Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man

Last updated
Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man
Nintendo Entertainment System Low G Man - The Low Gravity Man cover art.jpg
Developer(s) KID
Publisher(s)
Producer(s) Kuniharu Hosoda
Shōji Takagi
Designer(s) Ken Lobb
Programmer(s) Norihisa Kawamoto
Shinobu Yagawa
Composer(s) Nobuyuki Shioda
Norio Nakagata
Ryota Musha
Platform(s) NES
Release
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man is a platform game developed by KID and published in 1990 by Taxan in North America and by Nintendo in Europe for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Contents

Low G Man was met with mixed reception from critics since its initial release; many felt divided in regards to the graphics, sound and gameplay, while common complaints were geared towards the jerky background scrolling, choppy animations, small character sprites and color scheme but praise was given to the fast-paced soundtrack and large bosses. Retrospective commentary has been mostly positive.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of chapter 1-1 NES Low G Man - The Low Gravity Man.png
Gameplay screenshot of chapter 1-1

This video game was unusual for a science fiction game in that rather than the usual laser gun weapon, the player had a freeze ray that did no damage to enemies; once they were frozen, the player had to stab them from the top or bottom with an extending spear. Other weapons included fireballs, boomerangs, 'force-waves,' and bombs. The name of the game derives from the protagonist's high-powered jumping, which at its maximum power reaches three screen-heights; this allows the player to kill enemies without freezing them, which generated more power-ups. The plot was a typical alien invasion scenario, in which evil aliens took over a robot-manufacturing planet.

The game includes a password feature for players to restore their progress after receiving a game over screen.

Development and release

Reception

Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man received a mixture of opinions from critics, though a slight majority gave it a positive recommendation. Electronic Gaming Monthly 's four reviewers criticized the color palette, choppy animations and small character sprites but commended the overall visuals, large bosses and stage variety, regarding it as an above-average action game. [3] VideoGames & Computer Entertainment 's Chris Bieniek and criticized the game for the jerky animations of its main character and poor background scrolling, which he felt it was exacerbated by the low-gravity jump. However, Bieniek gave positive remarks to the graphics and fast-paced music but ultimately felt mixed in regards to the playability and its execution. [8] In a similar manner, Brazilian magazine VideoGame also gave positive remarks to the audiovisual presentation and difficulty. [10]

Mean Machines 's Richard Leadbetter and Julian Rignall praised the overall presentation, addictive gameplay and longevity. Both Leadbetter and Rignall echoed the same opinions as EGM and VG&CE in regards to the graphics, jerky scrolling and color scheme, while sound design was also criticized for being grating and sparse. [9] Like other reviewers, Joystick 's Jean-François Morisse criticized the jerky horizontal scrolling and visual color scheme but also noted that the enemies are uninteresting aside from the large bosses. Morisse also criticized the character animations and controls but gave the sound a positive remark. [5] In contrast to other reviewers, Player One's Christophe Delpierre praised its graphics, sprite animations, sound, difficulty, longevity and overall gameplay. [6] Joypad's Sébastien Hamon felt mixed in regards to the audiovisual presentation and controls, whie he criticized the action for feeling slow. [4] Video Games' Jan Barysch stated that "Low G Man is a good mix of skill, action, and combat tactics." [7]

Retrospective reviews for Low G Man have been mostly positive. AllGame 's Brett Alan Weiss noted its plot, weapon system and large bosses but criticized the slow character movement and gameplay for being clunky. However, Weiss commended the fast-paced soundtrack. [2] HonestGamers' Rob Hamilton found it to be an enjoyable game, regarding the low-gravity jumping ability to be a novelty and noted that its ending changes with each playthrough. [11] Hardcore Gaming 101 's Michael Plasket regarded the gameplay to be mostly fun due to the protagonist's ability to perform extremely high jumps and unorthodox weapons. Plasket gave positive remarks to the futuristic industrial-style graphics, use of the Nintendo Entertainment System's color palette and upbeat music but criticized its choppy animations. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Battletoads/Double Dragon</i> 1993 video game

Battletoads/Double Dragon is a 1993 beat 'em up developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and later ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES, and Game Boy. Retro-bit Publishing has re-released the 8-bit NES version in early 2022 with plans to release the 16-bit versions later this year.

<i>Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II</i> 1991 video game

Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II is a platforming action-adventure video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) developed by UK-based company Zippo Games, a subsidiary of Rare. The game was published by Acclaim and released in North America in December 1989 and in Europe on March 27, 1991. It is the sequel to Rare's 1987 title Wizards & Warriors. In Ironsword, the player controls the knight warrior Kuros as he ventures in the land of Sindarin. He must defeat the evil wizard Malkil, who has assumed the elemental forms of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Kuros must collect the parts of and assemble the legendary "IronSword" in order to defeat Malkil, who resides at the top of IceFire Mountain.

<i>Little Nemo: The Dream Master</i> 1990 video game

Little Nemo: The Dream Master is a platform game released on the NES in 1990 by Capcom. It is based on the Japanese animated film, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland from Tokyo Movie Shinsha, which itself is based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay. The game's music was composed by Junko Tamiya, credited in the game as "Gonzou".

<i>Ufouria: The Saga</i> 1991 video game

Ufouria: The Saga is a 1991 action-adventure video game developed and published in Japan and Europe by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first entry in the Hebereke franchise, where almost every installment in the series features a completely different playstyle. Controlling a humanoid-looking character called Bop-Louie through an interconnected world, the game focuses on exploration and searching for items and power-ups in vein of Metroid and Blaster Master, fighting bosses and minibosses. During gameplay, the player locates the main character's three friends, each of which becomes a playable character and have unique skills that allow the player to reach previously inaccessible areas.

<i>Wonder Boy III: The Dragons Trap</i> 1989 action-adventure video game

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, known as Monster World II in Japan, is a platforming action-adventure video game developed by Westone as part of Sega's Wonder Boy series. It was published by Sega and released for the Master System in 1989 and for the Game Gear in 1992 as Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. It was ported by Hudson Soft and released in 1991 for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine under the name Dragon's Curse. It was also ported in 1993 by Brazilian company Tec Toy under the title Turma da Mônica em o Resgate, with the game retooled to include characters from Brazilian comic book series Monica's Gang. A remake developed by Lizardcube and published by DotEmu, titled Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, was released in April 2017.

<i>Xenon 2: Megablast</i> 1989 shoot em up video game

Xenon 2: Megablast is a 1989 shoot 'em up video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers and published by Image Works for the Amiga and Atari ST. It was later converted to the Master System, PC-98, X68000, Mega Drive, Commodore CDTV, Game Boy, Acorn Archimedes and Atari Jaguar platforms. The game is a sequel to Xenon and takes place a millennium after the previous title. The goal of the game is to destroy a series of bombs planted throughout history by the Xenites, the vengeful antagonists of the first game.

<i>3 Count Bout</i> 1993 video game

3 Count Bout is a wrestling arcade game released by SNK in 1993.

<i>Neutopia II</i> 1991 video game

Neutopia II is a 1991 action-adventure/action role-playing video game developed and published in Japan by Hudson Soft and in North America by Turbo Technologies for the TurboGrafx-16. It is the sequel to Neutopia, which was released earlier in 1989. In the game, the player takes control of Jazeta's son, who embarks on a quest to both save his father and defeat the returning evil demon Dirth.

<i>Konami Hyper Soccer</i> 1992 video game

Konami Hyper Soccer is a 1992 soccer video game developed and published by Konami in Europe and Mattel in Australia for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Part of the Hyper Sports series, which included Hyper Olympic, its sequel Hyper Sports and Hyper Athlete, it is the second soccer game by Konami following Konami's Soccer on the MSX, and their first soccer game on a Nintendo platform.

<i>BlaZeon</i> 1992 video game

BlaZeon is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released by Atlus in 1992 and was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the same year. The game's most distinguishable feature is that players come equipped with a device that allows them to freeze and control certain robots.

<i>China Warrior</i> 1987 video game

China Warrior, known as The Kung Fu in Japan, is a beat 'em up video game created in 1987 by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. The game received mixed reviews upon release, with praise for its large sprite graphics but criticism towards its gameplay.

<i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

The Incredible Hulk is a 1994 video game released for the Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, and SNES. Developed by Probe Software and published by U.S. Gold, the game is based on the Marvel Comics superhero Hulk and showcases him within the context of a side-scrolling action game with platforming and beat 'em up elements. The narrative involves the Hulk attempting to thwart the world domination bid of his nemesis, the Leader, while engaging in combat with other arch-rivals.

<i>Battle Grand Prix</i> 1992 video game

Battle Grand Prix is a 1992 Formula One racing video game developed by KID. One or two players can pit themselves in three Grand Prix races. Each of the different team cars have different color schemes. The courses vary from blacktop to concrete, and rain is also included and is implemented in the game.

<i>Burai Fighter</i> 1990 video game

Burai Fighter is a shoot 'em up video game developed by KID for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America by Taxan in March 1990, Europe by Nintendo and Australia by Mattel in 1990, and Japan by Taito on July 20, 1990. The game was also ported to the Game Boy and retitled as Burai Fighter Deluxe, and was released in Japan on June 27, 1990, in North America in January 1991 and in Europe in 1991; this port eventually wound up on the Game Boy Color as Space Marauder, originally released in Japan as Burai Fighter Color, as the original Game Boy version is not compatible with the later models.

<i>Isolated Warrior</i> 1991 video game

Isolated Warrior is a 1991 video game developed by KID and published in Japan by Vap, in North America by NTVIC, and Europe by Nintendo. It falls in the shooter genre, although its gameplay also includes elements reminiscent of platforming, while it features isometric projection, similar to Sega's Zaxxon.

<i>Ragnagard</i> 1996 video game

Ragnagard is 2D arcade fighting game developed by Saurus and System Vision, and published by SNK and Saurus for the Neo Geo arcade, Neo Geo CD and Sega Saturn. The game's characters are all based on Shinto deities.

<i>The Real Ghostbusters</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

The Real Ghostbusters is a 1987 shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published by Data East in the United States. It is loosely based on the animated series of the same name. In Japan, Data East released it as a non-Ghostbusters arcade game under the title Meikyuu Hunter G. In 1989, Activision published The Real Ghostbusters for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.

<i>Brutal Sports Football</i> 1993 video game

Brutal Sports Football is a 1993 sports video game developed by Teque London and originally published by Millennium Interactive for the Amiga. It was re-published for MS-DOS and Amiga CD32, and later became the first third-party title published for the Atari Jaguar. The first entry in the Brutal Sports series, the game is a fictional style of football played against human or computer-controlled opponents. It features a different take on american football by emphasising the violent aspect of the sport.

<i>Super Sidekicks</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Super Sidekicks is a 1992 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the first installment in the eponymous series and the second soccer game released for Neo Geo MVS, succeeding Soccer Brawl (1991). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer compared to other games released at the time, the title allows players to choose any of the available game modes with AI-controlled opponents or other human players with the team of their choosing. Its gameplay uses a simplified two-button configuration.

<i>Batman Returns</i> (NES video game) 1993 video game

Batman Returns is a 1993 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is inspired by the Warner Bros.'s 1992 film of the same name. In the main storyline, Batman must confront both Catwoman and the Penguin.

References

  1. ↑ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  2. 1 2 Weiss, Brett Alan (1998). "Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  3. 1 2 Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Williams, Ken (August 1990). "Review Crew: Low-G-Man". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 13. Sendai Publishing. p. 14.
  4. 1 2 Hamon, Sébastien (January 1992). "Nintendo | Tests: Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man - Si vous avez le centre de gravité au niveau des genoux, vous convenez parfaitement pour cette mission". Joypad  [ fr ] (in French). No. 4. Yellow Media  [ fr ]. p. 70.
  5. 1 2 Morisse, Jean-François (December 1991). "Console News - Nintendo: Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man". Joystick (in French). No. 22. Sipress. p. 184.
  6. 1 2 Delpierre, Christophe (December 1991). "Tests De Jeux: Low G Man". Player One  [ fr ] (in French). No. 15. Média Système Édition  [ fr ]. pp. 78–79.
  7. 1 2 Barysch, Jan (September 1992). "Test: Grosse Sprünge - Low G Man". Video Games  [ de ] (in German). No. 10. Markt & Technik. p. 105.
  8. 1 2 Bieniek, Chris (November 1990). "Video Game Reviews - Low G Man (Taxan) For the Nintendo Entertainment System". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment . No. 22. Larry Flynt Publications. pp. 128–130.
  9. 1 2 Leadbetter, Richard; Rignall, Julian (November 1991). "Nintendo Review – Low-G Man". Mean Machines . No. 14. EMAP. pp. 88–90.
  10. 1 2 "Sistema Nintendo - Low G Man". VideoGame  [ pt ] (in Portuguese). No. 5. Editora Sigla. July 1991. p. 39.
  11. ↑ Hamilton, Rob (February 6, 2009). "Low G Man (NES) review". HonestGamers. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  12. ↑ Plasket, Michael (March 20, 2010). "Low G Man". Hardcore Gaming 101 . Archived from the original on 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.