YEAH YEAH BEEBISS II Review: A Neat Little Homebrew

Nintendo Switch Review Key Provided By Rigg’d Games

One day whilst scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, I came across a post by YouTuber and gaming enthusiast, John Riggs’ announcing that his first homebrew title, Yeah Yeah Beebiss II would be coming to Nintendo Switch and Steam following its success on the NES and Dreamcast.

While being the brainchild of Rigg’d Games (John) and developers Mega Cat Studios, Nami Tentou ultimately took what the duo had created over on the original consoles and was able to port it over to Switch and PC via some emulation magic. The end result is a fantastic homage to retro gaming with some of the polish of a modern title.

Gameplay

As a sequel to a game that’s technically only ever been seen by a handful of people, Yeah Yeah Beebiss II had a lot of room for creativity to thrive. Luckily, Riggs and Mega Cat did a great job at creating an incredible run and simplistic game.

You’re allowed to play as one of the game’s two playable characters at a time, Haoran and Li Jian. Both have their own attacks but are ultimately the same at their core so it really comes down to whether you’d like to play as a pixelated girl or boy.

From there, you have the actual gameplay. It’s boiled down to a 100 stage game where you progress through each stage by clearing its allotted number of enemies that need to be killed before moving to the next one. Though it may sound easy, you also have to clear the stage within the time limit set for each one as well.

There are three enemies that you’ll come across throughout your run through the game, each having its own patterns and attacks. Though not super formidable at first glance, between the enemies’ movement patterns, attacks, and the environments at play, the enemies do a pretty decent job at getting the better of you at times.

I always had to think on my feet when it came to how to approach an enemy given the traps or layouts of the level. The levels also have a flow to them that really does have to be followed depending on which one it is. I really love the level design as each one has its own personality and way it needs to be traversed. No two are really ever the same.

There are also little pick-ups that can be acquired as you kill some of the enemies, these range from extra time on the clock to extra health. These little things can really change the course of a stage and can bring you back from a terrible loss.

I found the game to be incredibly smooth at all times with some really interesting oddities built right in. It almost felt at times that weird visuals blips or sound glitches tossed in to really make it seem like an old game. There are even some other cool things like a CRT overlay while and an artwork gallery to peruse.

Audio and Visuals

The game’s audio is fantastically retro in this title, with vintage takes on classic classical tunes. It does just enough to create a tone for each moment without getting in the way. The visuals though are where I fell in love with the game. As a lover of the color purple, this game is a dream come true. It just looks really clean throughout. Character designs and levels are the absolute best and look fantastic, having a lot of detail even for this retro look they went for.

Replayability

The game was created with the retro feel in mind and is set up just like a game you would’ve either played in an arcade at the time or endlessly in front of your TV while sitting on the floor. It’s just a really fun game to pick up whenever and play until you get to your next high score. Plus, the game can even be played in 2-player through its entirety.

What It Could Have Done Better

I would’ve liked to have seen some randomly generated stages as it became a bit formulaic playing the same exact ones over and over. Having that touch of modernity would’ve only helped it even more. A similar thing can be said about the main characters’ attacks, as they were virtually the same only with a different effect when in action. Having a bit of difference in the two would’ve further justified having to choose between them.

Verdict

For a sequel to a game that basically never existed, Yeah Yeah Beebiss II really does a great job of being a game that feels perfectly created with its era in mind. Though I would’ve liked to have seen a couple of touches of modern gaming further woven into its fabric, it doesn’t detract from just how much of a romp this title is. For the extremely low price of $9.99, any lover of retro gaming should check this out. I truly hope to see more titles from this team.