We saw Vinny from Vinesauce play a lategame level where Kirby slurps up an eel in a pipe whole and bought it later that day. We've yet to regret that purchase.

Look, maybe it's because we just haven't played Robobot yet, but we think this game goes MASSIVELY underappreciated and it's so sad it has Middle Child Syndrome between it and Return to Dream Land. This game is super fun! Hypernova is a fun Obligatory Game-Specific Superpower even if it's mostly just a puzzle solving tool later on, the 2.5D Level Design of going between planes VB Wario Land style is very fun, and the bosses are fun (EXCEPT FOR THE LAVA FROG FUCK THAT GUY). And of course, Taranza. If Pikmin 2 didn't make us love weird Nintendo bug guys long before him, he'd make a compelling follow-up.

We'd go as far as to say it's our favorite Kirby game... is that weird???

Played on the NSO

Doki Doki Panic is a odd type of platformer. It takes what other platformers made at the time and say "NOPE" and adds a different twists to the formula.

Instead of killing enemies by jumping to hit, you have to jump on them, use another button to grab them and go around to throw them away or something.

This type of gameplay is really interesting and leads to some really interesting approaches to puzzles: fight birdo by grabbing their projectile an throwing it back, grab a potion to summon a door to enter the twilight realm of the level, or grab a key to open the path while being chased by masks.

The ability to play as 4 different characters is really nice (even though I feel like not all of them are as safe as Peach or Luigi, I probbly never picked toad ngl). The presentation and creativity adds a lot to the experience and I am glad this gave use classic mario icons like the SHy Guys and Bob Ombs

Actually playing the game can be a kind of unbalanced experience.
You finish the first level and it is all well and dandy... then the second level asks you to take a Pidgit (a enemy you didn't see before), understand that you can steal his carpet, and use that carpet to fly over a bottomless pit without hesitating for even a second. Another time you have to travel the sea by using Birdo's egg as an improvised platform, and while this is really cool as an implementation of the mechanic, I feel that it would not have been that much intuitive if I didn't know about that specific level in advance

Another one asks you destroy a wall with bombs... what happens if aren't precise with you throws because of ythe bounce physics of the bombs and you finish all of your ammunition? You gotta restart the level.

Or one of the dig-dug like sections had a branch path at some point, and I am pretty sure you are kinda stuck if you go on the left.

It is a weird collection of creative and kinda fine ideas, but sometimes the realization is kinda just... not well realized sometimes, unfortunately. Not to mention that I feel the formula of grabbing veggies and items and throw them away is not the most precise strategy in the world, I feel especially some of the bosses can be a bit hard to hit (again it may also just be me not being good at the game, but I dunno)

It's a cool classic that it deserves a shot, but I feel of the classic mario games, it makes sens ewhy it is not as beloved as SMB3 or World. I do really appreciate how unique it is

I think the concept behind this game is sound and, in some ways, better than Pac Man 99.

That being said...I can't really recommend the game as it stands.

I played several hours in early access and some once the game was officially out on May 8, and almost every game was completely filled with bots. Let me tell you, these bots are even more brainless than your average Reddit moderator. They'll constantly run into ghosts and any kind of trap you set up for them, guaranteed. Normally I'd be okay with bots since the game is new and the cross play functionality may or may not take off, but they offer zero challenge. I'm almost certain even a five year old could put up more of a fight.

The game is fun when there's at least a few other human players involved, but it doesn't seem to be guaranteed at this time. This could have been alleviated if there was some sort of offline/bots only mode with a difficulty scaler, or (heaven forbid with a modern game) local co-op...but Bamco has omitted both.

The final nail in the coffin for most will undoubtedly be the price. 20 dollars is a lot to ask for what is essentially an online only game that may or may not develop the kind of player base Pac Man 99 had. If I wasn't a huge fan of the IP, I likely would've passed and honestly can't blame anyone else for doing so at the moment.

This game is great, it is an incredible indie game that set the stage for so many in its stead. The art and music are phenomenal and really carry the experience into unforgettable territory. The 3D effect on the 3DS makes it pop even more and makes it much more interesting to look at compared to the original or Cave Story +.

The gameplay is fun, but has a couple of flaws. The experience management is interesting and makes the game unique from others like it but it can be a pain in the ass sometimes. While this is not a Metroidvania, I can see the inspiration that comes from Cave Story's progression system. Having new weapons and tools at your disposal for movement envokes a similar feeling of satisfaction as the Metroid games.

The story is simple but effective. The characters are all charming and Cave Story does a good job at getting you to care about them.

The lore is interesting, but it isn't very well explained and unfortunately does lose me a bit. Having to go through multiple endings to understand it all is pretty tedious and it is not helped by the frankly archaic checkpoint system locking you out of certain endings very easily. But that is the only big gripe that I have with this game.

Overall, it's a great experience, and I respect the hell out of it for giving future game creators the belief that they too can make a great game on their own. It opened the door for an entire industry of modern indie games and is a game that should be respected for what it achieved.

I beat Bowser's Fury first when I bought this game for my Switch, it was great! Short but sweet, most of the islands were really fun. Plessie was awesome, the levels were awesome! Some of the cat shines were kinda annoying but overall good game. I just wish that there were more boss fights than just Fury Bowser.

As for Super Mario 3D World, I loved it all over again! This was a playthrough that I did fully in multiplayer online with my friends, and it was an amazing time. The last level especially was fun to go through with friends with all the chaos! The speed-up from the Wii U version was really fun to zoom with and made the platforming much more fun in general. Overall took what Mario 3D Land did right and amplified! A lot of my compliments from 3D Land transfer over to this one and a lot of my problems with 3D Land are gone. The only major downside is that the depth perception is rough sometimes, especially with four characters running around.

Can't forget about the MUSIC! Shit slaps in both games, it makes this collection one of the best OSTs in the series.

I have played better overall 3D Mario games, but damn, is this one that I will never forget.

This game is an absolute breath of fresh air from the past decade of 2D Mario games.

It is an explosion of creativity from start to finish! The addition of the Wonder Flower makes it so that each level is unique and interesting, which makes up for the powerups being relatively simple. The powerups being simple doesn't necessarily mean they're bad, the drill powerup is especially fun to use, but they are not as integral to the experience as they were for the New Soup series. I also have to mention that the music is super fun, but was not as instantly iconic as some other Mario OSTs out there.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is incredibly refined, Mario and the rest of the characters' movement is so polished and smooth that I never lamed the levels for my deaths, even on the harder levels. The badge system was also really fun to use. The only criticism I have with it is that some badges are just not worth using because you have to give up a cool movement ability to get minor boosts. If you could use two or three badges or one per category it would make experimenting with badges more fun.

Another issue I have with the game is that the bosses are way too repetitive and there are not enough of them. The airship levels all ending the same way by turning off the canon at the end of a short hallway was especially egregious to me, not to mention Bowser Jr being a majority of the bosses of this game. However, they are fun enough that it doesn't take away from the overall experience.

I also want to speak on the online, I felt that this is one of Nintendo's best implementations of online in this manner. The sense of comradery that I felt when helping out other people in the puzzle levels or vice versa for those where you have to find the coins that are spread out through the level was something I did not expect from it. Putting down signs to help others who are struggling feels great, I like helping people out even though I can't interact with them directly. I only wish that if you are playing locally or in a lobby with friends we could have an option to have it work a bit more like the new soup games in the interactivity, I miss the chaos that came from it.

I could see myself coming back to this game anytime, and it is a large leap forward for a game series that was so stale for so long. I hope they take what this game did right and enhance it even more for future titles, I can't wait to see what they come up with!