I'm a huge fan of Milon. Despite the fact that he's only appeared in a handful of games, there's just something about Hudson's bubble-shooting, tone deaf hero that I like. Despite all the criticism it gets, I really believe that Milon's Secret Castle for the NES is a great platformer. I don't know, maybe it's just nostalgia. Most others don't seem to share my sentiments, though, so Milon has basically been remembered as the star of a bad platformer from the NES era. Well, hopefully that's going to change soon, as the ESRB has revealed that Milon's second adventure, DoReMi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken is heading to the US Virtual Console. It seems that Hudson is going all out with this one, as well, as the game now sports a freshly translated title, "DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure".
Originally released on the Super Famicom in Japan, DoReMi Fantasy plays kind of like a mix of Milon's Secret Castle, Super Mario World, Bubble Bobble, and Ghosts n' Goblins. I know it sounds strange, but it works rather well. You guide Milon through several different stages (all organized via a Super Mario World style map system), defeating enemies and collecting power ups as you go. Your main method of defeating enemies is by encasing them in a bubble, then touching the bubble to send them flying off the screen, much like in Bubble Bobble. They can take out other enemies as they go, as well, so the direction you hit them from can make a difference. You can also jump on enemies to stun them, and also use them as platforms. In the beginning, Milon can only take one hit before he loses a life. However, you can collect new outfits for Milon, much like the armors in Ghosts n' Goblins, that will allow him to take more hits. The game is bright and colorful, challenging at times, and sports a great soundtrack as well. I highly recommend this one to fans of platformers once it comes out. I know I'll be picking it up day one!
