Giana Sisters DS

Bit of history to start out with… when Super Mario Bros. was released in the mid-80s, there were no shortage of copycats that sprouted up to take advantage of the renewed side scrolling genre. But one game stood above the others as the most blatant rip-off of Nintendo’s mascot, The Great Giana Sisters, which was released for the Commodore 64 and the Amiga (among other PC systems). How blatant a rip-off? Just take a look at a screenshot from the game…

Yeah. Published by Rainbow Arts in 1987, it was pulled from shelves almost immediately due to pressure from Nintendo’s legal team, though one could hardly blame Nintendo for wanting to nip blatant copycats in the bud. Hard to find, it was widely sought after by collectors and few people knew about the game until game emulation via the internet began to sprout up in the mid 90s.

Over twenty years later, a new Giana Sisters game was developed and released (officially!) on the Nintendo DS in Europe, titled simply Giana Sisters DS. Oddly enough, it only features one sister, Giana, though perhaps one could consider her powered-up “punk” form as a separate character. The game featured eight different worlds, filled with bite sized, yet at times tough levels filled with tiny platforms to maneuver and quirky enemies to avoid and defeat. The gameplay certainly won’t challenge Mario’s crown anytime soon, but it’s solid and enjoyable. The graphics are well animated and the characters all have cute animations to them. The music is very catchy and remenicent of the game’s Commodore origins, with a very chip-tune vibe to it. The game even features recreations of the original game’s levels, provided you find enough hidden gems to unlock them. Overall, despite it’s brief length and occasional cheap difficulty, it’s a great title worth playing.

Despite growing interest of the title, it remained a European exclusive for years, as stateside release dates were announced and passed over. Even Nintendo Power reviewed the game in its February 2011 issue, giving it a 9 out of 10, yet no release was in sight. With the Nintendo DS in its last year of life, it seemed like importing the increasingly expensive title was the only option for those who wanted to play it.

However, last month, the game was quietly released by publisher Destineer to several internet sites, such as Newegg.com, for the low, low price of twenty bucks. Seeing as how the game has yet to be available on more mainstream sites like Amazon.com, or even in normal brick and mortar stores, this game has the potential to become a collector’s item in the future, much like the internet store exclusive Electroplankton or Pokemon Box.

Much like it’s original release. If you’re even remotely interested in this title, I highly suggest picking it up before it’s too late.