This is the Keen that holds up! Replaying it, I was really surprised with how good the jumping and platforming feels. The ability to vault adds so much to traversal feeling as satisfying as it is.

The shooting could be better. Granted I was playing on Hard and I think this game's offensive vocabulary works better for fewer enemy encounters. There's a wind up to Keen's firing animation that I had to contend with when jumping to shoot a slug on a platform or jumping over a foe and shooting down. Wish there was some kind of slight homing mechanic or the collision box for the blaster was bigger.

The music's good even if the music is repetitive. That "Oasis" theme is one of the earliest pieces of music I ever liked and it needs to be said, this is a real nostalgia title. I think this was one of the first games I ever played and might have been the first that involved some kind of action. Not an easy game for a kid but just looking at screenshots gets me nostalgic, especially ones in the first few levels with the grasses and trees and the slopes.

If someone has to play any Commander Keen, it should be this one.