My brother and I used to call this "Monkey Game" because Chakan's wrinkly face looked vaguely monkey-ish and his death yell kinda sounded like a monkey.

Anyways, I haven't played this game in a looooong time so I'll need to come back to it before I can write a proper review. I do remember the game being pretty freaky and I think it was on the list of "games I refused to play alone as a kid". I also remember the game being downright cruel. I mean, just a godsdamned platforming nightmare. Why was that damn double-jump so hard to perform? But it definitely stuck with me. The graphics and music are very, very cool, as is the whole concept behind the game. Imagine being skilled enough to kick Death's ass in a duel but not savvy enough to realize there's no way he isn't going to screw you over in asking for eternal life. Makes for a great story, though. The sword-slinging felt really good. It's like being able to whip in every direction in Super Castlevania but way snappier. It's spooky, it has swords and alchemy and a gratuitously "Genesis" soundtrack. What's not to love?

I mean, other than the game kind of being a pain in the ass, I suppose. Maybe someday.

If this game's combat and enemy patterns were better, this would be a Genesis GOAT.

Everything about this game is so stylish and cool. The menus and levels are detailed head-to-toe with 90's comic book macabre chic. The music is akin to having a nervous breakdown on drugs. The visuals and audio just work in setting up the vibes of the game so well. It's a classic case of an entire experience being greatly diminished by a combat system that is just poop.

So you are Chakan, the Forever Man. He is the Forever Man because he beat Death in a sword fight and was granted eternal life, which Chakan comes to regret after a century of not being able to die. The only way Chakan can die is to eliminate ALL EVIL; a pretty tall order he takes on because what other choice does he have? I don't know if there's another game that depicts eternal life sucking ass besides Legacy of Kain 2 or Lost Odyssey.

For as little plot there is in this two hour game, it's setup and ending are great! This game's ending in particular is one of the best endings to a game I have ever played. Even if it is a tease for a sequel that never came out. The outcome of Chakan is so brutal and hype you almost forget the torture you have to go through to get it.

It really doesn't matter if a sequel never came out because it doesn't need one. If this game ever got re-do, it should be kept the way it is but with combat that doesn't make you feel like you yourself need the sweet release of death.

Here is the ending text crawl by the way bc it is worth seeing knowing pretext the I established in this review

This game is brutal. It's not impossible, but it is freaking PUNISHING. If you are a fan of Dark Souls and ever thought you wanted to play a similar style game but as an old school platformer, then this would be my suggestion to you. This game is exactly the inspiration that FROM Software's crew was channeling with that series. The character is actually from an indie comic from the early 90's that's pretty cool as well. The music is crazy on-point for an early Genesis release. I highly recommend that platformer enthusiasts play this one until it frustrates you too much, then play it some more.