Return of Giana Sisters??

[MegaHiro91]

The Great Giana Sisters started life on Commodore 64 where it was quickly taken off shelves for looking and feeling too much like the iconic Mario brothers. The sisters then saw a comeback on the DS in 2009 where the concept was still little more than a Mario clone with cute graphics, but in 2012 we then got Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams which later saw a director's cut and most recently the Owltimate Edition in 2018.

Since then we have seen nothing of the twin gals, and as someone who finds Mario way too safe and "basic" I would love to see Giana become more of a mainstay in the industry. Afterall, with Twisted Dreams the team sought to do just that: create a game that shed the "just a Mario clone" skin and made a wholy original and unique game that has a style all its own.

In addition, whereas it takes ages for any Mario game to actually get challenging because its main audience is them kiddies, Giana Sisters goes easy on you in the first 2-3 levels, but thereafter pulls no punches and quickly gets "old school hard". Even having an unlockable "Über Hardcore"-difficulty where you get ONE life to make it through the WHOLE game.

I could therefore totally see Giana Sisters as the more hardcore alternative to kiddy Mario. Plus the soundtrack absolutely slaps, having two versions of the same track play during every level. One being hard rock and the other a softer pop. Tell me, when was the last time in a Mario game you made it through spike filled castles to the beat of hardcore metal??

 

[Tonberry]

I remember thinking Twisted Dreams was pretty cool, though I only really had any interest because I heard Machinae Supremacy did the soundtrack, which were one of my favorite bands at the time.
Could definitely see the series return, but I wouldn't know how to make it stand out.

 

[MegaHiro91]

I remember thinking Twisted Dreams was pretty cool, though I only really had any interest because I heard Machinae Supremacy did the soundtrack, which were one of my favorite bands at the time.
Could definitely see the series return, but I wouldn't know how to make it stand out.

Well again to me Twisted Dreams already stands out with its fairytale aestetics and the gimmick of switching between the two girls at a whim who both have their own abilities.

 

[Tonberry]

Well again to me Twisted Dreams already stands out with its fairytale aestetics and the gimmick of switching between the two girls at a whim who both have their own abilities.

Ah yeah definitely. It has great visual identity. I forget but didn't the entire level change when switching character or am I misremembering? They could probably evolve that concept even further.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I was always intrigued by this series... Like, they didn't even try to hide the Mario ripoff origins, yet they got the ultimate prize of being officially endorsed by the big N by appearing on the DS.

 

[MegaHiro91]

Ah yeah definitely. It has great visual identity. I forget but didn't the entire level change when switching character or am I misremembering? They could probably evolve that concept even further.

Yes the level changes between dream and nightmare as you switch back and forth.