"Pronty" & The Killer Bionic Military Eel (Review)

By goukijones — March 16, 2023
Tags: blog review

Pronty is out now on Nintendo Switch!

The Weapon

There is no Pew Pew in Pronty. You get a bionic military javelin. It looks like an eel. His name is Bronty and he is extremely dangerous. A ton of different upgrades and combinations make Bronty an absolute blast to use. You don’t just shoot at enemies. You target them with Bronty and he strikes. You can charge him up and have him circle around you creating a barrier. Different combinations of buffs boost you to move faster, attack quicker, and live longer. I’ve got to say, the use of kit building in the game is really great and you make your own rules when it comes to fighting bosses.

The Map

A traditional MetroidVania style map with a twist. You swim through it. That’s right, the entire map is underwater. So you don’t just run along the bottom shooting up over your head, you swim to every corner and are constantly fighting in 360 degrees. Some areas are square and flat, but most are caves and tunnels you swim through. There’s an area at the beginning that is completely dark, it’s still possible to get through and there are some fish and other things that light the path on the way. The completely dark area was great on my first visit. Sometimes, when you are in an area that you are unsure you are supposed to be in and you somehow make it through, that makes it fun! That sense of pride and accomplishment.

The Boss Fights

Ok, so now this is a MetroidVaniaSoulsLike game. The first boss is just a little flounder with giant teeth. Like a chattering teeth toy who's only goal is to eat you, but I survived after a short while. You know, it’s kinda like a warmup. I had no idea what was in store for me later in the game. There’s a Grim Reaper Shark, a giant puffy fish, and multi-headed snake fish. Pronty has a very diverse and creative boss pool. Each boss fight seems to go on forever. Something I just wasn’t expecting. After the first major boss fight, I was a little more prepared for what was to come later. Plus, later in the game you have a ton of abilities to swap in and out to help get the job done. You can just use a big spin attack and if your dodge skills are on point, you can just juke through the bosses and get the kill. The boss having no meter or hp bar was also a nice touch. When you don’t know when the fight is going to end or what phase you might be on, not seeing the hp of the boss is just a blast. I haven’t had to get this intense in a game in a while. BatRastered took one look at a boss fight and said “Oh it’s like Cuphead.”

The first major boss I had trouble with was a shark covered in knives. Mind you, this was before I had a lot of abilities. Hell, I didn’t even know how to heal myself at this point. It took me about an hour to finally kill this shark. I was so hype, when I did get the kill. Everything is pretty chill about this game. The music and the underwater sound effects are great. The map is really cool to open up and back track. The design of all the fish and environments are beautiful. But the bosses… What the hell man? I wasn’t ready for that. I was even playing the game on normal. I sure did get my butt kicked a lot in Pronty. Here’s the video of me fighting the first major boss. Shark as a Knife!

Pronty gets a Buy It!

Watch the entire live play through replay below.

Pronty

"Pronty" & The Killer Bionic Military Eel (Review)

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