Pepsiman (Sony PlayStation review)

Developer: KID
Publisher: KID
Released: 1999

Pepsiman is an auto-running action game that was released exclusively in Japan.

+ Locales are a blast to navigate, with particular highlights being the residential streets and underground station.

+ Includes some fun diversions that see you riding a skateboard, or wearing a trashcan that reverses your controls!

+ Using the dash mechanic is exhilarating and it's hugely rewarding when you shave seconds off your best time.

+ Frame-rate is rock-solid and the action is entertaining once you learn the stage layouts and manage to collect all the cans.

- Only contains a measly four stages (with three acts each), so before you know it you'll be seeing the credits roll.

- Music is irritatingly repetitive, and the sweeping camera angles often makes it hard to accurately judge spatial distance. 

- Bizarre cut-scenes featuring a stereotypical, overweight gamer seem ill-advised for a supposedly delectable drink.

Banana Prince (NES review)

Developer: KID
Publisher: Takara
Released: 1992

Banana Prince is an action game that was only released on the NES in Germany.

+ Good range of weapon upgrades available that allow for long-range attacks, and the boss battles are mildly enjoyable.

+ Growing and climbing stalks provides you with a fun way to explore the expansive locales in search of rings.

- Has an identity problem and is never quite sure how to best serve the player, or create a cohesive whole.

- The casino and quiz shows only serve to distract you from the action and come across as unnecessary padding.

- Level design is mediocre and there's far too many death pits that attempt to tease players into leaps of faith.

- Fails to provide an intuitive upgrade path to the weapons, leaving you guessing as to what's most beneficial.

- Controls have a slight delay to them, and the screen scrolling is choppy which makes it hard to avoid projectiles.

The Trolls in Crazyland (NES review)

Developer: KID
Publisher: American Softworks
Released: 1993

The Trolls in Crazyland is an action-platformer that's exclusive to the NES in PAL regions.

+ Levels pose a decent challenge and the boss battles are memorable with gigantic, menacing sprites.

+ Minecart rides are reasonably fun (with an impressive loop-the-loop graphical effect), and the faux game ending is brilliant.

+ Music is top-tier and rivals some of the best soundtracks from NES stalwarts like Capcom and Tecmo.

- Level design repeats both stage and enemy layouts in quick succession, which gives the action a cut-and-paste feel.

- Mechanic of gaining more powerful weapons when you're low on health is ridiculous and doesn't reward skilled play.

- When at full health, regular enemies can often be complete bullet sponges, making it a real drag to move ahead.

- Controls are floaty / overly-sensitive, and your character has a tendency to slide off ledges with alarming frequency.

Isolated Warrior (NES review)

Developer: KID
Publisher: Vap, NTVIC
Released: 1991

Isolated Warrior is an isometric shooter with minor platforming elements.

You play as Max Maverick and your mission is to reclaim a planet called Pan that's been taken over by aliens. The action is vaguely reminiscent of Zaxxon (1982, Arcades) and the screen automatically scrolls while you shoot everything in sight; however, there's no one-hit kills due to the inclusion of a health bar. Two weapons can be switched between on the fly (Spread or Laser) and each can be powered up to Level 5.  You can also jump to leap over gaps, and while in the air the A button launches upgradeable Bombs. The gameplay is tough when you have a low-powered weapon as it takes longer to defeat enemies; the lanes you have to work in are always extremely small and avoiding the barrage of incoming fire is difficult. However, the more I played the more I enjoyed the game, as I became accustomed to the strategic element of which power-up to collect and when I should use certain weapons. Switching between weapons is vital to succeeding and you'll need to use both depending on the situation. The level design is interesting and features lots of variety including on-foot sections, hovercraft and motorcycle areas that affect the speed of the action. The bosses feature impressively large sprites and all are unique such as the Stage 4 boss where you're riding a motorcycle along a war-torn highway and need to jump over gaps while shooting it. The graphics are superb and I particularly love the trippy, swaying visual effect that occurs in Stage 3 when you're travelling over the moving bridge. There's also some nice looking cut-scenes that help tie the story together.

Isolated Warrior is a unique and highly addictive take on the genre. By combining minor platforming, awesome shooting mechanics and a deep upgrade system it creates an interesting fusion that hooks you in the more you play.

Random trivia: KID developed many other NES games including Low G Man: The Low Gravity Man (1990) and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1991).