Werewolf: The Last Warrior
System: NES
Release Date: November 1990
Developer: Data East, Sakata SAS
Publisher: Data East
Genre: Action
You’ve been granted the powers of the Great Spirit War Wolf in Werewolf: The Last Warrior. The evil Faryan has taken over and his disciples lurk around every corner. He must be stopped at any cost. You aren’t going to be able to do this on your own, but luckily you have the ability to transform into the titular Werewolf. Do you have what it takes to make it through 5 intensely difficult stages?
You begin in human form and are immediately thrust into a boss battle. Giant Head, as he is called, will get you accustomed to the controls. Jump and attack are reversed from conventional design, with the B Button designated to jump and the A Button as your punch. This can lead to unfortunate deaths if you’re not paying enough attention. Human form has the ability to shoot a beam by holding the A Button until flashing. You’re going to want to seek out Red W icons that transform you into the Werewolf.
Item icons can sometimes be found from dead enemies, but are more likely procured by punching objects in the environment. You have to stumble into this, because it is not spelled out for you in the manual or in game. You can find hearts to replenish health, hourglasses to increase your level timer, big orbs that make you invincible for a moment, dollar signs for bonus points, 1Ups, and the Blue W, which is to be avoided. Blue W’s will sap your werewolf status or eat half your maximum health bar if you’re in human form.
The Werewolf form is where you can have some fun. Your attacks are more powerful and have a greater reach. You may lose your power ray, but it is replaced by a full screen attack that depletes some of your health when used. You have some new means of getting around the level as a Werewolf, including wall climbing, ceiling walking, and the super useful back flip. The downside of these abilities, is they require pretty precise timing. This is especially true of the ceiling walk, which requires you to be pixel perfect and doesn’t always work. You can even transform into a super version if you collect enough gray bubbles to increase your Anger meter. As the Super Werewolf, you jump higher and hit harder, but only as long as your Anger lasts.
There is a lot of BS present in the levels. Whether it’s getting trapped because the screen won’t scroll back the way you came. Or if it’s jumping fish that can’t be easily swiped while jumping over pits. Lightning bolts that appear and kill you instantly. Lasers that will trap you unless you’re a Werewolf and can back flip through them. It could be items falling from the sky while dynamite is being thrown at you and enemies keep respawning. Blocks that blend in to the background causing you to fall down a pit. Maybe the countless number of times you’ll die while trying to learn the pattern of the stage’s boss battle.
Graphics: 2.5
Everything looks nice enough with plenty of colors, but some color choices made platforms difficult to see.
Sound: 3.0
I think music and sound design is the thing that people can totally agree is good. Except for the non-stop alarm siren in the second half of stage 3…
Gameplay: 2.0
There’s some surprising depth to the proceedings, but it doesn’t all work as fluidly as I’d like it to.
Difficulty: 1.0
The game is straight up unfair. Beyond throwing stuff at you with no respite, there are so many spikes in difficulty that will require you to get lucky to get past, you’ll need a perfect run to succeed. At least you can make it through bosses when you learn their pattern.
Fun Factor: 1.5
For every high, there were more lows. I expect this is a very polarizing game.
Overall Rating: 2.0
Werewolf: The Last Warrior earns a C. You’ve got a huge mix of good and bad present here. Really, the journey is mostly infuriating, adding to my Anger meter. If I didn’t have the ability to time travel, I probably would have walked away from this one early.