i do think this game can be a lot of fun and has great platforming and i tried to play as many levels as i could no warp whistle or anything. i was thoroughly enjoying myself from like worlds 1-4 because the game just genuinely felt a lot of fun to play. but god by world 5 and onward there were just some levels that took a lot out of me and made me wanna stop playing for a little because of how annoying they were to play, especially when they love doing the puzzle levels that go on forever because you cant find a single block with a p switch or the right door to walk through because the level has 15 to choose from. there were still good levels from that point in world 5 and on, and i know i could have just skipped levels that werent required that i didnt like, but i felt like trying to experience as much of the game as i could. it just felt like at a point for every 2 or 3 levels where i was having fun there was one level that drove me insane whether it be because it was a puzzle level or just something with enemy placement or level design or whatever that i wasnt a big fan of

now this is a real ass game. i played without save states at all and it made everything feel so much more rewarding and fulfilling, and even if i game overd i wasnt even that mad because i just got to keep playing this game lol, it's just that fun. there are a couple of really difficult levels that got me a little frustrated but it was in the stubborn way where you wanna do one more run because you just know you can beat the level. then by the time you memorize the attack patterns and youre in The Zone and everything falls into place perfectly the feeling of beating a level feels so good. especially the last level, it will rock your shit but when you beat it feels so so good

i feel like before when i tried to play this game i would just get bored so easily with it but i finally gave it another chance and i really enjoyed it once i actually committed to it. i found it super creative as far as level and enemy design went, the backgrounds for levels couldve been a little more varied but they werent that big of a deal to me. i didnt really care enough to do all of the side content though since im terrible at finding any of the secrets in this game evident by how long it took me to figure out how to get out of the illusion forest area without consulting guides or anything, but figuring out where to go in moments like that felt really rewarding. some of the later levels were a little frustrating but nothing that made me wanna close the game and never come back

this game is awesome. theres so much to love with the style, the music, the way the game feels, overall i just had a great time with it. it is very difficult and i remember the first time i tried this game i turned it off pretty quickly because of the difficulty but trying it again now im happy i gave it a second chance even if i used save states a couple times here and there. honestly though i would love to go back to this some time and try to get better at it not dying as much or trying to go save stateless, i think i would find a much deeper appreciation for it on subsequent playthroughs