORE: 8/10
Don’t Forget About: Attack of the Karens (Switch)
Also Play: Colored Effects
Wait For It: a Hotel Mario (CD-i) remaster
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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