Mischief Makers was the third game I completed out of the five N64 games that sat in my backlog of games for over or nearly a decade. However, I believe this game was the last one out of those five that I bought. I remember starting my first playthrough I believe in 2014 which was a bit later than all of the others that I have reviewed and will review after this one. Besides the usual reason that 99.9% of the games I have played but never beat stay in my backlog for years, I remember getting stuck on a level but for whatever reason it didn't occur to me to look up a walkthrough. That being said, I finally beat it and like most of Treasure's other offerings is definitely deserving of its cult following.
You play as a robot girl named Marina on a mission to save Professor Theo and eventually the world from an evil empire led by Emperor Leo. In order to do so you will have to shake-shake your way through many levels that will require you to think outside the box and get familiar with how the game plays.
Similar to Treasure's other N64 classic Sin and Punishment, the controls take a little bit to get used to. It probably took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to do most basic things and longer to really get a feel for the controls. There were a few levels where the puzzles were either cryptic or just plain annoying like the one where you traverse a stormy ice mountain or the level right before you fight Sasquatch where you had to go through the right path by looking at the numbers. Despite the few frustrating levels this game had, they never dampened the experience.
There are a lot of positive things to say about Mischief Makers. The 2d sprites look great, the game is filled to the brim with charm and personality, and once you get used to the controls, Marina's movement feels great. It also is incredibly fair since you can get up to two bars of health which should be more than enough to deal with enemies and the bosses you fight. Besides the few annoying levels this game has, I thought most of the game was fun, short, and at the right level of challenge.
While it isn't my favorite title from Treasure, it is still a great 2d platformer made for a system that is criminally lacking in them. If Ikaruga, Dynamite Heddy, and Gunstar Heroes can be ported to every platform known to man, Mischief Makers should get the same treatment.
You play as a robot girl named Marina on a mission to save Professor Theo and eventually the world from an evil empire led by Emperor Leo. In order to do so you will have to shake-shake your way through many levels that will require you to think outside the box and get familiar with how the game plays.
Similar to Treasure's other N64 classic Sin and Punishment, the controls take a little bit to get used to. It probably took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to do most basic things and longer to really get a feel for the controls. There were a few levels where the puzzles were either cryptic or just plain annoying like the one where you traverse a stormy ice mountain or the level right before you fight Sasquatch where you had to go through the right path by looking at the numbers. Despite the few frustrating levels this game had, they never dampened the experience.
There are a lot of positive things to say about Mischief Makers. The 2d sprites look great, the game is filled to the brim with charm and personality, and once you get used to the controls, Marina's movement feels great. It also is incredibly fair since you can get up to two bars of health which should be more than enough to deal with enemies and the bosses you fight. Besides the few annoying levels this game has, I thought most of the game was fun, short, and at the right level of challenge.
While it isn't my favorite title from Treasure, it is still a great 2d platformer made for a system that is criminally lacking in them. If Ikaruga, Dynamite Heddy, and Gunstar Heroes can be ported to every platform known to man, Mischief Makers should get the same treatment.
Treasure can be a little hit or miss for me. I love Dynamite Headdy and Alien Soldier, but I find Guardian Heroes and Gunstar Heroes to be pretty mediocre. Actually, writing it out like that, maybe it's just something about games with "Heroes" in the title. I mean, I don't like Sonic Heroes either... I must remember to investigate this further.
Mischief Makers is the cutest Treasure game I've played, and probably one of my favorites from their library, second only to Dynamite Headdy. It is also a Treasure game for a Nintendo system, which is a bit novel in itself given the company's adherence to Sega hardware, and being a 2D platformer from a generation where those were becoming less and less common, I was already inherently interested in it. I'll play just about any fifth gen 2D game, I just think they're neat. Something about the rising popularity of pre-rendered sprites meshing with fully-rendered 3D elements just appeals to me.
The grab-and-shake mechanic is a lot of fun to mess around with, and as was typical of Treasure, there's a lot of level variety to keep the game feeling fresh and engaging. Of course, sometimes its gimmicks don't land, and in particular there's a few bosses (especially in the late game) that just feel kind of weak. To get 100% completion, you also have to beat every boss encounter without taking damage, and I hate that crap. Whoever decided that should be a requirement clearly went on to program achievements for RetroAchivements.
But all the charm more than makes up for Mischief Maker's wobbly end game. Just don't let Marina Lightyears hold your baby.
Mischief Makers is the cutest Treasure game I've played, and probably one of my favorites from their library, second only to Dynamite Headdy. It is also a Treasure game for a Nintendo system, which is a bit novel in itself given the company's adherence to Sega hardware, and being a 2D platformer from a generation where those were becoming less and less common, I was already inherently interested in it. I'll play just about any fifth gen 2D game, I just think they're neat. Something about the rising popularity of pre-rendered sprites meshing with fully-rendered 3D elements just appeals to me.
The grab-and-shake mechanic is a lot of fun to mess around with, and as was typical of Treasure, there's a lot of level variety to keep the game feeling fresh and engaging. Of course, sometimes its gimmicks don't land, and in particular there's a few bosses (especially in the late game) that just feel kind of weak. To get 100% completion, you also have to beat every boss encounter without taking damage, and I hate that crap. Whoever decided that should be a requirement clearly went on to program achievements for RetroAchivements.
But all the charm more than makes up for Mischief Maker's wobbly end game. Just don't let Marina Lightyears hold your baby.
short and very obviously rushed, but absolutely bursting at the seams with personality and super fun while it lasts. i'd love to see a more fully realized sequel or successor, but unfortunately that'll probably never happen. shake-shake
The best and worst of Treasure's signature jank: awesome mechanics and controls with lots of fun characters and usual Treasure hype moments, but it's blatantly unfinished and kind of a mess.
It also has one too many missions that are just terrible to get 100% completion on. The Cerberus fight and 100m dash can suck it.
It also has one too many missions that are just terrible to get 100% completion on. The Cerberus fight and 100m dash can suck it.
Shake Shake
Playing Mischief Makers was much like the time when, while on the mend from reconstructive foot surgery, I was hopped up on medical drugs and experienced vivid hallucinations where I belonged to a community of mole-people that revered Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse as holy gospel. At the very least, it made just as much sense: not one of the game’s many episodic narratives operate on any level of coherency, gleefully shifting from self-referential wit to non-sequitur plot beats at the drop of a hat. Mischief Makers is an arresting fever dream much as it is a deeply-committed comedy, eccentrically haphazard without any regard to the player’s sanity, not the least in cyborg protagonist Marina and her core “shaking” mechanic: an inevitable temptation into anarchy that violates friend and foe alike.
Hence why it’s difficult to get a bead on what, exactly, turned me off. It’s easy to say that Mischief Makers’ pledge to absurdity frequently smothers its sense of telegraphy: from poorly-conveyed puzzles to spontaneous visual overload with explosions and enemy swarms galore, I cannot count how many times I was forced to consult a guide, let alone utter “but why?!” in the face of its many inanities. (Even in instances I wholly enjoyed, mind; dare not spoil the circumstances behind “Blockman Rises”, as I suspect is the case among the game’s impassioned clique, but know that I shook that small child with glee and was not disappointed with the results.)
Yet I recall how a close friend recently elaborated upon his lifelong confusion surrounding another early N64 game – Bomberman 64, a game that’s personally never invited contempt – and I can’t help but wonder if the culprit is none other than personal taste. I make no joy in proclaiming this: I often champion such obscure games, and with how Mischief Makers has the ingredients of everything I adore – inspired mechanics, absurdist comedy, obvious anime influences, and just being so gosh-darned admirable in carrying the two-dimensional torch within 3D gaming’s advent -- I balk at the thought: shouldn’t this be a game I’d wholeheartedly embrace?
But the high’s come down, and I’m forced to confront the frustrating reality that, alas, it’s all just a little too opaque; too impenetrable in its motives. I’d never dream of calling it bad even in the face of more tangible, grounded criticism – the controls never gel, many levels end right when the momentum kicks off, and the elderly professor’s “durr hurr pervy old man lusts after own creation” shtick is painfully outdated – but much as I want to dismiss Mischief Makers’ foibles and root in the corner of Treasure’s forgotten gem, I’m reminded that you can’t force yourself to fall in love. Such is the “in-club” language of cult games like these, I suppose.
Hence why it’s difficult to get a bead on what, exactly, turned me off. It’s easy to say that Mischief Makers’ pledge to absurdity frequently smothers its sense of telegraphy: from poorly-conveyed puzzles to spontaneous visual overload with explosions and enemy swarms galore, I cannot count how many times I was forced to consult a guide, let alone utter “but why?!” in the face of its many inanities. (Even in instances I wholly enjoyed, mind; dare not spoil the circumstances behind “Blockman Rises”, as I suspect is the case among the game’s impassioned clique, but know that I shook that small child with glee and was not disappointed with the results.)
Yet I recall how a close friend recently elaborated upon his lifelong confusion surrounding another early N64 game – Bomberman 64, a game that’s personally never invited contempt – and I can’t help but wonder if the culprit is none other than personal taste. I make no joy in proclaiming this: I often champion such obscure games, and with how Mischief Makers has the ingredients of everything I adore – inspired mechanics, absurdist comedy, obvious anime influences, and just being so gosh-darned admirable in carrying the two-dimensional torch within 3D gaming’s advent -- I balk at the thought: shouldn’t this be a game I’d wholeheartedly embrace?
But the high’s come down, and I’m forced to confront the frustrating reality that, alas, it’s all just a little too opaque; too impenetrable in its motives. I’d never dream of calling it bad even in the face of more tangible, grounded criticism – the controls never gel, many levels end right when the momentum kicks off, and the elderly professor’s “durr hurr pervy old man lusts after own creation” shtick is painfully outdated – but much as I want to dismiss Mischief Makers’ foibles and root in the corner of Treasure’s forgotten gem, I’m reminded that you can’t force yourself to fall in love. Such is the “in-club” language of cult games like these, I suppose.
The core movement and the grab/throw mechanics are great when you actually get to make good use of them. I especially like the dash that transitions into a high jump, but there's a wide range of movement options and ways to interact with enemies.
But then there are a lot of gimmick levels toward the latter half that don't really test those skills, and many are pretty miserable, especially the sports one. I had this game as a kid, and I had to ask my dad for help with the marathons because there was no way for me to mash fast enough. Even now, getting the gold gem there is very tight for me. Please don't put mashing in your games. Anyway this game's got issues and even many of the better levels in the earlier half are crazy short, but the fundamentals are fun and I like the weird aesthetic.
But then there are a lot of gimmick levels toward the latter half that don't really test those skills, and many are pretty miserable, especially the sports one. I had this game as a kid, and I had to ask my dad for help with the marathons because there was no way for me to mash fast enough. Even now, getting the gold gem there is very tight for me. Please don't put mashing in your games. Anyway this game's got issues and even many of the better levels in the earlier half are crazy short, but the fundamentals are fun and I like the weird aesthetic.
Porque de niño no decidí jugar esto cuando lo tenía en frente solo por el trauma de las caras que me causaron cuando fui muy pequeño haya por 2001. Y es que recién ahora es que lo juego y lo termino. Las horas que le hubiera dedicado en su momento hubieran sido gloriosas, pero desgraciadamente no pude tener los huevos de hacerlo, nisiquiera cuando ya por 2008 volví a usar mi 64 ya que desde hace 2 años no funcionaba, y ya era algo más grande, pero aún así, no. El juego es muy divertido y creativo, con un Gameplay único y dinámico, aparte de un apartado artístico muy raro para la época. Aunque no se salva de tene algunos niveles medio paja, que aunque sean cortos, es algo meh, como el de laberinto de números. Tampoco es un juego muy difícil pero está hecho para la rejugada, y completarlo y mejorar con el ranking que propone, las gemas amarillas que van desbloqueando el final, muchas son fáciles de agarrar y no tomarán mucho, otras cuestan más y otras ya si son jodidas, pero con su tiempo se logra. Al final, me gustó mucho, aún me impresiona que lo poco conocido del juego, tuviera su cartucho (posiblemente de mi primo que es más Otaku y tal, y en su momento fue una consola eredada por parte de él y mi prima, quisas viene de eso, pero en fin) y aún así, no lo tocará hasta hoy.
This game is the biggest underrated gem I’ve ever seen, this game rocks. Probably my most played N64 game. The character design is cute, the plot is simple and nice, the boss scared me so bad as a kid. Even replaying it nowadays it's still such a perfect game, even finding the golden crystals isn't as annoying as I thought it would be even though there’s no hint to find them. You definitely need to play this game cause it is great.
Treasure hits again with another of its weird, fun games.
The controls are a little hard to get used to at the beginning (the C buttons) but after a couple of hours is very intuitive. And the boss battles are awesome!
Original, well made, cute hidden gem.
The controls are a little hard to get used to at the beginning (the C buttons) but after a couple of hours is very intuitive. And the boss battles are awesome!
Original, well made, cute hidden gem.
A short, sweet, and unique platformer oozing with charisma.
Getting all the gold gems is worth going for exactly once.
Getting all the gold gems is worth going for exactly once.
First GOTM finished for September 2023. Such a quirky Treasure game, it almost feels like a mish-mash of ideas that didn't quite make it into their other games. I have fond memories of videogame store rentals with this one growing up, and while I never did beat it back then I've been waiting for an opportunity to play this one again. While my adult version definitely noticed a lot more flaws this time around (the aforementioned need for Treasure N64 games to use every button, poor and sometimes unnecessarily vague level design, repetitive enemy and friendly NPC design outside of bosses) this game still manages to have enough goofy charm and whimsy to capture my attention all the way through many years later.
Also, the Beastector boss fights go hard and were super fun.
Also, the Beastector boss fights go hard and were super fun.
Mischief Makers is an interesting game. Though I do think it is overrated, there are things it gets very right, mainly the puzzles and boss battles, and Treasure has always been very good at the latter. A lot of the puzzles in this game were satisfying to solve and weren't things you couldn't reasonably figure out, and the boss fights, at least earlier on, are just Treasure in their element. However, by the time you get to the end of the game, Mischief Makers starts falling apart. Merco onwards the bosses start becoming either boring or poorly designed, and the game as a whole is stuffed with filler-- a lot of the levels just feel empty and like they were unfinished (which this game allegedly is). The graphics also have not aged well, even for a N64 game. Often times it can look pretty ugly. Otherwise though, the game is a hamfisted little parody of Japanese tropes and a good puzzle platformer. Check it out, but don't expect the best game ever like many claim it to be.
Interesting controls. Worth checking out because it's unique in its own way, but it's a hit or miss on who this game will please, so don't feel bad about it.
Pretty alright! This feels like a sandbox of ideas for completely different platforming games that don't exist. None of them go too in-depth which is kind of disappointing when you find one that you really like. The controls felt a little clunky - double tapping to dash works really well on the D-Pad (the intended movement buttons), but everything else doesn't. Couldn't care much about the story, it's one of those "we're making fun of tropes here" things but it still tries to keep you emotionally invested somehwo which didn't work for me. The graphics are really cool, mixing 2D and 3D in a way that looks goofy at worse and stunning at its best.
I've been thinking for about 2 years what the hell I should write fot this game, but whenever I try to put my thoughts cohesively about it, my brain just defaults to a state similarly to that one gif of Homer Simpson with the monkey playing the cymbals inside his head, but instead of a monkey its just Marina doing a "SHAKE SHAKE".
Treasure has never actually scrapped a level once the idea was had
Some very cool ideas that somewhat uncooked, but fun nonetheless aswell as being really charming.
Also Marina's handjob game must be crazy.
Also Marina's handjob game must be crazy.
shake shake
This game is good except for the fact it's on the N64.
SHAKE SHAKE
This came out the day I was bornHEEEEEELP MEEEEEE MAAARIIIIIINAAAAAAAAAAAAA
seria un 10/10 si Marina mandara a chingar a su madre al viejo de mierda y se quedara flotando en el espacio
A unique N64 game in that it completely disregards the control stick, and is far more interested in the fact that the controller has two "dpads". With the D-Pad controlling Marina's movement, and the C-buttons boosting her around, it's a platformer which really moves like no other.
Game has so many mechanics, and wished those got flexed a little more. I feel it is in a little bit of a hurry to end, with the final world being tragically short. However, at time of writing I haven't gotten all the Goldem Gems required to view the entire ending (lmao, what a thing) so wouldn't be surprised to bump this up to 4 stars and write some more once I do that.
The story starts off surreal, in a strange alien world where buildings are made of screaming faces. It quickly finds its footing with a self-aware Saturday morning cartoon energy which is hard not to love.
THE BIG DEAL HERE is that Migen Brawl and Cereberus α are two of the best boss fights in any video game. You're gonna struggle to find boss fights better than these anywhere else. All the other bosses are also really good, but Migen and Cereberus really stand out. The final boss also rules.
Mischief Makers in an N64 classic absolutely worth shake shaking a stick at, ho-ho.
(though if you're emulating, may be awkward to play without a controller with two dpads, hope you like 2D movement with your control stick)
Game has so many mechanics, and wished those got flexed a little more. I feel it is in a little bit of a hurry to end, with the final world being tragically short. However, at time of writing I haven't gotten all the Goldem Gems required to view the entire ending (lmao, what a thing) so wouldn't be surprised to bump this up to 4 stars and write some more once I do that.
The story starts off surreal, in a strange alien world where buildings are made of screaming faces. It quickly finds its footing with a self-aware Saturday morning cartoon energy which is hard not to love.
THE BIG DEAL HERE is that Migen Brawl and Cereberus α are two of the best boss fights in any video game. You're gonna struggle to find boss fights better than these anywhere else. All the other bosses are also really good, but Migen and Cereberus really stand out. The final boss also rules.
Mischief Makers in an N64 classic absolutely worth shake shaking a stick at, ho-ho.
(though if you're emulating, may be awkward to play without a controller with two dpads, hope you like 2D movement with your control stick)
A clunky little 2D platformer wherein you grab stuff and shake them to progress. It doesn't work terribly well and I found it pretty confusing to make significant progress in, but it's charming and nice. Shake shake shake!
A hidden gem of the N64 era. Very, very fun gameplay and a wacky story.
That stupid fu**ing 100m dash Gold Gem took years off my lifespan.
4.5/5 A new favorite! If they removed that particular Gold Gem from the game it would be a 5/5.
4.5/5 A new favorite! If they removed that particular Gold Gem from the game it would be a 5/5.
Tired: shake shake on a clancer
Wired: shake shake on a mech.
Wired: shake shake on a mech.
Simply kino, there isn't enough fast side scrollers that embrace skill expression.
This is one particular game that my perspective has wildly changed over time, I'm still on the fence how good I consider it to be.
What I can say for sure is that you will not find another N64 game that has so many unique and risky ideas crammed into it, it doesn't always stick the landing and can come off as incoherent at times, but no matter what the game is fun (about 90% of the time anyway) There's so much "charm", style, and personality that really comes through in this game, in a way that few games of this genre have. It's one that I can tell the developers actually enjoyed making.
The story of this game is complete nonsense it's very quirky and random, there is a plot but this is not a game you should play for story and it isn't meant to be taken seriously, even though they clearly spent a lot of time on it, the game is full of cutscenes and character interactions, the best aspect is how much character is given to the main protagonist.
The movement in the game is perfect, you can cancel other moves into each other and this creates opportunities for more skilled play. The movement and variety in what control you have is amazing and extremely well polished.
One problem most players will probably deal with is that the way you control the game is also completely non-traditional and will take some time to adjust to, it can be a lot to come to terms with.
The point of the game is to grab, throw, and shake things and there's secrets and small simple puzzles built around it.
The bosses are very unique and fun to fight, mostly a test of reaction and problem solving.
I went back to play this years later and noticed how easy it was to break, and how some bosses are just a pattern of moves you repeat until it's defeated, and many levels are a gimmick and nothing more, at times it's so easy it's mindless, few parts were truly challenging it felt shallow in ways I hadn't noticed before.
Even worse is that the game doesn't have any "real" levels until halfway through world 1, they knew the controls would be hard to learn so it's a disguised tutorial that teaches all of the mechanics, this is great your first time, but repeat playthroughs these aren't as fun.
Now I tried going for 100% and then speedrunning it, and I realized what the developers were going for, sometimes the game is expecting you to create your own difficulty and try a certain playstyle and it isn't inherently difficult.
It's a lot of fun dashing through levels, and defeating bosses quickly without making damage, this game can be fun in that when you're good it makes you feel invincible and it is rewarded with a letter grade for how fast you were.
The sports competition level (yeah there's a sporting event level) is the big low point of the game for me and I never look forward to it, it doesn't really fit the rest of the game and doesn't add anything worthwhile character or story related.
There are a few places where the frame-rate drops sometimes in the 20s or 15s and those stick out unfortunately, the game typically will run at 60 and when it really counts and matters (when precise timing is needed) it doesn't slow down thankfully.
The worst thing I can say about this game is that it just ends too early, it feels likethere should have been a bit more, the final world is just a few empty levels with some (very good) bosses at the end, it feels a bit unfinished but it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
A few of the bosses really are just throwing them over and over for 3-4 minutes while they do nothing and those are just bad.
The main boss fights are definitely the best part of this game, I replay them the most and they are varied and have mutiple phases, in addition to just looking really cool, even for an N64 game there are moments that left me speechless because of how stylish and impressive they were, this game can be technically and artistically impressive sometimes.
The soundtrack fits the game, it's super weird but extremely catchy and has a good number of themes, most levels will have their own theme so they don't get repeated to much, and the boss themes really create intensity and tension that adds a lot to the "feel" of fighting the harder enemies.
It's unforgettable, for better or for worse you might hate the wierd music.
Characters have voice lines that are very memorable too, so there's that.
The game is 2D, meaning not polygonal, it's almost entirely pre-rendered so if you typically like or dislike that look you will probably feel the same here, the game does this quite well, and the animations are expressive and detailed the backgrounds are nice to look at.
Overall this game is hard to rate and even harder to sum up because it's all over the place, a real mixed bag, it just so happens that I enjoy a large portion of what it has to offer.
This is a very devisive game but you will never know what to expect and it's one that will likely stick with you. If you enjoy a unique challenge this may become one of your favorites but it may take some time to come to terms with it's strange quirkyness, there really is no other game like it.
It has several shortcomings, but the highs make up for a lot of it to me, you might not be so forgiving though.
What I can say for sure is that you will not find another N64 game that has so many unique and risky ideas crammed into it, it doesn't always stick the landing and can come off as incoherent at times, but no matter what the game is fun (about 90% of the time anyway) There's so much "charm", style, and personality that really comes through in this game, in a way that few games of this genre have. It's one that I can tell the developers actually enjoyed making.
The story of this game is complete nonsense it's very quirky and random, there is a plot but this is not a game you should play for story and it isn't meant to be taken seriously, even though they clearly spent a lot of time on it, the game is full of cutscenes and character interactions, the best aspect is how much character is given to the main protagonist.
The movement in the game is perfect, you can cancel other moves into each other and this creates opportunities for more skilled play. The movement and variety in what control you have is amazing and extremely well polished.
One problem most players will probably deal with is that the way you control the game is also completely non-traditional and will take some time to adjust to, it can be a lot to come to terms with.
The point of the game is to grab, throw, and shake things and there's secrets and small simple puzzles built around it.
The bosses are very unique and fun to fight, mostly a test of reaction and problem solving.
I went back to play this years later and noticed how easy it was to break, and how some bosses are just a pattern of moves you repeat until it's defeated, and many levels are a gimmick and nothing more, at times it's so easy it's mindless, few parts were truly challenging it felt shallow in ways I hadn't noticed before.
Even worse is that the game doesn't have any "real" levels until halfway through world 1, they knew the controls would be hard to learn so it's a disguised tutorial that teaches all of the mechanics, this is great your first time, but repeat playthroughs these aren't as fun.
Now I tried going for 100% and then speedrunning it, and I realized what the developers were going for, sometimes the game is expecting you to create your own difficulty and try a certain playstyle and it isn't inherently difficult.
It's a lot of fun dashing through levels, and defeating bosses quickly without making damage, this game can be fun in that when you're good it makes you feel invincible and it is rewarded with a letter grade for how fast you were.
The sports competition level (yeah there's a sporting event level) is the big low point of the game for me and I never look forward to it, it doesn't really fit the rest of the game and doesn't add anything worthwhile character or story related.
There are a few places where the frame-rate drops sometimes in the 20s or 15s and those stick out unfortunately, the game typically will run at 60 and when it really counts and matters (when precise timing is needed) it doesn't slow down thankfully.
The worst thing I can say about this game is that it just ends too early, it feels likethere should have been a bit more, the final world is just a few empty levels with some (very good) bosses at the end, it feels a bit unfinished but it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
A few of the bosses really are just throwing them over and over for 3-4 minutes while they do nothing and those are just bad.
The main boss fights are definitely the best part of this game, I replay them the most and they are varied and have mutiple phases, in addition to just looking really cool, even for an N64 game there are moments that left me speechless because of how stylish and impressive they were, this game can be technically and artistically impressive sometimes.
The soundtrack fits the game, it's super weird but extremely catchy and has a good number of themes, most levels will have their own theme so they don't get repeated to much, and the boss themes really create intensity and tension that adds a lot to the "feel" of fighting the harder enemies.
It's unforgettable, for better or for worse you might hate the wierd music.
Characters have voice lines that are very memorable too, so there's that.
The game is 2D, meaning not polygonal, it's almost entirely pre-rendered so if you typically like or dislike that look you will probably feel the same here, the game does this quite well, and the animations are expressive and detailed the backgrounds are nice to look at.
Overall this game is hard to rate and even harder to sum up because it's all over the place, a real mixed bag, it just so happens that I enjoy a large portion of what it has to offer.
This is a very devisive game but you will never know what to expect and it's one that will likely stick with you. If you enjoy a unique challenge this may become one of your favorites but it may take some time to come to terms with it's strange quirkyness, there really is no other game like it.
It has several shortcomings, but the highs make up for a lot of it to me, you might not be so forgiving though.