The irony of it all is that twenty years later, Giana Sisters has been remade for Nintendo's popular handheld console, the Nintendo DS. So with a gaming platform filled with quality titles, does Giana Sisters stack up as a worthy platformer for the DS? We definitely think so.
You'll have a hoot of a time with Giana Sisters.
The title's gameplay is classic run and jump platforming action in its most purest form. From the outset, players take control of the character Giana as she explores explores the game world whilst navigating her way through a number of obstacles. The control scheme of Giana Sisters is extremely easy to pick up for gamers of all skill levels, although mastering the gameplay is a whole other story. Like many challenging titles, Giana Sisters is quite easy at the beginning, with the game becoming increasingly difficult as you progress through it. The great thing about this is while the game does present a challenge, it isn't so challenging that it'll make you want to hurl your beloved DS through the window (well, it almost did...), instead the challenge of it all only serves to strengthen your resolve to conquer the game - and conquer it you shall!
As well as shiny new HD graphics (though purists may want to note that the original title is unlockable in all of its spirited glory) on offer, Giana Sisters also takes advantage of the DS touch screen. Tapping the touch screen at different points in the game, Giana is able to access two special abilities which allow her to move throughout areas that were previously unavailable. Firstly, Giana is able to access soda pop which is used to blast bricks with a stream of fizzy cola. The second abilities that Giana can unlock is the gumball which can be used to float throughout certain sections of the game. To keep the bubble airborne, players have the option of blowing in the DS microphone, or - if you're a little huffed and puffed - you can simply mash the A or B buttons to get the same effect. The bubble levels add some depth to the gameplay, serving as a nice distraction from the traditional sections of platforming - and they're a lot of fun to boot.
Don't make me unleash the dragon!
In fact, as a whole, Giana Sisters is the equivalent of videogaming crack - it's oodles of addictive fun. While this is largely thanks to the simple, yet engrossing game mechanics, another large part of the title's appeal is that it has a great sense of humour. Forget the syrupy sweet, Mario-esque cuteness, Giana Sisterswill pull you straight into eighty levels of weirdness. Really, what else can you say about a game that turns your cutesy blonde, freckled heroine into a fire-throwing, punk rock ranga? If that's not enough to turn your weird-meter up to eleven, you'll think twice once you see Giana leave a trail of guts and goop as she squashes the freaky looking eyeball creatures under her well-polished Mary Janes. We doubt that you've ever witnessed that one while playing Mario!
Like the recently released iShadow Complex, Giana Sisters DS shows that you can't judge a game by its simple gameplay mechanic. While easy to pick up, Giana Sisters proves complex to master; showing that there is nothing shallow in these gameplay waters - and proving that there is plenty of entertainment left in the platforming genre yet.
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