The first video game I remember playing. As a 4 year old, you’re not paying attention to the directions you’re given (of which this game gives few), you’re just stumbling blindly through this colourful playground, seeing all it’s creative locales and enemies, getting stuck on bosses, bouncing with excitement when you unlock the next zone and all the crazy new things that come with it, it's a pure whimsical adventure. The levels have a way of inciting your curiosity, make you think “can I get over there?” get you experimenting, get you to apply your simple moveset in creative ways, then you get there and just have this mindblowing “EUREKA” moment and you’re rewarded with a whole new section of the level to explore. It took me a couple years to beat this for the first time as a kid, a couple more to 100% it, and I savoured every second of it. As an adult, and especially compared to it’s sequels, I appreciate A) it’s simplicity, how it always stays true to it’s core mechanics, never relying on gimmicks or forced backtracking, and B) it’s trust in the player, it’ll tell you “you need this many of this to go here,” and that’s it, it doesn’t spoonfeed you tutorials or exposition, it just lets you loose, lets you figure out and find things yourself.

It’s a defining game for me, shaping a lot of what I look for and judge in games. So much creativity and whimsy, I return to it every year or so and 100% it again. Absolutely adore this game to death.