- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 10/Jul 02:34

Klaus Lee: Thunderballs – Review

Confession time: bad ‘80s action flicks are a bit of a guilty pleasure for us. We’re not talking about classics like Top Gun or Beverly Hills Cop, but low-budget fare like The Toughest Man in the World, starring Mr. T, or Chuck Norris’ Invasion U.S.A. When a game rolls around that is inspired by these kinds of movies, you can be sure it has our attention. Enter Klaus Lee: Thunderballs. But is there more to the game than paying homage to our favourite kind of shlock, or are we looking at an UnMetal-type of situation? Story The titular Klaus Lee is the ‘80s action hero that you’ve never heard of. He’s the kind of guy who would go arm wrestling with Steven Seagal and have a beer with Jean-Claude van Damme. He has an elaborate -but legally distinct- backstory about how he was always involved with some of the biggest movie successes of the 1980s, the audience always just missed seeing him. Until now, that is, as Klaus Lee finally stars in the lead role of his life. Or should we say, his lead 100 roles, as each level of this action platformer is presented as its own entry of his illustrious career, complete with its own title. Graphics For a game that is so over-the-top with its premise, Thunderballs’ 2D visuals are surprisingly subdued. Aesthetically, Thunderballs comes across as functional rather than fun, with basic enemy designs and blocky environments. Even our hero himself looks way more impressive in the game’s key art rather than his in-game sprite. It’s a bit of a shame, because the game would’ve benefited from a visual style similar to that of Slaps and Beans 2. To Thunderballs’ credit, the game’s performance is very good, but it’s not like this is a visually demanding title in the first place. Sound While Thunderballs doesn’t impress visually, the game’s soundtrack is outstanding. The tunes have the right vibe and wouldn’t feel out of place in an actual ‘80s movie. Sound effects are crisp but also have heft to them. The only thing sorely missing here is voice work, but Klaus Lee is a man of few words anyway. Gameplay Just like the movie style that the game takes inspiration from, Thunderballs’ gameplay concerns itself more with action than depth. The game is a fast-paced puzzle platformer comprising 100 self-contained stages. Klaus’ task in each of these is to rescue the hapless citizen at the end, as quickly as possible. Depending on the time in which you complete a stage, you’ll receive a bronze, silver, or gold rating. The levels combine simple and familiar elements like tracking down keys to open doors or disarming lasers to clear pathways. Being the ultimate action hero, Klaus has several skills and tools at his disposal, although they do come with drawbacks. First and foremost is his trusty jetpack, which he uses to navigate the maze-like levels. It only has a limited fuel supply, however, and running out of this may leave you unable to complete a level. Next, Klaus’ laser eyes. These are mainly used to zap enemies, but they only have a limited range. Our hero can also use dynamite to blow things up, but he needs to be mindful not to get caught in the blast himself. Getting a gold score in each level can be tricky, especially on the first try. The time thresholds are very tight, and precision platforming is often essential. While the puzzles aren’t necessarily difficult to figure out, the gauntlet-like structure of the levels can really knock you for a loop when it comes to difficulty. Fortunately, each level is comparatively short, so if you do get a game over, there isn’t a whole lot of backtracking to deal with. Thunderballs is a game designed for quick bursts of gameplay, where you tackle a couple of stages at a time, rather than binging it in a lengthy session. As if 100 levels weren’t enough, Thunderballs also offers a level editor, with the added bonus of being able to share creations with the community. In theory, this means that there is a nigh endless amount of adventures that our mustachioed hero can embark on, although this is of course highly dependent on how popular Thunderballs ends up being. It’s worth mentioning that level building can be a bit fiddly with a controller, and there is no Switch 2 mouse support implemented here. In this regard, the PC version is probably going to be superior, although the pick-up-and-play nature of the base levels is more suited to a portable platform like the Switch. As such, there’s no platform that we’d consider the “definitive” one for Thunderballs. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because the game itself provides a fun little take on the genre that is well worth the €12.99 RRP. Conclusion The underwhelming visuals prevent Thunderballs from nailing its over-the-top ‘80s action hero premise, but the tight gameplay more than makes up for this. Speedrunners in particular will love the focus on the fast but tight precision platforming needed to get the gold ranks in each stage. Even if you’re not aiming for the gold, however, the pick-up-and-play nature of the levels makes this an enjoyable puzzle platformer. Add the level editor and a killer soundtrack, and we’d say Klaus Lee’s career as a leading man is off to a decent start.