New Testaments is a new monthly column in which Amr Al-Aaser presents an overlooked modern game and explicates its best ideas.
From the opening titles it’s clear that Chronicles of Teddy is channeling a deep fondness of Zelda II. There’s homage clear in its presentation and its structure. But Chronicles of Teddy never quite reaches the heights of that inspiration. Its world is too meandering, and lacks the dense map design that would keep backtracking from being a problem. It has a good sense of weight and momentum, but its platforming is too fussy and its combat, while enjoyable when given space, never flows the way I wanted it to. No, what makes Teddy fascinating isn’t in the legacy of Zelda, but a quieter, if still revered, game: the LucasArts adventure game Loom. (more…)