Pocky & Rocky With Becky Game Boy Advance

Revisiting the characters and style of play found in both Pocky Rocky and its Super NES sequel, this 2002 follow-up offers the same overhead shooting action but with an additional character in Becky. Players once again navigate cartoon-like environments inspired by feudal Japan while battling evil creatures. Each character has a distinct attack as well as a defensive move that doubles as a counter-attack if timed correctly. Like most shooters, players can wipe out multiple enemies simultaneously with a limited number of bombs called cascades. Four colored power-ups are hidden throughout the game's seven chapters, each of which culminates in a boss character battle.

In order to set the world right again, Pocky, Rocky, and Becky must defeat each boss and clear every stage until the final battle with the mythic Hydra. Other creatures to contend with include a giant spider, snow queen, snakes, and more. A player's primary attack varies depending on the character selected. Pocky tosses explosive cards as in the first two games and defends herself by twirling a wand. Becky also throws explosive cards, but tosses three at once. The raccoon Rocky uses leaves as his primary attack, which home in on targets to make up for their relatively weak power. His defensive attack involves batting his tail to avoid projectiles and to harm enemies.

Unlike previous games in the series, Pocky Rocky with Becky is strictly a one-player experience. After completing the single-player game, a code will be revealed to access the Expert Mode, which offers more powerful enemies throughout the same seven chapters. To ease the difficulty of this mode and the default setting, players can rely on such power-ups as the rapid shot, fireball, improved range attack, and special power. Neither passwords nor battery backup is provided to resume progress, but the game does feature unlimited continues to improve a player's chances of finishing it in one sitting. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide