S'ok, kinda underwhelming. The soundtrack is great, possibly the best in the series, but it's still plagued by several of the usual suspects - misleading hitboxes, a dogshit primary weapon before upgrading, overly floaty air movement, and the dreaded backwards jump momentum. Played the JP version, which might be a little too easy, but could see NA being a frustrating experience, especially considering the issues outlined above.

Delightfully creative and wildly funny. Genuinely some of the best humor I've personally found in a video game. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself has aged like milk. The controls are clunky, design decisions are frequently obtuse, and there are multiple areas where the pacing slows to a crawl. I lost interest and was unable to finish, but I gained an immense amount of respect for Schafer's writing. One of the few times where I'll say something would benefit from a modern remake/remaster.

Played this frequently when I was younger and happy to report I still enjoy it today. Bit of a hot take, but I prefer this to the original. The spritework and animations are excellent and all of the fights outside of Hoy Quarlow are fun and rewarding to learn.

Wildly addictive for the first ten hours or so, but can't see myself playing for much longer.

Digital crack for card nerds. I do wish the blinds/bosses were anthropomorphized and there was more to play for in the long term, but these are minor nitpicks for a game that otherwise rips.

Movement is fluid, attack feedback is weighty and rewarding, soundtrack rips, and it's full of wonderful design choices. Up there with some of the best Mega Man titles. Definitely check this out if you're a fan of the series.

Possibly the best presentation of any Genesis game, but the gameplay is insufferable. Levels are overly long, there are way too many goddamn enemies on screen and, unless you can beat the game without dying, you're never going to have enough firepower. Don't get me started on the 20+ minute shmup stage...

Filled with insufferable design choices and absolutely dogshit hitboxes, but seeing it through is incredibly rewarding. Features immaculate presentation for the era and inspired genre mashups that laid the foundation for many interesting ideas we would later see fully fleshed out in the Donkey Kong Country series.

Fun, but wish it had been more challenging. A lot of the stages tend to be overly short or simple, as the overall level design is obviously influenced by NSMB, rather than SMW or SMB3. It would’ve benefited from being the other way around or, better yet, abandon most of the traditional Mario elements and embrace full insanity Wonder mode. I prefer the 3D offerings at this point in my life.

The presentation is incredible, but I kinda hate that they made an already easy game even more forgiving. The core game is also really starting to show its age, but damn if it isn't charming.

Great vibes/aesthetic, lot of gameplay annoyances.

Weirdly charming Metroidvania platformer. Underrated.

About as good as og. The soundtrack is worse, but it's a little less mean.

Played this with my mom when I was young. So stoked to finally beat this!