Cleared on March 3rd, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 48/160)

Going into the game, I thought the game was going to be mediocre at best with some questionable and terrible gameplay designs at worst. The only reason I logged this game is because I thought it looked really good, but surprisingly, the game is... decent... I mean, it's not perfect, but I think there was a remarkable amount of effort at least in the animation department. This is probably the best looking of all the licenses games on the Sega Genesis. The expressions on these characters is so colorful to look at, and the environments really play off the genres from being stuck in a TV which is what the premise revolves around, and the music that goes with it is not bad either.

The gameplay is nothing out of the ordinary as far as platformers go, however. You jump, you can whack things with whatever weapon you have based on the scenery you are in, and you can throw things with whatever projectile you have also based on the scenery. It does have some puzzle solving and it can be really tricky, and admittedly in some cases rather frustrating. It's not as hard to navigate as what I was led to believe it was from reviews, but the enemy placements can be bullshit, and the first boss was admittedly confusing to figure out.

Oh, and I heard there is a softlock concerning the third boss. I don't know how it happens, I did manage to avoid it, but I heard it is a thing. And also the final boss is annoying as hell, and it's not for the reason you'd expect from a typical Sega Genesis final boss. It's not even that hard of a fight since you get plenty of health pick-ups and you have really high health compared to most other platformers on the system which does at least alleviate the difficulty of the game. However, some of the platforming to chase him down can be really precise, he shoots faster and faster as you climb, and his laughter is obnoxious and gets faster as you climb up.

All that aside, it's a decent game. It's not the kind of game that I would just recommend, but if you're into Garfield or just anything well-animated, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Just brace yourself for any frustration that may come at your way.

Cleared on March 3rd, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 47/160)

Say hello to one of the six launch titles for the Sega Genesis when it was launched in the US. It was the game that came bundled with every Sega Genesis before Sonic took over that position a year later to great success. Altered Beast is an arcade port of a beat-em up where you play as a resurrected human to rescue Zeus daughter from the clutches of Hades, who really wants to welcome you to your doom.

It's pretty much run of the mill as far as side scroller beat-em ups go which isn't surprising since it is launched in 1988, but I liked the idea of transforming into a mighty beast. Upon collecting 3 orbs from the blue hellhounds, you transform into a beast and soon after take on the boss. There's five bosses in the game which are nothing special. The first three bosses are easy enough once you figure out what to do. The fourth boss takes a good amount of hits and avoiding their attack combinations can be difficult under bad circumstances, but then there's the final boss.

Why won't that fucking rhinoceroes die?!

Cleared on March 3rd, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 46/160)

Sonic Spinball is a curious game that I've known about since I got the Sonic Mega Collection for Gamecube. It was a game that I really wanted to try to finish, but I could never get past the first level. Now that I've had more experience as a gamer, I find that getting past the first level is still difficult, but with the help of the rewind feature, I am able to see everything that the game has to offer, and it's... decent.

I don't know how regarded Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball is. I know it's far from the worst Sonic game, but to me, it's really no different than what you'd expect out of a pinball game as the physics do handle itself well. The problem is that if you've ever played the pinball level from Sonic Heroes, you kinda know how pinball and getting from point A to point B does not really go hand in hand. Except its much worse here because you have to do very specific tasks that demand precision in order to actually proceed which explains why I and several other people could not get past the first level at the time and even if you manage to get past that, good luck figuring out how to get past the others without a guide.

The game does look nice and some of the music is fine. Of course, we can't forget the legendary Options music, truly one of the songs of all time. And if you thought you can escape the incomprehensible majesty by not pressing the Options button, just clear the game and you'll hear it as the credits theme of the game.

Something to note regarding the graphics is that the sprite actually uses Sonic's "American" design that you may be familiar with from the 90s Sonic Cartoons which is the one where he has a mohawk. On that note, as far as I'm aware, this is the only game where the SatAM characters Sally, Bunnie, and Rotor ever make an appearance in any Sonic game, but they only appear as friends you can save in the bonus game.

There are four levels in the game which include the Toxic Caves, Lava Powerhouse, The Machine, and Showdown. Each of which have tasks you need to carry out to collect emeralds which are then used to take on each of the bosses in the area. The bosses are about what you'd expect from a pinball game. Just fling Sonic onto their direction enough times and you win. The final boss, however, is aggravating to face off against. In order to defeat him, you have to push the button below him enough times to make his attachments disappear, but the problem is that the target is precise and you can get grabbed and pulled to the sides which can be annoying to recover since the space is so tight which makes it hard to spindash out of there. He also has windsocks which can fling you into a window and if it happens 3 times on a particular side, you get flung out of the arena entirely and unless you somehow have enough momentum and luck to get back in there, you're going to have to get all the way back up there. Also, you need to hit the cockpit 10 times and while you can repeatedly hit him with enough luck and good timing, actually getting his attachments down is a pain in the ass and the game doesn't tell you if they are down unless its telling you "Not much time left!" which is shortly followed with Robotnik telling you to smell his socks. Come to think of it, he might actually be bad enough to make my Top 10 Worst Sega Genesis bosses.

But that aside, it's not that bad of a game. It does require a fuckton of patience, but at the end of the day, it's about what you'd expect a pinball game to operate.

Cleared on March 2nd, 2024

When I saw the character on the thumbnail of the Youtube trailer on the day it was announced, I thought she looked really cool, so I had a look. Without any warning, I was hit with CDi-styled cutscenes with a gameplay that seemed similar to a very particular set of games from that era. For a brief moment, I was like "What the fuck?!", but after regaining my composure, I was all for it.

To give a bit of history. The CDi was a system that a company named Philips developed and released in 1990. It was known as a system that was designed as more of a system for edutainment, but it ended up being well known for its video games with the most infamous being Link: The Faces of Evil, and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. It was an... interesting attempt at the time to make animated cutscenes merge with video games, but as far as I'm aware, it wasn't really all that popular since most people at the time were focused more on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, and when the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, and the newcomer Playstation came into play... that was that.

That was until the 2000s when an unknown entity with a bizarre sense of humor got a hold of the cutscenes from the games and some editing software, and started remixing the scenes for comedic effect, and they became notorious to the point where if you've been on the internet long enough, you have already seen clips from the games without even realizing it.

Upon further investigation, you would find that the games these cutscenes came from are actually terrible. I've never played them, so I wouldn't know the full extent of it, but between the scuffed gameplay and abysmal controls, I already know it's a 3/10 game that is only saved by the legacy that it left behind, and that legacy somehow triggered a chain of events that led to the creation of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore.

Much like the games it was based on, it is a 2D action adventure game where you traverse through the lands of the kingdom on a quest to take down the villain that threatens its people. It's a "metroidvania" style game where you venture into sectioned areas in the game to collect items and upgrades while slashing foes along the way. The game is fun and it actually functions quite well too. You start out with a sword that you swing at your foes, and later down the line you get access to new tools which are used as a means to solve puzzles and whatnot. Most notably, you get a lantern which actually lasts a good length, a ring barrier, and even a gun... a magic gun!

While the game is rather entertaining, don't expect anything to really challenge you. Once you get the barrier, the gun and plenty of rubies, the game becomes really easy since you can just shoot foes from a distance and block their projectiles when necessary. And it only gets even easier the more upgrades you collect such as double jump, sword waves, and increased movement speed. Side note, since it feels like a recurring theme for me to complain about slow movement speed in games, I will go ahead and say that the base movement speed in Arzette is actually appropriate and I would say fair, but the boost you get did feel really good.

Unfortunately, the lack of difficulty extends to the bosses which are quite possibly the weakest part of the game.
All you have to do to beat Klive is just stay in one vine, set off acorns to fall on his head and you win.
Cornrad would have been reasonable enough since he teleports and uses corn projectiles, but I think the issue is that, if I'm not mistaken, you can get the shield barrier before you get to him, making the fight that much easier. Oh and shout-out to getting literally the worst ability in the game after defeating him which is the "Crow-walk". I've only ever have to use it once to collect a coin.
Apatu is the only character that I thought provided some actual challenge although not much. She does teleport around and uses melee attacks, and she does have a projectile, but gives little indication or time to reflect, so you would have to guess and hope on that one. On top of that, at 50% health, rocks spawn to make the fight a little more difficult.
Beeves is a joke. Literally before the fight, you can get access to the reflect upgrade which sends projectiles right back at the foe and since he doesn't teleport until he's hit with an attack, you can just go in the middle platform and just hold LB until he dies.
Nodelki actually does move around, but once again suffers the "reflect" problem.
And unfortunately, the big bad Daimur himself is quite possibly the lamest of them all since it's just a very short chase sequence and that's it. The worst part is that he's the final boss. I get this game is supposed to emphasize comedy, but it felt really anti-climatic.

If this is all I had to say about the game, I would've given it a 3.5 stars or just 3, but what really highlights the game is the presentation which is a hard selling point and what truly defines it. The game looks really good with hand-drawn backgrounds that capture a variety of scenery such as forests, rivers, beaches, crypts, and castles which creates the feeling of a fantasy adventure. The music that accompanies the levels are nothing short of incredible, and I would actually go out of my way to listen to them regularly.

The cutscenes, however, is something special in a bizarre but charming way that takes the unintentionally bizarre style of the CDi games and just embraces the chaos and their ability to play the whole thing straight just adds to the comedy.

Surprisingly, the writing itself is not bad. Other than the colorful cast of one-note characters, Arzette herself feels like a natural fit in the world around her. She isn't as over-the-top and yet is able to show sincerity in the face of all the chaos, and at times, she can have her own quirks that make her just as funny as the rest of the characters. I just really like her a lot.

If you're into Youtube Poops or just surreal humor in general, this game is an easy recommendation. It is a short game, so if you don't feel like you'll get your money's worth, you could just easily watch the cutscenes or wait for a sale on the game.

One last thing. If you have installed the game, all of the cutscenes in Arzette are in the game's files in MP4 format. Do with this information what you will.

Career Mode cleared on January 24th, 2024

This is one of those "what you see is what you get" type of games. You use a powerwash and clean up well-detailed objects of various kinds whether it be cars, boats, houses, or planes. Where dirt taints be it parks and the underground, the dirtfinder will be there. But it's not as simple as spraying, well, it is. But you do have a few options for spraying and upgrades along the way.

As far as what you have to work with, you have four types of nozzles by default which include red which fires a straight line with a concentrated amount of force. Great for cleaning tight spaces. Yellow nozzle is a little bit more wide, but still concentrated enough for long ranged cleaning. Green nozzle is more wide and not as concentrated, but still useful for moderate range. White nozzle is the widest, but the least concentrated of the bunch which makes it more suitable for short ranged cleaning. Some dirt is much tougher to clean than others, so sometimes you'll need to repeatedly spray a specific spot a few more times before it is completely clean.

But to make the job easier, you can upgrade your powerwasher which gives it better capabilities. But you can also give it new nozzles which includes a gray nozzle that spins in a straight line which is essentially an upgraded red nozzle. But then there's the soap nozzle which allows for powerful AoE cleaning, but it requires you to pay 10 dollars for a liter of soap which is a limited resource. And it's not like you can repeatedly farm dollars to get an infinite supply since they can go out of stock and you do have a limited amount of cash, anyway although that money starts mattering less once you get all the upgrades. The last upgrades to touch upon are extensions which allow for longer ranged cleaning and may allow you to use wider nozzles at a longer range, but be careful to not get too close with them or your character will sheath the powerwashing rendering it unable to work

There is a lot to do in the game, a lot of jobs and just in Career Mode alone, you could be spending about 50+ hours and there's even more to do when accounting for bonus jobs and even DLC which I have not touched upon, but it involves other franchises including Spongebob and Back to the Future.

People praise it as being zen and satisfying, and maybe I saw it at first, but after awhile, I kinda felt nothing as the game progressed. It's one of those games that I've been on and off about, and I thought about abandoning it. But then I got to the temple and it hit me on one curious aspect of the game that I don't think people really touch upon. When you get a job, you get a message about the job you are about to do. But every 20%, you get more messages which talks about a bunch of random things like the mayor's missing cat and some real world trivia here and there. However, there is a sort of connection between jobs to another. For example, there was a bunch of eggs being thrown at the mayor's house which is where you use the extra long extension, but as you progress along, there may have been an actual explanation as to how it happened. There is also a bit of an arc that occurs that gets more noticeable once you get about 75% into career mode, and it gets especially wild once you get the final level and let's just say it serves as a real recap of every job you've ever done.

But I guess the absurdity of the messages helps to incentivize players to keep going from what could otherwise be seen as monotonous in addition to the franchise crossovers, and I'll admit, if there was one thing I found satisfying about the game, it's seeing the whole thing to the end.

Cleared on January 4th, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 45/160)

Shadow Blasters is a 2D Action game where you throw projectiles at enemies while walking very slowly. Now if you know me, you should know that I hate sluggish speed in video games, especially when it doesn't feel like it was built with the game in mind. The game at least allows you to upgrade to move a little faster and even jump higher, but more than that, it also lets you upgrade not one, but four characters each of which you can swap to on the fly. Each of which has their own projectile they can fire at the foes which can be charged to unleash its full power, but gradually collecting white flames can allow them to reduce the charge time until it becomes instant

There's Kotarou/Horatio who has the power to unleash fire on their foes. At full power, he can unleash a dragonflame that curves up and down while travelling in a straight line. Great for clearing a wave of enemies.

Ayame/Tiffany can unleash wind and at full power fires a tornado that homes in on the enemy. Not exactly practical against a wave of enemies since it disappears after hitting one enemy or a few small ones, but can be very good against bosses and in particular cheesing the penultimate boss just by staying just close enough to it where the projectile cannot hit you, wait until he high jumps every other jump, and just spam tornado until it dies.

Kidenbou/Marco can unleash lightning and at full power can fire 3 in a spreadshot. He is possibly the best character in the game as he covers a lot of ground, and seems to be the most capable of taking damage in contrast to the previous two who seem rather frail.

Senshirou/Leo can fire a blade projectile and at full power can unleash a spinning blade that goes back and forward. Arguably the best character for damaging foes backwards.

The game starts out feeling frustrating because you are so slow and weak, but once you pick up power ups and even learn how to switch characters at any time, the game is actually pretty fun. Even the bosses can feel manageable, but I do think even at max upgrade, they are extremely hard to evade, particularly the golem and the alien. Had it not been for the ability to switch between characters to have them soak up damage, they could've easily been among the worst Sega Genesis bosses.

The final boss is ok... the scenery in outer space is really cool and it had that power rangers vibe to it, but it really amounts up to just circling around the boss and shooting projectiles until it dies. It will take a few tries to get it right, but not exactly an impressive fight. Then again, it is one day away from 1991 when this game came out, so I shouldn't expect anything too compelling.

But I did enjoy the game for what it tried to do, and the progression is really satisfying. Just whatever you do, do not let any of the characters die. Not only will you be unable to use them until you get a game over, but even when you continue from a game over, all of your stats reset which will force you to slog through the game with slow ass movement speed.

Cleared on January 4th, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 44/160)

Whip Rush is another 2D on-rail flight shooter on the Sega Genesis. I've grown quite familiar with the genre at this point, and it's now just a matter of what new mechanic this game offers compared to the others. This time, you can control your speed and I'll admit, it seems like an excellent idea as one of my complaints with Wings of Wor was that everytime you level up, you become faster and while it can make dodging in open areas much easier, when it comes to more narrow points in the game, now that is a real challenge. Here, however, you can adjust speeds at any time which allows for more precise evasive maneuvers. The bad news is that there is only one button, so if you went from fast to medium and want to go back to being fast, you have to be slow for a moment, then medium, and then you can be fast again.

Other than that, you have four power ups with Laser, Missile, Directional Shot, and Assist. Laser allows more damage output in a horizontal direction, Missile allows for multi-direction attacks the more you upgrade it, Directional Shot fires in the opposite direction where you are facing, and Assist will fire in a set direction. What I find interesting is that the game has it to where they also act as a 2nd health bar, so if you take a hit, you only lose the power-up and not your life.

This does give you a bit more leeway compared to other schmups, and you'd think the game would have the easiness that Arrow Flash had from the first few levels, but as you progress along, it really cranks up the difficulty. Especially the battleship area, good grief. And the bosses don't fair any better, but I think my least favorite thing about them is that their music isn't that great, and they use it for all the bosses in the game, including the final boss. Which is pitiful because some of the music in this game is actually quite good.

The visuals in this game are also really nice although it doesn't seem out of the ordinary from other shooters featuring aliens and machines. Well, except for that mech with the weird blue face, and the final boss which literally looks a penis.

On the note of the final boss, when I saw it, I thought "Ok, this is another one of those core final bosses, I'll just chill in the back, maybe move out of the way for a projectile and just mow it down." Well, they actually thought about it and give the boss the ability to stretch forward which allows for its claws to hit which turns a fight from what could've been a cakewalk to a chaotic madhouse that's really difficult to avoid.

It's decent enough of a game, and I did like the ideas it brings to the table, but I'm fine to just only play it once

Cleared on January 4th, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 43/160)

When I saw that this game took 5 minutes to clear on Longplay, I was expecting a quick round... but then I remembered that this is a game from the 80s so I knew there was a catch, and whaddya know. I wasn't wrong. While I was able to see the game to the end without resorting to save states, it was not easy in the slightest.

The game has you rolling marbles across maze-like isometric race courses on a timer. The faster you get there, the more extra time you'll have for the next course which will especially be important at the final level because my god it is specifically engineered to troll you on so many levels.

The rest of the game is manageable, and it was easy enough to learn the controls and memorize how the levels operate which creates a satisfactory feeling of mastery although at times it can feel luck dependent, but can feel like a test of adaptability.

The final level, on the other hand, is ridiculously troll. You have far less time to clear it than you usually do, the game has tiles that hinder your control like ice floor that makes you slippery, metal floor that makes you stiff, and a tile that causes you to slide with no way of controlling. And even you can manage all of that, I hope you have enough time because there are these disappearing tiles that are there to ensure that you have stored just enough time, or you are guaranteed to lose and that aside, you have to time your rolling because they got a little bit of everything on these last tiles. Including ice physics at the very end that screwed me over and forced me to do the game all over again. The good news is that it won't take very long to get back into the final level, but the bad news is that it takes a lot of trial and error.

Oh, and the enemies are obnoxious. You have the bouncy things that will OHKO you if they land on you, but as long as you dash out of the way as they jump, you should be ok. The black balls are annoying and while you could get better at dodging them, they can really hinder you under bad circumstances. The slimes, though, especially the ones at the final level have cheap placements where they are and will OHKO you for touching them.

But you know what? I'm a sucker for rolling and ball games like this, so I'm not too mad at the difficulty. At least there is a sense of being able to get better... well, for the most part, anyway.

Cleared on January 3rd, 2024 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 42/160)

The premise is that Goofy is working at a history museum as a janitor using an invention that would reach high places. If he succeeds in cleaning the place, he would get a promotion. However, Pete, who happens to be in the same job and position he is in, attempts to sabotage him to get the promotion. Goofy is unaware of this, however, as he seems more focused on daydreaming about going into the time periods, and I guess accidentally sabotages Pete's plans.

Goofy ventures across four different time periods in a 2D Platformer using the Extend-o-Hand for grappling certain blocks, punching enemies, and using an array of tools that he picks up along the way. He can pick up blue balls as a projectile that aims downward diagonal, a boxing glove which deals high damage and usually OHKO enemies with limited uses, a boot for extra vertical distance, and a glider. He can trigger "Gooftraptions" across the levels that would support him like birds that can send them flying, factory whistles that can stun all enemies, and Fireworks to home in on enemies to knock them out.

The platforming itself is quite challenging as it can be quite precise with its grappling cubes and the game offers multiple pathes across each level, but it can be rather annoying. The first problem I noticed is that Goofy feels a bit too zoomed in which gives you little time to react to where you are about to fall. Not even helped that part of the bottom screen is occupied by Goofy's info which includes his health, balloons, blue ball ammo, and score and lives if pausing.

The enemy placement doesn't feel that cheap since by default, your Extend-o-Hand attacks upward diagonal which allows you to avoid getting camped from above and in the case of enemies that are facing down, you can just throw a goofball and hit them. However, the enemies will attack rapidly which can be quite rough under bad circumstances, but at least you can actually jump on them and not make it so elaborate which is more that can be said for the other Mickey Mouse games. However, the object placements can be rather cheap especially the cactus in the 2nd level, and I distinctly remember how jank the platforming the leafs were in the first level.

The checkpoint system in this game is atrocious. Unless you have save states on hand, if you get knocked out in a level, you have to start from the beginning of the level. The game does rectify this in the final level as it feels more segmented which acts as checkpoints, but it makes me wonder why now.

The bosses, namely the fights with Pete are rather underwhelming. All he does in every fight, including the final boss, is just jump and shoot. The only thing that changes is the terrain. The most interesting one was maybe the first one since you get to roll around in a wheel contraption while fighting him. The one saving grace is that each boss fight has a unique theme which is something I don't think I've seen in a Sega Genesis game up to this point. The one that stands out is the 2nd theme because it tries to sound like a western duel theme, but the Genesis sound font kinda makes the song feel more dramatic than it was intended to be.

The music isn't bad. It is hit and miss with some good tracks here and there like the boss themes, the first level, and the 16 bit demake of what I can't help but think of as Barney the Dinosaur's theme song that appears in the 3rd level. The rest is rather forgettable.

Overall, not a bad game. It functions about what I hoped for it to, but it definitively has some kinks they could've worked out.

Cleared December 31st, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 41/160)

Logging this game, I didn't really expect too much. In fact, my expectations have been decreasing given my records with RPGs on the Sega Genesis so far. The only exception was Beyond Oasis (and maybe Shadowrun) which would've stood as my favorite Sega Genesis game had it not been for Alien Soldier, so to find out that Treasure developed this game, I thought it actually had a reasonable shot at being at least 7 out of 10. So, unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed it.

The premise is that the town is suffering from civilians disappearing and as it turns out, there is a crypt hidden within the town's graveyard where evil lurks threatening the summoning of a demon lord to end all existence. An interesting premise, but given the ESRB rating is K-A (E for Everyone), don't expect anything too gruesome in the way it's told. Along the way, you meet kidnapped civilians and characters among the royals that will aid you through information to help you advance the story.

The combat is also rather simple as well. It's an asymmetric POV RPG which allows you to move 8 different directions for more fluent combat although the range of your sword can feel rather scuffed. The most interesting thing about it is the elements and how you can mix and match between different elementals which include Air, Fire, Earth, and Water. And it's not as simple as equipping them because since this is the developers of Gunstar Heroes we're talking about, they are going to find a way to allow you to mix and match elementals and this time, you can mix up to all 4 of them. There's a variety from simple spells like Wind Slash and Fireball to utility based spells like Heal, Guardian, or Shield. More niche and situational spells like Turn Undead and Cure. But then there's Judgement which allows you to perform an AoE attack that damages all foes on-screen. It's really cool to be able to mix and match different elementals which adds a layer to the game's combat mechanics although the game is remarkably easy.

Not just the enemies, but the hazards in this game feel rather inconsequential because you take a small amount of damage from things like spikes and flames and you just shrug it off like it never happened. Not helped that healing items come very abundant throughout the game (including a means to revive you) and your inventory capacity is really high. Likely for the best because sometimes the asymmetrical view can make precision when avoiding hazards at least when jumping very difficult.

This unfortunately makes the bosses in the game very easy too. It's cool to fight them and see them in action, but if you're stacked on steaks and pendants, you are never going to be in danger no matter how shit you are at video games.

Even the puzzles are surprisingly much easier to figure out compared to most other RPGs that I've played on the Sega Genesis. Sure there are some real thinkers, and a few of them you will need context clues. Hell, one of them I solved in the way the developer did not intend for me to. Basically, it was at the room where the rolling stones are first introduced. You're supposed to push a barrel to the elevator, then you roll the stone underneath it after standing on the button just as the stone is rolling. Then get off and the elevator stays where it is because the stone holds it up. The way I did it was that I took the one small stone cube in the room, positioned the barrel on it so that it stops the rolling stone at a certain point, move the barrel around so that I can push the stone without rolling it onto the cube, and then push the cube towards the point where the button is and have the stone hold the button while the barrel is on the elevator. Imagine my shock when I decided to look up how other people did it out of curiosity only to realize just how simple the solution really was. That said, I do not think of this as a bad thing as it's a fun way to challenge your problem solving skills without being insanely cryptic.

But I think what really makes the game really enjoyable for me is just the presentation. Being a late Sega Genesis game, it managed to find a way to push it's graphical capabilities to the limit which allows for really colorful and diverse setpieces especially once you get to Floor 5 which has you going to all sorts of places. And the music in this game is so good. Easily one of my favorites from the Sega Genesis line-up and really adds to the experience of the game.

And I just enjoy a few little interactions like how you can work the game's physics to push the literal king down the stairs and away from his throne, push the civilians around, push the cows around, and push those two elder people in the town to make it seem like they are talking to the walls. Having to stand on the table where the item is in order to buy it is so strange, but I find it so amusing. You can even spam arena fights with 3 goblins to get around 200 gold per victory which can be as simple as pre-emptively pushing off two goblins, whack the other goblin off the arena. Collect your gold, leave the room, come back, repeat multiple times and you can have more than enough money to max out your elemental quantity.

It's just a very easy game with some puzzle challenges here and there, and it's not very long either. You might not like that about the game, but I really don't mind. I think it would make a great RPG for anyone looking to get into the genre.

Main game cleared on December 8th, 2023
Post game cleared on December 11th, 2023

Well, they weren't lying. Spark the Electric Jester 3 is the pinnacle of great high speed platforming that easily surpasses all Sonic games. The second game was great and all, but it felt more like a beta test since you can get the full game cleared in under 3 hours, but if that can somehow feel better to play than any 3D Sonic game out there, then imagine what a more refined and rebalanced game of this style can do.

The general gameplay remains the same as you move fast at high speeds, you can jump and homing attack, you can use the Jester Dash, and really, despite playing as Spark now, not much has changed beyond controller refinements... at first, anyway.

As you progress in the game, you'll be met with new tools in your arsenal. The kirby-esque power-ups no longer really apply and is now replaced with equipables and alternate playstyles which are pretty much just what you'd expect the power-ups can do. So in a way it's still there, but it's different in its approach. That said, I think the approach works so much better. You have skills like Wind which allows you to float in the air which is made even better when you are going fast to really close the gap, Snap Portal which lets you teleport to your foes, and a means of healing among others. And with alternate playstyles, there are 4 in addition to your standard form each of which having their own tricks and aspects they can offer.

Spark himself has the advantage of having the most combos to work with which unlocks as you progress throughout the game, and he can shoot laser bullets which doesn't do much damage, but when the foes are clumped up, it can rack up energy points from a safe distance, allowing you to use your power-ups.
Float is the 2nd character you unlock, and she has the advantage of allowing you to mark your foes and upon dealing enough damage, it will unleash a burst of damage on them. She doesn't need to be active to trigger this bonus which part of me isn't sure if it was intentional, but she still has value as she can float in the air which acts as a built-in Wind.
Fark you unlock after clearing the game. He has high attack speed, he can dash twice in the air, his dash gives him invulnerability, and upon reaching full energy, he can heal and give himself increased damage output, and since the energy drains, you can choose to sacrifice the damage output to combo into the Temporary Shield for a two-for one. Heck, under the right conditions, you may still keep the damage output and the shield at the same time. As you can tell, he's probably the best character in the game.
Reaper is technically the last remnant of the Spark 1 power-ups and it's really good. It has an invulnerable dash although it's frames aren't as good as Fark's, the combos are probably just as strong as Spark's, and if you channel RB long enough, you can heal for one point which makes it absolutely crucial for tough fights that bank on your survival. You'll especially need it for post game content.
There is one more you unlock post-game, but it's best that I don't say what it is since it feels really spoilery, but it increases damage output of your physical attacks at full energy as well as fire a slower but harder hitting laser bullet.

The level design has seen a significant improvement and play off the mechanics of the game very well. One of my complaints in the previous game was that there was little reason to engage in combat beyond getting good scores which to be fair is needed if you want to nab those score medals, but here, there are not only opportunities through barriers that obstruct you, there are dedicated levels designed for combat and it's really fun.

That said, it does reveal a problem that didn't seem like a big deal due to the lack of combat incentive in Spark 2, but I do not like how there's no means of locking on the targets you want to lock on. It's there, but you don't control what gets locked in and it may work against you otherwise. It also has to make compromises for the sake of balance as being able to block while move allows you to ignore the level mechanics. This isn't exactly a problem on its own merits, but because the post game consists of levels from Spark 2 which is required to get through to the post game bosses, it gets really rough around the final two levels as they seem more built with being able to move and block. Sure, you do have Fark and the Reaper with their invulnerability dash, but it never really crossed my mind, and I didn't have them on hand.

Oh yeah, the levels from Spark 2 all carry over to this game which is more or less there for content filler and you can knock them all out in roughly an hour if you know what you're doing, but it does highlight the mechanical refinements which include the stability of steering and now it's not as easy to overshoot yourself when making a large jump which does make shortcuts that once worked in the 2nd game harder to pull off. The bosses don't carry over, though. We don't want to obsolete Spark 2 that badly now, don't we?

On the note of bosses, they are rather enjoyable and some of them now have multi-phases although there is one boss that you have to fight multiple times which for the record is designed to be so hard that if you lose to it once, you have to play through the entire stage all over again just for another chance. You can still progress without defeating it, but beating it is the only way to get that Reaper power. They aren't too difficult, but I did think the final boss was... not that great. Like when you compare the legendary hype that both Spark 1 and 2 are capable of, having a boss with such an underwhelming final boss theme just made me wish it could've been so much more... well, there is, actually. In the post game.

Other than the Spark 2 levels, there is a gauntlet that requires you to clear at least 100 floors to get to the harder version of the final boss which is... actually kinda fucked up with how fast and aggressive it's attacks are to the point that some attacks can cancel out each other. Like seriously, even if you can somehow win with Spark alone, it takes a lot of patience. You are going to need Fark and the Reaper for this one. But guess what? It's not even the true final boss which isn't as hard on its own merits, but I will say that the Reaper is absolutely necessary on higher difficulties. At least it felt like a final boss, though.

The music is really good with some new songs once again in the style of Sonic Adventure, but I don't know why there wasn't any new vocal themes. It's not like they're that embarrassed with the three songs they had since they are in the game... well, two of them, anyway.

But now what I want to address is the story which... ok, so when I was playing both Spark 1 and 2, I didn't really think much of the story. It's there with Spark 1 being humorous enough to keep me entertained as I go along with the game and Spark 2 trying to take itself seriously but felt rather melodramatic. There was some potential as the villain's goals and philosophy seem interesting enough, so you'd think that Spark 3's story would be good in that case, right? Well, it's not bad. It does actually have backstories to offer which go on for a good bit and are there to explain the mercenaries of Freom as well as Freom himself, but other than that, I didn't really think of it as anything more or less than what Spark 1 and 2 are capable of... until the final act. I cannot even talk about it, it is some serious mind-fuckery you need to see to believe. Though, I guess that's just something extra to make an already amazing game that much more memorable.

Cleared on December 2nd, 2023

This game is a chaotic rollercoaster that truly lives up to being an anti-visual novel. The only other game that I've seen pull this is maybe Doki Doki Literature Club, but those two walk on drastically different paths. DDLC is rather generic with its dialogue to disguise itself as a typical visual novel dating simulator and relies heavily on visual and... other abstract details. Class of 09, meanwhile, focuses more on creating unique dialogue to the point where I don't think I've ever seen this kind of writing style in any visual novel period. This isn't some idealistic Japanese school life where you date pretty girls, you are the pretty girl dealing with a shitty American school life.

The story takes place in the 2000s where MySpace was relevant, anime was a niche subgenre of animation that only dweebs got into, and you could've got popular just by recording yourself playing a game on a television with shitty quality and uploading it onto Youtube. And being in that era, the dialogue reflects this as the characters don't talk formally as if they are speaking exactly the translated subtitles from Japanese audio. They are talking like a shitpost English dub, and from what people say, this kind of dialogue reflects the real world quite a lot. It further helps that the events, encounters, and personalities are supposedly real.

While I don't have any verification on if this is the case given the absurd nature of the game, if you're at least aware of the world around you, it's easy enough to believe that many of these events can be real. Heck, from my experience, I've seen some of these personalities in person.

It can be seen as morbid and cynical, and under certain conditions, it can be. However, it takes a more daring approach to make it a dark comedy as you might find yourself laughing at points like "Why is this so funny?". Well, I'll tell you one thing that helps, the voice acting and their delivery of the lines.

Majority of the time, there are three things that I've seen in visual novels. Either they are not voiced at all, they have some voices but only for more important scenes, or its just all in Japanese. Here, however, every single line of dialogue is voiced in English. Even ones that seem unimportant and only serve to lead to a route that others could've led you to. The voice acting I would say really adds to the overall game, and it's not like they took a bunch of randos on 4chan or whatever. Some of them are actually talented VAs with a reputation in the business, and there's a good chance you've heard one or two of them before.

It's a really well-made visual novel, and my only complaints are a few character inconsistencies across some routes and making certain choices that lead to a route will cause you to feel confused as if there was some information that's left out. Also, a bit of a spoiler, but the choices you make until the 2nd day do not matter at all. They are just there to give insight on the characters that you'll be dealing with throughout the game.

There's not much else I can say about this game. Having such an emphasis on story-telling and multiple outcomes, it's something you need to see for yourself to believe. It's not always going to be bright, and there's a lot of ways it could go south. But I recommend you look into every single outcome. You might just learn something new.

Cleared on October 11th, 2023

Spark the Electric Jester 1 is a 2D platformer that takes inspiration from the Sonic games of the Genesis era while putting its own set of mechanics, and while I wasn't a fan of its physics, I thought it was a well made game. Spark the Electric Jester 2 decides to take the franchise into a 3D direction inspired by the Sonic games of the Dreamcast era, and it's unironically better than all of the 3D Sonic games, but how?

The answer is simple. The developers had a vision of what makes a good Sonic game in general with high speed action, momentum, and precise platforming and translated it into 3D something that Sonic games hasn't been doing too hot with as of late, and while Sonic Frontiers is positively received, it's not quite at the full potential of what the series could do. Maybe that day will come, but until then, Spark the Electric Jester 2 fills in the gaps just fine.

Despite the title, it does not star Spark himself and he doesn't even make a physical appearance in the game, and the spotlight is taken over by his robot clone, Fark. So remember that Fark side story in Spark 1? Well, it's actually non-canon, and in its place is the story for Spark 2. Not that it's a big deal, even in Spark 1 the game warns you that this is the case, but it's something to point out.

Unlike the previous game, the game takes a more serious tone with a greater emphasis on story and makes attempts to be more dramatic with the villain having a more philosophical belief, plot twists, and a gritty atmosphere. However, I didn't really think it was anything that special to be honest. It's fine, but it's just there to be a reason why things happen in the game.

As for the game itself, it translates the Spark the Electric Jester gameplay style from the 2D games onto 3D while strangely having a better sense of momentum than the 2D games do. You have what you would expect from a Sonic style 3D platformer which includes high movement speed, homing attack, and a means to wind up speed and go faster, but here, not only can you wind up speed in the ground with Jester Dash, you can also do it in the air to propel yourself forward which gives you greater aerial mobility, but if you feel like you might overshoot it, you can just use the Dash button to get a short distance in an instant and in the ground, it's useful for dodging attacks.

One of the more interesting quirks of Spark the Electric Jester 2 is that it's more than just a 3D Sonic game where you move fast, homing attack your foes or maybe spin dash or boost into them and move on; it also acts as a Beat Em Up game where you can mash the light and heavy attack button repeatedly for damage although other than for the fun of it and for getting the high score, this isn't really something you'll find yourself doing often aside from boss battles (more on that later).

The Jester Powers make a return, but the benefits you reap are more subtle this time around and there aren't as many either. The good news is that you can carry 3 at a time + the default.

Electric is the standard and thus makes it seem the most underwhelming, but it does have the niche of allowing you to attack while moving as the others you force you to stop, so if there's a weak grounded enemy in your way and you need to keep moving, this would be the best power-up for that situation. It's 3x charge up attack is a hard hitting projectile.
Edgy makes a return and this time Fark is the one with the power. It's a great power-up for mobility as you can triple-jump by charging the heavy attack and dash three times while in the air which allows for great air control. It's 3x charge up attack is a screen nuke.
Plasma is based on the Sword power-up from the last game and allows its heavy attack to act as a projectile, and on top of that, charging the heavy attack lets you move faster and act as a third jump as well.
Hammer makes a return, but it doesn't offer any mobility benefits, but the damage output it has is quite impressive, making it a potent power-up in combat.
Biker is a new one and much like Plasma, the charge-up lets you move faster on a bike, but the speed boost is in burst and damages foes in its way. It's useful as another means to gain momentum without having to use the Jester Dash in the Ground.
Power Armor is another new one and it allows your dash to become a glide by holding the button.

The level design is really good. I don't know what the differences are between Very Hard (the difficulty I played) and the others, but I thought the levels had a reasonable challenge and when it counts, it knows how to test your ability to use the game's mechanics. Some parts are just a road with no obstacles for high speed action, but it doesn't feel automated and you have to actually steer Fark so he doesn't end up falling off. There are also speed boosters that act as a crutch for 3D Sonic games, but I didn't think they were overbearing here, and I remember one segment that used it to their advantage where it would force you in a circle and you need to jump at a perfect time just to get out of it while being able to advance forward.

The boss battles in this game are not too bad either although once you understand your parry window and their attack patterns, the boss fights can seem easy although in the difficulty I played, this could be seen as risky as they also deal a high amount of damage, so if you slip up, that's going to be really bad. That aside, it's not really a big deal if you lose, you just have to start the boss fight from the beginning.
It's also really cool that many of the boss fights have vocal themes with three of them being in the game. One of which was already in Spark 1, another used for 3 boss fights, and one more used for the ultimate final boss. It's no Crush 40 or anything, and maybe in comparison it may seem amateurish, but it's a good effort to match the Sonic Dreamcast style soundtrack the game was going for, and when you got epic level themes like Planetary Stripes to back you up, I say it was an effort well done.

And from what I'm told, Spark 3 is supposed to be even better, and to think I had such a blast with this game that I was willing to say it's better than any Sonic game I have played, and I'm not even a Sonic hater.

Spark's Story Cleared on September 20th
Fark's Story Cleared on September 22nd
Spark's Challenge Cleared on October 2nd

Spark The Electric Jester is a game made by Sonic fan creators that brought you Sonic Before and After the Sequel, and as you'd imagine is based on the 2D games while taking aspects from Kirby and Mega Man X to give it its own identity. Obviously Sonic inspired games are nothing new since three years prior we have Freedom Planet which is an amazing game that I think blows every 2D Sonic game out of the water. Right off my review score, you can see that I don't really like it as much, and going into the game, I wasn't expecting it to be on the same level. But I wasn't expecting it to be a bad game either, and in its own way, is an amazing game with only a few minor gripes.

Being based on Sonic, you are able to move fast and jump. But unlike other Sonic games where you attack by bouncing on them or spin-dashing into them, you actually have a dedicated attack button to damage foes in your way and the attacks you are able to pull are dependent on the power-ups you have and there are 10 in the game. You could hold up to 2 at a time and you can find them across the levels, and you have a dedicated button for switching between the two power ups, and not only do they have different kind of attacks, but also mobility and "charge" attacks as well.

In your base form, you have the ability to dash and charge up your attack for a powerful blast, but when you attack enough, you fill up a meter which allows you to fire an even bigger charge attack. When you have power-ups, however, some of these interactions change entirely and I'll review every one of these power-ups to give you an idea.

Bat is a power you come across  early on which is basically the same as your base form as you keep the same charge attack and mobility, but you gain a tremendous physical attack boost and is arguably considered the best power-up for dealing with bosses because the attack power is just that high. However, being more close to your base form, the mobility is one of the weakest in the game.

Wind is a very mobile power and another you can get early on. It gives you an Air Dash which is actually considered very useful in some situations because not only does the dash give you a means to close the gap, it also acts as a parry as well if you are able to time it, so being able to parry even in the air is actually really good. Plus, you get a triple jump, a float that drastically lowers your fall speed and increases air time, and a charge that seems like it does nothing unless you have the meter charged, but if you shoot it backwards, it propels you forward quite a distance.

Gravity is a power that you are most likely going to miss on your first playthrough like I did, but I did get a chance to use it through Wishes Mode (more on that later) and it gives you the ability to float in the air indefinitely and allow you to control the direction of flight too. This could lead to some wacky evasion antics for bosses, but it is balanced by the fact that repeatedly attacking causes it to tire out and just become unable to attack for a couple of seconds.

Board is a power that gives Spark a board to ride on and it will become very clear on the 2nd act of the 3rd level which is designed with the power-up in mind. You just go really fast and upon going fast for long enough, you can achieve speed break which damages foes along the way. You can also attack which spins you around, and if used in the air can give you air-time which might come in handy. Despite only a few levels being designed with this power-up, you can still actually use it as long as you have it in any level in the game.

Sword gives Spark a sword which despite it seeming as such, is less of a melee power-up and more of a ranged one as your attacks swing a cut projectile at the foe, and you can create blue balls that can be swung at the foe. Your charge-up is not an attack, but instead a mobility boost that improves both your speed and jump for a couple of seconds. On top of that, the time window in which you are able to dodge attacks with your dash increases meaning you get an easier time to avoid attacks.

Cool gives Spark ice powers which has some impressive damage potential if you are able to get off a spin and its charge-up can also deal a great amount of damage too. The physics does seem to change to be slippery, but not to the point of being unbearable. You can also walk on water and create a platform while in the air.

Fire gives Spark fire powers which gives him some fire attacks including a Fireball Dash (plus you can air dash as well), Flame Breath, and while he doesn't have any charge-up attacks here, every 3 standard attacks allow for his up or down attacks to unleash blue flames which deals increased damage. But if you manage to keep this ability when you get to the one lava level in the game, make sure you do not lose it because it gives you an immunity to lava and hot waters.

Edgy makes Spark more angtsy in appearance donning a black and red color schematic which I respect because it just embraces the edge which includes giving it a kunai to throw at enemies and when the meter is fully charged, it can unleash a red blast of energy based on Chaos Blast. It's also ironically one of the best abilities in the game because you get a double jump, an air dash, and the ability to walk on walls. It's also not too bad with its damage output either.

Hammer grants Spark a hammer which deals a good amount of damage, but compared to Bat does have the advantage of giving a small double jump and the ability to hurl projectiles by slamming the ground and calling upon rocks which he could swing at the foes although it takes good timing to get the direction you want.

Archer is the true ranged power-up which grants a bow that can fire projectiles although each shot has a short cooldown which means you can't just fire it rapidly... unless if you charged up the meter, ready a charge attack, and only then can you fire repeatedly. The damage isn't the strongest, but it does allow you to chip away foes from a safe distance and the charge attack can allow a few shots to fire explosive arrows.

Magical is a power-up that gives a star wand which acts as a mix of ranged and mobile as you gain an air dash. The damage isn't that amazing, though, but if you are able to get the meter to max, you can unleash a starfall which can good AoE damage. You can also fire downwards repeatedly to increase air time. You can also do this with Archer, but with the unlimited ammo, it is much more reliable.

Knight is a power-up that gives Spark an armor and a spear, and on the surface it might seem pretty standard as far as powers go as you deal melee damage, but it's biggest strength is that it gives a shield which is pretty much a free hit point that can be regenerated every couple of seconds. In harder difficulties when you have Wishes Mode enabled, you might get some value out of it.

Mage is a power-up that gives Spark probably the coolest charge up move in the game and the damage it deals is quite good, but as a whole, it feels remarkably underdeveloped as it does not have any mobility benefits or even an up or down attack which makes it quite possibly the worst power-up in the game. It's not to say "avoid it at all costs" as you can still get good value out of it if you end up with it, but that's because the game is easy at least on standard difficulty.

There's one more power-up you can get, but that's at the end of the game, and in Wishes Mode, you can't even use it until after you've completed every mode in the game. I'm talking about Super Spark which gives a triple jump and an air dash, but also gives you and a spin attack that you can cast as many times as you desire. It's actually not that fantastic in the grand scheme of things, but it does look pretty cool when using it in the final boss.

Bur once you get the final boss down, there is another mode you can do which is playing as Fark which is Spark's robot doppelganger that replaced his job. Just a bit of a note on the story, there isn't much that goes on in it, so if Freedom Planet's story putted you off, then you might consider this a good thing. That aside, the dialogue is quite absurd and believe it or not, the dialogue was actually reworked in patch 1.5 which admittedly sounds really bizarre, but from what I'm told is because they had a new direction in mind for Spark 2 and I guess they didn't really like how Spark was portrayed in 1.0 as he was seen as more brash and arrogant while 1.5 portrays him as kind of a doofus. Also, the entire reason for his journey in the first place is just because he got fired and wants him job back which feels less traditional compared to a character like Sonic or Lilac who fights to save the world, but for a game with a less serious tone, I think the motivation works just fine.

As for Fark, he is the robot that replaced his job and in 1.0, Spark was pretty damn salty about it to the point where taking him down was his main objective. In 1.5, he doesn't take Fark as seriously and is more concerned about the robot takeover in general. But what does Fark even do?

Fark is unable to use any power-ups, but he does have some of the advantages that some Spark abilities have. He can double jump, air dash, and walk on walls like what Edgy Spark can do. He can fire 3 standard attacks and unleash a stronger up or down attack like what Fire Spark can do. Instead of a power-up switch, he can parry attacks which is much easier to pull off than dash dodge and also fills up a meter which at 50% can activate to grant not only super speed like Sword Spark, but grants invincibility and a burst of healing which is balanced by the fact he only has 4 health compared to Spark having 7. However, if you keep the meter at 100%, Fark becomes Super Fark which grants him a larger attack range although not much else to it. Fark's levels are also made harder as you get new bosses to fight and even an exclusive final boss... well, perhaps not so exclusive when you are able to experience everything that Fark goes through with Spark's Challenge.

Spark's Challenge is Fark's Story, but with Spark instead. The game warns you in the beginning that Dash Dodge is mandatory to win because Fark's stages were built with his Parry in mind which Spark does not have. Oh and if you somehow have the nuts to do it on Hard Mode, you only get two hits before you have to go back to the save point. You do have unlimited lives, so you are free to try as many times as you like, but doing Spark's Challenge on Hard Mode is absurdly difficult because pulling off a Dash Dodge can be very precise. Like just when you thought you got down the timing, you end up being a few frames off and now you just took damage or died. The good news is that you are able to use Wishes Mode if you so desire which allows you to access every power-up in the game by pressing down + power-up switch button which allows you to scroll through every power-up in the game which allows you to use what you want for any situation. The game recommends this setting and having endured it, I would argue you are going to need it. You can use Gravity and Wind to avoid a horde of enemies, Edgy to climb up walls while going fast through what I call a Dash + Jump combo, Archer to damage enemies from a safe distance, Magical to clear a wave of small enemies in your way if you are able to fill up your meter, and Knight as it gives you a free hit point periodically.

As cool as it is, I really do not like how you have to toggle left and right between over 10 power-ups. This would be one thing if it were 4 power-ups, but with that many power-ups would warrant a Quick Select wheel like what Ratchet & Clank does, but in this game, switching power-ups can be a hassle. So if you need to switch from Wind to Fire, you need to get to a safe spot, press down + power swap, and repeatedly tap left or right to get the desired power-up. You also cannot move while switching power ups either.

Another problem I have with the game is its sense of momentum which is different from Sonic which isn't bad on its own because Freedom Planet has a different sense of momentum, but at the very least that game doesn't have you slow down when you are going up a slope even you are going fast which means you are forced to spam the dash button to go through loops. If this sounds like its by design to add use to the dash, it wouldn't devalue it since other than being used to dodge, it does build up an initial burst of speed and for some power-ups, it's useful for closing the gap with an Air Dash or for Edgy and Fark, you can pull off a massive burst of speed with by pressing dash while in the air and immediately after pressing jump to leap a massive distance. I understand the game is more combat focused and yeah, you do get those high-speed thrills often enough, but the momentum could've been so much better.

I've also ran into technical issues including Frame Rate drops as well as the inability to actually pause in Level 14 as it shows an error message, but nothing game breaking as far as I'm aware. I heard there were much worse bugs on initial release, but have long since been patched. With how extremely precise the Dash Dodge is even with Sword active to the point where it feels inconsistent, I don't even know if I'd recommend doing Spark's Challenge at least on Hard difficulty and not only that, but because you have two health, you have to be wary of your surroundings, but sometimes you can be met with a barrage of enemies, get camped from the higher ground, or even get goobed because of that one enemy that teleports and airstrikes you from above.

But regardless of my problems, Spark the Electric Jester is actually a really great game that I would rank up there with my favorite 2D platformers. I actually like it a lot more than Sonic, as ironic as this sounds. It wore its inspiration and was still able to deliver a memorable experience with a simple and well-designed character in Spark, and an amazing soundtrack with having one of my favorite final boss themes in any video game I've played.

Cleared on September 4th, 2023 (SEGA Genesis Challenge: 40/160)

This game is much like Contra in some ways, but made more deliberately clunkier as you are controlling a mech in a 2D shooter where you move on foot. Much like those games, you can aim in multiple directions while moving and shooting, but you cannot duck and your jump is not as responsive as well as being quite floaty. As weird as this sounds, I don't have much of a problem with that. I've played much worse when it comes to controls.

Before starting out a mission, you are given the option to equip 6 different items which can include weapons that do all kinds of things like deal single-target damage, spread shot damage, AoE, homing, and piercing among others. You can also equip Armor to increase health and a shield to reduce damage.

Going into this game, I was warned of how brutally difficult it was and at first I thought that it wasn't that hard. I mean, it's not easy or anything. Enemies come at you quite frequently and you have to deal with uneven terrain, but sometimes that can work to your advantage. Granted, I did find that Reactor in Mission 4 to be really obnoxious, but that's about as much as I expected... well, until the final level.

In the final level you acquire flying controls. This isn't the first time this happens since you get this opportunity in Level 3 and 7, but my god, the level just barrages with you with enemies. You can at least have allies to help blast them for damage, but once you get to the enemy side, you better hang on. Once you manage to get to the labyrinth, it is still quite tedious, but the good news is that you have health regeneration, so just show some patience and you'll pull through.

But then, we get to the final boss, and I just want to say, it is easily the 2nd worst Sega Genesis boss I have faced next to the final boss of Wonder Boy in Monster World. The boss has two attacks. An electric chain that circles around and a wave of missiles that fire at your current direction. The problem is that he attacks so fast that you are given little room to avoid his attacks and you just die so quickly. Now if you have the right weapon, you should have an easier time, but if you don't like I did... well, better start save scumming. And somehow, the 2nd phase ends up being super easy because all you have to do is ring around the circles, shoot and you win.

By that point, my head was hurting and I wasn't enjoying the game as much anymore. It was fine for the first couple of levels, but the final level left me exhausted.