Bizarre character selection which gates the most popular characters with kids behind a ‘hard’ mode and sequesters the Yoshi and Nabbit to an ‘easy’ mode, effectively halving the roster of available characters for people who prefer either mode.

The Online mode feels half-baked yet also like borderline cheating, with good co-ordination you can essentially have infinite lives. This distraction of other players makes it very difficult to appreciate the course design.

Saying that it's Super Mario World bought into the modern day with all that entails. The Wonder effects add a good deal of variety and are much less gimmicky than anticipated. It also has a robust selection of difficult courses for those that like to go for 100% as I had.

Knuckle Sandwhich is a JRPG developed by Andrew Brophy and the game is his own attempt at a love letter for video games. It stars a silent protagonist, moving to Bright City to find a job, only to have Weird Shit constantly happen. You also commit a murder. Fun. What adventures await our Protagonist as he solves the mysteries of Bright City?

Combat was fun and was the standout part of the game for me. KS uses a take on Paper Mario’s Action Command battle system, and this one uses Wario Ware inspired microgames to determine if you’re successful or not on Attack or Defense. Usually these games last anywhere from 3-8 seconds, which gives a lot of room for battles to get to a point where they can drag, and it has for some players. But for me and my playthrough I didn’t really have that problem, even with the bosses most fights ended pretty quickly (thanks, Goblins!), and some cases TOO quickly (thanks, Gobilins!).

I’ve also seen complaints about the minigames getting to repetitive, but for the most part the "repetition" didn't really hit me. There’s a decent variety of mini games from the attacking enemies, and most of them were as enjoyable as playing a Microgame in Warioware complete with the difficulty of the Minigame going up when you succeed at one, so it kept the challenge fresh and engagement fun. There was a fatigue towards the end of the game, namely from the fact there's not a lot of variety in your own party's attacks and bosses and enemies attacks start to repeat, but luckily the game was in the final stages so it wasn't too hard for me to finish up.

On to the plot which is...fun? I’m not sure how to describe it. The game starts off running, combining a decent sense of mystery, supernatural and quirky comedy all assisted by an assortment of charismatic characters throughout, that kept me entertained and wanting to see what came next throughout the middle parts. And while it kept me entertained, the onslaught of new faces and details each chapter, while only hinting at answers started making the plot drag a bit, only for everything to be explained with a dump of information and twists in the last hour.

Though this is still saved by the fact that Bright City is just kind of a vibe. While there’s not a TON of secrets that’ll keep you busy for hours, there’s a fair bit of world here to explore and interact with that just feels comfy. I do wis there was more to do and see, more lines for the NPCs or even more secrets to find to flesh out the world, but whats here is enjoyable, and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who will get more out of it than I did.

This game is a bit of puzzling one to talk about. I think it’s a standout game, but I don’t think it’s a great game. Brophy's talent is apparent as it's sper easy to get drawn into the combat and world here I do get and even empathize with a lot of disappointment in this game, but I found the overall GBA cadence of the storytelling and gameplay to be comforting and enjoyable.

Feels kinda weird giving the main game as well as both DLCs the same score, but I really think the quality is super strong all the way throughout. This DLC probably has the strongest characterization for Alan yet while also teasing the players with questions yet to be answered. Gameplay continues The Signal's trend of utilizing familiar mechanics in some new ways and while it can be a bit frustrating with how quickly Alan goes down, I do think that overall adds to the tense atmosphere that makes up a huge part of my enjoyment of the game.