The 80s neon-y synth-y cyberpunk-y aesthetic here seemed like it would be played out and hacky, but I was surprised to instead be blown away by the charm and originality of Narita Boy’s world-building and stunning pixel graphics and soundtrack. Similarly, the CRT visual filter (fuzzy glow and warped edges, with a subtle vertical scroll flicker) is incredibly fitting and well-done, instead of just making me roll my eyes as I would have expected. Combat and exploration mechanics are simple but deeper than I expected, and the challenge is just on the edge of old-school difficult without being frustrating. I hope this gets the sequel it hints at.