STORY (8/10) 

* Storytelling was charming and simplistic. You fought off Satan (Fire Demon) and his fiery minions in your quest to save the Woody Lake Land. 
* The presentation was fantastic with cool little interruptions in between, rewarding your bravery with nice cutscenes. 
* While Hipopo was the main character, his quest wasn’t just to save the valley, it was to save his friends and girlfriend Tamasun along the way. 
* Pacing was just right, with the whole game taking from 40m to an hour or more. The different paths at the end of each boss battle were welcomed, this way adding to the replay value! 



GAMEPLAY (10/10) 

* The controls were pretty basic throughout the whole game. Problem was, with the amount of traps and surprise enemy spawns, it was nearly impossible to execute a perfect run. 
* You always had to predict enemy encounters while dodging constant projectiles and avoiding a lot, and I mean a lot of creative traps! 
* The game itself had a lot of cool mechanics with the water bubbles. Once they popped, the water would flow through the gaps and hit enemies or simply move them around. Quite impressive for 1990. 
* On top of that, you used them to traverse level gaps with mechanical boats, solve cool puzzles which required precision, grow plants to ascend and even defeat mini-bosses by hitting their weak spots. 
* You also collected different power ups which could increase the size of your water bubbles or gain extra speed by collecting trucks. One ups as well, although quite hard to reach. Plus, some power ups had that one hit ability, like Mario with his star power, or simply the obliterating screen power up which I found great. 
* Platforming was a lot of fun yet quite hard to execute by the end. I did love how unorthodox the levels were, which gave you an advantage during different sections with lots of enemies on the screen. You always had a way out by using even the slightest gap. 
* Enemy variety was fabulous, as well as bosses. I was so impressed by their attack patterns, blocking abilities and even surprise attacks. You didn’t know what to expect through the whole game, because the enemies were always different. The underwater ones were a pain in the ass though! 
* Traversal was brutal on most later sections, with the final boss being nearly impossible to beat. Some advice, make sure to eliminate them fast, as the more time passes, the thinner your chances! 
* The difficulty itself was a wake up call. You started the game thinking that you’d have an easy journey, just to get slapped in the face with a reality check later on! 



AUDIO (10/10) 

* Sound design was incredible even though reduced to its mono output. There were so many sound effects with cool mechanical parts, screams, the water bomb itself and even the environmental ambient sounds all around. 
* The music too, spectacular on each level. I was so impressed by its variety and placement, especially the Pyramid levels! 
* For a 1990 game, this was so good that I went for a second playthrough right away! 



VISUALS (10/10) 

* Fidelity was incredible, with so many cool enemy encounters, landscapes, animations and more. It was simply gorgeous to look at. 
* The character models were outstanding. I loved how on each jump or fall, Hipopo would look down as if predicting his doom. These little details made these games stand out. 
* The art style was out of this world. Each section unique, each level with a different twist, just WOW. 
* The visual effects too, with so many variations that I’d have to write an essay for a full description. The water effects were something special, as well as enemy projectiles, the chasing fire, spikes, trap mechanics and more! 



WORLD DESIGN (10/10) 

* Level design was simply perfect. Not only because you could choose different paths, but also because their creative designs made your jaw drop on most occasions. From the Woody Lake to the Water Land, Mechanical Factory, Pyramid, the Giant Tree, Cloud Temple and ending with the unforgiving Fire Castle. All that combined into a beautiful showcase on the initial map, where Hipopo would fly on his Giant Pelican into all these locations! 
* The atmosphere was wet, and I mean it in every sense of the word. Nothing could stop Hipopo from soaking everything and everyone in its way, which provided an awesome vibe. Also, the changing times of day during the gameplay itself was simply outstanding! 
* Landscapes and overall destruction were fantastic, with each mini-boss, enemy or boss having progressive destructive patterns. 



TL;DR -> An incredible journey through the Wonder Land. It delivered on everything, including a huge water bubble right at your feet. While it started as a simple adventure, it did expand into a phenomenal showcase. From its story to its visuals, music, world and even gameplay mechanics. A (9.6) game, GOATED in my book. Would absolutely replay the game in the future, just to get soaked from head to toe by Hipopo’s bubble flow! 

Liquid Kids on Arcade was a Hippo in Sheep’s Clothing!