played in preparation for arzette. remaster, but with the remastered mode quality of life improvements disabled. the biggest revelation genuinely is that theres a perfectly useable template for a 2d action game here...a mostly nonlinear world explored in little action segments, populated with memorably bizaare and colorful characters, with a managably small take on the interlocking quests and item progression of a typical zelda game. in its best moments it feels less like a bootleg zelda and more like a Condensed zelda, with many expected beats and experiences hit in a couple hours. obviously there are many well documented rough edges in the moment to moment play (which i again, intentionally aggravated for myself by playing without the qol improvements) but theres plenty of oozing charm to more then cover for it...not just in the cutscenes where every word no matter how insignificant is paired with a big expressive gesture, but the general fantasy vhs aesthetic (the backgrounds can be surprisingly lush, if problematic for platforming). theres a wonderfully likable heart to both the play and presentation that reveals why someone would earnestly want to make a spiritual successor, far more then any callous mocking appreciation for silly cutscenes