I really truly don't get it. I've only played the first two at this point but they are so miserable to play I do not understand why these games get as much acclaim as they do. I've seen people rank the third game among their favorite video games so maybe there's a nutty change of pace but I will not hold my breath.

These games are held back so hard by being on the GBA. The screen size is so small I find myself bumbling through the levels getting swiped by things I get a tenth of a second to react to. In the worst cases the game just drops you into spikes or forces you to guess if you should jump a gap or not. This could probably be avoided by playing more cautiously but Zero's move set and abilities don't exactly encourage tiptoeing through the stages. I played on the ZX collection with the additional checkpoints enabled because otherwise this game does NOT value my time. Games generally don't have lives any more for a reason and this game is an egregious example as to why. There are also collectible Cyber Elves that give you buffs and abilities but you get punished for using them (?????). Getting high rank on the ball busting levels unlocks new skills for Zero, but a first time player might not ever learn they even exist. I certainly would not have if I didn't come across it beforehand.

The music is ok, but this GBA soundfont has a way of making me laugh sometimes. Maybe because of the goofy guitar that reminds me of Zero's Theme from the first game. That song is hilarious. The whole game can be really funny at times. Like the red guy that loves fighting turning into a car and just cruising towards you for a fight. Also the fact that Cyber Elves just die when you use them and in the menu afterwards it says something like "This elf is resting in peace."

At least these games are low commitment on the ZX collection.