The gameplay can be a bit of an acquired taste for some, but once you get used to its almost rhythmic platforming, and how to deal with nasty creatures in its unique yo-yo based combat, it's a really great game. I was lucky enough to get this game from a Wolworth's "going out of business" sale, and loved it. Some time later, the local K-Mart also went out of business, sadly, and I was ironically able to get Startropics 2 from THAT sale, the year the game came out, actually. It's probably the only reason I would've wound up being able to get either, so for me those sales were a godsend.

Startropics is a very unique game, and was made by Nintendo, specifically for the NA market. And I'm glad it was. You play young Mike Jones, who comes to visit his kooky archaeologist uncle, who has gone missing, and so you the player set out on a quest to find him.

At first glance, I've noticed people have a tendency to assume this is just some kind of weird Zelda clone. But it couldn't be further from, except for having a top-down view. There really isn't any other game QUITE like ST, except ST2 of course. It's one part precision/timing based platforming, one part "figure out which angle to tackle the enemy from" combat, and one part puzzle solving.

It's a very weird game, but it really is wonderful, once you get the gameplay down. If you've never tried it, I'd say it's absolutely worth a go, if nothing else to play something not quite like anything else you've ever played.