Underwhelmed. It has its share of quirks that I'm not a fan of, like the shovel being an awkward base attack, the stages dragging on, the bosses being really cluster-fucky, and generally falling victim to a lot of NES-era trappings (bottomless pits, knockback, instakill spikes, infinitely respawning enemies, etc.) rather than surpassing them. Ironically nearly a decade after its initial release it now has an impossibly high reputation much like the games that inspired it, and I'm not at all interested in discussing this game's legacy or importance.

But also, I had fun with this! I love all the influences from so many classic titles, aesthetically its gorgeous and I particularly love the character designs on all the knights, the writing is witty, each stage does a really good job of introducing and challenging you on new concepts, I like the upgrade system and all the challenge stages and all the subweapons, the music is good (but I think I need a re-listen before I call any of it great), I love me a good world map, it's a comfy overall length, and I like the surprising somberness of its ending.

I'm not gonna join the legions of fans who worship it, but I'm not gonna join the factions who hate on it either. I didn't like it enough to be interested in jumping straight into its expansions, but I enjoyed it and I'm glad I've finally played it.

Reviewed on Nov 27, 2022


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