Bowser’s Fury outshines Sunshine, SA2B, and Billy Hatcher

Bowser’s Fury masters the “multiple goals; same geometry” and “expressiveness through jank” themes from GameCube-era platforming adventure games that I consider some of my favorites: Super Mario Sunshine, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, and Billy Hatcher. If these games mean anything to you, then do not miss Bowser’s Fury. The entire game is one cohesive, snackable, free-flowing experience with a complete break from Super Mario’s arcade and hardware-constrained past, removing mainstays like 1-UPs, game-overs, segmented levels, and linear progression. Collecting all 100 “Cat Shines” in Bowser’s Fury took me only 6 hours, played in small chunks over the course of two weeks (Sept 10→24). When I wasn’t playing, I found myself humming the calming Lapcat Lake theme 🎶, and if you’re like me, you’ll be humming it long after you’ve finished, too. Seriously, this song is a banger. Have this track playing while you read this blog post for maximum artistic integrity. Perfecting “Multiple goals; Same…