Super Daryl Deluxe | Switch Review

May 18, 2018 Chad Cusick

When you are the new student in school, it can be strange or different. That could not be more of an understatement for Daryl Whitelaw, the new kid at Water Falls High School. Join his adventure in Super Daryl Deluxe to find out just how strange high school can be.

Dan and Gary Games brings this RPGvania-style platformer to the Switch, PS4 and Steam. Right away, everything about this game seems odd, goofy and a little over the top. It’s easy for that to become too much and put off a gamer quickly, especially when your protagonist is a mouth breathing mute running around in orange bellbottoms. So the question is, will that happen?

Kent and Eli were dream pupils. As Valedictorian and Salutatorian, they were poised to help the world help themselves. Their self-help book ushered in an era of unprecedented world peace. Everyone was happy; at least, they thought they were.

Step into the future, when Daryl starts his freshman year. He finds out students have been going missing. Adding to the mystery, the only class you have outside of lunch is study hall. Your vice principal, Mr. Robatto, introduces you to Paul and Allan, two people who all-too-willingly hire you, the newest employ of the Textbook Emporium. Their moneymaking schemes and efforts to outsell the Trenchcoat Kid get you into the forbidden classrooms where you discover alternate universes. Of course, no hero can act alone; you will need help from the school janitor to get into them. The janitor seems to be the only one that thinks anything weird is going on. High school wouldn’t be complete without your first love too. That’ll throw a wrench into many teenage male agendas.

The game itself is a 2D platformer that uses a skill system for attacking. Instead of traditional punch and kick controls, at the start of the game you can map four skills and one dash skill to the buttons you want. There are melee skills you can add to your arsenal, but there is also lift, strategic and range skills to add. It is up to you how to use the skills together to take on your opponents. The combat is where you will feel the “–vania” aspects of the game. Once your skills are mapped, it has a brawler feel, but offers a smooth control that connects the skills fluidly.

Each classroom brings more characters to the table. Suddenly you’re helping everyone from Beethoven and Watson to Santa and Frodo. Oh, don’t forget Scrooge and the ongoing adventures with the Dwarves and Druids Club. All this leads to the questions why is it happening? And what do Kent and Eli have to do with it? Are they involved at all?

Super Daryl Deluxe Final Verdict

It all sounds crazy, but crazy is what brings it together. The artwork, characters, and humor all add up to a good time. There are times when the game can feel like a grind, whether it’s a fetch quest or taking on higher level enemies. Adjusting your skills and hoarding items like cat people hoarding kitty litter can handle that. All of it creates a unique experience that created a much larger world than I expected. If you like active combat RPG’s or a smooth 2D platformer, Daryl provides both while adding a nice touch of humor.

This review is based of of a Nintendo Switch review copy provided by Dan & Gary Games and Stride PR for coverage purposes.