Out of all of Tengo Project’s games, this is one that seems to be straining the most at being something entirely new- really it’s only bookended by some classic levels and stars some of the same characters, but it’s got a ton of new additions: characters, mechanics, levels, and a much stronger emphasis on it’s story than I was expecting. There’s something like 30 minutes worth of cutscenes and there’s twists and time travel and you play as a bunch of different characters- it’s a lot! A little darker too? Some of the later stages and bosses are probably going to be a surprise for anyone looking forward to another ultra-cute action game. (Would never have guessed “Burning Cityscape” as one of the locales.)

Certainly seems more in its element when you’re playing as one of the new characters, such as Hotaru (the samurai ghost) who seems better suited to the more serious tone the game is aiming for, and allows you to play a little more freely. One of the reasons I had a harder time getting into the older games was the way you would lose some of your power when you got hit, leading to moments where you hadn't actually died, but were practically in a no-win situation, limply attacking bosses with your most basic moves.

Hotaru, in contrast, doesn't suffer from the same concerns, as even her most basic attack does a tremendous amount of damage, with the different types of power-ups feeling less vital to her success, serving more to accentuate her normal attack instead of bringing it up to a base level of usability. Even at my lowest moments, runs still felt viable when playing as her- really, all of the new characters benefit from these sorts of additions, balancing practicality with excitement.

You get to hover over terrain, spawn miniature copies of yourself, have dodges with actual i-frames- these are great additions and I’m still learning new ways of utilizing the abilities throughout the game, but it means Pocky and Rocky sort of get sidelined in their own revival: a little out of place, tonally, and more cumbersome, mechanically. (It’s especially surprising given that Wild Guns Reloaded and The Ninja Warriors Once Again did a great job of expanding the roster in some weird directions while keeping the original cast relevant.)

I don’t mean to sound too down on the game, I’ve played through it a bunch over the last few days, and it’s another excellent addition to Tengo Project’s body of work, but I am left wondering if it signals a shift in their future, veering so far from the source material that they might as well go all the way. They’ve done three best-in-class revivals, but now I’m more interested to see what they might do with their own original project, unconcerned with the expectations of the past.