Ninth GOTW finished for 2022. It was neat seeing characters like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Gundam in an old-school platformer, but the difficulty in this game is cheap. All enemies stun lock, including the mooks, and they often appear out of thin air. It can feel purposefully cheap. Once you beat a level (there's 8) it stays unlocked even if you die, so it's not CRUEL, but without save states I doubt I would've finished this one.
The powerups are cool, and each character has their own style of attack (short-range or long-range), but until you get used to what they look like it's vague what you're going to get and you can sometimes end up with a character ill-suited to the level or it's boss. Speaking of, bosses can be brutal, but at least have a relatively predictable pattern if you're willing to try again and again. I didn't hate it, but I doubt I'll play it again.
The powerups are cool, and each character has their own style of attack (short-range or long-range), but until you get used to what they look like it's vague what you're going to get and you can sometimes end up with a character ill-suited to the level or it's boss. Speaking of, bosses can be brutal, but at least have a relatively predictable pattern if you're willing to try again and again. I didn't hate it, but I doubt I'll play it again.