Gimmick! Special Edition Review (Guffydump)
This is a competent re-release of an old NES/Famicom gem, and for those looking for a convenient way to experience it will probably find this all serviceable enough....however I really don't think it’s the definitive version of the game that deserves the title 'Special Edition.'
For reference I have used an old reproduction cart on a knock-off NES as a way to experience the game before this re-release, and thus far I've played 'Special Edition' both here on Steam and on Switch. I'm not an expert on hardware or frame-rates, but I still noticed input lag on both versions compared to just the repro cart I've used to this point. There’s a section in the game I would come back to each time I wanted to test the timing between versions (It’s a small bit in the first half in the third world, where you cross four logs atop of a flowing waterfall.) On the repro crossing that area would be a cake with swift and timely inputs, however these two versions I found wouldn’t register sometimes often leading to my descent into the section below.
The input lag is doable enough if not still annoying on the Steam version, often leading me to play more slowly than usual. However it’s pretty mild compared to the Switch version, which is really noticeable and seriously discouraged me from replaying that version entirely.
The extra bits included aren't anything incredible, but still welcome. Mainly little bits like save states, rewind, achievements, decorative borders and old boxart/manual scans. All the new features can't be used in 'Serious Mode' or the 'Time Attack,’ but unless you really want to speed-run the game or get the achievements then I really see no reason to change out from 'Normal Mode.' The save states and rewind alone do help combat the game's NES-era design choices when it comes to difficulty and level design... there are a few sections in the game where it feels like you need to take a hit just to advance.
As for anything else included, they have the leaderboards for time-attack and the usual settings for resolution and v-sync. I don't believe I noticed a huge difference with that option on or off, but I just keep v-sync off in case.
I'm mainly just a casual fan of the game who grew up really admiring it, despite not being extremely good at it. At the least I can thank this re-release for giving me the tools to see the end of the game for once... however I can't help but think the package deserved a whole lot more attention and fine-tuning. Having extra content or media around the development for the game would certainly help bring it up to being 'Special Edition,' but I honestly would have been fine with the package as a whole if there was no input lag. It just kinda sucks knowing my dusty old repro cart still runs better than this official release, despite it being a 30+ year old NES game at this point.
It's been about over a half a year since release, and I really haven't seen a change in latency across both versions... so I'm going to assume the game's current state is what we get at this point. For a less intensive platformer this would probably be fine, but Gimmick really does demand more precision and timing.
Again, I really have to stress it's not a horrible release. Gimmick 'Special Edition' is a competent enough re-release, but for an old gem like this I really do think it deserved better. If you want to support an official release then this is fine enough, but for the definitive experience I'd recommend looking elsewhere for now.