This is essentially Eurostyle Ghouls n Ghosts, although it's a bit more forgiving than the infamous Capcom title and has a bit more nuance in how upgrades and power-ups work. I highly advise tracking down a PDF of the game's manual unless you want to be frustrated senseless, but I'll explain some of the quirks here.

You need to hit down in order to pick up the silver coins (described as armor links in the manual). At certain increments, your armor will increase and at around 70 you'll get golden armor. The wonderful thing about it is that you're basically invincible as long as you keep your chain link count up. But, taking damage in this game works a little bit like sonic (for whatever reason) and you'll drop armor links and possibly downgrade. Curiously, pits won't kill you but you'll drop an assload of links as a punishment.

Weapons themselves have compile shmup logic. That is, you'll power up a weapon by picking up multiples of it. It is very important to stick with one weapon for the most part, as it is virtually impossible to destroy some of the bosses without running out the timer with a level 1 weapon.

There are a dozen stages here (including bosses) and no, you don't have to do the game twice. Unlike most euro style games, the levels are super linear and only require that you free all of the monks from the statues to make the exit appear at the end. The moment to moment action is enjoyable enough once you grasp how the game works (again...this is one you really should read the manual for) and plowing through everything with golden armor and a level three flame wheel is a real power trip.

That being said, I definitely don't care for how rigid the jumping is and found it especially annoying that holding down the button commences this weird sort of bunny hop.

There are also these gatekeepers that will require you to play a game of Simon says to pass by. They start out innocently enough but become incredibly annoying and lengthy by stage 10. I always found these kinds of puzzles in action oriented games to be lame distractions and the same applies here. I am willing to admit that it may just be a me thing here as well- my short term memory is absolute horse shit so this may not be a problem for others.

All in all, it's a short and (mostly) inoffensive action platforming romp that's worth playing through at least once after studying the manual.

A lot of reviewers are comparing this to Hi Fi Rush and JSR, but make no mistake, this is far more Crash Bandicoot and Jak than either of those two games.

The core gameplay is, for the most part, fun enough. When you're zipping around on grind rails and slapping paint on billboards or partaking in traditional platforming challenges it's great. The level design also throws out enough variety to keep these sections varied and interesting, even if many of the gimmicks themselves have been done in other games. (Rotating platforms, chase sequences, messing around with gravity to name a few of the wrinkles)

The combat however...just isn't that good. The collision detection felt consistently off and I was left wondering what hit me (or why I suddenly have a missing heart due to the lack of I frames and feedback). It also doesn't help that you can't bounce off the heads of enemies. I think that could've really helped with the overall flow and would make perfect sense.

Also, while it doesn't do anything wrong aesthetically, I would've liked a bit more variety in the locations. 90 percent of the game is set in industrial complexes with dull color schemes. Sure, your aim is to bring these places back to life in this De-Blob like fashion. I get it. The problem is that I never really felt the same sense of gratification I got from the aforementioned "cozy" platformer because the environment never really changes that much. You'll occasionally come across massive billboards that flood the screen with colors and graffiti when sprayed, but then it's back to the same old washed out stuff.

Overall, I think this is one of those games that is a shining example of why steam needs a "maybe" option for reviews. It has some great ideas, but the poor combat and repetitive scenery really brings it down at times.

Sadly, not even NightDive can save this game. I'm a fan of "weird" games to the point of being a Boogerman apologist, but this ain't it. The levels are even larger and more confusing than the renowned FPS classics of the time, none of the weapons feel good to use (nevermind the fact you're stuck with a frying pan for the first couple of maps) and it's kind of hard to tell what the level geometry is even supposed to represent at times. The jetpack is a cool concept, but it doesn't mean much when all you're doing with it is flying over barren maps. I guess it just goes to show that just because you can remake anything and everything in 2024...doesn't mean that you necessarily should.

One of the best late Taito releases that isn't Little Samson or based on another IP. It's a very straightforward action platformer (even simpler than the Flintstones games) with the levels being themed around various parts of a food joint. I really like how everything is presented on a restaurant menu as you progress through these short-but-sweet platforming 'bouts.

As others have stated, the game does get it a bit obnoxious with enemy placement. However, it never really got to the point where I stopped enjoying myself (which I can't say for something like Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania III).

Also have to give bonus points for the rival chef/final boss looking a hell of a lot like a cross between Dick Dastardly and Waluigi.

Upon completing this again after a few years, I am willing to admit that the 8 bit sonic 2 has some good ideas. Being able to skim across the water in the aquatic zone was a really neat touch that I don't think happens anywhere else in the classic sonic series. Gimmick Mountain along with its phony walls and Scrap Brain-like spheres you launch off of were also kinda neat. And, in theory, the paraglider could have been a nice diversion if it didn't have busted and unintuitive controls.

It's just too bad that most of the level design ranges from decent to absolutely terrible, with scrambled egg being the worst offender. It is 100% trial and error when it comes to figuring out what directions to hold to not get dumped into some spikes. Then there are all of the blind jumps in Green Hill Act 3 that involve a sociopathic level of precision to nail. The developers themselves must have realized how bad of an idea the latter case was, as you can rack up copious amounts of extra lives leading up to the ordeal.


The chaos emeralds don't fare much better, but at least they are always in act 2 of each zone. (You're still not going to find some of them without consulting a guide though...I don't even think it would possible to find the emerald in zone 2 even if by complete accident)

Even the music is quite honestly forgettable. Definitely not terrible by any stretch, but a far cry from the tracks in the far superior Sonic 1 8 bit and definitely a whimper stacked up against the Genesis trilogy.

Only play this if you're a diehard sonic fan and just have to beat all of the games. You're not missing much otherwise.