Trying to decide whether this deserves to overthrow Snatcher as my favorite Sega CD game. The Sega Genesis library is full of combat-focused platformers like Shinobi, Valis, or the X-Men games. Most of these games are fun, but Popful Mail is such an excellent well-rounded experience that if I were to rank them from best to worst, this one would EASILY be at the top of the list. Some features typical of RPGs are added to this formula, which really sets it apart from most of the others. The level design has some light metroidvania elements to it, making them fun to explore without ever getting too overwhelming. The combat is smooth and simple, with three characters and a variety of different weapon upgrades to choose from. The bosses provide a nice challenge, and learning their patterns in order to weave through their attacks and deal damage is satisfying. The graphics aren't anything special, but the game is full of fun animation, especially when it comes to the expressiveness of the dialogue portraits. From a gameplay standpoint I have zero complaints, I had a blast from start to finish.

The character designs and setting appear to take inspiration from a lot of the fantasy anime of the 80s and 90s. It’s hard to look at the game and not be reminded of Slayers or Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko. The plot here is much more generic than these anime, with the titular bounty hunter Popful Mail inadvertently ending up on an adventure to stop the resurrection of a villain known simply as “The Overlord” from being resurrected. Despite some unnecessary dated references to TV shows and movies of the 90s that were obviously added in by the American localization team, character interactions tend to be entertaining, though this is partially reliant on which character you’re playing as. Mail herself is a lovable hotheaded dumbass that's full of personality, while I found Tatt and Gaw to be kind of boring. Side characters are hit or miss in this aspect, but most of the major ones such as the cast of villains lean towards the more positive side. The voice acting, however, is absolutely atrocious. Mail’s voice is one of only a few that stand out as being of actual quality, with most other characters ranging from “amateurish charm of a 90’s anime dub” to “I am begging you to stop talking”.

Voice acting aside, Popful Mail is definitely a must-play for any Sega CD owner, and worth emulating if you don’t own one. Just be sure to play the Unworked Designs hack if you do, which reverts some of the awful changes to the US localization such as the difficulty being drastically increased.