An unexpected hidden gem, this is a very fun 2D Metroidvania. As a remake of an old NES game, I expected this to be a difficult game to get into but this was surprisingly easy to pick up and learn. The story here is pretty outlandish and nothing groundbreaking yet works for the type of game this is. The pixel art is also really nice to look at with some good use of colors and world design.

The game controls well with tight controls and very responsive attacks. You mainly shoot projectiles, either in 2D or in a top-down perspective, and the response time is instant. I loved mowing down enemies with the stronger upgrades you get.

My biggest gripe is the difficulty spike near the end of the game. Once you got to a certain point, the bosses and the enemies were tough to maneuver around. I also felt that the bosses in the 2D side-scrolling sections didn't have obvious or even subtle queues for where to strike, so I had to retry quite a lot. And since this is an old-school game, if you save a bit too far back, you replay everything.

Overall I can recommend this game to people who want an old-school game with some nice modern tweaks. It is also on sale quite frequently for very cheap, usually ~5$ CAD, and for that price, it is worth it.