easily the hardest game in the series (on legend difficulty) - that is perhaps with the exception of the original ghosts n goblins, but the crucial difference there is that this game achieves its difficulty through grueling yet mostly fair obstacles that you can learn to overcome with time and effort, while the original ghosts n goblins just decides to throw a bunch of bullshit at you after the second level. going back to that game made me appreciate all the more how intricately crafted this one is, how it takes something from every prior title in the series to create something special.

typing this out, i'm reminded of another game from this year that represented the revival of a classic franchise: metroid dread. while i initially really liked that game (and still do), i've been somewhat souring on it as time has passed, and that's mostly because i came to the realization that while the reverence it has for the legacy of its series is certainly apparent, it didn't actually meaningfully improve on the formula. for the most part it walks into the same pitfalls as the gba titles, and remains completely outclassed by super metroid. resurrection is a stark contrast; it actually takes lessons from its series history and not only manages to translate the gameplay faithfully to a modern era but improves on its design by leaps and bounds. it's a game that stays true not just to the iconography of the series but its spirit and design as well, while simultaneously not being afraid to make alterations where needed. needless to say, i think it's a great game. it went pretty underlooked, which is a shame, because i think the industry really needs more games like this.