I think this game is good, but as a remake I don't like it very much. It surpasses the original in areas but I don't think it's all that faithful to it either. I don't like how the game feels so different from the original. I like a lot of the remixed tracks but most of them I prefer the originals, and a lot of the songs feel interchangeable from the other. The visuals are honestly pretty ugly, it doesn't hold up. I think the character portraits really save it, and it has the best designs these characters will probably ever have. I like the more elaborate bosses in this game, but it also has the double edged sword of making end of levels feel more tedious. The writing is hit and miss, just a lot of "oh look I'm a video game" jokes, but some of it is charming.It's definitely the most accessible and polished game in the entire series and I think that's why it gets so much praise. But I dunno, I'd take the original over it any day.

This game. What you are looking at here is one of the few games in its era that accomplished style and flair in a 3d engine. While the quirks of the pivotal grappling movement requires some getting used to, overall you have a very accessible and fun shooter with elements of exploration, platforming, and puzzle solving that all culminate into some fairly memorable and very creative bossfights. Even the ways bosses may end up being reused is extremely fun, adapting to their obvious weaknesses and having more and more witty exchanges with the protagonists.
Also, if you can, grab a controller with a friend to burn through the campaign in co-op, or four controllers for what is possibly some of the silliest versus matches you can get, all owing to some of the creative repurposing of obstacles from the story missions into arenas.
Overall, insanely charming-- However, if there's anything more to consider, it's probably buying the game for that soundtrack alone. Every single song combines the original Bionic Commando's chiptune composition with Simon Viklund's RIDICULOUS skill in merged synth + analog instruments to create total bangers like "Heatwave" or pensive, minimalistic tracks like "Ok, We'll Move".
In the big picture, Rearmed may not be revolutionary, but throw in that artisan soundtrack and standout aesthetic, you'll not only get a fat hidden gem; you're getting a rare inspired miracle from Capcom you just won't ever forget.

I wanna meet the piece of shit who thought making a platformer without a jump button and putting in an unreliable swing mechanic was a good idea. What’s their beef? Makes me wanna play they sequel where they do give Spencer a jump (and a spiffy beard). Anyway this game is meh. The stages are fine once you get used to that swing (which will take you awhile) and the gunplay is fun enough, I like the options and swinging yourself with the shotgun’s blowback feels satisfying. I don’t know that it’s worth the learning curve necessary to be able to enjoy yourself though.

Every few years, I go back to Steam and play through some old favorites. This is one of those. It is essentially a reskinned version of the NES game, with very little additions. Level layouts, movement, and gameplay is all virtually identical, complete with the pretty rude difficulty spikes (like that fucking dock halfway through).

We do get almost entirely new bosses (instead of big reactors we get actual puzzle bosses) and a new last level (the worst addition), and we get the ability to change weapons on the fly instead of having to pick a layout on your way into a level.

There are challenge rooms and two extra hard bonus levels, but those aren't my thing at all, so I always skip them, because they don't really add anything to the experience, and Bionic Commando is one of those games that was always 80% experience. I love it.