Was pleasantly surprised when visiting this classic to learn this is an arcade port, since the later venture into metroidvania territory didn't sit so well with me, yet home console arcade gaming also comes with its own set of problems. Arcades weren't really that much of a thing in the place i live in, so i never grew accustomed to its coin-munching difficulty, so when an experience like this gets released on something like the Playstation it inevitably leads to an abuse of infinite continues to the point it trivializes the difficulty, while leaving a sour taste in the mouth when the low scores get plastered onto the menu screen. I get that these ports are a way to preserve these games outside of limited arcade cabinets and relive those older days, yet in my case there are no nostalgic arcade days to relive.
Yet, even with my modern sensibilities turned on, there's some sweet fun to be had here. There's a sort of purity in arcade game design that i'm actually really behind; the swiftness of Hiryu's slashes and his vast mobility feels immediately satisfying, whether you're playing for the 1st time or the 100th, an aspect surely important in a genre where most people wouldn't pay to see through to the end. Playing the Metal Slug series on console has a similar feeling, the gorgeous art style and catchy gameplay win me over rather quick, but taking that experience out of its natural habitat leaves some things lost in translation, to the point the experience, great as it is, becomes rather shallow.
Speaking of art style, there's really no denying the aesthetics in display here. Possibly one of the finest looking games on the PS1, it does its blend of 2D sprites and 3D environments to near perfection, lending a sense of scale to the amazing levels and enemies while enhancing the movement possibilities, masterfully playing around with gravity and space. The comic book style cutscenes are the cherry on top, making those great character designs pop out even more, even if i can't really follow the story.
It's very worthwhile to beat at least once, or even multiple times if you want to 'git gud' and get some juicy higher scores.
