Some of the worst controls I've seen in a 2D platformer. The old man has a deceptively low jump, so you won't be able to grab a lot of ledges that look like you should be able to grab and wall jumping is extremely difficult to maneuver (don't even think about wall jumping back onto above platforms when it's already obnoxious to wall jump to other platforms). Firing the pinon is often annoying too because you can't aim in any degree between 90 and 45, and between 45 and the horizontal. As a final complaint, I've watched the speedruns of this game, and they got past the final difficulty spike/section (which is where I gave up on this game) by clearing just one previous rope. But the clear button that I mapped to my controller (I had to do this manually because the automatic controller mapping doesn't work) clears all the ropes, so this section is virtually impossible for me to progress past. This was not worth my time at all and I cannot recommend this due to the lack of care put into the controls.

The presentation is great and the game generally controls fine. The main problem is that every franchise plays basically the same here; it's a time trial short level where you race/swim/fly/jump to the end, with the occasional boss fight where you just dodge and throw. Also, some of the levels require AI participation to help you overcome obstacles, and sometimes the AI just doesn't feel like helping or is laughably incompetent (I did have to restart a couple of times because of this). Overall, it's a very short but somewhat samey experience, and there's not much incentive to replay unless you want to grind for achievements (which often don't pop up for some reason).

Just played it today via Gamepass and not gonna lie, it was actually a lot of fun mashing my keyboard to the tune of Megalovania and the opening of Carmen. I can't give this any higher than 2.5 right now because the port is a bit scuffed; I had to install a fan-made patch to get around the login issue (otherwise the game would not let me start) and it didn't work with my Xbox controller for some reason despite every other game on the Xbox app working seamlessly. I'll probably improve my score when the port gets the necessary fixes though. Still a fun little game that despite being nowhere as enthralling as banging the actual machine in arcades, is still a pretty good time.

Played for a couple of hours and I feel like I've sort of gotten the big picture of what the game has to offer. The plot is absolutely ridiculous and fantastic; you're an adolescent alien that needs to go through a rite of passage by playing pranks upon dumb Earth men/women to get lotsa cash, by stealing and wearing their skins (let's not think too hard about the implications here) and then becoming a public menace. The main gameplay loop is fun enough, but it gets a bit repetitive since you will run out of tools for pranks and will need to capture more skins and head back to UFOs that move around every time you use them. Also, there is a CPU that is actively trying to defeat you and will attack you to break down your disguise; once that happens, you're stuck in hitstun for quite a while, and if your disguise fully breaks, you lose a lot of money (that you cannot regain) which does slow down story mode a bit. And that's more or less the gist of it; it's a great game for laughs and giggles but I agree with BastardJodie that this game is probably better experienced as a chaotic party game of sabotage and proto amogus (I think it would be a ton more interesting if both you and the CPU couldn't tell by the tags whom was whom under the skins) and having to constantly run around for more skins and skin renewal via UFOs does slow it down a bit. Nevertheless, I think it's an interesting hidden gem that folks looking for something off the beaten path should give a shot.

To me it feels like a better RiME; there's less "gameplay" overall, but what's there feels a lot more polished and precise, and the message is much more well focused than RiME. The ending is also much more satisfying and manages to feel more like an apotheosis to some extent. This game gets pretty heavy handed, and some parts are scarily relatable. The voice acting could be better and the camera gets annoying at times (I really do wish there was an FOV slider too), but overall, not a bad experience at all. Just be prepared for how dark it can get.

It's an ok game; super pretty visuals, though the narrative feels extremely disjointed with very little holding everything together. The twist at the end is solid, but it lacked the emotional impact that I expected because ultimately the narrative didn't really keep me enthralled all the way through, due to the constant and somewhat unrelated puzzles that the game makes you go through in order to get the true story's ending. The constant stuttering as I walked along didn't help either. And fuck the cursed miner in the ancient god puzzle, the last thing I need in a walking simulator is a jump scare zombie monster.

Basically, it's alright, and a visually impressive game, but I think What Remains of Edith Finch is almost exactly this but better thanks to a better told narrative and more interactive elements. And it doesn't have jump scares. Go play that instead.

21 years later, the original Halo's still a blast to play, and I'd say the original visuals and soundtrack more than hold up. I do think that the later levels in the campaign drag a bit due to level repetition and excess enemy spawn, and of course there's some classic early 2000s jank you'll have to deal with (such as the not amazing driving controls), but it's ultimately still an experience worth trying out. Highly recommend playing the campaign with a friend via co-op at the very least, it'll make the enemy grind in the later levels much more bearable.