First generation character
platforming on the Neo Geo is defined by Blue's Journey. It's generic, quirky,
and mild fun. This is one category however, that the mainstream 16-bit consoles handle so
much better. The problems with Blue's Journey are numerous, and mostly aggravating. You're not dealing with a super-powered hero. This guy throws leaves (yes, the ones from trees). Power-ups make this situation a little better, loading him up with bombs and boomerangs. Blue doesn't even jump on enemies, which is also a nice change of pace. He instead picks them up and tosses them to take them out at once. Cruel, heartless, yet still effective.
Platforming here is nothing to be excited about, and the only
thing unique is the ability to shrink in size to fit into tight spaces. In this form, you
cannot attack, so it's a case of using this at your own risk. Ignoring the basic jumping,
there are shops to enter to power-up your character in various ways. You're really
powering up for the boss, since the rest of the games roster doesn't put up much of a
fight. The small sprites show off colorful, child-like backdrops with expansive depth (in a few stages at least). This pales in comparison to other early Neo Geo games like Magician Lord, and the SNES-like color palette doesn't do anything to remove that stigma. Animation is unspectacular, leaving the enemies rather bland and unthreatening. The same goes for the enjoyable yet cheesy soundtrack.
This all makes for a harmless children's title, though whoever thought a 6-year old would have a Neo Geo to play this on probably is no longer working in a marketing department. Even when compared to the titles Blue's Journey is sandwiched between (by release dates), Magician Lord and Spinmaster, it's just not worth playing through. It misses the high mark set by the latter two titles, and fails entirely to capture the charm of the Mario or Sonic series.
