I think the existentialism of this is so bittersweet and powerful. It runs a risk of stomping on and gutting the dichotomy of its original ending with a new route, and decidedly doesn’t through recontextualizing the game in its entirety. It’s not a difficult puzzle game, but the way that they’re structured is so clever, and the meta devices are done as a way of framing the world and story. I genuinely don’t want to spoil anything. This will be on the brain for a while. So much is so thought out and intricate, and I absolutely cannot imagine going to this after the original. It’s so bold to tamper with your ending, and yet, this feels so much more rigid and thought out than most other “true” or “golden” endings which are often retrofitted to a story.

Fun, well sprited, cute. It wears its Sonic inspiration on its sleeve, but gameplay is very different from it. However, this leads to combat feeling a bit… off? I feel like I took a lot of hits that felt cheap and undeserved. And when the lives system doesn’t matter, it begs the question of why it even exists. Game is fun, though. Doesn’t have much in the way of story; it takes itself very seriously for something so bare bones. It’s fun and charming, but yeah. That’s about all I feel. The Sonic comparisons generally do end outside of visuals and character design. I don’t think it’s a fair assessment of either game.

I would lie to my mom about having extracurriculars in high school when in reality I’d run home to speedrun this game because I’d had a route with just one backtrack (that I still use to this date). I’m definitely rusty compared to then, but I’ve still got it. I adore this game so much. It’s one of my favorites of all time and probably always will be. It only takes me about an hour or so, but it’s damn magic. I did a hadouken run this time even though I just beat bosses off muscle memory. Peak gaming and an incredibly good jump on point due to being easy by Mega Man standards and incredibly designed.

Excellent series revival, makes the boss fights fun even without buster, and also has awesome additions like the double gear gimmick being used well, whilst still feeling optional. I used it far less for tricky platforming on this run and I find that to be more rewarding. Also some good lore here for those who care. Robot masters and their weapons all are great (I especially love how you get unique outfits rather than palette swaps), and the parts system is a fun marriage of what 8 introduced alongside 9 and 10’s minor item shops. Only complaint is the final stages are genuinely too little. There’s two full sized ones with their own bosses (though I wish we didn’t do another Yellow Devil. This is 4 classic games in a row (6 if you count &Bass and Powered Up) with a devil boss, and that is beyond tiring. Beyond that? Obligatory boss rush for a third stage, though I’m glad it’s separate from anything of substance, and a hallway that leads into the final bosses. I still adore this game, and it deserves the praise it gets, and the fact that it’s now the best selling in the series. This is how you do a 2.5D revival of your series. Breed familiarity with a unique twist, and design it meticulously. Doesn’t hurt that it’s also just 30 dollars at base, so no one’s being overcharged beyond compare by a 2D side scroller that’s short and replayable. Good as hell replay, I hadn’t revisited this since 2018 and I left loving it even more.

Extremely underrated. Plays amazingly and gives you so many mechanics to juggle and fight the steep challenges it throws you. I don’t think the plot is quite on the level of Explorers, but it’s enjoyable and the world building is a love letter to the series as a whole. 9 years since the last truly new PMD story. That upsets me. Imo, this is how you do legacy content. Build your own story, but sprinkle references in as a bonus. They don’t inhibit it or take control of the plot ever. That’s why this is good.