An NES inspired platformer that stands on its own. I can't compare it to anything so it would easily be understood, and I think in the sea of Mega Man and Castlevania-likes that's great.
The structire of the game is very Mega Man - you pick one of 8 stages, then go on to the final stretch, but the gameplay is unlike anything I've seen. The levels are somewhat open, requiring you to find an informant and then a boss door. It controls and looks great, and the music is also on-par with some of NES' best.
Full recommend.
That said, there is one thing I was put off by: the final stretch. I think it's unfair for a game with 10-15 minute stages to dump a giant labyrinth and a two phase boss fight on you. I don't think it saves on checkpoints, either. I guess I can only be happy that I accidentally found an infinite lives secret, because this sudden shift could've put me off from a game had I died and game overed during the boss. So full warning: try this game, but as soon as you get to "Wily Castle" portion, be sure you have enough time, as depending on the difficulty you play on, it can be straight-up NES brutal. I've played on "Modern" mode which is the middle difficulty, and it still has extra lives, which I didn't mind, but I wish the difficulty curve was better, as it goes from fairly easy to sudden shift into incredibly challenging not even because of enemies and traps, but sheer length of the level.
That said, I do wish other levels were bigger, as quite a few of them feel like they're the size of a classic Mega Man stage only arranged in a different way, while others feel bigger and therefore more interesting to explore. Still, it provides enough insentive to replay with different difficulties and various secret modes, so I'll come back to it later, and this time prepared for the final gauntlet so that my experience isn't as soured at the end. Maybe that'll improve my score, but for now I can't give it more since what was supposed to be a short play session turned into an hour-long battle.
The structire of the game is very Mega Man - you pick one of 8 stages, then go on to the final stretch, but the gameplay is unlike anything I've seen. The levels are somewhat open, requiring you to find an informant and then a boss door. It controls and looks great, and the music is also on-par with some of NES' best.
Full recommend.
That said, there is one thing I was put off by: the final stretch. I think it's unfair for a game with 10-15 minute stages to dump a giant labyrinth and a two phase boss fight on you. I don't think it saves on checkpoints, either. I guess I can only be happy that I accidentally found an infinite lives secret, because this sudden shift could've put me off from a game had I died and game overed during the boss. So full warning: try this game, but as soon as you get to "Wily Castle" portion, be sure you have enough time, as depending on the difficulty you play on, it can be straight-up NES brutal. I've played on "Modern" mode which is the middle difficulty, and it still has extra lives, which I didn't mind, but I wish the difficulty curve was better, as it goes from fairly easy to sudden shift into incredibly challenging not even because of enemies and traps, but sheer length of the level.
That said, I do wish other levels were bigger, as quite a few of them feel like they're the size of a classic Mega Man stage only arranged in a different way, while others feel bigger and therefore more interesting to explore. Still, it provides enough insentive to replay with different difficulties and various secret modes, so I'll come back to it later, and this time prepared for the final gauntlet so that my experience isn't as soured at the end. Maybe that'll improve my score, but for now I can't give it more since what was supposed to be a short play session turned into an hour-long battle.