I think this game's difficulty is the thing everyone knows. It's the "borderline impossible Mario game that is only for the truest of gamers". The thing is, this game really isn't that hard. It just takes practice, and the game thankfully has a much more generous continue system than the first, allowing you to continue from the beginning of a world. A lot of this game relies on simply being able to make precise jumps. Can you position Mario accurately enough to land on a single block? Can you get a perfect running start and time it so you bounce off the Paratroopa and get enough height? The game's difficulty can be annoying but oftentimes it leads to experimentation. Each action you take in this game needs to be incredibly thought out ahead of time but the game always keeps you on your toes. It's the same feeling you get from other difficult platformers. In fact, I'd say nothing in this game is harder than a lot of modern indie platformers.

The issue with this game is that a lot of these levels just are not good. You can tell by playing them that the developers were experimenting a lot with ideas, and developer interviews confirm this. This game's levels are a lot more interesting and unique than the first game, with a few new mechanics being introduced that add a lot of variety (poison mushrooms, wind, and more difficult piranha plants). Mario can also bounce higher off enemies allowing them to become part of the level design in all new interesting ways. Unfortunately, with experimentation comes failure and a lot of levels in this game are failures, with way too many deaths coming from obstacles that aren't telegraphed to the player.

All in all, I think everyone should try this game. Don't be put off by the difficulty or what people say, this game has a lot of creativity and passion poured into it, much more than a lot of later games in the series. It's just sad that a lot of the levels don't end up being that fun to play.

Pretty fun and innovative platformer. It's a shame it didn't see much success -- I can't even imagine what kinds of games we would have gotten in the Super Mario series in a different world

Okay in all seriousness this was one of the first games I ever played and man this game seemed impossible as a kid, I could barely get to world 4. But I decided to go back and give it a shot, beating every single level without warps and it felt amazing to finally complete this game that holds a special place in my heart. That being said it's not perfect, Mario feels extremely stiff and imprecise in this game which can make a lot of sections really annoying as Mario seems to almost disobey the player at times. It's kind of amazing Mario feels as good as he does since it was the first game in the series, but every game after (except for JPN 2) improved vastly on this one. Also, game overs in this game are bogus. Replaying levels you've already beaten is simply not fun and, again, every game that came after handled this much better. All that to say, a really short and sweet platforming game held back a bit by stiff movement and a lack of continues.

Amazing game. The out-of-combat gameplay is probably the best in the series (except maybe X since I haven't gotten around to playing it), and the combat refines everything from the base game to make it even faster and flashier. Almost nothing is as satisfying in this series than just mowing down enemies with Rex in this game. And yeah, Shulk and Rex showing up is great. The base game forwent a lot of fanservice to instead push through and tell a bold story that still plays on the themes and ideas from the first two games, and while I wouldn't change a thing about 3's story, I have to admit that the fanservice got to me. Yet, the game doesn't focus on it for too long. It's not just content dropping hard references to both 1 and 2 (especially 1), because like the base game, it also has a great story to tell, one that answers dozens of questions we've had since the first game and connects character arcs together in superb ways. I thought the new characters would be a lot like the new characters in Torna: fun, likeable, but nothing too special or deep. I was dead wrong. There is so much depth and emotion to Nikol, Glimmer, Na'el, and especially Matthew. These characters have become some of my favorite in the series. Not to mention some great development from returning characters like Shulk, Rex, and Alvis/A/Alpha/Ontos. And that ending, man. What a great way to wrap everything up and conclude the whole series. I hope we get more Xenoblade after this (and I think we will), but if we never do, I would be satisfied with the ending we got. Play this whole series, please.

I should give an actual review of this game. It's one of the few games I've played where I wouldn't change anything about it. Even parts I dislike (mirror temple sucks) I think are important enough for what the game is going for. Madeline feels so good to control, she's nimble and agile and acrobatic but the game is still a super tight platformer. Every level is expertly designed to teach mechanics and build on them in insane ways, pushing every new gimmick to the fullest extent of what the engine allows. The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and it almost feels like a crime to focus so much on the platforming and not appreciate those backgrounds. The music is just absolutely fantastic in so many ways. I can't praise this game enough, it's so worth playing.

Super underrated but still flawed for sure. Probably the best thing is the atmosphere this game makes. There's such an eerie, claustrophobic feeling you get plunging deep into the caverns of an alien world, hunting for metroids that are gradually becoming stronger and more horrifying as you progress. And the ending sequence is incredibly cinematic and terrifying for a Game Boy game from 1991. But the fact that most rooms look exactly the same so you get lost easily and the somewhat clunky controls make it a bit hard to recommend. But if you can push through all that, this game is a great experience for any Metroid fan